It is Really Weird

I was watching an American news channel when more than three hosts were discussing the trending issue of allowing gays into the military when I suddenly imagined two of the men sitting next to each other to be having a homosexual affair.

It felt so wrong.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… cursed is the one who has intercourse with an animal, cursed is the one who does the action of the people of Loot.”

— He refers to degenerate sexual relationships (homosexuality).

Prayers

Here is a link to a Webpage with a list of prayers in Arabic and English which you can recite after daily prayers and in anytime.

May Allah, the Almighty God, accept our prayers, amen.

The Islamic Pilgrimage: Hajj

Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage, is a dream journey for every believing Muslim. To know about Hajj:

• HAJJ – Pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Mecca
• The Hajj in Pictures

And here is a beautiful video clip about Hajj:

In Hajj, all Muslims are equal. The poor and the rich walk together and all wear white garments. All united by Islam.

May Allah support us and help us in undertaking Hajj soon, amen.

Best Opportunity for Repentance!

Tomorrow, if Allah wills, is the first day of the month of Dhul Hijjah, may it be full of Allah’s blessings and forgiveness. The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are blessed and the Muslim has to make the most of them by:

• praying more sincerely,
• spending more time in studying the Quran,
• fasting those days,
• doing more good like helping the poor, planting the earth, cleaning the environment, visiting the family, being honest and kind, and visiting the ill,
• asking eagerly for Allah’s forgiveness and acceptance of repentance, and
• making effort to clarify the misconceptions about Islam by behaving like a real Muslim: stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol, stop following women, stop wasting time in cafes and malls, spend your money more wisely, regard people’s feelings, be kind to the elderly and children, love Allah’s creatures, make your family happy, and keep your city clean.

May Allah forgive our sins and mistakes, that which we know of and which we do not know of, amen.

The Signs of the Day of Judgment

The signs of the Day of Judgment have been elaborated in Islam very extensively as compared to the oldest religions, Judaism and Christianity. In this life, many people have clung to materialitic dreams and forgot about their life in the hereafter. Would not you want to have a happy ending?

I would like to share a post by Naush Samama about the signs of the approach of this great Day:

The Signs are listed in roughly chronological order, although the order is not necessarily precise, especially for those in the future.

This is a brief summary of the signs; there are many books, articles, cassettes etc. which discuss these in greater detail. May Allah enable us to recognise and heed the Signs, and strengthen us in the times of tribulation.

“Are they waiting for anything except the Hour, to come to them suddenly? But its Signs have already come!” (Al-Qur’an, Surah Muhammad)

Past

1. Splitting of the Moon.

2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

3. A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims. (Understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during thecaliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.)

4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AH).

5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.

6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople.

7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war.

8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer tothe Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands.)

9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (Chinese, Mongols, etc.)

10. Thirty impostors (dajjal) will appear, each thinking he is a prophet.

Present?

11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings.

12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress.

13. A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Arab household.

14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge), and ignorance will prevail.

15. Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) will be drunk in great quantities.

16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread.

17. Earthquakes will increase.

18. Time will pass more quickly.

19. Tribulations (fitan) will prevail.

20. Bloodshed will increase.

21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he was in the latter’s place.

22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. when authority is given to those who do not deserve it.

23. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to find an imam to lead them.

Future

24. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number of women will increase, until for every man there are 50 women.

25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gainsthe treasure.

26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them.

27. The Muslim conquest of Rome.

28. The Mahdi (guided one) will appear, and be the Imam of the Muslims.

29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus, and pray behind the Mahdi.

30. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, i.e. destroy the false christianity.

31. The Antichrist (al-masih al-dajjal, the false christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran).

32. The appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog), and the associated tribulations.

33. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.

34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist.

35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).

36. A time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus.

37. Wealth will come so abundant that it will become difficult to find someone to accept charity.

38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers.

39. Society will then decay.

40. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will again sway in circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah.

41. A great fire in the Hijaz, seen by the inhabitants of Busra.

42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.

43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka’bah.

44. The huge cloud of smoke.

45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting).

46. A gentle wind which will take the souls of the believers.

47. There is no-one left on the earth saying, “Allah, Allah” or “There is no god except Allah.”

48. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public.

49. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills.

50. The second blowing in the Trumpet, upon which everyone will be resurrected.

Alim – The World’s Most Useful Islamic Software

It really is useful!

I am very excited to have discovered Alim. It is a new free beta service for Muslims and non-Muslims to study and explore Islamic resources including the Quran and Prophetic Hadiths:

Alhamdolillah, the mission of the Alim Foundation / Alim.org is, to:

1. Launch the creation of diverse Islamic knowledge to anyone who can tie it to classical sources: Al-Qur’an and Ahadith

a.   Expand the understanding of Al-Qur’an and Ahadith beyond a privileged class
b.   Foster distribution of smallest enhancements of authoritative knowledge to a broader audience.

2. Create an online social network for thinking Muslims who care about Islamic knowledge and not Islamic conjecture

a.   Give Muslims a way to trust in their own knowledge by allowing them to share their beliefs with other Muslims that have similar knowledge.
b.   Help foster the idea that Imam’s knowledge can be complemented and enhanced by fellow Muslims.

3. Provide technology and professional services to organizations that serve Islam & Muslims

a.   Connect organizational guidance and documents to classical Islamic sources
b.   Enable Muslim organizations to share their content and people with each other
c.   Allow Muslims organizations to thrive through the use of modern technologies without needing more money

Alim.org

Regarding 9/11 & Eid Al-Fitr Coincidence

Ibnat al-Hidayah has cleared everything up regarding Eid Al-Fitr which is a festival celebrated to break the 30-day fast during Ramadan, and she also clarified the misconceptions held by some in that we build Masjids only on holy sites.

Of course, I am not excited that Eid Al-Fitr coincides with the 9/11 anniversary this year. And, I really do see the importance of expanding one’s knowledge regarding others’ faith at such a time.

I only have one thing to say regarding this matter:

Al-Qaeda, damn on you.

Questioning the Creation of Man

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind; but most of mankind know not. (57)

Quran 40:57

Many keep on questioning the creation of the humankind. And some claim that we are the result of pure chance. How can that be when the Earth we live on and the sky that protects us are both more complex than our own bodies?

The perfect our bodies are, and the complex the blue sky and the wide ground, the more illogical to say they are all occurred by chance.

Sins & Acceptance of Repentance in Islam

I would like to share this article with you regarding the concept of sins in Islam and about Allah’s acceptance of a sinner’s repentance.

May Allah accept our repentance in this Holy month and may He help us walk on the straight path, Amen!

Give Charity & Pay Zakat

In Islam, giving charity is a good deed and paying Zakat is a must. Charity can be given to anyone in need, whether they are Muslims or not, and regardless of their ethnic or racial backgrounds. On the other hand, Zakat is given to Muslims who are poor, and it can be given to non-Muslims whose hearts are to be softened.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible to give charity to non-Muslims and this action will be rewarded, if they are in need of it, but they should not be given the obligatory charity, i.e. zakaat, unless they are those whose hearts are to be softened (i.e., they are close to embracing Islam). It is a condition for giving charity to non-Muslims that they should not be involvied in fighting the Muslims or driving them from their homes, because charity in such cases would be seen as helping them to wage war against the Muslims. (Fataawa Mutanawwi’ah by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 521).

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with equity. It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allaah forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the zaalimoon (wrong-doers – those who disobey Allaah.)” [al-Mumtahimah 60:8-9].

Muslims should seek first and foremost to give their charity to their Muslim brothers who are in need, and there are plenty of them. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

It must be noted that charity can be given in any time and in every possible amount and type. But Zakat must be payed once a year under certain conditions.

Nisaab ul-Zakat for naqd (gold and silver) is defined as the minimum amount of naqd specified by shari’a below which one is not required to pay zakat, whereas if one’s wealth exceeds it then zakat becomes incumbent.

And it is known that zakat ul-maal (wealth) in shari’a is required for the two types of naqd—gold and silver—and what serves their function in modern times (commonly referred to as cash), whether it is dollars or riyals or pounds or otherwise.

Nisaab for gold as our Prophet (peace be upon him) has informed us (and for currencies made from gold) is 20 mithqaalan, a measure which is equivalent to 85 grams of pure gold (1 mithqaal = 4.25 grams). It becomes incumbent upon anyone who owns such an amount in any form to pay zakat on it in the amount of 2.5%.

Nisaab for silver and currencies made from silver is 200 dirhams, which is equivalent to 595 grams of pure silver (1 dirham = 2.975 grams). Likewise, it becomes incumbent upon anyone who owns such an amount in any form to pay zakat on it in the amount of 2.5%.

It is well known that there is a noticeable disparity between the value of nisaab for gold and that of silver in our times. The best and most conservative for a poor person is to assess how many dollars he has that have been in his possession for a complete lunar year (Hijri, which is 354 days). If the amount reaches the value of nisaab for silver or more, then he should pay from it for every 1000 dollars, 25 dollars (i.e., 2.5%) to be spent in the prescribed benficiaries as specified by shari’ah, and we ask Allah to aid us and help us succeed in haqq il-maal wa salla allahu ala nabiyyana muha

Note you can find the current price of gold and silver via the internet, such as on the following page:

http://www.tradeshop.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/raylc/aipm/gold.cgi

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Note that the previous link is not working. You can use this online Zakat calculator to calculate the Zakat in US Dollars.

Study Islam Online at SunniPath Academy

I was browsing the Internet and I came across SunniPath Website. It is an online academy for studying Islam and the Arabic language:

The Prophet Muhammad (God bless him and give him peace) said:

“Whenever God wishes well for someone, He gives them deep understanding of the religion” [Bukhari, 71; Muslim, 1037].

SunniPath is dedicated to the effective transmission of reliable and relevant religious knowledge.

Our knowledge is reliable because our teachers have been formally trained and authorized to transmit knowledge by leading scholars of the Muslim heartlands. They are meticulous in their conformity to the time-honored orthodoxy of Sunni Islam while sensitive to the circumstances of Muslims living in the modern world.

Our knowledge is relevant because we focus on conveying beneficial knowledge in a positive manner that inspires students and encourages practice. We do not engage in argumentation, nor are we interested in the academic approach of seeking knowledge for its own sake.

Our method of transmission is effective because we implement the principles of traditional Islamic education using the latest techniques of online learning to connect students all over the world with qualified teachers.

SunniPath

I believe many will find it good in learning about Islam.

Spying on Your Neighbor?

Spying on people, especially the neighbors, is bad. But some people find it amusing that they made it into this:

In Islam, it is forbidden to spy on neighbors and enter their homes without asking for permission. Allah says in the Holy Quran:

O ye who believe! Enter not houses other than your own without first announcing your presence and invoking peace upon the folk thereof. That is better for you, that ye may be heedful. (27)

Quran 24:27

O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful. (12)

Quran 49:12

And those who abuse believing men and woman, when they have not merited it, bear the weight of slander and clear wrongdoing. (58)

Quran 33:58

And there are Hadiths by Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, regarding spying on people:

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Beware of suspicion. Suspicion is the falsest kind of speech. Do not spy or pry. Do not be rivals nor envy one another. Do not hate one another nor show enmity to one another. Be slaves of Allah, brothers, as you have been commanded to be. The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. He does not wrong him nor disappoint him nor despise him. Godfearing is here,” and he pointed to his chest. “It is enough evil for a man that he should despise his Muslim brother. The blood, honour and property of every Muslim is sacred to another Muslim. Allah does not look at your bodies nor your forms, but He looks at your hearts and your actions.”

So, stop spying!