“Seven groups shall be in the shade of Allah on a Day when there will be no other shade: A just ruler, a youth who grew up in the worship of his Lord, a man whose heart was attached to the mosque, two men who for the sake of Allah's love met and separated, a man called to by a woman of beauty and position to commit adultery, a man whose right hands' giving in charity is not noticed by his left hand and a man who remembers Allah in solitude till his eyes water.”

Why do the man have the right to marry 4 women, while the woman marry one?

I wish to have a satisfying answer...

May Allah Bless You.

http://us.moheet.com/asp/show_m.asp?pg=13&...c=65&do=1024690

MY HERO - Profile of a Terrorist

This is my hero.....Nabil. He is eight years old. He goes into the streets alone, in his rubber shoes and T-Shirt to fight with stones against Israeli tanks. Two years ago Nabil's father was killed by Israeli troops while six year old Nabil looked on helpless. Later the IDF blew up Nabil's school. Two weeks after this photo was taken an Israeli sniper shot Nabil through the head, killing him instantly.

[b:88480a9ef0]Muster against them all the military strength and cavalry that you can afford so that you may strike terror into the hearts of the enemy of Allah and of your enemy, and others besides them who are unknown to you but known to Allah. 8.60[/b:88480a9ef0]

[img:88480a9ef0]http://www.geocities.com/adam_deen/nabeel_hero.jpg[/img:88480a9ef0]

[b:88480a9ef0]And what reason do you have not to fight in the cause of Allah, to rescue the helpless oppressed old men, women, and children who are crying: "Our Rabb! Deliver us from this town whose people are oppressors; send us a protector by Your grace and send us a helper from Your presence?"

Who could be more unjust than the one who is reminded of the revelations of his Rabb and he turns away from them? Surely We shall take vengeance on such criminals.

And fear the day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly. [/b:88480a9ef0]

Sleeping and missing salaat al-fajr -

by Shaykh Munajjid - may Allah reward him with goodness.

A brother complained: “I miss salaat al-Fajr on most days, and I hardly ever pray it at the right time. Usually I do not wake up until after the sun has risen, or at best I wake up after the time for praying fajr in jamaa’ah. I have tried to wake up at the right time, with no success. What is the solution to this problem?”

All praise be to Allaah. The solution to this problem, like others, has two aspects: theoretical and practical.

The theoretical aspect may be further broken down into two points:

(1) The Muslim should know the great status of salaat al-fajr in the sight of Allaah, may He be glorified. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays the dawn prayer in congregation, it is as if he had prayed the whole night long.” (Muslim, p. 454, no. 656; al-Tirmidhi, 221).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said:

“The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are salaat al-’isha’ and salaat al-fajr, but if they only knew what they contain, they would come even if they had to crawl.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/424; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 133).

“Whoever prays fajr is under the protection of Allaah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allaah has to call you to account for your negligence.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 7/267; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 6344).

“Angels come to you in shifts by night and by day. They meet at salaat al-fajr and salaat al-‘asr, then those who had stayed with you at night ascend, and are asked by the One Who knows better than they: ‘How did you find My servants?’ They say, ‘We left them when they were praying, and we came to them when they were praying.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2/33).

“The best of prayers in the sight of Allaah is the dawn prayer on Friday, in congregation.” (Reported by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah, 7/207, and in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1566).

According to a saheeh hadeeth: “Whoever prays al-Bardayn will enter Paradise.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2/52). Al-Bardayn are fajr and ‘asr.

(2) The Muslim should understand the seriousness of missing salaat al-fajr. This is explained by the hadeeth already quoted:

“The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are salaat al-’isha’ and salaat al-Fajr…”

In al-Saheeh, it is reported that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “If we did not see a person at fajr and ‘isha’ prayers, we would think badly of him.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 12/271. Al-Haythami said, the men of al-Tabaraani are muwaththaqoon (trustworthy). al-Majma’, 2/40). They thought badly of a person who was absent from these two prayers because regular performance of them is an indication of a person’s faith and a measure of his sincerity. Other prayers may be easier to do because they are more convenient to a person’s circumstances and fit in with his work and his sleep, but only those who are determined and sincere, people whom one hopes are good people, will be able to pray fajr and ‘isha’ regularly in congregation.

Another hadeeth which indicates the seriousness of missing salaat al-fajr is: “Whoever prays fajr is under the protection of Allaah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allaah has to call you to account for your negligence, because whoever finds himself in this situation will be sorted out and then thrown on his face in the Fire of Hell.” (Reported by Muslim, p. 454).

These two points are sufficient to guarantee that the Muslim’s heart will burn with the concern to ensure that he does not miss fajr. The first motivates him to strive to earn the reward for fajr, and the second acts as a warning that will deter him from committing the sin of negligence.

The practical aspect of dealing with this problem includes a number of steps which the Muslim can take in order to get used to performing salaat al-fajr regularly in congregation. These steps include:

Sleeping early. According to a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to dislike sleeping before ‘isha’ and talking afterwards. The Muslim should not sleep before salaat al-’isha’ because it is obvious that most of those who sleep before it will spend the rest of the night feeling so tired and heavy that it will be as if they are ill.

Also, the Muslim should not talk after ‘isha’, and the scholars have explained the reason why doing so is disliked: it is because doing so leads to people staying up late, which in turns leads to the fear that they will sleep and miss qiyaam al-layl, or the correct or preferred time for fajr prayer.

The kind of talk that is disliked after ‘isha’, as the commentators explain, is that in which there is no clear benefit, but if there is some benefit – such as studying and gaining knowledge, learning stories of righteous people, speaking to a guest, spending time with one’s wife and family, speaking to travellers and taking care of them and their luggage, or any other permissible reason – then there is nothing wrong with it. This has no connection with the reasons for which many people stay up late nowadays, to do wrong and commit sin! So the Muslim should sleep early, so that he can wake up refreshed to pray fajr and avoid the kind of late nights that make him too tired to get up and pray fajr in congregation.

It is a fact that people differ with regard to their need for sleep, so it is not possible to dictate a set number of hours that people should sleep, but each person should stick to the time that will give him enough sleep to wake up refreshed for salaat al-fajr. If a person knows from experience that sleeping after 11 p.m., for example, will mean that he cannot get up for fajr, then from an Islamic point of view he should not sleep any later than that… and so on.

Making sure that one is clean (taahir) and reciting adhkaar (prayers) before sleeping. This helps a person to get up for fajr.

Having a sincere intention and being determined, when going to sleep, that one will get up for fajr. But a person who goes to sleep hoping that the alarm will not go off, and that no one will come and wake him up, will not – with such a corrupt intention – be able to get up to pray fajr whilst he still has this bad intention.

Remembering Allaah as soon as one wakes up. Some people may initially wake up, then they go back to sleep again. But if a person remembers Allaah straight after waking up, this will loosen one of the knots of Shaytaan, and will motivate him to get up. When he performs wudoo’, his determination becomes stronger, and Shaytaan is driven further away, and when he prays, his shaytaan is defeated, his balance (of good deeds) becomes heavier, and he will feel happy and energetic.

Seeking help from one’s family and friends to pray fajr, and encouraging one another in this regard. This is essential, and is undoubtedly included in the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meanings):

“… Help you one another in al-birr and al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)…” [al-Maa’idah 5:2]

“By al-‘asr (time). Verily! Man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience.” [al-‘Asr 103:1-3]

The Muslim should encourage his wife, for example by waking her up to pray fajr, and she should encourage him, no matter how tired and exhausted he may be. Children should also seek their father’s help to wake up, so he can wake them when it is time for the prayer. No father should say “They have exams, they are tired, let them sleep, poor kids.” It is a mistake to think that be doing this one is being a kind and merciful parent; true parental mercy means that the father wakes them up to worship Allaah. “And enjoin al-salaah (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them (the prayers)…” [Ta-Ha 20:132 – interpretation of the meaning].

Just as family members should help and encourage one another to pray fajr, so brothers in Islam can also help one another. For example, university students living in the same residence or neighbours in the same neighbourhood can help one another by knocking on a neighbour’s door to wake him for prayer and helping him to worship Allaah.

Praying to Allaah to help him to wake up to pray fajr in congregation. Du’aa’ is one of the greatest sources of strength and success in all things.

Using various means of being woken up, such as alarm clocks. These should be put in the most appropriate place. Some people put the alarm clock next to their head, and when it rings, they turn if off at once and go straight back to sleep. Such a person should put the clock a little further away, so that he can feel that it is really waking him up.

One can also arrange to receive alarm calls from the telephone company, and no Muslim should think that it is too much to pay for this service if he needs it, because this is spending in the way of Allaah, and waking up to obey the command of Allaah cannot be measured in terms of worldly wealth.

Throwing water in the face of the person who is sleeping. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praised the man who gets up at night to pray, and wakes his wife, and when she refuses to get up, he throws water in her face; and he praised the woman who gets up at night to pray, and wakes her husband, and when he refuses to get up, she throws water in his face. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2/250; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3494).

Throwing water in a person’s face is one of the means of waking a person for prayer that is prescribed by sharee’ah. In fact it is quite refreshing and energizing. Some people may become enraged when woken in this manner, and they may shout and swear and issue threats, so the person who is seeking to wake another should employ wisdom and patience, and remember that the pens are lifted from the record of one who is sleeping (i.e., his deeds are not being recorded while he is asleep) – so he should put up with any bad treatment, and not let this put him off trying to wake people up for prayer.

Not sleeping alone. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade any man to sleep alone. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2/91; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 60). Perhaps the wisdom behind this prohibition is that a person could sleep too long if there is no-one to wake him up for prayer.

Not sleeping in remote places where it would not occur to anyone that someone could be sleeping there, such as a person sleeping on the roof of a house without telling his family where he is, or sleeping in a remote part of the house or student residence, so that no-one will know to wake him for prayer, but everyone will think that he is in the mosque when in fact he is fast asleep. Anyone who needs to sleep in a remote place should tell the people around him where he will be so that they can come and wake him.

Being lively and active upon waking. One should get up straightaway, and not wake up in stages, as some people do. A person could be woken up several times, and each time he gets up, but when his friend leaves, he goes back to bed. Waking up in stages usually ends in failure, and the only way to prevent falling asleep again is to get up straight away.

Not setting the alarm too early. If a person knows that there is still a long time to go until the time of the prayer, he may think, “I still have time, let me sleep a little more…” Everyone should know how to handle himself and avoid this situation.

Lighting a lamp when waking up – or, in our modern times, switching on the light. This has the effect of dispelling sleepiness.

Not staying up late, even to pray qiyaam al-layl. Some people may stay up late to pray qiyaam al-layl, then fall asleep a few minutes before fajr and be unable to wake up for the prayer. This happens a lot in Ramadaan – people stay up late and sleep a little while before fajr, so they miss the prayer. No doubt this is a grave error, because fard (obligatory) prayer should take precedence over naafil (supererogatory) prayer. So what about those who stay up late not to pray but to commit sin, or at best to do permissible things? The Shaytaan may make the idea of staying up late to discuss important matters attractive to some daa’iyahs (Islamic workers), then they sleep late and miss the prayer, thus losing much more than they gained.

Not eating too much before going to sleep. Eating too much makes one sleep deeply. The one who eats a lot gets very tired, and sleeps a lot, thus losing a lot. So one should try to eat lightly in the evening.

Warning about the misinterpretation of the sunnah to lie down after praying the sunnah of fajr. Some people may have heard the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you has prayed, let him lie down on his right side.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 420; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 642). It was also reported that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had prayed the sunnah of fajr, he would lie down, then Bilaal would call him to prayer, and he would stand up to pray. People may have heard these ahaadeeth, and be keen to follow this proven sunnah, but they do not understand how to do it properly. So a person may pray the sunnah of fajr, then lie down on his right side, and fall fast asleep until the sun rises. This is because of a lack of proper understanding. The lying down is not for the purpose of sleeping, and Bilaal used to come and tell the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when it was time to pray. Moreover, as was reported by Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan in a saheeh hadeeth, if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to rest before fajr, he would put his head on his right palm, propped up on his elbow. (Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 5/298; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 4752). This kind of resting prevents one from falling fast asleep, because in this case one’s head is propped up on one’s palm and elbow, and will drop if one dozes off, thus waking one up again. In addition to this, Bilaal was entrusted with the responsibility of waking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the fajr prayer.

Praying qiyaam al-layl late in the night, just before fajr, so that when one finishes witr, the call for fajr prayer is given, making the worship continuous. The night prayer should be offered during the last third of the night – which is the preferred time – and immediately followed by the fajr prayer, whilst one is feeling awake and energetic.

Following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in lying down to sleep. So a person should lie on his right side, placing his right cheek on his right hand. This position makes it easy to wake up. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and this is better than sleeping in any other position which may make it difficult to wake up.

Helping oneself by taking a nap during the day, because this will help a person by making him need less sleep at night.

Not sleeping after ‘asr or maghrib, because this will make a person sleep late, and whoever sleeps late will find it difficult to wake up.

Finally, sincere devotion to Allaah is the best thing to motivate a person to get up for prayer, because Allaah is the One Who is controlling all means of help. If a person has that true sincerity and his heart is burning with devotion to Allaah, then Allaah will help him to get up to pray fajr in congregation, even if he goes to sleep only a few moments before fajr.

This sincerity and devotion may cause some very enthusiastic people to find unusual ways to help themselves to wake up to pray, which is a sign of their eagerness and keenness. One of them may set a number of alarm clocks to wake him up, setting each one a few minutes later than the other, so that if he turns the first one off, the next one will wake him a few moments later, and so on. Another may tie a string to his wrist, with the other end dangling from his window, so that when one of his friends passes by on his way to the mosque, he can pull on the string and wake him for fajr prayer.

See what can be achieved with sincerity and determination, may Allaah guide you! But the bitter truth is that weakness of faith and lack of sincerity are widespread among people nowadays, as we can see from the small numbers of people to be found praying in the mosques at fajr, despite the fact that there are so many people living around the mosques in many neighbourhoods.

But no doubt there are people who sleep so heavily that it is almost like an illness, and they may be excused, because the matter is beyond their control. People in this situation should turn to Allaah for help, and do everything that they possibly can, and visit the doctor, to try to find a cure.

Finally, a word about a well known phenomenon: some people claim that there is a hadeeth which says that the person who wants to get up for fajr should recite the last part of Soorat al-Kahf before sleeping, and have the intention in his heart to get up at a certain hour, and this will make him get up at that time. They claim that this is a tried and tested method. Our response is that there is no such saheeh hadeeth, and this carries no weight whatsoever. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

by Shaykh Munajjid

Yearning for Allah and His meeting is like the gentle breeze blowing upon the heart, extinguishing the blaze of the Dunya. Whosoever caused his heart to settle with his Lord shall be in a state, calm and tranquil, and whosoever sent it amongst the people shall be disturbed and excessively perturbed.

As salamaleikom wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

DUA BEFORE STUDYING

Allahumma infa'nii bimaa 'allamtanii wa'allimnii maa yanfa' unii.

Allahumma inii as'aluka fahmal-nabiyyen wa hifthal mursaleen al-muqarrabeen.

Allahumma ijal leesanee 'amiran bi thikrika wa qalbi bi khashyatika.

Innaka 'ala ma-tasha'-u qadeer wa anta hasbun-allahu wa na'mal wakeel.

O Allah! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me.

O Allah! I ask You for the understanding of the prophets and the memory of the messengers, and those nearest to You.

O Allah! Make my tongue full of Your remembrance, and my heart with consciousness of You.

(O Allah!) You do whatever You wish, and You are my Availer and Protector and the best of aid.

DUA AFTER STUDYING

Allahhumma inni astaodeeuka ma qara'tu wama hafaz-tu.

Faradduhu 'allaya inda hagati elayhi.

Innaka 'ala ma-tasha'-u qadeer wa anta hasbeeya wa na'mal wakeel.

O Allah! I entrust You with what I have read and I have studied.

(O Allah!) Bring it back to me when I am in need of it.

(O Allah!) You do whatever You wish, and You are my Availer and Protector and the best of aid.

DUA WHILE STUDYING SOMETHING DIFFICULT

Allahumma la sahla illama ja-'altahu sahla wa anta taj 'alu al hazana etha shi'ta sahla

O Allah! Nothing is easy except what You have made easy. If You wish, You can make the difficult easy.

DUA FOR ANXIETY

Allahumma inni a'oodhoo bika minal-hammi walhuzni, wal-'ajzi wal-kasali wal-bukhli wal-jubni, wa dal'id-dayni wa ghalabatir-rajaal

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being oppressed by men.

DUA FOR DISTRESS

Allahumma rahmataka arjoo falaa takilnee ilaa nafsee tarfata 'aynin wa aslih-lee sha'nee kullahu, laa ilaha illa anta

O Allah! It is Your mercy that I hope for so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You.

As salamaleikom oegtkom fie din allah, dounia

As salamaleikom wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

The quran

A Book that is full of answers,

A Book that makes you cry.

A Book that drives away fears

Shows how much harder you can try.

A Book that makes you realize,

What true love really is...

A Book that gives you directions.

For all of life's afflictions.

A Book that gives you hope,

That Someone is watching over you.

A Book that helps you out,

In trials of every hue.

A Book that was revealed to our beloved Prophet (S)

Over a period of 23 years.

Once you put faith into this Book,

You can handle all worldy fears.

A gift sent down from Heaven,

A treasure from above,

Written proof that shows everyone

How blessed we are with Allah's (SWT) love!

-Fathima Abbasi

As salamaleikom wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, oegtkom fie din allah, Dounia

Salam Alaikum....

A sister in our localcity asked me to help her.

She is studing (Non islamic School). Her teacher gave her homework. She has to write what for messages Rasulullah saw in his Last Sermon give to every1. I did wrote some points. Now If there detailed messages of anyone please let me know may I dont added them to the point. Jazakallahu Khayran. Wasaalam...

Established 1981

London School of Islamics

An Educational Trust

Email: info@londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Tel/Fax: 0208 555 2733 / 07817 112 667

New Year Honours List

It is very easy for a British Muslim to be included in New Year Honour List. He/she should cut himself/herself off from Islamic cultural roots in the name of freedom and so called western democratic values.

A Muslim girl was awarded MBE for running away from her parents. She was mis-educated and de-educated by British teachers from an early age who have no respect for Islamic faith and Muslim community. Through out her educational career she was exposed to western values and environment. Her parents were in the impression that home and Mosque environment could develop Islamic Identity. Her school and Mosque failed to teach Arabic and Urdu languages, depriving her to enjoy the beauty of Islamic literature and poetry. She was forced to live and lead double standard in her every day life style. She lost the sense of identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development. She suffered from Identity Crises making her misfit not only for her parents but also for the Muslim community. There are round about 6000 run away Muslim girls in the custody of local councils. They should also be included in the Honour List.

Her parents are simple villagers who settled in the western complicated and complex society. They could not understand its mechanisms but their daughter has been exposed to western values and environment. She is more English than a Muslim. When they realized the situation, it was too late and the only alternative left for them to take her back home to be married with the near relatives. Marrying a daughter is the ultimate aim of all Muslim parents. I do not blame the parents because they are victim of circumstances. I blame her school and teachers who anglicized her. They are the ones who should also be included in the New Year Honour List. All Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers so that not a single Muslim girl would suffer in future.

Orignally posted by [b:6547c8d5e9]Iftikhar Ahmad[/b:6547c8d5e9]

-- Ali

Whenever the topic of Islam is brought up among Westerners, it has been my experience that the first objection that immediately springs into their minds is: "But women are so extremely oppressed in Islam."

And, "But women are second class citizens in Islam." For example, they see that Muslim women usually observe modest standards in their clothing and they automatically equate their modesty with oppression.

They appear to feel that freedom is in some way directly proportional to how little clothing one wears, and that oppression is directly proportional to the degree of modesty one exhibits in their clothing. Although this topic does not directly relate to the main topic of this book, still it seems inevitable to touch on this subject even if only very briefly due to it's importance.

The problem is twofold: First of all, those people who make such objections usually only have a very superficial knowledge of what the true teachings of Islam, and secondly, they do not realize what The Biblerequires of all believing women.

I was once passing through Canada with my parent's in law and their family. As we walked down the street a Canadian Christian girl (in her late teens to early twenties) passed by us with a group of her friends. She looked at my mother in law who was dressed in modest clothing and had a large scarf wrapped around her head such that only her face was showing. She then stopped my mother in law and said words to the effect of: "Why do you allow your men to oppress you?. Why do you wear these clothes?."

Now, my mother in law is a university graduate, a straight A student, highly respected by her peers, and gainfully employed as an inspector of the public educational system back in my home country. My mother inlaw has also distinguished herself in her study of the English language and it's grammatical structure.

However, she did not have an extensive working knowledge of American and Canadian pronunciation and slang, and thus, she missed the tone with which this question was delivered to her.

I decided to move a reasonable distance away and let her handle this situation herself. My mother in law wasvery happy to answer this girl's question and went on to explain to her about our religion and customs and how we prefer to dress modestly, and that Allah Almighty requires us to do this. However, this was not the answer this girl was looking for so she retorted: "Thanks for sharing!," then spun around and stormed off.

Now, in my home country, our elders are quite used to being highly respected by those who are younger than them and being served by them. For this reason, it did not even occur to my mother in law that this question could have been anything more than a young girl respectfully asking an innocent question of a trusted elder, and I hated to tell her otherwise. I would have hated for her to leave Canada thinking that all Canadians or all Christians speak this way to their elders since I know that this is not the true case. However, this episode did indeed sadden me.

Many non-Muslims feel sorry for any Muslim women they see adorned in their modest clothing. They feelthat they are deprived the freedom to roam around in more scant and revealing clothing. Anyone who lives in a manner other that which they have become accustomed to is seen by them to be oppressed and forced to live in this manner. There are certain tribes in the Amazon jungle, in Australia, and in Africa which have become accustomed to walking around in a simple g-string around their waist. What would the people of the West say if these people were to condemn the Western habit of "forcing" their women to wear "excessiveamounts of clothing" and to demand that all women in the west immediately stop wearing anything but the simplest g-string around their waist? What if they were to say that the Western society should immediately stop unjustly persecuting their women and preventing them from freely roaming the streets wearing only a pair of socks? They would say that the people making these demands have no morals or shame. Philosophers would have a field day with such a question.

What if someone were to claim that it was immoral, discriminatory, and unjust to separate men and women indifferent public bathrooms just as it is not just to do so with blacks and whites. What if this person were to then call (in the interest of equality, fairness, and constitutional freedom of course) for a merging of men and women's bathrooms into one "unisex" or "equal-opportunity" bathrooms for both men and women? Once again, the philosophers would have a field day. Anyone who follows the news will see that this may indeed be where the USA is now headed. In the New York Post (31 Aug. 1994 or a little before) it was reported that women have now won the right to appear topless in the New York subway system. Where will the USAbe a few years from now? That is anyone's guess.

Who has the power to determine what is decent and modest clothing? Who is to determine what is decent

and modest behavior? Muslims assign this right to God alone. This is the essence of "Islam." "Islam" means "The submission to the will of God." What God commands, a Muslim does. They do not demand that God justify his commands before they accept them. Once they have verified that a command is indeed from God then they abide by it without hesitation.

We can indeed find this lesson in the story of Adam. In the Islamic version of the story of Adam (slightly different than that of Judaism/Christianity), Adam and Eve were created by God, educated, clothed, and then allowed to inhabit heaven. They were told by God that they could have anything their hearts desired except they must not eat from the tree. Out of envy, the devil encouraged them to eat from the tree and told them that it's fruit would make them angles or immortal. They ate from the tree and immediately, their bodies wererevealed to one another, so they took to scooping up the leaves off the trees in order to cover themselves. This is when Allah sent them down to earth. What mankind learned from this lesson is that just because a person does not know the wisdom behind a command of God, and others tell him to disobey it, then if theydo not abide by it, by the time the reason for the command is made apparent to them it may be too late.

Example of dress worn by a Christian nun.

Compare it with how Muslim women dress today

Well then, what is the Biblical view on these matters? Actually, even in this day and age there still remains traces in Christianity of the common ancestry with Islam with regard to the accepted norms of modest dressfor Christian women as ordained by her Creator. In the above figure we have an example of the sort of dress codes observed by Christian nuns. We are strangely amazed to find that it is almost the striking similarity it bears to the sort of outfit which most Muslim women wear. Why is that? Well, although there are quite a number of very pronounced differences between Biblical and Qur'anic laws in this regard, let us start with the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Biblical view:

What the New Testament has to say:

1 Timothy 2:11-14 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."

1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."

1 Corinthians 11:5-10: "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovereddishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels."

1 Corinthians 11:13: "Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God (with her head) uncovered?"

What the Old Testament has to say:

Genesis 3:12-16 "And the man (Adam) said, The woman (Eve) whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and heshall rule over thee."

Leviticus 12:2-5 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a MALE child: then she shall be unclean SEVEN DAYS; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying THIRTY THREE days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a FEMALE child, then she shall be unclean TWO WEEKS, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying SIXTY SIX days."

Ecclesiastics 7:26-28 "And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all".

Leviticus 15:19-30 "And if a woman have an issue (her period/menses), [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it [be] on [her] bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she [shall be] unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the one [for] a sin offering, and the other [for] a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness."

SEE ALSO WOMEN IN THE BIBLE

In other words, the Bible teaches us that:

1.Women should learn in silence and subjugation.

2.Women should not teach.

3.Women should not have authority over men but should remain silent.

4.Adam and Eve were not equal in sin. Adam was not deceived but Eve was.

5.Women are commanded to be under obedience to men. God ordained that men shall for all time rule over women

6.Women must keep silent in Churches. It is shameful for them to open their mouths therein. If they have a question they should ask their husbands before going to church and then their husbands will ask for them in the church.

7.A woman should neither pray nor profess with her head uncovered.

8.If a woman prays with her head uncoveredthen she might as well shave her head.

9.Man was created in the image and glory of God, and Woman was created in the glory of Man, thus Man must have power over her.

10.Any woman who delivers a male baby shall be unclean for one week. But any woman who delivers a female baby shall be unclean for TWO weeks. Thus, females make their mothers DOUBLY unclean as compared to males.

11.While it is possible to find one upright man in every thousand, it is impossible to find even one single upright woman in every thousand

12.Woman is a snare, her heart is a trap, and her hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but she will ensnare the sinner.

13.If a woman had her period and touches a chair or a bed or anything else then that item immediately becomes unclean. Anyone who then touches those things shall also become unclean. They must then bathe themselves and wash their clothes because they have touched an item that a menstruous woman has touched.

What the canonized saints of Christianity said about women:

"Woman is a daughter of falsehood, a sentinel of Hell, the enemy of peace; through her Adam lost paradise"

(St. John Demascene)

"Woman is the instrument which the devil uses to gain possession of our souls" (St. Cyprian)

"Woman is the fountain of the arm of the devil, her voice is the hissing of the serpent" (St. Anthony)

"Woman has the poison of an asp, the malice of a dragon" (St. Gregory)

St. Tertullian, while he was talking to his 'best beloved sisters' in the faith, he said, "Do you not know that

you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessitylive too. You are the Devil's gateway: You are the unsealer of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine law: You are she who persuaded him whom the devil wasn't valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man." Once again, St. Augustinewrote to a friend, "What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Centuries later, St. Thomas Aquinas still considered women as defective, "As regards the individual nature,woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfectlikeness in the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from a defect in the active force or from some material indisposition, or even from some external influence." (all these quotations can be found in Karen Armstrong's book, The Gospel According to Woman, London: Elm Tree Books, 1986, pp. 52-62. See also Nancy van Vuuren, The Subversion of Women as Practiced by Churches, tch-Hunters, and Other Sexists Philadelphia: Westminster Press pp.28-30.)

Orthodox Jewish men in their daily morning prayer recite "Blessed be God King of the universethat Thou hasnot made me a woman." The women, on the other hand, thank God every morning for "making me according to Thy will" (Thena Kendath, "Memories of an Orthodox youth" in Susannah Heschel, ed. On being a Jewish Feminist, New York: Schocken Books, 1983, pp. 96-97)

According to the Jewish Talmud, "women are exempt from the study of the Torah." In the first century C.E.,Rabbi Eliezer said: "If any man teaches his daughter Torah it is as though he taught her lechery" (Leonard J. Swidler, Women in Judaism: the Status of Women in Formative Judaism, Metuchen, N.J: Scarecrow Press, 1976, pp. 83-93)

According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) in hisbook 'The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature', it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free (Psychosocial Perspective, Hoboken, N.J: Ktav Publishing House, 1986, p. 239). He quotes some famous ancient Rabbissaying, "It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen....a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty." Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings or prayers in the presence of a bareheaded married woman

since uncovering the woman's hair is considered "nudity" (Ibid., pp. 316-317. Also see Swidler, op. cit., pp. 121-123). Dr. Brayer also mentions that "During the Tannaitic period the Jewish woman's failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offense." Dr. Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman wasn't always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The veil personified the dignity and superiority of noble women. It, also, represented a woman's inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband (24. Ibid., p. 139). It is clear in the Old Testament that uncovering a woman's head was a great disgrace and that's why the priest had to uncover the suspected adulteress in her trial by ordeal (Numbers 5:16-18).

St. Tertullian in his famous treatise 'On The Veiling Of Virgins' wrote, "Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them in the church, you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear them among your brothers..." Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church today, there is a law that require women to cover their heads in church (Clara M. Henning, " Cannon Law and the Battle of the Sexes" in Rosemary R. Ruether, ed., Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974, p. 272.).

Some Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites for example, keep their women veiledto the present day. The reason for the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is "The head covering is a symbol of woman's subjection to the man and to God" : The same logic introduced by St. Paul in the New Testament (Donald B. Kraybill, The riddle of the Amish Culture, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,1989, p. 56.)

Russian Orthodox women are expected to wear a head covering when in the church. Most don't outside of itin America, but many in Russia and many other eastern Orthodox women all over eastern Europe, Greece, and the middle east do wear scarves on their heads all the time when in public

These are only a small sampling. For many more similar quotations please obtain a copy of the 70 page book"Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality," By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

Continuing, according to the Old Testament, a childless widow must marry her husband's brother, even if he is already married and regardless of her consent, so that she might bear a child from him (Genesis 38).

Further, according to the Bible:

"If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are

discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has

violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives"

Deuteronomy 22:28-30

One must ask a simple question here, who is really punished, the man who raped the woman or the womanwho was raped? What is to prevent someone from finding the best looking woman in town, raping her, telling everyone about it, and then having the courts force her to be his wife for the rest of her life?

According to Numbers 27:1-11, widows and sisters don't inherit at all. Daughters can inherit only if their

deceased father had no sons.

So what is the standpoint of the Qur'an with regard to women? Women are indeed commanded by Allah tocover their heads and wear modest clothing, however, in Islam this is not a sign of denigration or subjugation to men, rather, it is a sign of chastity, modesty, and the fear of God. It also designates this woman to all men who might deal with her that she is to be dealt with respect. This could be compared to the situation in the West when one meets a nun or priest, how the nun's habit and the priest's robes signal those who meet them that this person does not condone vulgarity of speech or evil actions. This is made apparent in the Qur'an in Al-Ahzab:

"… that is closer to their being recognized so that they shall not be abused, and Allah is ever

Forgiving, Merciful" Al-Ahzab(33):59 (also see Noor(24):31)

What about the rights of women in Islam?

Are they indeed, as the popular propaganda would have us

believe, "second class citizens"? Let us read the Qur'an:

"And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner"

The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):228

"And their Lord has heard them (and He says): Verily! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from another. So those who fled and were driven forth from their homes and suffered damage for My cause, and fought and were slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds from them and verily I shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. A reward from Allah. And with Allah is the fairest of rewards."

The noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):195.

"And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask Allah of His bounty. Verily! Allah is Knower of all things."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):32.

"Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal share."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):77.

"And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint in a date stone."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):124.

"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Tauba(9):71

"Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily We shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Nahil(16):97.

"And of His signs is this: He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find tranquillity in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who reflect."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Room(30):21

"Whoso does an ill deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such will enter the Garden, where they will be nourished without stint."

The noble Qur'an, Mumin(40):40.

In the Qur'an, both Adam and Eveshare the blame for eating from the tree. This can be seen in the Qur'an insuch verses as Al-Baqarah(2):36, Al-A'araf(7):22-24. They were also both forgiven by God Almighty for this sin. Actually, in one verse of the Qur'an (Taha(20):121), Adam is specifically blamed.

Islam encourages spouses to take each other's council and to seek mutual agreement in matters which affectthem, for example, in the Qur'an, Al-Bakarah(2):233 we read:

"Mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years; (that is) for those who wish to complete the suckling. The duty of feeding and clothing nursing mothers in a seemly manner is upon the father of the child. No one should be charged beyond their capacity. A mother should not be made to suffer because of her child, nor should he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of his child. And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was incumbent on the father). If they desire to wean the child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, it is no sin for them; and if you wish to give your children out to nurse, it is no sin for you, provided that you pay what is due from you in kindness. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is Seer of what you do."

Husbands are commanded to treat their wives with kindness and respect. In Al-Nissa(4)-19 we read "..But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allah has placed much good."

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"The best believers are the best in conduct, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives."

When Muhammad (pbuh) first became the prophet of Islam, the Pagans of Arabia had inherited a similar disregard for woman as had been passed down among their Jewish and Christian neighbors. So disgracefulwas it considered among them to be blessed with a female child that they would go so far as to bury this baby alive in order to avoid the disgrace associated with female children.

Through the teachings of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) put a swift and resounding end to this evil practice. Notonly did he severely discourage and condemn this act but he also used to teach them to respect and cherish their daughters and mothers as partners and sources of salvation for the men of their family:

AbuSa'id al-Khudri narrated:

"The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them( to other men), and does good by them, he will enter Paradise."

(Narrated by Abu-Dawood)

Abdullah the son of Abbas narrated:

"The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive, or slight her, or prefer his male children over her, Allah will bring him into Paradise."

(Narrated by Abu-Dawood)

Muhammad (pbuh) is also sited in "Sahih Muslim" as saying:

"Whoever maintains two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this; and he joined his fingers".

In other words, if one loves the messenger of Allah and wishes to be with him on the day of resurrection in heaven, then they should do good by their daughters.

To learn more about the rights of women in Islam, the issue of modest dress codes, the issue of polygamy,and many other issues which can not be covered here, I highly recommend the following books:

1.Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality, By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

2."The Status of Women in Islam," by Dr. Jamal A. Badawi, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

3."Women's rights in Islam," by Lea Zaitoun, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

4."Gender Equity in Islam," by Dr. Jamal Badawi, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.