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

Subhan Allah! Sleeping on the stomach

Now I know why my shoulders, neck and my back are so stiff in the morning!!

What's Islam opinion about insurance? (all kinds)

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

As far as we know, insurance is a new issue which was not known to the former jurists . It appeared in Muslim societies due to the absence of an Islamic state. Anyway, the Islamic legislation does not approve of it and all its forms are forbidden, whether it is life insurance, health insurance or insurance on goods or properties, and so forth; because it includes forbidden contracts. For instance it involves Ribaa (interest and/or usury) because one party of the contract gets more than what it had paid. A shop holder, for example, pays one thousand and when he is faced with any problem, he gets ten thousands. This insurance is also based on high risk. A person may pay some money and he may lose that amount without any recompense, or he may experience a great damage and the other party will compensate him with a much greater amount than what it had received from him. This is nothing but a high risk. Insurance also includes gambling, as clarified in the above example.

Insurance involves as well paying an amount of money in return for a guaranty, because one pays an amount of money so that the other party will guaranty –whatever it is- for him. Therefore, there should be no difference of opinion about the prohibition of insurance unless a person is obliged to do it, for instance if one is in a country where car insurance is compulsory. In this case, in our view [Islamweb], if one causes damage to another, then one may refer him to his insurance company if the damage is equal or less that what he had paid the company. However, if the damage is more than what he had paid the company, then one should only let the other claim according to the amount he had paid the company and then one should pay him the remaining from his own pocket, because it is an invalid contract. And the rule, in this case, is that one should not take more than his capital money. Allaah Says (what means): {…but if you repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you shall not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums).}[Quran 2:279]. This means that one should not be unjust to others by taking more money than what he had paid them, and on the other hand the other party should not be unjust to him by taking from him all his capital money or part of it without any right.

The same thing applies when damage is caused to you, if what you had paid and what the other party who caused damage to you had paid is equal to the amount of repairs, then you may take all this money, but if the amount is less than the amount of repairs, then, if it is possible for you to convince him to pay you the difference because he is faulty, then all the best, otherwise no.

Of course, all the above applies to a non-cooperative insurance; however, if the insurance is cooperative, for instance if a group of people agree-each one of them- to pay an amount as a donation, and this amount is reserved for emergencies which may happen to each one of them, then this is permissible, Allaah willing, as long as the donator gives this amount with the intention of donating, and as long as there is a need for such amount.

Allaah knows best.

www.islamweb.net

Hijab bans...

WASHINGTON — American Muslims are slamming a draft law in the northwestern state of Oregon to ban teachers from wearing religious dress such as hijab at public school.

The Oregon state legislature has passed a bill banning teachers from wearing religious dress at schools and will be signed by the Oregon governor into law.

"No teacher in any public school shall wear any religious dress while engaged in the performance of duties as a teacher," says the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act.

The bill also says education officials and schools would not be breaking the law if they "prohibit a teacher from wearing religious dress while engaged in the performance of duties as a teacher."
Hooper said the bill violates the right of people to wear what they like.

"Merely wearing a headscarf is not proselytizing; it's a statement of faith," he said.

"Practicing one's faith is a right guaranteed by the constitution."

Earlier this month, New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg nixed a city council call to allow public schools to close on two of the holiest Muslim holidays.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim advocacy group, has defended the right of Americans of all faiths to wear religious attire in the workplace.

Earlier this year, CAIR chapters in Oklahoma and Minnesota helped block proposed legislation that would have prohibited wearing Hijab in driver's license photographs.

Hooper questioned if the ban would affect a Muslim woman who did not normally wear a scarf but had to undergo chemotherapy and lost her hair.

"Would she be put through an inquisition to determine if she was making a religious statement or not?" He said.

Hooper said the Oregon legislation directly contradicts a statement made by US President Barack Obama during a speech to the Muslim world in Egypt in June.

"Freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion," Obama said in his landmark speech.

"That is why the US government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the Hijab, and to punish those who would deny it."

Hijab has been in the spotlight since France banned the wearing of the Muslim headscarf at schools in 2004.

Since then, many European countries followed suit.

Islam sees Hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one's affiliations.

The Muslim leader said that banning Hijab and other religious symbols is not the answer.

"Concerns about religious neutrality in schools can be adequately addressed through professional codes of conduct."

http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=162593

German religion ban violates Muslim rights: HRW

HRW says exemptions are made for Christian traditions. Laws banning religious symbols and clothing for teachers and other civil servants in parts of Germany mainly target and violate the rights of Muslim women who wear the headscarf, a report published Thursday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

The 67-page report analyzed the human rights implications of the ban, in force in half of the 16 German states, and suggested that it discriminates against Muslim women, excluding them from public sector employment as some women have given up their careers or left Germany.

"These laws in Germany clearly target the headscarf, forcing women who wear it to choose between their jobs and their religious beliefs," the report said. "They discriminate on the grounds of both gender and religion and violate these women's human rights."

Oppressive law

The laws in question were all introduced in the last five years, following a 2003 Constitutional Court ruling that restrictions on religious dress are only permissible if explicitly laid down in law, the report said.

Although none of the laws explicitly target the headscarf they allow some exemptions for Christian and "Western" cultural traditions, which HRW said was just as oppressive as countries that force women to wear the headscarf, or hijab in Arabic.

"The claim that these restrictions don't discriminate doesn't stand up," the report said, "In practice, the only people affected by them are Muslim women who wear the headscarf."

HRW recommended that the eight states where a ban is in force should repeal the laws. Germany is home to three million Muslims and has biggest Turkish community outside Turkey.

"Allah or work?"

Female teachers refusing to remove their headscarf have been reprimanded and in some cases dismissed, the report said, citing testimony from dozens affected by the ban.The reported said that teachers had offered to wear alternatives to the headscarf, such as large hats or to tie the scarves in atypical styles, but were rejected.

"To renounce the headscarf is very difficult. On the first day I 'disguised' myself in the school toilet. When a colleague spoke to me, I broke down in tears," said one woman identified in the report as Rabia.

"My son asked me, 'what is more important, Allah or work?' I answered him that it is complicated," she added.

Other bans

The headscarf has been the subject of heated political debate across Europe and including Turkey where there have been several appeals filed to overturn a ban on university students wearing the headscarf.

Earlier this month Norway reversed a decision to allow female police officers to wear the headscarf following massive criticism of the ruling.

In May last year, Denmark's far-right People's Party launched a campaign against judges wearing headscarves in court and said: "There is no way we will accept this symbol of tyranny," a party spokesman was quoted by AFP as saying.

Debates are still raging in Italy and France, where a law was passed in 2004 banning headscarves and other religious symbols from French state schools.

http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/from_the_net/german_religion_ban_violates_muslim_rights_hrw.html

Everything about celebrations in Islam!

Celebrations In Islaam
Impermissible Acts of Celebration

Impermissible Acts Of Celebration - Introduction click here

To many people, celebrating `Eeds is a non-religious matter. They believe that one has the choice to participate in celebrating any Eed, for any nation, religion, or culture, as long as that does not involve engaging in haraam (prohibited) actions.
Based on this view, many Muslims often engage in various celebrations, and participate in the holidays of other peoples and religions.
True Muslims approach the celebration of `Eeds with correct understanding and conception¹. They avoid major violations associated with these occasions:

1. They avoid participating in any celebration or festivity that is not legislated by Allaah (SWT).
   
   
2. They avoid celebrating the `Eeds in a way similar to that of the kuffaar² or the faasiqs (corrupt) who overstep Allaah's boundaries when they rejoice. They indulge in various acts of disobedience, such as the mingling of men and women, wearing improper clothing, dancing and listening to music, committing adultery, drinking alcohol, etc.
   
   
3. They avoid performing unjustified practices and bid`ahs done by the ignorant Muslims during these days, such as visiting graveyards, or spending the night preceding the `Eed in extended worship.

Completing That Which Had Been Completed? click here

The completeness of Islaam¹ obviously means that it cannot be completed further. Believing otherwise would imply one or more of the following dangerous conclusions:

1. That Allaah (SWT) was not truthful in declaring this completeness.
   
   
2. That Allaah (SWT) has forgotten or missed some details needed to complete the Deen.
   
   
3. That Muhammad has neglected or forgotten to convey some matters needed to complete the Deen.

This explains why Islaam warns strongly against introducing bid`ahs into the Deen. Imaam Maalik (r) said:

"Whoever innovates in Islaam what he believes to be a good bid`ah would be claiming that Muhammad has betrayed the trust (of delivering the full Message)..."

He then recited aayah 5:3 from al-Maa`idah².

Differing from the Non-Muslims click here

Some Muslims naively think that Islaam allows them to resemble the non-Muslims and act in complete harmony with them. They seem to be extremely reluctant to exhibit a distinctive identity by proclaiming Islaam openly. They emphasize that what matters is what is in the heart, regardless of outward appearance or actions. This section will, in shaa'a 'Llaah, discuss these and related matters.
Commands From The Qur'aan And Sunnah
A Muslim is commanded to associate with his fellow believers and adhere to their way; Allaah (SWT) says:

If anyone contends with the Messenger after the Guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that of the believers, We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in Hell: What an evil abode!¹

A Muslim is further commanded to be distinctively different from the non-believers. For example, the Messenger said:

Be different from the Jews and the Christians.²

Be different from the disbelievers³

Whoever imitates a people is one of them.⁴

Importance Of Differing From The Non-Muslims
Why is it important to be different from the disbelievers? For the following reasons:

1. The Muslims are blessed with the BEST guidance. The Guidance from the Lord of lords, from Allaah (SWT). This gives the Muslims a true dignity and pride to which no one else has a claim. Allaah (SWT) says:
   
   
   
   

   Honor belongs to Allaah, to the Messenger, and to the Believers.⁵

   
   
   
2. The disbelievers are misguided, and their ways are based on deviant views concerning their societies, the universe, and their very existence. Their actions frequently reflect those deviant views. Why, then, would one wish to imitate them? Yet, very sadly, some Muslims do that - they imitate them in their most unintelligible acts! The Messenger says:

   You will follow the ways of those nations who preceded you very closely; even if they entered a lizard's hole you would follow them into it.⁶

   
   
   
3. An important rule of fiqh states that, "External resemblance results in real resemblance of the hearts." Resembling the disbelievers is Satan's first step in leading the Muslims to behave and believe like them.

Classes Of Imitation
One of the best books on the subject of imitating the kuffaar is Ibn Taymiyyah's great book, "Iqtidaa us-Siraat il-Mustaqeem". He (r) demonstrates that imitating the disbelievers is prohibited in itself, even if one does not do it intentionally; furthermore, doing it intentionally may reach the level of kufr (disbelief).
In order to better understand its dangers, imitation of the non-Muslims is divided below into five classes, some more serious than others.

1. If a practice is done by the non-Muslims for religious reasons and involves shirk, then it is absolutely prohibited, and anyone who does it is a mushrik 1 in practice. Ex.,
   • wearing a cross,
   • displaying an idol (appreciably),
   • worshiping in the non-Muslim religious services,
   • praying to a grave.
   "In practice" here means that, regardless of whether the person commits such an act ignorantly or intentionally, which only Allaah (SWT) knows about, he is considered to be practicing shirk, and is treated accordingly.
   
   
2. If a practice is done by the non-Muslims for religious reasons, but does not involve obvious shirk (at least to the one practicing it), then it is absolutely prohibited, and doing it constitutes a major sin. Ex.,
   • wearing the attire of clergymen, priests, etc.,
   • displaying a Christmas tree,
   • celebrating a non-Islaamic holiday.
   
   
3. If a practice is initiated and done by the non-Muslims (though imitated by ignorant and weak-hearted Muslims), for non-religious reasons, and is not a practice of the religious and knowledgeable Muslims, then it is also prohibited; anyone doing it will be liable to the warnings in the Sunnah for those who imitate the disbelievers. Ex.,
   • not to grow beards and trim moustaches,
   • not to dye the white hair,
   • to isolate the wife because of her menses,
   • to wear the Western hat, Tuxedos, or neckties,
   • to wear wedding bands,
   • to intently wear white for weddings or black for funerals,
   • to walk dogs,
   • to eat steak with a fork in the left hand,
   • to watch sports games or soap operas, etc.
   
   
4. If a practice is done mostly, but not exclusively, by the non-Muslims, for non-religious reasons, then it is permissible; however, the person who avoids it with the intention of obeying the above commands of the Prophet will be rewarded. Ex.,
   • wearing pants for men,
   • wearing the watch on the left hand.
   
   
5. If a practice is a shared practice among different nations and cultures, not being specific to any one in particular, then it is totally mubaah (open or permissible). Ex.,
   • riding cars,
   • eating with spoons.
   Thus, we are not calling the Muslims to denounce the scientific and technological advancements because the kuffaar are currently pioneering in them. Islaam requires the Muslims to learn these forms of knowledge, and to benefit the Muslim Ummah with them.

Differing from the Non-Muslims in Celebrations click here

The `Eeds are purely religious occasions for the Muslims<sup>1</sup>. Furthermore, `Eeds are distinctive features for every nation. Allaah (SWT) says:

To every people we have appointed rites (of sacrifice) that they must observe.²

As discussed above, the Muslims have been warned by Allaah (SWT) and His Messenger against following or imitating the non-Muslims in things that are characteristic of their religions or beliefs. This is more emphasized in the case of their `Eeds or holidays, which always hold religious or ideological non-Islaamic meanings, and on which the kuffaar indulge in many evil practices. Differing from them on such occasions includes the following:
Avoiding Their Days
The Muslims should completely avoid the kuffaar's celebrations. This includes places where they perform their holiday practices, and indulging with them in such practices, such as:

• Christmas and New Year parties,
• Halloween trick-or-treat,
• Thanksgiving celebration and dinner,
• Fourth of July fireworks,
• First of April lies,
• birthday parties, anniversaries, etc.

Avoiding Their Ways On Their Days
The Muslims should avoid copying the kuffaar's practices on such occasions, such as:

• setting up Christmas trees in the Muslims' houses or offices,
• inviting friends to a Turkey dinner on Thanksgiving day,
• purchasing or wearing Halloween costumes,
• holding birthday or anniversary parties for family members, etc.

Avoiding Congratulating Them
The Muslims should avoid congratulating the kuffaar on their occasions. For, how could one bring oneself to congratulate them or wish them well because of their disobedience to Allaah (SWT)? One must refrain from expressions such as: happy Thanksgiving, happy birthday, happy New Year, etc. The only possible happiness is in true Eemaan!
In this regard, Shaykh Muhammad Bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen said:

"Congratulating the kuffaar with Christmas or other religious holidays is unanimously prohibited. Ibn ul-Qayyim (r) reported this in his book, 'Ahkaamu Ahlith-Thummah'. He said:

'Offering congratulations to the kuffar for rites pertaining to kufr is something unanimously prohibited. Examples of this is to say to them, 'Blessed holidays', 'Happy holidays', and the likes. The one who says this, if he is not to be considered a kaafir, is at least committing a great prohibition. His action is equivalent to congratulating them for prostrating themselves to the cross; it is a sin more serious and more hated by Allaah (SWT) than to drink alcohol, kill a human soul, practice adultery, or commit other sins in which those who disregard the Deen indulge themselves - without realizing the ugliness of what they do. Thus, anyone who congratulates a person for a sin, a bid`ah, or an act of disbelief, would expose himself to Allaah's abhorrence and wrath.'

Congratulating the kuffaar with their religious holidays is thus prohibited, as Ibn ul-Qayyim notes, because it indicates an approval and acceptance of their rites of kufr. Even if a person does not accept this kufr for himself, he is still prohibited to accept any of the rites of kufr or congratulate others for them. The reason for this is that Allaah (SWT) does not accept that, as He says:

This day I have perfected your religion for you, have completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion.³

Congratulating them on these occasions is equally prohibited, whether or not they were colleagues at work.
Furthermore, if they congratulated us on their holidays, we may not respond to that (by congratulating them back), because these holidays are not our holidays, and are not permitted by Allaah (SWT). They were either innovated by them, or were previously legislated (by Allaah) but were later abrogated by the Islaamic religion with which Allaah (SWT) sent Muhammad to all people; and He (SWT) says:

He who seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will not be accepted from him; and he is among the losers in the Hereafter.⁴

Also, it is prohibited for a Muslim to answer their invitation on such occasions. This is worse than to congratulate them on them, because it involves associating with them in the celebrations.
And it is prohibited for the Muslims to imitate the kuffaar on these occasions by holding parties, exchanging gifts, distributing sweets or food, taking vacation, and so on. The Messenger said:

He who imitates a people is one of them.

Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said in 'Iqtidaa' us-Siraat il-Mustaqeem':

'Resembling them in some of their holidays brings into their hearts assurance that their falsehoods are acceptable, and would sometimes lead them to take advantage of the situation and oppress the weak.'

Whoever does any of this would be sinning, regardless of whether he did it out of flattery, kindness, shyness, or other reasons. This action involves compromising Allaah's Deen, and provides a means of strengthening the spirit of the disbelievers and their pride for their religion.⁵"

Avoiding Their Ways In The Islaamic Celebrations
The Muslims should avoid to celebrate the Islaamic `Eeds in a way that copies the ways of the kuffaar, such as:

• mingling between men and women, and shaking each others' hands,
• indulging in drinking, dancing, and other forms of sinning,
• improper clothing, etc.

Avoiding To Innovate New Days
Muslims should avoid initiating or encouraging innovated occasions or `Eeds in imitation to those of the kuffaar, such as

• the day of the Earth,
• the day of US Muslims, etc.

Bid`ahs Related to `Eeds click here

It has been shown above that the `Eeds should be preserved as purely Islaamic occasions and practices. They should not be defaced by innovation and other unjustified practices. The warnings concerning bid`ahs and sinning apply to them.
Additional `Eeds?
Celebrating so called "Islaamic occasions" other than the three days prescribed by Allaah is a rejected bid`ah in Islaam; it consists of introducing new rites and worships that only Allaah (SWT) has the right to do. This applies to occasions like "the Prophet's Birthday", "the Hijree New Year's day", "the Middle of Sha`baan", etc.
Visiting The Graves
Some people seem to entertain a feeling of guilt toward their deceased ones during the Eed. They attempt to do things that, they think, will benefit the dead on these specific days. All of this has no support or evidence from the Sunnah of the Prophet . The following are a few examples:

• Making specific visits to graveyards on `Eed days.
• Distributing food and sweets at graveyards.
• Sitting eating, and talking, on graves.
• Placing flowers or palm leaves on graves.
• Reading portions of the Qur'aan over graves.

Specific Acts Of Worship
Some ignorant people exert in worship more than usual on the night preceding the `Eeds or Jumu`ah . They base their action on a fabricated hadeeth encouraging that. In fact, the Prophet prohibited specifying the night preceding Friday with special acts of worship.

Sinning on `Eeds click here

There are many sins and acts of disobedience practiced by some Muslims more frequently during the `Eed days than at other times of the year. To them, the `Eed is an occasion to give up some of the Islaamic principles. They are usually encouraged to do so by the state of joy that they experience during the `Eeds. In the rest of this section, a few of these acts of disobedience are highlighted.
Mingling Of Sexes
One of the frequently practiced acts of disobedience is for men and women who are not mahrams¹ to mingle and do things prohibited in Islaam, such as²:

• Touching and shaking hands.
• Men and woman chatting, laughing, and sometimes flirting with each other.
• Men and women looking intently at each other.

Playing Music And Drinking Alcohol
It is very common for people to play music and listen to it during the `Eed. They often associate this with drinking, or with national or belly dancing, all in the name of Islaam! All of this is prohibited by consensus among the early scholars including the Four Imaams. The Prophet said:

There will be among my Ummah those who would indulge in hir³, wearing silk⁴, Khamr⁵, and musical instruments. Some of those people would camp beside a mountain. A poor shepherd tending their animals would come to them in the evening asking for a need of his. They would say, "Come back tomorrow." So Allaah would destroy (most of) them during the night, bringing the mountain down over them, and would transform others to apes and pigs until the day of Resurrection.⁶

IMPROPER APPEARANCE
Muslims are supposed to dress up for the Eed. In doing so, however, both men and women commit many violations of Islaam, among which are the following:

• Women exposing their heads and other parts of their bodies.
• Women wearing perfumes, makeup, decorated and alluring clothing, and some national costumes (Sari for example) that contradict Islaamic teachings.
• Men wearing natural silk or gold.
• Men wearing tight pants and Western attire.
• Men shaving their beards.

Extravagance
People often spend extravagantly during the Eed. They waste money on things that are useless and of no benefit for the Muslims. Allaah (SWT) says:

Do not waste your wealth senselessly. Those who spend wastefully are the brothers of the devils; and the Devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.⁷

And Allaah's Messenger said:

A son of Aadam will not depart from his position (of reckoning) before his Lord on the day of Resurrection until he is questioned about four things:

• His lifetime - how did he pass it,
• his body - how did he utilize it,
• his wealth - where did he earn it, and how did he spend it,
• and his knowledge - what did he do with it.⁸

Neglecting The Poor And Needy
In addition to the extravagance discussed above, many well-to-do people neglect the poor during the Eed. Sometimes, they would treat them in an arrogant and despising manner. Even when they give them zakaat ul-fitr or a portion of the sacrifice, they do that in a haughty way, impressing on them the great favor they are rendering to them. This defeats the purpose of these `Eed offerings, and contradicts the Islaamic teachings concerning brotherhood among the Muslims.
Neglecting The Jamaa`Ah Prayers Without An Excuse
After praying the `Eed prayer in the masjid or musallaa, some people avoid the masjid for the rest of the day! Unless they have an acceptable excuse, they would be committing a sin by that. As emphasized earlier the `Eed is an occasion to increase in obedience and good deeds - not a chance to run away from Islaamic obligations.

---

Facts about different UnIslamic celebrations

The Light Verse of Surah An-Nur

The Light Verse of Surah An-Nur

Dr. Mustansir Mir

The 35th verse of the 24th surah of the Qur’an, an-Nur, is known as the Light Verse (ayat an-nur). The verse is so called because of the remarkable parable of light---Divine Light--it contains. Here is a translation of the verse, followed by commentary, which is based mainly on the interpretation of Amin Ahsan Islahi in his "Tadabbur-i-Qur’an" (8 vols.; Lahore, 1973-80), 4:538 ff.

Translation

Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth! His light, in terms of a similitude, is like a niche in which there is a lamp--the lamp is in a glass, the glass as if it were a brilliant star--that is being kindled by [the oil of] a blessed olive tree that is neither [of the] eastern nor [of the] western [side]: its oil would all but light up, even though no fire touched it. Light upon light! Allah guides to His light whomever He wishes. And Allah strikes similitudes for people. And Allah has knowledge of everything.

Commentary

1. The parable is made up of five elements: niche, lamp, glass, oil, and fire. Of these, the lamp oil, and fire are basic to the parable, the niche and glass are--important--ancillaries. A lamp is a device for lighting an area; oil is the material needed for combustion; and fire lights the lamp. The niche, a recess at a certain height in the wall, is meant to diffuse the light of the lamp widely in the house. The glass encasement, besides helping in the diffusion, makes the light bearable. Already, we can see that such a lamp must give bright light. It is to such light that the light of Allah is likened to.

2. Another detail needs to be considered. The tree from which the oil comes is said to be one that is neither of the eastern nor of the western side, and also one whose oil would, it seems, start burning even if no fire touched it. This is a description of the purity of the oil. To the Arabs, the best trees in a garden were those which stood in the middle of the garden and, unlike the trees on the outer sides--east, west, north, or south--were not exposed to excessive heat and were safe from flood water, receiving just the right amounts of sun and rain. Such trees were prized for the high quality of their yield. In the parable, accordingly, the oil of the tree, it is implied, has such a high degree of purity that it would catch fire even when fire is at some distance from it and has not made contact with it.

3. We have, as the verse says, a parable before us. The parable is not meant to be a static picture so that the verse does nothing more than establish a likeness. The notion of ‘guidance’ becomes important here: ‘Allah guides to His light whomever He wishes.’ The parable, in other words, makes a point about guidance, and this must now be explained. To begin with, let us look at the opening statement, which serves as a topic sentence: ‘Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth.’ The meaning of this statement becomes clear when the closing statement is kept in mind: ‘Allah has knowledge of everything.’ ‘Light’ and ‘Knowledge’ are the two keywords we get from these two statements. The verse is saying that Allah is the source of all true knowledge, and that it is knowledge drawn from this fount that lights up the heavens and the earth, dispelling the darkness of ignorance, and doubt. Conversely, the verse is saying that without Allah the world does not make sense and remains a dark enigma.

4. In this context of guidance, the ‘brilliant star’ may mean one of the bright stars that guide travellers on their way, or it may refer, if indirectly, to the North Star (which also guides). The epithet ‘blessed’ also acquires the twin meanings of ‘useful’ in a straightforward material sense (oil of the blessed tree lights the lamp) and ‘beneficial’ in a spiritual sense.

5. In such a context, again, to belong to an eastern or a western side would mean to be attached to partial truth. It should be remembered that, to the Christians, the eastern side of the Temple of Jerusalem was sacred because Mary took up residence in that part of the Temple (see Qur’an 19:16), whereas the Jews, in opposition to the Christians, came to regard the western side of the Temple as sacred. As such, the tree that is in the middle may be equated with Islam, for, the verse would be suggesting, Islam does not suffer from any imbalance or lopsidedness.

6. What does the phrase ‘Light upon light!’ mean? It might mean ‘layers of light,’ in the sense that the light of Allah is so intense that it can only be conceived of as two or more layers of light, one on top of another. But it might also mean ‘one kind of light upon another,’ in which case we shall be dealing with two kinds of light, one of which would be the light of Allah. But what would be the other light? Again, bear in mind that the context of the verse is that of guidance --- Allah providing guidance to humans. If so, then the other light must belong to humans, and must refer to that innate sense of the right path with which, according to the Qur’an, Allah endows all humans, and which has been called fitrah in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This innate sense of the right path constitutes, then, man’s ‘internal’ light of guidance, as opposed to the ‘external’ light of guidance that comes to him from Allah. The preposition ‘on’ would thus imply reinforcement: a person who has preserved his inner flame of guidance and saved it from being extinguished is further confirmed in his guidance of Allah through His light.

7. Now we are in a position to state the essential thesis of the verse: Those who guard the light of their fitrah, come to possess an internal light which is reinforced or argumented by the external light of revelation, the result being light upon light.

8. But this is an important thesis of the Islamic philosophy of religion. To borrow a scientific image, we can say that, according to Islam, revelation that comes from Allah is like a positive current that comes into contact with the negative current of the pure human heart and thus produces the electricity of faith, or, to revert to the terms of the parable, the flame of faith. Since the lamp is enclosed in glass, the flame is steady and is not moved or put out by the wind, which is to say that the good man is always content, possessing as he does the nafs-i-mutma’innah, the ‘steady soul’, and is not swayed by difficult or trying circumstances, but remains patient and grateful under all kinds of circumstances. The glass, moreover, is clear and shiny, and thus helps to spread the light in all its abundance, which is to say that the true faith of a good man becomes a source of guidance to others, enabling them to share in its light. The oil which feeds the lamp is said to be extracted from an olive tree that was planted not at the edge of the garden --- ‘neither of the east nor of the west’ --- but right in the middle of it, so that, being source against the fury of the elements, it has yielded the purest kind of oil. The tree, or its oil, represents the uncorrupted human fitrah, and such fitrah, because of its purity, is quick to catch the fire when it is presented with the divine message. And so when the oil --- that is to say, the inner goodness of a man’s heart-does come into contact with fire --- that is to say, with divine guidance --- the result is ‘light upon light.’ Possessing this ‘double light,’ one sees the heavens and the earth lit up, acquiring the master key to all knowledge and understanding, for, as the opening part of the verse says: ‘Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth.’

Taken from: http://www.renaissance.com.pk/JunQurExg94.html

Niqab: a must or highly recommended!!!