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Sunday 20 April 2014

The Life of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) - 2

Twenty years before prophethood, Muhammad, may peace be upon him, participated in the Alliance. Twenty years after the prophethood he said, “I was present at the house of Abdullah bin Jud‘an at the time of the Alliance. I will not go back on it, even if I were to be given hundred red camels. Even after Islam has been established, I shall still be in favour of such treaty.’

During that period, there were other social treaties as well. Banu Abd al-Dar and his colleagues once gathered in the precincts of Kabah and vowed that they would not leave each other in time of need and they would not hand over anyone to other groups. Muhammad, may peace be upon him, did not rescind these treaties. However, he supported them. He even said that such treaties of mutual understanding and reconciliation have been further strengthened after the advent of Islam. Before the prophethood, Muhammad, may peace be upon him, was engaged in trading. Abdullah bin Abi al-Hamsa said:

“I had transacted some business with Muhammad, may peace be upon him, in those days and owed him money. I asked him to wait till I brought the required sum. When I reached home, I completely forgot about it. I remembered three days later and rushed to the spot where I had left Muhammad, may peace be upon him. He was there waiting for me.”

He did not upbraid me. All he said was ‘You caused me a great deal of inconvenience. I have been waiting for you here for the last three days.’ (Ibn Ishaq)

Abdullah bin Saib said that during the days of Ignorance, he was a partner in trade with Muhammad, may peace be upon him. Much later he went to Madinah and met him. Muhammad, may peace be upon him, said, “Do you recognise me?” He said, “Indeed, you were my partner in trade. And what a wonderful partner you were! You never indulged in deceit or quarrels.”

Even before his prophethood, Muhammad used to shun polytheism, idolatry and rude behaviour. During his second journey to Syria, a dispute arose between Muhammad and a man in the course of a transaction. The man said:

“I will accept your words if you swear in the names of Lat and Uzza. (The two of three main idols worshipped in Makkah, mentioned in the Quran 53:19-20). 

Muhammad replied:

‘I have never sworn in the name of Lat or Uzza till today. Whenever I come by chance upon Lat or Uzza, I avoid them and carry on.”

With reference to such incidents, Ibn Hisham has rightly concluded that:

“The Messenger of God entered his adulthood as if God was protecting and watching over him. And He kept him safe from the evils of the time because, He wanted to confer on him honour and prophethood. Thus he reached a position of supremacy over all the men of his tribe. Of all of them, he was the best behaved. He was the noblest among them by his lineage and was the best neighbour. He was unparalleled in forbearance. He was honest in what he said, and the most trustworthy. He refrained from misconduct. Ultimately, he began to be called Al-Amin (the trustworthy) in Makkah.” (Sirat Ibn Hisham)

With his marriage with the wealthy Khadijah, Muhammad had access to all her wealth and property, he could expand his business as much as he desired. He had every opportunity to lead a successful and comfortable life. But with the passing of years he became less and less interested in business and devoted more and more of his time to the search of truth by means of reflection and meditation, instead of trying to establish himself in his society he took to the desert. He would often go to mount Hira, three miles from Makkah. He stayed there in the cave lost in thoughts for hours. When his supply of food and water were exhausted, he returned home for provisions and went back to the solitude of nature for prayer and meditations. He sought answers to the mysteries of life. What is man’s true role in life? What does the Lord require of us, as His servants? From where man comes and where will he go after death? It was to find answers to these perplexing questions that he betook himself to the stillness of the desert. With all these questions in mind, worldly gain and loss, comfort and distress did not concern him. He urgently wanted the answer to these important questions of truth. For nothing less than the truth could satisfy his soul. This phase of Muhammad’s life is referred to in the Quran in this verse.

“Did He not find you wandering and guide you?” (93:7).

He spent the whole of the month of Ramadan in the Cave of Hira. Finally after spending six long months in the cave, God turned in mercy to His Prophet, to guide him to the path of truth. At the age of 40, on February 12, 610 A.D., the Prophet was sitting all alone in his Cave. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in human form, bringing the first message from God. These words form part of the beginning of the ninety sixth chapter of the Quran. The Prophet’s quest had finally been rewarded. God granted him guidance and chose him as His Prophet. 

 The angel said to him “Read.”

The Prophet replied, “I do not know how to read.”

Then Muhammad felt that his body was being squeezed hard. Then the angel released him and repeated the same command. Again Muhammad replied that he did not know how to recite. Then the angel again squeezed him and then released him for the third time and said: Read!”

Then a change came over him and he was able to repeat the divine words. Then Gabriel revealed to him the chapter Al-Alaq.

“Recite in the name of your Lord, who created; who created man from a clot of blood; Recite, and your Lord is the most Gracious. It is He who has taught man by the pen that which he did not know.” (96:1-5)

Muhammad recited these verses repeating them after the angel. Then he found that these words were written on his heart (Ibn Ishaq).

The Prophet trembled in fear of what he had seen and heard in the cave. The revelation was totally a new experience for him. He set off for his house immediately after the disappearance of the angel.

On reaching home the Prophet asked Khadijah to wrap him in blankets. He was shivering from high fever. When he calmed down, he related the whole incident to her.

 Khadijah, being very kind and understanding tried her best to assure him.

She said:

“By Him who dominates Khadijah’s soul, I pray and I hope that you will be the Prophet of this nation. By God, He will not let you down. You are kind to your relations. You speak the truth, you help the poor and bear their burden, you honour guests and help those in distress. Surely God will never let you fail.”

Khadijah then suggested that they should go and consult her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal, who had become a Christian hermit.

Waraqa heard the whole account from Muhammad and said:

“I am sure the angel that descended on Moses has descended on you. You will be abused, and you will be pursued. I wish I could be alive to give you my support when your people will turn you out.”

“Will they turn me out?” The Prophet found this difficult to believe. Waraqa replied that people have always turned against those who are recipients of God’s messages.

The Prophet’s wife Khadijah was the first convert to Islam. When the news of Muhammad’s prophethood reached a freed slave, Zayd who was 30 years of age, and his cousin Ali, who was about eleven, both declared their faith in Islam. Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s friend from childhood, was out of town. On his return he heard of the new experience of the Prophet. People said to him that his friend had taken leave of his senses, believing that angels brought him messages from God. But Abu Bakr trusted the Prophet completely. Not for one moment did he doubt his veracity. He immediately went to meet the Prophet to find out the truth for himself. Abu Bakr asked the Prophet whether an angel had really descended upon him from God and had given him a message. The Prophet said “Yes,” and without a moment’s hesitation Abu Bakr professed his faith. He did not require any arguments to be convinced that he was telling the truth.

This small group of the Faithful were the first believers of Islam. In the first stage, the Prophet was asked to spread the message of Islam quietly to avoid arousing any hostility. Abu Bakr, being an influential merchant, was able to bring some of his friends, also rich merchants, into the fold of Islam. But the majority of the conversions took place among the weak and the poor. 

The Life Of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)



THE Prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, was born in Makkah in 570 A.D. in the tribe of Quraysh and died at the age of 63 in 632 A.D. in Madinah. The year of his birth is known among the Arabs as the year of the Elephant (Aam al-Fil) referring to the campaign of Abraham, an Abyssinian ruler, who had come to Makkah to destroy Kabah. Makkah was then inhabited mainly by the tribe of Quraysh. In those times, this tribe enjoyed great prestige all over Arabia and the neighbouring countries, for Makkah was a flourishing trade and religious centre.

Muhammad was still in his mother’s womb when his father, Abdullah, died. After his birth, Amine, his mother, sent the baby to Abdul Mutely, his grandfather, who was in Kabah at that time. The grandfather was overjoyed at the news, for he loved Abdullah, Muhammad’s father, very much. The grandfather gave him the name “Muhammad”, meaning “the praised one.” As was the practice of the Makkah nobility, he was handed over to a wet nurse, Kalimah al-Sadly, who belonged to the Banu Sad tribe. This custom is still practiced among Makkah aristocracy.

Kalimah nursed Muhammad for two years and a few months. She said that when he stayed with them, her family received all kinds of unaccustomed blessings. Having nursed so many children before, she noticed something ‘different’ or ‘extraordinary’ about the infant Muhammad. These observations are recorded in detail by some biographers such as Al-Walid, Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham.

Two years later, after the child had been weaned, Kalimah brought him back to his mother. But Makkah at that time was stricken with an epidemic, so Amine asked her to take him back to live in the pure air of the desert.

Thus Muhammad remained in the charge of Kalimah until the age of five. He learned Arabic in its purest form from this tribe. Muhammad used to tell his companions, “I am the most Arab among you, for I am of the tribe of Quraysh and I have been brought up among the tribe of Banu Sad bin Bakr.

Muhammad returned to his mother after five years of desert life. Then Amine took him to Madinah to meet her uncles, the Banu al-Ajar. She was accompanied by Umm Layman, her servant, on that trip. After a stay of a month in Bathrobe, Amine was on her way back to Makkah, when passing through a village called Abash, she fell ill and died there. She was buried in Abash. It fell to Umm Layman to bring Muhammad back to Makkah.

Therefore, the orphan Muhammad was taken care of by his grandfather Abdul Mutely, chief of the clan of Banu Hashim. He looked after him with great affection. As leader of the Quraysh, he used to sit on a cushion in Kabah, whenever Muhammad joined him, he was allowed to sit on that cushion. If anyone tried to stop him, his grandfather would say, “Leave him alone. By God, he is very important.” (Ibn Hisham) Abdul Mutely died when Muhammad was eight years old.  Now the guardianship of Muhammad passed to Abu Talib, his uncle, who was a merchant. Once when Abu Talib was preparing to go to Syria on a trading journey, Muhammad expressed a keen desire to accompany him. Though he was very young to undertake such a difficult journey, Abu Talib was so full of affection for him that he could not refuse, and agreed to take him on the journey.

Their trade caravan halted in the city of Bursa in Syria. There was a Christian monk by the name of Bah rah living there in a monastery. He had read in the ancient books about the emergence of an Arab prophet. He recognised in Muhammad the signs of prophethood. He knew at once that he was the boy who had been destined to become the last of the prophets.

The monk invited the whole caravan to his monastery and asked Abu Talib, “In what way are you related to this child?” He said, “He is my son.” Bah rah said, “It cannot be. His father should not be alive.” Then Abu Talib informed him that his father was no longer alive. Bah rah advised him to return with his nephew immediately and to protect him from enemies. He said, “By God, if he is recognised, he will surely be harmed.”

Ibn Ishaq writes, “Muhammad entered his adulthood as if God Himself was protecting him from the widespread evils of the period of ignorance.” By this time he was well-known in Makkah for his good morals, gentle disposition and sincerity. In fact, he was called Al-Amin (trustworthy) and As-Sadiq (truthful) by his compatriots.  When Muhammad was twenty-five, a rich 40-year old widow, Khadijah bent Khuwaylid of the Quraysh tribe, entrusted him with the management of her business. She used to employ men to engage in trading on her behalf, and rewarded them with a share of the profits. Muhammad was so honest in all his dealings that she was deeply impressed by his virtues and expressed her desire to marry him. After consultations with his uncle, Muhammad accepted the proposal of marriage. Khadijah became his first wife and during her lifetime he had no other wife. With the exception of Ibrahim, who died in infancy, all his children were born to Khadijah. All his sons died in infancy. Of the daughters, Ruqaiyyah, Zaynab, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah lived long enough to accept Islam and migrate to Madinah with the Prophet.

When Muhammad was twenty-five, the Quraysh decided to rebuild the Kabah after a sudden flood had shaken its foundations and cracked its walls. The old structure was demolished and the new construction began. When the walls rose from the ground and the time came to place the famous Black Stone (Hajr al-Aswad) in its place on the east wall, a dispute arose among the clans as to who would have the honour of laying it in place. Each clan wanted to have the honour of placing the stone for itself. This dispute almost led to a civil war. No peaceful solution seemed possible.

At this critical juncture Abu Umayyah, son of Mughirah al- Makhzumi said to the Makkans, “Put it off till tomorrow, the man who enters the Kabah first of all in the morning will be our arbitrator in this dispute.” Everybody liked the idea. Men from different tribes ran to the Kabah before dawn next morning. Each one tried to be the first to enter the House of God. But the first one to pass through the gate was Muhammad. On seeing him they all said, “There goes al-Amin. We shall agree with his verdict.” Then he was asked to give his decision on the matter. He took a sheet of cloth and spread it on the ground, and placed the Black Stone in the middle of it and then he asked the chiefs of all tribes to hold different ends of the sheet and lift it up. They carried the stone to the site of construction. Then Muhammad picked up the stone from the sheet and set it in place. Thus a bloody clash was averted and the dispute resolved to everybody’s satisfaction.

The life of Muhammad, may peace be upon him, before prophethood has been recorded in detail in several books. However, the following events are worth mentioning. A covenant known as the Alliance of Fudul (Hilf al-Fudul) had been entered into by three men, Fadal bin Fadalah, Fadal bin Vida and Fadal bin Harith. This was to ensure that no oppressor ever lived in Makkah. (Sirat ibn Hisham)

This Alliance ceased to exist after the death of its architects. Muhammad was 15 years of age when a civil war broke out involving the tribes of Quraysh and Qais. It is known as the Fijar War. In view of the widespread disturbances some people thought of reviving the Alliance of Fudul, to restore tribal harmony and ensure peaceful co-existence. It happened that a trader from Yemen sold some of his goods to Aaas bin Wail, but he was not paid in full. He composed couplets narrating his misfortune and pleading for justice. This touched the pride of the Makkans, who gathered at the house of Abdullah bin Jud‘an at the instance of Zubayr ibn Abd al Muttalib.

After consultations, it was decreed that the Alliance of Fudul should be renewed. Everyone agreed to support the cause of the oppressed, whether or not they belonged to Makkah. They also resolved to force the oppressor to give the oppressed their rightful dues. 

Saturday 19 April 2014

Arabia Before Islam - 3 (The Characteristics of the Arab People)



Islam emerged in a region known as Hijaz, inhabited by the descendants of Ismael and Banu Kinanah. These people had access only to limited resources, limited habitable area, cattle, pasture and oases. Everything was in short supply. So they could afford to lead an extremely simple life.

Due to these constraints they often waged war, sometimes to take possession of the limited reservoirs of water and pastures. Nevertheless, these Bedouins had noble human qualities. For they lived very far from the artificial world of civilization. The atmosphere of nature served as a vast school of nature for them. They never led the artificial life of the cities and their life was devoid of all formalities. This extremely simple, austere life made them realists.

All this was responsible for producing in them the qualities which the Arabs call al muruuwah, manliness, which meant to them acknowledging the truth, speaking nothing but the truth, fulfilling promises, honouring obligations, supporting the oppressed, boldness, noble character, patience, generosity and hospitality. When this high level of humanity was combined with the truth of Islam, they were enabled to perform great feats. It was this truth which has been thus expressed in a hadith:

“Those who were good people in the days of ignorance will also be good people during Islam.”

In ancient Arabia despite their battles, wars, conflicts and tensions, their vows of revenge, which went on for generation after generation, their mentality, their thinking, their aptitude for acknowledging the truth were fully preserved.

For instance, once in ancient Makkah two groups: were ready to fight. At this juncture, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb intervened and said to them: “If you waged a war so many people would be killed belonging to both the groups. So should I not tell you something better?” They agreed with him. Then Abu Sufyan said: “What has passed has passed, now you must make peace.” Both the parties accepted his advice there and then and made peace. This was in spite of the fact that there were people who used to go on fighting for as long even as 50 years to avenge a murder or an insult or any injustice done to them.

Due to the paucity of economic resources, there were people who indulged in looting. But even these people were of a noble character. Once a Bedouin wanted to robe a woman who was all alone in her tent decked with jewellery. But he did not enter the tent. He stood at the door and commanded her to take off all her jewellery and hand it over to him.

While the woman was taking off her jewellery, the man stood at the door with his back towards it, so that he did not catch sight of the woman while she was taking off her jewellery.

These Arabs had not been idol worshippers since ancient times. Idolatry was only a later introduction into their lives through foreign influence. The idols were imported into Arabia. So there was no ideology behind this idol worship. It was thus of a superficial nature, having no deep ideological or philosophical root. For instance, once an Arab wanted to take revenge for his father. So he went to an idol called Dhul Khalasa for divining arrows. But the answer that came from the idol was not in the affirmative. This enraged the Arab and, addressing the idol, he uttered these words: O Dhul Khalasa, had your father been killed you would never have uttered this falsehood that the oppressor should not be punished.”

Similarly, another Arab led his camels to his idol Sad in order to seek its blessing. It was a tall idol, and was covered in blood due to the sacrifices made to it. On seeing this sight, the camels were frightened and ran away. When the Arab saw the flight of his camels, he hit the idol with a stone, abusing him:

“May God destroy you. I had come to seek your blessings and you made my camels run away.” 

 Of these ancient Arabs there were a sizeable number who were known as Hanif. These people were truth seekers and they shunned idolatry. They lived an aloof, social life. They used to say:

“O, God, I do not know how You should be worshipped. Had I known, I would have certainly worshipped you in that manner.”

These circumstances of the ancient Arabs and their moral qualities had a close affinity with Islam. These people true in nature, were as if potential converts of Islam. Therefore when the Prophet of Islam began his preaching in 610, these Hanifs took no time in responding to his call and became his devoted companions, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Qahafa being one of those Hunafa. What distinguished the Arabs from others was that they could not afford to reject a truth when it had become clear to them. That is why in the initial stage of the Prophet’s call, due to some misunderstanding, a number of them turned against the Prophet Muhammad. But when finally they learned that what the Prophet was telling them was nothing but the truth, they took no time in entering the fold of Islam. There are a number of incidents in the books of Seerah to this effect.

Thus the sending of the Final Prophet was not without reason. It was a well-planned decision of God which He in His Own knowledge decreed. These Arabs were the living people who were selected by God to lend full support to His final Prophet, so that he might fulfill the divine mission.  

Arabia Before Islam - 2 (Makkah)

When Hajira’s infant son started crying for water she ran desperately between the hills of Safa and Marwah in search of water. She ran seven times when finally she discovered a spring of water gushing from the ground by the side of her son. It was this spring which is known as Zamzam. Makkah is founded at this spring spot of Zamzam.

Both Makkah and Madinah were, and still are, islands in a sea of desert. These towns were initially inhabited by the descendants of the nomads, who still retained many of the desert born habits of their ancestors.

Situated in a valley, Makkah is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is a desert, with no vegetation, no date-palms.

There are some fertile spots in the desert, which are called oases. There are also springs of water here and there, although grass and palm trees grow. These springs of water are scattered all over the desert. Large as well as small clans settle around the oases.

Makkah since ancient times was an important centre for the caravans coming from the south with valuable merchandise. They brought gold, precious stones and spices from Africa to Yemen. From here it was taken to the markets of Syria, Egypt and many other places on the backs of camels.

The merchants travelled in caravans for the sake of safety. For in those days caravans were an easy target. Since these caravans passed through vast stretches of uninhabited deserts, it was easy for plunderers to rob them of all their merchandise.

At Makkah agriculture not being possible, the city thrived on commerce. Makkah became an important trading centre because of the Sanctuary – the Kabah, to visit which people came from places far and near. Its geographical position was very good from the point of view of trade, it being situated at the crossroads of the routes from Yemen to Syria and Abyssinia to Arabia. So the nomads came to Makkah from all sides. By the 6th century, Arab traders had become very influential and controlled the trade from Yemen to Syria. Taif was also an important commercial centre but Makkah was more important because of the Kabah.

So Makkah became a religious as well as a financial centre. By the time the Prophet conquered Makkah, we find many influential traders who were adept at doing business with different parts of the world. Although Yemen was the most advanced province in the Arabian Peninsula because of its water resources and sound administration, Makkah being a religious centre wielded greater influence on this account. Makkah, a focal point of pilgrimage dating back to the origin of Arab history, owed its status to the Kabah, which had been built by Ibrahim and Ismail.

Everyone observed its holy months for religious reasons as well as on account of the special position it enjoyed with regard to trade, being the capital of the peninsula.

The Arabs of the North are considered Arab al mustaribah, “Arabized Arabs.” The Qahtanis of the South are considered Arab al Mutaarribah, or tribes resulting from mixing with the Arab al Aribah, original, or true Arabs. From the Qahtanis descend the Arabs of ancient South Arabia, or “Himyarite” Kingdoms. The completely “true Arabs”, descendants of Aram, son of Shem, son of Noah, are called the Arab al baidah, “the lost Arabs”, their identity having been submerged in that of other peoples.

The progeny of Ismail were known as Mustariba, or naturalised Arabs, and they greatly multiplied. They were divided into many tribes and clans. The Quraysh, the largest tribe, descending from the Kinanah and Ismail, had several clans. They were settled in Makkah by an ancestor of renown called Qusayy, who displaced the previous inhabitants, the Khuzaah. The clans who lived in the vicinity of the Kabah were considered most honourable. These were called Quraysh al Bitah (the Quraysh of the Hollow).

The location of Makkah on important caravan routes across the Peninsula, and the prestige of the Kabah in the age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) gave it great advantages as a trading city. This is why the Quraysh became one of the richest and most powerful tribes. This, together with their descent from the Kinanah and Ismail, gave them claims to an aristocratic pre-eminence.

The Prophet Muhammad was of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh, who lived in the vicinity of the Kabah and enjoyed great honour and prestige in Arabia. These clans were divided into families. Besides these Arabs there were also Christian and Jews who lived in Arabia. A large number of their population lived in Madinah.

In Arabia there are two different geographical types of soil markedly different from one another – the oasis and the desert. The inhabitants of Arabia naturally fall into two main groups: nomadic and settled people. The city dwellers settled in one place and lived on cultivation because they knew how to till the land and grow corn. They engaged in commerce not only within their own country, but also abroad. But the Bedouins, being nomads, disliked the idea of a settled life and wandered from place to place with their families and belongings. Prof. Hitti in his book the History of the Arabs, writes: “The Bedouin is no gypsy roaming aimlessly for the sake of roaming. He represents the best adaptation of human life to desert conditions.” (p. 23)

They lived in tents and possessed goats, camels and horses. They were continually on the move in search of pastures and when they halted temporarily they lived in tents or camps. They engaged for economic reasons in horse-breeding, hunting, camel raising, etc. They thought that these were the only occupations worthy of a man. They disliked agriculture, trade and commerce. In the desert the basic unit of life is not the state but the tribe. The Bedouins attach the greatest importance to total freedom for the individual as well as the tribe, but this was not the case with the city-dwellers. They attached importance not only to freedom but also to peace, security and prosperity. Another feature of tribal life, is the belief in absolute equality. All the members of the tribe are treated equally. This is because of the influence of the desert, with the freedom of its vast limitless expanses. If they had any injustice forced upon them, which they could not bear or confront, they left behind their pasture and moved on to another place where there would be no injustice—only freedom and equality. In times of conflict, they depended upon the sword. It was considered as a pre-requisite for the individual to be able to defend himself and his tribe.  

The nomadic life is based upon stockbreeding, especially the breeding of camels. There is some rain in the winter season and then some vegetation comes up in the low-lying areas. These areas become a paradise for camels, as they provide the best pasture, but with the coming of summer the pasture vanishes. Then the nomads move on in search of other green areas in order to feed themselves as well as their camels. Then there are some wells, which provide water for the camels. The milk of the camels is the diet of the nomads along with dates, which are obtained from the oases. Cereals are not easily available. Only the rich can afford them. The oases that are found in Madinah are near the mountains. So there the date crop is grown. And in Taif, which has very fertile soil, cereals are grown. Madinah has the largest of the oases.

Ibrahim was the first to teach them the worship of one God. The Arabs followed the religion of Ibrahim for some generations, but their later generations tended to deviate from the straight path shown to them by Ibrahim and became idolators. At the time of the birth of the Prophet, the whole of Arabia had taken to idolatry. Some of the tribes worshipped stars and planets, some stone idols, and, thus the Kabah, which had been built for the worship of God became a centre of idolatry. It housed 360 idols, one for each day of the year. Hubal was the most honoured. Carved in red stone, it held seven arrows in its hand. Among the Arabs lots were drawn to decide all important matters. 

The Quraysh were the most influential tribe in Makkah. Most of them were engaged in trade, and some of them were great traders. The name Quraysh is derived from a word which means to trade.

Since the Quraysh was the largest and most powerful tribe in Makkah, its chief was the most influential man in Makkah. 

Arabia Before Islam - 1


WITH an area of 1,20,000 square miles the land of Arabia is the largest peninsula in the world. It has the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Adan to the south-east and the rivers Euphrates and Tigris and the Persian Gulf to the north-east. It thus occupies a unique position. It is situated in Asia, yet only the narrow Red Sea divides it from Africa and by just passing through the Suez Canal, one reaches the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. It is thus at the centre of three continents, yet it is apart from all of them.

Arabia being a very hot and dry country, one third of it is desert. It is strange that a land surrounded by water on three sides, and with only a narrow strip of land to the north, has practically no river of its own, except for small streams here and there, which soon dry up in the hot desert.

Rain too is scarce. The rains come in torrents in spring, but the water does not stay. It is lost in the sand as quickly as it comes. There being no dependable rainy reason, which is necessary for agriculture, this vast land, about a thousand kilometres wide and about the same in length, is neither fertile nor cultivable.

Yemen, the original home of the Semites, is the only exception, in that it is fertile and enjoys a rainy season. Besides this, the rest of the peninsula consists of barren valleys and deserts. Due to the lack of vegetation, life here can be only that of the desert. The camel, the only means of transportation is indispensable, for a desert life demands continuous movement. The desert dwellers must continually go in search of pastures, which are scarce and thin, and soon cropped bare. The pastures turn green around spring, watered by springs which form in the wake of occasional rainfalls. In such an infertile country where no agriculture has ever been possible, the only produce is dates. In the context of this civilization, Yemen has always been very developed in terms of agriculture. Showing great intelligence the Yemenis invented ways of saving rain water from running down to the sea so that artificial irrigation could be carried out. Moreover, they built the famous dam of Maarib by changing the natural course of the water. This water is gathered in a 400 meter wide valley between two mountains by constructing a dam with gates at the narrowest point in the valley.

Then this water is divided into many streams and spread over a wide area of plains. It is almost like the Nile in the dam area in Upper Egypt. In this way they have contrived to have a controlled distribution of their water. The fertility of their land has gone on increasing and the people of Yemen have become very prosperous. 

Friday 18 April 2014

Hadiths: On Sleeping Through the Prayer



1. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Sa'id Ibn Al-Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, travelled by night in the way back from Khaybar. Towards the end of the night he stopped for a rest and told Bilal to stay awake to keep watch for the Subh prayer. The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his companions slept. Bilal stayed on guard as long as was decreed for him and then he leant against his riding camel facing the direction of the dawn and sleep overcame him and neither he nor the Messenger of Allah nor any of the party woke up until the sun's rays had struck them. 
    The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, was alarmed. Bilal excuses himself, saying, "Messenger of Allah! The One who took yourself was the One who took myself." The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered the party to move on and so they roused their mounts and rode a short distance. The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered Bilal to give the Iqama and then led them in the subh prayer. When he had finished he said, "Anyone who forgets a prayer should pray should pray it when he remembers. Allah the Blessed and Exalted says in his book, 'Establish the prayer to remember Me.' "

2.  Yahya related to me from Malik that Zayd Ibn Aslam said, "The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, stopped for a rest one night on the way to Makka and appointed Bilal to wake them up for the prayer. Bilal slept and everyone else slept and none of them woke up until the sun had risen. When they did wake up they were all alarmed. The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered them to ride out of the valley, saying that there was a shaytan in it. So, they rode out of the valley and the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered them to dismount and do Wudu and he told Bilal either to call the prayer or to give the iqama.  
     The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, then led them in the prayer. Noticing their uneasiness, he went to them and said, "O people! Allah seized our spirits (arwah) and if He had wished He would have returned them to us at a time other than this. So if you sleep through the time for prayer or forget it and then are anxious about it, pray it as if you were praying it in its time.' The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, turned to Abu Bakr and said, 'Shaytan came to Bilal when he was standing in prayer and made him lie down and lulled him to sleep like a small boy.' The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, then called Bilal and told him the same as he had told Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr declared, 'I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah.' "

Hadiths: Catching A Raka'ah of the Prayer


1. Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abu Hurayra used to say, "Whoever catches the ruku has caught the Sajdah and whoever misses the recitation of the umm al-Qur'an has missed much good."

2. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah Ibn Umar Ibn Al-Khattab used to say, "If the ruku has passed you by, so has the Sajdah."

3. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salama Ibn Abd ar-Rahman from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger if Allah, May Allab bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever catches a rak'a of the prayer has caught the prayer."

Hadiths: The Times of Prayer





1. "He said, "Yahya Ibn Yahya al-Laythi related to me from Malik Ibn Ana's from Ibn Shihab that on dayUmar Ibn Abd al-Aziz delayed the prayer. Urwa Ibn az-Zubayr came and told him that al-Mughira Ibn Ahu'ba had delayed the prayer one day while he was in Kufa and Abu Mas'u al-Ansari had come to him and said, 'What's this, Mughira? Don't you know that the angel Jibril came down and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed.' Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace,prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Them Jibril said, 'This is what you have been ordered to do.' Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz said, 'Be sure of what you relate, Urwa. Was it definitely Jibril who established the prayer for the Messenger of Allah?'"
Urwa said, "That's how it was related to Bashir Ibn Abi Mas'ud al-Ansari by his father."

2. Urwa said that Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray Asr while the sunlight was pouring into her room before the sun itself had become visible (I.e., because it was still high in the sky).

3. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from the Marla of Abdullah Ibn Umar that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab wrote to his governors, saying, "The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever protects it and observes it carefully is protecting his Deen, while whoever is negligent about it will be even more negligent about other things." Then he added, "Pray dhuhr anytime from when the afternoon shade is the length of your forearm until the length of your shadow matches your height. Pray asr when the sun is still pure white, so that a rider can travel two or three farsakhs before the sun sets. Pray maghrib when the sun has set. Pray isha any time from when the redness in the western sky has disappeared until a third of the night has passed - and a person who sleeps, May he have no rest. And pray subh when all the stars are visible and like a haze in the sky.

4. Yahya related to me from Malik, from his uncle Abu Suhayl from his father that Umar Ibn al-Khattab wrote to Abu Musa saying that he should pray dhuhr when the sun has started to decline, asr when the sun is still pure white before any yellowness had entered it, maghrib when the sun had set, and to delay isha as long as he did not sleep, and to pray subh when. The stars were all visible and like a haze in the sky and to read in it two long suras from the mufassal.

5. Yahya related to me from Malik from from Rabi'a Ibn Abi Abd ad-Rahman that al-Qasim Ibn Muhammad said, "None of the companions that I met prayed dhuhr until well after noon," (I.e. Until when the sun had lost its fierceness.)"

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Hadith on Wudu in General

1. "Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala Ibn Abd ar-Rahman from his father from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, May Allan bless him and grant him peace, went to the burial grounds and said, "Peace be upon you, home of people who believe! We shall be among you, Allah willing. I wish that I had seen our brothers!" The people with him said, "Messenger of Allah! Are we not your brothers?" "No," he said, "You are my companions. Our brothers are those who have not yet come. And I will precede them to the Hawd. (The Hawd: the watering place of the prophet, May Allah bless hi. And grant him peace, from which he will give go the people of his community on the day of rising.)" They asked hi,, "Messenger of Allah! How will you recognise those of your community who come after you?"
     He said, "Doesn't a man who has horses with white legs and white blazes on their foreheads among totally black horses recognise which ones are his own?". They said, "Of course, Messenger of Allah." He went on, "Even so will they come on the day of rising with white marks on their foreheads, hands, and feet from Wudu and I will precede them to the Hawd. Some men will be driven away from the Hawd as if they were straying camels and I shall call out to them, 'Sill to not come? Will you not come? Will you not come?' And someone will say, 'They changed things after you,' so I shall say, 'The. Away with them, away with them, away with them!'.""

2. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham Ibn Urwa from his father from the Humran, the Marla of Uthman Ibn Affan, that Uthman Ibn Affan was once sitting on the Maqa'id (the benches surrounding the Madina Mosque or else a stone near Uthman Ibn Affan's house where he sat to discuss with people), when the muadhdhin came and told him that it was time for the asr prayer. He called for water and did Wudu. Then he said, "By you if it were not in the Book of Allah. I heard the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'If a man does Wudu, and makes sure he does it correctly, and then does the prayer, he will be forgiven everything that he does between then and the time when he prays the next prayer.',
    Yahya said that Malik said, 'I believe he meant this ayat - 'Establish prayer at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Good actions take away wrong actions. That is a reminder for those who remember.'" (Sura 11 ayat 114)"

3. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd Ibn Aslam from Ata Ibn Yasar from Abdullah as-Sanabihi that the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A trusting Slave does Wudu and as he rinses his mouth the wrong actions leave it. As he cleans his nose the wrong actions leave it. As he washes his face, the wrong actions leave it, even from underneath his eyelashes. As he washes his hands, the wrong actions leave them, even from underneath his fingernails. As he wipes his head the wrong actions leave it, even from his ears. And as he washes his feet the wrong actions leave them, even from underneath the toenails of both his feet." He added. "Then his walking to the mosque and his prayer are an extra reward for him.""

4. "Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messanger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Try to go straight, although you will not be able to do so. Act, and the best of your actions is the prayer. And only a mumin is constant in his Wudu.""

Things Which Do Not Break Wudu (As Reported in the Hadiths)

1. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad Ibn 'Umara fro, Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim that the mother of the son of Ibrahim Ibn Abd ar-Rahman Ibn Awful questioned Umm Salama, the wife of the prophet, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, "I am a woman who wears a long skirt and (sometimes) I walk in dirty places." Umm Salama replied, "The Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant hK peace, said 'What follows (I.e., clean places) purifies it'.""

2. Yahya related to me from Malik that he saw Rabi'a Ibn Abd ar-Rahman vomit several times she. He was in the mosque and he did not leave, nor did he do Wudu before he prayed. 
Yahya said that Malik was asked whether a man who vomited food had to do Wudu before he prayed and he said, "He does not have to do Wudu, but he should rinse the inside of his mouth and wash his mouth out."

3. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi' that Abdullah Ibn Umaru prepared the body of one of Sa'id Ibn Zayd's sons for burial and carried it and then entered the mosque and prayed without doing Wudu.
Yahya said that Malik was asked whether it was necessary to do Wudu because of regurgitating undigested food and he said, "No, Wudu is not necessary, but the mouth should be rinsed."

The Wudu of a man who has been Asleep when he Gets Up to Pray (As Reported in Hadiths)


Here are a few hadiths about things to keep in mind - and what to do - when you want to perform Wudu when you get up to pray. This applies to anytime of the day (subh, and other times of the day). I believe they will help someone out there! Many of us just get to performing Wudu after we wake up, and I'm also guilty of this sometimes, but there are things we should do before we begin to perform Wudu. So, for you; yes, you! The confused one! This one is for you...:

1. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from Al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When you wake up from sleep to pray, wash your hands before you put them in the Wudu water, for you do not know where your hands have spent the night.""

2. "Yahya said that Malik said, "The situation with us is that one does not have to do Wudu for a nose-bleed, or for blood, or for pus issuing from the body. Only only has to do Wudu for impurities shock issue from the genitals or the anus or for sleep"
Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi' that Ibn U at used to sleep sitting and then would pray without doing Wudu.

How To Do Wudhu (As Reported in the Hadiths)

Let's get to it right away!

1. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Amr Ibn Yahya al-Mazini that his father once asked Abdullah Ibn Zayd Ibn Asim, who was the grandfather of Amr Ibn Yahya al-Mazini and one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, if he could show him how the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, did Wudu. Abdullah Ibn Zayd Ibn Asim agreed to do so and asked for water to do Wudu. He poured some out onto his hand and washed each hand twice, and then rinsed his mouth and snuffed water up his nose and blew it out three times. Then he washed his gave three times and both of his arms ip to the elbow twice. He then wiped his head with both hands, taking his hands from his forehead to the nape of his neck, and then bringing them back to where he had begun. Then he washed his feet."

2. "Yahya said that he heard Malik say hat there was no harm in washing the mouth and cleaning the nose with only one handful of water."

3. "Yahya said that Malik was asked what a man should do if, when he did Wudu he forgot and washed his face before he had rinsed his mouth, or washed his forearms before he had washed his face. He said, "If someone washes his face before washing his mouth, he should rinse his mouth and wash his face again. If someone washes his forearms before his face, however, he should wash his forearms again so that he has washed them after his face. This is if he is still near the place (of Wudu).""

4. "Yahya said that Malik was asked about what a man should do if he had forgotten to rinse his mouth and nose until he had prayed, and be said, "He does not have to repeat the prayer, but should rinse his mouth and nose if he wishes to do any more prayers after that.""

If you want to know more about performing Wudu, read my post on performing Wudu! More hadiths will come in the next posts!

Hadiths about the Prohibition of Entering the Mosque smelling of Garlic and Prohibition against covering the mouth in Prayer.

The first part of this post - people going to the mosque with disgusting smells - is something I've experienced myself. I went to the mosque to pray in congregation, and a guy came in and stood beside me. And throughout the prayer, I couldn't focus because he was STINKING! He had the smell of fish on him, and it distracted me! I couldn't focus!

I think it's wrong for people to go to mosques - even if they're not going to pray in congregation - stinking! It's very unfair to the other people who are there to pray! Even if you have to work with things that stink, e.g., fish, garlic and whatever, I think people in those situations should have a change of clothes before going to the mosque! Anyways, here is the hadith I found on this topic:

1. "Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Sa'id Ibn al-Musayyab hat the messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "Anyone who eats this plant should not come near our mosques. The smell of the garlic will offend us."" - Al-Muwatta (Imam Malik).

With this single point of mine, I hope I have convinced all those who go to mosques smelling that they should rid themselves of the smell before they enter the mosque! Thank you! 

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Islam 312: Plunging While Fasting?


Again, I've been researching (most of the things you'll see up here are things I've read about (things I want to know more about) because I'm working towards gaining more knowledge about Islam (I'm a convert... Yay for me! :D. Lol!). So I opened this blog as a kind of journal, but I'm sharing it with you all out there (both converts and people who have been Muslims for years or decades), there's something for everyone to learn!). Well, my research was about plunging while fasting... I noticed that some people have questions about it, and so I decided to make this post:



1- If a saim had plunged his head into water while his body was out, what is the ruling of his sawm? 

A: It is haram for saim to do this and his sawm would be invalidated according to the obligatory precaution.

2- If he introduced his head into water gradually until the entire head was in the water, was the strict meaning of plunging be applied here? A: After the entire head was under the water, it will be counted as plunging. 3- If he plunged the right side of his head into water and then got it out to plunge the left side, would this act invalidate the sawm? A: There is no objection to it and the ruling of plunging would not be applied here.

4. A fasting person was unaware that he was in the state of janabah [major ritual impurity - caused by discharged semen] until the time of the afternoon prayers. He then performed the major ablution via submerging the whole body in water [ghusl al-irtimasi]. Does this invalidate his fast? And if he realizes what he has done only after performing ghusl al-irtimasi, does he have to perform the qada of the fast? A: If one performs ghusl al-irtimasi out of forgetfulness or unintentionally (to the fact that he is fasting), then both his fast and the major ablution [ghusl] are valid; thus, he does not have to perform qada of the fast.

5. What rule applies to someone who immerses himself in water wearing waterproof clothing such as a diving suit which does not allow the body to become wet? 

A: If the clothing has close contact with his head, there is a problem in his fast being valid. Hence, as an obligatory precaution he should perform its qada.

6- What are the boundaries of the head in the issue of plunging? 

A: What is meant by the head, plunging of which while fasting is haram, is the entire head till the neck.


7- If one plunges the upper part of his head down to the ears, would this harm the correctness of his sawm?

A: Unless the entire head is plunged into the water, the sawm would not be harmed.

8- If a saim had plunged his head into water sparing his hair, what is the ruling of his sawm? 

A: Plunging by sparing just the hair is considered haram and would invalidate fasting.

9- Plunging the head in adulterated water [mudaf], would it validate the sawm? 

A: There is no objection in plunging the head in mudaf liquid. However, it is according to precaution to avoid plunging of the head in rose-water (maul-ward).

10- If a saim had smeared his head with a substance that would prevent water reaching it and then plunged it into water, then what is the ruling about his sawm? 

A: The standard is the actual plunging of the head into water even if one had smeared it with such a substance. 11- If one had plunged while he was putting his head in a bottle, then what is the ruling of his sawm? 

A: If this was in such a way that it would not be applied correctly to the plunging of the head i.e. he put his head into a bottle and then plunged the bottle into the water, it would not harm his sawm.

12- If a saim had jumped into a water imagining that he would not plunge but plunging occurred, then what is the ruling? 

A: If the water was not of the kind that which usually necessitates plunging or he was not aware that it would necessitate it, it would not harm the correctness of his sawm, but he is obliged to get his head out of the water immediately.

13- If a saim was in state of janabah and he could not perform his ghusl but by plunging, then what could he do? A: If he could not perform sequential ghusl (tartibi) his duty will be diverted to tayammum and he is not allowed, as per obligatory precaution, to plunge into water for ghusl.

14- If a saim had plunged into water for ghusl, then what is the ruling if?a) The sawm was mustahabb or a wajib [obligatory] but unspecified for a certain time. 


b) The sawm was wajib but specified for certain time. 

A: In a mustahabb and unspecified wajib sawm, his ghusl is correct but the sawm would be invalidated. While in a specified wajib sawm if it was a sawm of the month of Ramadan, both ghusl and sawm would be invalidated unless he repented after plunging and then intended to do ghusl even at the time he was getting out of the water, then his ghusl will be correct even though that his sawm had been invalidated by the plunging.

(www.alhassanain.com)

Islam 312: Is It Okay To Masturbate While Fasting?

I understand that some people have questions about this, so I went on the Internet and did some research about it. Here's what I found (and for those who are addicted to masturbation, you won't like this, but it's what's best for you! Moreover, masturbation is a grave sin! I pray that you find the will to stop it. Everything is possible if you BELIEVE!):

1. About seven years ago I intentionally invalidated my fast for several days during the month of Ramadan by masturbating. However, I do not know for sure how many days of fasting I violated in this way during the course of three Ramadans. I do not think they were less than 25 to 30 days. What is my obligation and the kaffarah that I should make? 

A: Invalidating a day''s fast in the blessed month of Ramadan by masturbating, which is prohibited by Islamic law, requires one kind of kaffarah:

(1)fasting for sixty days; or (2)feeding sixty poor persons, although it is a recommended precaution to observe both of the two. As far as feeding sixty persons is concerned, you can give each of them one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day missed. Giving money is not a substitute unless it is given to a poor person to buy food on your behalf; thus, his acceptance to buy the food for himself is considered as kaffarah. Determining the price of the food given as kaffarah depends on the kind of food you choose to give, either in the shape of wheat, rice, or any other kind of food. As for the number of fasts you invalidated by masturbating, you are allowed in performing its qada and giving kaffarah to consider the number of days that you are certain about.

2. A person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf], knowing that masturbation does invalidate the fast, and does masturbate; does he have to offer the two-fold kaffarah? What is the rule if he does it without knowing that masturbation invalidates the fast? 

A: In both cases he must offer just one kind of kaffarah, if he masturbates intentionally, although it is a recommended precaution to observe the two fold kaffarah.

3. I had an emission of semen during the blessed month of Ramadan for no reason other than excitement that I felt during a telephone conversation with a non-mahram woman. If the phone conversation was not for the purpose of pleasure, was my fast invalid? And if it was, do I have to pay kaffarah as well? 

A: If it was not a previous habit of yours to have an emission of semen while conversing with a woman, and the phone conversation was not intended for pleasure and the emission was involuntary, then your fast is valid, and you are not liable to anything.

4. A person had the habit of masturbating for a number of years while fasting in the month of Ramadan and at other times. What is the rule regarding his prayers and fasts? 

A: Masturbation is absolutely prohibited, and when it leads to ejaculation it causes one to become in the state of major impurity [junub]. If this done during fasting, it amounts to breaking the fast by unlawful means. If one performs prayers and fasts in the state of major impurity [janabah], without performing major ablution [ghusl] or dry ablution [tayammum], his prayers and fasting are void and he must make them up [do their qada].

5. Someone at the beginning of legal maturity [bulugh] fasts during the month of Ramadan, and masturbates while fasting, continuing in fasting for some days without knowing that fasting requires a state of purity [taharah], that is not being in the state of major impurity [janabah]. Is it sufficient for him to perform qada of the fasts of those days, or some other rule applies to him? 

A: In the light of the question, he has to perform both qada and kaffarah.

6. If someone who is fasting looks at a sexually arousing scene during the month of Ramadan, does it void his fast? 

A: If he looks with the purpose of having an orgasm, or if he knows that it will cause him to become in the state of major impurity [junub], and it had been his habit before, and still he views it intentionally and becomes junub, then the rule that applies to him is the one that applies to someone who makes himself junub intentionally.

(alhassanain.com)


Continue...

I happened to had masturbated while I was fasting during ramadan. Then I read in one of islamic question/answer column in a newspaper that the act of masturbation invalidate the fasting but no "kaffara" is required i.e. freeing a slave or fasting for 60 days. Is this true?
The other question is that at that time I did not know that kaffara is not required so I ate (I though my fasting is invalid so I ate). does this will make me do the kaffara or not. JazakaAllah for the response.

Praise be to Allaah.

No doubt masturbation is haraam according to most of the scholars, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said. If this happened in Ramadaan, this is worse, and if there was ejaculation of sperm because of the masturbation, the violation of the sanctity of the fast is even more severe in sin. From the time the maniy (semen) is ejaculated, the fast is broken, but the person should still fast for the rest of that day. It is not permissible for him to stop fasting, because of the sanctity of the month. You have to repent for breaking your fast by deliberately ejaculating, and you also have to repent for not keeping the fast for the rest of the day and for violating the sanctity of the fast by doing something else that broke the fast, namely eating food. You also have to fast one day to make up for breaking your fast. Increase the number of good deeds (hasanaat) you do and observe naafil (supererogatory) fasts, for good deeds (hasanaat) cancel out bad deeds (sayi’aat). And Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid


Continue...

Sister masturbated whilst fasting
Question: When I was 14 and 15 years old I used to masturbate during the day in the Blessed month of Ramadhaan for a number of days. I don't know how many. I was ignorant about this being haraam in Ramadhaan and other than it and I used to be ignorant as to this being known as masturbation. So, I used to make ablution and pray without making the ritual purification (ghusl). What is the ruling regarding my prayers and fasts? Is it obligatory for me to repeat the prayer and fast, knowing that I don't know how many days to do this. What is obligatory for me?

Response: Firstly: it is impermissible (haraam) to masturbate (i.e. using one's hand in such a manner as to satisfy one's desire, resulting in the excrement of sperm, or for sisters, as in this case, any discharge). During the month of Ramadhaan is even more so!;

Secondly: It is obligatory upon you to make up the days you broke your fast due to masturbating, because this (action) nullifies the fast. Also, strive hard to work out how many days it was that you broke your fast;

Thirdly: It is obligatory to make expiation by feeding a needy person half a saa' of barley or that which is similar to it from that which is the accepted norm in the land. This is also for each day you missed if you delay your fast until the arrival of the next Ramadhaan;

Fourthly: It is obligatory to make perform ghusl if you masturbated as you have stated, and it is not sufficient to make ablution if any liquid was excreted;

Fifthly: It is obligatory to make up the prayers which you prayed without performing ghusl because the minor purification does not suffice in place of the major purification.

And with Allaah lies all the success, and may Allaah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) and his family and his companions.

(www.fatwa-online.com)

Islam 312: Things That DON'T Invalidate Sawm

Inshallah these things are permissible

1. Eating or drinking by mistake, unmindful of the fast.

2. Unintentional vomiting.

3. Swallowing things which are not possible to avoid, such as one’s own saliva, street dust, smoke, etc.
4. Brushing the teeth.

5. Bathing: if water is swallowed unintentionally, it does not invalidate the fast. However, while fasting gargling should be avoided. [mlre on this in the next article (i.e., plunging)]

6. In some special circumstances if the food or drink is just tasted and immediately removed out of the mouth without allowing it to enter into the throat.

7. Using the miswaak (tooth-stick) does not affect the fast, rather it is recommended, whether fasting or not, throughout the day.

Islam 312: 16 Things That Invalidate Sawm

1. Sexual intercourse: Whenever the fasting person has sexual intercourse, his fast is invalidated. Subsequently, he is required to make up the fast for that day in which he had sexual intercourse in addition to paying a penalty (kaffaarah) which is to free a slave. If he is unable to find a slave or funds that are equal to that, then he is required to fast consecutively for two months. If he is unable to fast for two months, due to an Islamically acceptable reason, he is to feed 60 poor people half a saa' each from the food common in that land.

2. Excretion of semen as a result of kissing, touching with desire, masturbation or persistently looking at that which arouses the desire. In this case, the fast is invalidated and he is required to make up for that day without paying a penalty (kaffaarah), since paying a penalty is specific to having had sexual intercourse.

3. Telling lies about Allah and or His Messenger (pbuh)

5. Pouring oil into the ears.

6. As for extracting blood via cupping or opening a vein or donating blood for medical reasons, then all of this invalidates the fast. As regards giving a small blood sample for testing purposes, then this does not affect the fast. Likewise, this applies to the unintentional flow of blood resulting from a nose bleed, injury or having a tooth removed. All of these do not affect the fast.

7. Intentionally eating and drinking, due to that which Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says:

{...and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), then complete your Sawm (fast) till the nightfall}, [Soorah al-Baqarah, Aayah 187]

As for he who eats and drinks out of forgetfulness, then this does not affect his fast as is mentioned in the following hadeeth:

((Whoever forgetfully eats or drinks, then he should complete his fast, for indeed it was Allaah who provided him the food and drink))

And from that which breaks the fast is water and other such substances to pass his throat via his nose. This is known as as-Sa'oof. Likewise, taking a nutritional injection directly into the vein and taking a blood transfusion whilst fasting. All of these invalidate the fast, as it constitutes nutrition for the body.

As regards a non-nutritional injection, then it is better for one who is fasting to avoid this so as to protect his fast. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:

((Leave that which you are doubtful (about) for that which are not doubtful (about)))

And as such delay it until after having broken the fast at the time of Maghrib.

A. The fasting person should not exert himself whilst gargling and sniffing water up his nose (when making wudhoo.) because it is quite possible the water may pass his throat and thereby enter his stomach. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:

(((Whilst making wudhoo.) exert yourself in sniffing water up the nose except if you are fasting)).

B. Also, Eating deliberately after having eaten mistakenly (Eating by mistake) does not break the fast.



8. Inhaling smoke by one's own action, e.g. inhaling the smoke of incence, etc.

9. Smoking

10. Swallowing any substance or object which is not normally consumed as food or medicine, e.g. pebbles, paper, a coin, etc.

11. Masturbation. In addition to it nullifying the Saum, it is an immoral and a sinful act. The perpetrator has been cursed by Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). [more on this in the next article]

12. Intentional vomiting also invalidates the fast. However, the fast is not affected if he is overcome and is forced to vomit without intending so. This is based upon the statement of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam):

((Whoever is overcome (and forced) to vomit, then he is not required to make up (the fast for that day) and whoever intentionally vomits then he must make up (the fast for that day))).

13. Applying drops of medicine into the nostrils.

14. It is obligatory for the fasting person to refrain from lying, backbiting and swearing, even if someone was to swear at him. If this is the case, he should say:

(((indeed), I am fasting))

Certainly, some people find it easy to abstain from food and drink but find it difficult to abandon that which has become a habit for them from evil speech and actions. This is why some of the Pious Predecessors have said:

((The easiest (type of) fast is abstaining from food and drink)).

So it is upon the Muslim to fear Allaah and be aware of Him and His Greatness and the fact that He Sees all that we do, such that absolutely nothing remains hidden from him. In doing this, he should protect his fast from all that invalidates it or reduces it's reward so that his fast remains correct and, inshaa-Allaah, is accepted by Allaah.

It is befitting for the fasting person to busy himself in the remembrance of Allaah, reciting the Qur.aan and increasing in the performance of naafilah (voluntary) prayers.

It used to be that when the Pious Predecessors would fast, they would sit in the masaajid and they would say:

((We shall protect our fast and not backbite anyone)).

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:

((Whoever does not abandon evil speech and actions, then Allaah is not in need of him having left his food and drink (i.e. fasting))).

This is because seeking nearness to Allaah is not complete simply by leaving our personal desires (of eating and drinking, etc). Rather, it is by leaving that which Allaah has prohibited at all times in terms of lying, oppression and the like. In a narration, Abu Hurayrah said:

((The fast is accepted as worship so long as no Muslim has been backbitten or harmed)).

And it is narrated by Anas, who said:

((The one who has backbitten the people whilst fasting has not really fasted)).


Other things that break the fast are only considered to do so, if the following three conditions apply:

1. If a person knows that it breaks the fast and is not ignorant

2: If he is aware of what he is doing and has not forgotten that he is fasting

3. If he does it from his own free will and is not forced to do it

Remember sins should always be avoided, but especially if you are fasting

In the next article, I'll tell you about the things that don't break fasts... Till then, stay blessed!

References:
www.islamway.com
www.tauheed-sunnat.com


Sunday 9 February 2014

Islam 312: The Ultimate Guide to Sawm (Fasting)

   Source: Reuters

What is Sawm?

Fasting During Ramadan:
Sawm (fasting), commemorates the revelation of the Qur'an to humanity during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. During Ramadan, all adult Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse during daylight hours. Exceptions are made for travelers, soldiers, menstruating women, and the ill, although such persons are expected to fast later when they become able. Ramadan is a period of fasting, reflection, generosity and sacrifice observed by Muslims around the world.

In addition to being a time of fasting, Ramadan is an opportunity for increased prayer and devotion. During the last 10 nights of Ramadan, some Muslims retreat to a mosque for even more intensive study and contemplation. One of these nights, usually the 27th of Ramadan (the night is never known and may not be the same every year), is the "Night of Power," the holiest day of the year. To spend that night in worship is equivalent to a thousand months of worship, (i.e. Allah's reward for it is very great.)

The word "Ramadan" comes from the Arabic root word for "parched thirst" and "sun-baked ground." It is expressive of the hunger and thirst felt by those who spend the month in fasting. Being hungry and thirsty during the fast helps us experience what those who have little or nothing feel, and so it enables is to sympathise with them and remember them. The experience then reminds us not to place too much value in this world, but to aim towards attaining paradise. As opposed to other holidays, when people often indulge, Ramadan is by nature a time of sacrifice

Through increased devotion, Muslims feel closer to their Creator, and recognize that everything we have in this life is a blessing from Him. Through self-control, a Muslim practices good manners, good speech, and good habits. Through changing routines, Muslims have a chance to establish more healthy lifestyle habits -- particularly with regards to diet and smoking. Through family and community gatherings, Muslims strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, in their own communities and throughout the world.

Observance begins and ends upon the first official sighting of the new moon. The observance of Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr (Festival of the Breaking of the Fast), a major Islamic holiday.


The noble Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) gave an impressive sermon welcoming the month of Ramadhan. He said:

“O people! The month of Allah with its blessings, mercy and forgiveness has come upon you. It is the most preferred of all the months with Allah; its days are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights, and its hours are the best of hours. It is a month in which you have been invited as guests of Allah and have been placed among those honoured by Allah. Your breathing in it is [like] an act of praising [Allah], your sleep an act of worship; your good deeds are accepted, and your prayers answered. Therefore, ask Allah with sincere intentions and pure hearts to help you in fasting and recitating His Book during this [month]. Indeed damned is he who is deprived of Allah’s forgiveness during this august month.

“O people! The gates of Paradise are wide open during this month; therefore, ask your Lord not to close them in your face. The gates of Hell-Fire are locked; therefore, ask your Lord not to open them for you. Satans are chained; therefore, ask your Lord not to unfetter them upon you.

“O people! Whosoever among you improves his character during this month, he shall have the pass [to cross] over the Bridge (sirat) on the day when [people’s] feet shall slip. Whosoever is lenient with his slaves during this month, Allah will be lenient with him in the reckoning of his [deeds on the Day of Judgement]. Whosoever checks his evil deeds during this month, Allah shall withhold His anger from him on the day he meets Him. Whosoever honours an orphan during this month, Allah shall honour him on the day he meets Him. Whosoever maintains, during this month, contact with his relations, Allah will maintain His mercy for him on the day he meets Him. Whosoever recites a verse from the Qur’an during this month, his reward will be like one who has completed the recitation of the Qur’an during the other months.”

Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) said, “There are some who fast but will gain nothing from their fasting except thirst; and there are some who pray but will gain nothing from their prayer except tiredness.”

Imam as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “When you fast, your ears, eyes, hair, skin, and all your limbs should also fast.” He also said, “Fasting is not only [abstaining] from food and drink alone. When you fast, protect your tongue from lying; lower your eye-glances from what Allah has forbidden [you to see]; do not fight with one another; do not be jealous of one another; do not backbite one another; do not abuse one another; and do not be unjust to one another.

Refrain from false accusation, lying, fighting, suspicion, backbiting, and slandering. Be those who look forward to the hereafter, and wait for your days, waiting for what Allah has promised for those who have prepared to meet Allah. You must have tranquility, sobriety, humility, servility, and submissiveness of a slave who fears his master; and be fearful [of Allah’s chastisement] as well as hopeful [in His forgiveness].”

Who Is Permitted Not To Fast?
Exempted from the fast are the very old, the insane, those who are sick, or on a journey, and women who are menstruating, pregnant, or nursing are permitted to break the fast, but must make up an equal number of days later in the year. If physically unable to do so, they must feed a needy person for each day missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayers) from puberty, although many start earlier.

More On Fasting:

There are other fast days throughout the year. Muslims are encouraged to fast six days in Shawwal, the month following Ramadan, Mondays and Thursdays, and the ninth and tenth, or tenth and eleventh of Muharram, the first month of the year. The tenth day, called Ashurah, is also a fast day for the Jews (Yom Kippur), and Allah commanded the Muslims to fast two days to distinguish themselves from the People of the Book.

While fasting per se is encouraged, constant fasting, as well as monasticism, celibacy, and otherwise retreating from the real world, are condemned in Islam. Fasting on the two festival days, 'Id al-Fitr and 'Id al-Adha, the feast of the Hajj, is strictly forbidden.

In the next article, we'll talk about the do's and dont's of fasting...