Great Great Great Great

Puuuuuuuurfect :)

The Full Hijaab by Shaykh Salem al Amry

http://vimeo.com/6490795

Slightly Strange Muslima`: Death Series Part 1

Slightly Strange Muslima`: Death Series Part 1

Check Your Concepts: Why, How and On What Level Do You Worship Allah

Virtue of Sitting in the Prayer Area After the Fajr Prayer

Reposting from HMY sisters' blog


Virtue of Sitting in the Prayer Area After the Fajr Prayer

After reading these narrations, I see importance in publishing them for the general benefit.- Shaykh `Abdullah ibn `Abdur Rahman Al-Jibreen

From Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two units of prayer has the reward like that of Hajj and `Umrah.'" He said, "Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Complete, complete, complete (i.e. reward).'"

Related by at-Tirmidhi (2/586), Takhreej Ahmad Shakir. `Abu `Isa (at-Tirmidhi) said: This hadeeth is hasan ghareeb. Shakir said in his verification: At-Tirmidhi declared it hasan, and in its chain of narrators is Abu Dhilaal, and he has been spoken about, but the hadeeth has other supporting narrations. Al-Albani declared it hasan in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi (591) and At-Ta`leeq ar-Ragheeb (164 and 165) and Saheeh at-Targheeb (1/461) and declared it saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6346).

From supporting narrations

- From Abi Umaamah who said: "Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation then sits remembering Allah until he sun rises, then stands up and prays two units of prayer returns with the reward of Hajj and `Umrah.'" [Majma` uz-Zawaid of al-Haythami 10/104-105] Related by at-Tabarani and its isnad is good. Al-Albani declared it hasan in Saheeh at-Targheeb (1/464)]

- From `Abdullah bin `Aamir that Abu Umaamah and `Utbah Bin `Abd related that Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever prays as-S.ubh. (i.e. fajr prayer) in congregation then sits until he prays for Allah the prayer of Dhuha has the reward like that of a haajj (pilgrim performing Hajj) and a mu`tamir (pilgrim peforming `Umrah), complete reward of his Hajj and his `Umrah." Related by at-Tabarani and declared hasan by al-Albani in Saheeh at-Targheeb (/1466) [Majma` uz-Zawaid of al-Haythami 10/104-105]

- From `Usrah who said, "I heard the Mother of believers, meaning `Aa'isha, say: 'I heard Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, say: 'Whoever prays fajr (or he said al-ghadaah, [transl. both referring to the morning prayer]), then sits in his place and does not speak idly with something from matters of this world and remembers Allah until he prays four units of Dhuha, he will leave his sins like the day his mother bore him, without any sin.''" [al-Mataalib al-`Aaliyah bi Zawaa'id al-Masaaneed ath-Thamaaniyah of Ibn Hajr (3/3394), takhreej: Habeeb ur-Rahman al-A`dhami. The authenticator said: "Al-Buwaysari said: 'Abu Ya`laa related it about Salat adh-Dhuha with a hasan chain.'"] Related by Abu Ya`laa and at-Tabarani related something similar to it in al-Awsat.

- From Sammaak That he asked Jaabir bin Samurah: "What did the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, do when he prayed as-Subh (the morning prayer)." He said: "He used to sit in the Musallaa after he prayed as-Subh until the Sun rises." [Muslim, Sharh an-Nawawi: Mosques

- Virtue of sitting in the Musalla after Subh (5/171)]

- From Sahl bin Mu`aadh bin Anas al-Juhani from his father, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever sits in his prayer area (musallaa) after he completes as-Subh prayer until he prays two units of Dhuha prayer, [and] doesn't say except what is good, his sins will be forgiven even if they are more than the foam of the sea." [Abu Dawud 2/1287, takhreej ad-Da`aas]

Important Remarks

Women are included in this bounty, as indicated by the previously quoted supporting evidence and the hadeeth of Juwayriyyah - from Imam Muslim - that she used to sit in her prayer area (musallaa) when she would pray the morning prayer until adh-Dhuha.

One who sits should not pray until the Sun rises and its light spreads in the horizion, as in the hadeeth of Muslim.

One should pray four units of prayer of adh Dhuha prayer as in the hadeeth of `Aa'ishah and the hadeeth of Umaamah and `Utbah bin `Abd from at-Tabarani.

Greatness of the reward and ease of the action should not sound discouraging to us, for great rewards have been related in the two Saheehs for easy actions. Look for examples in what has been related about saying Laa ilaha il Allah and Subhan Allah.

Read precious comments related to understanding of these narrations by Shakh Mustafa Muhammad `Imarah in his notes to the book at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb by al Mundhiri (1/298, and what comes after it).

Source: islam.com

Muslim Helps a Jew

Muslim "Happy Slappers"

Taken from :

http://www.islamawareness.net/Backbiting/happy_slapping.html

I am sure that everyone has heard of the term "Happy slapping". It is the term used to describe the phenomenon of an individual or group (of teenagers generally), slapping or striking a stranger while an accomplice films the assault using a camera phone or smart phone [1]. One would say that it has nothing to do with Muslims but it seems we are doing something similar in our everyday lives. I have constantly noticed that some Muslim brothers/sisters try to shame other Muslim brothers/sisters whenever they find an opportunity. You will see them in Islamic rallies, high streets, shopping malls, supermarkets either lecturing some other Muslim brother/sister loudly on how to do things properly or telling someone how he is going to end up in hell because his beard is not of particular length or berating one of the sisters because some of her hair is uncovered and of course she will not be able to enter paradise. These "Muslim Happy Slappers" take pride in telling off people and shaking their head in disgust at other Muslims who do not meet their criteria.
Sometime back I went to a small Muslim rally. I noticed that some of the ‘niqabi’ sisters were not talking to other sisters who were either wearing hijab or were not wearing one, but were modestly dressed. One of the non-hijabi sisters decided to break the ice by saying ‘Salaam’ to the ‘niqabi’ group, but all she got in return were angry noises, frowns and hostile glances. Out of the group of 3-4 only one returned something sounding like a ‘Salaam’. The ice was certainly broken. One of the ‘niqabis’ then started shouting at the other sisters, lecturing them on how we cannot be Muslims until we cover ourselves fully and passing judgement on the sister saying ‘Salaam’ for she will surely end up in hell for exposing her hair. The brothers not to be out done, joined in shouting at non-niqabi sisters, exclaiming loudly how they are following Islam incorrectly, and how they will never smell the fragrance of Paradise, etc.
I assure you I am not maligning the devout sisters who wear ‘niqab’. I appreciate their commitment to their faith. But people commit to their faith in different ways - they should all be appreciated and acknowledged. Nor am I saying those who do not cover should not be encouraged to wear hijab, they should, but with great humility, not with shouting, berating, lecturing and public humiliation.
I wonder why do so many Muslims quote Quran and Hadith in every discussion, but not follow them when talking to our brothers and sisters. Allah has clearly mentioned in the Quran:
"When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy. Allah takes careful account of all things." (Surah Nisa - 4:86)
Why do we not respond to the greetings that other Muslims extend to us? At work I have often seen that when I say ‘Salaam’ to some brother or sister, I get an inaudible and mumbled reply, as if they are ashamed to reply to someone’s ‘Salaam’ in public. It is fundamental that when a Muslim brother/sister says ‘Salaam’ to us we have to return his/her greeting in the most courteous way. If you are frowning or if you do not reply please remember that Allah is keeping a tab of this and you will be held accountable on the Day of Judgement.
It seems we Muslims always have a problem with the way other people dress, eat, walk, talk, pray, etc. As good Muslims we are not supposed to be scrutinising these things to find fault but we cannot seem to ignore small shortcomings. Probably as some people say Shaitan diverts our attention towards these futile things and influences us to pick holes so we do not spend time remembering and talking about Allah.
We must remember if we do not like something about someone or if we think that somebody is not following some Islamic tenet properly, we are supposed to let the other person know without offending them.
Allah says "Invite (all) to the Way of your Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for your Rabb knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance." (16:125)
Note that here Allah is referring to everyone and not just non-Muslims. One of the best examples of this would be the story of Hassan (rta) and Hussain (rta), the grandsons of Prophet (SAW).
One day an old pious Bedouin came to Medina. At the time of Prayers he began to make ‘wudu’ but he was making his wudu incorrectly. Hassan (rta) and Hussain (rta) saw the old man making ‘wudu’ wrong and they wanted to correct him. They didn’t want to offend him or make him feel insulted, so they came up with a plan. They went to the old man and said, "My brother and I disagree over who amongst us performs ‘wudu’ the best. Would you mind watching us make ‘wudu’, and be the judge to see which one of us indeed performs 'wudu' more correctly? Could you please correct us wherever we are wrong?" The man watched carefully trying to judge who is better. In the end he understood what was going on and said "By Allah, I did not know how to perform ‘wudu’ before this. You have both taught me how to do it correctly."
This incident has been preserved carefully in many Islamic history books as it highlights the way Muslims must behave when they want to correct someone. There are also many verses in Quran and also Hadith that touch this particular topic. For example:
Abu Hurairah (rta) narrated that the Prophet said, "A believer is friendly, and there is no good in one who is neither friendly nor is treated in a friendly way." (Tirmidhi 4995; and Ahmad)
Aishah (rta) narrated that a man asked permission to see the Prophet (saw) and the Prophet (saw) said, "He is a bad member of the tribe." When he entered, Allah’s Messenger (saw) treated jim in a frank and friendly way and spoke to him. When he departed, Aisha (rta) said, "Messenger of Allah! When he asked permission, you said: "He is a bad member of the tribe; but when he entered, you treated him in a frank and friendly way." Allah’s Messenger (saw) replied, "Aisha! Allah does not like the one who is unseemly and lewd in his language." (Abu Dawud 4774)
"Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than charity followed by injury. And Allah is Rich (Free of all wants) and He is most Forbearing." (Quran - 2:263)
"Allah does not love the utterance of evil words in public except by one who has been wronged. Allah is He Who hears and knows all things." (Quran -4:148)
‘Abdullah Bin ‘Amir (raa) narrated that the Prophet (saw) never used bad language. He used to say, "The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character." (Bukhari 4/759 and 8/56)
My question to these "Muslim Happy Slappers" is which part of these verses or Hadith do you not understand? Please make a firm intention that the next time we see Muslim brothers with or without beard, Muslim sisters with or without Hijab, we will say ‘Salaam’ to them. If we are greeted before we greet them, then we will reply to them in more courteous way and with a smile on our face. And the next time we feel the need to correct/instruct someone, we will do so privately and humbly.
Allah rewards us for every good intention we make even if that intention does not always result in action and believe me that on the Day of Judgement we will be in need of all the rewards we can get in this life.
Before I end I would like to mention a revert brother I knew of. Having been born in a devout Catholic family John, (not his real name), was interested in learning more about other religions. He read the Quran and Alhamdulillah he embraced Islam. Since John lived in Ireland he didn’t meet any Muslims before his reversion. His experience of Islam was based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah alone. When he moved to London he was in touch with lots of Muslims. For the first time he was living around Muslims and he loved every moment, at first.
Then some of these Muslims tried to impose their opinions on him. First there was the constant suggestion that he should grow a beard. Being a white Irish person, he did not have enough facial hair and the only thing he could grow on his face was this small "goatee". But this effort was ridiculed. Next on the list, people disapproved of his crew-cut, his hair should reach his ears they said. Then came the objection to the tie he used to wear. Some Muslims kept quoting a ‘fatwa’ saying that it is a sign for the cross so he shouldn’t wear it otherwise all his prayers, etc were futile. Then came the demand to stop wearing Muslim skullcap and start wearing the turban. Then it was the length of the trousers that were not right.
There were so many things, that John had a nervous breakdown. He had received no support, no encouragement from his fellow Muslims. During the breakdown he used to keep crying and saying that he will never enter paradise, since he simply cannot be a good Muslim. It took John a long time to recover and now he doesn’t tell anyone he is Muslim. He never goes to the Mosque (even if it's Friday) and lives in an area where there are no other Muslims.
I am not exempt from the advice I have written in this comment. May Allah forgive any mistakes I have made here and guide us all on the correct path. Allahu Alam.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_slapping

Any opinions to this article...?

HIJAB & SPIN

A response to the Oxford conference on hijab (28 Feb 04)

by Shaikh Riyad Nadwi M.A., PhD.

Are we creating too much fuss over a trivial matter – hijab?

Shaikh Riyad Nadwi Responds to the
Oxford Hijab Conference of 28th February 2004

It was argued by some Muslims in the conference that hijab is a small component of
Islamic practice when compared with the full spectrum of what it means to be a
Muslim in the West and therefore the uproar in the Muslim community about hijab is
disproportionate and ill-informed.

This, I am afraid, is an extremely shallow understanding of the issue. If we accept
that there is no difference between wearing hijab and not wearing it, then by
implication it would mean that we must also accept a monumental change in the way
we relate to Quran and hadith in general (usul al-fiqh). To all intents and purposes,
this would constitute laying the foundation for an artificial reformation of the entire
structure of our jurisprudential principles. This is exactly what the pro-Israel activists
have been trying to achieve for several decades. We should note here the keenness
with which Daniel Pipes1 quotes Bencheikh when he argues that the reforming and
liberal trends that he hopes will emerge in France can be ”transferable to the
Muslim world as a whole”. (Daniel Pipes review of Marianne et le Prophète:
L'Islam dans la France laïque by Soheib Bencheikh)

The issue is not just about hijab. It is about setting a precedent. Such a precedent
would then be used as a catalyst to dictate to us the terms of our commitment to the
Quran and the way we relate to our entire scholastic heritage. This could lead to a
situation in which we are eventually presented with a list of verses in the Quran which
would be ‘unacceptable’ to read.

Some Muslims have been arguing that hijab is an obligation on Muslim women
purely as the result of a scholastic heritage dominated entirely by men. It has been
argued that the recent participation of some Muslim women scholars has brought
about a ‘liberation’ from the old, ‘oppressive’ rulings. We are therefore led to believe
that the obligation of the hijab can be interpreted in a more lax way, to the extent that
it may not even be an obligation after all.

By way of correction, it is crucial for Muslims to realise that our scholastic heritage
includes thousands of female scholars and that (their) traditional rulings are based on
sound principles rather than political correctness. In fact, there is an Alim here in
Oxford who is in the latter stages of compiling an encyclopaedia of more than ten
thousand women hadith scholars, some of whom were teachers of Imam Bukhari,
among others. Ten thousand women scholars – and that is in only one discipline
(hadith). It is therefore a sign of gross ignorance for people to argue that the Islamic
sciences are built entirely on male scholarship and that female scholars are only now
beginning to participate. This is another major ‘spin’ on our heritage.

As a Muslim community, we must not become an easy target for the ‘spin’ doctors. It
is time for them to stop interpreting our generosity and hospitality as idiocy. My
advice to the Muslims of Britain and Europe remains that we should explore the
motives of every politician and their advisers whenever they make an attempt to
interfere with our faith and we need to demonstrate our complete rejection of this ban
with consistency.

Shaikh Riyad Nadwi M.A., Ph.D.
OCCR Institute
29th February 2004

Obama kills 23 children and 17 women in Yemen on 23 Dec

Strangely, I have not seen much fuss on this incident on the news... Could it have anything to do with Obama recieving the noble price just a bit over a week prior to commiting this war crime???? More than 2/3 of the killed were innocent civiliants, mostly children and women!!!

Please follow this link to watch the video of the report on http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/23/report_obama_ordered_us_military_strike

How to wear niqab in a non-muslim country

Or in some cases even a muslim country (eeehhhhhm, my morocco experiment *rolling the eyes*) !!!

Here are some nice practical tips on how to get a good start with wearing the niqab insha Allah :)

"Veiling is the tradition of Muslim women. Since its prescription, the prophet’s wives, daughters and other believing Muslim women have strictly observed it. Today, the Muslim ladies keep it up. When you wear full hijab (covering of the head, neck, chest, face, hands and feet) in a non-Muslim country, there is no doubt that you are Muslim. A Niqab is a veil which covers the face of a woman.

Step 1

Study the Daleels, the verses of the Holy Quran, the Hadith and the traditions that back up your view about Niqab, then you can share them with others.

Step 2

Make yourself familiar with the benefits of Niqab and the disadvantages of unveiling.

Step 3

Understand the hardships that might arise from wearing Niqab.

Step 4

Discuss your decision with someone else, such as your parents or best friend.
Step 5

Practice wearing Niqab in your home or other private places. You may find it difficult to breathe or see in Niqab when you first start wearing it.

Step 6

Start wearing Niqab, make Dua and ask Allah to help you wearing it.

Tips

Get in touch with other Niqabis you meet.
When you are passing another woman, smile, make good eye contact, and greet them. Set a good example for all Muslims.
Be nice to people who serve you (i.e. cashiers, waitresses, etc.).
Get to know your neighbors. Greet them when you see them out.
If your parents are against the Niqab, discuss with them. Try to convince them that you have the freedom to choose the opinion that you believe to be correct.

Warnings

Don’t judge other muslimahs that do not wear Niqab or Hijab.
Don't wear eye veils at first, as you get used to having on niqaab and are comfortable with it, then you can start making the slit more narrow.
Be prepared to answer questions about the Niqab or possibly recieve rude comments or stares. Show them you are a nice person, and make them regret acting rude."

Anwar Al Awlaki - Battle of the hearts and minds

Listen to Imam Anwar Al Awlaki's excellent lecture entitled Battle of Hearts and Minds. This will explain america's treachery and deception towards Muslims world-wide.

Am so sorry for some reason I couldnt embed the videos but just click on the link insha Allah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHoTjzUSfDw&feature=PlayList&p=B34AE4CB30AAE628&index=0