In The Name Of Allah,

the most Beneficent, the most Gracious, the most Merciful!

***

Rasulullah S.A.W. said, "Jannat lies under the feet of your mother."

Rasulullah S.A.W. said, "If you read the kalima with conviction just once, Jannah becomes upon you."

Rasulullah S.A.W. said, "A women who reveals her body or even wears tight fitting clothes wont come within 500 years of the smell of Jannah."

Rasulullah S.A.W. said, "The dust which settles on a man while he is out in the path of Allah; not only the fire, but the smoke of Jahannam is haraam for those parts of the body."

Rasulullah S.A.W. said, "I only curse 3 types of people;

1. Those people who do not look after their parents when they are in old age.

2. Those people who do not take full advantage of the blessed month of Ramadan.

3. Those people who don not say, 'Salallahu -Alayhay- -Wa-Aalahay Wasallam' when my name is mentioned."

Rasulullah S.A.W said, "An intelligent person is one who is constantly thinking about and preparing for death."

Rasulullah S.A.W. said, "It is better for a man that a steel nail be driven through the centre of his head rather than if he touches the palm of a strange women."

PLEASE TAKE 2 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME TO READ THIS.

Imagine this happening to you...

One day during Jummah Salah, a 1,000 member congregation was surprised to see two men enter, both covered from head to toe in black and carrying sub-machine guns.

One of the men proclaimed,

"Anyone willing to take a bullet for Allah remain where you are."

Immediately, the congregation fled, and out of the 1,000 there only remained around 20.

The man who had spoken took off his hood, looked at the Imaam and said,

"Okay Maulana, I got rid of all the hypocrites. Now you may begin your sermon."

The two men then turned and walked out."

Too deep not to pass on?

"Funny how simple it is for people to trash Allah ... and then wonder why the world's going to hell."

"Funny how we believe what the newspapers say ... but question what the Qu'ran says."

"Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven ... provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Quran says."

"Funny how someone can say 'I believe in Allah' ... but still follow Shaitaan (who, by the way, also 'believes' in Allah)."

"Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire ... but when you start sending messages regarding Allah, people think twice about sharing."

"Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace ... but the public discussion of Allah is suppressed in the school and workplace."

Funny, isn't it?

"Funny how someone can be so fired up for Allah on Friday ... but be an invisible Muslim the rest of the week."

Are you laughing?

"Funny how when you go to forward this message ... you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them."

"Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me ... than what Allah thinks of me."

Are you thinking?

Will you share this with people you care about?

Or not?

In The Name Of Allah,

the most Beneficent, the most Gracious, the most Merciful!

PLZZZ VOTE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THE COLD WITHIN

Six humans trapped by circumstances,

in bleak and bitter cold.

Each one possessed a stick of wood,

or so the story told.

Their dying fire in need of logs,

the first man held his back,

for,of the faces around the fire,

he noticed one man black.

The next man looking across the way,

saw one not of his church,

and couldn't bring himself

to give the fire his stick of birch.

The third one sat in tattered clothes

he gave his coat a hitch.

Why should his log be put to use,

to warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back

and thought of the wealth he had in store,

and how to keep what he had earned

from the lazy, shiftless poor.

The black man's face bespoke revenge

as the fire passed from his sight,

for all he saw in his stick of wood,

was a chance to spite the white.

The last man of this forlorn group

did naught except for gain,

giving only to those who gave,

was how he played the game.

Their logs held tight in death's still hand,

was proof of human sin.

They didn't die from the cold without,

they died from the cold within.

The Mindless Dating Game- Happiness or Heartbreak

By: Fatima Asmal Many unmarried people these days search for “love” in a series of premarital relationships, which far from yielding happiness, lead to nothing but spiritual degeneration, loss of self-respect, heartache and misery.

When the average girl reaches the age of ten or eleven, she - sometimes with the knowledge of her parents, sometimes without their knowledge - becomes engrossed in and obsessed with the teen romance novel: a blonde, blue-eyed girl, with a perfect size 10 figure, falls in love with the football hero of the school, a few complications on the way (nothing major, of course), but things end happily after.

In these novels, girl and boy might hold hands, or there might even be a kiss, thrown in somewhere along the line.

By the time the impressionable reader of these novels reaches her late teens, she is sick of these story lines...and is searching for more.

And is most cases, “more” is usually available right there in her home, tucked away at the bottom of her mother’s cupboard, in the form of adult romance novels.

The holding hands, and the kissing has now made way for much more, as details of pre-marital passion, and the fulfilment thereof are graphically spelt out on these pages.

The reader is told what the “perfect body” is supposed to look like, the notion that sexual intercourse before marriage is sweet and romantic seeps through these pages...the feelings of degradation, and the many possible consequences thereof are conveniently left out.

A fairy tale is a fairy tale, we tell ourselves, a book is a book...they have no implications on real life.

Surely our daughters understand and accept this...

But we are deluding ourselves. These same “harmless” fairytales and books, have a detrimental effect on the thinking, lifestyles and attitudes of our children.

The first “crush”/infatuation our daughters experience in relation to members of the opposite sex, is often linked to false perceptions about “dating,” perceptions to which a wide variety of factors contribute.

And one of the main factors painting a sugar and candy image of pre-marital romances, are these shallow bits of reading material that our daughters are exposed to.

It is no strange co-incidence that girls grow up believing that a boyfriend is the key to happiness...after all they have barely started walking, when the stories of the poor ill-treated Cinderella, saved only by a dashing prince, and the beautiful Snow White woken up by a prince, and the doomed Rapunzel, saved from the tower by...who else - a dashing hero, are told to them.

And when they read romance novels, this theory is further reinforced - for, in the classic teen romance novel, the girl without a boyfriend, or “sweet sixteen and never been kissed” is the poor, laughing stock, who doesn’t have a date to the “prom.”

And on the pages of a typical adult romance novel, the heroine is always a successful, beautiful career woman, but, she feels, that “something” is lacking in her life...and that “something” is naturally a man.

It is improbable that the average teenager, would just read these books, and that there would be no impact on her mind.

It is usually exactly the opposite: she wishes she was the person on the pages of the book, and transfers her fantasies to her real life.

She might see someone at school, who is popular, and good-looking [i.e. the football hero], and so begins her first painful crush, which is accompanied of course, by sending him anonymous ‘Valentine’s Day' cards, or calling him and playing songs over the phone.

Shaitaan has set his trap, and the temptation to sin heightens, and each time the temptation is given in to, the girl becomes more daring.

By the time the boy “asks her out,” her nafs has gotten the better of her, and her head filled with the notions of how sweet holding hands before that first kiss must be, she cannot resist.

And so begins a “relationship.”

But this has all the ingredients that a classic romance novel does not....for those candy-coated pages do not tell you about the heartbreak, the tears, the mood swings and the countless negative aspects that are the central to these relationships

And they do not tell you about the degradation and the loss of self-respect, with which people, especially women, emerge, after these relationships.

For there is no peace, no tranquillity in such relationships. The daily cycle, the moods, everything about the individual is affected.

There is a certain sort of darkness, a restlessness which fills the heart, and this restlessness affects the rest of the family too.

For it is now that all the arguments with the parents start: “Why can’t I go out tonight? All my friends are going?”

And there are the mood swings, the fluctuating eating habits...if the phone doesn’t ring, then it’s a case of “I don’t feel like eating.”

And then there is dishonesty...unable to tell her parents where she really wants to go, she makes the excuse of having to go to the library to study for tomorrow’s test.

The ending of each relationship is most often marked by a long periods of torture, in which the girl has to “get over” the boy.

Everyday life becomes a misery...her marks drop, daily moods start to depend on the current state of her relationship with the boy and many girls, totally misled by Shaitaan, even make dua for a “reconciliation.”

During this period the girl is ravaged by guilt, because deep down in her heart, she is aware that what she has done is haraam, and she also feels guilty about lying to her parents.

If there was a physical aspect to her relationship, then these feelings of guilt are deeply accentuated and coupled with a total loss of self-respect.

In the worst possible scenario, which is frequently happening, the girl, in an effort to improve her “self image,” may turn to various other ways...smoking, clubbing, drinking and drugs...or she may embark on a series of flings just to make herself feel “special” again.

In short the “relationships” so sweetly portrayed in romance novels, which speak only of chocolates, flowers and happiness, end right there: on the pages of the novel.

In real life, such relationships lead to nothing but unhappiness and heartache.

For how can there be any real happiness in a “love” inspired by Shaitaan?

This type of “love” far from being pure and sacred falls into the category of fornication.

And regarding fornication, Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’aan:

“The woman and man guilty of adultery of fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes: let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: And let a party of the Believers witness their punishment.” [surah An-Nur: 2]

How can there be any long term happiness in a sin for which the punishment prescribed is so severe?

But while keeping in mind the above injunction, we should also not despair of the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala...for we cannot even comprehend the vastness of this Mercy.

We need to realise and to tell ourselves that there is only temporary satisfaction of the nafs in a pre-marital relationship.

And we need to terminate any such relationship which we might be involved in, and sincerely make taubah to Allah.

As difficult as it might be to end such relationships, once we realise and acknowledge to ourselves that the novels to which we are exposed to from such an early age are totally based on a kuffaar way of life, which appears to be very appealing from the outside, but which bears no contentment, no real happiness, it will in sha Allah, be easy to do so.

In addition to painting a rosy picture of dating, these books also create a very wrong concept of what the ideal partner should be like.

It is obvious that since they are kuffaar publications, there is no stress on piety, good akhlaaq, honesty and all the other qualities people should be searching for in a potential marriage partner.

Instead these books promote superficial thinking, with all their emphasis on “good looks,” “size 10 figures,” “star football players,” “smart cars,”etc.

Parents should closely monitor the reading material which their children bring home and should teach their children about the beauty of nikaah.

We should realise, that while it is natural to be embarrassed to discuss such aspects of Islam with them, it is infinitely better for them, that we impart the correct knowledge of an Islamic way of life to them, than allow them to acquire the totally wrong concept of “love” from books, television, movies, and their friends and environment.

It should be explained to each teenager that the pre-marital relationships, the engagements, etc to which we attach such a great deal of importance in this world have nothing but a negative bearing on our lives in the aakhirah.

It should be time and time again instilled into their minds that pre-marital relationships are a sin...nikaah is an ibaadah.

Allah Ta’ala has Created men and women with natural desires, and He has

Created nikaah as an institution in which these desires maybe fulfilled.

A nikaah in which both, husband and wife are striving to fulfill their obligations to Allah Ta’ala, such a nikaah will be filled with the mutual respect, love and inevitably, the contentment, which we hopelessly search for in pre-marital relationships.

Within the sacred context of a nikaah, in which both parties are obedient to Allah Ta’ala, and adhere to His Commandments, there can be no room for the loss of respect, feelings of degradation, etc. which goes hand-in-hand with “going out” with or “dating” someone.

We should always bear in mind that should we die in the company of a “boyfriend” or a “girlfriend” or even a “fiancé,” we will be leaving this world, having spent our last few moments of this life in the company of a non-Mahram.

In Ramadan Paradise Opens its Doors, Hell Closes its Doors and Satans are Chained

Arfajah said "We were with `Utbah ibn Farqad while he was discussing Ramadan. A companion of the Prophet entered upon the scene. When `Utbah saw him, he became shy and stopped talking. The man [the companion] spoke about Ramadan, saying "I heard the Messenger of Allah say during Ramadan: "The gates of Hell are closed, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the devils are in chains. An angel calls out : 'O you who intend to do good deeds, have glad tidings. O you who intend to do evil, refrain, until Ramadan is completed. [Ahmad and an-Nasa'i]

Fasting in Ramadan; a Shield From Hell

The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said : "When Allah created Paradise and Hell-fire, He sent Jibreel [Gabriel] to Paradise, saying: Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (S) said: So he came to it and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (S) said: So he returned to Him and said: By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (S) said: So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship. Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it. He said: Go to Hell-fire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants, and he found that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts [or desires]. Then He said: Return to it. And he returned to it and said: By Your glory, I am frightened that no one will escape from entering it. [at-Tirmithi and al-Hakim among others].

Therefore, when you know, O Dear Sister, that fasting subdues the desires and reduces their severity, and that it is these desires and lusts that lead to Hell Fire, then you will see how fasting comes between a fasting person and Hell Fire and you will rush to fast in Ramadan and after Ramadan in the best possible way.

Al-Qur'an rather talks about the reward of fasting and there are verses which general meaning infers that those who obey Allah will be saved from Hell, and fasting is a form of obeying Allah. We will leave the verses that talk about the reward to the section related to Paradise. However, the Ahadith of our beloved Prophet Mohammad, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, are clear in this regard;

Abu Said al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah, said: "No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that Allah removes the Hell Fire seventy years further away from his face." [bukhari and Muslim] Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri relates that the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said : "Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire" [Ahmad, Sahih]

`Uthman Ibn Abil-`Aas relates that the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said : "Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allah, Allah places between him and the Fire a trench like that between heavens and the earth". [at-Tirmithi and at-Tabarani, sahih]

Abu Huraira narrated that Allah's Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said : "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." [bukhari]

The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said : "When it is the first night of Ramadahn the evil devils are chained. The gates of Fire are locked- not a single gate is opnened, and the gates of Paradise are opened- not a single gate is locked, and a caller calls out :'O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil withhold, and there are many whom Allah frees from the Fire - and that is every night. [at-Tirmithi, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Khuzaimah : Hasan]

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, climbed upon the mimbar (pulpit) and said: "Aameen [O Allah grant it], aameen, aameen". So it was said, "O Messenger of Allah, you climbed upon the mimbarand said : "aameen, aameen, aameen"? So he said :"Jibraa'eel, `alaihi assalam, came to me and said, 'Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and does not have [his sins] forgiven and so enters Fire, then may Allah distance him, say aameen". So I said "aameen". [ibn Khuzaimah, Ahmad and al-Baihaqui : Sahih]

Jabir,radhiya Allahu `anhu relates that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said :"In every day and every night, during the month of Ramadan, there are people to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and will be granted". [al-Bazzaar, Ahmad and Ibn Majah; Sahih]

In the famous hadith of Mu`ath ... I said O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and keep me away from Hell-Fire. He said: you have asked me about a major matter, yet it easy for him for whom Allah Almighty makes it easy. You should ..., You should fast in Ramadan .... Then he (the Prophet) said : shall I not show you the gates of goodness ? Fasting is a shield ...[at-Tirmithi]

We pray to Allah to make for us this Ramadan a shield from Hell Fire.

Question :

have asked this earlier but did not get a satisfactory answer. My question is about Taraweeh Prayer in Ramadan. You have answered to me in a question before that Taraweeh should not be more that 11 rakat. It has been authentically reported that Muhammad SAAW prayed Taraweeh 3 times in Ramadan and it consisted 11 Rakah. Also the book by Shaykh Naasir-ud-Din Al-Albani (May Allah have mercy on him)، Qiyam and Taraweeh states that Taraweeh should be 11 Rakah. The sunnah is 11 Rakat. Now the question which is confusing and often becomes a discussion among brothers is whether the number of Rakat in Taraweeh should be 11 Rakat or 20 Rakat. Some people during Ramadan go to masjids where the Imam does 11 Rakats and other go to Masjids where the Imam does 20 Rakats. In most of the Hanafi Masjids around the US the Imam does 20 Rakat. The point to note is whether 20 Rakat or 11 Rakat the Imam completes the entire Qurran during Ramadan. The people are very sentitive about this issue and this issue becomes a topic in gathering in the United States. The people who pray 20 Rakat blame the other groug praying 11 as being wrong and the group praying 11 Rakat blames the group praying 20 as wrong. This is a big fitnah in the US. This leads to disunity. People always quote that in Prophets Mosque the Imam prays 20 Rakats and also in Masjid-ul-Haraam in Mecca the Imam prays 20 Rakat. Also those who during Ramadan go to Saudi Arabia for Umrah say that the Imam prays 20 Rakat. This is a confusion.

Please answer and explain to me the following issues:

1. The sunnah is to pray 11 Rakat then why is Prophets mosque in Medina and also in Masdid-ul-Haram the imam leads the people to pray 20 Rakat? Why? Why is this different from the sunnah?

2. Why are the number of Rakat of Taraweeh in Prophets mosque and Masjid-ul-Haraam 20 Rakat? Please explain to us so.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

We do not think that the Muslims should be so sensitive with regard to issues that are the matter of scholarly differences or make them the cause of division and fitnah among the Muslims.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, when speaking about the matter of one who prays ten rak’ahs with the imam, then sits down and waits for Witr and does not complete the Taraaweeh prayers with the imam:

It grieves us deeply that we find in the Muslim ummah a group which differs concerning matters in which differences of opinion are acceptable, and they take these differences as a means to cause division. Differences within the ummah existed at the time of the Sahaabah, yet they remained united. The youth in particular and to all those who are committed to Islam must remain united, because they have enemies who are laying in wait.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/225

Two groups have gone to extremes with regard to this matter. The first group denounced everyone who prays more than eleven rak’ahs and said that doing so was bid’ah. The second group denounced those who do only eleven rak’ahs and said that they are going against scholarly consensus (ijmaa’).

Let us listen to what Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Here we say that we should not go to extremes or be negligent. Some people go to extremes in adhering to the number mentioned in the Sunnah, and say that it is not permissible to do more than the number mentioned in the Sunnah, and they aggressively denounce those who do more than that, saying that they are sinners.

This is undoubtedly wrong. How can they be sinners, when the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), upon being asked about night prayers, said that they are to be done two by two, and he did not specify any particular number? Of course the one who asked him about the night prayer did not know the number, because if he did not know how to do it, it is even more likely that he did not know the number. And he was not one of those who served the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so that we might say that he knew what happened inside his house. Since the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him how to do it but did not say how many times, it may be understood that the matter is broad in scope, and that a person may pray one hundred rak’ahs then pray Witr with one rak’ah.

With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Pray as you have seen me praying”, this does not apply in absolute terms even for these people. Hence they do not say that a person should pray Witr with five rak’ahs sometimes and with seven rak’ahs sometimes and with nine rak’ahs sometimes. If we understand it in absolute terms, then we would have to pray Witr with five rak’ahs sometimes and with seven rak’ahs sometimes and with nine rak’ahs sometimes. But what is meant by the hadeeth is pray as you have seen me praying with regard to how to pray not how many rak’ahs, unless there is a text to state what the number is.

Whatever the case, a person should not be strict with people with regard to a matter that is broad in scope. We have even seen some brothers who are strict on this matter accusing the imams who pray more than eleven rak’ahs of following bid’ah, and they leave the mosque, thus missing out on the reward of which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever stands with the imam until he finishes (the prayer), the reward of qiyaam al-layl will be recorded for him.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 806; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 646). Some of them even sit down after completing ten rak’ahs, thus breaking up the rows of worshippers by sitting there, and sometimes they start talking and disturb the people who are praying.

We have no doubt that their intentions are good and they are doing their best to come to the right conclusion, but that does not mean that they are correct.

The other group does the opposite. They sternly denounce those who pray only eleven rak’ahs and say that they have gone against scholarly consensus. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers’ way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell — what an evil destination!”

[al-Nisa’ 4:115]

All the generations who came before you only knew the number as twenty-three rak’ahs, and they denounce anyone who says anything different.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/73-75

With regard to the evidence quoted by those who say that it is not permissible to do more than eight rak’ahs in Taraaweeh, they quote the hadeeth of Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, who asked ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), “How did the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) pray during Ramadaan?” She said: “He did not pray more than eleven rak’ahs in Ramadaan or at other times. He would pray four, and do not ask how beautiful and long they were, then he would pray four, and do not ask how beautiful and long they were, then he would pray three. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, will you sleep before you pray Witr?’ He said, ‘O ‘Aa’ishah, my eyes sleep but my heart does not.’”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1909; Muslim, 738

They said: This hadeeth indicates that the Messenger of Allaah was consistent in his prayers at night in Ramadaan and at other times.

The scholars refuted this use of the hadeeth as evidence by saying that this is what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did, but the fact that he did something does not imply that it is obligatory.

The evidence that there is no set number for prayers at night – which include Taraaweeh – is the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar according to which a man asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about prayer at night. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayers at night are to be offered two by two (two rak’ahs at a time). If any of you fears that the time of dawn is approaching then let him pray one rak’ah as Witr.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 846; Muslim, 749)

If we look at what the scholars of the prominent schools of thought said, you will clearly see that this matter is broad in scope and that there is nothing wrong with doing more than eleven rak’ahs.

Al-Sarkhasi, who is one of the imams of the Hanafi school, said:

It is twenty rak’ahs, apart from Witr, in our view.

Al-Mabsoot, 2/145

Ibn Qudaamah said:

The favoured view according to Abu ‘Abd-Allaah (i.e., Imam Ahmad, may Allaah have mercy on him), is that it is twenty rak’ahs. This was the view of al-Thawri, Abu Hanfeefah and al-Shaafa’i. Maalik said it is thirty-six.

Al-Mughni, 1/457

Al-Nawawi said:

Taraaweeh prayer is Sunnah according to scholarly consensus. Our view is that it is twenty rak’ahs with ten tasleems, and it is permissible to pray it individually or in congregation.

Al-Majmoo’, 4/31

These are the views of the four imams concerning the number of rak’ahs of Taraaweeh prayer. All of them said something more than eleven rak’ahs. Perhaps the reasons why they said something more than eleven rak’ahs include the following:

1- They thought that the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah did not mean that this was the specific number.

2- A greater number was narrated from many of the salaf.

See al-Mughni, 2/604; al-Majmoo’, 4/32

3- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray eleven rak’ahs and make them very lengthy, so much so that it used to take him most of the night. Indeed, one night in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in praying Taraaweeh, he did not end his prayer until just before dawn, and the Sahaabah feared that they would miss suhoor. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) loved to pray behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and they did not feel that it was too long. The scholars thought that if the imam made the prayer so long, this would be too difficult for the members of the congregation and that might put them off. So they thought that the imam should make the recitation shorter and increase the number of rak’ahs.

The point is that the one who prays eleven rak’ahs in the manner narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is doing well and is following the Sunnah. Whoever makes the recitation shorter and increases the number of rak’ahs is also doing well. A person who does either of these two things is not to be denounced. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

If a person prays Taraaweeh according to the madhhabs of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad, with twenty rak’ahs, or according to the madhhab of Maalik, with thirty-six rak’ahs, or with thirteen or eleven rak’ahs, he has done well, as Imam Ahmad said, because there is nothing to specify the number. So the greater or lesser number of rak’ahs depends on how long or short the qiyaam (standing in the prayer) is.

Al-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 64

Al-Suyooti said:

What is narrated in the saheeh and hasan ahaadeeth is the command to observe night prayers during Ramadaan, which is encouraged without specifying a particular number. It is not proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed twenty rak’ahs of Taraaweeh, rather that he prayed at night, with an unspecified number of rak’ahs. Then he delayed it on the fourth night lest it become obligatory for them and they might not be able to do it. Ibn Hajar al-Haythami said: There is no saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed twenty rak’ahs of Taraaweeh. The narration which suggests that he “used to pray twenty rak’ahs” is extremely weak (da’eef).

Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 27/142-145

So you should not be surprised that people pray Taraaweeh as twenty rak’ahs. There have been generation after generation of those imams (who used to pray twenty rak’ahs), and all of them are good.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)

السلام عليكم

السؤال:

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

إني طالبة في الكلية الفرقة الثالثة، ولكن أعاني من مشكلة؛ وهي أن الكلية التي أذهب إليها في القاهرة، وأنا أسكن في بيت طالبات، ولكن أرى اختلافاً كثيراً. فلا يوجد التزام بأمور الشريعة أبداً. وإني منتقبة، ولا توجد منتقبة غيري في الكلية. وألاحظ شيئاً عجيباً في السكن، وفي الكلية وفي السكن؛ كانو يتجنبوني وكانت تحصل مشاكل عند مشاهدتهن للتلفزيون، أنا آسفة قصدي "المفسديون"! كانت تحصل مشاكل كبيرة. أيضاً يحدث ذلك عند سماعهم للأغاني بصوت عالٍ، فالصوت يصل إلى الأدوار السفلية.

فماذا أفعل؟ علماً بأني لم أذهب حتى الآن بسبب هذا الموضوع، وحقيقة أتمنى ألا أذهب؛ ولكن أمي تمنعني.

أريد حلاً بحيث أوصل الدعوة إليهن.

وجزاكم الله خيراً، والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.

الجواب:

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته

الحل أن تجدي لك صديقة محافظة على دينها فتساكينها. وأما بقية الفتيات فتنصحينهــن؛ بتوزيع الأشرطة الوعظية عليهن، والإعلان عن درس أسبوعي تحضره داعية من الداعيات المؤثرات. وبهذه الطريقة تكسبين فرصة سكنك معهن باجتذابهن إلى الطاعة.

والله أعلم.

فضيلة الشيخ حامد بن عبدالله العلي

منقوووووووول

Asalam~O~Alykum

Can I ask u one question? Did you ever think y do u like the prophet (PBUH)? Or y u have to like him? If u asked anyone do u like the prophet (PBUH)? they will say yes, but if u asked them y do u like him? they won't answer b/c they don't know anything about the prophet (PBUH). So let us together list as many reasons as possible y do we like the prophet (PBUH).

1- He was chosen by Allah

2- He is the best human being

3- He brought Islam

4- He made us Muslims

5- He will save us from hell

6- He prayed for our safety (to go to heavens)

7- He made us the best ppl on earth

8- He made us a great empire

9- He brought us the Quran from Allah

10- He left us with El-Ketab & Al- Sunnah

P.S. I want to ask the readers plz post more reasons so we could feel the love of our beloved Mohammed (PBUH).

Salam~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Masriahmuslimah:)

as salam alykom

Sister Soona sent me this email, thought to share it

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Bismillahi Ar-Rahmani Ar-rahim

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmat Allah

I hope this finds you all in good health and safe inshallah. Today, someone sent me the sermon of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Subhanallah, everytime I read this, it just fills me with so much hope and love! I sincerely wish that each heads of government in Islamic countries would print this up and keep it in eyeshot! To read these words, makes one believe how simple life should be, and how we should be to each other. We are one, created by ALLAH*SWT no matter race, color, ethnicity, or gender. Inshallah this will once again become the standard rule in every muslim household and nation.

This sermon was delivered on the Ninth day of Dhul al Hijjah 10 A.H. in the 'Uranah valley of Mount Arafat.

After praising, and thanking God, he said:

"O People, listen well to my words, for I do not know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Treat others justly so that no one would be unjust to you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (riba), therefore all riba obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital , however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. God has judged that there shall be no riba and that all the riba due to `Abbas ibn `Abd al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived.

Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabi`ah ibn al Harith ibn `Abd al Muttalib.

O Men, the Unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which God forbade, and to forbid that which God has made permissible. With God the months are twelve in number. Four of them are sacred, three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Sha`ban. Beware of the devil, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights over your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under God's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. It is your right and they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste...

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God (The One Creator of the Universe), perform your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your financial obligation (zakah) of your wealth. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before God (The Creator) and you will answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I am leaving you with the Book of God (the Quraan) and my Sunnah (the life style and the behavioral mode of the Prophet), if you follow them you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "You will not believe as long as you do not love one another."

Sahih Muslim, Hadith 19

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 — Actress Pamela Anderson joined an animal rights campaign against fast-food chain KFC Thursday, urging a consumer boycott of the franchise until it ensures better treatment of its chickens.

“IF PEOPLE KNEW how KFC treats chickens, they’d never eat another drumstick,” the Canadian-born former “Baywatch” beauty wrote in an open letter circulated by the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The letter was addressed to John Bitove, chairman of the Toronto-based company Priszm Brandz, which owns the Canadian franchise to KFC, a division of Yum Brands Inc.

“What KFC does to 750 million chickens each year is not civilized or acceptable,” she wrote. “I am calling for a boycott of all KFC restaurants until my friends at PETA tell me that you have agreed to be kinder in your practices.”

A Priszm Brandz spokeswoman, Alessandra Saccal, dismissed claims that the chickens sold in its KFC outlets are mistreated.

“We purchase our chickens from the same place that grocery stores and other restaurants purchase their chickens from, and the chicken farmers of Canada are very responsible and take the welfare of animals very seriously,” she said.

In July, PETA filed suit against KFC, accusing the company of making misleading statements on its Web site regarding how the chickens it sells are treated. PETA contends that the chickens KFC buys from suppliers are abused through drugging, feeding and slaughter practices.

Anderson is not the first celebrity to join PETA’s cause against Louisville, Kentucky-based KFC. Former Beatle Paul McCartney appealed to the fast-food chain in July to ensure better treatment of its chickens in a PETA ad.

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LEAD STORY: By Alex Sholem

http://www.totallyjewish.com

Read the lead story (also in London Jewish News). Might be here if another story replaces article:

http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/s...sp_story=APuKCM

About a film website called http://www.UKHotMovies.com run by UK Muslims which banned people from "Israel and Serbia" from competitions. Within hours the entire force of the Zionist movement in the UK, USA and Israel got into action. The Muslims running the site began to receive death threats by phone and email. They had to retract.

Pity most affluent Muslims are too busy watching Zee TV/making children/buying jewellery to have similar lobbying power.



http://www.1Lit.com/muslim