Sunday, October 12, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 23

1) The obligatory deed is more beloved to Allah than the nafil deed. Make up any missed days before fasting the six days of Shawwal. The hadeeth "Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is like fasting for a lifetime." implies that one should complete the obligatory fasts first. That will discharge one's duty and is also being on the safe side.

2) Be grateful and seek forgiveness: The servant is always either the recipient of a blessing from Allah, in which case he is in need of gratitude; or he is the perpetrator of a sin, in which case he is in need of repentance. (From Majmoo' al-Fatawaa).

3) A recompense the like thereof: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever calls people to right guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest. And whoever calls people to misguidance will have a burden of sin like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their burden in those who follow him, without that detracting from their burden in the slightest." (Muslim)

4) If Allah has accepted a person's Ramadan, and he benefited from that spiritual training, and he continues to obey Allah, then he has joined the caravan of those who remain steadfast and respond to Allah. He says (interpr. of meaning) : "Verily those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah (Alone),' and they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying) : 'Fear not, nor grieve! but recieve the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!'" [Fussilat 41:30].

5) From the signs that a person's deeds are accepted is that he or she has improved in obedience to Allah. Allah says (interp. of meaning) : "And remember when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor] ..... " [Ibrahim 14:7]. Arighteous deed followed by a righteous deed, a hasanah followed by hasanah.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 22

1) It is permissible for a person to send zakaat al-fitr to another country in the case of need, such as if he does not know any poor people in the place where he is. It is permissible to delegate a trustworthy person to buy it and give it on his behalf. The Sunnah is to give it as one is going to the Eid prayer. He can find out where the poor person's house is ahead of time so that he can give it to him at the right time.

2) Allah has honored us in Ramadan by chaining up the devils, opening the gates of Paradise, closing the gates of Hell, and multiplying the reward. Fasting will intercede for a person and protect him from Hell, and admit him to Paradise through the gate of al-Rayyan.

3) If a person fasts in one country then travels to another country where the people started to fast before or after him, he comes under the same ruling as them because of the hadeeth: "The fast is the day when you [plural] fast, and al-Fitr is the day when you break the fast." This is true even if it means that he fasts more than 30 days. However, if it is less than 29 days, he should make up the shortfall after Eid. (From Shaykh Ibn Baaz)

4) The Sunnahs of Eid include reciting takbeer, doing ghusl, wearing nice clothes, and eating an odd numbers of dates. Take the woman out with you, even those who are menstruating, wearing proper hijab, so that they may witness goodness and the du'a of the Muslims. One should go walking via one route and then return by another route. One should give generously of permissible things to one's children.

5) Eid al-Fitr is just one day, the first day of Shawwal, on which it is haraam to faast. The common belief that Eid al-Fitr lasts for three days is merely a custom that is known among the people. It has nothing to do with any shar'i rulings. As for the second and the third days of Shawwal, it is permissible to fast these days to make up a missed Ramadan fast or as a voluntary fast.

6) It is narrrated in a saheeh hadeeth: "Fasting the month of Ramadan is equivalent to fasting ten months, and fasting six days of Shawwal is equivalent to fasting two months, so that is fasting for a year" i.e. it is like the obligatory fast in reward. The intention for the six nafil days of Shawwal should be made the night before. One may fast them consecutively or seperately.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 21

1) For women going for 'Umrah: Menstruation does not prevent a women from entering ihram for 'Umrah. She should enter ihram from the meeqat, but she should wait until she becomes pure before doing tawaaf and completing her 'Umrah.

2) The one who is observing i'tikaf can go out for essential things such as relieving himself, ghusl from janabah, and eating if he does not have anyone to bring food. He should not go out unnecessarily even to visit the sick or attend a funeral (unless he stipulated that). From Shaykh al-Barrak: The person in i'tikaf can go out of the door of the mosque to ask for food (or to order it); there is nothing wrong with recieving it in the mosque after that, and paying the worker who brought it, because it is a debt that he owes.

3) The wives of the Prohet (peace be upon him) observed i'tikaf, but a women can only observe i'tikaf with her husband's permission and if the place in the mosque is secure. I'tikaf is invalidated by nenses. If it is not possible for a women to observe i'tikaf, she should do a lot of acts of worship in her house, and she will be rewarded.

4) It is not permissible to miss Fajr prayer for the sake of qiyam al-layl. It is not permissible to omit an obligatory deed for the sake of a nafil deed. Let's strive in these last days to pay attention to both obligatory and nafil actions, so that Allah will love us.

5) According to the correct opinion, one of the reasons why Laylat al-Qadar was concealed and may move among the last ten days is so that one will strive completely every night. A person, hoping that it will be Laylat al-Qadar, will worship properly and offer sincere dua' every night, and wi that will help him through the rest of the year.

6) If a person is too busy or is not able to stand with the Imam for the second qiyam, he should not omit the rest of the prayer. After the first qiyam he may pray by himself or in congregation with his family. He should try to make it long and pray Witr. Do not miss out on the reward!

7) Laylat al-Qadar is blessed and full of virtue. On it the Qur'an was revealed, and it is better than worshipping for 83 years. The decrees concerning the provision and the lifespan of people are transferred from al-Lawh al-Mahfooz to the books of the angels, who are safe from the devils and punishment.

8) Laylat al-Qadar is a bright, clear and mild night when angels more numerous than the pebbles come to earth. The sun rises on the following morning weak and red with no rays. The one who spent that night in prayer out of faith and seeking reward is forgiven.

9) When a horse appoaches the end of its race, it does its best. Whoever does his best during the time that remains, Allah will forgive him for what has passed. What matters is ending perfectly even if the start was imperfect.

10) Zakaat al-fitr is purification for a fasting person's shortcomings. Feeding the poor and needy means giving a saa' of the local staple food (approx. 3kg of rice for e.g.), not cash. It is given on behalf of oneself and each of those on whom one is obliged to spend (wife, children, parents-although they may give it on their own behalf). It is mustahabb to give it on behalf of a fetus, but not obligatory. It may be given on the 28th, 29th or 30th of Ramadan. It should be given in the country where one is for Eid.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 20

1) Zakaah on gold and silver jewelry: the more correct view is that it is obligatory to pay zakaah if it reaches the nisaab (minimum amount), even if the jewelry is used (worn or lent). It must be paid by the owner (i.e. the woman). Someone else (father, husband, etc.) may pay on her behalf with her permission. There is nothing wrong with that. Zakaah need not be paid from the jewelry itself. An equivalent value may be given. (From Standing Committee on Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas; Shaykh Ibn Baaz).

2) If a woman did not previously know that zakaah is due on her jewelry, she does not have to pay zakaah for the past. She must pay from the time when she came to know that it is obligatory and in future years. She was unaware ao it, and there is also some confusion among people concerning this issue. And Allah knows best. (From Shaykh Ibn Baaz).

3) Salaries are intermingled and it is often too difficult to work out on what payment one year has passed. The easiest way to determine zakaah on it is to see what has been saved of it one hijri year after the nisaab was reached, and then pay 2.5% on that. Also. if a person spends all of his salary every month and has nothing left, he does not have to pay zakaah. And Allah knows best.

4) Going for Umrah during the last ten days? Remember: For the one who intends to do Umrah, it is not permissible to pass the meeqat without entering ihram. If he does this, even though he forgot or was asleep, he has to go back to the meeqat and enter the ihram. If he enters ihram after passing the meeqat, then he has to slaughter a sheep and distribute its meat to the poor of the Haram.

5) It is not permissible to give zakaah to one's ascendants (father, mother, grandfather, grandmother) or descendants (son, daughter, grandchild) because one is obliged to spend on them if they are poor. It is permissible to give zakaah to other poor relatives (brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin). It should be given to one who really needs it, without favouring any particular relative or acquaintance. (From Ibn Baaz).

Friday, September 19, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 19

1) From Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen: There is nothing wrong with seeking out Imams with beautiful voices to increase one's hushoo (proper focus in prayer), so long as that does not lead to neglecting neighborhood mosques, because there is a shar'i interest to be served in the gathering of people of a neighborhood with their Imam.

2) Hadeeth: "Whoever provides food for afasting person to break his fast will have a reward like his." Ibn Taymiyah said: What is meant by providing food means giving him enough to satisfy him. If he cannot give him more than a date or a drink of milk or water, then he should do that and he will have a reward commensurate with his efforts.

3) Do not give zakah to offer food to fasting people, because it should be given to the poor, and some of those who break the fast may not be poor. Do not give it to an orphan unless he is poor, because he may be independent of means due to an inheritance. Servants and drivers must be in genuine need and the one who gives them zakah should not benefit from that.

4) Things that a person keeps for his own uses and needs, such as dwellings, household, furniture, clothing, jewellery, means of transportation, tools of his trade, machinery, equipment, shop decor and so on are not subject to zakah, except for gold and silver.

5) If a Muslim wants to observe i'tikaf for one night, he should enter the mosque before Maghrib and come out after Fajr. The last ten days begin when sun sets on the 20th of Ramadan, at which point the night of the 21st begings. Whoever wants to observe i'tikaf for the ten days or the first of them should enter the mosque before the sun sets.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 18

1) Sahoor is a blessing, even if it is only a sip of water. The best food of sahoor is dates. It can only be called sahoor if it occurs in the second part of the night. Eating sahoor involves being different from the People of the Book, and it helps one to worship Allah by fasting and getting up for Fajr prayer. It is Sunnah to delay Sahoor.

2) There is nothing wrong with smelling pleasant fragrances when one is fasting, but one should not inhale incense deeply. Beware of things that may kindle one's desires and spoil the fast, such as speaking, looking repeatedly, or touching. Remember the hadeeth qudsi which praises the fasting person: "He gives up his desire (and according to one version: his wife) for My sake."

3) Having a blood sample taken, if it is a small amount that does not weaken the body, does not break the fast, but if it is a large amount that does cause weakness, then it breaks the fast as cupping does. Based on this, donating blood breaks the fast so it should only be done if it is necessary and that day should be made up.

4) When breaking the fast, the fasting person experiences joy for several reasons: what was forbidden of food and drink has now become permissible, he was able to do an act of worship and complete the day, he breaks the fast with things that Allah has permitted, and he follows the Sunnah by hastening to break the fast, and he is granted a prayer to be answered when he breaks the fast.

5) Allah has honoured us in Ramadan by chaining up the devils, opening the gates of Paradise, closing the gates of Hell and multiplying the reward. Fasting will intercede for a person and protect him from Hell, and admit him to Paradise through the gate of al-Rayyan. If someone were to ask why sins occur during Ramadan when the devils are chained? The answer is that it is the maarids (most of evil jinn) that are chained up, not every devil. And it was said that the chains weaken their movements but do not prevent their whispering (waswaas). If we add to that the devils among mankind, and the self which is inclined towards evil, then we will know the reason why sins happen in Ramadan, although evil is still less at this time.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 17

1) Medical Injections that do not provide nourishment, such as penicillin, insulin, anaesthetics, inoculations and dyes for diagnostic imaging, whether they are intramuscular or intravenous, endoscopy and the like, suppositories and pessaries none of these break the fast.

2) Having teeth filled, extracted or cleaned, using the siwak without added flavours, brushing the teeth with toothpaste, gargling with medicine, using a puffer that is placed in the mouth, and tasting food if necessary, none of these break the fast so long as nothing passes the throat.

3) Kidney dialysis, in which the blood is removed and cleaned then returned to the body with some nutritional substances, breaks the fast. [Fatwa al-Lajnah al-Da'imah (190/10)]. the days when one has dialysis have to be made up. Be patient if you suffer from this complaint, and if you are healthy then give praise to Allah for well being.

4) One of the wonders of fasting is that Allah says, "It is for Me." Allah has singled out it for Him because no one can see it but Him, so it is a sacret between you and Him. Only He knows what the reward for it is, and there is no other act of worship like it. It is patience which brings reward beyond measure, so congratulations to the men and women who fast.

5) The mosques must be kept free of the smell of garlic, onions, sweat, cigarettes and every foul smell, lest it offend the angels and the worshippers. It is permissible for the one who is praying next to someone whose smell he cannot stand to interrupt his prayer and move to another spot, but he should strive to be polite and offer advice in a kind manner.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 16

1) It is allowed for the person who missed his Isha' prayer in congregation to join the Imam in taraweeh with the intention of Isha' prayer.

2) If a person has prayed the taraweeh and witr with the Imam but still wants to pray more raka'hs at tahajjud time then it is permissible for him to pray two by two raka'hs without repeating the witr.

3) It is permissible for a person to break his fast if the disk of the sun has disappeared completely from the horizon even if he didn't hear the adhaan.

4) It is permissible to read the opening dua' in the first raka'h of every prayer in taraweeh and tahajjud (night prayer). [Ibn Uthaymeen]

5) The non-menstrual blood (Istihaada) does not affect a womans fast. [Ibn Baaz]

6) An ointment that moisturizes, softens, or soothes the skin and medication plasters for skin do not break the fast. [The Standing Committee]

7) The reward is for concentration and length of prayer and not for the lesser and quicker prayer.

8) We ask Allah to guide more people to pray in the Mosque. Prayer is better than sleep and taraweeh is better than watching serials.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 15

71) The intention (niyyah) for Ramadan fasts is made at night, before the dawn comes. The Prophet (peace be upon him): "Whoever does not intend to fast from the night before, there is no fast for him." (al-Nisaa'i; classed as hasan by al-Albani) Whoever does not resolve to do so, his fast is not valid. The correct intention is when a person resolves in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. It is not prescribed for him to utter it out loud.

72) The "day of doubt": when people are not sure whether it is the last day of Sha'ban or the first of Ramadan because of cloudy weather or another reason. Fasting on this day is haraam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Fast when you see the new moon abd break your fast when you see the new moon, and if you are not sure then complete Sha'ban as thirty days." (al-Bukhari)

73) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not preempt Ramadan by one or two days, except for those who have the habit of fasting regularly, in which case they may fast." (al-Bukhari). A person may also fast if he is bound by a vow or has to make up an obligatory fast. Fasting at the end of Sha'ban is prohibited to maintain a distinction between the obligatory and voluntary fasts.

74) Zakaah must be paid immediately when one full hijri year has passed since the nisaab [minimum threshold] is acquired. If a person pays it in advance in Ramadaan before the year has passed (to take advantage of the virtue of the month), there is nothing wrong with that. But after the year has passed it is not permissible to delay it until Ramadaan. Zakaah on agricultural crops must be paid on the day of harvesting.

75) One of the conditions of zakaah is having the proper intention at the time of paying it. It is not acceptable to decide that what one has previously given (with the intention of sadaqah) is now zakaah.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Jawal Zad SMS 14

66) Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "People's deeds are shown [to Allah] twice each week, on Monday and Thursday, and every believing slave is forgiven except a person between whom there is a dispute, and it is said, "Leave these two untill they reconcile." (From Muslim)

67) Imitation of the Kufaar that is permissible means doing something that is not originally taken from them, but they do it too. It is permissible only when the following conditions are met: 1) The resemblance should not be to any of their traditions or rituals by which they are distinguished. 2) That it should not be part of their religion. 3) That it should not be anything that Islam refers specifically to. If there is a specific reference in Islam, either approving or disapproving of it, then we must follow what our religion says about it. 4) The resemblance should not lead to going against any of the commands of shareea'ah. 5) That it should not involve celebrating any of their festivals. 6) The resemblance should be only according to what is needed, and no more.

68) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I have been given the Qur'aan and something like it with it." The phrase "something like it with it" refers to the Sunnah. (Saheeh hadeeth). Allah commanded us to refer to these two constitutional references,when He said (interpr. of meaning): ".....if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger....." [al-Nisa' 4:59]. The Qur'an is the primary source of legislation, then the Sunnah. And Allah knows best.

69) There is no suggestion that at the end of an old year or the beginning of a new year the records of deeds are closed and deeds are shown to Allah. Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said concerning commemorating the end of the year: "There is no basis for that, and singling out the end of the year for specific acts of worship such as fasting is a reprehensible innovation (bid'ah)." End quote.

70) Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The angels of the night and the day come to you in succession, and they meet at Fajr prayer and at Asr prayer, then those who stayed among you ascend and their Lord asks them, although He knows best about them, "How did you leave My slaves?" and they say, "We left them when they were praying and we came to them when they were praying."" (From Bukhari, Muslim)