ummtaalib

Is it allowed to read quran without wudhu while reading from a website etc? There are many websites that provides full quran for the people to read online. So, when you read quran in this way do you need to have wudhu or not when reading quran using standard computers? What is the rule if we read using mobile equipments such as iphones, other mobile phones or even touch screen computers? Answer (Fatwa: 1032/812/D=1431) (1) Yes, it is allowed to do recitation but there is more reward in reciting in the state of wudhu. However, one should not touch the screen while reciting without wudhu. (2) Mobile too carries the same ruling. Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Deoband

Q. I would like to ask a question relating to an application on my phone. I have recently downloaded the full quraan on to my iphone. Is it permissible for me to keep this phone in my pocket if I enter the bathroom even if the application is closed? (Query published as received) A. If the Qur’an application is closed, it will be permissible to enter the toilet/bathroom with the phone. And Allah Knows Best Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

<QUESTION> What is the Fiqh of adopting a child? <ANSWER> In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, Adopting someone else’s child, bringing it up, seeing to its education and training and being kind and good towards him/her is very virtuous and a commendable act. If the child is an orphan and has no support, then the reward is much more. In a Hadith recorded by Imam al-Bukhari in his Sahih, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “I and the guardian of the orphan will be in Paradise like this” and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) joined his index finger with his middle finger. (Sahih al-Bukhari) Meaning that the one who looks after the orphan will be very close to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in Paradise. This is an extremely neglected Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace), and we should definitely encourage ourselves and others towards this direction. However, it should always be kept in mind that according to Shariah, the lineage of the adopted child does not become established with the adoptive parents. Adoption of a child has no legal effect in Shariah. The child should not be attributed except to the natural parents, and not to those who have adopted him/her. This is a fundamental principle and ruling laid down by the Holy Qur’an. The people in the days of ignorance (Jahiliyya) used to treat an adopted child as the real one in all aspects. The Qur’an condemned this practice with the following verse: “And He (Allah) did not make your adopted sons your sons. That is only your speech by your mouths. And Allah guides you to the right path. Call them by (the names of) their (real) fathers. It is more just in the sight of Allah.” (Surah al-Ahzab, v: 4, 5) The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) adopted the Companion Zaid ibn Haritha (Allah be pleased with him), thus the other companions (Allah be pleased with them) initially referred to him as “Zaid ibn Muhammad”. When the abovementioned verse of the Qur’an was revealed, they reverted to calling him “Zaid ibn Haritha”. In view of this important principle of Shariah, the following points need to be taken in to consideration: 1) Legal adoption is not permissible. This means that one cannot change the lineage of an adopted child and substitute the names of his real parents with adoptive parents. The child should always be attributed to the real parents so that it becomes common knowledge amongst the people who the real parents are. 2) If the adoptive mother breastfeeds the adopted child, then it becomes their foster child. In this case the child will be similar to the real children with regards to the Nikah and Hijab rules, i.e. the child can not marry the foster parent, neither any of the foster parent’s children. However with regards to inheritance, the child will not inherit from the family. 3) If the adoptive mother does not breastfeed the adopted child, then the relationship of fosterage will not be established and the child will be classed as other children with regards to Nikah and Hijab. An adopted child can marry its adoptive parents and their children. Also if a male child is adopted by a woman, she will have to observe Hijab from him after he reaches the age of puberty and visa versa. The adopted child will also (after puberty) observe Hijab with the adoptive parent’s children. 4) An adopted child will not inherit from his adoptive parents and to regard an adopted child as a real child in the matter of inheritance is incorrect. However, it should be remembered that although the child cannot inherit from the adoptive parents, it is permissible, rather advisable to make a bequest in its favour in ones life time. This “will” for the child can be made up to one third of one’s wealth, provided the child is not already included in the list of inheritors. 5) It is necessary to allow the adopted child to meet its real parents. Preventing him/her from meeting them and creating any obstacles will be considered as oppression. 6) Good behaviour and conduct should be displayed towards the adopted children, especially if they are orphans. If a person cannot look after the adopted child in a proper manner, then he should not adopt, otherwise he will earn punishment rather than reward. 7) The wealth of the adopted child, who has not yet reached puberty, should be kept safe. If there is a need to spend the money on the child, then one can utilize the child’s money upon him. However it should be spent with extreme care and there should be no extravagance. Loans cannot be taken from the child’s money, nor can it be given in charity. From the foregoing, all your queries should be answered; nevertheless here are the answers to your questions: (1) Yes, the boy will be considered a brother to the children whose mother breastfed him, and therefore all the rules Nikah will apply. (2) Yes, the boy will be a Mahram to the woman who breastfed her and thus Nikah with her or her children will be not allowed. (3) No, the boy will not be a Mahram to the adoptive mother and will have to observe Hijab with her after reaching puberty and also the rules of Nikah will apply. And Allah Knows Best [Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam Darul Iftaa Leicester , UK http://www.daruliftaa.com/question?txt_QuestionID=q-16385935

The following is an interesting dialogue between a modernist lady and an intelligent young girl (15 years) on the Purdah topic. MODERNIST: Your father is keeping you imprisoned in the four walls of the house. Don't you feel that you are in a jail? PURDAH-NASHEEN GIRL: They keep criminals under lock and key in a jail while they keep diamonds and gold in a safe. I am Papa's diamond which he keeps in this holy sanctuary (the home safe). Furthermore, a jail is always locked and under guard while our home is open. The prisoner wants to flee from prison. The prisoner is frustrated and full of grief in prison while I am at peace and rest inside our home. The thought of escaping does not arise in my mind. While prisoners cherish the idea of breaking out of prison to gain freedom, I cherish the safety and peace of these four walls of the home. A fish is at rest inside water, not outside.

"If memory serves me correctly, I was wearing a little white tank top and a short black skirt. I had been raised Orthodox Muslim, so I had never before worn such revealing clothing while in my father's presence. When we finally arrived, the chauffer escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father's suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Hana, everything that Allah (SWT) made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get to them." He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too." Source: "More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali's Life Lessons Through His Daughter's Eyes."

The letter has been written by a sister who preferred to remain anonymous. Sharing her experiences of wearing hijãb and the delight it brought, she has sought to encourage other sisters to do the same. We hope that this letter will become instrumental in bringing about the desired change in the lives of our mothers and sisters. My dear sister-in-Islãm, Assalãmu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakãtuh. I would like to share with you my experiences of putting on the ‘DREADED VEIL’. You see, I too was afraid to put it on. I was afraid of the changes it would bring in my life, the inconveniences, the ridicule from the ignorant ones on the streets and of course, the reactions of my family members and friends. I knew what Allah’s Command was on this matter, however, Shaytãn and Nafs, as helpful as ever, brought a lot of important matters to my attention. “It's going to be so awkward at the bar-b-ques and other social gatherings”, said the knowledgeable Nafs. How are you going to eat at restaurants, and what about holidays and fun days out?” prompted the Shaytãn. “You will miss out on so much!” they both whispered, “Leave it. It will be easier this way!” However, Allah, Allah the All-Powerful, Allah the Most Patient, Allah the Most Merciful, Who had been watching while I transgressed every law of hijãb you could think of, and who had been waiting ever so patiently while I disobeyed the laws sent down in His Book, through His infinite Mercy put a spark of light in my heart, which grew till I had no choice, but to put on the oh-so-dreaded piece of cloth on my face. My dear beloved sister, no one told me of the deep sense of happiness I would feel. No one told me I would walk down the street dressed in black from head to toe and still feel like a million dollars. No one told me how special it would make me feel. It didn't matter that many of my friends were not so friendly any more, or that my female relations took offence because I was hiding from their husbands and sons, or that my husband was not exactly over the moon about it. Conversations became stilted, social gatherings became awkward, but my heart knew a peace it hadn't known before. The feeling of being chosen and gifted remains with me even today. Try it my dear sister-in-Islãm. You won't know till you try it. When the Pleasure of Allah touches your heart you won't ever want to go without the ‘DREADED VEIL’, Inshã’allah! Wassalãm. Your Sister-in-Islãm. Messages for Muslim Sisters ©Islāmic Da‘wah Academy (Da‘wah Series 35)

Letter by a Muslim Sister I have a story to tell. So sit back with ease and take heed of what I am about to say. I was once young, full of the vigour of youth, blessed with good looks and a personality to match. Everyday was a new adventure for me. I took no heed from my parents’ advice. I was neglectful of my duties to my Lord. The world was my oyster. I had no worries. Life was for living! I was carefree. Males desired me, females envied me; life was wonderful. That was a few years ago. Little did I know that my life would change. Today my life is a very different story. Everyday is a torment for me; life feels like a burden and though I am trying to be dutiful towards my Lord, I feel I am not getting very far. “Why”, I kept asking myself, “is my life like this?” The answer was staring me in the face. I’d been neglectful towards my Lord. I’d been too intoxicated with lust and desire, committed sins that my Lord had warned against. I was so involved in them that I thought I was doing no wrong. In hindsight I was living in sin from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. I am a mother now and when I see the youngsters leaving school today, freely mixing with each other and holding hands, I look at them and think, “You all think it’s so right, but you don’t know how wrong it is.” That is why I thought of writing this letter. If just one of you takes my advice, then my letter is not in vain. TV, music, magazines all contribute to our desires and actions. I think that it takes a strong and true Believer, someone who truly fears Allah, to walk away from sins especially, zinã (fornication). Let your first touch, your first kiss be with the person you’ll spend eternity with, your husband or wife. Don’t give into a “moment of madness”, a relationship that may not even last a week. Allah has given us the ability to do many things, but the one thing He has not given us is the chance to turn back time. Had He done so, I would do it in a second and correct so many wrongs. But I can’t have that. My mistakes will be with me for life. You have a chance not to make these mistakes. Don’t make them, watch Him bless your life in both worlds. Pray for me and for the entire Ummah. © Islāmic Da‘wah Academy (Da‘wah Series 44)

By Ebrahim Saifuddin حدثنا سعيد بن أبي مريم قال أخبرنا محمد بن جعفر قال أخبرني زيد هو ابن أسلم عن عياض بن عبد الله عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال خرج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في أضحى أو فطر إلى المصلى فمر على النساء فقال يا معشر النساء تصدقن فإني أريتكن أكثر أهل النار فقلن وبم يا رسول الله قال تكثرن اللعن وتكفرن العشير ما رأيت من ناقصات عقل ودين أذهب للب الرجل الحازم من إحداكن قلن وما نقصان ديننا وعقلنا يا رسول الله قال أليس شهادة المرأة مثل نصف شهادة الرجل قلن بلى قال فذلك من نقصان عقلها أليس إذا حاضت لم تصل ولم تصم قلن بلى قال فذلك من نقصان دينها۔ بخاری، کتاب الحیض، باب ترک الحائض الصوم It is related that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri رضي الله عنه said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, set out to the place of prayer on the Day of Adha or Fitr and passed by the women. He said, 'O congregation of women! Give alms for I have seen that you will make up the majority of the inhabitants of the Fire!' They said, 'Why, Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'You call down too many curses and show ingratitude to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intellect or deen. Yet the mind of even a resolute man might be swept away by one of you.' They said, 'In what way is our deen and intellect deficient, Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'Is not the testimony of a woman worth only half that of a man?' They said, 'Yes.' He said, 'That is how your intellect is deficient. Is it not so that when a woman is menstruating, she neither prays nor fasts?' They said, 'Yes.' He said, 'That is how her deen is deficient.'" – (Bukhari; Book of Menstruation, Chapter of Menstruating Women Abstaining from Fast) Majority of the Dwellers of Hell A number of questions have been raised regarding the above-mentioned Hadith which is reported in a number of collections. The first objection raised is regarding more women being dwellers of Hell-fire. This statement has been reported in both Bukhari and Muslim. The narration in Muslim is as follows: حدثنا هداب بن خالد حدثنا حماد بن سلمة ح وحدثني زهير بن حرب حدثنا معاذ بن معاذ العنبري ح وحدثني محمد بن عبد الأعلى حدثنا المعتمر ح وحدثنا إسحق بن إبراهيم أخبرنا جرير كلهم عن سليمان التيمي ح وحدثنا أبو كامل فضيل بن حسين واللفظ له حدثنا يزيد بن زريع حدثنا التيمي عن أبي عثمان عن أسامة بن زيد قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قمت على باب الجنة فإذا عامة من دخلها المساكين وإذا أصحاب الجد محبوسون إلا أصحاب النار فقد أمر بهم إلى النار وقمت على باب النار فإذا عامة من دخلها النساء۔ مسلم، کتاب الرقاق، باب أكثر أهل الجنة الفقراء وأكثر أهل النار النساء وبيان الفتنة بالنساء Usama bin Zaid رضي الله عنه reported that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "I stood at the door of Paradise and I found that the overwhelming majority of those who entered therein was that of poor persons and the wealthy persons were detained to get into that. The denizens of Hell were commanded to get into Hell, and I stood upon the door of Fire and the majority amongst them who entered there was that of women." – (Muslim; Kitabul Riqaq, Chapter of Majority of People of Jannah are the Poor and Majority of the People of Hell are Women and Fitnah by Women) These Ahadith suggest that the population of women will be more than men in Hell. In another Hadith reported in Sahih Bukhari it is stated: It is related from Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The first group to enter the Garden will be like the moon on the night of the full moon. They will not need to spit nor blow their noses nor defecate. Their vessels will be golden and their combs will be gold and silver. Their braziers will burn fragrant aloes-wood and their perspiration will be like musk. Each of them will have two wives, so beautiful that the marrow of their thighs will be able to be seen through the flesh, and there will be no disagreement between them nor any ill will. Their hearts will be one, glorifying Allah morning and evening.” – (Bukhari; Book of Beginning of Creation, Chapter of What has come about the description of the Garden and that it is created) In this Hadith it is observed that people entering Jannah will all have two wives. When some people were discussing the issue of whether there will be more men or women in Jannah, Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه assessed that there will be more women in Jannah and this narration is reported in Sahih Muslim as follows: حدثني عمرو الناقد ويعقوب بن إبراهيم الدورقي جميعا عن ابن علية واللفظ ليعقوب قالا حدثنا إسمعيل ابن علية أخبرنا أيوب عن محمد قال إما تفاخروا وإما تذاكروا الرجال في الجنة أكثر أم النساء فقال أبو هريرة أو لم يقل أبو القاسم صلى الله عليه وسلم إن أول زمرة تدخل الجنة على صورة القمر ليلة البدر والتي تليها على أضوإ كوكب دري في السماء لكل امرئ منهم زوجتان اثنتان يرى مخ سوقهما من وراء اللحم وما في الجنة أعزب۔ مسلم، كتاب الجنة وصفة نعيمها وأهلها، باب أول زمرة تدخل الجنة على صورة القمر ليلة البدر وصفاتهم وأزواجهم “Muhammad reported that some (people) stated with a sense of pride and some discussed whether there would be more men in Paradise or more women. It was upon this that Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that Abu'l Qasim ﷺ said: The first group to get into Paradise would have their faces as bright as full moon during the night, and the next to this group would have their faces as bright as the shining stars in the sky, and every person would have two wives and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath the flesh and there would be none without a wife in Paradise.” (Muslim; Book Pertaining to Paradise, Its Description, Its Bounties and Its Intimates, Chapter of First Group to Enter Paradise will have Faces Bright as Moon, Their Description and Their Wives) This shows that the number of women will be higher than the men in Jannah. However, a question arises that how can women be majority in both Hell and Heaven. Imam Nawawi رحمة اللہ علیه in Sharh Muslim (First Edition; al-Matba’ah al-Misriyyah bil Azhar, v.17 pg 172) has written: قال القاضي : ظاهر هذا الحديث أن النساء أكثر أهل الجنة . وفي الحديث الآخر أنهن أكثر أهل النار ، قال : فيخرج من مجموع هذا أن النساء أكثر ولد آدم “Al-Qadhi said: ‘It is apparent from this Hadith that most of the people of Jannah are women, and from the other Hadith most of the people of Hell are women. What one can understand from both these Ahadith is that majority of the children of Adam are women.’” Mufti Taqi Usmani is quoted in In’amul Bari (v.1 pg 454) to have stated: “Some people have stated that this is not an issue as there can be a majority of women in both places. This answer will be acceptable when it is stated that the majority of the population of the world is of women. But to state this is difficult as by the population of the world it is meant, the collective population that was since the beginning and will be till the end of time. However in a Hadith it is stated that towards the end of times the ratio of women will be more than men and in some countries we see this condition today.” A Hadith in Sahih Bukhari confirms: حدثنا مسدد قال حدثنا يحيى عن شعبة عن قتادة عن أنس بن مالك قال لأحدثنكم حديثا لا يحدثكم أحد بعدي سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول من أشراط الساعة أن يقل العلم ويظهر الجهل ويظهر الزنا وتكثر النساء ويقل الرجال حتى يكون لخمسين امرأة القيم الواحد۔ بخاری، كتاب العلم، باب رفع العلم وظهور الجهل “Anas رضي الله عنه said, ‘I am relating a hadith to you which no one after me will relate to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Among the signs of the Hour are that knowledge becomes negligible, ignorance appears, fornication appears, and there are many women and few men so that one man has to look after fifty women.'” (Bukhari; Book of Knowledge, Chapter of Disappearance of Knowledge and Appearance of Ignorance) Some have also stated that these wives are from the Hoorul ‘Ayn and they gather support for this from another Hadith which is as follows: وحدثنا قتيبة بن سعيد حدثنا عبد الواحد يعني ابن زياد عن عمارة بن القعقاع حدثنا أبو زرعة قال سمعت أبا هريرة يقول قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أول من يدخل الجنة ح وحدثنا قتيبة بن سعيد وزهير بن حرب واللفظ لقتيبة قالا حدثنا جرير عن عمارة عن أبي زرعة عن أبي هريرة قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن أول زمرة يدخلون الجنة على صورة القمر ليلة البدر والذين يلونهم على أشد كوكب دري في السماء إضاءة لا يبولون ولا يتغوطون ولا يمتخطون ولا يتفلون أمشاطهم الذهب ورشحهم المسك ومجامرهم الألوة وأزواجهم الحور العين أخلاقهم على خلق رجل واحد على صورة أبيهم آدم ستون ذراعا في السماء۔ صحيح مسلم, كتاب الجنة وصفة نعيمها وأهلها, باب أول زمرة تدخل الجنة على صورة القمر ليلة البدر وصفاتهم وأزواجهم Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: The (members of the) first group which would get into Paradise will have their faces as bright as stars in the sky. They would neither pass water, nor void excrement, nor will they suffer from catarrh, nor will they spit, and their combs would be made of gold, and their sweat will be musk, the fuel of their brazier will be aloes, and their wives will be large-eyed maidens and their form would be alike as one single person after the form of their father (Adam) sixty cubits tall. – (Muslim; Book Pertaining to Paradise, Its Description, Its Bounties and Its Intimates, Chapter of First Group to Enter Paradise will have Faces Bright as Moon, Their Description and Their Wives) However there is another Hadith that mentions these wives as "من نساء الدنيا" (from women of the world), as mentioned in Mirqaat Mafateeh (Daarul Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya Beirut, Lebanon; 2001, vol. 3 pg 532) while quoting Tabrani رحمة اللہ علیه. Also, in Durrul Manthur (Markaz Hajar li al-Buhuth wa al-Dirasaat al-'Arabiyyah wa al-Islamiyyah; 2003, vol.1 pg 214) a Hadith is quoted which is as such: وأخرج ابن السكن في المعرفة وابن عساكر في تاريخه عن حاطب بن أبي بلتعة سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول " يزوّج المؤمن في الجنة اثنتين وسبعين زوجة سبعين من نساء الآخرة، واثنتين من نساء الدنيا۔ Rasulullah ﷺ said, “The Believer will get married in Jannah to 72 wives. 70 (of them) will be from women of the Aakhirah and 2 from women of the world.” Some have given their explanation that this addition of “from women of the world” was added by the narrator as part of his understanding regarding who these wives will be. Some others have also stated that all the Ahadith give the conclusion that at first the majority of the people in Hell will be women. Afterwards when their punishment is over, they will enter Jannah and this is how the woman population of Jannah will now be more compared to men and it will be possible for a person to have more than one wife from the women of the world. Others have given more explanations to this and thus Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri رحمة اللہ علیه writes in Faydhul Bari (Darul Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon; vol. 4 pg 320): قلت: و هذه مشاهدة النبي ﷺ في هذا الوقت, فعلهن كن إذ ذاك أكثرها, و ليس فيه بيان حكم جميع النساء, و لا مشاهدة جميع الأزمان “I say, ‘This is what the Prophet ﷺ saw at that time, so perhaps till then, they were majority of the people in Hell and neither does it include any general ruling on all the women, nor does it indicate the seeing of women of all times.’” Another explanation is that it will be a possibility for majority to be women but then Allah will forgive them and they will thus enter Jannah. This is seen in Mirqaat Mafateeh (Daarul Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya Beirut, Lebanon; 2001, vol. 3 pg 532) as follows: أو المراد انهن [الأكثر] اهلها بالقوة ثم يعفو الله عنهن هذا “Or it means that these people (the majority) of Hell are such ‘bil-Quwwa’ and then Allah forgives them.” Some would then say that these explanations contradict yet another Hadith in Sahih Muslim which is as follows: حدثنا عبيد الله بن معاذ حدثنا أبي حدثنا شعبة عن أبي التياح قال كان لمطرف بن عبد الله امرأتان فجاء من عند إحداهما فقالت الأخرى جئت من عند فلانة فقال جئت من عند عمران بن حصين فحدثنا أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إن أقل ساكني الجنة النساء “Rasulullah ﷺ said, “Amongst the inmates of Paradise the women would form a minority.” - (Muslim; Kitabul Riqaq, Chapter of Majority of People of Jannah are the Poor and Majority of the People of Hell are Women and Fitnah by Women) Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani رحمة اللہ علیه answers this objection and writes in Fathul Bari (Darul Ma’rifah, Beirut; vol.6 pg 325): و يحتمل أن يكون الراوي رواه بالمعنى الذي فهمه من أن كونهن اكثر ساكني النار يلزم منه أن يكن اقل ساكني الجنة “And it is possible that the narrator of this Hadith narrated it because he had understood (from another Hadith which stated that) as most of the people of Hell were women, thus they necessarily had to be least in Jannah” Thus the objection is explained away by Hafidh رحمة اللہ علیه that the narrator narrated this Hadith ‘bil-Ma’na’ as per his understanding from another Hadith. It should be understood that this issue is not as plain as reading one Hadith and thinking that one has reached an understanding of that topic. It is often seen in Muslims, especially in this day and age of the internet where they have access to a whole lot of information without proper knowledge, that they read something from here and something from there and think they have learnt the topic. We have seen how there are a number of Ahadith on this topic and some seem contradictory. In order to reconcile these Ahadith, the great scholars of Islam have offered a number of explanations for these Ahadith so that one can understand the true picture. For a moment we will say that Ahadith teach that the majority of the dwellers of Hell will be women. Even if this is true, there should be no contention in this matter. One of the two had to be more in Hell, either the men or the women. It is just as such that women are the majority. If men had been the majority then people would have questioned ‘why are men the majority?’ It is thus not any ‘flaw’ of Islam that women will form the majority but rather the flaw of the way man thinks about what is stated. Secondly to think that this is something which gives men superiority over the women is rather ridiculous. A man who may boast his superiority and lack behind in following the deen and be sinful will end up in Hell along with everyone else. One has to worry about themselves rather than worrying about others. Will this man then point finger at his mother, sister, wife and daughter and be happy that they have a “better chance” of being in Hell? Every man and woman has been given the opportunity to save themselves from being the dwellers of Hell and they should grasp this opportunity instead of worrying how many percentage of women and how many of men will end up in Hell. How about worrying about how much we have done to ensure our entrance into Jannah. Rasulullah ﷺ, along with the reason has also mentioned a cure. The reason he gave are a matter of nature of women. Now a woman might say, ‘but this is not true as I do not have those qualities.’ Her statement that she does not have those qualities might be true but on what basis can she say that all the women Rasulullah ﷺ saw in Hell for this quality did not have those two qualities in them? The best course of action for one to take is to simply avoid cursing as well as showing ingratitude. Apart from this, one should also give charity as that helps cleanse our ill-doings. These cures have been mentioned by Rasulullah ﷺ for our benefit and one should focus on securing their Hereafter by using the antidote given to us. Just like when a person is affected by some illness or born with some deficiency, he goes to the doctor for the cure and when a cure is advised then the person ensures to act upon it. So even if we state that all women till the end of time were created with this nature of cursing and showing ingratitude, the cure is mentioned and one should use it. Why do we waste time arguing over this instead of securing our Aakhirah? However, as stated before, scholars have explained the seeming contradictions in the Ahadith in a number of ways. Four such explanations were mentioned above and will be repeated in a summarized manner below. First is that scholars have maintained that it is possible that initially the majority of people in Hell would be women and later after they have completed their punishment they will end up in Jannah. The second explanation is that women will be a majority by possibility but then Allah will forgive them and they will enter Jannah. A third possibility is that it refers to the entire number of women from the start of creation to the end of it. The number of women would be more than the number of men and thus it is not surprising that the number of women in Hell and Jannah will be higher than the number of men. Fourth explanation given is that it referred to women till that time at which Rasulullah ﷺ had seen them and it does not incorporate all women and does not refer to all times. All these are all matters of the unseen and the conditions of Hell and Paradise cannot be explained and understood in their entirety with our limited intellect and knowledge. What we know is that Allah is Just and will not put in Hell anyone who does not deserve to be in Hell. Thus it is better to worry about our doings and not give much thought on such issues as to who will be more in Hell and who will be more in Jannah. May Allah, by His Mercy, save us from the Hellfire and grant us Jannatul Firdous. The Deficiency in Intelligence and Religion Another objection in the Hadith is regarding women being deficient in intelligence and religion. The concerned part of the Hadith is reproduced below: “(Rasulullah ﷺ said), ‘I have not seen anyone more deficient in intellect or deen. Yet the mind of even a resolute man might be swept away by one of you.' They said, 'In what way is our deen and intellect deficient, Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'Is not the testimony of a woman worth only half that of a man?' They said, 'Yes.' He said, 'That is how your intellect is deficient. Is it not so that when a woman is menstruating, she neither prays nor fasts?' They said, 'Yes.' He said, 'That is how her deen is deficient.'” – (Bukhari; Book of Menstruation, Chapter of Menstruating Women Abstaining from Fast) The statement in the Hadith regarding the deficiencies are general and do not incorporate everyone. It is nothing but a fact that a menstruating woman cannot offer Salah. So if a man and woman live for the same amount of time in the world, the total number of Salah offered by the man will be more because every month there will be a few days during which the woman will not be able to pray. But this is a general rule because there are many men who neither offer Salah nor fast. So obviously compared to them the Salah of a woman who is consistent will be more. Being deficient is not necessarily something bad and only that deficiency is bad for which one receives a sin e.g. if one leaves Salah on purpose. Further, even in this ‘deficiency’ there may be reward for her. Allamah Badruddin Abu Muhammad Mahmood bin Ahmad al-‘Ayni in ‘Umdatul Qari Sharh Sahih Bukhari (Darul Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon; 2001, vol. pg 403 و قال النووي و نقص الدين قد يكون على وجه يأثم به, كمن ترك الصلاة بلا عذر, و قد يكون على وجه لا يأتم له, كمن ترك الجمعة بعذر, و قد يكون على وجه هو مكلف به كترك الحائض الصلاة و الصوم. فإن قيل: فإذا كانت معذورة, فهل تثاب على ترك الصلاة في زمن الحيض؟ و إن كانت لا تقضيها كما يثاب المريض، و يكتب له في مرضه مثل النوافل الصلوات التي كان يفعلها في صحته. و الجواب الظاهر هذا الحديث انها لا تثاب, و الفرق أن المريض كان يفعلها بنية الدوام عليها مع اهليته لها, و الحائض ليست كذلك, بل نيتها ترك الصلاة في زمن الحيض , و كيف لا و هي حرام عليها؟ قلت ينبغي أن يثاب علي ترك الحرام “Imam Nawawi رحمة اللہ علیه said, Lack of one's deen may be in a way where one commits a sin, such as the one who leaves Salah without any excuse, or it may be in a way for which one does not sin, such as the one who leaves Friday Prayer for a valid excuse, or it may also be in a way one is required to leave such as the menstruating woman leaving Salah and Fast. If one asks, ‘If she has an excuse for leaving Salah during menstruation, does she get rewarded even if she does not do Qadha just like the sick person who gets the reward for the Nawafil he used to pray while being healthy?’ And the apparent answer is that she does not get rewarded, and the difference between her and a sick person is that the sick person used to pray with the intention of praying with consistency and the knowledge that he will be able to do so, while the woman has the intention of not praying while having the period. And how can she pray when praying (during menstruation) is Haram on her? I say, ‘One should get rewarded for leaving the Haram.’” As far as the witness issue and thus deficiency in intelligence is concerned, the ruling of two women witnesses is also found in the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah. It should be made clear that not in all matters is the witness of two women required. Such an issue on which there is Ijma’ where two women are required is the issue of financial transactions. This has been explained by Ibn Qudaamah in al-Mughni (Darul Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon; 1985, vol.10 pg 155-161) where he has also stated: قال القاضي: و الذي تقبل فيه شهادتهن منفردات خمسة اشياء: الولادة, و الإستسهال, و الرضاع, و العيوب تحت الثياب كالرتق و القرن و البكارة و الثيابة و البرص, و إنقضاء العدة “Qadhi said: And that in which the witness of only women of accepted is Birth, Crying of the Child at birth, Rida', 'Uyub under the clothes such as Ratq and Qarn, whether she is a virgin or not, Baras and the end of Iddah.” Thus it is seen that there are many such cases where man has no knowledge and the witness of a woman is accepted. As far as the issue of financial dealing is concerned, some have explained that it has to do with the weakness of the memory of woman in mathematical issues. Some neuro-psychiatrists have also expressed this but it should be know that one should not be in favor of trying to justify or express the wisdom of the laws of Shari’ah with the help of science. This is because science is not absolute but the Wisdom of Allah is Absolute. It should however be noted that this deficiency that the Hadith talks about is general and not all encompassing. Mufti ‘Aashiq Ilahi رحمة اللہ علیه writes in Anwarul Bayan (Darul Ishaat, Karachi, Pakistan; 2005, vol.1 pg 341): “This applies to general circumstances since there are many exceptions where women may possess stronger memories, are more intelligent or better able to express themselves than men.” Moreover, the Qur’an says in Surah Nur (24) verse 6-9: وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ شُهَدَاء إِلَّا أَنفُسُهُمْ فَشَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ أَرْبَعُ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ وَالْخَامِسَةُ أَنَّ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ وَيَدْرَأُ عَنْهَا الْعَذَابَ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ وَالْخَامِسَةَ أَنَّ غَضَبَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ Those who accuse their wives (of adultery) while they have no witnesses except their own selves, then the evidence of one of them would be to swear four oaths by Allah that he is truthful, and the fifth (oath) that Allah‘s curse be on him if he is one of the liars. And it will remove the punishment from the woman if she swears four oaths by Allah that he (the accuser husband) is certainly one of the liars, and the fifth (oath) that Allah‘s wrath be on her if he is one of the truthful. In this example it is seen that a woman’s witness by Li’aan is enough to be accepted over the husband’s oath. Mufti Shafi’ Usmani رحمة اللہ علیه in Ma’ariful Qur’an (Maktaba e Darul ‘Uloom, Karachi, Pakistan; 2007, vol.6 pg 363) writes: “When a husband accuses his wife of adultery or refuses to own his child as being legitimate, and his wife refutes his allegation to be false, and claims for the punishment of false accusation of eighty stripes to be awarded to him, then the husband will be asked to produce four witnesses. If the husband produces four witnesses, then the wife will be awarded the punishment of adultery, and if he could not produce four witnesses, then they will be subjected to Li’aan, that is first the husband will be asked to testify four times with the wordings given in the Qur’an to the effect that he is honest, and the fifth time will say that if he was lying, then Allah’s curse be on him. If the husband hesitates from saying these words, then he should be arrested and asked either to swear by saying these words five times or accept himself to be a liar. Until he accedes to one of the two alternatives, he should not be released. If he accepts himself to be a liar, then he should be awarded the punishment of false allegation of adultery, but, in case he swears by repeating the required words five times, then the wife be asked to swear five times by uttering the words given in the Qur’an for this purpose. If she refuses to swear, then she should be put under arrest until such time that either she swears five times or accepts her guilt of adultery, in which case she will be awarded the punishment of adultery. In case she agrees to swear and utters the required words five times, then the process of Li’aan has been completed. This way they both have escaped the punishment in this world but in the Hereafter, the one who has lied will suffer the punishment, as Allah knows best who is the liar.” The suggestion that the woman is half a person, because of the requirement for two women as witness in some issues, is very incorrect. Firstly if woman was something inferior or degraded in Islam then there would not have been an issue where only a woman’s witness would suffice and as seen in the case above, given preference over the man’s witness. And if a woman is said to be half because of certain cases of witness, then where man’s witness is not counted, Islam did not even give that status of half a person to man. Additionally it can also be argued that normally two men are required to complete the requirement of witness in an issue but in the case of adultery the requirement is of four men. Then one should also say that man is half a person as well. Hence such arguments are baseless and do not have any ground to stand upon. By not making ‘equal’ the witness of one woman to one man in certain cases, there is yet wisdom of Allah. It is not easy to go through the process of being a witness, becoming an enemy of the person against whom one is becoming a witness and at times even travel from one city to another to give the shahadah. These are all stressful and difficult matters and Allah has relieved the woman from such difficulties otherwise it would have been obligatory for the woman to go through all such hurdles to give testimony as Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah (2) verse 283: …وَلاَ تَكْتُمُواْ الشَّهَادَةَ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ… “…Do not conceal testimony. Whoever conceals it, his heart is surely, sinful…” In another Hadith, in Muwatta Imam Malik as well as in Sahih Muslim, it is stated: حدثنا يحيى عن مالك عن عبد الله بن أبي بكر بن محمد بن عمرو بن حزم عن أبيه عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن عثمان عن أبي عمرة الأنصاري عن زيد بن خالد الجهني أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ألا أخبركم بخير الشهداء الذي يأتي بشهادته قبل أن يسألها أو يخبر بشهادته قبل أن يسألها۔ موطأ مالك، كِتَاب الْأَقْضِيَةِ، بَاب مَا جَاءَ فِي الشَّهَادَاتِ Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Shall I not tell you who is the best of witnesses? The one who brings his testimony before he is asked for it, or tells his testimony before he is asked for it." – (Muwatta Imam Malik; Book of Judgments, Chapter of Testimonies) Another Hadith narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash’ari says, قال رسول اللہ ﷺ من کتم شھادة اذا دعی الیھا کان کمن شھد بالزور۔ جمع الفوائد بحواله طبرانی صفه ۲٦ جلد ١ Rasulullah ﷺ said, “Whosoever is called to give witness and then he conceals it, it is as if he has given false witness.” – (Jama’ul Fawa’id with reference to Tabrani, vol.1 pg 26) It is but for their ease and comfort that the responsibility of certain things are not put on their shoulders unless there is a necessity. Where the burden and responsibility is put on the shoulders of one man, there it has been divided among two women. Conclusion We live a short life in this world and have a limited amount of time to do good deeds to secure a place in Jannah with the Mercy of Allah. However, we spend that time dwelling over questions which have no productive effect on our deeds and in no way help us in the Hereafter. The history of Islam is full of women with great achievements in different fields. On the witness of one woman, ‘Ayesha رضی اللہ عنھا, we have a great many number of Ahadith on which many rulings of fiqh are based. Hasan al-Basri رحمة اللہ علیه narrated from his mother Khayrah رحمة اللہ علیھا, a woman. Al-Aqd ath-Thanein mentions Zulaykha bint Ilyas al-Wa’iz رحمة اللہ علیھا who narrated from the scholars of Makkah and earned dual blessings of worship and narration of Hadith. There are many such examples of great women in Islamic history who excelled in their fields. Our time should not be wasted on contemplating how the Hereafter will be. Its state will be seen once we are there but while we are here let us not waste time on asking the question ‘Who will be in Jannah or Jahannam?’ but let us all ask ourselves ‘Will I be in Jannah or Jahannam?’ واللہ اعلم Source

By Mufti Taqi Usmani Translated by Ebrahim Saifuddin Question: On what types of socks is Masah permissible? What do 'Ulema of Islam say regarding this? a) As far as masah on leather socks is concerned, in this matter the opinion of permissibility is almost unanimous. However, there is some difference regarding masah on socks made out of wool, cotton, nylon etc. Some put conditions to the permissibility of masah on such socks. One famous personality of present times says that masah on socks of all types is permissible without any restrictions. b) Below is what this famous personality says regarding the conditions which fuqaha (jurists) have placed on the permissibility of masah on such socks: “I have tried to find the basis for such conditions but I could not find anything in the Sunnah. From Sunnah it is established that the prophet Muhammad (saw) did masah on socks and shoes. Apart from Nasai, Book of Sunan and Musnad Ahmed relate from Mugheera Ibn Sha'bah that prophet Muhammad (saw) performed wudhu (ablution) and did masah on his socks and shoes (masah 'ala al-jurbain wa al-na'layn). Abu Dawood says that Ali (ra), Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra), Bara' ibn 'azab (ra), Anas ibn Malik (ra), Abu Amamah (ra), Suhail bin Sa'd (ra) and 'Umar bin Harith (ra) all did masah on socks and this act is also related from 'Umar (ra) and 'Abbas (ra). Furthermore Baihaqi relates from Ibn 'Abbas (ra) and Anas bin Malik (ra) and Tahawi relates from Ovais ibn Aus that prophet Muhammad (saw) performed masah only on his shoes. There is no mention of socks in these narrations and the same act is narrated by 'Ali (ra). These narrations prove that not only is masah on socks permissible but masah on shoes worn on socks is also permissible. None of these narrations mention the prophet Muhammad (saw) had put conditions on performing masah like fuqaha have put conditions. Moreover none of these narrations mention the material out of which the socks were made on which the prophet Muhammad (saw) and Sahabah (Companions) did masah. Because of this I am compelled to say that there is no basis for the conditions which the fuqaha have put on masah of socks and thus if anyone does not follow their conditions then he will not be sinful. The summary of this research is that masah can be done on all forms of socks whether they are made of wool, cotton, nylon or of some other material, leather or oilcloth. In fact if cloth is wrapped around the feet then masah on it is also permissible.” Apart from him, Allama Ibn Taymiyyah has also given the same fatwa in volume 2 of his fatawa book. Hafiz ibn Qayyim and Allama Ibn Hazm have the same ruling that masah can be performed on any type of socks without any restriction. Answer: None of the Imams and Mujtahideen have regarded it permissible to do masah on the type of wollen, cotton and nylon socks that are available today. You have understood it incorrectly that there is a difference of opinion regarding this matter. In fact the opinion of impermissibility is unanimous regarding such thin socks. This is what Malik al 'Ulema Kasani رحمة اللہ علیہ writes: “So if socks are so thin that water can be strained through them then as per ijma masah on them is impermissible.” (Bada'i al-sana'i vol.1 page 10) 'Allamah Ibn Najeem رحمة اللہ علیہ writes: ولا یجوز المسح علی الجورب الرقیق من غز ل اوشعر بلا خلاف ولو کان ثخینا یمشی معة فرسخا فضا عدا فعلی الخلاف "It is not permissible to do masah on a sock made out of hair Ghazl (i.e. cotton, wool etc) and that is without any disagreement among the 'ulema. If the sock is thick and it is possible to walk with it about 3 miles, then there is a disagreement." (al-Jar al-Raiq Vol.1 pg 192) This shows that the socks which do not have to condition of “thakheen” ( ثخین ) i.e. water can be strained through them or they need to be tied because they cant stay upright because of their thickness or one cant walk a mile in them without shoes then masah on them is not permissible in the madhhab of any mujtahid. Yes, the socks which fulfill all these three conditions, there is a difference of opinion regarding masah on them. As far as Syed Abu al-'ala Maududi is concerned, he has taken a different path from the majority and this matter is one such place where he adopted an opinion different from the majority fuqaha. This is a serious mistake on his part. The arguments of Maududi which you have presented show that he did not try to understand the reality of this matter in its entirety. For your satisfaction the gist of the matter is explained hereunder. The Qur'an in Surah Maidah has defined a method to do wudhu which includes the command to wash your feet and not to do masah on them. Hence, according to the Qur'an, feet are to be washed whenever wudhu is performed and masah would be impermissible in any situation even if a person is wearing leather socks. But the permissibility to do masah on leather socks is given so that masah is done on such socks and this permission has been given by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in tawatir manner and is undeniable. If masah on leather socks was mentioned in only 2 or 3 ahadith then the permissibility of masah would not have been given because no alteration can be made in the order of the Qur'an based on khabar ahad. But because the ahadith of masah on leather socks are mutawatir, that is why in light of these mutawatir ahadith it has become the ijma of entire ummah that the verse of the Qur'an is special to the case when a person is not wearing leather socks. Hence Imam Abu Hanifa رحمة اللہ علیہ states: “I was not convinced about masah on leather socks till the time I did not have evidence for it which was as clear as the sunlight in the day.” (al-Jara al-Ra'iq Vol.1 pg 731) 80 Companions رضی اللہ عنھم have related the order of masah on leather socks. Ibn Hajar, in Fath al-Bari Vol.1 pg 176 writes: “A large group of huffaz have attested that the order of masah is mutawatir and some collected the sahabah رضی اللہ عنھم who narrated these traditions and the number of sahabah was more than 80 including 'ashara mubashara.” And Hasan al-Basri رحمة اللہ علیہ says: “If the issue of masah on leather socks was not proven through tawatir or excess narrations then there would have been no place for any alteration or extension of the Qur'anic order to wash feet.” (Talkhees al-Jabeer Vol.1 pg 158; Bada'i Vol.1 pg 7) Hence Imam Abu Yusuf رحمة اللہ علیہ states: “Qur'anic order can only be abrogated by Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ only when it is proven by tawatir like in the case of masah on leather socks” (Ahkam al-Qur'an lil Jassas Vol.2 pg 425) The summary is that the order of the Qur'an is not something which can be limited to certain conditions based on 2 or 3 ahadith. For this to be done it should be proven by tawatir like the issue of masah on leather socks is proven in ahadith. Now as far as the issue of leather socks are concerned, it is established by tawatir the the prophet Muhammad ﷺ did masah on leather socks and even told the ompanions رضی اللہ عنھم to do it. But for socks made of other materials, no such tawatir is present. “Khufain” in Arabic language refers only to leather socks and socks made out of cloth cannot be called “Khuff”. Thus this permissibility is only for leather socks. For other types of socks, the command by the Qur'an to wash the feet will be followed. However, if the material of the socks are so thick (Thakheen) that their characteristics are at par with leather socks, which means water cannot be strained through them and to keep them erect one does not need to tie them and one can walk a mile or two in them, then there is a difference of opinion among the fuqaha regarding this matter. Some have stated that because such socks come under the meaning of leather socks, hence masah on them should also be permissible. And some have stated that because only masah on leather socks is established by tawatir, hence masah on anything else is impermissible. Now socks are therefore of three types as far as the issue of masah is concerned: a) Leather socks which are called “Khufain”; masah is permissible on them unanimously. b) Thin socks which are not of leather and neither are characteristics of leather are found in them, like the socks of cotton, wool and nylon that are available today, the ijma on them is that on these masah is not permissible. This is because masah on them is not proven by such evidence, in light of which, the command of washing feet in the Qur'an can be left. c)Those socks that are not of leather but their thickness give them characteristics of leather socks. There is difference of opinion regarding masah on them. The gist of the entire matter is that those socks which are not made of leather, on them there is no difference in the mujtahideen regarding lack of reason for doing masah. And this is due to the fact that the command to wash feet in the Qur'an cannot be left unless proven by tawatir evidence like the reason to do masah on leather socks is proven. Hence the conditions which fuqaha have applied, on socks made out of material other than leather, are not due to their whims and desires but to determine whether such socks have the characteristics of leather socks and there has been a difference of opinion in this matter as well whether doing masah on socks that have passed the conditions is permissible or not. After understanding the reality of the matter, now see those narrations in which masah on socks (jurbain) is mentions. In the entire ocean of ahadith there are only a total of 3 ahadith. One is from Bilal, one from Abu Musa Ash'ari and one from Mugheera bin Shu'ba رضی اللہ عنھم. Hadith by Bilal رضی اللہ عنہ is in Mun'ajam Sagheer Tabrani and the one by Abu Musa Ash'ari رضی اللہ عنہ is in Ibn Majah and Baihaqi etc. Hafiz Zail'ee رحمة اللہ علیہ, in Nasb al-Rayah Vol.1 pg 183-4, has proven both these ahadith to have da'eef (weak) sanad (chain of narrators). Abud Dawood says regarding the hadith of Abu Musa Ash'ari: لیس بالمتصل ولا بالقوی "It is not strong." (Bazal al-Majhood Vol.1 pg 96). Hence both these ahadith are out of the discussion. Now what remains is the hadith by Mugheera bin Shu'ba رضی اللہ عنہ. The issue of this hadith is that although Imam Tirmidhi رحمة اللہ علیہ has stated that it is hasan sahih, other prominent muhaditheen have strongly criticized this classification by Imam Tirmidhi رحمة اللہ علیہ. Imam Abu Dawood رحمة اللہ علیہ quotes the hadith and writes: “Abdul Rahman bin Mahdi would not narrate this hadith because the famous ahadith from Mugheera are regarding masah on leather socks.” (Bazal al-Majhood Vol.1 pg 96) Imam Nasai رحمة اللہ علیہ in Sunan Kubra writes: “Apart from Abu Qays, no one else has narrated this tradition and no other narrator supports this according to my knowledge. However the sahih narration from Mugheera is about masah on leather socks.” (Nasb al-Rayah Vol.1 pg 183) Other than this, Imam Muslim, Imam Baihaqi, Sufyan Thawri, Imam Ahmed, Yahya bin Mu'een, Ali bin al-Madni and other muhaditheen رحمة اللہ علیھم have declared this hadith da'eef (weak) on basis of the weakness of Abu Qays and Huzayl bin Sharjeel. Imam Nawawi رحمة اللہ علیہ in his sharh of Sahih Muslim writes: “Those people who declared this hadith weak, if each one of them would have been alone, even then they would hold more weight over Imam Tirmidhi (rh). Moreover, the principle is that jarh is given preference to ta'deel and huffaz of Hadith are unanimous over the weakness of this hadith. Therefore, Tirmidhi's opinion that this hadith is hasan sahih, is not acceptable.” (Nasb al-Rayah Vol.1 pg 183) This is the value of the isnad of this hadith which Maududi has presented as evidence for his opinion. You saw that this hadith is da'eef and not acceptable to majority of huffaz of hadith. Secondly, if for argument's sake, we accept the classification of Imam Tirmidhi رحمة اللہ علیہ and say that this hadith is hasan sahih, so in the entire ocean of ahadith this would be the one and only narration in which prophet Muhammad ﷺ performed masah on socks. Now how can we leave the clear command in the Qur'an to wash the feet because of this one solitary hadith which has been severely criticized by muhaditheen? It has been seen that the matter of masah on leather socks was only established when the ahadith regarding it reached the level of tawatir and Imam Abu Yusuf رحمة اللہ علیہ states that if the issue of masah on leather socks was not proven by so many ahadith then there was no room to leave out the washing of feet as commanded by the Qur'an. The command of masah on socks is only mentioned in 3 ahadith. 2 of them have been unanimously declared da'eef and the third one is declared da'eef by the majority of muhaditheen. Only Imam Tirmidhi رحمة اللہ علیہ classified it as sahih. On the basis of such a narration, no restriction can be placed on a command by the Qur'an. Thus Imam Abu Bakr Jassas رحمة اللہ علیہ says: “The reality of the matter is the verse refers to washing the feet like stated earlier. Hence, if it was not proven through mutawatir ahadith of prophet Muhammad (saw) regarding masah of leather socks, then we would never have said that masah on leather socks is permissible.....and because masah on socks (made out of cloth) are not related in the same manner like the one regarding leather socks, thus here we have upheld the order in the Qur'anic verse to wash the feet.” (Ahkam al-Qur'an lil Jassas Vol.2 pg 428) Now the question remains that those Sahabah رضی اللہ عنھم who performed masah on socks or permitted it, for what reason did they do this. The answer is that the Sahabah رضی اللہ عنھم did not state anywhere that these socks were made of thin cloth material. And unless this is not stated anywhere then how can one prove the permissibility of doing masah on these socks? The famous 'alim of ahl-e-hadith Allama Shams-ul-Haq Azeem Abadi writes: “Socks are made of leather, wool, cotton and all of them are called 'socks'. And masah on any type of socks cannot be proven until it is not proven that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did masah on wollen socks.” ('Awn al-Ma'bood Vol.1 pg 62) On the contrary it is proven that these people who did masah on socks, they were either made of leather or were like leather socks because of their thickness and they had the characteristics of leather socks. This is why Ibn Abi Sheeba رحمة اللہ علیہ narrates: “Sa'eed bin Museet and Hasan Basri رحمة اللہ عنھما said that masah on socks is permissible on the condition that they are very thick.” (Musanif ibn Abi Sheeba Vol.1 pg 188) It is to be noted that the words in the narration is Thawb Safeeq (ثوب صفیق) which means that cloth which is highly strong, durable and firm. For reference please check Qamoos and Mukhtaar al-Sahaah etc. Hasan Basri and Sa'eed bin al-Museeb رحمة اللہ عنھما both were famous and prominent tab'een and they gave this fatwa after witnessing the act practiced by the Sahabah رضی اللہ عنھم. Hence, by the practice of these people and their fatwa, it is established that those socks which due to their thickness have similar characteristics of leather socks, masah on them is permissible. And to clarify this thickness of the socks, I have mentioned the 3 conditions: that water cannot be strained through them, they would stay erect due to their thickness and thus need not be tied, and third that one can walk a mile or two wearing them. Such socks fall under the same category of leather socks and based on this, as well as the actions of the Sahabah رضی اللہ عنھم, the majority of the fuqaha have included them in the ruling of masah on leather socks. Hence Allama Ibn al-Hamaam رحمة اللہ علیہ writes: “There is not doubt the permissibility of masah on leather socks was established without qiyas and hence qiyas of anything else cannot be done on them except if they enter the meaning of leather socks and by Khufeen, such socks are meant which have covered the feet completely and it would be possible to continuously walk in them during travelling.” (Fath al-Qadeer Vol.1 pg 109) So it is incorrect to state permissibility to do masah on any type of socks is established in hadith and thus the fuqaha who put conditions on them are wrong and did it just by themselves without any evidence. The reality of the matter is that the command to wash feet cannot be left unless it is proven through mutawatir ahadith. Because such ahadith were present in the case of leather socks, hence masah was allowed in its case. But regarding socks of any other material, no such hadith is present that can be unanimously declared sahih hence masah on them cannot be allowed except for those socks which fall under the same category of leather socks because of their characteristics. And because from the Sahabah رضی اللہ عنھم and tab'een رحمة اللہ علیھم, masah on such socks was established, hence majority of fuqaha permitted it and defined the 3 conditions which would prove something to fall under the same category as leather socks. Thus ijma of all mujtahideen is held. As far as Ibn Hazm and Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim رحمة اللہ علیھم are concerned, their high status is in its place but they have taken positions contrary to the majority in many matters which the Ummah have rejected. Especially in this matter where they have provided no evidence for their ruling. Hence on the basis of an opinion from only these 3 people against the unanimous opinion from all others, the command of the Qur'an to wash the feet cannot be left out. And there is absolutely no basis whatsoever for the “ijtihad” of wrapping cloth around feet and doing masah on them. Allegations are raised against fuqaha by some that they have no evidence for their ruling even though you have witnessed the undeniable evidence in this reply. On the other hand these same people do their own “ijtihad” in which you can wrap your feet with a cloth for no reason and do masah on them. Is there any source for this to omit the command of the Qur'an to wash feet? The extract which you presented of Maududi has the issue of masah on shoes also in it. So now the reality of that matter will be discussed in short here in the end. If socks are thick then there are fuqaha who agree to the legality of performing masah on them. However, masah on shoes is not permissible in any madhhab of the imams. In Ma'ruf ul San Vol.1 pg 347 it is written: “None of the imams agreed on the permissibility of doing masah on shoes.” The reason for this is that masah on shoes is proven by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at such a time when he ﷺ was already in a state of wudhu and would do a new wudhu for a new salah. In such a condition, because he ﷺ was already in a state of wudhu, he ﷺ would do masah on shoes instead of washing his feet. Thus there is a narration in Sahih Ibn Huzaima Vol.1 pg 100: “Ali رضی اللہ عنہ asked for a glass of water and did a concise wudhu and did masah on his shoes. He then said: 'Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to do wudhu just like this when the previous wudhu was intact and not invalidated.'” After this clarification it is clear that there is no room for a person who is without wudhu to do masah on his shoes when doing wudhu. Conclusion: All fuqaha unanimously agree that masah on thin socks through which water can be strained, need to be tied to stay erect and cannot be used to walk a mile or two is not permissible and neither is masah on shoes permissible. And because the socks we have today are thin and they do not pass the 3 conditions stated, hence masah on them is not permissible under any condition. The person who does masah on them, then according to Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi'i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmed, in fact according to any mujtahid, the wudhu of such a person will be invalid. (Fiqhi Maqalat Vol.2 pg 9-24) Source

A prestigious branch of faith, through which it is carried to perfection, is Ihsaan, as the Holy Prophet’stradition describes it, and ‘Tazkia’ as the Holy Qur’aan states, and Tasawwuf as it is known in common utterance. In plain words it means the creation of real living consciousness of Allah. A consciousness so strong and vivid as if one had actually seen Him, sweeping aside every trace of doubt and uncertainty. When this consciousness becomes complete, it creates a bond of loyalty with Allah, that fills the heart with His remembrance, His love and His intense awareness of His Might. It becomes the essence, the ruling spirit of one’s existence, of all of one’s thoughts, actions, in prayer, morality, social behaviour, monetary dealings and so forth. All that one does is then inspired, governed and regulated by this all-embracing faith and overpowering realisation. One’s external life is completely pervaded by this internal feeling. Ihsaan, Tazkia or Tasawwuf, thus represents the very pinnacle of faith. It is the supreme standard of one’s spiritual state. One is perfect in his faith or not according to the measures with which he is blessed with this wealth. The famous tradition of the Holy Prophet consisting of the dialogue between him and the angel Jibraeel alaihis salaam is a pointer in this direction. The manner in which the term Ihsaan occurs in it after Imaan and Islam testifies to the truth of the assertion that Ihsaan works the ultimate stage in the evolution of faith. Briefly the tradition says that one day the Holy Prophetwas sitting with some of the companions when Jibraeel alaihis salaam came in, disguised as a traveller from a far off place. He took his seat close to the Holy Prophet and began to ask him some questions. The first was, "What is Imaan (faith)?" And the second, "What is Islam?" The Holy Prophet gave suitable replies to his questions. Then he asked, "What is Ihsaan?" The Holy Prophet answered, "Ihsaan means to worship Allah as if one is actually seeing Him or being seen by Him." In other words, the stage of Ihsaan is reached when the awareness of Allah becomes the greatest reality of one’s life and one’s every act is performed under a constant sense of His presence, but although man cannot see Allah, Allah does see him. This condition is known amongst the Sufis (Muslim Mystics) as Huzoori (presence) and Nisbat (affinity) and when anyone is described by them as Sahib-e-Nisbat, it denotes that he has achieved it in a considerable way. When this state of spirituality is achieved, a person becomes permanently attuned towards Allah, and becomes immune to all kinds of doubts and misgivings concerning His Being. As a natural outcome of this all pervading effulgence of faith. In this all-embracing sense of divine presence, all other ties and attachments are merged and they lose their identity in one great allegiance to the Almighty. All internal and external acts such as love, friendship, enmity, social dealings and business transactions are carried out for His sake alone. A tradition of the Holy Prophet on the subject of Ihsaan mentions, "A person whose state may be that, when he loves, he loves for the sake of Allah, when he hates he hates for the sake of Allah, when he withholds his hand from giving, he withholds it for the sake of Allah, he has attained perfection in his faith." It was for this very reason that the blessed Companions radiyallahu anhum sacrificed all that they had, life, family, wealth and everything else. Why? What had they seen? It was because of this very simple fact that they had acquired absolute faith in Allah through the auspicious company of the Holy Prophet . How did men (saints) like, Hazrat Hasan Basri, Junaid Baghdadi, Abdul Qadir Jilani, Khawaja Bahauddin Naqshbandi, and saints of the last 3 centuries such as Mujaddid Alfi Sani, Khawaja Baqi Billah, Shah Waliullah Dehlavi and countless other devoted men of Allah, who were adorned with this virtue of Ihsaan, climb to such greatness, and achieve such spiritual heights. Anyone possessing the briefest acquaintance with this luminous link in the chain of sufistic achievements will agree that what they have attained has come to them through no other passage. Therefore how can we possibly doubt the soundness and efficiency of a system that has produced such splendid men of faith, who may be justly described as the spiritual blossom and glory of Islam. It is evident that anyone who flourishes himself as a ‘peer’ (spiritual guide) is surely not worthy and capable of being taken as a guide and a mentor. However, some sections of the ummah have been guilty of error and folly in varying measures and both of a conceptual and practical nature - in the field of Tasawwuf, one may find many innovations in faith itself. The world knows and accepts that there are both fake and genuine amongst religious teachers and spiritual masters, as amongst political leaders, physicians and so forth, but to distinguish the true from the false can be done without much difficulty. The experts who are blessed in this field with a wide understanding of Shari’ah, such as Shah Waliullah Dehalvi and Hazrat Fakhr-Uddin of recent times, who laid down, in the light of Qur’aan and Hadith and their own experience and knowledge, how to recognise men with an awakened heart and an evolving soul. The elementary test is that, besides being Allah-fearing and having strict observance of Shari’ah, their state should be such that in their company people may be reminded of Allah and the love for the material world may weaken and the love of Allah and the solitude for the eternal life in the Hereafter may be embedded in the heart when associating with them. These qualities should also be clearly manifest in their predecessors and disciples. By Sulaiman Hafejee http://www.inter-islam.org/faith/tswf.htm

This is a compilation of 50 advices. May Allah Ta’ala make it beneficial for all of us, Aameen! 1) Be natural from the 1st day, she married ‘you…’ 2) Coming from different backgrounds, learn to give and take. 3) Appreciate qurbani (sacrifice) for ones spouse. 4) Learn her temperament, plans, inner enthusiasms, nature, character… 5) Let her know your likes and dislikes from the very beginning, 6) What you like, she may naturally like, or create a liking of it in her. 7) Gruff voice on phone, avoids possible fitnah (temptation to others). 8 ) Don’t throw away crumbs / cleaning of pots, be particular. 9) No backbiting, carrying of tales. 10) Equip yourself with piety. This will avoid much problems, 11) If Anything is worrying you, feel free to discuss. 12) Women use nikah to make husband work to ‘shop’. Misunderstood nikah. 13) Ask for her opinion, 14) If you wrong, admit it and ask for forgiveness. By you doing so, she will also adopt this quality, inshallah! 15) Never bring in a third party in day to day problems, 16) Private matters never leaves the 4 walls, 17) Becoming particular on fast, daily quran, zikr, mutala’ah. 18) Don’t succumb to all her requests. She must know she’s under you. Yes, you may compromise, 19) Never shout, rather explain nicely. 20) Never enter the relationship with expectations from her. 21) Take khidmat and serve her as well, love increases. Enter house with intention of serving not being served, 22) Never compromise in religious issues, 23) Her desire is to please you, don’t order, rather say “I’d like to taste this made by you”, 24) Don’t remind her of your rights; say “I’ll try to fulfill yours”, 25) Don’t remind one another of past errors, 26) The more you respect her parents she’ll respect yours, 27) Never lie to her and make it known that you will not accept her lying, 28) Spend quality time with her, 29) Let mashwarah (discussion) become second nature to your’ll, 30) Give a lot of encouragement and have taleem, 31) Sit on floor and eat from one plate. Lovingly placing morsels in to her mouth as well (emulating the Sunnah), 32) No magazines, pictures, opened newspapers of other woman, 33) Adopt deaf dumb attitude if she angers you, don’t pay heed nor reply to words, 34) Avoid intercourse on 1st night. She’s extremely nervous. Start on a light note, it will comfort her, relieve tension, 35) Going to her, make intention of ‘Ibadat. Being a virgin much pain will be felt, perhaps bleeding, be patient, withdraw if she asks. Her comfort comes before your desires. 36) Mention in advance your intention, she can prepare, 37) Sensitive parts: hair, lips, neck, breast. Don’t start same places, 38) Don’t forget foreplay and afterplay, 39) She must move with you to reach climax. 40) To avoid premature ejaculation, stop movement, remove, and take deep breaths. 41) Bath after intercourse. It freshens you and makes you feel much better, 42) Be cautious about love bites, have them but don’t reveal them to others. Such places where it is concealed, 43) Don’t be all over each other in front of others. Be cautious, since you won’t realize it at times, 44) After 1st night be particular of Fajr, 45) Whenever you leave the house, make it a point to kiss her and tell her you love and appreciate everything she does. 46) When returning home, put a smile on your face, make salaam and kiss her. Don’t start by telling her all your problems; she waited the entire day for you. 47) If food is not ready on time, don’t make it an issue. Rather busy yourself with other matters. 48) Try your best to take a gift 1st night. “They’ll never forget that gift”. 49) Never curse the children. 50) You cannot force an issue, she’ll rebel! Mufti Ismail Moosa

Control your self during 4 occasions to be Protected from Shaytaan Al Hasan [RA] stated: “If there are four things present in a person, Allah would preserve him from the Shaytaan and prevent him from entering the Fire: Whoever has control over himself during times of: Raghbah - Longing Rahbah - Fear Shahwah - Desire/Lust Ghadab - Anger.” Ibn Rajab [RA] stated: “These four that al Hasan mentioned are the basis of all evil.” To have Raghbah for something is to want it and believe that it is beneficial for you. So whoever has a need for something, this need may drive him to attain it through any means possible, a lot of which could be impermissible, and the object that is longed for itself could be prohibited. Rahbah is to fear something. If a person fears something he would try to repel it by any means necessary, a lot of which may be impermissible. Shahwah is to desire something that you take pleasure from. A person may desire a lot of things that are prohibited such as fornication, theft, alcohol, disbelief, magic, hypocrisy and innovations. Ghadab - Anger: It is the boiling of the hearts blood to repel a harm fearing that it would take place, or to take revenge from someone who has previously caused harm. A lot of impermissible things take place as a consequence of anger, such as fighting, hitting as well as other types of oppression and transgression. A lot of impermissible forms of speech also take place such as defamation, insults, and evil words. This may even reach the level of disbelief. http://tazkiyatips.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/control-four-to-be-protected-from.html

It is narrated then when you hear the Azaan, then repeat the words. After this, recite Durud and ask waseela for Rasulullaah (S.A.W) which is a great stage in Jannah and is special for Rasulullaah (S.A.W) and he will make intercession from there. So, whoever asked waseela for Rasulullaah (S.A.W), the intercession of Rasulullaah (S.A.W) for him is a certainty. The Du'aa after Azaan has been narrated through various chains (with some additional words in some). However, generally, the following Du'aa is recited, اللهم رب هذه الدعوة التامة والصلوة القائمة آت محمد الوسيله والفضيلة وابعثه مقاما محمود الذي وعدته إنك لا تخلف الميعاد O Allaah, Rabb of this complete call and of this established Salaat, bless Muhammad with waseela and virtue and take Muhammad (S.A.W) to the place of Maqaam e Mahmud - which You have promised. Indeed You do not go against Your promise. For this reason, intercession will become compulsory. It is narrated then when the mu'ezzin says ( حى على الصلاة ), then the listener should say ( لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله ). And when he says (حى على الفلاح ), the listener should say ( اللهم اجعلنا من اهل الفلاح). The meaning of waseela is also said to be closeness and proximity. From here it is learnt that it is permissible to make Rasulullaah (S.A.W) a waseela to go to Allaah I, i.e. it is love for Allaah I. There is difference of opinion with regards to the meaning of Maqaam e Mahmud. One view is that Rasulullaah (S.A.W) has to give witness upon his Ummah. One view is that he will be granted the flag of hamd on the Day of Qiyaamah. Another view is that Allaah I will place Rasulullaah (S.A.W) on the Divine Throne. It is also said that he will be made to sit on the Kursi. One view states that it is intercession. The author þ says that there is no great difference between these different views because all of them will happen at the same time. Alislam.co.za

More info here: http://www.islamicteachings.org/forum/topic/20437-itikaf-q-a/

VIRTUES OF PERFORMING I'TIKAF Q: What are the virtues of performing I'tikaf ? A: Hadhrat Ali Ibn Husain RA narrates from his father that Rasullullah SAW said: "He who observes the ten days I'tikaf during Ramadhan will obtain the thawaab of two Hajj and two Umrah." (Bayhaqi) Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas RA reported that Rasullullah SAW said: "Whosoever for Allah's sake did even one days i'tikaf, Allah would keep him away from Jahannam by trenches." (Tabarani) Hadhrat Ibn Abbas RA reported that Rasullullah SAW said, (about him who engages in i'tikaf), "that he is safe from sin and he also gets that reward which everyone (outside i'tikaf) gets for pious deeds." (Ibn Majah) One of the virtues of I'tikaf , is the seeking and engaging in worship seeking Laylatul Qadr. Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri(RA) reports that Rasullullah SAW once performed I'tikaf for the first ten days of Ramadhan. Thereafter he made I'tikaf in a Turkish tent (inside the masjid) for the middle ten days. Thereafter he raised his head out of the tent and said, "Verily in search of Laylatul Qadr did I perform I'tikaf for the first ten days, then for the middle ten days……."(Mishkaat) WHAT SHOULD ONE DO DURING I'TIKAF ? Q: What should one do during I'tikaf? A: 1) One should engage oneself in tilawat of Quran, durud and salawat upon Nabi SAW, istighfar and nafil salat. 2) He should abstain from all types of sin and guard his ears, eyes, heart, thus deriving maximum benefit from the I'tikaf. 3) The mu'takif should remember that he is the guest of Almighty Allah, therefore he should be extremely careful of his behaviour in the House of Almighty Allah. 4) The main objective of I'tikaf is to seek Laylatul Qadr, therefore the mu'takifin (brothers in I'tikaf) should exert themselves during the odd nights of Ramadhan. INTENTION FOR SUNNAH I'TIKAF Q: In a sunnah I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan, how does one make an intention? A: Niyyat (intention) could be done in the heart or verbally expressed, eg. – O Allah I am making I'tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadhan. BATH TO COOL OFF DURING I'TIKAF Q: Can one leave the Masjid to take a bath just to cool off during I'tikaf? A: It is not permissible to do so and the I'tikaf will be invalidated. VENUE FOR FEMALE I'TIKAF Q: Where should a female make her I'tikaf? A: According to the Shafi'es, Malikis, Hanbalis, I'tikaf can only be performed in the Masjid. Hence, men will sit in the male section whilst females will perform their I'tikaf in the female section of the masjid. It is not permissible to perform I'tikaf at home according to the above mentioned scholars. However, the Hanafi scholars state that it is permissible for females to perform their I'tikaf at home in a place which is reserved for salat. Cognizance must be taken of the fact that women must not be in menses or post-natal (nifas), similarly she must take permission from her husband to sit in I'tikaf. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MALE & FEMALE I'TIKAF Q: Is there any difference between a male and females I'tikaf? A: The same rules which apply to a man observing I'tikaf in the masjid, apply to a woman observing I'tikaf in a place of seclusion at home (according to the Hanafis). The majority of the scholars state that a woman can only perform I'tikaf in a masjid. LADY DOES HER DOMESTIC DUTIES IN I'TIKAF Q: Can a woman do her domestic duties whilst in I'tikaf? A: She can perform her domestic duties in her room, eg. cooking, ironing etc. This is only according to the Hanafi scholars. LEAVING MASJID WHILST IN I'TIKAF Q: Whilst performing I'tikaf, forgetfully I left the masjid for a few minutes, is my I'tikaf valid? A: According to the Hanafis the I'tikaf is broken whilst the majority of the scholars, namely, Shafi'es, Malikis, Hanbalis, state that the I'tikaf is valid. QADHA OF I'TIKAF Q: If ones I'tikaf broke then how does one make qadha? A: In the case of the Sunnah I'tikaf, a person has to make one days qadha from maghrib to maghrib whilst fasting during the day. Only the Hanafi scholars state that qadha is compulsory. This qadha can be kept during Ramadhan or after Ramadhan. START & END SUNNAH I'TIKAF Q: What time does the I'tikaf start and end during Ramadhan? A: The mu'takif (one who observes I'tikaf) should enter the masjid before sunset of the 20th day of Ramadhan. He must remain in the masjid until the sighting of the Eid moon is confirmed. REASONS FOR LEAVING MASJID DURING I'TIKAF Q: What are valid reasons for leaving the masjid during I'tikaf? A: 1. To answer the call of nature. 2. To pass wind. 3. To make wudhu. 4. To take an obligatory bath. 5. To proclaim the azan even if one is not the muazzin. UNDESIRABLE THINGS DURING I'TIKAF Q: Which things are undesirable during I'tikaf? A: 1. To maintain total silence 2. To indulge in idle talk 3. To sleep excessively merely to pass time. 4. To unnecessarily pass wind inside the Masjid. 5. To engage in any occupation, eg. Teaching for a salary. 6. To read books which are not of a deeni nature. 7. To waste time with cell-phones etc. PERMISSIBLE THINGS IN I'TIKAF Q: Things that are permissible during I'tikaf? A: 1. Eating, drinking. 2. Sleeping 3. necessary conversation 4. to change clothes, to apply oil and perfume. 5. To walk inside the masjid 6. To cut hair and nails – these should not fall in the masjid. 7. To study deeni books. JUMMAH BATH IN I'TIKAF Q: Is it permissible to go to the bathroom for a jummah bath during I'tikaf? A: During I'tikaf it is not permissible for one to go for a sunnat bath, like the Friday ghusal. If one does so, then the I'tikaf is broken. WET DREAM IN I'TIKAF Q: If one has a wet dream, does it invalidate the I'tikaf? A: Emission of semen in a wet dream does not invalidate the I'tikaf. However, as soon as he realizes that he is in the state of impurity, he should leave the masjid immediately and perform the fardh ghusal. HUSBAND'S PERMISSION FOR I'TIKAF Q: I want to sit for I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan, do I need my husband's permission, and can he and the children visit me? A: It is compulsory for you to obtain the permission of your husband to sit in I'tikaf. Your husband and children can visit you, however your husband cannot fondle and touch you with lust etc. CHILDREN IN I'TIKAF Q: Is it permissible for children to sit for I'tikaf? A: The venue for I'tikaf is a Masjid. Bulugh (puberty) is not a condition for the validity of I'tikaf. However, the children must understand the meaning of I'tikaf and must maintain the sanctity of the Masjid. Nowadays, some children sit for I'tikaf and one finds a carnival atmosphere prevailing in the masjid which is not permissible. WUDHU AT ALL TIMES IN I'TIKAF Q: Is it compulsory for the mu'takif (person performing I'tikaf) to remain in wudhu at all times? A: It is meritorious to remain in wudhu as far as possible. If his wudhu breaks, it will be permissible for him to leave the masjid for the purpose of wudhu, even if it is not yet time for salat. Similarly it will be permissible for him to leave the masjid to make wudhu at night to enable him to sleep with wudhu. FAST BREAKS WHILST IN I'TIKAF Q: If someone's fast breaks is the I'tikaf valid? A: It is a pre-requisite for the validity of the I'tikaf that a person must fast. Hence, if the fast breaks, the I'tikaf is also broken according to the Hanafis. ERECTING CUBICLES FOR I'TIKAF Q: Kindly explain whether erecting cubicles for I'tikaf is necessary? A: The purpose of I'tikaf is seclusion in order to maximize ones time in the worship of Almighty Allah. Therefore, the cubicle is conducive to the spirit of I'tikaf. Nabi SAW had a cubicle made of straw mats (Mirqaat, vol 4,page 329). However, if the cubicles are causing inconvenience to the musallees, then a portion of the majsid should be cordoned of for those performing I'tikaf without erecting the cubicles. I'TIKAF IN A MUSALLAH Q: We wish to make I'tikaf in a musallah (jamat khana), is it valid to do so? A: The venue for I'tikaf is valid in a Masjid only. Almighty Allah states: "Do not touch your wives whilst you are in I'tikaf in the Masajid." (surah 2 verse 187) Hence, for men to make I'tikaf in a musallah is not valid. There is consensus on this issue according to all four schools. CONDITIONS FOR I'TIKAF Q: What are the conditions for I'tikaf? A: It must be a masjid. The person must be a sane Muslim and could be a minor or mature adult. A female has to be free from menses and post-natal. Similarly she must take permission from her husband to sit in I'tikaf. MOBILE PHONE DURING I'TIKAF Q: Is it permissible to use the mobile phone during I'tikaf? A: It is permissible to do so when there is a need. However, if the person left the boundary of the masjid to make or receive a call then his I'tikaf is broken. Furthermore, it is not permissible to disturb other people in the masjid with the mobile. Cognizance must be taken of the fact that musical ring-tones are haram. BEST MASJID TO MAKE I'TIKAF Q: Where is the best place to sit for I'tikaf? A: The best place for I'tikaf is the Haram Shareef in Makka Mukarrama, then Masjid Nabawi in Madina Munawwara, then masjid Al-Aqsa in Palestine, thereafter all the masajid are equal. MUEZZIN RENDERS AZAN FROM MINARET WHILE IN I'TIKAF Q: Is it permissible for the muezzin, who is in I'tikaf to go to the minaret to render the azan? A: It is permissible for the muezzin to do so. MU'TAKIF PROTRUDES HEAD OUT OF WINDOW Q: Can a person in I'tikaf put his head out of the window of the masjid? A: It is permissible for the mu'takif to protrude his head out of the window, whilst standing in the masjid. JOIN BROTHERS IN I'TIKAF FOR MEALS Q: Can I join the brothers in I'tikaf for iftar and meals? A: A person who is not in I'tikaf should not join the brother/s in I'tikaf for iftar or meals unless he also makes intention for I'tikaf. This intention will be a nafil and its duration can be for a minute. He should engage in some zikr and then join the brothers for iftar or meals. VISIT SICK OR PARTICIPATE IN JANAZA WHEN IN I'TIKAF Q: If one is sitting for I'tikaf, is one allowed to participate in a janaza salat or visit the sick? A: If one is sitting for nafil I'tikaf, then one may leave the masjid for janaza salat, visit the sick or take a bath to cool off etc. However, if one is sitting for the sunnah I'tikaf, during the last ten days of Ramadhan then according to the Hanafis it is not permissible to leave the masjid for a janaza salat or visit the ill etc. If one does so then the I'tikaf will be broken and qadha will be compulsory. However, according to the Shafi'es, it is permissible to read the salatul janaza as the janaza salat is read in the masjid. Q: When a person is about to start his I'tikaf can he make a condition that if somebody passes away, he will go for the janaza salat or visit the sick. Are these conditions permissible? A: According to all the jurists it is permissible in nafil (voluntary) or wajib I'tikaf (when one takes a vow). However, it is not permissible in the sunnah I'tikaf of Ramadhan, according to the Hanafis. Imam Shafi'e RA allows these type of conditions. MOVE TO ANOTHER MASJID WHILST IN I'TIKAF Q: Is it permissible to move from one masjid to another whilst in I'tikaf? A: It will nullify the I'tikaf if one does so. However, if the masjid is flooded or there is a natural disaster etc. then to leave the masjid for another masjid will be permissible provided that one goes straight to the other masjid. Similarly, if one's life is seriously threatened, eg. criminals, then for one to transfer to another masjid will be acceptable. For reference: Fathul Qadir by Ibn Hummam RA, vol 3, page 111. PERFORM I'TIKAF BUT NO STRENGTH TO FAST Q: I intend observing I'tfikaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan but do not have the strength to fast, kindly advise? A: Fasting is a condition for the I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan. Thus, I'tikaf without fasting will be considered a nafil I'tikaf. If you recover from your weakness then qadha of the fast is compulsory and if you are suffering from a chronic ailment then fidya will be compulsory upon you. NO ONE MADE THE SUNNAH I'TIKAF IN TOWN Q: In our town no one made the sunnah I'tikaf, what is the verdict? A: According to the Hanafi jurists, the I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan is sunnat muakkada alal kifaya. This refers to an insisted sunnah which one person can fulfil. However, if no one performs it then everyone is a sinner and repentance is compulsory. Therefore, every town must make arrangements for someone to perform I'tikaf. According to the Malikis, Shafi'es, Hanbalis the I'tikaf is sunnah. Thus, if someone performs the I'tikaf then he/she will be rewarded, but if no one performs it, there is no sin upon them. PAY SOMEONE TO PERFORM THE I'TIKAF Q: Is it permissible to pay someone to perform the I'tikaf? A: I'tikaf should be performed for the love of Almighty Allah and not for material gain. It is not permissible to pay somebody to sit for I'tikaf. Ramadhan Q & A -By Mufti Abdool Kader Hoosen Courtesy of al-Islaah Publications

Question: I am pregnant and I wanted some guidance on purification and prayer during labor. When should I stop praying whilst going to labor? How do I perform ablution? Answer: assalamu `alaykum I pray you are well. A morally responsible female is obligated to pray as long as she is not in a state of menstruation (hayd) or post-natal bleeding (nifas). Post-natal blood is the blood that exits from the uterus through the vagina after the exiting of most of the child. [birgivi, Dhukr al-Mutahhilin] As such, the prayer would only be lifted from a woman in labour after most of the child exits. Prior to that the prayer will remain obligatory upon her. In the situation where a woman is in labor and needs to pray the only thing demanded of her is that she pray to the best of her ability. As such, if she is unable to perform the ritual ablution then she can do the dry-ablution (tayammum) in its place, which can be performed with anything from the earth (such as a rock). Similarly, if she is unable to pray standing, she prays sitting with bowing and prostration, and if unable to do that then with head movements. [ibn `Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar] Further, any involuntary sounds that come out are excused as well and do not invalidate the prayer. Our teacher, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, quoted his teacher, Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, as saying that what more beautiful a state to have a child in than in a state of prayer. Child birth is without a doubt difficult, but the prayer was made the “coolness” of the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and grant him peace) eyes, the “key to paradise”, and the “remover of vice”. It is the intimate link between the slave and his Lord, the place wherein the secrets of one’s slavehood are outpoured, small in number but abundant in favor. We should keep the above in mind and strive our best to fulfill the obligations placed upon us for they have only been commanded to benefit us in this world and the next. Wassalam Salman Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question in itikaaf are women aloud to talk to someone not in itikaaf and are they allowed to play with babies Answer Bismillah Al-jawab billahi at-taufeeq (the answer with Allah’s guidance) Yes, speaking words of advice and guiding others in regard to matters affecting the home is permissible. Similarly, playing with children occasionally for short periods are permissible. It is preferable if they concentrate during the I’tikaf on Dhikr, Tasbihat, Tilawat al Quran and ‘Ibadaat. They should not spend too much time on other matters. Below, are some ettiquettes and information about I’tikaf of women. This is an extract from (Kitabus Sawm). I’tikaf of Women 1. The virtues of I’tikaf is not confined to men; women also can take advantage of it. However, women should not perform I’tikaf in the masjid. Their I’tikaf is only possible in the house. The procedure is as follows: Women should sit for I’tikaf in that place in the house which has been set aside for Salah and Ibadah. If no such place has been previously set aside, then a place must be so set aside prior to the commencement of I’tikaf, and I’tikaf must accordingly be performed therein. (Shami) 2. If no specific place has been built or set aside in the house for Salah, and it is not possible for some reason to so build or set aside a place therein, then in such event a woman may at her discretion demarcate any place within the house and perform I’tikaf there. (Alamghiri) 3. It is necessary for a married woman to obtain the consent of her husband for the purpose of performing I’tikaf. It is not permissible for a woman to perform I’tikaf without the permission of her husband. (Shami) However, husbands should not without reason deprive their wives of performing I’tikaf by refusing consent. On the contrary, they should grant consent. 4. If a woman has commenced I’tikaf with the permission of her husband and thereafter he endeavours to prohibit or prevent her from completing same, then he cannot do so. If he succeeds in preventing her, then the woman is not obliged to complete I’tikaf. (Alamghiri) 5. It is necessary for a woman to be free from menstruation and Nifas in order to perform I’tikaf ‑ that is, she cannot perform I’tikaf in a stage of menstruation and Nifas. 6. Consequently, a woman should, prior to the commencement of Masnun I’tikaf, determine whether the date of her menstruation will coincide with the period of I’tikaf. If the menstruation is expected to occur towards the end of the last ten days of Ramadhan, then she must not perform Masnun I’tikaf. However, she may perform Nafl I’tikaf for the period until the arrival of her menstruation. 7. If a woman has commenced I’tikaf, and thereafter menstruation com­mences during the duration of I’tikaf, then it is Wajib upon her to imme­diately abandon I’tikaf, as soon as her menstruation commences. In such a situation it is Wajib upon her to make Qadha I’tikaf of only the day in which she abandoned the Itikâf (as a result of the intervention of menstruation). The procedure of such Qadha is as follows: After the woman becomes pure of such menstruation, she keeps fast on any day and performs I’tikaf. If the days remain in Ramadhan, then she may make Qadha in Ramadhan in which case the fast of Ramadhan will be sufficient. However, if Ramadhan has terminated at the time of her becom­ing pure from such menstruation, then she must thereafter specifically keep fast Qadha I’tikaf for one day. (Commentary to Behesti Zewar) 8. The place within the home demarcated by a woman for the purpose of I’tikaf will for the duration thereof fall within the Hukm of the Masjid. It is not permissible for her to move from such place without a Sharî necessity. She cannot leave such place and enter any other portion or area of the home. If she does so, her I’tikaf will break. 9. The rules applicable to men relating to moving from the place of I’tikaf are also applicable to women. For those needs and necessities in relation to which it is permissible for men to leave the Masjid, it is similarly permissi­ble for women to leave the place of I’tikaf for such needs and necessities. (not Janazah). For those works in relation to which it is permissible for men to leave the Masjid, it is similarly permissible for women to leave the place of I’tikaf for such works. And Only Allah Ta’ala Knows Best. Moulana Qamruz Zaman London, UK http://www.muftisays.com/qa/question/656/itikaaf-for-women.html

Question When a lady is menstruating, she is not able to perform her salaat, but it is permissible to perform ablution (wudhu). Why is this so? What deeds can a lady perform while in her menses and which deeds can she not perform? Answer Bismillah Al-jawab billahi at-taufeeq (the answer with Allah’s guidance) 1) In the period of Haidh (menstruation), it is Mustahab (perferable) for a woman to make Wudu at the time of prayer, to sit in a clean place and take the name of Allah Ta’ala so that she does not forget the habit of offering her prayer, and when she gets pure she is not reluctant to offer her prayer. (From ‘Heavenly Ornaments’ by Imam Asraf Ali al-Tahanawi) 2) Prohibitions during Haidh (Menstruation) and Nifas (Postnatal Bleeding) During the time a woman is menstruating (Haidh) or experiencing postnatal bleeding (Nifas), the following eight activities are prohibited: 1. Salah (ritual prayer). It is also not permissible for her to perform a prostration of gratitude (Sajda Shukr) or prostration of recitation (Sajda Tilawa). 2. Fasting obligatory or otherwise. 3. Recitation of even a single verse of the Holy Quran: Reading less than a verse without the intention of reciting the Quran is permissible, such as reciting Al-Hamudu li Llah All praise is for Allāh, with the intention of gratitude or the recitation of BismiLlah In the name of Allāh, before eating (Al-Lubab 43). It is permissible to read a word from a verse (Ayat) or (according to another opinion) even half a verse, as long as it does not equal a short verse. It is permissible to recite a verse or more with the intention of supplication (Du’a). For instance, the entire Suratul Fatiha can be recited with the intention of Du’a. Likewise, any other verse or chapter from the Quran can be recited with the intention of Du’a as long as they contain words indicative of supplicationand there is no sin in this. If a woman is teaching Quran to students, then it will be permissible for her to spell out the words bit by bit and not recite the entire verse altogether. She can read one or two words at a time, breaking her breath in between. It is permissible to take the name of Allah, read Du’as, send salutations and blessings (salawat) on the Messenger of Allāh i.e, to recite prayers of forgiveness (Istighfar), or any other zhikr(remembrance). 4. Touching the Quran. However, it is permissible to touch the Quran with a covering, such as a cloth sleeve or bag, but not a covering that is permanently attached to the Quran. It is also not permissible to touch the Quran with a portion of ones garment, such as the sleeve or the edge of a dress while one is wearing them (Shar al-Hidaya of Imām Abd al-Hay Lucknawī 1:212). 5. Entering the Masjid. It is permissible for a menstruating woman to enter a Musalla(temporary place of prayer) or the place where Eid prayer is performed as long as it is not in a Masjid. The laws regarding the impermissibility of entering the Masjid are not applicable to the prayer room which is not a Sharī Masjid. 6. Circumambulation (Tawaf) of the Holy Ka’ba. 7. Sexual intercourse. 8. Sexual enjoyment from the navel to below the knees of a menstruating woman. Therefore, other than intimacy (without a covering) or looking at the above mentioned area, all other types of intimacy and sexual enjoyment are permissible. There is absolutely no problem in the husband and wife eating, drinking, and sleeping together during her menstruation. (The Laws of Menstruation, Postnatal Bleeding, & Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding- Based on the Hanafi school of Islamic law, By Abdurrahman Ibn Yusuf) And Only Allah Ta’ala Knows Best. ————————————– Moulana Qamruz Zaman London, UK http://www.muftisays.com/qa/question/3054/monthly-courses.html

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani As I am due to becoming a mother, I have some questions regarding childbirth. Answer: Walaikum assalam, Just general nasiha: Do a lot of dhikr and Qur’an recital before, during and after your childbirth. Allah Most High tells us, “Verily, by the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” And He said in ahadith qudsi, “I am with My servant when he makes remembrance of Me.” This makes the childbirth easier, and benefits the child. Don’t think of the pain as a hardship alone; be thankful that Allah is granting you the station of motherhood, of which it is reported that, “ Paradise is under the feet of mothers.” Q) if a woman’s waters break, does she become ritually impure (i.e. if the amniotic fluid trickles out and the birth is imminent but not due for a length of time can she still pray?) She is morally responsible to pray (i.e. it remains obligatory for her to do so) until she becomes in a state of nifas, which is after more than half the child has come out. If she cannot pray standing, she can do so sitting or lying down with head movements. If she cannot do wudu, or there is undue hardship in doing so, she can do tayammum on a stone. This is not hardship. Is there a better state to give birth in than prayer? Q) Is the amniotic fluid considered najis Yes. Q) Is a woman sinful if her khimaar slips during labour in the presence of non -Muslim female nurses/midwives. Also what is the minimum requirement of covering during this time? is there any consideration for comfort? i.e. sisters are known to tear off scarves due to discomfort /distress. It is necessary to seek out female Muslim midwives or doctors, if available. Otherwise, it becomes permitted to go to non-Muslim practitioners. It would be permitted to uncover one’s awrah to the extent necessary for the delivery, not more. It helps to have a religious family member or close friend with one, for comfort, and to ensure that no men enter, and that they do not uncover more of one’s awrah than necessary. Q) can she recite qur’an, du,a or durood during the labour, even if she is bleeding? Until she enters a state of post-natal bleeding (nifas, = after more than half the child has come out), she can recite the Qur’an. However, one should not do so in a state of uncoveredness. So during delivery, one should send blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and make much remembrance of Allah. Reciting la ilaha illaAllah a lot helps. An easy to repeat durood that they scholars recommend is: Allahumma Salli` Ala Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa Aalihi Wa Sallim. (O Allah, send blessings and peace on our Master Muhammad and his folk.) [and one intends the whole ummah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), in general, with “Wa Aalihi”] http://spa.qibla.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=255&CATE=87

Q. Please advise on the ruling regarding a woman who is breastfeeding and fasting in Ramadhaan; if she does not fast does she have to make up the fasts at a later stage as well as feed the poor? (Query published as received) A. She will not be sinful for not fasting in Ramadaan due to breastfeeding. However, she will have to make up for the missed fasts at a later stage once she is able to. She does not have to give any monetary compensation. And Allah Knows Best Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed Confirmation: Mufti Ebrahim Desai Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

RAABI’AH BASRIYYAH Also known as RAABI’AH ADAWIYYAH, she was the fourth daughter of her parents. Great saints and scholars have benefitted from her spirituality and piety and many books have been written about her virtues and qualities. The following is my collection of inspiring stories about her. BIRTH The night Raabi’ah bint Isma’eel Adawiyyah Basriyya was born there was no oil in the house with which to anoint her naval. Her mother asked her father to borrow some oil from the neighbours. He left the house but had no intention of asking anyone for anything as he had made a vow not to ask anything of anyone. He therefore knocked softly on the neighbour’s door and returned home saying they did not open the door. He went to sleep filled with grief. That night he beheld the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam in a dream saying to him, “Do not grieve. This daughter of yours is going to intercede on behalf of seventy thousand of my Ummatis”. He then instructed him thus, “Send a note to Ameer of Basra and tell him that each night he sends Durood upon me, and on Friday nights he sends four hundred Durood upon me. Last night he had forgotten to send Durood upon me. As a recompense for that he must hand over four hundred Dinars to the bearer of the note”. When he woke up he cried and then did as instructed. When the messenger handed over the note to the Ameer of Basra he read it and said, “Give ten thousand Dirhams to the poor as a gesture of thanks that Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam has thought about me and give four hundred Dinars to this man”. AS A SLAVE After she came of age her parents passed away. There was a great famine in Basra and the sisters were separated. A cruel man abducted her, enslaved her and finally sold her. All day she worked for her master and spent the night in worship. One night her master woke up and heard her supplicating. When he went to investigate he saw a lamp miraculously hanging in midair above her lighting up the entire room. She was saying, “O Allah! You know that my heart’s desire is to serve You, and the light of my eyes is in Your service. You have subjected me to be in the service of people. I am late for Your service”. Raabi’ah’s master resolved to set her free. In the morning he said to her, “You are free to go. If you choose to stay here you are welcome. However, then I shall serve you”. Taking permission she departed to spend time in the worship of Allah ta’ala. ALLAH’S SPECIAL PROTECTION Once Raabi’ah, overcome with tiredness, fell asleep. A thief entered and took her shawl but he was unable to find his way out. When he replaced the shawl he saw the exit. Again he took the shawl and lost his way. He replaced the shawl and saw the way out. He repeated this process several times, then he heard someone saying, “Why bring calamity on yourself? She whose shawl this is, has handed herself over to another Being. Even Shaytaan cannot approach her. A thief is not able to steal her shawl. Leave it and depart”. HER CONCERN This great saintly woman was once seen walking the streets carrying a pail of water in one hand and a fire in the other. On being asked the reason she replied, “I wish I could burn the gardens of Jannat with this fire and put out the fire of Jahannam with this water. Then people will worship Allah subhaanahu wata’ala for His pleasure alone and not for entry into Jannat or for safety from the fire of Jahannam”. TRUE MIRACLE Once she went to visit Hasan Basri, the great saint, to consult him about a religious matter. On arriving at his house she was told he had gone to the riverside outside the city to worship Allah ta’ala undisturbed. At the riverside she observed the great saint immersed in prayers with his prayer mat spread on the surface of the water. To show him that this was no miracle, she spread her prayer mat in the air and started praying. Hasan Basri took the hint and stepped onto the shore. The great saintly lady did likewise and said, “Offering prayers while floating on the surface of the water or praying while suspended in the air, thus imitating a fly or a straw is no miracle. What then is a true miracle? It is to obliterate completely the yearnings of the heart for the sake of the approval of your Creator”. AIDED BY ALLAH When she went for Hajj she took along an emaciated donkey on which she loaded her few belongings. Along the journey it died and the people accompanying her offered to carry her belongings, but she refused saying, “Proceed! I did not come relying on you”. The caravan continued, leaving her behind. With her perfect trust in Allah ta’ala she supplicated for His aid. Even before completing her du’a, the donkey came to life and she continued her journey and reached Makkah Mukarramah. DEPTH OF HER KNOWLEDGE Hasan Basri ra the great saint would not deliver his discourses even if large numbers had attended unless Raabi’ah Basriyya was present. On being questioned he said, “The drink which fills the water trough of elephants cannot be poured for ants.” LEVEL OF TAQWAA Hasan Basri, upon hearing of Raabi’ah’s final illness, decided to visit her and from behind the veil asked about her health and if she desired anything. She replied that she desired Maghfirat (forgiveness). He asked if she had any worldly desires and she replied that she desired dry dates as she had not eaten any for the past 30 years. He enquired about the reason for going without them for so long and she replied that once while in salaat her concentration was disturbed by a desire to eat them and so she punished her nafs and denied it the fulfilling of the desire to eat dry dates. Hasan Basri went out wondering how he could get hold of them as it was not the season for them. Just then a bird flew by and dropped a fresh dry date in his lap. He immediately took it in and offered it to the saintly lady. She asked where he got it as it was not the season for dry dates. When he related the incident of the bird she refused to eat it even though she had such a desire for them since she did not know whose orchard the bird had got it from. Thereafter she asked everyone to leave the room. No sooner did Hasan Basri go out when he and the others heard a voice saying, “Yaa ayyutuhan nafsul mutma’innah, irji’ee ilaa rabbiki raadhiyatam mardhiyyah. Fadkhuli fee ‘ibaadee, wad khuli fee jannati” O contended soul! Return happily to your Lord while He is pleased with you. Enter among My bondsmen and enter My Jannah. (Suratul Fajr) They went in to find she had left this temporary world for the permanent abode of the Hereafter. IN HER GRAVE When this wonderful lady passed away someone saw her in a dream and asked what had transpired when the Angels Munkar and Nakir had arrived to question her. She revealed the following amazing conversation which had taken place... Angels: Who is your Lord, what is your Religion? Raabi’ah: I shall Insha Allah answer your question later. First, you answer my questions please. Where have you come from? Angels: From the Heavens. Raabi’ah: What is the distance between Heaven and earth? Angels: A journey of 500 years. Raabi’ah: Have you not forgotten Allah ta’ala having travelled such a vast distance? Angels: No, we have not forgotten Allah ta’ala. Raabi’ah: When after having sojourned such a long distance you claim not to have forgotten Allah ta’ala, why...are you seriously contemplating that Raabi’ah would forget her Allah after being lowered just 6 feet below the earth...especially when I had not forgotten Him even for a second whilst on earth? And another point, why are you asking me, ‘Who is your Lord?’ Why do you not go and ask my beloved Lord, ‘Who is Raabi’ah?’ He will reply, ‘She is one of Our beloved servants!’ This reply left the Angels completely amazed and speechless! (from “Ashraf’s Orchards) Even if we cannot be of them, we do so love them! O Allah! Include us amongst them!

An insightful and personal account of why a Western teenage girl would reject the 'wonders' of fashion, and want to cover herself in the hijab (veil). I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a "rebel". I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercing. I do not possess a leather jacket. In fact, when most people look at me, their first thought usually is something along the lines of "oppressed female". The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have questions like: "Do your parents make you wear that?" or "Don't you find that really unfair?" A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such a controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harboring an Uzi machine gun underneath it! Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am a Muslim woman who, like millions of other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear a hijab. And the concept of the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment. When I cover myself, I make it virtually impossible for people to judge me according to the way I look. I cannot be categorized because of my attractiveness or lack thereof. Compare this to life in today's society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of our clothing, jewelry, hair and makeup. What kind of depth can there be in a world like this? Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation upon this Earth. But it is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a strong spirit. It is not for the beholder to leer at or to use in advertisements to sell everything from beer to cars. Because of the superficiality of the world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that the value of the individual counts for almost nothing. It is a myth that women in today's society are liberated. What kind of freedom can there be when a woman cannot walk down the street without every aspect of her physical self being "checked out"? When I wear the hijab I feel safe from all of this. I can rest assured that no one is looking at me and making assumptions about my character from the length of my skirt. There is a barrier between me and those who would exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being, one of the saddest truths of our time is the question of the beauty myth and female self-image. Reading popular teenage magazines, you can instantly find out what kind of body image is "in" or "out" . And if you have the "wrong" body type, well, then, you're just going to change it, aren't you? After all, there is no way you can be overweight and still be beautiful. Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product? How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing? More often than not, that woman will be no older than her early 20s, taller, slimmer, and more attractive than average, and dressed in skimpy clothing. Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this? Whether the 90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she is being forced into a mould. She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising herself. This is why we have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats to vomit and overweight adolescents hanging themselves. When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can honestly say no. I made this decision of my own free will. I like the fact that I am taking control of the way other people perceive me. I enjoy the fact that I don't give anyone anything to look at and that I have released myself from the bondage of the swinging pendulum of the fashion industry and other institutions that exploit females. My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me how I should look or whether or not I am beautiful. I know that there is more to me than that. I am also able to say no comfortably when people ask me if I feel as if my sexuality is being repressed. I have taken control of my sexuality. I am thankful I will never have to suffer the fate of trying to lose / gain weight or trying to find the exact lipstick shade that will go with my skin colour. I have made choices about what my priorities are and these are not among them. So next time you see me, don't look at me sympathetically. I am not under duress or a male-worshiping female captive from those barbarous Arab deserts. I've been liberated! (s) Toronto Star Young People's Press, the author a 17 year old high school student

As Muslims, it is our responsibility to remind and invite people toward the beautiful Deen of Islam. Somewhere, somehow over the years, we have become distracted by the Dunya (world), thus resulting in many of us becoming negligent in fulfilling our obligation of giving Da’wah. Occasionally, we feel that we are unable to give Da’wah due to our limited resources. However, this is not justifiable, as ‘Passive Da’wah’ (meaning Da’wah given unconsciously on a day to day basis) may be provided in numerous ways, regardless of a person’s availability of resources or formal education. Da’wah can be executed by anyone and at anytime. We are ambassadors of Islam. How we behave and interact with the creation of Allah Azza Wajal reflects upon us as Muslims. It is imperative that we aspire to acquire good character. Our good characters and manners will leave a positive impression on those whom we meet. Religious injunctions are not commanded by Allah Azza wajal to oppress us, but to protect us and to provide us with an identity. Hijab gives us identity and weaves us into a community that is “Proud to be Muslim.” Regardless of whether we are alone or in public, we need to remember that Allah see’s us. Let us be ambassadors by sitting with the truthful, keeping our desires at bay, making Shukr for everything that we have and by being patient. Passive Da’wah is relatively easy and does not need a large amount of expendable resources. It is fundamentally the giving of ourselves. So read on dear sister, with an open heart and an open mind. The following are simple ways in which you could serve and participate in the work of Da’wah, Insha’Allah, Allah Azza Wajal will assist us with our endeavors through trying to assist others. Ameen. 1. Your neighbors- Exchanging gifts was a great Sunnah of Rasulullah Sallallāhu Alayhi Wasallam and is encouraged in Islam. Perhaps bake a cake and send it over to the neighbors. A simple gesture such as calling them to enquire about their health can really change their perception of Islam and Muslims. 2. Phone or write to a friend- While you chat, you can help renew a sisters Iman (faith),advise her regarding something she’s concerned about, and remind her to have Sabr (patience), which all come under ‘enjoining the good.’ Allah says in the Qur’an, “And remind, for indeed the reminder benefits the Believers.” 3. Media- Participate in spreading the Da’wah by writing for publications, websites etc. There has be something you feel passionately about. Put pen to paper and let your ideas flow! Base what you write upon the Qur’an and Sunnah and have it checked by a reliable scholar. It will be a chance for you to do a bit of research, increase your knowledge, and it may be a valuable resource for others. 4. Support an Islamic Institute- There are plenty of Islamic organizations that help to spread the word of Islam. By sending them a donation you will not only be participating in Da’wah, you’ll be rewarded for Sadaqah Jaariyah (ongoing charity) as your donation may cause a ripple effect, touching future generations, or it may mean someone accepting Islam and practicing it. 5. Distribute Authentic Islamic literature- Spread the publications of the truthful and righteous scholars to create awareness and promote their cause of defending Islam. 6. Start a study circle- Have you thought about joining or starting a study circle? Ask reliable ulama to guide and check your notes so that you may actively pass on authentic information to your peers. Attend classes where we can learn the Tafseer of the noble Quran and get back to the basics such as Wudhu (ablution) and Salaah. 7. Encourage – Your husband and men folk in the family and make them realize their duty to Allah and the Ummah. When we support and aid their efforts in Da’wah and upholding the banner of Islam, we will be rewarded just as much. Allow your husband time to spend in this cause and help him in any way you can. 8. Teach your children- Bringing up our children to love Allah and defend Islam is our most important Da’wah task! Our children and spouses need to be given Da’wah first. Remember that everything you do to increase their knowledge and make them strong, righteous people is priceless and will be rewarded. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “All of you are shepherds and are responsible for their flocks. A leader is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is a shepherd over his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd in the house of her husband and is responsible for her flock. idealwoman.org