Young Muhmin

Be Careful of what we forward from the Internet

2010-11-16T07:05:00.001-08:00

A lecture regarding everything we read on the internet regarding Islam.

A very important lecture by Brother Abu Mussab Wajdi Akkari. For more lectures please visit:http://www.onewaytoparadise.net

Ruling on Eid and the Sunnahs of Eid

2010-11-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

I would like to know some of the Sunnahs of Eid and the rulings thereon.

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah has set out several rulings concerning Eid, including the following:

1 – It is mustahabb to recite takbeer during the night of Eid from sunset on the last day of Ramadaan until the imam comes to lead the prayer. The format of the takbeer is as follows:

Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, there is no god except Allaah, Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, and all praise be to Allaah).

Or you can say Allaahu akbar three times, so you say:

Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, there is no god except Allaah, Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great , Allaah is Most Great, and all praise be to Allaah).

Both are permissible.

Men should raise their voices reciting this dhikr in the marketplaces, mosques and homes, but women should not raise their voices.

2 – You should eat an odd number of dates before leaving for the Eid prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not set out on the day of Eid until he had eaten an odd number of dates. He should stick to an odd number as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did.

3 – You should wear your best clothes – this is for men. With regard to women, they should not wear beautiful clothes when they go out to the Eid prayer-place, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let them go out looking decent” i.e., in regular clothes that are not fancy. It is haraam for them to go out wearing perfume and makeup.

4 – Some of the scholars regarded it as mustahabb to do ghusl for the Eid prayer, because it is narrated that some of the salaf did this. Doing ghusl for Eid prayer is mustahabb, just as it is prescribed for Jumu’ah because one is going to meet people. So if one does ghusl, that is good.

5 – The Eid prayer. The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the Eid prayer is prescribed in Islam. Some of them say that it is Sunnah, some say that it is fard kafaayah (a communal obligation) and some say that it is fard ‘ayn (an individual obligation), and that not doing it is a sin. They quoted as evidence the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded even the virgins and women in seclusion, i.e., those who did not ordinarily come out, to attend the Eid prayer place, except that those who were menstruating should keep away from the prayer-place itself, because it is not permissible for a menstruating woman to stay in the mosque; it is permissible for her to pass through but not to stay there.

It seems to me, based on the evidence, that it is fard ‘ayn (an individual obligation) and that every male is obliged to attend the Eid prayer except for those who have an excuse. This was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him).

In the first rak’ah the imam should recite Sabbih isma rabbika al-A‘ala (Soorat al-A’la 87) and in the second rak’ah he should recite Hal ataaka hadeeth ul-ghaashiyah (al-Ghaashiyah 88). Or he may recite Soorat Qaaf (50) in the first and Soorat al-Qamar (54) in the second. Both options are narrated in saheeh reports from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

6 – If Jumu’ah and Eid fall on the same day, the Eid prayer should be held, as should Jumu’ah prayer, as is indicated by the apparent meaning of the hadeeth of al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer which was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh. But those who attend the Eid prayer with the imam may attend Jumu’ah if they wish, or they may pray Zuhr.

7 – One of the rulings on Eid prayer is that according to many scholars, if a person comes to the Eid prayer-place before the imam comes, he should sit down and not pray two rak’ahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Eid with two rak’ahs, and he did not offer any prayer before or after it.

Some of the scholars are of the view that when a person comes he should not sit down until he has prayed two rak’ahs, because the Eid prayer-place is a mosque, based on the fact that menstruating women are not allowed there, so it comes under the same rulings as a mosque, which indicates that it is a mosque. Based on this, it comes under the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “When any one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he has prayed two rak’ahs.” With regard to the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not offer any prayer before or after the Eid prayer, that is because when he arrived the prayer started.

Thus it is proven that we should pray Tahiyyat al-Masjid (two rak’ahs to “greet the mosque”) when arriving at the Eid prayer-place, as in the case of all mosques, because if we assume from the hadeeth that there is no Tahiyyat al-Masjid for the Eid mosque, then we should say that there is no Tahiyyat al-Masjid for the Jumu’ah mosque either, because when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) arrived at the Jumu’ah mosque he would deliver the khutbah, then pray two rak’ahs then leave and pray the regular Sunnahs of Jumu’ah in his house, so he did not offer any prayer before it or after it (in the mosque).

What seems more likely to be correct in my view is that we should pray two rak’ahs in the Eid prayer-place to greet the mosque, but we should not denounce one another with regard to this issue, because it is a matter concerning which the scholars differ. We should not denounce others with regard to matters where the scholars differ, unless there is a clear text. So we should not denounce the one who prays (Tahiyyat al-Masjid) or the one who sits down without praying.

8 – One of the rulings on the day of Eid – Eid al-Fitr – is that Zakaat al-Fitr is due on this day. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined that it should be paid before the Eid prayer. It is permissible to pay it one or two days before that, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) which was narrated by al-Bukhaari: “They used to give it one or two days before (Eid) al-Fitr.” If it is paid after the Eid prayer, it does not count as Sadaqat al-Fitr, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas: “Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is Zakaat al-Fitr, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is ordinary charity.” It is haraam to delay Zakaat al-Fitr until after the Eid prayer. If one delays it with no excuse then it is not acceptable zakaah, but if there is an excuse – such as if a person is traveling and does not have anything to give or anyone to give it to, or he is expecting his family to pay it and they are expecting him to pay it, then in this case he should pay it when it is easy for him to do so, even if that is after the prayer, and there is no sin on him because he has an excuse.

9 – People should greet one another, but that results in haraam actions on the part of many people, such as men entering houses and shaking hands with unveiled women without any mahram being present. Some of these evils are worse than others.

We see some people denouncing those who refuse to shake hands with those who are not their mahrams, but it is they who are the wrongdoers, not he. But he should explain to them and tell them to ask trustworthy scholars to verify his actions and he should tell them not to get angry and insist on following the customs of his forefathers, because they do not make a permissible thing forbidden or a forbidden thing permissible. He should explain to them that if they do that, they will be like those of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And similarly, We sent not a warner before you (O Muhammad) to any town (people) but the luxurious ones among them said: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will indeed follow their footsteps”
[al-Zukhruf 43:23]

Some people have the custom of going out to the graveyard on the day of Eid to greet the occupants of the graves, but the occupants of the graves have no need of any greeting or congratulations, because they do not fast or pray qiyaam.

Visiting the graves is not something to be done especially on the day of Eid or Friday or any particular day. It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) visited the graves at night, as mentioned in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah narrated by Muslim. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Visit the graves for they will remind you of the Hereafter.”

Visiting graves is an act of worship, and acts of worship are not acceptable unless they are in accordance with sharee’ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not single out the day of Eid for visiting the graves, so we should not do so either.

10 – There is nothing wrong with what men do on the day of Eid of embracing one another.

11 – It is prescribed for the one who goes out to the Eid prayer to go by one route and return by another, following the example of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This Sunnah does not apply to other prayers, Jumu’ah or anything else, it only applies to Eid.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 16/216-223.

Greeting during Eid

2010-11-15T06:38:00.001-08:00

It is permissible for Muslims to greet each other on the day of Eid with specific greetings that have been reported from the sahabah (ra). Responding to a question in this regard, Ibn Taymiyyah (r) said:

"As for people greeting each other after the eid prayer by,

'Taqaballahu minna wa mimkum' (may Allah accept from us and you) -

it is reported that some of the shahabah practiced it, and the scholars permitted it. However, Ahmad said, 'I do not initiate saying it to anyone; but if one says it to me, I answer him. This is because responding to a greeting is obligatory, but to initiate the greeting is not a required sunnah, neither is it prohibited: whoever does it it would have an example (from the salaf) and whoever does not would have a predecessor as well." (Al Fatawi 24:253)

Jabyr ibn Nufayr said: 'When the companions of Allah's Messenger (saaws) met on the day of eid, they would say to each other, 'Taqaballahu minna wa mink (may Allah accept from us and you)." [Al Mahamiliyyat; hasan isnad; see Fath ul Bari 2:446]

And Muhammad ibn Ziyad said: I was with Abu Umamah al Bahili (ra) and some other companions of the Prophet (saws). When they returned from the eid, they said to each other, 'Taqabbalallahu minna wa mink."

*taken from "Celebrations in Islam", compiled by Muhammad al Jibali.

MUSLIM PILGRIMS BEGIN ANNUAL HAJJ PILGRIMAGE

2010-11-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of Muslims began the main rituals of the annual pilgrimage on Sunday, heading from Mecca to the camp of Mina with no major incidents reported since they descended on the holy city.

There are no official figures yet for the total number of pilgrims but some estimates put the number as high as 2.5 million this year.

Authorities say permits have been granted to 1.7 million foreign pilgrims, with a further 200,000 or so issued to pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia and from neighbouring Gulf states.

This year has seen a crackdown on pilgrims who do not have the requisite papers as authorities attempt to prevent numbers getting out of hand.

A driver caught transporting unauthorised pilgrims faces a fine of 10,000 riyals (2,667 dollars) for each individual.

The passage to Mina marks the official launch of the hajj on the eighth day of the Muslim calendar month of Dhul Hijja.

The day is known as Tarwiah (Watering) as pilgrims in the past stopped at Mina to water their animals and stock up for the following day's trip to Mount Arafat.

The vast plain of Mina was a canvas of huge white tents. It comes to life for just five days a year.

On Monday, the pilgrims move on to Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain, some 10 kilometres (six miles) to the southeast, where they spend the day in prayer and reflection.

After sunset, they move to Muzdalifah, halfway between Mount Arafat and Mina, where they spend the night.

: © AFP Mustafa Ozer - This year has seen a crackdown on pilgrims who do not have the requisite papers

On Tuesday, the first day of Eid Al-Adha or the Feast of the Sacrifice, the pilgrims head back to Mina after dawn prayers.

They then perform the first stage of the symbolic "stoning of the devil" and make the ritual sacrifice of an animal, usually a lamb.

During the remaining three days of the hajj, the pilgrims continue the ritual stoning before performing the circumambulation of the Kaaba shrine in Mecca and heading home.

No major incidents have been reported this year since the pilgrims began gathering in Mecca. The city's Grand Mosque has been flooded with the faithful, with an estimated 1.7 million taking part in the main weekly Muslim prayers on Friday.

The movement of pilgrims between the holy sites is a major headache for Saudi authorities who have had to deal with deadly stampedes in the past.

In recent years, the kingdom has used its huge oil revenues for massive spending on new infrastructure to ease the flow of people.

This year, the first phase of the new Mashair Railway -- or Mecca metro -- will transport pilgrims between Mina and Mount Arafat through Muzdalifah.

The Jamarat Bridge, where pilgrims perform the ritual stoning, has also been expanded to three levels with movement channelled in one direction.

Security remains a concern. Last Wednesday, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said he could not rule out the possibility of a sabotage attempt by Al-Qaeda.

The Importance of Salatul Asr

2010-11-14T05:58:00.001-08:00

Every Muslim knows that Salaah is the most important pillar of Islam after Imaan. Salaah has in fact been ordained as the corner stone of success of the People of Imaan. This is why the Shari'ah has emphasized that it should be performed correctly and punctually. Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'aan: Safeguard your Salaah and (especially) the middle Salaah (i.e. Asr Salaah) and stand before Allah with humility. (Surah al-Baqarah)

To 'safeguard' our Salaah means 'to perform it at its prescribed time and to be steadfast in it so as not to miss a single Salaah '. When this aayah (verse) was revealed, Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam) warned the Sahaabah (Radiyallahu anhum} against staying away from the Masjid, and even threatened to burn the homes of the men that performed their Salaah at home. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer) In the above aayah, the Asr Salaah has been emphasized since it occurs when people are generally preoccupied in worldly activities.

A Sign of True Imaan

Invariably the hours of Salaah will be encountered during the times of business and work - and this is the real test of Imaan. It is really a sign of true Imaan when a Muslim businessman suspends his business dealings and leaves his workplace to answer the call of Allah even during peak hours when customers surround him on all sides. Once Hadrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radiyallahu anhu} was in the shopping centre. It was time for Salaah and people stood up, closed their shops and proceeded to the Masjid. Hadrat Ibn Umar (Radiyallahu anhu} was delighted at seeing this and remarked, 'These are the people regarding whom this a ayah (in Surah an-Noor) was revealed: (Real) men whom neither trade nor merchandise distracts from the remembrance of Allah.’

Virtues of Asr Salaah

Regarding the virtue and excellence of Asr Salaah, Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam) has said, 'Whoever performs

the two 'cold' salaahs (i.e. Fajr and Asr) shall enter Jannah. ' (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) He has also said, 'The person who performs Salaah before the sun rises and before it sets (i.e. Fajr and Asr) shall never enter the Fire (of Jahannam).’ (SahihMuslim)

In fact, very special virtues have been attached even to the four raka 'aat Sunnah Salaah before Asr. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam) has said: 'May Allah grant mercy and blessings to the person who performs four raka 'aat (Sunnah) before Asr. ' (Abu Daawood) Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam) has also said: 'The person who regularly performs four raka'aat (Sunnah) before Asr, Allah will forbid his body from the Fire (of Jahannam). ' (at- Tabarani)

Delaying Asr till before Sunset

Unfortunately very few people are able to resist the love of wealth and go to the Masjid only because of their love for Salaah. As a result, they either delay their Zuhr and Asr Salaah or discard them altogether. Let alone missing the Asr Salaah completely, serious warnings have been given against delaying it till just before sunset. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam) has said, “This is the Salaah of the hypocrite: He sits waiting for the sun until it is between the two horns of the shaytaan (i.e. just before sunset). Then ( very hastily) he goes and strikes his head four times on the ground (and) he does not remember Allah therein, but a little.” (Sahih Muslim)

Missing Asr completely

However, regarding to those people who miss their Asr Salaah completely Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam) has said: 'He who misses his Asr Salaah (i.e. reads it after its specified time) is as if he has lost his wife, children and all his wealth.’ (Sahih Muslim)

In other words, Salaah is so precious that missing one Salaah should make us grieve and mourn its loss like the pain suffered by a man who has lost his wife, his children and all his belongings. May Allah protect us from missing our Salaah because of the very grave consequences in the Hereafter. Another Hadith warns that for a person who totally neglects or misses his Asr Salaah, all his actions are rendered worthless. (Mishkaat p.60)

This is why the Qur'aan specifically emphasizes the importance of the Asr Salaah. Yet, it is sad and shocking that so many businessmen and workers remain busy in their shops and offices, and read their Asr Salaah during sunset or make it qadha afterwards. Those who are guilty of this should reflect upon the above Ahaadith. Allah Ta'ala also says:

Verily Salaah is compulsory on the Muslims at its prescribed time. (Surah an-Nisaa: 103)

Therefore, to read a Salaah other than at its prescribed time without a valid Shari' excuse, makes a person deserving of severe punishment. In Surah al-Maa-oon, referring specifically to the hypocrites, Allah warns them with destruction for neglecting their Salaah and not performing it on time. Yet, these examples are found in abundance amongst Muslims today.

The Successful Believers

Describing the successful Believers, Allah Ta'ala declares:

They are those who are punctual in the performance of their Salaah. (Surah al-Mu'minoon: 9)

We engage in business as a means of gaining sustenance. Allah Ta'ala, our Sustainer, has promised sustenance with ease and barakah (blessings) if we perform our Salaah on time and with jama'ah (for males) by observing all its etiquette. But, if our business becomes an obstacle to establishing Salaah, it is actually an obstacle to gaining rizq from Allah Ta' ala. This will deprive our earnings of any barakah and instead of bringing us happiness and enjoyment it will becomes a means of torment and grief.

May Allah guide us to adopt the ways of our Pious Predecessors and those who have earned His pleasure, and may He help us to realise that our success lies truly in submitting to His orders in the manner demonstrated by our Master, Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wasallaam). Aameen

Prepared by: IDARAH IHYAA-UDDEEN

Islam and Ego by Nouman Ali Khan

2010-11-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Speaker: Br. Nouman Ali Khan

1) Remember Allah (swt)

Don’t do thoughtless Dhikr, contemplate, don’t just say without thinking. For example, say Alhamdullilah, MashaAllah and ShukarAlhamdulilah during your day when it has meaning and basis that you can appreciate.
Learn to be Uncomfortable with Praise: If someone praises you, just bring it back to Allah (swt). Say to the other person, I don’t need your praise – I just need your dua. Don’t praise me. Put yourself down and bring light to the truth, the Creator of All things – Allah (swt) and His Will. When someone praises you, it hurts you because it boosts your EGO. So tell others to stop praising you.
When someone is condensing towards you and is real nasty to you it’s a good way to put down your EGO – so they may have been doing you a favour. Think about it. This may inshallah be a gift from Allah (swt) the gift of Humility.
Learn to Serve people – for the Sake of Allah (swt)
Keep things gradual – don’t burn yourself out.
If you do things for Allah (swt) and you seem frustrated when you don’t see results (from your work, MSA, Masjid, etc.) then change your attitude and change your intention – You won’t be frustrated because you put your expectations with Allah (swt). You’re not in charge of results – that’s all up to Allah (swt). So even if you put in a lot of work passing out flyers and no one shows up you may be frustrated…but don’t be, don’t internalize this frustration – Allah (swt) takes care of all things. Be happy that you’re not the one in charge of results. Just do your part with the right attitude and intention and seriousness. And you become satisfied with yourself.

2) Find better company - find company of people better than yourself so you be surrounded with those best in character and so you may learn something.

3) Keep your mouth shut – If you see something really bad, find a humble way of giving advice to a muslim. Find a loving soft way to pull people into Islam. Don’t change their behaviour first, change their heart. Most time we go after people’s behaviours. Their hearts must change first and then their behaviour. It’s your job to just remind and make dua to Allah (swt), not to go after another persons’ behaviour. The first person to benefit from a sincere reminder is the one who gives a sincere reminder.

Be patient. Prophet Muhammad (saws) reminded people for over 10 years.
You may never see benefit but it benefits.
The words are coming from you and the effect is coming from Allah (swt). If your words are not affecting others then there’s probably something wrong with you. Look to yourself first. Don’t worry about results – just do what you’re supposed to do.

On Knowledge

People turn knowledge into a means to inflate their ego – because they wanted to dominate others. This deen is for those who are humble.

On Sincerity

If you are in a position of Leadership how do you give counsel to someone – especially if they are muslim?
Learn to be tolerant. Do not justify wrong behaviour – but remember to be nice about your speech, be SINCERE. Sincerity shows. There is a difference – are you someone who is not nice in your speech and you put others down, or do you show sincerity – where you are humble in your actions and you bring yourself to humble level.
How do you know if you are sincere? After an incident when someone hurt’s you by their words or actions you 1) Forgive them 2) Ask Allah (swt) to forgive them (all in private). The private dua is sincere.
How to also be sincere: Treat everyone decently by respecting and listening to their views – take their opinion if beneficial, just talk to them. Consult them so they feel dignified. Prophet Muhammad (saws) didn’t need to consult for decisions because he got revelation and then could make decisions, but he still consulted others to make them feel included. To make them feel dignified.

Allah (swt) is the key to success. Place your decisions in trust with Allah (swt).

When it comes to putting in effort:

Bad:I’m going to make the best effort possible and the results are in my hands.I’m going to make no effort and the results are in Allah (swt) hands.

Best:I’m going to make the best effort and the results are in Allah(swt) hands.

Source: http://faithworksforever.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/how-to-clean-your-heart-and-arrogance/

MAKING YOUR SALAH BETTER

2010-11-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed when you are performing your Salah, all sorts of worldly things occupy your mind and you are unable to concentrate on your salah???

It may be that you have too much on your mind or that Satan is attacking you from within.

How can you get rid of these distractions and improve your salah??? Here are some suggestions:

1. Make a serious effort to perform Salah to the best of your ability.

2. Make Wudu/Ghusl properly.

3. Develop humility and attentiveness before Allaah.

"Successful are the believers who offer their prayers with humility and attentiveness." [Al-Quran:23:1-2]

4. Remember Death:

5. The awesome presence of Allaah must b e felt. Again,

6. Try to learn the meaning of the words you say in Arabic and you will find yourself concentrating better in your Salah. You will begin to relate better in your conversation with Allaah since you will connect your speech with Him.

7. Try to develop the ability to be cut off, from this world and the normal cares of other seekers of the world.

8. Pray at the Fixed times.

9. When you are praying in Jamaa'ah, keep the lines straight and do not leave spaces, for satan occupies the spaces.

10. Let your prayer be a happy occasion and not a duty to be frowned upon, but rather to be awaited in eager anticipation.

11. Let your prayer be an outpouring of love and appreciation for all that Allaah has done for you and your family and all of mankind.

12. Shun all negative qualities like jealousy and pride and develop positive qualities like piety and fear of Allaah's wrath, for it will help you in your relation with Allaah.

13. Good prayer depends on the condition of the mind and total dependence on Allaah as well as internalized certainty that Allaah is always knowledgeable of everything that you do.

14. Do not be contented until you learn to pray properly - at every moment speak to Allaah sincerely until you are satisfied that you have tried your best.

15. Strive for excellence in everything that you do and more so, when it is for Allaah.

16. Always remember that "TIME" is your only asset to do things for the Hereafter, so do not put things off because there is no guarantee that the Prayer you missed or spoilt will ever be rectified.

InshaAllaah hope this benefits all of us.

Fasting on the Day of 'Arafah

2010-11-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

By Tajuddin B. Shu'aib

Da`awah Enterprises International

Los Angeles, California. USA

The ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah (the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar) is the day of 'Arafah. It is the day when pilgrims stand on the plain of 'Arafah to pray. On this day, Muslims all over the world who do not witness the annual hajj should spend the day in fasting, in preparation for the three days festivity following 'Eid ul-Adha (the celebration marking the end of the hajj commemorating the Prophet Ibrâhîm's willingness of sacrifice).

Abû Hafsah, may Allâh be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said:

"Fasting on the day of 'Arafah absolves the sins for two years: the previous year and the coming year, and fasting on 'ashûra, (the tenth day of Muharram) atones for the sins of previous years."[Reported by all except al-Bukhârî and Tirmidhî]

In another saying the Prophet's wife Hafsah, may Allâh be pleased with her, said:

"Four things the Messenger of Allâh never neglected: Observing fast on the day of 'ashûra, 'Arafat, three days every month, and offering fajr sunnah prayers early in the morning." [Muslim]

These statements are proof that fasting on the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah, the day before 'Eid ul-Adha was a lifelong practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as his wife reported.

There are some reports that fasting is prohibited on the day of 'Arafah. However, it must be understood that this refers to a person performing the hajj. If a person is on the hajj, there is no fast for him or her on the day of 'Arafah. That is undoubtedly a blessing for him because of the hardships of the pilgrimage. In a saying reported by Umm al-Fadl,may Allâh be pleased with her, she said:

"The companions doubted whether the Prophet was fasting on 'Arafah or not. She decided to prove to them that he was not, so she said, 'I sent to him milk, which he drank while he was delivering the khutbah (sermon) on 'Arafah.' " [Recorded by al-Bukhârî]

Prohibiting the pilgrims from fasting on these days is a great mercy for them, for fasting will exert undue hardship on the person performing the hajj, while they are primarily concerned with their pilgrimage. Above all, the pilgrim would not be fasting anyway because he is travelling.

Rulings of Udhiyah(Sacrifice)

2010-11-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

Praise be to Allaah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

Udhiyah is one of the great rituals of Islam, in which we remember the Unity of Allaah, His blessings upon us and the obedience of our father Ibraaheem to his Lord, and in this act of udhiyah there is much goodness and blessing. So the Muslim must pay attention to its great importance. The following is a brief look at this important ritual.

Udhiyah refers to the animal (camel, cattle or sheep) that is sacrificed as an act of worship to Allaah, in the country in which the person offering the sacrifice lives, during the period from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Nahr (Eid al-Adhaa) until the last of the Days of Tashreeq (the 13th day of Dhu’l-Hijjah), with the intention of offering sacrifice. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only).” [al-Kawthar 108:2]“Say (O Muhammad): ‘Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists).” [al-An’aam 6:162]“And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your God is One God, so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam)…” [al-Hajj 22:34]Udhiyyah is a confirmed Sunnah according to the majority of scholars (some scholars say that it is waajib or obligatory; this will be discussed in more detail below). The basic principle is that it is required at the appointed time from one who is alive on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and he may include in the reward for it whoever he wishes, living or dead. With regard to udhiyah on behalf of one who is dead, if the deceased bequeathed up to one third of his wealth for that purpose, or included it in his waqf (endowment), then these wishes must be carried out, otherwise, if a person wishes to offer a sacrifice on behalf of someone who has died, this is a good deed and is considered to be giving charity on behalf of the dead. But the Sunnah is for a man to include the members of his household, living and deed, in his udhiyah, and when he slaughters it, he should say, “Allaahumma haadha ‘anni wa ‘an aali bayti (O Allaah, this is on behalf of myself and the members of my household” – he does not have to make a separate sacrifice on behalf of every deceased person.

The scholars agreed that sacrificing the animal and giving its meat in charity is better than giving its value in charity, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to make the sacrifice, and he did not do anything but that which is best and most befitting. This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad.

The virtues of udhiyah and the best of udhiyah

A sheep is good enough as a sacrifice for one man and the members of his household and his children, because of the hadeeth of Abu Ayyoob: “At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and they would eat from it and give some to others.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh)

The kinds of animals prescribed for sacrifice are camels, cattle and sheep. Some of the scholars said that the best sacrifice is camels, then cattle, then sheep, then a share in a she-camel or cow, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning Friday prayers: “Whoever goes to [Friday prayers] early, it is equivalent to him sacrificing a camel.” This is the opinion of the three imaams Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad. On this basis, a sheep is better than one-seventh of a camel or cow. Maalik said that the best is a young sheep, then a cow then a camel, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed two rams, and he never did anything but that which was the best. The response to that is that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always chose what was more appropriate out of kindness towards his ummah, because they would follow his example, and he did not want to make things difficult for them. (Fataawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz).

A camel or cow is enough for seven people, because of the report narrated by Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “We sacrificed at al-Hudaybiyah with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a camel for seven and a cow for seven.” According to one version: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to share camels and cattle, each seven men sharing one animal.” According to another version: “So a cow would be sacrificed on behalf of seven men and we would share it.” (Reported by Muslim)

Ruling of udhiyah:

Udhiyah is one of the rituals of Islam. It is mentioned in Jawaahir al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel that if the people of a city or country neglect udhiyah, they should be fought, because it is one of the rituals of Islam. (Rasaa’il Fiqhiyyah by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, p. 46). There are two scholarly opinions on udhiyah:

that it is waajib (obligatory). This is the opinion of al-Oozaa’i, al-Layth and Abu Haneefah, and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Imaam Ahmad. It was also the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and is one of the two opinions in the madhhab of Maalik, or is what seems to be the madhhab of Maalik. Those who favour this opinion take the following as evidence:

The aayah: “Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only).” [al-Kawthar 108:2]. This is a command, and a command implies that something is obligatory.

The hadeeth of Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him), reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before he prays, let him slaughter another one in its place, and whoever did not slaughter a sacrifice, let him do so in the name of Allaah.’” (Reported by Muslim, 3621)

The hadeeth: “Whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but does not do so, let him not approach our place or prayer.” (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). It says in Fath al-Baari that its men are thiqaat).

(B) that it is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah). This is the opinion of the majority, and it is the madhhab of al-Shaafa'i and the better-known opinion of Maalik and Ahmad. But most of those who favour this opinion stated that it is makrooh (disliked) for the one who is able to offer a sacrifice to neglect to do so. They base their opinion on the following:

The hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) in Sunan Abi Dawood, where he said: “I prayed on Eid al-Adhaa with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when he finished (the prayer), he was brought two rams, and he sacrificed them. He said, ‘In the Name of Allaah, Allaah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and any member of my ummah who did not offer a sacrifice.” (Sunan Abi Dawood bi Sharh Muhammad Shams al-Haq Abaadi, 7/486)

The hadeeth reported by all the famous muhadditheen apart from al-Bukhaari: “Whoever among you want to offer a sacrifice, let him not take anything from his hair or nails.” Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, said, following his discussion of those who say it is obligatory and those who say it is Sunnah, “Each point of view has its evidence, but to be on the safe side, the one who is able to offer a sacrifice should not neglect to do so, because of what is involved in this act of reverence towards Allaah, remembering Him, and making sure that one has nothing to be blamed for.

Conditions of udhiyah

The animal should have reached the required age, which is six months for a lamb, one year for a goat, two years for a cow and five years for a camel.

It should be free of any faults, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are four that will not do for sacrifice: a one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose limp is obvious and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones .” (Saheeh, Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 886). There are milder defects that do not disqualify an animal, but it is makrooh to sacrifice such animals, such as an animal with a horn or ear missing, or an animal with slits in its ears, etc. Udhiyah is an act of worship to Allaah, and Allaah is Good and accepts only that which is good. Whoever honours the rites of Allaah, this has to do with the piety (taqwa) of the heart.

It is forbidden to sell it. If an animal has been selected for sacrifice, it is not permissible to sell it or give it away, except in exchange for one that is better. If an animal gives birth, its offspring should be sacrificed along with it. It is also permissible to ride it if necessary. The evidence for this is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man leading his camel and told him, “Ride it.” He said, “It is for sacrifice.” He said,“Ride it” a second or third time.

It should be sacrificed at the specified time, which is from after the prayer and khutbah of Eid – not from when the time for the prayer and khutbah starts – until before sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, which is the 13th day of Dhu’l-Hijjah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever sacrifices before the prayer, let him repeat it.”(Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The days of Nahr (Sacrifice) are the day of al-Adhaa and the three days following it.” This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabaah, al-Oozaa’i, al-Shaafa'i and Ibn al-Mundhir, may Allaah have mercy on them all.

What should be done with the sacrifice?

It is mustahabb (liked, preferable) for the one who has made a sacrifice to not eat anything on that day before he eats from it, if this is possible, because of the hadeeth, “Let every man eat from his sacrifice.” (Classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5349). This eating should be after the Eid prayer and khutbah. This is the opinion of the scholars, including ‘Ali, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Maalik, al-Shaafa'i and others. The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not go out on the day of Fitr until he had eaten, and he would not eat on the day of Adhaa until he had slaughtered (his sacrifice).” (Al-Albaani said: its isnaad is saheeh. Al-Mishkaat, 1/452).

It is better for a person to slaughter the sacrifice himself, but if he does not, it is mustahabb for him to be present when it is slaughtered.

It is mustahaab to divide the meat into three: one third to be eaten, one third to be given as gifts and one third to be given in charity. This was the opinion of Ibn Mas’ood and Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them). The scholars agreed that it is not permissible to sell anything from its meat, fat or skin. In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever sells the skin of his udhiyah, there is no udhiyah for him (i.e., it is not counted as udhiyah).” (Classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6118). The butcher should not be given anything of it by way of reward or payment, because ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me to take care of the sacrifice and to give its meat, skin and raiment ( covering used for protection ) in charity, and not to give anything of it to the butcher as a compensation . He said, ‘We will give him something from what we have.’” (Agreed upon). It was said that it is permissible to give the butcher something as a gift, and that it is permissible to give some of it to a kaafir if he is poor or a relative or a neighbour, or in order to open his heart to Islam. (Fataawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz).

Question: what should the Muslim avoid in the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah if he wants to offer a sacrifice?

The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must refrain from taking anything from his hair, nails or skin from the first day of Dhu’l-Hijjah until he offers his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not remove anything from his hair or nails until he has offered his sacrifice.” According to another report: “Let him not touch any part of his hair or nails.” (Reported by Muslim with four isnaads, 13/146). This command implies obligation and the prohibition implies that it is forbidden, according to the most correct opinion, because these are absolutes with no exceptions. If a person deliberately takes something (from his hair or nails), he must seek the forgiveness of Allaah, but he does not have to pay any fidyah (penalty), and his udhiyah is still valid. Whoever needs to remove some of his hair or nails because leaving it will cause him harm, such as a torn nail or a wound in a site covered by hair, should remove it, and there is no sin on him if he does so. This is not more serious than the muhrim (person in ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah) who is allowed to shave if not doing so will cause him harm. There is nothing wrong with men and women washing their hair during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only forbade removing hair, and because the muhrim is allowed to wash his head.

The wisdom behind the prohibition on removing hair and nails is because the one who is going to offer a sacrifice is like the one who is in ihraam for Hajj and ‘Umrah with regard to some rituals, which is the offering of a sacrifice in order to draw closer to Allaah. Thus some of the rulings of ihraam apply to the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, so he should not touch his hair and nails until he has slaughtered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allaah will release him from the fire of Hell. And Allaah knows best.

If a person removes some of his hair and nails during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah because he is not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to sacrifice, he should refrain from cutting his hair or nails from the moment he takes the decision.

There are some women who delegate their brothers or sons to do the sacrifice on their behalf so that they can cut their hair during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is making the sacrifice, whether he or she delegates someone else to do the actual slaughter or not. The prohibition does not apply to the person appointed, it applies to the person who wants to offer a sacrifice on behalf of himself, as is indicated by the hadeeth. As for the person who is doing the sacrifice on behalf of another, whether because of a will or because he has been delegated to do so, the prohibition does not apply to him.

It is apparent that this prohibition applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, and does not extend to his wife or children, unless one of them is offering a sacrifice on his or her own behalf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice on behalf of the family of Muhammad, and it was not reported that he forbade them to remove anything of their hair or nails.

Whoever is planning to offer a sacrifice, then decides to go for Hajj, should not remove anything of his hair or nails when he wants to enter ihraam, because this is Sunnah only when there is a need for it. But if he is doing Hajj “tamattu’” [where one performs ‘Umrah, then ends ihraam and enters a new state of ihraam for Hajj], he should shorten his hair when he finishes ‘Umrah because that is part of the ritual.

The things that are forbidden for the person who wants to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above. It is not forbidden for him to wear perfume or to have intercourse with his wife or to wear sewn garments and so on.

And Allah knows best.

http://blog.iloveallaah.com/2009/12/rulings-of-udhiyah-sacrifice/

How to Concentrate on Salat

2010-11-14T01:46:00.001-08:00

Steps

1
Identify the factors that distracts you in prayers, then try to eliminate them. For example, if you are always distracted by the noise outside of your house, go to the nearest mosque instead of praying in your own home.2
Learn the meaning of prayer. Try to find out what the exact meaning of the words that you are reciting. Think the meaning as you recite the verses. This will definitely keep your mind on your prayer. What you are saying won't just be a bunch of Arabic words anymore; it'll have meaning to it.
3
Try your best to pray together with other Muslims. In Islam, this is known as jama'ah. You will ultimately feel a sense of togetherness. You might also want to have your prayer done at your local mosque. There would normally be some brothers of Muslims in the mosque. Offer to shake your hands to them or even start a new conversation with them.
4
Learn to perform your prayer according to the sunnah of our blessed prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).
5
Give your mind a break for a few minutes. Take a time out from this world and relax. Capture calmness in your mind. Prepare the mind by thinking about your salat.
6
Relieve yourself from your mental stresses.
7
Put on good clothing.
8
Plan what Surahs and Du'ahs you are going to recite.
9
Intend that you are praying to Allah Almighty and only for His sake. Focus on the nature of the prayer you are making. The clearer you are in your intention, the better your attention and concentration will be.

During the Prayer

1
Instill discipline in yourself. Stand upright with a softened heart. Think of your prayer as your last prayer, as how one hadeeth says. Believe that Allah is by your side. Be as quiet and still as possible and try not to fidget. Keep your eyes open and look down straight to where your head will be when you prostrate (sudjood)
2
Don't pray hastily. Perform every part of your prayer with care and in a relaxed manner, as what one hadeeth would say, "Hastiness is from satan."
3
Remember that you are meeting with nobody but Allah!
4
Pay attention to the recitation.
5
Adopt your own way of reciting softly without disturbing others.
6
Bring the mind back when ever you feel that it's lost. Recite Ata'uz (Refuge to Allah from Satan):

A'udhubillahiminash shaitaan nirrajim.

After The Prayer

1
Do not rush away after the prayer. Sit for a while for evaluation, Dhikr and Du'ah. Evaluate whether the prayer has softened your heart.
2
Implore Allah earnestly to accept your prayers. Recite:

Allahumma a 'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husn 'ibadatika
"O Allah, help me in remembering You, in thanking You and in worshipping You in the best way."
3
Recite Dhikr as prescribed by the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
- Allahumma antas salamu wa minkas salamu wa ilaika yarji'us salam. Haiyina Rabbana bis salami tabarakta ya dhal dhalaali wal ikram
- Subhanallah "Exalted is Allah" (33 times), Alhamdullilah "Praise to God" (33 times), Allahu Akbar "God is the Greatest" (33 times)
4
Seek refuge from hell fire, especially after Fajr and Maghrib,
5
Say your peace to the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him),
6
Du'ah as you need.

Outside the Prayer

1
Don’t treat prayer as an isolated act of worship, but part of your lifestyle. Keep in mind that your life in general has an effect on prayer (and vice versa).
2
Keep your lifestyle pure and clean. Eating non-halal food, earning unlawful income, and committing sins take away the joy and concentration in prayer.
3
Begin to schedule your work according to prayers. Let your employers or boss know that you need a few minutes break for prayers and a longer break on Friday noon (for Muslim brothers). Avoid night shift duty, if possible.
4
Try to go to bed early so that you do not miss your morning prayer.
5
Too much engagement in worldly affairs hinders the mind to be attentive inside the prayers.
6
Keep your eyes down
- ...surely by Allah's remembrance are the hearts set at rest. (Quran 18: 28)
- Avoid activities that divert your attention (e.g. too much gossip, TV, music etc), as mentioned in Surah Al-Mu’minun.

The hajjee with no Hajj

2010-11-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

That is the Hajjee who crossed the oases or the airspace or the waters but did not purify his intentions to Allaah azza wa jall. Instead he came either to be named Hajjee So and So or because his acquaintances performed Hajj or to ask people for money or some wordly desire.

That is the Hajjee that called and sacrificed but whose funds were haram in whole or in part or who did not avoid the questionable and did not familiarise himself with those things which concern the pious.

THE HAJJEE WITH NO HAJJ!!

That is the Hajjee who knows that the Prophet (Saw) said, "Take from me your Hajj duties" but in reality did not require himself to follow the one who said that, 'alayhis-salaam, so he does not pursue his sunnah nor the characteristics of his Hajj but rather settles for what his companions are familiar with, even if they are lay people, with no knowledge and perhaps even when a question arises he does not carefully consider whom he asks about it. Some even will ask a good person, even if he does not possess the required knowledge, and Allaah ta'aala says, "Ask those with knowledge if you do not know."

THE HAJJEE WITH NO HAJJ!!

That is the one saying, "Labbayk Allaahumma labbayk, labbayk la shareeka laka labbayk." {Here I am at Your Service O lord, here I am. No partner do you have, Here I am}, however, despite that does not observe His Oneness properly and is not moved to purify himself from misdeeds and perhaps he takes blessings from where they should not be taken or seeks refuge in a human when refuge must be sought from its grantor, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, or he swears by other than Allaah, ta'aala, as swearing by the Prophet (Saw) or swearing by other than Allaah has been forbidden by the Prophet (saw) as he said, "Whoever swears by other than Allaah has disbelieved or become a mushrik, attributed partners to Allaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala".

THE HAJJEE WITH NO HAJJ!!

That is the Hajjee who does nto protect his Hajj from dirty, false, evil and vain talk and sexual desire and committing sins so he releases his tongue from its bridle and does not harness his eyes and does not even give up any of the sinful acts that should be eliminated by performing hajj.

That is the one who does not protect the Muslims from his shoving and aggression and perhaps even aggresses the rights of his brothers in their lodgings or their parking places, or aggresses with odours or garbage as if proper manners are not required at certain times or places.

THE HAJJEE WITH NO HAJJ!!

That is the one who says There is no God but Allaah and Muhammad is His Messenger, which requires him to worship Allaah only by the means revealed and by what the Prophet (Saw) has shoiwn, but he worships Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aala by means not revealed: Perhaps he ascends the mountain in Arafat and tires himself thinking he is in worship is not the case, or perhaps he expends great effort in stoning or used wood or his shoes to stone thinking he is doing the right thing whilst in fact he is abusing his worship and his brothers rights.

THE HAJJEE WITH NO HAJJ!!

That is the one in the state of ihram whose day of Hajj coincided with his day of recreation and his day of ihram with his normal day and did not feel the worship and did not lower himself to Allaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, and did not struggle to avoid even on the day of Arafat when Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aala approaches His creation in a manner which is worthy of His Highness and Greatness, subhaanahu, when He Boasts to the Angels and He Saves from Hellfire whomever He Wishes by His Grave and Generosity.

The Islamic Method of Slaughtering the best Method , Scientifically proven. Vs Un-Islamic method.

2010-11-13T04:25:00.001-08:00

One of the main legislations in regards to the permissibility of meat is that it must be slaughtered according to the mandates of the religion. Forbidden is any type of animal if it dies of natural cause, strangulation, due to a violent blow, a headlong fall, by the goring of horns, and that which has been partially eaten by wild animals. Rather, in order for meat to be made permissible to eat, it must be slaughtered by a cut through the neck, reaching through the trachea, esophagus, the jugular veins and carotid arteries, without severing the spinal cord.
This method is indeed the most humane method to slaughter an animal to make use of its meat. This is also the only method endorsed by the congress of the United States of America, as mentioned in section 1901 and 1902 (b), Chapter 48, Title 7, in which is written the following:

The Congress finds that the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock prevents needless suffering; results in safer and better working conditions for persons engaged in the slaughtering industry; brings about improvement of products and economies in slaughtering operations; and produces other benefits for producers, processors, and consumers which tend to expedite an orderly flow of livestock and livestock products in interstate and foreign commerce. It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States that the slaughtering of livestock and the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods.
No method of slaughtering or handling in connection with slaughtering shall be deemed to comply with the public policy of the United States unless it is humane. Either of the following two methods of slaughtering and handling are hereby found to be humane:

(a) in the case of cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep, swine, and other livestock, all animals are rendered insensible to pain by a single blow or gunshot or an electrical, chemical or other means that is rapid and effective, before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut; or

(b) by slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument and handling in connection with such slaughtering.[1]
As can be seen above, this method of slaughtering ensures the least amount of pain is felt by the animal at the same time rendering the meat safe to eat. The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the flow of blood to the nerves in the brain responsible for pain, and thus the animal does not feel pain. The movements and withering that happen to the animal after the cut is made are not due to pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles deficient in blood. This movement is also essential in forcing the maximum amount of blood from the body, which is extremely important in order to purify the meat, as remaining blood acts as a medium for microorganisms, in addition to meat remaining fresher for a longer period of time. Also crucial to this factor is the severance of the trachea, esophagus, and the jugular veins in conjunction with the carotid arteries, which cause a rapid gush of blood to flow from the system. Severance of the spinal cord, however, may lead to cardiac arrest, causing the stagnation of blood in the blood vessels due to the damage of nerve fibers leading to the heart.

Does the Animal Feel Pain in This Method?

In a study entitled Attempts to Objectify Pain and Consciousness in Conventional (captive bolt pistol stunning) and Ritual (halal, knife) Methods of Slaughtering Sheep and Calves’, carried out by Professor Wilhelm Schulze and his colleague Dr. Hazim at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover University, Germany, several electrodes were surgically implanted at various points of the skull of all animals, touching the surface of the brain. After the animals were allowed to recover for several weeks, some animals were slaughtered in the Islamic manner mentioned previously, by the cutting of the trachea, esophagus, the jugular veins and carotid arteries. Other animals were stunned first before slaughtering. During the experiment, an electroencephalograph (EEG) and an electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded the condition of the brain and the heart of all animals during the course of slaughter and stunning. The following results were recorded:

1. The first three seconds from the time of Islamic slaughter as recorded on the EEG did not show any change from the graph before slaughter, thus indicating that the animal did not feel any pain during or immediately after the incision.
2. For the following 3 seconds, the EEG recorded a condition of deep sleep - unconsciousness. This is due to the large quantity of blood gushing out from the body.
3. After the above-mentioned 6 seconds, the EEG recorded zero level, showing no feeling of pain at all.
4. As the brain message (EEG) dropped to zero level, the heart was still pounding and the body convulsing vigorously (a reflex action of the spinal cord) driving a maximum amount of blood from the body thus
resulting in hygienic meat for the consumer.

The Slaughter of Livestock

(part 2 of 4)

Modern Techniques of Slaughtering

Modern Stunning Techniques Used Prior to Slaughtering

Critics of Islamic and similar Jewish procedures in slaughtering animals oppose the fact that 1902 (a) is not implemented, which calls, though optionally, that animals be stunned before their throats be cut. This is based on the claim that stunning renders the animal insensible to pain, although the more favorable opinion is that it renders the animal easier to control in mass factory-like slaughter houses. Some modern means of stunning are the following:

Mechanical Methods:

· Captive Bolt Pistol (CBP): This stunning method is widely used for all farmed animals and rabbits. Gun powder (cartridge), compressed air and spring under tension drive bolts through the skull of animals. This type of stunning is widely used for all farmed animals. It is called ‘captive’ since the bolt is shot out of the barrel but remains attached to the pistol.

· Concussion stunning. A mechanically operated instrument delivers a blow to the brain and concusses the brain. Used for cattle, sheep, calves, rabbits.
· Free bullets. Used for animals difficult to handle such as wild pigs, bison, deer, horses or in emergencies.
After stunning animals may be pithed, involving inserting a rod into the cavity made by the bolt to destroy the lower portion of the brain and the upper spinal cord. In all these methods, unconsciousness is caused either by penetration of the skull which causes brain damage or by causing a concussive blow to the brain without penetration. After stunning the animal undergoes sticking which cuts off the blood supply to the brain. After animals are stunned and stuck, they are bled, and it is the bleeding that causes death. The industry requires that the heart should remain beating as long as possible after sticking to ensure that as much blood as possible is removed from the flesh and blood vessels. This apparently maintains the quality of the meat and its keeping potential.
Electric Stunning

· Head-Only Stunning: Cattle, sheep, goats and ostriches are all stunned using this method. The technique involves the application of a pair of electric tongs on either side of the animal’s head.
An electric current is then passed through the brain and this supposedly leads to the temporary loss of consciousness.

· Water Bath Stunning:This is a widely used method of stunning forchickens, turkeys, geese and ducks. In this method, birds are shackled upside-down on a moving conveyor belt that takes them to the electric water bath. The birds’ heads are to supposedly be immersed in this water causing their electrocution. In recent years, the strength of the electric current has been raised to ensure the death of the birds by cardiac arrest.

Gassing

Birds may be stunned using CO2 and Argon gas while they remain in their crates. Pigs are also gassed using CO2.
Sticking

In this method a knife is stuck into the animal’s throat or neck causing brain death from the rapid loss of blood supply to the brain.

Does the Animal Feel Pain in This Method?

Studies have shown that stunning the animal with the mentioned techniques put the animal through unnecessary pain. Concerning CBP, the study at the German University showed the following result for stunned animals:
1. The animals were apparently unconscious soon after stunning.
2. EEG showed severe pain immediately after stunning.
3. The hearts of the animal stunned by CBP stopped beating earlier as compared to those of the animals slaughtered according to the Halal method resulting in the retention of more blood in the meat. This in turn is unhygienic for the consumer.
Although the animals were rendered unconscious, they felt severe pain from the stunning, a factor not present in the Islamic manner.

The Slaughter of Livestock

(part 3 of 4)

The Islamic Ruling Concerning Stunning (1)

Although there is no specific prohibition of stunning prior to slaughtering of animals in Islam, it remains, after certain studies, that refraining from stunning is always best, due to the following reasons.
Pain

Islam is a religion which encourages its followers to show mercy to all of creation. It prohibits inflicting unnecessary harm to animals. Even during time of slaughtering, the Prophet said:
“And when you slaughter, then slaughter in the most perfect of manners.”
(Saheeh Muslim)
He commanded that one sharpen their knives before slaughtering.
“Sharpen your knives, so that you make it easy for the slaughtering animal.”
(Saheeh Muslim)
The epitome of mercy and compassion to animals is that he said that one should never sharpen their knives in their presence, nor slaughter one animal in the presence of another.
“He commanded that we sharpen our knives and [slaughter] out of the sight of other animals.”
(Ahmad)
In another narration:
“The Prophet, may God praise him, passed by a man who was sharpening his knife while had his foot on one side of the face of a sheep (holding it to the ground), and it was looking up at him. The Prophet said: ‘Couldn’t you have done this beforehand? You wish to kill it many times.’”
[1] (al-Mundhiri)
In order to be effective, CBP stunning must be performed by highly trained personnel, and specific cartridge strengths must be used. If this is not the case, or if the pistol is not positioned correctly, the animal will have to endure the pain of being shot incorrectly, and then will have to face the pain of being shot again, or the claimed pain (although not true) of being knifed while conscious. If the animal were to have been slaughtered without CBP, there would have been none or minimal pain felt by the animal. In a 1996 report, the Scientific Committee of the European Commission said that, “In 5 to 10% of cattle, captive bolt stunning is not applied correctly,“ which according to VIVA (Vegetarian International Voice for Animals), translates to 230,000 cattle in the UK alone. FAWC (Farm Animal Welfare association) reported “In the course of our slaughterhouse visits, we have frequently examined carcass heads to check the site of bolt penetration. In our view, there were far too many cases where penetration had not been at or near the recommended position and also evidence of a considerable number of double shots (i.e. indicating that the first shot had missed its proper target).”
The same may be said for electric head-only stunning. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) says “There is increasing scientific evidence that some animals that are stunned electrically using tongs regain consciousness before they die from loss of blood.” The reasons behind this are either an inefficient electric current being passed through the animals’ brain during stunning or the animals begin to regain consciousness if the time interval between stunning and sticking exceeds a period of 20 seconds.
VIVA explains this saying that the stun caused by the electric head-only technique lasts between 20 and 40 seconds whereas the interval between stunning and knifing is as high as 70 seconds for sheep. This means that there are around 5 million sheep that regain consciousness after being electrically stunned before they die of blood loss.
Research done at Bristol University has also shown that after an electric stun, sheep may not be able to feel pain; they do, however, experience periods of full awareness. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the loss of consciousness is immediate, and some people, like neurophysiologist Dr. Harold Hilman, believe that stunning is extremely painful, pointing out that the electrocution of prisoners is used as a torture method in some countries. The animals cannot express this pain by crying out or by moving since the massive electric current paralyzes them.
Inadequate stunning also occurs in water bath stunning, especially with ducks and geese, as they tend to raise their heads when entering the water bath and their heads are therefore not fully immersed in the water. Another problem with this method is that, although the aim of this method is to induce cardiac arrest, “many birds are improperly stunned and recover consciousness before slaughter,” according to the RSPCA. This is also the case for sticking, as animals may regain consciousness prior to death.
The pain felt by any living being through suffocation, as in the case of gassing, is clear to any person and need not be detailed.
What can be observed is that although these methods are supposedly meant to reduce pain, the result is that the animal actually undergoes more pain, both from the initial stunning and from the following actions if stunning is performed inadequately. Again, causing unnecessary pain to animals is prohibited in Islam.

Footnotes: [1] Meaning that sharpening the knife in the presence of the animal was equal to killing it.

The Slaughter of Livestock

(part 4 of 4)

The Islamic Ruling Concerning Stunning (2)

Health

Removal of Blood:

It is clear that the removal of the maximum amount of blood before death of the animal is crucial to the purity of the meat. In the various methods of stunning, animals may undergo cardiac arrest after stunning, either unintentionally, such as electric head-only stunning, or intentionally, such as electric water bath stunning, in which enough electricity is used to ensure cardiac arrest of poultry. From the results of the experiment of the German University was that the hearts of animals stunned by CBP stopped beating earlier as compared to those of the animals slaughtered according to the Islamic method resulting in the retention of more blood in the meat. Stunning also causes ‘salt and pepper’ hemorrhage where the small blood vessels rapture, and blood leaks into the meat tissue. All these techniques cause the blood to remain in the vessels, encouraging the spawning of microorganisms.
Contamination of Meat

There is a rising concern that stunning may be a factor in the spread of mad cow’s disease from cattle to humans, as it was discovered in recent research carried out at Texas A&M University and by Canada’s Food Inspection Agency, that a method called pneumatic stunning (which is the firing of a metal bolt into the cow's brain followed by a pulverizing burst of 150 pounds of air pressure) delivered a force so explosive that it scattered brain tissue throughout the animal. This news is disturbing since the brain tissue and spinal cord are the most infectious parts of an animal with mad cow disease, which causes fatal Swiss cheese like holes in the brain of the infected animal. It is more disturbing to find out that around 30 to 40 percent of American cattle are stunned by pneumatic guns.
It was found by an experiment conducted by Gregory and Whittington in 1992 and published in Research in Veterinary Science under the title of Inhalation of Water During Electrical Stunning in Chickens that “chickens can and do inhale water during electric stunning in a water bath. No remedy for this is available at the moment.” It was also noticed that birds may defecate while being stunned and so live birds may inhale water fouled by feces at stunning, thus making their meat unhygienic as the fluids may leak out of the lungs and cause contamination.
Fear of Death

In many of these stunning techniques, animals die before they are slaughtered, either unintentionally, such as CBP and electric head-only stunning, or intentionally, such as gassing. This, according to Islam, renders the meat inedible and prohibited, as it enters the category of carrion meat.
Conclusion

The legislations of the religion come from a Divine source, the Creator of all that exist, One Whose knowledge of His creation is infinite. This fact necessitates that all things mandated by God in the religion are done so from this Divine Knowledge, and therefore must be ultimate in all ways. Analyzing the legislations mandated and recommended in the religion of Islam will definitely come to show that indeed they are the best and most suitable to any given circumstance, and that they have a common denominator, the maximization of benefits and reduction of harm. As some people classify the Islamic method of slaughter to be cruelly to animals, the reality shows facts quite the opposite. Accusations of animal cruelty should very rightly be focused on those who do not use the Islamic way of slaughtering, but prefer to use those methods which cause pain and agony to the animal and could also very well cause harm to those consuming the meat.

Dua Is A Weapon For The Believers

2010-11-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

Calling upon Allah in Dua (supplication)

Allah the most compassionate says in the Holy Quran, "Call on Me. I will answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to serve me will surely find themselves humiliated in Hell" (40:60).

Allah the Exalted, has said: "And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear your prayer" (Quran 40:60),

"Call upon your Lord Humbly and in secret" (Quran 7:55),

"When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (Quran 2:186),

"Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering." (Quran 27:62)

Dua’s are never wasted

Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."

Allah’s anger at those who don’t make dua

In fact, it is even wrong to never make Dua, "Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him." [Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]

Dua is a weapon for the believers

Rasullullah is reported to have said, “Dua is the weapon of a Muslim”.

Dua for ones brother in his absence

"The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for another in his absence." [Abu Daw'ud and Tirmidhi]

So let us build a close relationship with Allah by making much dua to him. He loves it when his slave calls upon him and it angers him if his slave does not call upn him.

Let us have full hope that our dua’s will be accepted and if you think they won’t then know ALLAAH is keeping the rewards for you in the hereafter and those rewards are so great that one would wish that none of his duas were excepted in this world just so that one can gain all the rewards for his duas in the next world.

Ya ALLAAH, we entreat you to:

---protect us from the deceptions of Shaitan, the outcast,
---inculcate on us only the purest of intentions for Your pleasure alone,
---make us submissive to Your will alone and not to follow the whispers of Iblees,
---surround us with people who'll bring us closer to You and keep us away from the influence of the Kafir,
---make us bring our brothers and sisters closer to you as well,
---bless us with what is good in dunya and with what is best in akhira,
---not let us die in the state of disobedience but in the state of righteousness alone.

Ameen Ya Rabb, summa ameen.

Rabbana taqab bal min-na innakaantas sami-ul aleem.
(Our lord, accept from us; surely You are the Hearing, the Knowing.) [Al-Quraan 2:127]
[Supplication made by the Prophets Ibrahim (as) and Ismael (as)]
[Ameen.]

What is Eidal-Adhaa?

2010-11-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

By Ayub A. Hamid

Every year at the time of Eidal-Adhaa and Hajj, we recount the story of Ibraheem and Isma'el`alayhimussalaam. Their lives were permeated with the Love of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aalaa and with dedication to His service and obedience. They loved and obeyed Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala to such a level of perfection that Allah presented them as model Muslims, the way every Muslim should be. Their lifestyle is not only a perfect model of Submission to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala but also a beautiful example of an ideal parent-child understanding without any generation gap.

There are many lessons we should learn from their story, but for the sake of brevity, we will concentrate only on the episode of sacrifice.

As you know, Ibraheem was born in a society where many false gods such as idols, stars, planets and moons were being worshipped and offerings were made to them. Animals and even humans were sacrificed to keep those false gods happy.

Ibraheem `alayhissalaam had dedicated his life to call people to abandon false gods and only believe in Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, the One and Only Creator. The sole mission of his life was to bring the message of Islam (complete obedience to Allah in every aspect of one’s life) to all people around him. His objective, like every other prophet and messenger, was to call people to submit in obedience to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and to establish an Islamic society – a political entity where majority of people were dedicated Muslims and that society of Muslims was a model of peace, love, caring, sharing, fairness, justice, generosity, human equality, dignity, balance and moderation.

His people rejected his call completely and decided to kill him by throwing him into the burning fire from which Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala saved him. Now it was evident that he could not live among those people and carry out his mission. He did not know where to go, but he departed with faith and trust in Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala He had grown old working tirelessly for that purpose and felt a need for someone to carry on this mission of love – inviting people to true Islam and establishing a Muslim-majority Islamic state consisting of those who accept the invitation. This goal gave him a strong desire for a son who could continue his mission. After a lot of Du`aa (supplications), Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala granted him a son when he was extremely old (86 years according to the Bible).(1) He was named Isma'el (which meant: Allah has heard) because Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala had listened to the Du`aa of Ibraheem`alayhissalaam. This son, Isma'el, was Ibraheem`alayhissalaam’s dearest and most beloved asset in this world.

When Isma'el`alayhissalaam was about thirteen (Ibraheem being 99), Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala decided to test their faith in and submission to Allah in public (2). Both father and son were put through the most difficult test of their love for Allah. Ibraheem `alayhissalaam saw in a dream that he was sacrificing Isma'el – an unimaginable act – sacrificing the son he begot after so much Du`aa, the only one he had and the one who had been the centre of his affection and love for all these years. Ibraheem `alayhissalaam knew that the dreams of the prophets were inspired by Allah. They were one of the ways Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aaa communicated with his prophets. This must be what Allah wanted him to do. When the intent of the dream became clear to him, Ibraheem`alayhissalaam decided to offer his beloved son in sacrifice. Although it would be easier for him to give his own life rather than take his son’s, he willingly surrendered to the perceived commandment. To him, as to any Muslim, the love for Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala must always be supreme and strongest. Every other love must be subservient to the love of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, hence sacrificeable for His sake.

Although Ibraheem `alayhissalaam was ready to sacrifice his dearest for Allah’s sake, he could not just go and drag his son to the place of sacrifice without his consent. Isma'el had to be consulted as to whether he was willing to die for Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. This consultation would be a test of Isma'el’s maturity in faith, love for Allah, Islamic commitment, willingness to sacrifice his life for the sake of Allah and parent’s obedience. It would also be a test of how well Ibraheem had been able to train his son in Islam and how close or apart were the two Muslims of different generations in their thinking, approach and attitude.

Ibraheem `alayhissalaam presented the matter to his son and asked for his opinion about the dreams of slaughtering him. Isma'el’s reaction was absolutely astounding. He did not show any hesitation or reservation even for a moment. He said, “Father, proceed ahead for what you have been commanded. You will find me, Inshaa Allah, very patient.” His mature response, his insight into the nature of dad’s dreams, his willingness to sacrifice his life for the sake of Allah and commitment to Allah’s submission were all unparalleled. The most amazing and noteworthy, however, was the perfect coherence and unity of thought, attitude and outlook between the father and the son. We do not see any generation gap between the two because both of them were looking at life through an Islamic paradigm – that a Muslim must submit to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala in any circumstances and that love for Allah is over and above any other love in the life of a Muslim.

When both father and son had shown their perfect obedience to Allah and they had practically demonstrated their willingness to sacrifice their most precious possessions for His sake -- Ibraheem `alayhissalaam by laying down his son for sacrifice and Isma'el by lying patiently under the knife – Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala saved Isma'el and replaced him with a ram. Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also told them that they had passed the test with flying colours and that they had fulfilled what Ibraheem `alayhissalaam was shown in the dream.

This is mentioned in the Holy Qur-aan as follows:

They said, "Build him a furnace, and throw him into the blazing fire!" They sought a stratagem against him, but We made them the ones most humiliated! And he said: Lo! I am going unto my Lord Who will guide me. "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!" So We gave him the good news of a boy, possessing forbearance. And when (his son) was old enough to walk and work with him, (Abraham) said: O my dear son, I see in vision that I offer you in sacrifice: Now see what is your view!" (The son) said: "O my father! Do what you are commanded; if Allah wills, you will find me one practising patience and steadfastness!" So when they both submitted and he threw him down upon his forehead, We called out to him saying: O Ibraheem! You have indeed fulfilled the vision; surely thus do We reward those who do good. Most surely this was a manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice. And We perpetuated (praise) to him among the later generations. "Peace and salutation to Abraham!" Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. Surely he was one of Our believing servants. (As-Saafaat 37:97-111)

It was as one of the reward for this sacrifice that Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala gave Ibraheem `alayhissalaam good news of the second son, Is-haaq (Isaac):

And We gave him the good news of Is-haaq, a prophet among the good ones. (As-Saafaat 37:112)

According to the Bible, the good news about Is-haaq was given when Ibraheem was 99 years old and Is-haaq (Isaac) was born when Ibraheem was 100 years old (3). However, the Bible omits the mention of the sacrifice at that time and only mentions circumcision of Ibraheem and Isma'el `alayhimussalam (4). The Holy Qur-aan clarifies the reality that it was a tremendous demonstration of submission to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in the form of sacrifice, not a small thing like circumcision that pleased Allah so much that He miraculously bestowed Ibraheem `alayhissalaam another son despite the fact that he and Sarah both had long passed their normal child bearing age and Sarah was barren all her life (5).

This was the greatest of the tests Ibraheem and Isma'el`alayhimussalaam went through. Its difficulty was compounded by the fact that Ibraheem`alayhissalaam had invested a lot of love and affection during 12-13 years of Isma'el’s life and Isma'el`alayhissalaam had grown up to cherish his own life. The test would have been easier for both the father and the son, if Isma'el were newborn where bonding between father and son had not taken place and where the son could not have grown up to enjoy his life. But Allah selected the most difficult time for this test to demonstrate their true level of commitment to Allah’s pleasure. This test demonstrated to the world the following:

Ibraheem and Isma'el `alayhimussalaam are not just theorizing about Allah as the One and Only Creator, but He is a real entity in whom they truly and sincerely believe and to whom they happily and willingly submit;

Unlike false gods who neither know that they are being worshipped nor can react to the actions of their worshippers, the true God if fully aware of what His slaves do and He interacts with them;

The One True God does not expect people to offer ritual human sacrifices. People lose their life to ritual sacrifice only because of the falsehood created by those who promote false gods.

Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala loved their example of total dedication and devotion to His commandment so much that He made it incumbent on all Muslims until the Day of Judgment to commemorate Ibraheem’s and Isma'el’s `alayhimussalaam spirit of complete submission to Allah through a yearly celebration of their sacrifice. The major purpose is that the Muslims can refresh, understand and internalize the full implications of claiming to be ‘Muslims’ (i.e. obedience to Allah) by simulating the act of sacrifice devotedly performed by Ibraheem and Isma'el`alayhimussalaam.

Every year Eidal-Adhaa must remind us that:

A lifestyle of complete and total submission to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala is the essence of being a Muslim;
A Muslim willingly sacrifices his/her most cherished belongings (things, ideas, habits, desires) in obedience to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala;
A properly practicing Muslim family does not encounter a generation gap between different generations of Muslims. A gap between two generations is caused only by the presence of un-Islamic behaviours or attitudes in either of the generations or both.

Eidal-Adhaa is not merely an occasion of ritual celebrations, but an annual tune-up of one’s lifestyle so that it becomes a lifestyle that is totally submerged in submission to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. It is a celebration of simulating a Muslim’s readiness to sacrifice everything for the sake of Allah. May Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala grant us the strength of spirit and will to perfectly emulate the examples of Ibraheem and Isma'el`alayhimussalaam in every facet of our daily struggle to become better Muslims, Inshaa Allah.

Who was Offered for Sacrifice – Isma'el or Is-haaq?

Ibraheem`alayhissalaam’s son who was offered for sacrifice and whose sacrifice was accepted without being killed was very special in terms of Allah’s promise of blessings on him and his descendents as well as in terms of honour and closeness to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. This special honour for the son and his descendents has created two differing claims as to the identity of the son who was offered for sacrifice.

The Muslims believe that the son whom Ibraheem`alayhissalaam offered for sacrifice was Isma'el`alayhissalaam, while the Jewish traditions claim that it was Is-haaq.

As the sequence of events has demonstrated in the Festival of Sacrifice article, the Holy Qur-aan makes it abundantly clear that the son who was offered for sacrifice was the first-born, Isma'el (Ishmael)`alayhissalaam. The second son, Is-haaq (Isaac)`alayhissalaam, was born miraculously as a reward for the acceptance of the sacrifice from Ibraheem and Isma'el`alayhimussalaam.

In addition to the clear context and the sequence of the story, the Holy Qur-aan gives more clues in this regard. For example:

1. An outstanding quality mentioned for Isma'el`alayhissalaam in the Holy Qur-aan is that he was true to his promise, because he willingly presented himself for sacrifice and promised to be patient and steadfast. He was true to his word and willingly lay down to be slaughtered.

And mention Isma'el in the book, he surely was true to his promise and was a messenger prophet. (Maryam 19:54)

2. The son who was offered for sacrifice was born in answer to prayers (Isma'el) and his outstanding quality was forbearance (Hilm) and patience (Sabr) as indicated in the verses quoted in the Festival of Sacrifice article as well as the following:

And Isma'el, Idrees and Dzul-kifl, all of them were from those who practice patience and steadfastness (saabireen). (Al-Anbiyaa 21:85)

The son who was given because Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala was happy with Ibraheem `alayhissalaam’s submission and who brought happiness to Sarah was Is-haaq (derived from laughter) whose outstanding quality was knowledge:

And they (angels) gave him (Ibraheem) the good news of a knowledgeable son. (Adz-Dzaariyaat 51:28)

None of the distinguishing attributes of the son offered for sacrifice have been attributed to Is-haaq `alayhissalaam as his special qualities either in the Qur-aan or in the Bible. The Holy Qur-aan attributes them as distinguishing qualities only to Isma'el `alayhissalaam.

3. After concluding the story of Ibraheem `alayhissalaam with verse 112, as quoted in the Festival of Sacrifice article, the Holy Qur-aan makes a concluding statement for both sons of Ibraheem`alayhissalaam. In doing so, it mentions the son who was offered for sacrifice without name and then mentions Is-haaq separately by name -- both being blessed by Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala:

And We blessed him (the one presented for sacrifice and mentioned in the verses (101-107) as well as Is-haaq, and from descendents of both, there are good and there are those who are clearly unjust to themselves. (As-Saafaat 37:113)

One may ask why the Holy Qur-aan has not clearly mentioned Isma'el`alayhissalaam’s name? The style of the Holy Qur-aan is that it does not mention anything that is clear from the text and is well known in the society. From the text and the order of the verses the fact was evident that the son who was offered for sacrifice was the first born and that the second son was born only after the sacrifice episode. Similarly, in Arabian society, the presentation of Isma'el `alayhissalaam for sacrifice was well known and accepted. So much so that every year without fail Arabs used to present sacrifices in remembrance of Isma'el’s sacrifice. Hence to mention something that obvious was against the concise style of the Qur-aan. Had it not been Isma'el, the first born who was given in answer to prayers, then the name would have definitely been mentioned. No mention of the name is evidence in itself that it was Isma'el`alayhissalaam.

Unfortunately, to discredit Arabs and the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, the Jews manipulated their books and tried to hide the facts mentioned in the Bible about Ibraheem `alayhissalaam’s activities in Makkah, conceal his association with Holy Ka’bah, and Marwah and tried to attribute sacrifice and other good things about Isma'el to Is-haaq. The Holy Qur-aan has repeatedly pointed out their efforts in obfuscating and concealing the facts and encouraged to reform their behaviour. For example:

After giving a detail account of the achievements of Ibraheem and Isma'el i`alayhimussalaam including their construction of the Holy Ka’bah, the Qur-aan says:

And who is more unjust than he who conceals a testimony that he has from Allah? And Allah is not at all unaware of what you do. (Al-Baqarah 2:140)

After mentioning Qiblah, it says:

Those whom We have given the Book recognize it as they recognize their sons, but some of them most surely conceal the truth while they know (it). (Al-Baqarah 2:146)

After mentioning Safaa and Marwah, it says:

Surely those who conceal the clear proofs and the guidance that We revealed after We made it clear in the Book for people, it is they whom Allah shall curse, and those who curse shall curse them (too). Except those who repent and amend and make manifest (the truth), it is they to whom I turn (mercifully); and I am the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.(Al-Baqarah 2:159-160)

After mentioning the truth about Holy Ka’bah, Makkah and the Hajj, it says:

Say: O people with the Book! Why do you disbelieve in the revelations of Allah, while Allah is witness on what you do? Say: O people with the Book! Why do you hinder a believer from the way of Allah, seeking to make it crooked, while you are witnesses (to its truth)? And Allah is not unaware of what you are doing. (Aali-‘Imraan 3:96-99)

When many Jews and Christians became Muslims, some of them brought their knowledge and impressions about the previous Biblical personalities along with them and starting spreading those ideas among Muslims as well. When that kind of information started circulating among Muslims, it created confusions in the minds of some Muslims as well.

However, the Judaeo-Christian efforts to conceal the truth have not succeeded very well. A little careful study exposes what has transpired. Their manipulations of the text of their books have created many inconsistencies and improprieties (6). For example, they claim that the son who was offered for sacrifice was Is-haaq (Isaac). They base their claim on the following verse of the Bible:

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2)

But, there is a slight problem with this statement in the Bible. According to the Bible itself when Isaac`alayhissalaam was born, Ibraheem `alayhissalaam already had a 14-year-old son, Isma'el `alayhissalaam. So, if the son who was offered for sacrifice was ‘the only son’, it cannot be Isaac because Isaac was never an only son even for one day. It has to be Isma'el who was ‘the only son’ for 14 years.

To this argument, their response is: ‘the only son’ actually means ‘the only son from his own wife’, ‘the only blessed son’, etc. Unfortunately, all of these explanations are fabricated because the words of the Bible ‘the only son’ do not include any of the qualifiers these people want to attach with the phrase. In addition, the Bible itself negates all of these claims. According to the Bible, Isma'el was Ibraheem `alayhissalaam’s, legitimate, beloved and blessed son as per the following examples:

“And Sarah Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.” (Genesis 16:3)

“And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.” (An Nahl 16:15)

In the same day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. (Al Israa' 17:26)

In fact, Isma'el was Ibraheem’s `alayhissalaam most beloved son. When Ibraheem`alayhissalaam was given the good news that he would father Is-haaq, instead of being excited about the second son, Ibraheem`alayhissalaam responded immediately with a du`aa for Isma'el `alayhissalaam:

“And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!” (Genesis 17:19) (i.e., he lives under the kind, blessed and protective sight of Allah).

This indicates his passionate love for Isma'el. Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala responded:

“And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 17:20)

Another reason that it could not have been Isaac `alayhissalaam is that before Isaac was born, Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala told Ibraheem `alayhissalaam that (7):

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him. (Genesis 17:19 KJV)

Sarah your wife shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for

his descendants after him. (Genesis 17:19 RSV)

If Ibraheem`alayhissalaam was already told that Isaac `alayhissalaam’s descendents will have covenant with Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, how could Allah then test Ibraheem`alayhissalaam by asking for his sacrifice, considering also that episode of sacrifice happened long before the son offered for sacrifice could be married or have children?

In fact, the son who was offered for sacrifice was given the good news of many descendents only at the completion of the episode of sacrifice, and the good news of Isaac`alayhissalaam’s birth was also given at that time:

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:16-18)

Also, the place where episode of sacrifice took place was Marwah – a hillock besides the house of Allah in Makkah, which in the Bible was misspelled and pronounced as Moriah, of which name there has been no place.

Even if, for the sake of argument, we set aside every other evidence, the strongest evidence comes from the history, practices and traditions of Jews and Arabs. It is a well-known fact that Jewish customs and practices have been largely determined by the lifestyle of their patriarchs. They circumcise their children because Ibraheem`alayhissalaam did; they do not eat the meat from the hind of an animal because of an incident that occurred when Jacob`alayhissalaam wrestled with God; they do not eat anything that Jacob did not eat for his own personal reasons, etc. Surprisingly, their whole history is devoid of any practice of sacrifice in remembrance of Ibraheem`alayhissalaam’s offering his son for sacrifice.

On the other hand, since the day Isma'el was offered as sacrifice, Arabs have been offering sacrifice of animals in commemoration of the sacrifice of their great grandfather, Isma'el, at the same place where and on the same day of the year when the original sacrifice happened. That had continued throughout their history every year without fail until the advent of Muhammad Sall Allahu`alayhi wa sallam and has continued since then among Muslims without any break.

It is reported that even the horns of the Ram that replaced Isma'el`alayhissalaam were preserved in the Holy Ka’bah but were lost when the building of Ka’bah collapsed during the army action by Hajjaaj bin Yousuf.

Every year, millions of Muslim continue offering their sacrifices on that day and place. In fact, people start their journey of Hajj with the same words that Ibraheem uttered when he realized that he has been called upon to sacrifice his son. Even the Bible records that:

After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." (Genesis 22:1)

The people going for Hajj say the same thing:

Labbayk, Allahumma Labbayk. Here I am, O Allah, here I am.

Footnotes:

[1] Genesis 16:16

[2] And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

(Genesis 17:1)

[3] But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.17:2. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac

was born to him (Genesis 21:5)

[4] And Abraham [was] ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, (Genesis 17:24) and Ishmael his son [was] thirteen years old, when

he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (Genesis 17:25)

[5] And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother] of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell

upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, shall (a child) be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bears?

(Genesis 17:16-17)

[6] One example of improper narration is that it gives the impression that Ibraheem deceived his son instead of becoming upfront about it.

He took him along without telling him that he was to be sacrificed: "And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said,

My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an

altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (22:7-9)

[7] It is also mentioned in the Holy Qur-aan: And his wife was standing (by), so she laughed, then We gave her the good news of Is-haaq and, after Is-haaq, of Ya’qoob.

(Hood 11:71)

Message to Students

2010-11-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Today’s message is to the students, whether in school, college or university. You are in a tough situation, but thank Allah that you have parents who can buy you the things you need for school. Everything is given to you so you can learn and graduate and get a job and teach your children the way you were taught. Renew your intentions that you are studying for the sake of Allah. Allah says time and time again how important knowledge is in Islam. So concentrate seriously to succeed. Even when you come out of your house you should have the intention that you are going to gain knowledge. So that if you die before reaching school, you have died for the sake of Allah. There are hadiths that say when you go to school with the intention to learn for the sake of Allah, Allah will make the path easy for you and the angels will be with you.

Don’t listen to those who want you to fail. Look at them during the exams, they will either be cheating or staring at the page. Don’t be like those who go to school everyday but don’t learn anything. Even when cheating, a person is writing blindly without understanding anything. They haven’t gained a thing! The Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) said, whoever has cheated is not from us. Imagine that! Work hard! Don’t just study for the sake of it; I want you to be from the top students!

Respect your teachers. It is seen as “cool” to be rude to your teachers. But the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) said those who disrespect those who teach us are not from us. We have to respect those who are passing knowledge onto us. They are giving you knowledge, so you have to respect them, not be rude to them , or make them go crazy. Imagine if you became a teacher after that? Would you like to someone to do that to you? Respect people so they can respect you.

You have to respect your school. Don’t vandalise it, why do you not keep the school in good condition for those who will come after you? Imagine if someone came to your house and started writing things on your table, would you like that? So don’t do the same at school. The Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) said, don’t damage things or harm people.

Go to school early. If you are late as a student, when you get a job what will you do? You have to respect appointments. Prepare your things the night before. Be organised. Don’t throw everything on your mother. When you come home from school, put your bag in your study area. Be organised, so that you can find everything. When you take off your clothes, hang your clothes in the wardrobe. Don’t leave everything to your mother. Be organised so that you can be an organised person. Organisation means you won’t waste your time looking for things.

Don’t rely on your private tutor. Concentrate with your teacher at school. Don’t be quick to say to your father that you want a private tutor because you don’t concentrate at school. If you depended on yourself and concentrated at school, you won’t need to spend unnecessary money on a private tutor! Then you will get used to being lazy, because you need someone to teach you.

Try to be presentable. Brush your hair, brush your teeth, cut your nails. Keep your clothes neat and clean. The Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) said, Allah loves beauty.

Make sure your speech is respectable. When you wake up, greet your mother nicely, kiss her hand. Then go to your father and greet him. You should have an Islamic personality. Help with the house chores, so you can be a positive person at home, even if you have a maid! So you can help your mother and be an active person at home.

Try to be an active student. Join groups at university or school. Join the Muslim association, poetry club or the sports club. Have interests and hobbies and develop them. Don’t be inactive, as this is not from Islam at all! Create awareness about current affairs in the school newspaper or magazine.

Choose your friends carefully. You will be going to their houses when you want to study together and they will be coming to your house. So if they have good manners, they will respect your house and the people in it, they will be decent because they have good manners, and so will you. So look at your friends and be careful that they are not of the wrong type. A good friend will want you to succeed and not do anything that will harm you. He won’t encourage you to smoke or drink or go out with girls. Give these guys advice to help them to do good and guide them to be better people. Allah will make you a person that will enlighten others if you have the right intention.

May Allah help our dear students and protect them from evil, ameen.

Wagdi Ghoneim

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.net

The Place of Prophet Ibrahim in Islam, Christianity and Judaism

2010-11-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

Faith, sacrifice, commitment and patience.

These are just some of the qualities that characterize Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham as he is called in English (peace be upon him).

So it should come as no surprise that he is revered not just in Islam, but in Christianity and Judaism as well. Prophet Ibrahim is also a great personality to discuss in dialogues between Muslims, Jews and Christians. Here is some basic information about him from the three perspectives:

1. ISLAM

"Salam (peace) be upon Abraham!" God says in the Quran (37:109).

In Islam, Prophet Ibrahim is the friend of God and the father of Prophets (Ismail or Ishmael in English and Ishaq or Isaac and the grandfather of Prophet Yaqub or Jacob). He is also one of the ancestors of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Anyone who rejects Prophet Ibrahim is not a true believer in Islam. Prophet Ibrahim plays a key role in this regard.

In terms of beliefs, a Muslim must believe in all of the Prophets. This includes not just Prophet Ibrahim, but his sons Ismail, Ishaq, his grandson Yaqub and of course his descendant Prophet Muhammad.

When it comes to the five pillars of Islam, the importance of Prophet Ibrahim becomes even more evident.

The second pillar of Islam is Salah, the obligatory five daily prayers. Every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty is accountable for their prayers, be he male or be she female, whether they live in the desert of northern Arabia, a village of northern Pakistan or an urban center of North America.

During one part of each of these five prayers, Muslims must ask God to send His blessings upon Prophet Ibrahim. Now calculate this: you've got more than a few million Muslims, every day, five times a day, in virtually every time zone on this planet asking God to send His blessings on Prophet Ibrahim in the course of his/her prayer.

More importantly, the direction in which every Muslim must face when praying is towards a structure Prophet Ibrahim built with his son Ismail: the Kaba, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

With regards to the Kaba, God says this about it: "The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka (another name for Makkah); full of blessings and guidance for all kinds of beings: in it are signs manifest, the station of Abraham-whoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to God-those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, God stands not in need of any of His creatures"(Quran 3:96-97).

This leads to the second way in which this Prophet, described as the intimate friend of God (Quran 4:125), is revered: Hajj.

Hajj is the pilgrimage every Muslim must make to Makkah at least once in his/her lifetime. Hajj is also an obligation no Muslim is allowed to reject or ignore. It is in this rite that Prophet Ibrahim's importance becomes even more prominent.

In general, Prophet Ibrahim's centrality to this fifth pillar of Islam is indicated by the Prophet Mohammed's statement, You must adhere to the traditions and rituals (of Hajj), for these have come down to you from (your forefather) Ibrahim in heritage (Tirmidhi).

First, the Kaba is the central structure around which the Hajj takes place. No Hajj is valid without going around this structure built by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail in counterclockwise fashion seven times.

Second, Muslims who perform the Hajj or Umra must run in the middle portion of the distance between Safa and Marwa (two hills close to the Kaba) seven times. This is a commemoration of the sacrifice of the wife of Abraham, Hajira (may God be pleased with her) for her son Prophet Ismail

Prophet Ibrahim had settled his wife and son in the valley of Makkah by God's order to pioneers a civilization. It was from this civilization that the Prophet Mohammed was born.

Finally, Prophet's Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail for the sake of God exemplifies not only his sincere devotion to God. The commemoration of this sacrifice is practiced with the sacrifice of an animal during Hajj and one of the two Islamic holy days: Eid-ul-Adha.

Both father and son willingly submitted to God's command. God substituted a ram in Ismail's place at the last moment. God talks about this incident in Quran 37:100-107.

The sacrifice that is offered by Muslims all over the world every year (at Eid-ul-Adha) is in commemoration of the supreme act and spirit of sacrifice offered by Prophet Abraham in lieu of his son Ismail.

2. JUDAISM

According to A Concise Encyclopedia of Judaism by Dan Cohn-Sherbok (Oneworld Publications 1998), Prophet Abraham is the father of Jewish people.

According to Scripture, he was the son of Terah and the father of Isaac, who was born to Sarah, and he is also the father of Ishmael, who was born to Hagar.

After leaving Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham traveled to Canaan, visited Egypt and returned to Hebron. God appeared to him in a vision. He promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land. God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 11:26-25:10).

When the mother of Isaac, Sarah, died, Abraham bought the cave of Macpelah as a burial place. Abraham died at the age of 175.

According to the Oxford Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion by Louis Jacobs (Oxford University press 1999), the story of Abraham is narrated in the book of Genesis (11:27-25:18). Here is an excerpt from that section (from Genesis 22:2-13) which focuses on the Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac, according to Jewish tradition:

And He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you".

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place which God had told him.

Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.'

So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?'

And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." And the two of them went together.

Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an alter there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the alter, upon the wood.

And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horn. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

A majority of contemporary scholars think that he lived in approximately the eighteenth-century before the Christian Era.

In the Jewish tradition, he is the father of the Jews and Judaism.

God's covenant with Abraham is expressed in the rite of circumcision (Genesis 17) and male Jewish children, to this day are, for the most part circumcised.

This act is called 'entry into the covenant of Abraham our father', and the name of the rite itself is the 'berit'; the 'covenant'.

Abraham is also considered the spiritual father of anyone who converts to Judaism. At a Jewish conversion ceremony, a convert is given a Hebrew name and is called a 'child of Abraham our father'.

3. CHRISTIANITY

It is through the central figure of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) that Prophet Abraham is given prominence in the Christian tradition.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Volume 1 (1999, Kevin Knight, online version), in the New Testament, the generation of Jesus Christ is traced back to Abraham by St. Matthew.

Similarly, as the New Testament traces Prophet Jesus' descent of Jesus to Prophet Abraham, it does the same of all Jews in terms of "carnal" descent.

However, in the New Testament, it is not this carnal descent from Abraham to which importance is attached but importance is placed on practicing the virtues attributed to Abraham in Genesis. Thus in John, 8, the Jews say (33): "We are the seed of Abraham", and Jesus replies (39): "If ye be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham".

The Catholic Encyclopedia also notes that Prophet Abraham may considered the source of Old Testament religion. From the days of Prophet Abraham, men were accustomed to speaking of God as the God of Abraham, while Prophet Abraham is not found referring in a similar way to anyone preceding him.

According to the A Concise Encyclopedia of Christianity by Geoffrey Parrinder

(Oneworld Publications 1998), Abraham is a great Hebrew patriarch and is considered the common spiritual father of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Paul wrote of all those who have faith being children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7). Prophet Abraham's faith and example is cited by many Christian authors.

According to Luke 16:22, Jesus spoke of Abraham's bosom as a symbol of Paradise (Luke 16:22).

Christians believe God first gave Abraham a son through a bond woman named Hagar. This son was named Ishmael. God gave him a second son from his barren wife Sarah. He was named Isaac.

According to Christian tradition, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac "to prove that he was 'worthy of becoming the father of a mighty nation, which would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore'" (from A History of God, the 4,000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1993).

Change yourself during these best 10 days of Dhul Hijjah

2010-11-10T19:59:00.001-08:00

Do you pray 5 times a day on time? Yes or No? Remember: (1) Allaah created us so we can worship Him Alone (2) praying 5 times a day is fard (obligatory) (3) the first factor we will be asked about in the Day of Judgement is our prayer. Strive against yourself and the whispers of the Shaytaan, and pray 5 times a day on time insha'Allaah!

An Atheist-turned-Muslim Explains Science and Religion

2010-11-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

Dr. Laurence Brown, a former Atheist, explaining SOME of the corrupted ideologies of Atheism and SOME of the SIMPLE questions which no Atheist could ever answer :)!!

r. Brown was first introduced to submitting himself to God when his Daughter was undergoing a critical surgery. This submission to the will of God led him to searching through various faiths. After doing rigorous studies of various faiths, he came to the realization that Islam is the absolute truth in which there is no doubt.

Meditations on the Blessings of Hajj

2010-11-10T19:32:00.001-08:00

By Dr. Salah Sultan

Almighty Allah is Aware of the weak nature of His servants, because He is the One Who created them. Therefore, as a manifestation of His boundless mercy, He has provided His servants with opportunities of repenting and cleansing their souls of bad deeds. Among these opportunities is the forgiveness of sins within the period between two Prayers, two Jumu`ahs (Friday congregational Prayers), two Ramadans, or two `Umrahs.

Also, Hajj is a great opportunity for Muslims to have their sins forgiven by Almighty Allah. In fact, it is the most important opportunity among the aforementioned ones.

Hajj is a blessed a journey that extinguishes the sins of pilgrims. Upon returning to their homes, they become as pure as they were on the day they were born. The reward of a mabroor Hajj (i.e. Hajj accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise.

Pilgrims depart from the lands in which they committed sins and leave their families and all worldly affairs that distracted them from true worship of the Lord of the Worlds. Pilgrims in their simple attire of ihram face their Lord with hearts free from all worldly concerns and filled with love for Him alone.

Unity and Equality

In the season of Hajj, millions of Muslims throng toward Makkah from different parts of the world, believing in One God, His Book, and all His Prophets. The countries hosting international conferences indulge in elaborate arrangements and extend their efforts and services to please the guests. However, those going to Hajj leave their jobs and families, after spending their savings on the journey with unbounded faith.

This is a clear indication that Muslims still have the essential elements that would bring about the rebirth of Islam. Muslims' strong faith, willingness to give, and earnest desire to perform all religious rituals are great resources that should not be neglected. However, these resources should be wisely invested, with emphasis on the need for planning and organizing.

Hajj witnesses the world's greatest example of eliminating social discrimination and any other human differences. It is a practical example of harmony, love, and brotherhood. All are equal before Allah, whether black or white, rich or poor, male or female.

Pilgrims stand next to one another in the same places to perform the same rituals. No special place is reserved for kings or rulers. On the other hand, discrimination in social and private spheres continues to exist worldwide, despite all the laws and regulations designed to enforce equality.

In the history of Islam, one can find many practical examples showing that the problem of discrimination was successfully overcome. Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, who was one of the elite class, and Bilal ibn Rabah, who was a slave, were given equal rights.

Zayd ibn Harithah, the Prophet's personal servant, was appointed as commander of the Muslim army, with Ja`far ibn Abi Talib and `Abdullah ibn Rawahah as his subordinates. Ja`far ibn Abi Talib was one of the senior Immigrants to Madinah, and `Abdullah ibn Rawahah was one of the senior Muslims of Madinah.

In a dialogue between `Ubadah ibn As-Samit and Al-Muqawqis, then king of Egypt's Copts, the latter was apparently disgusted with the color of `Ubadah, who was a black Muslim. This made the delegation prepare for leaving, which forced the king to change his attitude.

A number of Muslim scholars from whom the Muslim Ummah learned more about the teachings of Islam were slaves and servants, such as `Ikrimah, the freed slave of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, Nafi`, the freed slave of `Abdullah ibn `Umar ibn `Umar, and Muhammad ibn Sireen, the freed slave of Anas ibn Malik.

Also, Yazeed ibn Habib, who was a mufti in Egypt during the rule of `Umar ibn `Abdul-`Aziz, was a black Muslim. Indeed, Muslims learned a lot from poor scholars, like Abu Yusuf Ya`qoub ibn Ibrahim and rich scholars, like Abu Hanifah An-Nu`man.

The world still remembers the black riots (or Los Angeles riots of 1992), when 53 people died, and other similar events that occurred throughout history. These events show a huge gap between people of the same nationality. Under the banner of Islam, however, the issue is not legal; it is rather a methodological, moral, and humane issue. The world can benefit from this side of Shari`ah if it accepts Islam as a solution to its problems and as a remedy for its diseases.

Memories and Lessons From the Past

Makkah has the memories of many prophets, including Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), the Father of the Prophets. The Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in Prophet Abraham. With the support of Almighty Allah, this Noble Prophet succeeded in establishing a complete balance in his life in the following way:

1. His relationship with Allah was perfect; he was tested by many calamities, but he always showed patience. In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah describes him, saying,

(Surely Abraham was forbearing, tender-hearted, oft returning (to Allah).) (Hud 11:75)

2. His relationship with his father (who was a disbeliever trading idols) was admirable. Abraham would treat his father humbly and often invite him to Islam. Although his father threatened him with stoning, Abraham showed patience and forbearance.

3. His relationship with his wives, Sarah and later Hajar, was an example of love and leniency. He left his wife Hajar and his son Ishmael alone near the Ka`bah. While Prophet Abraham was leaving, Hajar asked him if Allah had commanded him to do so. When his reply was in the affirmative, she said, "Then certainly He will not abandon us."

Because Hajar had faith and complete trust in Almighty Allah, her distress in that arid and unpopulated land was relieved by Him when He made water gush forth from the Well of Zamzam. This blessed well triggered growth and prosperity in that area.

4. His relationship with his son Ishmael was noteworthy. When he told Ishmael that he had had, during his sleep, a vision ordaining that he kill him, Ishmael's answer was (O my father, do what you are commanded; Allah willing, you will find me of the patient ones) (As-Saffat 37:102).

On the other hand, nowadays, when a father gives sincere and beneficial advice to a child of his, the child often replies in the following way: "O father, I will not do what you are asking me to do!"

5. His relationship with his guests and his people was a virtuous one. He showed an excellent example of hospitality and kindness toward his people. He kept on calling upon them to believe in the divine message he was sent with. But, with persistent and obstinate opposition to his message, his people threw him in the fire. Almighty Allah then turned the fire into coolness and peace for Prophet Abraham. Nevertheless, the hostility of the people of Prophet Abraham did not stop his concern for them.

6. His relationship with the political power of his time was an exemplary one. When King Namrood claimed to be a god, Prophet Abraham argued with him using intellectual and scientific proofs, ultimately leaving him dumfounded.

From the foregoing argument, we see that Hajj offers lessons that can restore balance to our lives. Among us are people who managed to become rich but failed to have good a relationship with their Lord, their wives, or their children. Among us are people who managed to gain much scientific knowledge but fell short of achievement in other walks of life. These failures reflect a missing balance that can be restored through the rituals of Hajj.

Absent in the Past, Hoped for in the Future

Hajj has many spiritual, moral, mental, and physical aims. However, the awareness of Muslim individuals, families, and societies is still deficient with regard to these great aims.

Hajj also touches the economic aspects of Muslims' life. The greatest economic decision forbidding riba (usury) was declared above Ar-Rahmah Mount (Mount `Arafat) on the Day of `Arafat when Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

"All cases of riba during the time of jahiliyyah [pre-Islamic ignorance] is annulled, and the first riba I annul is our riba - the riba of `Abbas ibn `Abdul-Muttalib [the Prophet's uncle]. All of it is annulled." (Muslim)

Nevertheless, Muslims still resort to worldwide usury, disregarding the alternatives prescribed by Islamic Shari`ah.

Unfortunately, many products and equipments are not made in Muslim countries, such as cars, airplanes, air-conditioners, all means of communication, and even the attire of ihram and Prayer rugs.

We are an Ummah that consumes the products of other civilizations at a time when we are supposed to be a civilization that teaches others. Can we become a productive Ummah rather than a consuming one? We should build a civilization where true faith and Islamic morals rule society and its economy, politics, arts, etc.

We hope that Muslims take advantage of this year's Hajj and regard it as an annual international conference that can be used to solve the problems facing the Ummah, even a single problem every year. Finding solutions to the problems of the Ummah is the duty of all Muslims.

The Ummah suffers many problems, such as poverty, illiteracy, and imitation of the Western lifestyle. We, Muslims, should work together to free Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was the first direction of Prayer.

We also need to have a mutual defense agreement to protect the whole Islamic World. In addition, we need to establish a common Islamic market and consider using all natural resources in Muslim countries in the best possible way. Finally, we should all boycott the companies and manufacturers supporting the Zionist entity occupying Jerusalem and the land of Palestine

Salah is hard? So is keeping your hand in a flame

2010-11-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Assalamu Alaykum!

We hope that you are in great iman, InshaAllah. Let us not stop reminding about Islamic matters. One of the bitter truth of today's society is the abandonment of Salah. Here is a video regarding what we should think of when we try to leave off Salah.

May we not stop remind ourselves.

Responsibilities of a Muslim

2010-11-10T17:48:00.001-08:00

by Dr. Israr Ahmad

The long standing political and moral decline of the Muslim Ummah has reslted, among other things, in a serious distortion of our very concept of Islam itself. We have grown accustomed to viewing Islam as a mere “religion,” instead of using the original Qur’anic term “Deen.” This apparently minor change in semantics is actually a huge leap backwards. This is because the word religion is commonly used in a rather narrow sense, its scope being limited to a set of dogmas, some rituals for worship, and a number of social customs to celebrate important life-events.

Deen, on the other hand, is a system of life in which human beings consciously surrender to the sovereignty of a higher authority, and live a life of total obedience to that higher authority. In this sense, the term Deen can be applied to monarchy, where the king is accepted as the final authority, or to democracy, where the people as a whole act as sovereign. Thus, when the term Deen is used for Islam, it obviously means a system of life where the Almighty God is worshipped and obeyed, not just in the narrow religious sense, but in a manner that includes all aspects of human of life.

A well-integrated set of beliefs describing the nature of existence as it really is (Iman), modes of worship including Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj, as well as social customs and ceremonies — all comprise indispensable and integral parts of Islam. However, in addition to these “religious” features, we are also provided by the Almighty God all the relevant instructions regarding our social, economic, and political existence (generally considered to be the “secular” elements of life), and this is what really distinguishes Islam from other religions, say, Christianity or Buddhism.

Unfortunately, the majority of our masses are simply, and perhaps blissfully, unaware of what it really means to be a Muslim; thus, their concept of religious duties is usually very narrow and limited. But, as Allama Iqbal has so correctly observed, you begin to shudder with the fear of accountability once you realize the tremendous responsibilities that come with being a Muslim.

When Islam loses its political authority, it is relegated and dethroned to the status of a mere religion — a private affair of the individual; and if any particular generation is to revive the teachings of Islam in the social, economic, and political spheres, then this is impossible without adopting the same methodology as was adopted by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). After the independence of the Muslim lands from direct subjugation of Western Imperialism, it was naively believed that since political authority now belongs to the Muslims, the next step, that of implementing the Islamic values, won’t be all that difficult.

However, it has been proved during the last half century or so that the ideal Islamic State is still very much a dream, and since no short-cuts are available, we have no alternative except to start at the very beginning. We must remind the Muslims of their responsibilities. The significance of this subject is quite clear: We cannot hope to achieve salvation in the Hereafter without fulfilling all our obligations. Moreover, we cannot even think about the revival of the Muslim Ummah and the Renaissance of Islam without first inculcating the true concept of our Divinely ordained obligations in a significant portion of the Ummah.

OUR FIRST OBLIGATION as a Muslim is to develop real faith and true conviction (or Iman) in the teachings of the Qur’an as explained by to us by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The faith must not be a mere dogma which has little or nothing to do with the practical aspects of one’s life, but it must be a deeply-felt certitude that changes the whole system of values, ambitions, and behavior in favor of Islam. Iman can be gained by reading, comprehending, and pondering over the meaning of Holy Qur’an with a genuine search for truth. The knowledge of Arabic language is indispensable for this purpose.

OUR SECOND OBLIGATION is to live a life of total obedience to the Almighty God. This duty is described in the Holy Qur’an as Ibadah, which is often inaccurately translated as worship or prayers. However, the true meaning of the term Ibadah can only be understood if we combine two apparently unrelated concepts: one is surrender, obedience, submission; the other is love, adoration, devotion. Total and unconditional compliance to all Divine injunctions is obviously required; at the same time, this compliance ought to be with a spirit of wholehearted devotion and love for the Creator.

All of us need someone or something to love, admire, and adore. Usually, our lack of knowledge of the one Being worthy of all our love, admiration, and adoration lead us towards other, less than perfect, ideals. We start loving various ideologies, like Socialism, or Liberalism, or Humanism; we sometimes start loving our tribe, our nation, or our race as the ultimate ideal. The Holy Qur’an teaches us that the faithful are those who love the Almighty God over everyone and everything else. When we love our Lord, we find it easy to obey Him. Sometimes we slip and forget, committing a sin; the point is to immediately turn back towards the Almighty God with genuine remorse, and to repent; if we can do this, Divine forgiveness is guaranteed.

OUR THIRD OBLIGATION as a Muslim is to preach and disseminate the word of Almighty Allah (SWT) — the Holy Qur’an — and the teachings of his last messenger Muhammad (SAW) to the whole humanity. What does it involve? Calling people towards the light of Islam and Iman; enjoining and encouraging all that is good and just and moral, forbidding all that is evil and unjust and sinful; exhorting the common people, explaining the philosophy and wisdom of Islam to the educated and intelligent classes, debating with the stubborn and the rigid; testifying to the truthfulness of the message with our behavior and conduct, our character and morals.

It is significant to note that communicating and explaining the teachings of Islam to others is not, as we have erroneously come to believe, the “profession” of the Mulla alone, but this is actually a duty of anyone who claims to be a Muslim. As Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has ordered, “Convey on my behalf, even if it is only a single verse (of the Qur’an that you know).”

This is because preaching and delivering the message of God to the entire humanity is actually the responsibility of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but now, after his departure and due to the termination of Prophethood, that sacred obligation has been transferred on to the shoulders of the Ummah as a whole. This, incidentally, is the purpose for which the entire Muslim Ummah was created in the first place, as mentioned in a most emphatic fashion in the Holy Qur’an: “You are the best of people raised for the (guidance of) mankind; You enjoin the good, forbid the evil, and believe in Allah” (3:110).

Of course, you cannot convince anyone unless you understand yourself the message you are trying to preach. Thus, according to another saying of the Prophet, “The best among you are those who learn (and comprehend) the Qur’an, and then teach (and propagate) its message.”

OUR FOURTH OBLIGATION as Muslims is to try our utmost in establishing a polity based on Qur’an and Sunnah and the Islamic System of Collective Justice, initially in our own homeland and then, ultimately, over the entire globe. The teachings of Islam vis-à-vis human society, law, economics, and politics cannot be implemented without a true and ideal Islamic state in existence. There are numerous terms to describe this highest of all our duties: establishing the Deen of Allah, achieving the domination of Islam, creating on earth the kingdom of God, bringing about an Islamic Revolution; different phrases, same meaning. Unless we succeed in creating a real model of what an ideal Islamic state should look like, all our adulations and glorifications of Islam would continue to be dismissed by the world as mere Utopian claims.

What are we talking about in practical terms? An ideal Islamic state is neither a monarchy nor a theocracy. Instead, we have a vision of a democratic welfare state, where the sovereignty of the Almighty God is accepted and enforced at all levels of the state — executive, judiciary, and legislature; where no law can be formulated repugnant to the Qur’an and the Sunnah; and where the elimination of all forms of injustice, exploitation, and repression is the primary aim of the government.

The process of an Islamic Revolution will start from a single country, and then it would spread to the rest of the globe. Muslims are obliged to struggle tirelessly in establishing the de facto soverignty of Almighty God, first in the country where they live, and ultimately all over the world.

This comprehensive view of the duties of a Muslim can be very easily understood by a simple analogy. Consider a three-storied building which is supported by four pillars. The underground foundation represents faith or Iman, which remains hidden from the spectators; the plinth of the building represents Shahadah, or the testimony of faith on a legal level; the four pillars of the building are obviously Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj. The first floor represents our first level of obligation as a Muslim, i.e., to live a life of total obedience to Almighty God; the second floor is a symbol for our second level of obligation, i.e., to preach and disseminate the teachings of Islam; and, finally, the third floor represents our third level of obligation, to try our very best in establishing the Deen of Allah in its entirety on a socio-political level.

Obama since Cairo

2010-11-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

US president Barack Obama made a number of promises during his "address to the Muslim world" in Cairo in June 2009. Not all of them have been met.
With Obama set to deliver another major speech in a Muslim-majority country - this time, in Indonesia - we assess how well he has fulfilled the promises of his Cairo speech. He has come through with many of his concrete "deliverables," like expanded educational exchanges and a fund to encourage science and technology. But his administration has failed to deliver on the more fundamental issues of reorientating US policy.
Click on the items below, or scroll down, for more information.

Close the Guantanamo Bay prison by early 2010
Remove troops from Iraqi cities, and keep withdrawal timeline
Invest $1.5bn per year, for five years, in Pakistan
"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements"
Democracy promotion: "We will support [it] everywhere"
A "new way forward" with Iran
Expanded exchange programmes with schools in Muslim countries
Host an "entrepreneurship summit" to encourage businesses in Muslim countries
Funds to support science and technology in the Muslim world

Close the Guantanamo Bay prison by early 2010

Of all the promises he made, the pledge to close Guantanamo Bay is perhaps Obama's most glaring failure: 176 prisoners remain at the prison camp, and many of them are likely to stay there for years to come.
His limited efforts to close the prison camp have met with nearly uniform opposition on Capitol Hill. The federal government acquired a prison in Illinois to house Guantanamo detainees - which some critics dubbed "Guantanamo North," since dozens of detainees would simply be relocated and held indefinitely - but Congress has passed a number of resolutions blocking the transfer of detainees to the United States.
Particularly uncertain is the fate of 57 Yemenis detained at the prison. Following the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt on a US-bound airliner - carried out by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen - Obama halted the return of Yemeni detainees to their home country.
White House officials and congressional leaders now say it is unlikely Guantanamo will be closed during Obama's first term in office.

Remove troops from Iraqi cities, and keep withdrawal timeline

Obama has already completed a major drawdown of US troops: from more than 140,000 when he took office to less than 50,000 today, the lowest level since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Iraq remains an occupied country, of course: In addition to tens of thousands of US troops - officially there to "advise and assist" Iraqi forces, but fully armed and capable of conducting missions nonetheless - the US state department isfielding what's been described as a "small army" of its own from private security firms.
But Obama has stuck to the withdrawal so far, and the White House has shown no intention of wavering from its plan to withdraw almost all troops by the end of 2011 - despite pressure from some US Republicans to delay the timeline.
Administration officials acknowledge that a small force - perhaps several thousand troops - will likely remain after 2011 to provide technical assistance and training for the Iraqi army.

Invest $1.5bn per year, for five years, in Pakistan

The White House has vastly expanded its aid to Pakistan. Much of that is still military aid: Just last month, Obama offered Islamabad another $2bn.
But the administration has also promised $7.5bn over five years in civilian aid, a fulfillment of his pledge in Cairo. The two countries launched a "strategic dialogue" in Washington in March, and held their second high-level meeting in Islamabad in October. Money from the US has already been earmarked for a number of projects in Pakistan, including new hospitals, water infrastructure and agricultural investments.
The US also spent hundreds of millions of dollars on relief efforts following Pakistan's catastrophic flooding this summer.

"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements"

Obama took a hard line during his speech on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. "It is time for these settlements to stop," he said.
Initially, he stuck to his guns: The demand for a settlement freeze hovered over US-Israeli relations during the summer of 2009.
But Obama dropped that demand in the fall, and Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, agreed to a 10-month construction freeze in the West Bank - a moratorium that was violated hundreds of times and did not include East Jerusalem. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, nonetheless praised it as an "unprecedented" step.
The freeze ended in September, and settlement growth is once again moving forward - 800 new homes in the Ariel settlement were announced on Tuesday, for example, and another 1,300 in several parts of East Jerusalem. The US reaction was tepid: "We were deeply disappointed by the announcement," PJ Crowley, the state department spokesman, said.

Democracy promotion: "We will support [it] everywhere"

Obama called democracy and the rule of law "human rights" and vowed to support them, but his administration has often done the opposite.
The state department, for example, is considering an "endowment fund" for the Egyptian government. The proposal would set aside a pool of foreign aid for Cairo with very few conditions attached - none of them requiring the Egyptian government to advance human rights or democracy. High-ranking White House officials blessed a Sudanese election in April that was widely considered a fraud.
The administration is deepening its ties with unaccountable rulers across the region - in Yemen, for example, where Ali Abdullah Saleh has maintained his grip on power for two decades (longer, if you count his time as president of North Yemen).
Shadi Hamid, the deputy director of the Brookings Institution in Doha, penned a tongue-in-cheek op-ed in April suggesting that Arab reformers might be feeling "Bush nostalgia" - missing the former US president's (admittedly often rhetorical) emphasis on democracy.

A "new way forward" with Iran

After nearly two years in office, Obama's Iran policy looks quite similar to his predecessor's. There were a few moments of "openness" - his much-touted Nowruz message last year, for example - but America's Iran policy has largely been defined by a cycle of fruitless negotiations and escalating sanctions.
Obama is not solely to blame for the paralysis in US-Iran relations, of course. But he has pursued no transformative policy initiatives - nothing demonstrating the "courage, rectitude and resolve" that he said would be necessary for relations to move forward.
And a shift is even less likely following the recent Republican victories in congressional midterm elections. As Tony Karon wrote in Time magazine, "He'll find it even more difficult, after the election, to compromise with a regime so widely reviled on Capitol Hill."

Expanded exchange programmes with schools in Muslim countries

Rashad Hussain, the US special envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, said in a speech earlier this year that funds for education exchange programmes in Muslim-majority countries have increased by 30 per cent since Obama took office.
The US state department created a programme that allows American high school students to spend a semester or a full year abroad in Muslim-majority countries.
US embassies in individual countries have also set up lower-level efforts. In Qatar, for example, the embassy runs a "sister schools" programme that pairs US and Qatari high schools.

Host an "entrepreneurship summit" to encourage businesses in Muslim countries

The White House held that summit in April, and it featured a number of well-known Muslim entrepreneurs, including Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize-winning founder of the Grameen Bank microfinance firm in Bangladesh. It also launched a number of programmes, including an "entrepreneur exchange" that exchanges "young professionals" between the US and Muslim-majority countries.
The White House's approach to entrepreneurship came in for some criticism. Andrew Albertson, the director of the Washington-based Project on Middle East Democracy, argued that "Washington does the region no favours by offering an entrepreneurship summit ... while avoiding the root problems hindering business such as political decay and corruption". But the White House can nonetheless count this summit as a promise fulfilled.

Funds to support science and technology in the Muslim world

In October 2009, the White House announced the Global Technology and Innovation Fund, which provides between $25m and $150m to "catalyze and facilitate private sector investments that promote access to and growth of technology ... throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa".
The White House also dispatched three "science envoys" to Muslim-majority countries in north Africa and southeast Asia.

Source:

Al Jazeera

Hajj '10 A Chinese Muslim makes pilgrimage to Mecca

2010-11-10T17:31:00.001-08:00

The ancient Chinese city of Xi'an is home to the famous terracotta army and was at the very centre of Chinese civilisation during the Tang dynasty from 618 to 907.

It is also home to about 60,000 ethnic Chinese Muslims and boasts 1,300 years of Islamic history.

Proud of their Islamic heritage and their country's traditions, the Muslims of Xi'an have merged their own ancient Chinese culture with Islam, remaining faithful to the central tenets of their religion.

'Lifetime's responsibility'

Forty-six-year-old Ma Yi Ping is well-known within Xi'an's Muslim community.

One of the ten imams at the city's Great Mosque, he also owns a small shop selling Islamic calligraphy in the city's Muslim quarter and acts as a religious teacher for those about to embark on the Hajj pilgrimage.

"I was born into a devout Muslim family and I'm the only child. I started studying Quran since I was young. I was told that I should devote myself to Islam as well as [to] the Muslim people and contribute to the peace of our society, to our country," Ma says.

"When I was a kid my father sent me to an imam's place to learn the Quran. At that time it was forbidden for children to study in the mosque because of the political pressure brought by the 'Gang of Four'. All religions were affected badly."

China's Communist party closed all of the country's mosques in 1959 and during the 1966 Cultural Revolution, more than 29,000 mosques were destroyed.

Ma was 16 years old when the mosques re-opened and he became an imam.

"As an imam, it's my lifetime responsibility to promote Islam," he says.

Ma first went on Hajj in 1994 and has been again several times since.

Unlike in Singapore and Malaysia, there are no elaborate preparations that the Chinese Muslims undertake. Ma helps to guide his pilgrims and teaches them some special prayers to perform while in Mecca.

"I want to help the Chinese Muslims as they are very pious. The only problem they face is that they are not familiar with all the religious activities [that take place] during the Hajj, since they are not done locally."

'Ancestors' wishes'

Jia Wang Yi and his wife are two of the soon-to-be pilgrims Ma is helping. Both in their sixties, they have been saving for five years for their pilgrimage.

"This trip is very important to both of us. We have done lots of preparation work with the instructions from the imam and my son.

Ma Yi Ping is teaching his son
the art of calligraphy

"I have been very conscious of my health, working very hard to study the Hajj rituals, preparing our clothing and medicine. We have prepared thoroughly," Jia says.

Their son, Jia Ren Ping, was hoping to go with them but work commitments mean he will not be able to make it this time around.

"Both my grandparents and parents desired to participate in the Hajj. But due to various reasons, my grandparents were unable to do so. They faced financial problems and lived during a war-torn period," Jia Ren Ping explains.

"Thus, my parents have this strong desire to go to Hajj, firstly to accomplish the will of Allah, secondly to fulfill the wishes of our ancestors."

The Jias will be part of a group of 251 pilgrims leaving Xi'an for the Hajj. As the community is so closely-knit, almost everyone knows the others going from their neighbourhood.

Unlike in some other countries, the Chinese pilgrims do not receive any special government subsidies to help cover the cost of performing Hajj. The less well off often save for years to be able to afford it.

'Reinforcing faith'

For Xi'an's wealthier Muslims, like Jia Hong, who owns a successful fried rice restaurant in the heart of the Muslim quarter, performing Hajj is a matter of coordination and timing.

He will be going on Hajj for the first time, but his wife, who has just given birth to their daughter, will be unable to accompany him.

"Everything with my family has been taken care of and I am not concerned for my own safety. Going to the Hajj is the obligation of every Muslim. I leave everything in Allah's hands. The Hajj is going to reinforce my faith, not compromise it," Hong says.

On the day of departure, the Xi'an central train station is full of those saying goodbye to their friends and relations. Each pilgrim has a send-off party of about 30 to 70 people.

Managing the thousands-strong crowd is one of the biggest challenges facing the city's authorities.

Many of those there, including Jia Hong, have never before left the country.

As his family and friends wave him off, he says: "What I'm feeling now is beyond words. I just want to get there as soon as possible and fulfill my obligation."

Women in the Bible

2010-11-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Women in the Bible

[Gen 3:16]
God said to Eve when she tempted Adam, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing, in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.

MENSES IN THE BIBLE

[Levi. 15:19]
When a woman has a discharge of blood which in her regular discharge from her body, she shall be apart seven days. And WHOSOEVER TOUCHES HER SHALL BE UNCLEAN until the evening. And every thing that she lies upon in her SEPARATION shall be unclean. Every thing also that SHE SITS UPON SHALL BE UNCLEAN. And whosoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And whosoever touches anything THAT SHE SAT UPON SHALL WASH HIS CLOTHES, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

And if it be on her bed, or any thing whereon she sits when he touches it: he SHALL BE UNCLEAN UNTIL THE EVENING. And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him: he shall be unclean seven days, and all the bed WHEREON SHE LIES SHALL BE UNCLEAN.

And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her SEPARATION: All the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her SEPARATION, she shall be unclean. Every bed whereon she lies all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her SEPARATION, and whatsoever she sits upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her SEPARATION.

And WHOSOEVER TOUCHES THOSE THINGS SHALL BE UNCLEAN and shall wash his clothes and bathes himself in water, and he BE UNCLEAN UNTIL THE EVENING. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest to the door of the meeting tent.

POSTPARTUM IN THE BIBLE

[Levi. 12:2]
If a woman conceives, and bears a MALE CHILD, then she shall be unclean seven days.. But if she bears a FEMALE CHILD then she shall be unclean two weeks.

AFTER AN INTERCOURSE

[Levi. 15:16]
If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water, and be unclean until the evening. Every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the evening.

[Levi. 22:17] WHEN THE SUN IS DOWN HE SHALL BE CLEAN.

[Levi. 15:18]
If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen both of them shall bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the evening.

REJOICE WITH THEM !!

[Prov. 5:18]
REJOICE WITH THE WIFE of your youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; LET HER BREASTS SATISFY YOU AT ALL TIMES.

[Song. 8:8]
We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when is spoken for? I was a wall, and MY BREASTS WERE LIKE TOWERS.

WOMAN'S VEIL IN THE BIBLE

[1 Corin. 11:5]
But any woman who prays and prophecies with her head unveiled dishonors her head - it is the same as if her head were shaven, for if a woman will not veil herself then she should cut off her hair. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil. JUDGE FOR YOURSELVES; is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? (It seems that Christians are unaware of the obligation of the veil in the Bible, which made me put their verses in this book, and for those who attack the veil in Islam should notice these verses of their own Bible, and notice also this verse "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.)

WOMAN IS NOT THE GLORY OF GOD

[1 Corin. 11:7]
For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man, for man was not made for woman, but woman from man, neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

REMAIN SILENCE!

[1 Tim 2:11-14]
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

SILENCE IN CHURCHES

[1 Corin 14:34]
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to
speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

WOMAN IS EVIL !

[Zech. 5:7]
The leaden cover was lifted, there was a woman sitting, and he (the angel) said: this is wickedness.

GOD MAKES PEOPLE FALL IN ADULTERY

[Amos 7:16]
God said to Am-a-zi'ah "You say, prophesy not against Israel and drop not your word against the house of Isaac?
Thus the Lord says: YOUR WIFE SHALL BE AN HARLOT in the city and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword."

[Jer. 8:9]
They have rejected the word of the Lord. Therefore I WILL GIVE THEIR WIVES UNTO OTHERS.

[Jer. 13:22]
"For the greatness of your iniquity are your skirts discovered, AND YOUR HEELS MADE BARE. I will discover your skirts upon your face, that your shame may appear I have seen your adulteries, and your neighings the lewdness of your whoredoms."

HIDE WOMAN'S VOICE !

[1 Corin. 14:34]
The woman should keep silence in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. If there is any thing they desire to know let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

[1 Timo. 2:9]
Woman should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds.

WOMAN FOR THE MAN

[1 Corin 11:5-10]
But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovereddishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels."

HOW TO RESCUE HER HUSBAND

[Deut. 25:11]
When men fight with one another, and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him, and puts out her hand seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall have not pity.

MARRIAGE BY FORCE !!

[Deut. 25:5]
If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be marries outside of the family to a stranger; her husband's brother shall go into her, and take her as his wife.

WHAT IF HE REFUSES ?

[Deut. 25:7]
And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate of the elders, and say, "My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel.. Then the elders of his city shall call him. And if he persists.. Then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot, and spit in his face; and shall answer and say: So it shall be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house. And the name of his house shall be called in Israel THE HOUSE OF HIM THAT HAD HIS SANDAL PULLED OFF.

UPRIGHT WOMEN!

[Eccless 7:26-28]
And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all".

KILL WOMEN, CHILDREN, ANIMALS !!

[Ezek. 9:5]
And the Lord said, "Go through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have you pity. SLAY UTTERLY OLD AND YOUNG, BOTH MAIDS AND LITTLE CHILDREN, AND WOMEN.

[Num. 31:1]
And the Lord said unto Moses, "Avenge the children of the Mid'-an'ites.. They warred against the Mid'-i-an'ites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slay all the males. And they took all women as captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. Moses said, "HAVE YOU SAVED ALL THE WOMEN ALIVE? NOW KILL EVERY MALE AMONG THE LITTLE ONES, AND KILL EVERY WOMAN that has known a man by lying with him, but all the young girls who have not known a man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.

[Josh 6:16]
Joshua said to the people of Israel, "The Lord has given you the city (of the Canaanites).. all silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: They shall come into the treasury of the Lord. The people utterly DESTROYED ALL THAT WAS IN THE CITY, BOTH MAN AND WOMAN, YOUNG AND OLD, AND OX AND SHEEP, AND ASS, WITH THE EDGE OF THE SWORD.

KILLING, KIDNAPPING, SLAVERY

[Josh. 16:10]
So the Canaanites have dwelt in the midst of E'phraim to this day, but become slaves to do forced labour. (see also Joshua 17:13 and Judg. 1:30)

[Judg. 21:10]
The congregation of Benjamin sent twelve thousand of their bravest men, and commanded them, "Go and smite the inhabitants of Ja'-besh-gil'ead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. Every male and every
woman that has lain with a male YOU SHALL UTTERLY DESTROY. And they found among the inhabitants four hundred YOUNG VIRGINS who had not known a man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp of Shiloh, which is the land of Canaan. And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Ja'besh-gil'ead, but they did not suffice for them.

STEALING WOMEN !!

And they commanded the Benjaminites, saying:"Go and lie in wait in the vineyard, and watch, if the daughters of Shiloh go out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyard and seize each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh. And the Benjaminites did so, and took their wives from the dancers whom they caught.

KILL THEM AND TAKE THEIR PROPERTIES

[Deut. 20:10]
When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it SHALL BE FORCED LABOUR FOR YOU AND SHALL SERVE YOU. But if it makes no peace with you, then you shall besiege it, .. YOU SHALL PUT ALL ITS MALES TO THE SWORD, BUT THE WOMEN AND THE LITTLE ONES, the cattle and every thing else in the city all its spoil, YOU SHALL TAKE AS BOOTY FOR YOURSELVES; AND YOU SHALL ENJOY THE SPOIL OF YOUR ENEMIES.

In other words, the Bible teaches us that:
1.Women should learn in silence and subjugation.

2.Women should not teach.

3.Women should not have authority over men but should remain silent.

4.Adam and Eve were not equal in sin. Adam was not deceived but Eve was.
5.Women are commanded to be under obedience to men. God ordained that men shall for all time rule over women

6.Women must keep silent in Churches. It is shameful for them to open their mouths therein. If they have a question they should ask their husbands before going to church and then their husbands will ask for them in the church.

7.A woman should neither pray nor profess with her head uncovered.

8.If a woman prays with her head uncoveredthen she might as well shave her head.

9.Man was created in the image and glory of God, and Woman was created in the glory of Man, thus Man must have power over her.

10.Any woman who delivers a male baby shall be unclean for one week. But any woman who delivers a female baby shall be unclean for TWO weeks. Thus, females make their mothers DOUBLY unclean as compared to males.

11.While it is possible to find one upright man in every thousand, it is impossible to find even one single upright woman in every thousand

12.Woman is a snare, her heart is a trap, and her hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but she will ensnare the sinner.

13.If a woman had her period and touches a chair or a bed or anything else then that item immediately becomes unclean. Anyone who then touches those things shall also become unclean. They must then bathe themselves and wash their clothes because they have touched an item that a menstruous woman has touched.

Comparison by case:

Islam: Women must cover their heads as a sign of "modesty." It also serves as protection for the female.

Christianity: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:3-10 in the christian bible orders women to cover their heads in prayers. These verses further state that the male doesn't have to cover his head because "female was made from male, and the male not from the female." It further states that a woman covering her head is a sign of male "authority."

Conclusion: Islam and Christianity both tell women to cover their heads. The main difference, however, is that women in Islam cover their heads for purposes of "modesty." Christian women cover their heads as a sign of "male authority." It is clear that the bible gives women an inferior status, whereas Islam doesn't.

Islam: Adam and Eve (peace be upon them) were EQUALLY responsible for eating from the "forbidden tree." They both repented and were forgiven by the Most-Forgiving and Most-Merciful Allahu ta'ala.

Christianity: Eve ate from the "forbidden tree" BEFORE Adam did. Adam ate from the tree AFTER Eve did. The woman was deceived FIRST. Because of EVE causing Adam to sin by eating from the forbidden tree, the ground is "cursed." God doesn't forgive them, but damns them and humanity -- thanks to Eve (the woman)! ALL females go through "pains of childbearing" as a punishment from God -- because of EVE'S sin. All males have to go through pains of eating from the ground, thanks to EVE. ALL babies are born in SIN, thanks to EVE. All of this can be found in GENESIS 2:4-3:24.

"Adam was not deceived but the woman was" (1 TIMOTHY 2:11-14)

"Woman will be ruled over by the male" (GENESIS 3:16)

In other words, thanks to a FEMALE, we are damned! It is clear that in Christianity, the very first woman is blamed for wrongdoing, but not the very first male.

Islam: Quran orders us that we should not "bury daughters alive."

Christianity: -"The birth of a daughter is a loss" (ECCLESIASTICUS 22:3, Catholic Bible)

- Ritual impurity of a mother is TWICE as long if a female is born and not a male. (LEVITICUS 12:2-5)

Is it not clear that Islam again gives a higher status to females? What Islam came to radicate -- the bad treatment of females -- still continues in today's Protestant and Catholic scriptures.

ISLAM: Women can talk in the mosque. (place of worship)

CHRISTIANITY: "It is a shame for women to talk in the church." (1 CORINTHIANS 14:34)

If females cannot talk, then how are they supposed to learn? Again, it is obvious that Islam gives the female a higher status than the bible does.

Muslim women are objects of derision and mockery especially in the Western world. Women in Islam are portrayed to be "oppressed" and "inferior" by many Westerners. However, most of the Westerners I've heard this from are usually Christian. It is amazing how many verses the Christian bible has which supports Islamic treatment of women, among other issues. Here is a small list I would like to share with all of you. You will also know that the christian bible degrades the female sex!

At a time when the rest of the world, from Greece and Rome to India and China, considered women as no better than children or even slaves, with no rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a great many respects. The Quran states:

"And among His signs is this: that He created mates for you form yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect." [30:21]

Prophet Muhammad said:

"The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife." [Abu Dawud]

Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same soul. Both were equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and both were forgiven by Allah. Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that the first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, whom he both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's death, Aeisha, became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest sources of Hadith literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished great deeds and achieved fame, and throughout Islamic history there have been famous and influential scholars, jurists and mystics.

With regard to education, both women and men have the same rights and obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's saying:

"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer." [Ibn Majah]

This implies men and women.
A woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to be treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her own property and earnings, enter into contracts, even after marriage. She has the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and husband. A very interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any other religion, a woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for a group of women.

A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the laws and regulations pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, doing good deeds, etc., apply to women, albeit with minor differences having mainly to do with female physiology.

Before marriage, a woman has the right to choose her husband. Islamic law is very strict regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent for marriage. A marriage dowry (money) is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use. She keeps her own family name, rather than taking her husband's. As a wife, a woman has the right to be supported by her husband even if she is already rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and custody of young children. She does not return the dowry, except in a few unusual situations.

Despite the fact that in many places and times Muslim communities have not always adhered to all or even many of the foregoing in practice, the ideal has been there for 1400 years, while virtually all other major civilizations did not begin to address these issues or change their negative attitudes until the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are still many contemporary civilizations which have yet to do so.

Barack Obama Visits Indonesia's Largest Masjid

2010-11-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Jakarta: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday visited Indonesia's largest mosque in a goodwill gesture to Muslims.

At the Istiqlal mosque, a vast, white, concrete structure topped with a large dome, Obama was shown a large drum used for the call to prayer, the prayer hall and the inside of the dome.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, wearing a chartreuse pantsuit and a headscarf adorned with gold beads and black fringe, were guided by Imam Haji Mustapha Ali Yaqub.

The president said Ali Yaqub pointed out that the mosque, the largest in South-East Asia in terms of capacity, stood next to a cathedral.

He said the imam told him that at Christmas, the mosque allowed the cathedral's parishioners to use the mosque's parking lot 'because they don't have enough facilities'.

'That's an example of the kind of cooperation' between religions in Indonesia, Obama said.

Obama said Tuesday that his efforts to mend ties with the Muslim world were 'on the right path' but acknowledged that the job was unfinished.

'I think that our efforts have been earnest, sustained,' Obama said at a press conference after talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Security issues, the president pledged, would not be the sole focus for the US as it moves ahead in building bridges with the Muslim world.

In a June 2009 speech in Cairo, Obama laid out his plans to repair Washington's image in the Islamic world after it led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.