noor-i-islam (november 2011) (official magazine of the ... · fitnah (trials and affliction).”...
TRANSCRIPT
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Glorify Allah
To Stay Permanently Close to Him {The Editor}
In his commentary on the Qur‟an, the famous scholar, Ibn
Katheer says: “Allah gives this general order that we should
remember Him often at the beginning and end of each day, as
He ordered that we should worship Him at these two times,
when he says: „Extol the praises of your Lord before sunrise
and before sunset.‟ This used to be the case before daily
prayers were made obligatory and the night when the Prophet,
peace be upon him, went on his night journey.”
This verse was revealed in Makkah. Here Allah says that we
should remember Him “in the morning and evening”, and this
should be done humbly, and with awe, without raising our
voices. This is the best way to remember Allah, not to address
Him loudly. The Prophet‟s (pbuh) companions asked him: “Is
our Lord near to be addressed softly or distant so that we
should appeal to Him loud?” In reply, Allah revealed the
Qur‟anic verse: “When My servants ask you about Me, I am
near. I respond to the supplication of anyone when he
addresses Me.”
Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim relate in their “Saheeh” on the
authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ashari: “On some travel people
raised their voices when they made their supplication. The
Prophet (pbuh) said to them: “People watch what you do. You
are appealing to someone who is neither deaf nor away. The
One Whom you are calling hears all that is said, and He is
close at hand. Indeed, He is close to each one of you than
the neck of his camel.”
Allah‟s remembrance is not the mere mentioning of His name
verbally; it can be achieved when both heart and mind are
brought into it. It is the type of remembrance that can makes
hearts tremble and minds react. Unless it is coupled with a
feeling of humility and awe, it will not be true remembrance
of Allah. Indeed, it could border on impoliteness toward
Allah. When we remember Allah, we should think of His
greatness, fear His punishment and hope for His mercy. Only
in that way, can we achieve spiritual purity. When we mention
His name as we remember His greatness and we bring the
physical action with the spiritual one, we must show humility,
speaking in a low voice, without singing or showing off.
“And remember your Lord within yourself humbly and with
awe, and without raising your voice, in the morning and
evening.” This is to ensure that our hearts remain in contact
with Allah at both ends of the day. Remembering Allah is not
NOOR-I-ISLAM Ahmadiyah Anjuman
Isha’at-i-Islam (Lahore),
Canada
NOVEMBER, 2011
Editor: Sadiq Noor
Web: aaiil.org Read on-line: aaiil.org/Canada Comments: [email protected]
”And remember your Lord within yourself humbly and with awe, and without raising your voice, in the morning and evening: And do not be negligent. Those who are with your Lord are never too proud to worship Him. They extol His glory and before Him alone prostrate themselves.” [The Heights – “Al-A’araf” 7:205-6]
www.aaiil.org
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limited to these two times; indeed it must be all
the time. We should be on constant guard against
slipping into error. But in these two particular
periods we can observe the clear change that
takes place in universe as the night changes into
day, and the day changes into night. Human hearts would feel
in touch with the universe around them, as they witness how
Allah accomplishes this transition of day and night and the
great changes that take place as one gives way to the other.
Allah {limitless in His glory} knows that at these two
particular times, human hearts are most likely to be impressed
and to respond positively. There are frequent directives in the
Qur‟an to remember Allah and glorify Him at the time when
the whole universe appears to interact with the human heart,
sharpen its impressions, and motivate it to remain in touch
with Allah the Almighty:
“Persevere in the fact of what they say, and extol the praises
of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. Also in the
depth of the night, glorify Him and do so after prayers.”
“At different times through the night do glorify your Lord,
and also do so at both ends of the day so that you may be
gratified.”
“Remember the name of your Lord early in the morning and
before sunset. And in the depth of the night, prostrate
yourself to Him and glorify Him
through the long night.”
There is no need to [repeatedly] say that
this order to remember Allah at this
particular time was before the daily prayers were made
obligatory at their appointed times, because this may give the
impression that these obligatory prayers have superseded this
order. The fact is that this remembrance of Allah is wider than
the obligatory prayers. Its timing and its form are not limited
to obligatory prayers. It may be a remembrance in private, or
something in which both heart and mouth share without the
movements that prayer includes. It is indeed wider than that
because it involves constant remembrance of Allah‟s
Almightiness, when one is alone or with people, before any
action, big or small, and before resolving to do something.
However, the early morning, the end of day as the sun begins
to set, and the depth of the nights is mentioned because these
are times that has special appeal to human hearts. Allah Who
has created man and Who knows his nature is fully aware of
all that.
“Do not be negligent.” This is a reference to people
who neglect to remember Allah, not by word of mouth, but in
their heart and mind. It is the remembrance that keeps the
heart alive to deter man from doing anything or following any
course in which he feels embarrassed to be seen by Allah and
who watches Allah before doing anything. This is the type of
remembering Allah that is ordered here. It would not be true
remembrance of Allah if it does not lead to obeying Him and
implementing His orders.
Do not let yourself be negligent of remembering Allah and
watching your actions. Man needs to remain in constant touch
with his Lord so that he is able to resist the temptation that
Satan may place before him.
“Should a tempting thought from Satan attract you, seek
shelter with Allah. He hears all and knows all.” ….
Do any of us know this man
or have any of us ever heard his name
before? Most probably, the majority
of us, if not all, have not heard his
name mentioned before. I imagine that
you wonder, who Sa‟iid Ibn „Aamir
is? Well, you are about to embark on a
journey back in time so as to find out
all that there is to be known about this
“happy” (“Sa‟iid” means “happy”) man, so
fasten your seat belts.
In short, Sa‟iid was one of
the outstanding Companions of the
Prophet (pbuh), notwithstanding the fact
that his name was seldom, if ever,
mentioned. He was one of the most
distinguished unknown pious
Companions. It was natural that he,
like all Muslims, would accompany
the Prophet (pbuh) in all his expeditions
and battles, for as a believer, he could
not lag or turn his back on Allah‟s
Prophet (pbuh) in peace or war time.
Shortly before the Conquest of
Khaibar, Sa‟iid submitted himself to
Islam. Ever since he embraced Islam
and gave his allegiance to the Prophet
(pbuh), he consecrated his life,
existence, and destiny to the service of
Islam. All the great virtues of
obedience, asceticism, dignity,
humbleness, piety, and pride thrived
harmoniously inside this pure and
kind man.
In our attempt to unveil his
greatness, we must bear in mind that,
in most cases, appearance contrasts
with reality. If we are to judge him by
his outer looks, we will not do him
justice, for he was definitely ill-
favored as regards his appearance. He
had dusty uncombed hair. Nothing in
his looks or appearance distinguished
Companions Of The
Prophet
(peace be upon him)
SA‟IID IBN „AAMIR (May Allah be pleased with him, always)
“Greatness under Worn-out Garments”
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him from poor Muslims. If we are to
judge his reality by his appearance, we
will see nothing impressive or breath-
taking. But if we dive deep into his
inner self beyond his outer
appearance, we will see greatness in
the full meaning of the word. His
greatness stood aloof from the
splendor and ornament of life. Yet, it
lurked there beyond his modest
appearance and worn-out garments.
Have you ever seen a pearl hidden
inside its shell? Well, he was much
like this hidden pearl.
When the Commander of the
Faithful „Umar Al-Khattab‟ dismissed
Mu‟aawiyah from the position as
governor of Homs in Syria, he exerted
himself in searching for someone who
was qualified to take over his position.
Undoubtedly, „Omar‟s standards of
choice of governors and assistants
were highly cautious, meticulous, and
scrutinizing. He believed that if a
governor committed a sin, error, or
violation, two people would be asked
to account for it before Allah: „Omar
and the governor, even if this
governor were in the farthest corner of
the earth. His standards of estimation
and evaluation of governors were
highly subtle, alert, and perceiving.
Centuries before the advent of Islam,
Homs was a big city that witnessed,
one after the other, the dawn and
eclipse of many civilizations, besides,
it was a vital trade center. The
attractions of the vast city turned it
into a place of seduction and
temptation. In „Omer‟s opinion only
as ascetic, devout, and repentant
worshiper would be able to resist and
renounce its attractions.
„Omer suddenly realized that
Sa‟iid ibn Aamir was the man he was
looking for and cried out, “Sa‟iid ibn
„Amir is the right man for this
mission.” He summoned him, Sa‟iid
was offered the governorship by the
Commander of the Faithful, but he
refused saying, “Do not expose me to
Fitnah (trials and affliction).” „Umar
then cried out, “By Allah, I will not
let you turn me down. Do you lay the
burdens of your trusteeship and the
caliphate upon my shoulders, and
then you refuse to help me out?” Instantly, Sa‟iid was convinced of the
logic of „Omar‟s words. Indeed, it was
not fair to abandon or avoid their
obligation towards their trusteeship
and towards the caliphate and lay
them on „Umar‟s shoulders.
Moreover, if people like Sa‟iid ibn
„Aamir renounced the responsibility
of rule, then „Umar would definitely
have a hard time to find a man who
was highly pious and righteous
enough to be entrusted with such a
mission.
Hence, Sa‟iid traveled with
his wife to Syria. They were
newlywed. Ever since his bride was a
little girl, she has been an exquisitely
blooming beauty. „Umar gave him a
considerable sum of money at the time
of his departure.
When they settled down in
Syria, his wife wanted to use this
money, so she asked him to buy
appropriate garments, upholstery, and
furniture, and to save the rest of it.
Sa‟iid said to her, “I have a better
idea. We are in a country with
profitable trade and brisk markets, so
it would be better to give this money
to a merchant so as to invest it.” She
said, “But if he loses it?” Sa‟iid said,
“I will make him a guarantee that the
amount will be paid notwithstanding.”
She answered, “All right then.”
Of course, Sa‟iid went out
and bought the necessities for an
ascetic life, then gave all his money in
voluntary charity in Allah‟s cause to
the poor and those in need. Time went
by, and every now and then his wife
would ask him about their money and
their profits and he would answer, “It
is a highly profitable trade.”
One day, she asked him the
same question before one of his
relatives who knew what he had done
with the money. His relative smiled,
then he could not help laughing in a
way that made Sa‟iid‟s wife
suspicious. Therefore, she prevailed
on him to tell her the truth. He told
her, “Sa‟iid on that day gave all his
money in voluntary charity in Allah‟s
cause.” Sa‟iid‟s wife was broken-
hearted, for not only had she lost her
last chance to buy what she wanted
but also lost all their money. Sa‟iid
gazed at her sad, meek eyes glistening
with tears that only added more charm
and grace to her eyes; yet before he
yielded to this fascinating figure, he
perceived Paradise inhabited by his
late friends and said, “I had
companions who preceded me in
ascending to Allah and you will not
deviate from the path they have
taken, not for the world.” He was
afraid lest her excelling beauty should
make her disobey him; therefore he
said as if he were talking to himself,
“You know that Paradise is filled with
Houris, fair females with wide and
lovely eyes as wives for the pious,
who are extremely lovely. If one of
them had a peep at the earth, she
would illuminate it with her light that
combines the light of both the earth
and the moon. So you should not
blame me if I choose to sacrifice your
love for their love and not vice versa.”
Throughout his talk, he was calm,
pleased, and satisfied. His wife was
peaceful, for she realized that she had
no choice but to follow Sa‟iid‟s
example and adopt herself to his rigid,
ascetic, and pious way of life.
Homs at that time was called
the second Kufa. The reason behind
this was that its people were easily
stirred and swayed to revolt against
their governors. Homs was named
after Al-Kufa in Iraq, which was
notorious for endless mutiny and
uprising. Although, the people of
Homs were given to mutiny, as
already mentioned, Allah guided their
hearts to His righteous slave Sa‟iid.
Thus, they loved and obeyed him.
One day, „Umar said to him,
“I find it rather strange that the people
of Syria love and obey you.” Sa‟iid
answered, “Maybe they love me
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because I help and sympathize with
them.”
Despite the love of the
people of Homs for Sa‟iid, their innate
rebellious disposition got the better of
them. Hence, sounds of discontent and
complaint began to be heard, thus
proving that Homs was not called the
second Kufa in vain. One day, as the
Commander of the Faithful was
visiting Homs, he asked its people
who gathered around him for their
opinion of Sa‟iid. Some made
complaints against him which were
blessings in disguise, for they
unveiled an impressively great man.
„Umar asked the criticizing
group to state their complaints one by
one. The representative of the group
stood up and said, “We have four
complaints against Sa‟iid: First, he
doesn‟t come out of his house until
the sun rises high and the day
becomes hot. Second, he does not see
anyone at night. Third, there are two
days in every month in which he
doesn‟t leave his house at all.
Fourth, he faints every now and
then, and this annoys us although he
can‟t help it.” The man sat down and
„Umar was silent for a while for he
was secretly supplicating Allah
saying, “Allah, I know that he is one
of Your best slaves. Allah, I beseech
You not to make me disappointed in
him.” He summoned Sa‟iid to defend
himself. Sa‟iid replied, “As for their
complaint that I do not get out of my
house before noon, by Allah I hate to
explain the reason that made me do
that, but I have to do so. The reason
is that my wife does not have a
servant, so I knead my dough, wait
for it to rise, bake my bread, perform
ablution and pray Duhar, and then I
go out of my house.” „Umar‟s face
brightened as he said, “All praises and
thanks to Allah.” Then he urged him
to refute the rest of the allegations.
Sa‟iid went on, “As for their
complaint that I do not meet anyone
at night, by Allah, I hate to say the
reason, but you force me to. Anyway,
I have devoted the day to them and
consecrated the night to Allah. As for
the third complaint, that they do not
see me two days per month, well, I do
not have a servant to wash my
garments and I have no spare one.
Therefore, I wash it and wait for it to
dry shortly before sunsets, then I go
out of my house meet them. My
defense against the last complaint of
the fainting fits is that I saw with my
own eyes Khubaib Al-Ansaariy being
slain in Makkah. The Quraish cut his
body into small pieces and said, „Do
you want to save yourself and see
Mohammad in your place instead?
He answered, „By Allah, I will not
accept your offer of setting me free to
return to my family safe and sound,
even if you gave me all the splendors
and ornaments of life in return for
exposing the Prophet (pbuh) to the
least annoyance, even if it was a
prick of a thorn. Now, every time this
scene of me standing there as a
disbeliever, watching Khubaib being
tortured to death and doing nothing
to save him flickers in my mind. I
find myself shaking with fear of
Allah‟s punishment and I faint.”
These were Sa‟iid‟s words
which left his lips that already wet
from the flow of his pure and pious
tears. The overjoyed „Umar could not
help but cry out, “All praises and
thanks be to Allah Who would not
make me disappointed in you!” He
hugged Sa‟iid and kissed his graceful
and dignified forehead.
Since it is not time for
Paradise yet, it is only natural that
those glorious superior men who pass
by life are but few, very few. Sa‟iid
ibn „Aamir was definitely one of those
superior Muslims.
His position allowed him a
considerable salary, yet he took only
enough money to buy the necessities
for himself and his wife and gave the
rest in voluntary charity in the way of
Allah. One day, he was urged to spend
his surplus on his family and relatives,
yet he answered, “Why should I give
it to my family and relatives? No, by
Allah, I will not sell Allah‟s pleasure
to seek my kinfolks‟ pleasure.”
He was later urged, “Spend
more money on you and on your family
and try to enjoy the lawful good things.”
But he always answered, “I will not stay
behind the foremost Muslims after I heard
the Prophet (pbuh) say:
“When Almighty Allah gathers all
people on the Day of Reckoning
the poor believers will step
forward in solemn procession.
They will be asked to stop for
reckoning but they will answer
confidently: We have nothing to
account for. Allah will say: My
slaves said the truth and they will
enter Paradise before all other
people.” In 20 A.H., Sa‟iid met Allah
with a pure record, pious heart, and
honorable history. He yearned for so long
to be among the foremost Muslims; in
fact, he consecrated his life to fulfill their
covenant and follow in their footsteps. He
yearned for so long for his Prophet (pbuh)
and instructor and his pure and repentant
comrades. He left all the burdens, troubles,
and hardships of life behind. He had
nothing but his pious, ascetic, awesome,
and great inner self. These virtues made
the balance of good deeds heavy rather
than light. He impressed the world with
his qualities rather than with his
conceit.
What a great guidance must have been bestowed on those
outstanding men! What an excellent instructor
Allah’s Prophet (pbuh) must have been!
What a penetrating light must have emanated from Allah’s
Book! What an inspiring and
instructive school Islam must have been!
I wonder if the earth can take in so much of the piety and righteousness of those
fortunate men! I presume that if that happened, then we would no longer call it the earth but rather Paradise.
Indeed the “Promised
Paradise.”
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{Ibn Saleh}
Your attitude of helping parents settle their debts is highly
commendable. Indeed, it is the attitude to be expected from
every dutiful son. You cannot abandon your father and your
mother to face creditors when you have money to help them.
Since that help went through your savings, you had no Zakah
to pay. Your wife is wrong to object to your helping your
parents. You should not hesitate to continue to help them until
their debts are settled. When you do so, you are not merely
being dutiful; you are investing for your own and your
children‟s future. If your wife objects, tell her that you would
like to be sure that if in your old age you need your children‟s
help, you will find it readily available. If you do not help your
parents, how can you be sure that your children will help you
when you grow old? Not only this, but when you help your
parents, your children will be sure to find a helping hand
should they need it when you have died.
It may be true that your parents got into debts as a result of
your brother‟s fault. The fact remains that they are facing
creditors and they have to pay these debts. If you are able to
help, you must do so. It is greatly important that you should
continue to help your parents. Let me remind you of the
Hadith which mentions that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not
offer the prayer for the deceased i.e. Janazah, when the body
of a dead man was brought into the mosque for prayer,
because the Prophet (pbuh) learned that the man left unsettled
debts. When one of his companions volunteered to settle those
debts, the Prophet (pbuh) offered that prayer for the deceased
man. That shows how greatly important the payment of debt
is, even after death. You cannot stand watching your parents if
they are encumbered with these debts. Your help should
always be forthcoming.
Before I started to write the reply to this letter, I tried to look
up the specific question of a husband preventing his wife from
seeing her parents in books of Fiqh and books that speak
extensively about the status of women in Islam. I referred to
numerous books, but my efforts produced only the result I had
expected. There was next to nothing on this specific question.
This is not surprising because the whole question of
preventing a married woman from visiting her parents is, to an
Islamic scholar, unthinkable. What right does a man think
he has over his wife‟s feelings and duties to stop her
from seeing her parents? Does he, by chance, think
that by marrying her he has come to own her? Does he
put her in the same category or the same relationship
to his as a goat he buys? If so, then he is certainly
mistaken. From the Islamic point of view, the relationship
between a man and his wife is one between two human beings
of equal status. Each of them has certain rights and certain
duties, but
neither of
them can
negate the
independent
personality of
the other.
It is simply
unacceptable
from the
Islamic point
of view that a
husband
should
consider that
the marriage
divides his
wife‟s life into
two separate
stages and that
each stage is
completely
isolated from
the other. If he
tries to impose
this situation,
then he will
have a wife
who is
disillusioned,
broken-
hearted and
totally lacking in the ability to impart to her children the
proper values of kindness to family relations and dutifulness
to parents. How could she, when she herself is denied the right
to maintain her relationship with her parents?
The fact is that dutifulness to parents is a duty imposed by
Allah on all children, boys and girls, men and women, single
and married. This dutifulness does not stop at any particular
stage in any-one‟s existence. It extends throughout the
parents‟ and the children‟s lives. Being dutiful to one‟s
parents is not considered to have been completed when they
die. Their children are required to continue to show
dutifulness to them by showing respect and kind treatment to
their friends and relatives, supplicating in their behalf, praying
Allah to have mercy on them, reading the Qur‟an and giving
Sadaqa or charitable donations on their behalf, etc. When such
a claim parents have against their children, how is it possible
that a husband thinks of preventing his wife from visiting her
parents? If he does, then he certainly is unjust to her, unless he
has a very good reason for his action, which can only be
imagined in isolated cases. An example may be seen in the
case of parents who try to persuade their daughter to be
rebellious against her husband or encourage her to seek
Q: Now that I am married, do I
have any financial obligation towards my parents, when they have to pay debts to others?
Q: I would be thankful if you
explain the duties of a married
woman toward her parents. Can a
Muslim husband stop his wife
from visiting her parents, and
threaten her with divorce if she
visits them? How often should she
visit them in normal
circumstances? What if they are ill
and old and need her to look after
them? May I say here that in our
society (Indian sub-continent), the
general view is that only the sons,
particularly the eldest, are
responsible for their parents. What
if a couple have only daughters and
no sons? {Questions shortened and names withheld}
Obligations: Towards Parents After Marriage
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divorce. But we are not talking about those isolated cases
here; we are referring to ordinary situations.
In these, a man should consider what his feelings would be
like if his sister was prevented from seeing their parents by
her unreasonable husband? He should extend to his wife the
same treatment he would like to see extended to his dearest
sister. My reader is asking about the case of a woman‟s
parents being ill or old and requiring frequent visits.
My answer is that she should try as much as she can to look
after them, and her husband should help her to do so. She
should certainly not neglect her own household duties, but she
can try to make the necessary arrangements to enable her to
look after her parents and her husband at the same time. Her
husband can help her in many ways such as driving her, if he
has a car, to her parent‟s home, or fetching her from there
when she wants to come back, putting their young children to
bed when she is looking after her parents, relieving her of her
cooking duties if the situation requires that, etc. These are
matters of common sense. He should feel very happy when
her parents express their gratitude to him and pray Allah to
reward him and his wife. He should realize that such
supplication is certainly answered. It can bring him and his
family only good. It may be customary in a certain community
to consider that the eldest son bears the greatest responsibility
in looking after his parents, but this is not
the Islamic view. In Islam, all sons and
daughters are responsible, each according
to his or her means. If sons are the ones to
provide financial help and looking after
their parents‟ material needs, paying the
expenses of their living and medical
treatment, then daughters can also help by providing the
necessary care and nursing, etc. If one of the children fails to
do his duty, then the others should not wait for him, but
provide what is needed without hesitation. Suppose, that the
eldest son is the richest in the family, but he happens to be
stingy, unwilling to pay for his parents‟ needs. Suppose also
that all the other children are of limited means. They still have
to look after their parents. They cannot say that their rich
brother does not help, so they cannot do much on their own.
They should look at the case as if their rich brother was not
there. What would they do in that case? Leave their parents to
suffer? Certainly not. Therefore, they should collaborate in
looking after them.
If an elderly couple has only daughters and they are all
married, and the couple needs to be looked after, then their
daughters should try their best to look after them. Islam does
not accept that such elderly parents should be abandoned
simply because their daughters are married. How can it be so
when kindness to all relatives in an Islamic duty? When we
speak of relatives here we are not simply speaking of brothers,
sisters, uncles and aunts, but of distant relatives also who are
separated by two or three grades of relationship. We are still
required to be kind to them and to show them that we care for
them. A religion that makes this a duty incumbent on all its
followers cannot condone the action of a husband who
arbitrarily refuses his wife permission to visit her parents.
Good Muslims have a different sense of duty. With Muslims
nowadays traveling all over the world, either to pursue their
education or to find better employment, there are countless
women who live away from their home cities and villages
only to accompany their husbands and raise their own
families. The overwhelming majority of Muslim men in this
situation take their wives home as frequently as possible to
give them a chance to see their parents and families. If the
husbands cannot go themselves, then they send their wives
home for such visits. To think of the other extreme is simply
not acceptable. If a husband threatens his wife with divorce
for visiting her parents, he is unjust to her and to them.
Injustice is forbidden in Islam. Allah says in a Qudsi Hadith:
“My servants, I have forbidden injustice and have
made injustice forbidden to you. Do not be unjust
to one another.” If it is forbidden to be unjust to a person
whom we do not know, it is far more strongly forbidden to be
unjust to the closest relatives, one‟s wife to whom the Prophet,
peace be upon him, has urged us to be very kind.
Nor is it permissible for a Muslim to obey anyone
encouraging him to be unjust to his wife, not even his parents.
If your parents insist that you treat your wife harshly or
unjustly, you should realize that injustice represents
disobedience to Allah. The Prophet (pbuh) says: “No creature
may be obeyed in what constitutes disobedience to the
Creator.” It is a man‟s duty to provide his wife with a
suitable home according to his means and of the standard
considered reasonable in her social status. If he wants her to
live with his parents, then he should explain this right at the
beginning. She should be aware of what awaits her when she
gets married to him. If she moves into his parents‟ home and
she is unhappy there, then it is her right to ask her husband to
provide her with an independent home.
On her part, she should ask only what is reasonable in her
husband‟s circumstances. If he looks after his parents and he
cannot afford to have two homes, then she should accept what
is reasonable and he has the duty of protecting her against any
injustice or ill-treatment or harassment that may be
perpetuated by his parents. On the other hand, if he has the
means to give her a separate home, he may not impose on her
that she should live with them. In all these questions, what is
required of both husband and wife is to care for each other‟s
feelings and be reasonable. Common sense is an important
factor in all this. Common sense tells every husband that if he
has good wife, then it is her parents who have brought her up
as a good Muslim woman. Her relationship with them is not
severed the moment he is married to her. Common sense also
tells every Muslim wife the same thing about her husband and
his parents. If they need to be looked after, then she should
help him looking after them. When both look at this question
in a relaxed manner and with common sense, keeping the
Islamic teachings in mind, it is not difficult to steer the course,
which satisfies everybody and ensures kindness and
dutifulness to parents of both husband and wife.
19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: [email protected] Page 7
Habeebah bint Sahl, may Allah be pleased with her, was an Ansari woman who embraced Islam in its early days in
Madinah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, had not yet immigrated to Madinah when she and many other men and
women declared their belief in him. Many members of her family were also among the early Muslims. When the
Prophet (pbuh) arrived in Madinah, Habeebah and her sister Rughaynah were among the women who met the
Prophet and pledged their loyalty to him as Muslim women. One report mentioned by Ibn Sa’ad on the authority
of Yahiya ibn Saeed claims that the Prophet wanted to marry her, but he felt that jealousy was a strong feeling
among the Ansar. Therefore, he decided not do so. The jealousy he meant was the rivalry between the different
tribes and clans of the Ansar. The report mentions that the Prophet “disliked disappointing them with regard to
their women.” This suggests that if he were to marry a woman who belonged to a certain tribe, the other tribe of
the Ansar would feel disappointed.
In the event, Habeebah married Thabit ibn Quays, one of the more learned figures among the Prophet‟s companions.
However, her marriage was not a happy one. It appears that there was a strong feeling of incompatibility between them.
This need not be due to any ill treatment or to serious failings on the part of either party. It may be simply that the
chemistry between them is not right. When Habeebah felt that her marriage would never work, she went to the Prophet
(pbuh) with her complaint. She put it is a very delicate way, recognizing that her husband was a good man. She said:
“Messenger of Allah, I do not take anything against Thabit with regard to his manners or strength of faith. However, I
hate to be an ungrateful person when I am a Muslim.” We have some reports which suggest that Thabit was far from
handsome. When she saw him among other people, he was distinguished by his lack of attractiveness. So, she must have
had a feeling of lack of fulfillment.
Here was a case which required a solution within Islamic teachings. The Prophet (pbuh) put the matter to her husband, telling him that
she wanted to be released. Thabit told him that he had given her a handsome dowry, an orchard. The Prophet (pbuh) asked her whether
she was willing to give the orchard back. She agreed. The Prophet (pbuh) arranged that Thabit take back the orchard and the marriage
was dissolved. This was the first case of Khul’h in Islam, which is the termination of marriage at the wife‟s request for no particular
reason other than her desire to end the marriage. It provided guidance for the implementation of the relevant provisions in Islamic
Law. Such termination of marriage at the wife‟s request was unheard of in Arabia before Islam. Indeed, in many Arabian tribes,
women were treated like inanimate objects. They were not even consulted about their marriage. It was up to the man to keep his wife
or to divorce her, but she had no recourse available to her if her marriage is unhappy.
Habeebah used to visit the Prophet‟s (pbuh) wives, may Allah be pleased with them all, where she learned some Hadiths. On one occasion, the Prophet (pbuh)
came in when she was with his wife, Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her. After he had sat down, he said: “If a Muslim couple loses three of their
children before they attain puberty, the children are brought on the Day of Judgment up to the gate of heaven when they are told to enter.
They refuse unless their parents are admitted with them. They will be told to enter with their parents.” Delighted with what she heard, Ayesha
said to her: “Have you heard that?” She said: “Indeed, I have.”
“RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM” Habeebah bint Sahl
The First Applicant for “Khul‟h” (Divorce)
19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: [email protected] Page 8
The
FOUR
Imams
ZamZam Water Carrying Home
Fasting: Compensation
In chronological order
are:
---- Imam Malik
ibn Anas lived in
Madinah most of his life, His
grandfather was a companion of the
Prophet, peace be upon him.
---- Imam Abu Haneefah was
called Al-Nauman ibn Thabit.
He was of Persian origin, but lived in
Iraq.
---- Imam El-Shafie was born in
Gaza and traveled when still a young
boy to Madinah where he studied
under Imam Malik. He also traveled to
Iraq where he met the leading scholars
of the Hanafi school of thought such
as Imam Abu Yusuf. He then traveled
to Egypt where he spent the last five
years of his life.
---- The Hanbali school of thought
was founded by Imam Ahmad ibn
Hanbal, who lived mostly in
Baghdad. He was a close friend of
Imam El Shafie. Both learned from
each other, although Imam Ahmad,
the younger scholar, was keen to
maintain this close relationship which
lasted until El-Shafie left Baghdad for
Egypt.
Is it recommended to carry ZamZam
water to one‟s home country?
It is recommended to drink of
ZamZam water after one has done
tawaf. Taking it home is not
something that has been
recommended to us. It was not the
practice of the companions of the
Prophet, peace be upon him, to carry
ZamZam water home with them.
However, if one takes it home for
people to drink it, he is welcome to do
so.
Accidently Mishandling
If one accidently drops
the Qur‟an on the floor,
how does he seek forgiveness?
If you dropped the Qur‟an on the floor
accidently, taking proper care to hold
it firmly, there is no blame to be
attached to you. It is when you are
careless that you commit an offense.
In this case, you need to repent, pray
for forgiveness and resolve to be more
careful in future.
When compensating for not fasting,
we are required to feed one poor
person two meals for each day. Can
we feed two poor persons one meal
each?
Compensating for not fasting during
the month of Ramadan is normally by
fasting a day instead.
Feeding a poor person is acceptable as
an alternative only when such
compensation by fasting is impossible,
either because the person concerned is
too old or has a chronic illness that is
unlikely to be cured. In this case, for
each day of not fasting, the
compensation is to feed one poor
person two meals.
Giving one meal each to two poor
persons is not right because the
relevant Qur‟anic verse [2:184] uses
the singular form.
Considering that the
Prophet‟s father‟s name
was Abdullah, may I
ask if God‟s name,
Allah, was known
before Islam?
Yes, God‟s name, Allah, was known
for a long time in Arabia. We find it in
Arabic poetry dating back many
centuries prior to the advent of Islam.
It is perhaps the name used by the
Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail.
To the Arabs who lived shortly before
Islam, it signified the overall God who
controlled the universe. However,
they thought their idols to be His
partners who would listen to their
appeals and bring them closer to God.
Is there a particular way we should
observe when entering or leaving a
mosque?
It is recommended that when entering
a mosque, we put the right foot first
and say: “My Lord, forgive me and
open for me the gates of Your
mercy.” On leaving, we put out our
left foot first and say: “My Lord,
forgive me and open for me the
gates of Your bounty.” But this is a
recommended practice, which means
that if we do not do it, we do nothing
wrong. It is just an omission of what is
preferable {and of course you miss out
on gaining some credits}.
I used to write
the figure 786 at
the top of my
correspondence
as a substitute for “Bismillah hir-
Rahman Er-Raheem.” I was recently told
that it is not proper, Please comment.
The number 786 is claimed by some
people to be equivalent to the phrase
you have mentioned which means „In
the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the
Merciful.‟ Muslims are recommended
to start any action of importance with
this phrase. However, in order not to
write the name of Allah or His
attributes on a piece of paper, which
may be torn or thrown in the rubbish
bin, they replaced it with this figure.
They rely on a strange way of
calculation which assigns a number to
each letter of the Arabic alphabet and
add those up to reach the number 786
for the word Bismillah.
This is certainly illogical. No one ever
feels that this figure or any other
figure represents the inspiring
meaning of the phrase. Besides, there
is no evidence that such a method of
replacing letters with figures is
acceptable or desirable.
19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: [email protected] Page 9
“I a
m c
ert
ain
ly i
n c
ha
rge
of
ev
ery
be
lie
ve
r, b
oth
in
th
is p
rese
nt
life
an
d t
he
fu
ture
lif
e. R
ea
d, i
f y
ou
wil
l: ‘T
he
Pro
ph
et
ha
s m
ore
cla
im o
n
the
be
lie
ve
rs t
ha
n t
he
y h
av
e o
n t
he
ir o
wn
se
lve
s’.
An
y b
eli
ev
er
wh
o
lea
ve
s b
eh
ind
pro
pe
rty
wil
l b
e i
nh
eri
ted
by
his
he
ir.
An
yo
ne
wh
o
lea
ve
s a
de
bt
or
yo
un
g c
hil
dre
n,
the
y s
ho
uld
co
me
to
me
. I
wil
l ta
ke
care
of
the
m.”
(Al-
Bu
kh
ari
)
Guidance from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
HOW CARING FOR THE
COMMUNITY
The Prophet, peace be upon him, always took good care of his community. In fact, he took
good care of future generations of the Muslim community. The Hadith on your left
establishes certain responsibilities that ensure that everyone in the Muslim community is
taken care of. This Hadith is quoted by Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him.
In this Hadith, the Prophet quotes a portion of a Qur‟anic verse, stating that he “has more
claim on the believers than they have on their own selves” [33:6]. However, he places
more emphasis on his own responsibility, rather than that of the believers. Thus, the
Hadith explains the type of care believers will receive from the Prophet (pbuh). This
responsibility is undertaken after the Prophet by all Muslim rulers. Thus, the principle the
Hadith is talking about is permanent, concerned with the rulers of any Muslim state. Then
the Prophet (pbuh) and the Muslim state take on themselves the role of guardian of the
Muslim community.
Had the Prophet (pbuh) taken advantage of the principle Allah lays down in this verse, he
would have laid a claim to all the wealth any believer leaves behind. However, he makes
clear that he takes none of that. He declares that any property a believer leaves behind is
left to his heirs, according to the elaborate system of inheritance the Qur‟an outlines. The
Prophet‟s claim is linked only to responsibility. He calls on a deceased believer‟s heirs to
come to him if the deceased has left behind any debt that cannot be paid out of his estate,
or young children who cannot be looked after.
This principle establishes the basis of a system of social security. The Muslim state is
responsible to take care of a deceased person‟s affairs. It has to take over his debts, if
these cannot be paid out of the deceased‟s estate. The heirs are not responsible to repay
such debts out of their own money. This is related to the principle that defines the
preferred claims on a deceased person‟s estate. The first claim is that of arranging the
burial of the deceased. The second is the repayment of his outstanding debts. No heir
may be given anything until these two claims have been met. If a Muslim dies and leaves
nothing behind, the Muslim state should take care of these responsibilities, paying for his
burial and repaying his debts. If a poor Muslim leaves behind young children who cannot
be looked after by relatives, the Muslim state must ensure that they are well looked after.
Should the state fail to fulfill this responsibility, the Muslim community should undertake
it. In fact, Muslims should compete to shoulder this responsibility because it ensures
great reward for them. Anyone who repays an outstanding debit of a deceased Muslim
will earn very rich reward. Likewise, those who look after orphans and bring them up,
taking good care of them, stand to earn in reward much more than any expense they
incur.
It is because of the emphasis the Prophet (pbuh) has laid on the importance of looking after
orphans that we see people in all Muslim communities come forward and take care of
them. In every Muslim society, you see a network of charities undertaking the task of
looking after those in need in their communities. This is a manifestation of the real bond
of brotherhood Islam establishes in Muslim society.
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Is the sacrifice at the Eid Al-Azha applicable to every earning member of the family, men and women, married
or unmarried? Or is it sufficient if the head of the family makes the sacrifice on behalf of the family?
The Sacrifice at the Eid is a highly rewarding Sunnah. If one performs it once during one’s lifetime, that person is deemed to have performed the Sunnah. However, if it is performed every year, it earns more and more reward. It is recommended that one keeps one-third of the meat for one’s family, and gifts one-third to relatives and neighbors, and give to the poor one-third. Like all religious requirements, it applies to every Muslim, married or unmarried, man or woman, provided that they can afford it. Thus, if a person earns an income but his income is hardly sufficient for his family’s needs, this Sunnah does not apply to him. Another person may be earning less, but he can afford the sacrifice because his commitments are much less than the first one. Such person is strongly recommended to perform the sacrifice. The head of the family may intend his sacrifice to be on his own behalf and on behalf of his dependants. These are his wife and young children who are not yet able to earn their living.
Eid Mubarak
to everyone reading this
message.
May Almighty Allah keep you in
good Health, Happiness and In
safe hands.
Give you strength to
follow His Right Path
and shower His
Blessings on you,
Always.
Keep ‘Noor-i-Islam’ in your prayers.