Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Blessing in Rain

Since all we people here in the emirates are talking about the rain - a post about it was a must.
Enjoy the rain and make dua for yourself and others
there is blessing in the rain

Our beloved Prophet (peace & blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:"Two are the du'as that are never returned: the du'a made when the prayer is being called, and at the time of rainfall." (Abu Dawud).
So makes lots of duas for yourself and family and whoever needs them. Make dua for your parents. For yourself...for success in deen duniya and akhirah....basically put your heart in it....and ask the Almighty...:)



During rain:
Allahumma sayyiban naaf'ian.
(O Allah, (bring) beneficial rain clouds)

After Rain:
MuTirnaa bi Fadhlil-Llahi wa Rahmatihi.
(It has rained by the Bounty of Allah and His Mercy)

When it thunders:
Subhanah alldhi yusabbihur-ra'du bi hamdihi wal malaa'ikatu min khifaatihi
Glory to Him whom thunder and angels glorify due to fear of fear)

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Funeral Rites in Islam

Some excerpts taken from Abu Ameenah's book "Funeral rites in islam'.


Reading it, i realised that there are alot of misconceptions that are practiced amongst muslims. There are some rituals that take place that have no link to the sunnah of the Prohet Muhammed PBUH.


InshÁllah i hope this post proves to be a guidance and a source of knowledge. May Allah guide us to become better muslims.


Some people read Surah Yasin at funerals. People and well wishers come in groups to sit and read the Quran and chapters of the Quran thinking that it will benefit the person who has died. Yet ponder for a moment - do we not know that only a few things will benefit a person who's soul has been taken?


Any good deed that a Muslim starts during his lifetime, and that is of renewed benefit and ongoing use for the Muslims, will continue to benefit him and augment his record of good deeds, even after his departure - as long as its benefits continue to reach others. Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala says - "We record that (deeds) which they have put forward and their traces (that which they have left behind)." (Yaa-Seen 36:12)
Abu Hurayrah rahimahullaah reported that Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "When a human being dies, all of his deeds are terminated except for three types: an ongoing sadaqah, a knowledge (of Islaam) from which others benefit, and a righteous child who makes du'aa for him." (Muslim and others).

Abu Qataadah rahimahullaah reported that Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Among the good deeds that continue to benefit a believer after death are: a knowledge that he taught and disseminated, a righteous child who lived after him, a Qur'aan book that he left as inheritance a masjid that he built, a house that he built for the two wayfarers, a stream that he ran, or a charity that he gave from his wealth during his healthy lifetime so that it would reach him (in rewards) after death." (Ibn Maajah and others. Verified hasan by al-Mundhiri and al-Albaanee). Commenting on this, al-Mundhiri rahimahullaah said: "Some scholars say that the deeds of a human being end with his death. However, since he had caused these things (which are mentioned in the above hadiths), such as the earning of a child, disseminating the knowledge among those who take it from him, compiling a book that remains after him, or establishing a sadaqah, the rewards of these things continue to reach him as long as they continue to exist." ('Awn al-Ma'bud, 8:86) http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/aqeedah/0035.htm



Thus there is no evidence that people coming and reading the Quran will benefit the person who has died. Thus reading specific chapters has no basis either. To specify that Surah Yasin should be read for the dying and to believe that doing so has special value is considered bidah - a sinful innovation in religion since neither the Prophet PBUH nor his companions did it or recommended that it be done.

Based on the hadith of Umm Salamah:

Umm Salamah said "Allah's Messenger PBUH came in and found Abu Salamash eyes wide open. He closed them and said "Indeed when the soul is snatched the eyes follow it."Some people from his family began to scream so he siad " Only pray for good for yourselves, for verily the angels say Amin [so be it].'to whatever you say ." He then prayed saying,


"Allahummagh-fir li Abi Salamah warfa'darajatahu fil-mahdiyin

O Allah, forgive Abu salamah and raise his level among the rightly guided

wakhlufhu fi áqibihi filghabirin

and let his remianing offspring be like him

waghfir laná walahú yá Rabbal- Álamin

Forgive us and forgive him O Lord of the worlds

wafsah lahu fi qabrihi wa nawwir lahu fih

and expand his grave and illuminate it for him



Facing the Qiblah [ before burial]

Turning the body of one who is dying so that he or she faces the qiblah [makkah] has no foundation in the practice of the Prophet and his Companions.The body should be turned to face Makkah when it is placed in the grave, according to the Prophet's instructions. However, at the time of dying , there were no such instructions [ i.e before burial - it was not a practice of the Prophet PBUH for the dead to be placed facing the Qiblah].Turning the body became a custom after the time of the Prophets Companions, but was objected to by the scholars of the time.



Wailing

The Prophet PBUH strictly forbade wailing and screaming and the hiring of mourners.Furthermore, he identfied such practices as acts of kufr [disbelief], because they indicate displeasure with what Allah has decreed. Emaan [ faith] includes the belief that Allah is the source of all good and that all of His actions are wise .



Preparing food by the family of the deceased

The obligation placed on the family of the dead prson to prepare food for gatherings is incorrect and so is organising gatherings at the home of the deceased family.Mourning for family and relatives in only for three days. For a widow it is four month and 10 days. Besides this there is no relevance of meeting after 40 days after the death of the person, as is practiced in amongst some people. Those presenr and the relatives of the deceased are allowed to cry for a maximum period of three days.

Ábdullah ibn Ja'far narrated that the Prophet delayed coming to visit Ja'fars family for three days after his death, then hecame to them and said , " Do not cry fo rmy brother after today."

[Sunan Abu Dawud]

Imam ash'Shafi said "I dislike gatherings, even if there is no wailing or crying. For it only renews the [familys feeling of] sorrow and puts burdens on their food supplies" Imam Nawawi related that the leading scholars prohibited organized gatherings, based on its being and innovation.

Furthermore the Prophet PBUH explicitly instructed to relatives, friends and neighbours to send food to the bereaved famly.


This conludes this port for now inshÁllah will continue with some more issues involving funeral rites. May Allah guide us all to the straight path.Ameen

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Interview of Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki

Iman Anwar alawlaki - was Alhamdullilah recently released from prison. He was interviewed by Moazzam Begg.



Moazzam Begg: When were you arrested? On what grounds were you held? Were there any charges made against you?


Anwar Al-Awlaki: Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem[i]. I was arrested in mid-2006. Initially I was held because I entered as an arbitrator in a local issue here, a tribal issue. I was an arbitrator in that issue and I was arrested until that issue… because the government wanted to solve that issue rather than have it solved tribally.

MB: Right.

AA: After that, they began asking me questions about my local Islamic activities here, and later on it was becoming clear that I was being held due to the request of the US government. That was what they were telling me here, and that the Americans wanted to meet me.

MB: Subhan Allah[ii]. Well, that’s something that we can share together. I’ve also been held at the request of the Americans for quite some time.

The other question is that the media reported that your incarceration was due to having some knowledge, or some people who were involved in 9/11 at your sermons. Could you clarify any of this at all?


AA: That was one of the issues that the Americans asked about but I don’t know if I was held because of that, or because of the other issues that they presented. But it was one of the issues that they enquired about.

MB: Can you describe a little bit about what your prison conditions were like? What was your individual cell was like?

AA:
For the first nine months, I was in solitary confinement in an underground cell. I would say that the cell was about 8 feet by 4. It was about 12 feet high. It was clean. No interaction with any other prisoner was allowed for the entire nine months. After that, they moved me to the upper floor. The same thing, it was solitary confinement, although the restrictions were less, and the room was larger, it was about, maybe three times the size of the initial room, the initial cell. I spent there the remainder of my period, which was one and a half a years.

I was allowed for the last month and a half… they moved another person into this room, for the last month and a half. So for a year and a half, minus this month and a half, I was in solitary confinement, with the exception of the last month and a half.

MB: Subhan Allah. Did they place any restrictions on you in terms of what you were allowed to have in your cell, how you were allowed to interact with other prisoners, or in any way, other than you have already stated?

AA: When I was in the underground cell, there were restrictions on family visits, restrictions on any food that my family would send me, there were restrictions on books. I was not allowed pen and paper, and no exercise whatsoever. I hadn’t seen the sun for the entire period. What else… No interaction at all with any person except with the prison guards.

Later on, when I moved to the upper level, even though I was still in solitary confinement, but the restrictions were less. Visits from the family were more frequent. They would allow me food from home twice a week, and I was allowed more books. So things were better during the last period of the time I spent in detention… I don’t want to say sentence, because there wasn’t any sentence.

MB: That’s one of the questions I was meant to ask you. You were never charged with a crime, is that correct, and you were never put through any legal system?

AA: I wasn’t charged with anything. I was held for interrogation. When interrogation was over, I was released.

MB: Did any foreign interrogation take place? Did any Americans or any other foreign nationals interrogate you?

AA: Yes, the US did interrogate me. Officials from the US.

MB: And do you know if that was the FBI? Did they identify themselves as FBI, CIA, NSA or anything?

AA: Yes. They were FBI.


MB: Okay. And how was their attitude towards you… how did they deal with you as a person, how did they regard you?


AA: There was some pressure, which I refused to accept and that led to a conflict that occurred between me and them, because I felt that it was improper behaviour from their behalf. That led to an issue between me and them during the interrogation. That was solved however, later on, and they apologised.


MB: Al Hamdulillah[iii]. Were you able to have contact with your family at all, during the imprisonment, of course you’ve already said that they restricted from you letters, phone calls, and so forth, for the first nine months, I think you said. But afterwards, did they allow you this contact?

AA: Yes, towards the latter period of my imprisonment, I was allowed visits from my family, once a week.

MB: How often were you interrogated, by either local officials or foreign officials? Was it something regular, or was it something sporadic?

AA: The interrogation was on and off for a year.

MB: Is there any truth in the rumour that you were placed under house arrest prior to this and that you were banned from speaking in public?

AA: No, no that’s not true. I haven’t been placed under house arrest, nor have I been banned from speaking publicly.

MB: There was also something that said that you were being punished in prison because you were teaching some of the other prisoners. Is this true also, or could you elaborate on that?

AA: No, I didn’t have a chance to deliver any lectures because I was in solitary confinement for the entire period except the last month, which was only me and another person, so I wasn’t in touch with other prisoners.

MB: Are you allowed to travel outside the Yemen? Obviously, many people want you to come to the United Kingdom and elsewhere, to come and give lectures, and you’ve only been out a few days! I think this is based on a question from a lot of your supporters, subhan Allah. Are you allowed to travel outside the Yemen to give lectures?


AA: Well, I would like to travel. However, not until the US drops whatever unknown charges it has against me.


MB: Yes, and that would be my advice to anybody who would be in that sort of situation is to be aware of that.


Can you tell us any of the lessons that you’ve learnt from being incarcerated that you would like to share?


AA:
In sha’Allah[iv] this is something that I plan to do in a lecture or more, and I would leave it to that point.

MB: In sha’Allah… and is that one of your plans for the future? Do you have any other plans for the future that you’d care to elaborate upon, or is it something that you’d wish to wait and see how time evolves?


AA: You mean, in terms of lectures?

MB: Lectures, and just life in general. Not just lectures but generally, in the future – what does the future hold?

AA:
I have a few opportunities open at the moment and I haven’t chosen yet among them. I’m still sort of studying the situation at the time being.


MB: What was your response to the outpouring of support and concern, the campaigns, petitions, Facebook groups and the messages that you’ve received since your release – what was your response to this? How do you feel?


AA: Al Hamdulillah, it was very moving to know that there were brothers and sisters out there who were making du’a[v] for me. Al Hamdulillah Rabbil-Alameen[vi]. I believe that I was released due to the du’a of a certain righteous person who was making du’a for me, because RasulAllah (salla Allahu alayhi was-salam)[vii] says that when a person makes du’a for his fellow brother, an angel makes du’a for him, and RasulAllah (salla Allahu alayhi was-salam) says that the du’a for your brother Muslim is an accepted du’a. So I believe that it was due to these people, who were making dua for me, that I have been released, and I would like to thank them very much and say jazaakum Allahu khairan.[viii]


MB: In sha’Allah, and I pray that the du’a that they made for you is also made for all the other Muslim prisoners around the world, in sha’Allah, and that they will all be released.

Could you please give some words of advice, to the other prisoners and the prisoners’ families in terms of your experience, and how they might benefit from your words?


AA: My advice to them is the saying of Allah, azza wa jall[ix], “You might dislike something but there is a lot of good in it for you”.[x] And the hadith[xi] of RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam), Whatever decree Allah has decreed for the believer it is good for him. So if Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala[xii] has decreed that a certain person should be in prison, and that if Allah azza wa jall has decreed for a certain family that one of their members is in prison, we, as believers should believe that this decree is good and there is a hikmah, there is wisdom in it, and we should all have the trust and faith in whatever Allah azza wa jall has destined for us; because RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam) used to say, in the du’a, ‘As’aluka ridha fil-Qadhaa’, I ask You to make me satisfied and happy with what you have

decreed for me. This is the first word of advice.


The second word of advice is this is a test for your sabr, patience; and patience is the one deed in which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has promised an open reward. Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.”[xiii] There is no limit on their reward that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala gives for the Sabireen, the patient.


Finally, one should always believe that the strongest weapon that they have is du’a. They should never underestimate the power of du’a. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab[xiv] used to say, I’m not worried about Allah not accepting my prayers but I am worried about the way I pray to Allah azza wa jall. Allah will accept the du’a, Allah will respond to the it, it’s just that we have to do it properly, with sincerity.

MB: SubhanAllah, jazaakAllahu khair. One of the things that we used to do in Guantanamo, one of the things that I learnt, was Surat Yusuf[xv] used to be the most often, the most resonating surah that I used to read, and contemplate on, simply because Yusuf (‘alayhis-salam) was thrown in prison for something he didn’t do. And when I read that, in prison, it was totally different, my attitude towards it, and I began to cry in a way that I never would have thought was possible. Did you feel any particular verses from the Qur’an, any particular aayaat[xvi] or sahaba[xvii] stories, were relevant to how you were faring your time in prison?

AA: Well, the feeling I had when I was reading Qur’an – every surah, every ayah was totally different when I was reading it in the cell, compared to when I was reading it when I was outside.

MB: Yes, absolutely, ma sha’Allah[xviii].

AA: That was particularly true with Surat Yusuf but I can say that this has been the case with every single ayah and every surah in Qur’an. It was in a totally different light when I was reading it in prison.

MB: It’s quite amazing, because in prison, for us, in Guantanamo, they took everything away from us, our clothes, our families, our food, our life, everything and the only thing that we had that was familiar to us was the Qur’an, even though it was a different version or a different print, but it was the only thing that we could look at that was familiar. Everything else - the land, the area, the prisons, even the accents of the people that were speaking were totally unfamiliar except the word of Allah.

AA:
Subhan Allah, and because they took everything away and gave the Qur’an, that is why the Qur’an had this different meaning. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan[xix] used to say that if our hearts were clean and pure we would never satisfy our thirst from Qur’an. It is because of the distractions that are going around us, that we don’t get the most benefit from Qur’an. But when a person is in that solitary environment, all of the distractions are taken away and his heart is fixed on the word of Allah azza wa jall, the ayaat of Qur’an open into a completely different – they give a completely different meaning.

MB: Absolutely. Do you have or have you had interaction with people who have been in Guantanamo, in prison or after release, have you been able to speak to them or see how they’ve fared since their release at all?


AA:
There were some brothers who were brought from Guantanamo and handed over to the Yemeni government and spent time in the PSL prison where I was but I didn’t have a chance to interact with them. I heard that they passed through while I was there. However, I never had a chance to interact with any of them yet.

MB: In sha’Allah may you interact with them in jannah[xx], insha’Allah

AA: In sha’Allah… I would really like to know how it was over there.


MB: In sha’Allah. Finally, I suppose it’s a question for Cageprisoners. Do you have any words about your feelings towards organisations like Cageprisoners are; what you think of our work, good or bad?


AA: The brothers and sisters at Cageprisoners are fulfilling the order of RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam) which was stated in Bukhari[xxi], ‘Seek the release of the prisoner’, and they are at the forefront of fulfilling this command of RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam) so I ask Allah azza wa jall to reward them and assist them in their efforts.

MB: Barak Allahu feek[xxii]. JazaakAllahu khairan, ya Shaykh.


AA: Wa iyyakum.[xxiii]

HALAL PORK

When i saw HALAAL written on school plastic lunch boxes - i had realised that companies just used the word 'hallal"as a marketing tool. something that would sell in the middle-eastern countries - and something the Muslims would buy. This just reflects the kind of ignorance there is present amongst the companies. They may spend billions in research on target markets - and in launching their products but they do not have enough sensibility to actually find out what the word halal actually means - and how important it is to the Muslims.

For now I'm just copy pasting this letter that was forwarded to me - next time you go grocery shopping - look twice when it says halal. At least if you have a choice of something marked halal from a non- Muslim country and a Muslim country - opt for the Muslim one. Its not a 100% guarantee - but it is a safer bet. For a 100% guarantee - note down numbers of the concerned companies and ask in detail about their slaughtering procedures, or email or write to the instead. From personal experience - they do reply back. Take the extra step.

A personal experience - i live in a Muslim country where all the fast food restaurants serve halal food -as advertised [no assumption] or so we think. I called pizza hut to order - as an after thought i just asked the guy "is the meat you use halal? My call was directed to the manager he simply goes to me - I'm a Muslim and wont lie to you - he told me clearly that the meat used in their pizzas is halal but some side dishes- I was specifically told which ones - are not halal. So do verify the next time. These chains keep changing their suppliers as well - so you need to keep yourself informed - i know its not possible all the time- but once in a while it wont hurt to ask.


His Excellency the High Commissioner
For Australia Suite 710, 50 O'Connor Street,
Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2
Canada Fax 613-236-4376

Your Excellency SIR,

I am among the many Muslims who preferentially purchase Australian meat products, stamped "Halaal". We were shocked that the "Halaal" mark was stamped on PORK, as you could see from the photograph below.

This incidence completely demolishes our trust in Australian meat products marked with HALAAL stamp. I am a freelance writer, whose articles are read in many parts of the world. I realize I have a responsibility to verify this matter with the concerned authorities before I warn fellow Muslims to avoid Australian meat products. I am also fully aware of the fact that the Australian government has been quite sensitive to the needs of its Muslim citizens, and that, in many Australian hospitals, menus do not contain pork or pork products. Muslims around the world are certainly very appreciative of such kind gestures. Since this incidence has been brought to my attention, I will have to write on this topic. However, if your Excellency would care to advise me what kind of remedial actions your government is prepared to undertake and guarantee its implementation to the fullest requirement, I will gladly mention that in my article, to avert the fears Muslims may have, as this may quite well be an isolated incidence.

Pls click here for picture:















http://tinyurl..com/2wwx5u
Yours truly Meer Sahib P.