ummtaalib

Get the reply and du’as of the Angels In Islam, we are constantly thought to focus on our duty, irrespective of whether the next party does their part or not. We are answerable for our own deeds, not that of others. Likewise, we are rewarded for doing our duty, even if others fail. In keeping with this teaching, we find that if one says Salam to his fellow Muslim and does not receive a reply, Allah Ta’ala instructs the Angels to actually reply to him. Similarly, when one sneezes and says Alhamdulillah. If nobody replies to him, here too the Angels and other creations reply to him. A Beautiful Hadith on Salam Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: ‘As-Salam is one of the names of Allah Ta’ala that has been placed on Earth. So, spread it amongst yourselves! For indeed when a Muslim passes by a group of people and greets them [first] with Salam and they reply to him, he will supersede their rank by virtue of merely reminding them of the Salam. If they do not reply to him, then those [Angels] who are better and more purer will have replied! (Musnad Bazzar and Tabarani, with a reliable chain. See Targhib, Majma’uz Zawaid, vol.8 pg.29 and Fadlul Mun’im, vol.2 pg.459 and Faydul Qadir, Hadith: 4846 for authentication) Let’s take advantage of this beautiful benefit of saying Salam first, and also be assured that in the event of the person not replying, its the Angels of Allah who will reply to our greeting insha Allah. The Angel’s reply to our sneeze The following is recorded from Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu’anhuma) with a reliable chain: ‘When one sneezes, [even if he is alone] he should still say: Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Alamin. When he does so, the Angels reply to him saying: Yarhamukallah.’ (May Allah have mercy on you) The renowned Tabi’i, Ibrahim Nakha’i (rahimahullah) said: ‘Therefore, after saying Alhamdulillah… one who is alone [or one who does not receive a reply from those present] should say: Yarhamunallahu wa iyyakum.’ (May Allah Ta’ala have mercy on you and I) As a reply to the Angels and other creation. Refer: Al-Adabul Mufrad of Imam Bukhari, Hadith: 946, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hadith: 26517 and Fathul Bari, Hadith: 6221) May Allah Ta’ala grant us the tawfiq (ability) to practice on the above. al-miftah

Giving the wife a monthly allowance Q: Is it necessary for the husband to give his wife an allowance? A: Shariah commands that the husband provide his wife with Nafaqah. Nafaqah entails providing the wife with shelter, food, clothing and the necessities of life in accordance to their financial status and position. Apart from this, it is recommended, though not an obligation, for the husband to also give his wife a monthly allowance to purchase whatever she requires for herself. And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best. أَسكِنوهُنَّ مِن حَيثُ سَكَنتُم مِن وُجدِكُم وَلا تُضارّوهُنَّ لِتُضَيِّقوا عَلَيهِنَّ وَإِن كُنَّ أُولـٰتِ حَملٍ فَأَنفِقوا عَلَيهِنَّ حَتّىٰ يَضَعنَ حَملَهُنَّ فَإِن أَرضَعنَ لَكُم فَـٔاتوهُنَّ أُجورَهُنَّ وَأتَمِروا بَينَكُم بِمَعروفٍ وَإِن تَعاسَرتُم فَسَتُرضِعُ لَهُ أُخرىٰ ﴿٦﴾ لِيُنفِق ذو سَعَةٍ مِن سَعَتِهِ وَمَن قُدِرَ عَلَيهِ رِزقُهُ فَليُنفِق مِمّا ءاتىٰهُ اللَّـهُ لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّـهُ نَفسًا إِلّا ما ءاتىٰها سَيَجعَلُ اللَّـهُ بَعدَ عُسرٍ يُسرًا ﴿الطلاق: ٧﴾ عن عائشة أن هند بنت عتبة قالت يا رسول الله إن أبا سفيان رجل شحيح وليس يعطيني ما يكفيني وولدي إلا ما أخذت منه وهو لا يعلم فقال خذي ما يكفيك وولدك بالمعروف (صحيح البخاري رقم 5049) باب النفقة هي لغة ما ينفقه الإنسان على عياله وشرعا ( هي الطعام والكسوة والسكنى ) (الدر المختار 3/571-572) ( فتجب للزوجة ... على زوجها ... بقدر حالهما ) به يفتى قال الشامي: قوله ( به يفتى ) ... قال في البحر واتفقوا على وجوب نفقة الموسرين إذا كانا موسرين وعلى نفقة المعسرين إذا كانا معسرين وإنما الاختلاف فيما إذا كان أحدهما موسرا والآخر معسرا فعلى ظاهر الرواية الاعتبار لحال الرجل فإن كان موسرا وهي معسرة فعليه نفقة الموسرين وفي عكسه نفقة المعسرين وأما على المفتى به فتجب نفقة الوسط في المسألتين وهو فوق نفقة المعسرة ودون نفقة الموسرة (رد المحتار 3/572-575) Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

Part 5 1. It is makrooh for a person to make ta’ziyat for a second time when he has already made it before. 2. It is preferable to make ta’ziyat after the burial. However, it is permissible to make ta’ziyat before the burial. 3. If a person cannot present himself for ta’ziyat due to certain circumstances, then he may write a letter or send a message of condolence to the family of the deceased.

Is it permissible to have intimacy if the bleeding ends before the haidh pattern? Q: If I bled for nine days last month and this month I bled for five days, can I have relations with my husband after five days? A: No, it is not permissible. Since your previous haidh pattern was nine days, it is compulsory to refrain from relations for nine days as it is possible that the bleeding may recommence. And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best. ( ويحل وطؤها إذا انقطع حيضها لأكثره ) بلا غسل وجوبا بل ندبا ( وإن ) انقطع لدون أقله تتوضأ وتصلي في آخر الوقت وإن ( لأقله ) فإن لدون عادتها لم يحل وتغتسل وتصلي وتصوم احتياطا وإن لعادتها فإن كتابية حل في الحال وإلا ( لا ) يحل ( حتى تغتسل ) أو تتيمم بشرطه ( أو يمضي عليها زمن يسع الغسل ) ولبس الثياب ( والتحريمة ) يعني من آخر وقت الصلاة لتعليلهم بوجوبها في ذمتها حتى لو طهرت في وقت العيد لا بد أن يمضي وقت الظهر كما في السراج وهل تعتبر التحريمة في الصوم الأصح لا وهي من الطهر مطلقا وكذا الغسل لو لأكثره وإلا فمن الحيض فتقضي إن بقي بعد الغسل والتحريمة ولو لعشرة فقدر التحريمة فقط لئلا فقط لئلا تزيد أيامه على عشرة فليحفظ ( و ) وطؤها ( يكفر مستحله ) كما جزم به غير واحد وكذا مستحل وطء الدبر عند الجمهور مجتبى.(الدر المختار 1/294-297) قال العلامة ابن عابدين-رحمه الله-: (قوله إذا انقطع حيضها لأكثره) مثله النفاس، وحل الوطء بعد الأكثر ليس بمتوقف على انقطاع الدم صرح به في العناية والنهاية وغيرهما، وإنما ذكره ليبني عليه ما بعده قال ط: ويؤخذ منه جواز الوطء حال نزول دم الاستحاضة اهـ وقدمنا عن البحر أنه يجوز الاستمتاع بما بين السرة والركبة بحائل بغير الوطء ولو تلطخ دما. اهـ وهذا في الحائض، فيدل على جواز وطء المستحاضة وإن تلطخ دما وسيأتي ما يؤيده فافهم (قوله وجوبا) منصوب بعامل محذوف أي بلا غسل يجب وجوبا، ومثله قوله بل ندبا (قوله بل ندبا) ؛ لأن قراءة - {حتى يطهرن} [البقرة: 222]- بالتشديد تقتضي حرمة الوطء إلى غاية الاغتسال فحملناها على ما إذا كان أيامها أقل من عشرة دفعا للتعارض بين القراءتين، فظاهره يورث شبهة فلهذا لا يستحب نوح عن الكافي قوله لدون أقله) أي أقل الحيض وهو ثلاثة أيام (قوله في آخر الوقت) أي وجوبا بركوي، والمراد آخر الوقت المستحب دون المكروه كما هو ظاهر سياق كلام الدرر وصدر الشريعة. قال ط: وأهمل الشارح حكم الجماع، ويظهر عدم حله بدليل مسألة الانقطاع على الأقل وهو دون العادة. قلت: قد يفرق بين تحقق الحيض وعدمه، وانظر ما نذكره قبيل قوله والنفاس لأم التوأمين (قوله وإن ولأقله) اللام بمعنى بعد ط (قوله لم يحل) أي الوطء وإن اغتسلت؛ لأن العود في العادة غالب بحر (قوله وتغتسل وتصلي) أي في آخر الوقت المستحب، وتأخيره إليه واجب هنا أما في صورة الانقطاع لتمام العادة فإنه مستحب كما في النهاية والبدائع وغيرهما (قوله احتياطا) علة للأفعال الثلاثة (رد المحتار1/294) ومنها وجوب الاغتسال عند الانقطاع هكذا في الكفاية إذا مضى أكثر مدة الحيض وهو العشرة يحل وطؤها قبل الغسل مبتدأة كانت أو معتادة ويستحب له أن لا يطأها حتى تغتسل هكذا في المحيط وإذا انقطع دم الحيض لأقل من عشرة أيام لم يجز وطؤها حتى تغتسل أو يمضي عليها آخر وقت الصلاة الذي يسع الاغتسال والتحريمة لأن الصلاة إنما تجب عليها إذا وجدت من آخر الوقت هذا القدر هكذا في الزاهدي وأما مضي كمال الوقت بأن ينقطع دمها في أول الوقت ويدوم الانقطاع حتى يمضي الوقت فليس بمشروط هكذا في النهاية لو انقطع دمها دون عادتها يكره قربانها وإن اغتسلت حتى تمضي عادتها وعليها أن تصلي وتصوم للاحتياط هكذا في التبيين.(الفتاوى الهندية 1/39) Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

The Seven under the Shade of Allah ta'ala'as Throne Take care of Five... Allah ta'ala's Pleasure with the Youth

Ah, youth! Ask those who are now older, and they may have regrets for not utilizing their time more effectively. Ask youth in their prime, and they may think they’ll remain young forever - carelessly and easily swayed by things around them. Ah, youth! How can we harness that time best? How can we keep focused during our youth and keep the youth that come after us, focused? What are some of the traps that fool us in youth, steering us away, swaying us, rather than keeping us steadfast on the straight path? Inshaallah, in the posts that follow, we will gather reminders that will help us answer these questions to better harness our time, protect us from traps that will lead to regret, and will help us remain focused and steadfast on the deen. Table of Contents Post/Description Youth in ahadeeth Friendships Music Love and romance Youth in Early Islam Parents Internet Haraam substances Haraam fantasizing Suicide Various other Articles Work in Progress......

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St Valentine’s Day Advice for Muslims Wifaqul Ulama Public Affairs (Department)

Q. A Hindu couple had been married. The Hindu wife accepted Islam. Can the revert Muslim woman who had been a Hindu wife marry a Muslim man immediately after accepting Islam or does she have to wait for a period before making Nikah? When can she make Nikah? (Question published as received) A. If a non-Muslim woman accepts Islam and her non-Muslim husband does not accept Islam, the woman will have to observe the Iddah period of three menstrual cycles if she is menstruating, three Months if she is not menstruating, or if she is pregnant, then until she gives birth before she can marry a Muslim man. If her husband does not accept Islam before the termination of her Iddah period, her marriage with her non-Muslim husband will terminate and she is free to marry a Muslim man. (Shaami 3/191) And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best Mufti Ismaeel Bassa Confirmation: Mufti Ebrahim Desai (The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.) Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)

Is it wrong to cry over the deceased? Question Please clarify if someone cannot control his tears while remembering his beloved child who has passed away, is there anything wrong with this? I have read that when tears flow, it is a kind of mercy from Allah and it is not haram. Answer Crying over a deceased is certainly allowed. There were numerous instances wherein Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) himself cried over a deceased or someone who was in the throes of death. Among them are the following: 1) Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (radiyallahu ‘anhu) says, “We visited Abu Sayf, the blacksmith, with Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He was the father of the wet-nurse of Ibrahim [the son of Nabi -sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam-]. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) held Ibrahim, kissed him and smelt him. Then later we visited him when Ibrahim was breathing his last. The eyes of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) began to flow with tears. Sayyiduna ‘Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf (radiyallahu ‘anhu) asked [out of astonishment], ‘Even you, O Rasulullah!’ [Why are you crying?] Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘O Ibn ‘Awf, it is mercy.’ Then more tears followed and he said, ‘The eye weeps and the heart grieves and we say nothing except what pleases our Rabb. O Ibrahim, we are grieved at your departure.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 1303 and Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2315 with variation in the wording) 2) Sayyiduna Usamah ibn Zayd (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports, “The daughter [Zaynab -radiyallahu ‘anha] of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sent a message to him saying, ‘One of my sons is in the throes of death, so come.’ He sent his greetings to her and said, ‘Indeed what Allah takes is his and what He gives is his. Everything has a fixed term with Him, so she should adopt patience and anticipate reward.’ She again sent for him taking an oath that he should certainly come. He got up with Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah, Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Ubayy ibn Ka’b, Zayd ibn Thabit and some other men (radiyallahu ‘anhum).The child was brought to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and he was shuddering. (I think he said, “Like an old water skin.”). Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)’s eyes began flowing with tears. Sa’d (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said, ‘O Rasulullah, what is this?’ He said, ‘This is mercy which Allah has put in the hearts of His slaves. Allah is merciful to His slaves who are merciful [to others].” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 1284 and Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 923) 3) Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) reports, “Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah fell ill. So Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), came to visit him with ‘Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu ‘anhum). When he arrived, he found him surrounded by his family and asked, ‘Has he passed away?’ They said, ‘No, O Rasulullah’. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then began to weep. When the people saw Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) weeping, they also wept. Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then said, ‘Listen, Allah does not punish for the tears of the eyes nor for the sorrow of the heart, but he punishes or shows mercy on account of this,’ and he pointed to his tongue” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 924 and Sahih Bukhari, with slight addition in the wording, Hadith: 1304) The above narrations illustrate the permissibility of crying over a deceased as well as when remembering the deceased. However wailing and screaming has been prohibited, as explained in the following Hadiths: 1) Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The deceased is punished in his grave for the wailing done over him.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 1292 and Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 927) 2) Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said, Leave [the daughters of Khalid ibn Walid -radiyallahu ‘anhu] to cry over him, as long as they do not throw sand on their heads or shout. (Sub heading of Sahih Bukhari, before Hadith: 1291) And Allah Ta’ala Knows best. Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar hadithanswers

THE CONCEPT OF TOTAL ANNIHILATION(FANAA) AN EXAMPLE WITH VIDEO GAMES. Question: Asalamualaykum What do Scholars say on the concept of total anhilation of the self in Sufism? I know it is recognised in other traditions, but is this recognised in Islam? Wassalaam Answer: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. Consider the following Hadith: قال: ما الإحسان؟ قال: أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه، فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك صحيح البخاري (50) Translation: Jibrail Alayhis Salaam said: What is Ihsan. "He (Nabi ﷺ) replied, "It is that you should worship Allah as though you can see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." (Sahih Al-Bukhari: 50) Other scholars have translated this Hadith with the following words: It is that you should worship Allah as though you can see Him, if it is not possible for you to worship Allah in that manner, then worship Allah as though he can see you.[1] Mulla Ali Qari Explains the Hadith by stating: “The worship (of a person worshipping Allah with the quality of Ihsan) should be similar to the person who is seeing Allah, in terms of fear, hayaa, humility, concentration and devotion, respect, purity, loyalty.”[2] The essence of worship is that we worship Allah with the Quality of Ihsan. Attaining the quality of complete Ihsan in ones worship requires many years of training and struggling against ones Nafs (desires), along with fulfilling the commands of Shariah. Before one gains complete Ihsan, a person will go through many stages of concentration, such as no concentration at all, concentration with little devotion, concentration with awareness of ones surroundings. The Mashaaikh of Tasawwuf, who specialise in the states and stages of ones Nafs have termed these different stages for ease and understanding. One of these stages is what you have referred to as annihilation, also known as Fanaa in the terminology of the Mashaaikh of Tasawwuf. Maulana Qutbud Deen Dimishqi has explained Fanaa in his book ‘Imdadus Sulook’[3] with the following words: “The essence of Thikr is total absorption in the remembrance of the Object of Thikr, i.e. Allah Ta’ala. If during the process of Thikr, the Thikr is remembered, then this too is a hijab (veil / barrier). The stage of annihilation is called Fana which means to be oblivious of one’s nafs, limbs, senses and all external things. Everything has to be annihilated in Allah Ta’ala and whenever the Thaakir returns to his senses, he should find only Allah. If in this condition the Saalik is aware that he has become fully annihilated, then this awareness is a contamination of a sort. The state of Kamaal (Perfection) is to become annihilated of even the state of annihilation, i.e. the Thaakir is totally oblivious of being annihilated (fana). This lofty state is the limit of fana. May Allah bestow this rank to us and to all Taalibeen (Searchers of Allah’s Proximity). The reciter of Kalimah Tayyibah should necessarily observe certain things. Minus these, there is no benefit: 1) He should understand what he is saying. “What am I negating and what am I affirming?” He should understand this. All things claiming divinity are negated, e.g. the nafs, shaitaan, desire and lust. Thus Allah Ta’ala says: “What! Have you seen the one who has taken his desires as his god?” The Zaat of Allah Ta’ala is affirmed. This is the conception of the Thikr known as Nafi-Ithbaat (Negation and Affirmation). 2) At the time of Thikr keep the heart brimming with the glory and grandeur of Allah and understand that besides Allah there is no mahboob and maqsood….. 4) The recitation of Kalimah Tayyibah should be with honour and respect. If this in not observed, hardness of heart and denseness of mind will set in. Such a Mureed will not qualify for the muhabbat of the Mashaa-ikh. The Doors of Qurb (Divine Proximity) and Mushaahadah (Divine Perception) will not open for him. Even if someone has reached the loftiest realms of Il-liyyeen by virtue of his noble character, his disrespect for Kalimah Tayyibah will bring about his fall into the lowest depths of Saafileen (the low stages of degradation). 5) Absolute concentration. Focusing the mind with full determination on Allah Ta’ala.”[4] A modern-day similarity of the above can be given to a youngster playing such video games which he plays for hours on end without stopping, to such an extent that he even forgets how many hours he has been playing for and how many hours he hasn’t eaten for. Such youngsters are common within todays society. Consider the following news articles. One is regarding a 18 year old teenager who played video games for 40 hours continuously and did not eat or sleep for two days. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/entry/diablo-3-death-chuang-taiwan-_n_1683036 The following news article is regarding a 32 year old man who died after playing video games for three days continuously. https://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/19/world/taiwan-gamer-death/index.html The news article also mentions the statement of the police that “gamers in the café continued as if nothing happened even when the police and paramedics arrived.” A similar situation can be found in the following news article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2012/02/04/2003524636 There are also examples of people who we see in our community who have a passion for certain activities (such as studying, reading, sports etc) who become so engrossed in their activities that they become totally oblivious of their surroundings. These examples are a form of annihilation, although this annihilation is in worldly matters, which is of no benefit in the Aakhirah. On the other hand, when a Mu’min makes an ardent effort on himself for many years, and worships Allah with total concentration and devotion, he also attains a higher level of concentration and devotion which has been termed by the Sufi Mashaayikh as Fanaa, wherein a person is oblivious of everything besides Allah. It is such a worship which we should aspire to attain and make an effort for. May Allah make us among his devoted servants and grant us His Ridwaan (pleasure). Aameen. And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best Riḍwān Ur Rahman Student Darul Iftaa Cardiff, Wales Checked and Approved by, Mufti Ebrahim Desai [1] شرح المشكاة للطيبي الكاشف عن حقائق السنن (2/ 430) وأما تقدير الشرط والجزاء فهو أن يقال: إن لم تعبدالله كأنك تراه فاعبده كأنه يراك. وتحرير المعنى وإن لم تكن تراه كذلك أي مثل تلك الرؤية المعنوية فكن بحيث إنه يراك حديث کے إصلاحي مضامين 2/64 [2] مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح (1/ 61) أي: حال كونك مشبها بمن ينظر إلى الله خوفا منه وحياء، وخضوعا، وخشوعا، وأدبا، وصفاء، ووفاء، وهذا من جوامع الكلم [3] https://archive.org/details/ImdadUsSulookByShaykhRasheedAhmadGangohir.a http://www.asic-sa.co.za/images/irshaadul_mulook_for_web_pdf.pdf [4] Irshaadul Mulook – Translation: Majlisul Ulama South Africa.

Part 4 1.It is permissible to praise the deceased. However, when praising him, one should ensure that one does not exaggerate or praise him for characteristics that were not found in him. Similarly, one should not adopt the styles and ways of the kuffaar in praising him. 2.The period of ta’ziyat is three days. After the third day, it is makrooh to go for ta’ziyat. However, if a person could not present himself for ta’ziyat within the three days, due to being out on a journey, then when he returns from the journey, he may go for ta’ziyat, even though the three days have elapsed.

Fitan – How to Safeguard Yourself By Shaykh-ul-Hadīth, Hadrat Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh We often hear ‘we are in the era of fitnas’ and ‘there are many fitnas in our times’. We come across this word, fitnah, during lectures and talks too. Let us understand what this word means. The word ‘fitnah’ (plural: fitan) is literally used in the context of heating gold to distinguish pure gold from the contaminated. However, it has various usages in religious text such as punishment, difficulty, calamity, sin, test, trial etc. The appropriate context for our discussion is where the word fitnah is used to mean test or trial. Tests and trials are such that they bring to light the inner condition or ability of a person in whatever field this test is taken. For example, if a person is tested on his knowledge on a certain subject, the test will reveal his level of insight in that subject. Therefore, we can say that fitnah is that which exposes the (true) condition of good or bad in a person. As Qiyāmah draws closer, fitan will increase. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has stated: The nature of these fitan will be such that they will not be simple tests; rather they will be extremely severe and mind boggling. A person will find it extremely difficult to differentiate between truth & falsehood and right & wrong. In this hadīth the fitan have been termed as ‘portions of the dark night’. In places where there is no artificial lighting a person will be able to experience the darkness that night has in it. As time passes, this darkness of night intensifies and it feels like a portion of darkness has been replaced by yet a darker portion. Similar will be the fitan before qiyamah; they will be severe and will intensify and continue to become more and more difficult as the Final Hour moves closer and closer. Many ahādīth discuss the severity of these fitan and our compassionate and loving Nabī sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has warned us for the very reason that we do not fall into such trials. The one who becomes a victim of these trials will be an unfortunate one, as he will not be able to safeguard his Dīn, resulting in being unsuccessful in both worlds. It is for this reason these fitan are also termed as tribulations and calamities. The degree of severity of these fitan can be gauged from the hadīth that a person’s Īmān will be at stake and for insignificant worldly benefits, a person will leave his Dīn. In a hadīth of Imām Muslim rahimahullāh it is stated: Hasten towards good deeds before there will be fitan like portions of the dark night; a person will wake up in the morning as a believer but will leave the fold of Islām by the evening or a person will be a believer in the evening but by the morning he will be a non-believer; he will sell his religion for worldly goods. These fitan will become so severe that they will engulf even those who will merely glance at them. Nabī sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said: They [fitan] will engulf those who will peek towards them. (Al-Bukhārī) Further, our Rasūl sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam advises: ...the one who finds a shelter or refuge [from them] should take refuge in it. (Al-Bukhārī) The question that arises now is what are the things that will give us shelter and refuge from fitan? How can we save ourselves from these fitan? The answer is as follows: 1. Good Deeds One should hold fast to the entire Dīn, carrying out all the farā’id and wājibāt and abstaining from the harām and makrūhāt tahrīmiyyah. Moreover, sunan and nawāfil should also be part of our lives. In every aspect of our lives, from beliefs to worldly transactions, Dīn should dictate our every step. Allāh ta‘ālā states: O you who believe, enter into Islām completely, and do not follow the footsteps of satan. Surely, he is an open enemy for you. (2:208) If we hold fast to the whole Dīn of Allāh ta‘ālā, then our lives will be full of good deeds and it is with the good deeds a person will be able to challenge the fitan as mentioned in the hadīth earlier: Hasten towards good deeds before there will be fitan like portions of the dark night... (Muslim) 2. Have Control Over your Tongue Controlling one’s tongue entails first and foremost speaking good. The best thing a person can do is speak righteous. In contrast, speaking evil or wrong is no doubt abhorrent and disliked, hence we should abstain from polluting the tongue with such speech. The controlling of the tongue and abstaining from speaking also includes situations where one is aware of his deficiency in self-discipline, being that he generally falls into evil speech though he initially begins with righteous speech. It is for such individuals Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has stated: The one who remained silent saved himself. (At-Tirmidhī) Controlling the tongue in essence means we dictate what emits from it; if both good and evil is being uttered then it is a sign that we are not in control. If only good and righteous speech is being spoken, then we are in control. Therefore, a person needs to assess before speaking and follow the principle: “Think before you speak.” This can be achieved by speaking with full attention towards the speech like that person who is being interviewed. He very carefully evaluates every word he speaks. Likewise, we too need to monitor and evaluate every word we say in our day to day conversations. 3. Mixing Less and Remaining in the Confines of your Home One should not leave the home without necessity. This is a general advice addressed to both men and women. A person leaving the home without necessity will make himself prone to fitan, especially where the environment is that of sin. In our times, being physically at home does not necessarily mean that the person is in the ‘home’ as a person surfing the net is in essence out of their ‘home’. Similarly, when reading literature or when listening to a lecture, a person is no longer in the ‘home’, they are in the company of the author or the lecturer. The same can be said for the one using social media or a smartphone. To stay confined to our homes is in reality to stay away from every engagement in which one will become prone to the disobedience to Allāh ta‘ālā as any such engagement will essentially mean leaving the vicinity of the home and becoming prone to fitan. The above two points can be summarised as inculcating the habits of ‘Qillat-ul-kalām’ (reducing the speech) and ‘Qillatu ikhtilāt ma‘al-anām’ (reducing intermingling with the creation of Allāh ta‘ālā) which are points from the prescription of soul purification prescribed by mashāikh through which a person nourishes their soul and safeguards it from deteriorating spiritually. The conclusion of ‘Qillat-ul-kalām’ is that one should avoid unnecessary speech and the conclusion of ‘Qillatu ikhtilāt ma‘al-anām’ is that one avoids unnecessary interaction with people. Avoiding unnecessary interaction will ensure that unnecessary speech is also avoided, as the less a person interacts with others the less the chance to speak. A point to note here is that ‘Qillatu ikhtilāt ma‘al-anām’ does not mean that one leaves mixing with people altogether, because so many people have rights over us which we are obliged to fulfil. It is every person’s duty to interact and socialise with family, parents, relatives and others therefore, reduction in intermingling means that a person does not exceed the limit by keeping the following points in mind: a. To mix only out of necessity. b. Not to violate any command of Allāh ta‘ālā. c. Not to get involved in lā ya‘nī (futile and baseless activity). 4. Tawbah and Asking for Forgiveness When making effort in following the commands of Allāh ta‘ālā, we are prone to making errors. Therefore, it is essential that we repent; and in repenting we should express our remorse and regret by crying to Allāh ta‘ālā. Note: The above three points have been mentioned in the hadīth narrated by Sayyidunā ‘Uqbah bin ‘Āmir radhiyallāhu ‘anhu who asked Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam, ‘In what lies salvation and safety?’ Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam gave the above three instructions. These will assure us of a state by which we will be able to safeguard our Dīn and ultimately save ourselves from fitan. 5. Reciting Sūrah Al-Kahf In the hadith we find that the recitation of Sūrah Al-Kahf on the day of Friday provides safety from the fitnah of dajjāl. In another hadith we find that the greatest fitnah that will come upon this ummah is the fitnah of dajjāl. By inference we can say that if Sūrah Al-Kahf will save a person from the fitnah of dajjāl, then it will surely save us from all the other fitan which are comparatively inferior. 6. Holding Fast to the Gatherings of the Pious ‘Ulamā Holding fast to and frequenting the gathering of authentic, reliable ‘Ulamā who fear Allāh ta‘ālā is a very secure way to save one’s self from the fitan. Such company will give us the correct understanding of the Dīn and also the spiritual nourishment to assist us to combat the nafs and shaytān. 7. Du‘ā Du‘ā is the weapon of the believer. One should regularly seek Allāh ta‘ālā’s refuge by supplicating to Him. We find in the hādith, narrated by Imām Ahmad rahimahullāh, a supplication: O Allāh, I seek refuge with You from all tribulations: those that are apparent and those that are hidden. We should try and make a habit of making this supplication at least three times after every salāh. Al-Mu’awwadhāt, a compilation by this humble servant, should also be included in one’s daily practices (ma‘mūlāt) as it contains supplications, from the Qur’ān and the ahādīth, which seek refuge in Allāh ta‘ālā from all misfortunes of this world and the hereafter. My late mentor, Hadrat Hājī Muhammad Fārūq sāhib rahimahullāh used to say: If we hold fast to these few points, inshā’allāh, we will be able to safeguard ourselves from the ever increasing and intensifying fitan. © Riyādul Jannah (Vol. 24 No. 4/5, Apr/May 2015)

What Happens When A Person Dies It is mentioned in the Quran: ‘When death comes to one of you, our messengers (angels of death) take him (his soul) into their custody and they do not neglect in doing so (they perform their job promptly)'. (Al-An-Aam - 61) It is mentioned in the Hadith - Upon the authority of al-Bara' ibn Aazib who said: We went out with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) to a burial of a man from the Ansaar (original inhabitants of Madina) until we arrived at the grave and he still had not been placed in the slot of the grave. Then the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) sat down and we sat around him. You would have thought that birds were upon our heads from our silence and in the hand of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) was a stick which he was poking the ground with. Then he started looking at the sky and looking at the earth and looking up and down three times. Then he said to us: "Ask Allah (سبحانہ و تعا لی) for refuge from the torment of the grave", he repeated this command two or three times. Then he said O Allah (سبحانہ و تعا لی) I seek refuge in you from the torment of the grave (three times). Then he said: "Verily, the believing servant, when leaving this life and journeying to the hereafter, angels will descend upon him, their faces will be white as if they were suns, they will have with them a shroud (kafan) from the shroud of Paradise), and an embalmment (Hanout) from the embalmment of heaven. Then, they will sit for as far as his eye can see. Then the angel of death (peace be upon him) will come and sit at his head and will say "O you virtuous soul; come out to forgiveness and pleasure from your Lord ". So it will come out as a drop comes out of the mouth of a jug (with ease), then he will take it, not leaving it in his hand for longer that a blink of an eye until they (he and the other angels) have placed it in that shroud and that embalmment (Hanout). And there will emanate from it a smell like that of the most sweet smelling musk on the face of the earth. Then they shall ascend with it and they shall not pass with it by any group of angels but they will say: What is this good and sweet-smelling soul? Then they shall say to them (he is) "such" the son of "such" choosing the best of the names he used to be called in this life. Until they reach the lowest sky, then they shall ask permission to enter, and they shall be granted entry, until they end at the seventh heaven sky, then Allah (سبحانہ و تعا لی), exalted and high, shall say: "write the book of my servant in `Illiyeen (And what will explain to you what `Illiyeen is. A register fully inscribed to which bear witness those nearest to Allah (سبحانہ و تعا لی) (Al-Mutaffifeen - 18), and his book will be written in `Illiyeen, and he shall be said "return him to the earth, for (I promised them) I have created them from it, and into it I shall return them, and from it I shall extract (resurrect) them a second time (Al-Anbiya - 55)". So (he is returned to earth and) his soul is returned to his body (he said and he will hear the footsteps of his friends who buried him when they leave him). Then two angels shall come and sit him up next to them and shall ask him: "Who is your Lord ( Man Rabbuka)?". He shall reply "My Lord is Allah(سبحانہ و تعا لی)". Then they shall ask him: "What is your religion (Ma Deenuka)?". He shall answer them: "My religion is Islam". Then they shall ask him (by showing the Prophet’s -صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم - form) "What was your belief about this person?". He will reply "He is the Messenger of Allah- صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم". Then a caller will call from the sky: "My slave has spoken the truth, so spread out for him from the heaven, and clothe him from the heaven, and open a door for him from the heaven (within his grave)", so it's goodness and its smell will come unto him, then his grave will be expanded for him as far as he can see. Then a man will come to him. His face will be handsome, and his clothes will be handsome, and his smell will be sweet. Then he shall say unto him: I bring you glad tidings of that which will make you happy [Rejoice with the pleasure of Allah(سبحانہ و تعا لی) and delights that endure]. This is the day that you were promised (Al-Ahqaf - 16). Then he will say [and may Allah (سبحانہ و تعا لی) give you glad tiding] "who are you?, for your face is the face of someone who comes with good news". He shall reply: "I am your good deeds, [by Allah(سبحانہ و تعا لی), I did not know of you but that you were quick to the obedience of Allah(سبحانہ و تعا لی) and slow to His disobedience, so may Allah (سبحانہ و تعا لی) reward you good]". Then he shall say: "My Lord bring the Hour [Qiyaamah] so that I might return to my family and my wealth" [it will be said to him "be at rest"]. The above Hadith is narrated by Ahmad Ibn Hambal, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, at-Tayalisi, and al-Hakim who said it is according to the standards of Bukhari and Muslim. This text is the text of Ahmad, text between brackets is from the other narrators and other narrations of Ahmad. Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

Assalaamu 'alaykum warahmatullah Welcome to the forum. If you mean Dhul Qarnay, please see here Inshaa-allah it is helpful.

Requisites for Perfecting Imaan Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Daamat Barakaatuhu) mentioned: For perfecting Imaan, there are certain requisites. These are outlined in the Quraan where Allah Ta‘ala explains three requisites: 1. Nabi’s (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) decision is final in all matters. 2. There should not be even the slightest reservation within one’s heart and mind regarding the decision of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). 3.One should wholeheartedly accept the decision of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) irrespective of the circumstance and situation. Therefore, for the preservation of our Imaan, one simple method would be to make the following du‘aa after every salaah: اَللَّهُمَّ تَوَفَّنِى مُسْلِمَا وَّاَلْحِقْنِى بِالصَّالِحِين O Allah! Make me die as a Muslim and join me in the ranks of the pious. ihyaauddeen.co.za

Sunnah of Giving gifts at the time of Accepting gifts Nabi (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would accept gifts and give something in return Question Has this been mentioned in a Hadith? 'Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) use to accept gifts and would give something in return' Answer Yes. Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has recorded this as the statement of Sayyidah 'Aaishah (radiyallahu 'anha). The narration is therefore authentic. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 2585) And Allah Ta'ala Knows best. Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar, This noble sunnah deserves more attention in our times. hadithanswers

Sexual relationship before marriage assalaam, i love a hindu girl. we want to go for marriage. and i know that there is no permission for a muslim to marry a non-muslim. though i have met with her sexually(forcebly by girl). now what to do? shall i go for marriage or not? and how do i get refreshed? Answer Bismillaah-ir-Rahmaan-ir-Raheem. Assalaamualaikum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh. Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala says in the Noble Qur’aan: “Do not marry disbelieving (mushrik) women until they have Imaan. A believing slavegirl is undoubtedly better than a non-believing (free) woman even though she may be pleasing to you.” (al-Baqarah, 221) Alhamdulillaah you are aware that marrying non-believers is not permissible in Islam. Even if a believer does get married to a non-believer the marriage is invalid and thus living together as husband and wife is equivelent to zina (fornication). Alhamdulillaah you have also realised that sharing an intimate relationship with a member of the opposite sex is forbidden in Islam. First and fore-most you should turn to Allaah in repentance and seek His forgiveness. This is the way to “refresh” yourself. Remember that a sin, no matter how big, is never to huge for Allaah to forgive. Infact, many a time repentance takes a person to a stage of closeness to Allaah that he did not know before. Allaah Most High says in the Glorious Qur’aan while speaking of the attributes of “the bondsmen of ar-Rahmaan”: “(and the bondsmen of ar-Rahmaan are those who)….and who do not fornicate. And whoever does so shall meet with a grave punishment. Punishment will be multiplied for him on the day of Qiyaamah and he shall remain disgraced in it forever. Except for those who repent, accept imaan, and perform good deeds. for such people Allaah will convert their sins into good deeds. And Allaah is ever Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whoever repents and performs good actions has certainly turned to Allaah in earnestness.” (al-Furqaan, 68-71) Allaah’s hands are spread out waiting for His bondsmen to turn to Him, and the door of forgiveness is always open for a person who slips. Secondly, you should ask yourself in all earnestness, thinking with your mind and not your heart, whether what you share with this girl is true love or not. In most cases, what we would see as love before marriage is only an infatuation, that will definitely fade away with time. It would be helpful to read the following dua in abundance: اللهم الهمني رشدي و اعذني من شر نفسي Transliteration: Allaahumma alhim-nee rushdee wa a’ithnee min sharri nafsee. Translation: O Allaah inspire me with guidance and grant me refuge from the evil of my nafs (carnal desires). If you do feel strongly that you cannot forget this girl and that you really and truly love her, then your decision of marrying her is dependent on whether or not she is ready to accept Islam with sincerity. Many a time non-muslims embrace Islam for the sake of marrying a Muslim, but later on do not follow nor believe in its teachings. This eventually leads to endless problems between the families and later on when children come into the picture. If she truly understands the beauty of Islam and is ready to learn its laws and practise upon them, the nikah can take place after she has embraced Islam. Once she has come into the fold of Islam, whether or not she will remain steadfast and strong on this Deen will be very much dependent on how strong a muslim you yourself are. It could go either way. Either she will influence you or you will influence her. If the latter proves to be true then Alhamdulillaah. And Allaah knows best. Wa billaahit-tawfiq Wassala ————————————– A. Z. Pandor Source

Love before marriage? Assalamoalaequm, In Islam is any sort of relationship allowed between the sexes before marriage? I was approached by an older cousin who loves me very much but marriage is impossible for the next few years due to my age and the circumstances. I did not think that a secret affair would be right so I have since turned him down. He claimed that to love is not a sin only under some rules and regulations given by Islam. Was I right in refusing him even though I liked him a lot? And is it haraam upon me to think about/remember him? Jazakallahkhair. Muslimah, 15, UK Answer Bismillaah-ir-Rahmaan-ir-Raheem. Wa ‘Alaykum-us-Salaam wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh. 1) Islam does not permit any sort of relationship before marriage. Islam forbids fornication, and all actions that could lead to it eventually, and this begins by speaking and looking. This is the unique Islamic way of destroying evil from the root. 2) He claims to love you very much, but if you are not considering marriage, it would be best for you to let go of the idea. It is worth considering, that what the youth of today see as undying love, is many a time nothing more than infatuation and puppy love. True love is the mutual feeling that Allaah creates between man and woman through the Barakah of Nikaah. You are still young, and your outlook in life, and your likes and dislikes will vastly change over the next few years. At this stage, you cannot be sure that this is what you want for life. It would be best for you to forget about him, and ask him to forget about you. If you are written for each other, let it happen at the right time, and in the right manner. Do not force your destiny to unfold before its time. 3) Your refusal of pursuing a Haraam (illicit) relationship, was the right and Islamic thing to do, which most certainly earned you the pleasure of Allaah, inshaAllaah. 4) Thinking about a non-mahram (strange) man voluntarily, is a sin. However if these thoughts come involuntarily, banish them immediately, seek forgiveness and make the Zhikr of Allaah. If you entertain them you shall be sinful. And Allaah knows best. Wa Billaah-it-tawfiq. Wassalaam. ————————————– A. Z. Pandor Source

Is love that ends in marriage haraam? 782 people read this post. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The relationship that develops between a man and a non-mahram woman, which people call “love” is a combination of haraam things that transgress shar’i and moral limits. No wise person will doubt that this relationship is haraam, because it involves a man being alone with a non-mahram woman, looking at her, touching her, kissing, and speaking words filled with love and admiration, which provokes desire. This relationship may lead to things that are more serious than that, as is happening nowadays. Secondly: Studies have shown that most of the marriages that are based on prior love between a man and woman fail, whereas most marriages that are not based on haraam relationships, which people call “traditional marriages”, succeed. In a field study done by a French sociologist, the conclusion was: Marriage is more likely to succeed when the two parties did not fall in love before marriage. In another study of 1500 families, undertaken by Professor Isma’eel ‘Abd al-Baari, the conclusion was that more than 75% of love marriages ended in divorce, whilst the rate among traditional marriages – those which were not based on prior love – was less than 5%. We can mention the most important causes of this outcome: 1- Emotion blinds one to seeing faults and dealing with them, as it is said: “Love is blind”. One or both parties may have faults that make them unsuitable for the other, but those faults only become apparent after marriage. 2- The lovers may think that life is an unending journey of love, so we see that they only speak of love and dreams, etc. They never speak about the problems of life and how to deal with them. This notion is destroyed after marriage, when they are confronted with the problems and responsibilities of life. 3- The lovers are not used to debate and discussion, rather they are used to sacrifice and compromise in order to please the other party. Often they have arguments because each party wants to compromise and please the other. Then the opposite happens after marriage, and their arguments lead to a problem, as each one is used to the other agreeing with him or her, without any argument. 4- The image that each lover has of the other is not a true image, because each party is being kind and gentle and trying to please the other. This is the image that each is trying to present to the other during the so-called “love” phase, but no one can carry on doing that throughout his or her life, so the true image appears after marriage, and leads to problems. 5- The period of love is usually based on dreams and exaggerations that do not correspond with the reality that appears after marriage. The lover may think that he is going to bring her a piece of the moon, and he will never be happy unless she is the happiest person in the world, and so on. But in return, she is going to live with him in one room and on the ground, and she has no requests or demands so long as she has won him, and that is sufficient for her. As one of them said, “A small nest is sufficient for us” and “A small morsel is sufficient for us” and “I will be content if you give me a piece of cheese and an olive”! This is exaggerated emotional talk, and both parties quickly forget it after marriage, and the woman complains about her husband’s miserliness, and his failure to meet her needs. Then the husband begins to complain about having too many demands and too many expenses. For these reasons and others, we are not surprised when each party says after marriage that they were deceived and that they rushed into it. The man regrets not marrying So and so who was suggested to him by his parents, and the woman regrets not marrying So and so whom her parents approved of, but in fact they rejected him because of her wishes. So the result is this very high rate of divorce for marriages which people thought would be examples of the happiest marriages in the world! Thirdly: The reasons mentioned above are real, and have happened in real life, but we should not ignore the real reason for the failure of these marriages, which are based on disobedience to Allaah. Islam can never approve of these sinful relationships, even if the aim is marriage. Therefore they cannot escape the just divine punishment, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’aan nor acts on its teachings) verily, for him is a life of hardship” [Ta-Ha 20:124] A hard and difficult life is the result of disobeying Allaah and turning away from His Revelation. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth” [al-A’raaf 7:96] Blessings from Allaah are a reward for faith and piety, but if there is no faith or piety, or only a little thereof, the blessing will be reduced or even non-existent. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” [al-Nahl 16:97] A good life is the fruit of faith and righteous deeds. Allaah indeed spoke the truth when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “Is it then he who laid the foundation of his building on piety to Allaah and His Good Pleasure better, or he who laid the foundation of his building on the brink of an undetermined precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbled to pieces with him into the fire of Hell. And Allaah guides not the people who are the Zaalimoon (wrongdoers)” [al-Tawbah 9:109] The one whose marriage is based on this haraam foundation must hasten to repent and seek forgiveness and seek a righteous life that is based on faith, piety and righteous deeds. May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. jamiat.org

The IBA Iqra Society invited Sheikh Kamaluddin Ahmed’s wife ‘Alimah Sobia Ahmed’ on the 22nd of November, 2010 to deliver a lecture on the topic Romance in Islam. The following is an edited version of the notes prepared by Maliha Abidi during the lecture. It also includes some points from a lecture delivered by Alimah Sobia Qasim (a student of the speaker) at a summer program in Karachi called Footsteps. The word “Muhabbat” comes from the Arabic word “Hubb(a)”, which literally means seed; a seed that every human being has. That is, it is important for us to realize that love (or rather, feeling (verb)) is a function of the heart, just like seeing is the function of the eye. It is natural to pursue true love. The problem with this issue or pursuit arises due to the difference between our definition of true love and what it actually is. What we believe to be true love is actually false love gift wrapped as true love by the media and the pop culture for off late, more than any other time, it has turned into an idea that sells. Falling prey to the cultural manifestations of love (Heer-Ranjha, Romeo- Juliet, Laila-Majonoo), and out of sheer ignorance of the deen, we often get frustrated to why Allah does not want us to express one of the strongest emotions he has blessed human beings with. Such a beloved emotion it is that in the Holy Quran, Allah SWT mentions who He himself loves. – Allah loves the Muhsineen [Those who do good (to others)] – the Tawwabeen [Those who turn to rightfulness and recourse much to Him and His Guidance], – the Mutahhareen [Those who keep their bodies free from filth, minds distant from dirty thoughts and conduct clean from unseemly acts], – the Muttaqeen [Those who guard themselves against evil], – the Sabireen [Those who have capacity to endure hardship], – the Mutawakkileen [Those who put their trust in Allah and His Laws], – the Muqsiteen [Those who act equitably and justly] – and those who fight in His way against tyranny, injustice, wrongdoings, aggression and transgression. On the contrary, humans love women, sons, gold and silver, wealth and the dunya. Those who believe are intense in their love for Allah. So intense is their love that they give up all things that displease Him and continuously crave for His approval of them for that is what one desires from his beloved. Such an honoured emotion it is that the Holy Prophet SAWS has said, “A person will be with whom he loves.” (Bukhari, Muslim) The most common understanding for this hadith is that when a man loves those who are good and pious he will be raised with them on the day of resurrection, and if he loves those who are evil and corrupt he will be raised with these people on the day of resurrection. LOVE IN ISLAM: Love in Islam constitutes the following: 1. Love for Allah swt 2. Love for the Prophet Muhammad saw 3. Love for others for the sake of Allah.” Where true love is one whose basis is spirituality, Ishq-e-Majaazi – false love is based on materialism. Materialism does not necessarily mean wealth and hoarding. What materialism in a relationship means is attraction on the basis of physical attraction (usually the case for men) or emotional attraction or attachment (usually the case for women “I feel good after talking to him”). DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRUE LOVE AND FALSE LOVE Basis – False Love (based on selfish motives and materialistic drives) is egocentric. That which comes with looks goes with looks, easy come, easy go. True Love on the other hand is based on spiritual and ethical basis – that is, you like/love the other person because of his/her relationship with Allah SWT and because he is trustworthy, noble, and loves humanity, etc. Thus, it is important to know what the basis of your love is. False Love lacks commitment and fulfillment of promises. Often in false love, the trend or tendencies are that either side stalls any commitment based on difficult family circumstances, a need to graduate first, or the need to get a job first, or the need for elder siblings to get married first, etc. True Love on the other hand is based on the need to fulfill commitments and promises, and most importantly, the tendency to fulfill the other’s rights. That is exactly why the Nikah is more of a commitment and promise to Allah than to the other person. False Love is the kind which is heavily influenced by the western or Indian, or nowadays even our own, media and pop culture, where anyone in true love is supposedto have fallen in love at first sight of the other person. True Love on the other hand is something which is developed over time. Its when you live with the other person, and are willing and intrinsically motivated to overlook the other person’s khamiyan (shortcomings), and the cracks of the relationship. When you are more accepting of the fact that relationships are not meant to be “pop-culture perfect”. We just wish that love was that easy. True love is more permanent and eternal. False Love is where the person in love is supposed to be a deewana, “madly” in love, and in the process forgetting who they are, and that they have other and equally important things in life to take care about. Such love is based on and comprises of excessive attachment. A US research study done to study relationships attempted to find out whether love at first sight existed or not – and interestingly, they found that 9 out of 10 times, there is no such thing as love at first sight. That is, chances are very few that anyone who claims to have fallen in love at first sight, has had a successful relationship with the person they fell in love with at first sight.Often a person in love is indeed in love, but not with the other person, but with the concept of love which s/he has idealized in his/her mind. It’s like a drug – and just like with any drug, there is a high, where you fail to make sense of, or even look at and accept the bigger picture and the reality, and then after the peak there is a downturn and a low. True love on the other hand is one which leads to a healthy, stable and balanced love/relationship, where the lovers do not forget that they have responsibilities towards their lives outside of this romance – that is, their grades have a right on them, their jobs have a right on them, and more importantly, their families and friends have a right on them. That they have a responsibility towards each of these other subsets of their lives. In true love, people have a balanced life, where they do not excessively need to be with their partner. True love is based on and leads to maturity of the relationship. It is in a Hadith that “your love will make you blind and deaf” – interesting, no? That today people have the words “Love is blind” on the tips of their tongues while it was already confirmed by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) centuries ago. What it simply means is when you refuse to listen to your friends even when they tell you he’s a loser. False Love leads to anxiety, problems and disappointments. Simply stating, in False Love, your foundation for the relationship and the expectations from this relationship are all unrealistic. You expect the other person to be up at 2am if you call them. You expect expensive gifts on special occasions. You come up with fancy special occasions. All of this burdens the two individuals as well as the relationship. Thus leading to anxiety, problems, tensions, and disappointments if these expectations are not met. True Love on the other hand is where Allah’s raza is involved, and thus Allah showers His blessings and mercy on the jaaiz relationship. The same things (special occasions, expectations, expensive gifts) become easy to do, facilitated by Allah’s mercy. That is why, the purpose of the Nikah-marriage is to bring peace (sukoon) into the relationship, to find peace with this other person. According to the Holy Quran itself, the purpose of marriage-nikah is so that we may find sukoon with our wives (or husbands for that matter when it comes to understanding the greater meaning behind this). However, the Quran specifies that the woman is the source of this peace. For all feminists out there, the woman being a source of this peace is not in the derogatory sense, but in more of an empowering sense. And there is really a simple explanation to this: women being emotional beings, have the capacity to understand other peoples’ needs, and take everyone along, thus. For example, if your dad is upset or not at peace, most times, no one in the family even realizes what is wrong and he gets over it and no one ever finds out. However, if your mom is upset… you can complete the picture yourself – everyone finds out and everyone knows. Therefore, the Quran says that the woman in the relationship has the power to maintain, sustain and develop the peace of the relationship. However, in no way does the Quran mean to say that the wife is not entitled to sukoon from her husband. Here, another Hadith’s crux: The Prophet (pbuh) told the Sahabas that when they look at their wives and smile out of peaceful pleasure, Allah grants them sawab, and that when they feed a luqma/niwala/bite of food to their wives with their own hands, Allah is pleased and grants them sawab. The Sahabas were quite surprised as to how come Allah is granting sawab for something that they (the men/human beings) feel the need to do as per their natural human desire. The Prophet explained that since they are in a legitimate relationship, their natural desires are halal for them, with their legitimate wives. False Love leads to haram – in small steps. That is, most (men and) women enter co-education and college not with the intention of developing relationships and all. However, they get attracted to the opposite gender due to interaction, and due to a lack of clarity about what the basis of an Islamic relationship should be, they start interacting. And then they start interacting more; through text messaging, emailing, chatting, meeting on campus more often (outside of zaroori kaam), hanging out a bit more, going out, etc. True Love on the other hand actually leads to halal – that is, true love helps the two people who are attracted to each other realize that they need to be better Muslims, reinforcing their purpose of life. Also, when married through nikah, true love is the one which brings peace to the relationship by bringing these two people closer to Allah. True love is in fact regarded as Nafli Ibaadat, after nikah, of course. Crux of Hadith: When you look at your wife and smile, and when your wife looks at you and smiles, Allah looks at both of you and smiles. False love brings death to the spiritual heart, while True Love strengthens the spirituality in your heart. No person has two hearts with one to give to Allah and one to give to another person. So if it is towards ghair-Allah, then it can’t be towards Allah. On the other hand, True Love brings life to spiritual heart. The mahboob-e-haqiqi is Allah. False Love ruins both worldly and spiritual lives, by distracting and keeping you from your studies, work, and namaz etc. and is thus regarded as destructive love. False Love makes you keep and try to fulfill unrealistic expectations, it ruins your priority list, and thus keeps you away from namaz, roza, jaaiz, and Allah’s raza n short. True Love on the other hand, secures both your worldly and spiritual lives. The Aalima gave the example of this couple in LUMS, where the girl was a top grade student before she started hanging out with this guy. She became so negligent that her grades and academic performance dropped to the worst in her academic history, However, their parents had their nikah done, and now the girl hung out even more with him, but her performance rose up again. Why? Because now that she was doing the same things through the right channel and for the right reasons, Allah’s blessings were with her too. She had peace in the jaaiz relationship and thus had His blessings and support. Lastly, False Love brings disgrace and is looked down upon in the society. True love brings respect and honor. Hence romance does exist in Islam but after marriage. It is perfectly okay to feel attracted to someone, in Islam. Until you can commit before Allah to that person, there are certain restrictions. After this commitment (nikah) however, it is more of your responsibility and your spouse’s right, that s/he enjoy romantic gestures from your end. Without a halaal relationship, if one looks at a na mehram with a lustful gaze, Allah SWT denies that person of His rooiat[Gazing at Allah swt] on the day of judgement. (He cannot see Allah SWT on that day). The points discussed above differentiating between True Love and False Love are not meant to guide the reader with respect to halalifying their haram actions currently! You cannot justify your material attraction to someone by now making it look like a spiritual one. Do the right thing for the right reasons, and Allah will inshAllah grant you what/who you want. To elaborate, it becomes more important to keep the romance alive once the relationship or attraction or niyyat is officialized through nikah, because without this effort, the marriage will go stale. There will be no emotional fulfillment in your life after marriage without romance. And before nikah, romance will lead to haram only. Crux of a related Hadith or an event from the Holy Prophet (pbuh)’s life: Holy Prophet examplified playfulness in marriage. When he was married to Hazrat Ayesha (pbuh), he once raced her and she won. This was an example of the fact that it is okay and in fact your responsibility and right to have fun with your spouse and arouse romance. On some later day, the Holy Couple happened to again cross that path and they raced again and this time the Holy Prophet won, and he cheekily said to his wife “Tit for Tat”. Allah says: “They are clothing/covering (libaas) for you and you for them….” The husband and wife are like clothes to each other for three basic reasons – 1. Clothes cover the wearer 2. Clothes compliment the wearer and enhance their beauty 3. Clothes are almost as close to the wearer as the skin itself In other words, your spouse is someone who hides your weaknesses, covers for you on your weak fronts, while enhancing and highlighting your good points. Also, the spouse is someone who is close to you, when it comes to a spiritual and emotional connection. Another event from the Holy Prophet’s life: To him, Hazrat Khadija was the one person in whom he found utter peace. She was the first person he found solace in when he received prophethood. Even after her death, Hazrat Ayesha (pbuh) used to be sort of jealous of the place Hazrat Khadija (pbuh) enjoyed in the Holy Prophet’s life. In Islam, there is an example for everything that is natural to human beings, as per the need of their natural desires. Human beings need a companion, who they can connect with on a spiritual and emotional (and even physical, yes) level. However, the proper way is the focus of Islam – the proper way to find and commit to this right person is the ways described above. The lecture or workshop was not aimed at young girls alone entering college so they may be “saved” from evil. It is aimed at them so they are better informed and can make better decisions. It is equally or perhaps more important for people in the middle of their marriages, when their kids have gotten married or have begun getting busy with their lives, and the time is perfect for them to focus on their marriage with renewed passion and interest. They are equally entitled to bring the romance back in their life now that they have extra time at hand. When it comes to decision making, man and woman are supposed to look to logic first, and only then rely on their gut feeling, generally speaking. When looking for spouse: Look at your list. Look at what Islam teaches. Think with your head. Then with your heart. Plan a course of action conducive to Islamic teachings. Speaking with reference to Istikhaara. The Aalima discussed that people need to realize that Istikhaara is not the first step. It is rather a step which is there to facilitate you to make your decision,based on guidance from Allah taala, in the form of primarily a conviction in your heart [It maybe through a dream, but thats not necessary at all]. The point was emphasized that Istikhaara is done when logically and rationally thinking leads you nowhere and leaves you confused. This is because human beings by nature have a thinking process whereby they do a cost benefit analysis, at whatever level, and only when they are met with confusion still do they turn to their heart for guidance. Without doing the thinking job yourself first, you cannot do istikhara. Duas: Yearn for Ishq-e-Haqiqi. La marghubi illallah la matlubi illallah la mahbubi illallah la ilaha illallah I have raghbat (attraction towards) of none except Allah, talab for (desire of) none except Allah, muhabbat (love) for none except Allah, there is no one worthy to be worshiped but Allah. It’s a very beautiful dua. Initially you develop ragbat for someone. Attraction. Then desire, talab for him/her. Next you fall for that person. And when you have his/her muhabbah in your heart… you start thinking about that person and remembering him in times you should remember your Lord. i.e. nauzubillah, he/she becomes your khuda (god). Hence the dua makes perfect sense. Another one, Surah Qasas, verse 24. “O my Lord, I am in need of whatever good you grant me.” jamiat.org

Shaykh Binnory (rahimahullah)'s staunchness (steadfastness) on the truth Shaykh Moulana Muhammad Yusuf Binnory (rahimahullah) was never lenient in religious matters. Shaykh (rahimahullah) never shied away from saying the harsh truth whenever the necessity arose. Moulana's dignity, sincerity, academic stature, saintly and fearless demeanour made it clear to the leaders that no one can buy him over or make him say or do anything that he is not happy about. On the occasion when President Jamal 'Abdun Nasir asked to take a group photo with different 'Ulama, Shaykh Binnory (rahimahullah) was probably the only one who did not accede to his request. Shaykh Binnory (rahimahullah) went up to him, held his hand and said in firm words: Allah Ta'ala blessed you with a strong and brave heart. Use it to serve Islam! (Jamale Yusuf, pgs.159-161) al-Miftah

Part 3 1. One should not add to the sorrows of the family by making improper statements or asking improper questions such as enquiring from the close family members regarding the details of the final illness or circumstances of death. 2.One should express his grief and should not laugh and joke.

Life at home ? A woman shared an exemplary point about her life at home: ? I have allotted a name to each room in my house. ? My living room has been named "Tahleel Room", so whenever I am in that room I continue to recite/read 'La Ilaha Illalah' ? I have named my Master Bedroom "Hamd Room". My Zikr is this room is 'Alhamdulillah' ? My children's bedroom is named "Tasbeeh Room" and I recite 'SubhanAllah' in that room ? My kitchen's name is "Astagfaar Room" so while cooking food I remember to read 'Astagfirullah'. Normally while cutting vegetables I continue to do Zikr which I believe adds to the taste and pleasure in my food. ? My drawing room is named "Salawaat Room". ? I read "Takbir" while watering plants and pots. ? To summarize, I am involved in Zikr in each corner of my house and this saves me from getting lethargic. ? This way I stay entertained at home and I don't feel tired. At the same time, my home is blessed and my heart is satisfied! ?? Let us all follow her example and make the air in our homes fresh and beautiful. Via Shaykh Abdul Raheem source