Fortnightly Newsletter
(16th-30th September`06)

Compiled by: Azeem Ayub

In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Ever Merciful
 

The Most Beautiful Month On Way!

Source:
"Nine reasons why we must plan for Ramadan" - SoundVision.com

Have you noticed that each year, Ramadan goes by faster and faster? Personally, I can remember details of Ramadan 11 years ago better in some ways than of Ramadan last year. It’s frightening.

This blessed month can’t be left to become a blur in our memories. It has to be more than that time of the year we squeeze in fasting amongst the other things we do daily.

One way to make the most of Ramadan is to plan beforehand. Here are ten reasons why you should plan for Ramadan:

Reason #1: To be in "Ramadan mode"
By planning for Ramadan before it arrives, you put your mind in "Ramadan mode". If you plan, you will mentally prepare for it, and it will force you to see it as the special month it is outside of your regular routine the rest of the year.

Reason #2: To adjust your schedule
By planning in advance, you can adjust your work, sleep and meal schedules in such a way as to make time for Suhoor, Iftar, etc. That means, for instance, that if you normally go to bed at midnight, in Ramadan you would sleep earlier in order to get up early for Suhoor. Or if you usually study late, you can instead sleep earlier and start studying after Suhoor in the early morning hours. Planning in advance allows you the luxury to make time for the change in schedule that Ramadan brings.

Reason #3: You can plan Ramadan family time
Is dinnertime usually an individual affair in your home, as opposed to a time the whole family eats together? Are Friday evenings the time every family member goes off to his/her own social activities? Planning in advance can change this at least in Ramadan. Calling a family meeting about a month in advance, explaining the importance of Ramadan, its implications for the family and the need to eat Iftar together when possible as well as to attend Tarawih prayers, for example, will allow all family members to adjust their work and school schedules accordingly. That will, Insha Allah, make Ramadan a blessing not just to every person in the family, but to the family as a whole.

Reason #4: To make the menu
While Ramadan may mean extra Ibadah to some of the brothers, it usually means extra cooking for most of the sisters. Ramadan’s blessings are for men and women. Making a Ramadan menu for Iftar and meals, and working out when you want to invite relatives, neighbors and friends for Iftar will give sisters the opportunity to catch Tarawih and various other advantageous Ibadat instead of spending Ramadan’s 29 or 30 days stuck in the kitchen. (And by the way, brothers, helping out with cooking or cleaning was a practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him-maybe this is a way you can increase your Sawab [rewards] this month).

Reason #5 : You can plan a Iftar at your home
You may have eaten fantastic Iftars at friends’ homes last year. This year, open your doors. There is blessing in feeding a fasting person other than yourself and your family. Planning in advance gives you the luxury of calling friends over the month before and setting a date, so you can "grab" them before others get an opportunity to. Muchos Sawab, Insha Allah!

Reason #6: To make a travel schedule
Do you know a fellow Muslim in your neighborhood who wants to get to the mosque for Tarawih every night but doesn’t have a car? Or do you look at your work schedule and realize you have to work overtime near the end of Ramdan, so your family will miss out on Tarawih at the mosque the last ten nights of Ramadan? Planning in advance helps you work out your daily or weekly travel schedule to attend Tarawih prayers at the mosque, or even a trip for Iftar at a friend’s place who may life farther away. It also helps ease the burden of transportation in winter. Maybe you can start a car pool? Since you have the time before Ramadan begins, you can work this out with neighbors and friends.

Reason #7: To do good at high Sawab times
Being generous is definitely an Islamic merit, but being generous in Ramadan is even more highly rewarded. Match Ibadat with specific times that carry more reward. Prepare to do Itifkaf, increase asking Allah for forgiveness in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Plan to give increased Sadaqa this month. Plan to visit that relative you may have not seen for months, if not years. Thinking about and arranging to do these things and finding other ways of gaining the pleasure of Allah in Ramadan will Insha Allah help you benefit more from it.

Reason #8: You can squeeze in Eid shopping
Planning in advance helps you think about all of those things you wanted to do in time for the end of Ramadan or Eid last year but couldn’t. Maybe you wanted to go Eid shopping for gifts for family and friends in the last week of Ramadan but were too busy with the last ten nights of Ramadan. No problem. This year, you decide to go in the third week of Ramadan instead.

Reason #9: You can plan Dawa activities during Ramadan
Some Muslims have gone to soup kitchens and made meals during Ramadan, while they were fasting. Not only will, Insha Allah, they be rewarded, but this is a great Dawa opportunity to explain what Ramadan and Islam are about. Planning in advance for such an activity gives you the time to call up a soup kitchen in your area, explain what you want to do, and get your act together. You can also plan school Dawa activities in Ramadan by planning in advance, by meeting with the principal or teacher beforehand, preparing a presentation, etc.

Author/Source: Sound Vision  (www.soundvision.com)

URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1013

In this Issue

Reflections
* The Most Beautiful
   Month on Way
  

Read & Reflect
*  The Islamic Shari'ah
     of Zakah
 

 Express & Explain
*  General Discussion
    Forum:  Can we
    come to the Masjid
 

 Debate & Discuss
*  Discussion Forum:
    The Religion of
    Islam
 

Pause & Ponder
*  Fasting on Behalf
     of Someone
     

Announcements
*  Successful
    Participants
  
 Recent Additions
*  Articles
  
*  Q n As 
   

Spot on Site 

Read and Reflect

The Islamic Shari‘ah of Zakah

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا (20:73)

And [in the daytime and at night] be diligent in the prayer and pay zakah and [for the cause of your religion and state] lend to Allah a befitting loan, and [remember] whatever good you send forth for yourselves you shall find it with Allah better than before and greater in reward. (73:20)

In the verse quoted above, and at numerous other places in the Qur’an, Muslims are directed to pay zakah from their wealth. After the salah (the prayer), it is the second important worship ritual in Islam. Among the various mannerisms which man has generally adopted to worship deities, one is to present before them a part of their wealth, livestock and produce. In the religion of the prophets, this is the essence of zakah, and on this very basis, it is has been regarded as a ritual of worship. The names like sadqah and nadhr are also used for it. The Qur’an has used the word sadqah for it in various verses, and has explained that it should be paid with humility:

الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاَةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ (55:5)

Those who are diligent in the prayer, pay zakah such that [their hearts] bow [down in humility]. (5:55)

وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوا وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ (60:23)

And those who whenever give, give such that their hearts are filled with awe  knowing that they will have to return to their Lord. (23:60)

Zakah is a share imposed on one’s wealth and has been reserved for Allah. The Qur’anic directive: ‘وَآتُواْ حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ’ (give away what is due of them upon the harvest day, (6:141)) refers to this very aspect. The general custom about it has been that once it has been presented, it is taken from the place of worship and given to its keepers so that they are able to serve the needs of the worshippers from this money. In our shari‘ah, this practice has been discontinued. We have been directed to give this money to our rulers so that the needs of the state can be met; however, this change does not effect the essence of zakah. It is reserved for the Almighty and when His servants pay it, the decision for accepting it also comes from Him. The Qur’an says:

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَأْخُذُ الصَّدَقَاتِ (104:9)

Do they not know that God Himself accepts the repentance of His servants and takes their charities? (9:104)

The importance of this ritual of worship can be understood from the fact that like the prayer the Almighty has regarded it as a pre-requisite for a person to be a Muslim. The Qur’an says: فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوْا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ’ (If they repent, become diligent in the prayer and pay zakah, they are your brethren in religion, (9:11)). It is evident from the Qur’an that after the prayer, it is the second manifestation of faith. It is apparent from the verses of Surah Mu’minun and Surah Ma’arij, which have been quoted earlier in the section on the prayer, that among righteous deeds, paying zakah is second to offering the prayer. Consequently, it is stated in the Qur’an with this very status, and at one place while mentioning the idolaters the Almighty has said that they do not pay zakah; for this very reason, they are the ones who are the real rejecters of accountability in the Hereafter:

وَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُشْرِكِينَ  الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُم بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ (41: 6-7)

And woe betide the idolaters, who do not pay the zakah, and it is these who reject the Hereafter. (41:6-7)

The Prophet (sws) has also delineated the importance of zakah:

Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates that the Prophet (sws) said: “He who was given wealth by the Almighty and he did not pay its zakah, this wealth will be made into a bald snake for him, on whose eyes there will two black dots, and on the Day of Judgement his neck shall be shackled with this snake. Then he will clasp his cheeks and say: ‘I am you wealth; I am your treasure’ ”.1

Abu Dharr (rta) narrates that the Prophet (sws) said: “A person who has camels, cows and goats and he does not pay the right imposed them, then these [animals] will be brought before him on the Day of Judgement such that they will be very large and fat; they will stamp him below their feet and strike him with their horns. When the first will pass, the next will take its place. This will keep happening until the judgement is delivered for all the people”.2

It is stated in the Qur’an that similar will be the case of those heads and instances in which wealth should be spent besides zakah about which the Almighty directed people to spend money:

وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلاَ يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ  يَوْمَ يُحْمَى عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَى بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ هَـذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُواْ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ (9: 34-35)

And to those who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah give them glad tidings of a dreadful punishment. The day when in Hell their treasures shall be heated, then their foreheads, sides, and backs branded with them: “These are the riches which you hoarded. Taste then what you were hoarding”.(9:34-35)   

Author: Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (Tr. by Shehzad Saleem)

Further may be seen at: Renaissance Oct 2005 http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/

Express and Explain

General Discussion Forum:
Can we come to the Masjid?

hkhan

Many ladies ask in the community, and this happens every year in ramadan that whether they can come to the masjid during their periods.

I think with so much info. and media in today's age it is very wel known nowadays that they can indeed; to listen to the sermons ad even read Qura'n and duas. Most masjids have seating arrangements a bit away from the actual prayer area.

so do come in; even for Eid sermon. This will keep the opportunities open for your children as well.

Ibrahim (Moderator)

Yes prophet (pbuh) has Surely asked women to Com to Join Eid Dua BUT During Periods Time ONE is NOT Pure So How one Can Come inside the Mosque Area???

Well there is Only ONE option left & that is If there is any Place Present OUTSIDE the Described or Declared Mosque then SUCH people can Stay here & Listen.

But here U r Absolutely RIGHT that they can indeed listen to the sermons & even read Qura'n and duas.

I hope this Helps

hkhan

thnx ibrahim...  this gives a scholarly support to my stance

another imp. thing which we were discussing recently in a women's programme on local radio ramadan is that many a times the fact of not being able to carry out acts of worship like salah, fasting, visiting the kaaba etc during periods or puerperium (the time periods after child birth) is put down to the state of impurity; which obviously means physical impurity as it does not obviously mean spiritual impurity.
but in todays time and age with such an advancement in everything including personal hygiene e.g. highly absorbable sanitary towels, frequent changing, much advanced self care, etc. its not like the olden days when there would be a high chance of leaking and staining here and there etc. (although we are aware that many parts of the world are still in the same state; the rules of complete restriction to mosque then may apply to them because of physical impurity)

 
so actually we could look at things more positively i.e. it is actually the care and consideration of Islam for women that it has given her the relaxation from the acts of worship during these days when she may not feel physically well or fit to perform them due to pains, heavy bleeding etc. and many a times women actually need to take various medications during these days.

 
hence instead of looking at a woman as an impure object during such days, she should be looked at as someone who is cared for and looked after well by her loving Creator and his messenger sws.

sobi_05

hkhan, this thought have crossed sometimes through my mind. Especially the Salah is a physical act as well, i.e., bowing, prostrating, and than sitting in a specific position. Only a woman can understand her limitations during these days. So i agree with you. We should also see it as a relaxation from our loving Creator. On the other hand, we should also understand that running blood invites germs and bectaria and Allah loves cleanliness. Any kind of excretion from the body makes one inadequate to stand before the lord. Urination, defecation, vomiting, bleeding even its a drop from nose or tooth, or passing out gas, calls for the renewel of ablution. Clean clothes, clean place, clean body....these are the etiquettes of praying. Because bleeding and the unclean cloths (napkins) makes one unfit to stand before Allah, woman cannot perform salah during these days. To my understanding even a bleeding man cannot perform salah (correct me if im wrong).
 

Brother Ibrahim, could you please write some Quranic verse or Hadith supporting the fact that woman should not enter the mosque area when are menstrating?

hkhan

An e.g. of what Ibrahim recommended could be what we are lucky to have in our local Masjid, the mosque library to which doors open directly from the prayer hall and women looking after younger children also use it during prayer times.
 

Besides that the last couple of rows next to the back walls in the ladies prayer hall are never used for prayers, hence the women not praying sit there to listen, read and recite.
 

So i guess its not difficult to allocate such areas for the purpose in all masjids.

Ibrahim (Moderator)

Dear Sister, I Totally AGREE with You

quote:

Brother ibrahim, could you please write some quranic verse or Hadith supporting the fact that woman should not enter the mosque area when are menstrating?

Well Sister, we Derive This From the Same Aaya (about Wuzu & Ghusal 4:43) where It's Prohibited for a "Junubi" (State of impurity; May be Sexual & May be Physical b4 Bath) to Come in the Mosque Except one is JUST Passing thru it on the Road.

I hope this helps.

Further may be seen at: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=1664&lang=&forumid=26

Debate and Discuss

Discussion Forum: The Religion of Islam
Topic: Module 3 Definition of Amal i Saleh

waseem

The definition quoted in module 3 for righteous deeds is " All deeds which result once the morals of a person are purified. All their bases (should be basis) are found in human nature and intellect and the shariah of God has been revealed to guide mankind towards these righteous deeds.

My understanding is that by Amal i Saleh we mean all those actions or deeds which are in accordance with the wisdom of Allah by which He has created this universe and according to which this universe is being run. Allah's shariah has been revealed to guide mankind towards these righteous deeds and these deeds are conforming with human logic and intellect.

sahira

brother wasim salaam,

The module 3 I have downloaded is talking about : the name of this religion and the inner aspects of this religion can you please tell me if i have the right course material.

and module 2 is about
a: Prophets and messenger
B: Purpose of divine book
C: The responsibility of indhaar
D: The objective of religion
E: The correct religious attitude.

Please tell me if this the course material you have also.

waseem

You are correct about the contents of module 2 and module 3. If you download the first module you will be able to appreciate the sequence of the module better. The very first page of module 1 also gives the full content of topics in all 3 modules.

Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)

Could you please explain the value difference between your definition and the definition provided in the Module?

waseem

There is a difference between good deeds and amal i saleh. The difference is that amal i saleh are superior to good deeds because they are in accordance with divine instruction and divine wisdom. The definition quoted begins as all deeds which result once the morals of a person are purified.

Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)

I still do not see what is your point. Are you saying that the deeds which are in accordance with the divine instruction and divine wisdom are something other than good deeds? But what are they then, if they are not good deeds? The Qur'an is devoid of any reference to such a notion as there being anything superior to good deeds.

Further may be seen at: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/forum.aspx?forumid=48

Pause and Ponder

Question:
What does the following Hadith mean?:

Narrated by ‘A’ishah (rta): Allah’s Messenger (sws) said: “Whoever died and he ought to have fasted, then his guardians must fast on his behalf.” (Bukhari , Kitab al-Sawm)

More specifically: Why should the guardians be responsible?

Answer:
If all the texts of this Hadith and other similar Ahadith are collected and analyzed, it comes to light that here the fasts of Ramadan are not implied. The fasts mentioned here relate to vows. In other words, the Hadith means that if a person had pledged to keep some fasts and was unable to keep them because he died before he could, then one of his heirs should do so. This is much like a debt outstanding in a person’s name, which, we all know, is passed on to the heirs if the actual person dies. Consequently, the Prophet (sws) is reported to have said to the daughter of a deceased who had died and had left avowed fasts:

“Had she had an outstanding debt in her name, would you not have paid it.” She said “Yes”. At this the Prophet replied: “It is more befitting to fulfill what is outstanding to Allah.” (Muslim, Kitab al-Siyam)

Regards
 

Shehzad Saleem

Topic URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=497

In the darkest of dark nights 

The sky lit up with the lights 

Comfort none to the one that cries 

In infant innocence, it just dies: 

I needed love, not your pride 

I gave just love, took no side 

You did me cripple, gave me fear 

Chilling death far ‘n near 

So great your cause, so great your aim 

My smothered chuckle did not ye shame 

Twinkle, twinkle many a star 

Spreading death near ‘n far 

Up above the world so high 

Like a curse in the sky 

Your baby or theirs, I cry?! 

Or the child of life was I 

May I then ask O sky? 

For what cause, did I die? 

                                                 -- Asif Iftikhar

( For a dead child -- Palestinian-Israeli Conflict)

Author: Asif Iftikhar

URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1073

 
Successful Participants
 

Recent Additions

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•  عورت کا ختنہ

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