ummtaalib

Your Kids and Halal/Haram Foods By: Habib Ullah As Muslims, we have several responsibilities on our families and neighbours, but we have a special obligation to our children. It is incumbent upon us to shield them from what s haram by educating them. The children in this day and age are presented with several wrongful and sinful acts, especially in this North American environment. One wrongful act that is constantly repeated to them is eating haram. As the father, mother, or guardian, we have an undeniable responsibility to our children. We are there to safeguard them and to prevent them from any harm that may ruin them. One of these difficult balancing acts is keeping them away from haram foods. Applying force and blocking their free will is not exactly the answer. Acting this way can ruin the children and result in them losing respect for their parents. The best way to guide them is to educate them; make them realize the penalties and punishments of eating haram. Before doing this, we must acquire knowledge and become examples for our children. Nowadays, consuming haram is thought to be normal. Many people believe in saying Bismillah before eating makes the food (meat) halal. Unfortunately, the Hadith below has been completely misunderstood. Narrated by ‘Aisha (R.A.): A group of people said to the Prophet (S.A.W.), “Some people bring us meat and we do not know whether they have mentioned Allah’s Name or not on slaughtering the animal.” He said, “Mention Allah’s Name on it and eat.” Those people had embraced Islam recently. (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 67, Number 415) When children pick up this commonly misunderstood Hadith, it can effect them greatly, even to a point where they will argue and fight with their parents. Another aspect to keep in mind is that eating haram is a dangerous beginning for many sins, especially of the tongue, such as lying, backbiting, and foul language. When one commits a sin with his tongue, other sins naturally occur. When a person eats haram, his body runs on haram food, and therefore results in the person potentially indulging in wrongful acts. As the person starts eating haram, he becomes careless of other haram acts, slowly increasing the degree of his/her sins. As Muslims, we have to aid our religion and keep its priority right on top. To link the chain of Islam to our future generations, we must make our children and grandchildren understand the Deen of our Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). They are the future leaders and role models of this Ummah. If we have no concern and love for this Deen, it could fall apart. It will be on us to answer to Allah on what efforts we made to educate our children about the Islamic values. If our children start consuming haram food in the future, we will be held responsible. We will be asked whether or not we educated our children about the importance of eating halal, and the dangers of eating haram. eat-halal.com

One Etiquette when Sitting by a Sick Person Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) taught the Ummah that at the time of visiting the sick one should shorten one’s stay. The reason for this is so that one does not become the means of bringing discomfort and inconvenience to the sick. Hence from this mubaarak teaching of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) we understand that we should be considerate about the condition of people and their feelings when interacting with them. عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال من السنة تخفيف الجلوس وقلة الصخب (مرقاة-باب عيادة المريض) It is reported that Hadhrat ibn Abbaas (Radhiallahu Anhu) said: “It is from the Sunnah to shorten one’s visit (by the sick) and to avoid making noise.” It is reported that once a group of people went to visit Hadhrat Sarri Saqti (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) in his final illness. They prolonged their stay by him. Hadhrat Sarri Saqti (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) was at that time suffering from stomach pains. They then intended to leave and asked Hadhrat Sarri Saqti (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) to make duaa for them. Hadhrat Sarri Saqti (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) made duaa: “O Allah, teach them the etiquettes of visiting the sick.” (Mirqaat) On one occasion, a person went to visit a sick patient and remained by him for a long time. The sick person then said: “We have been greatly inconvenienced by the large number of people coming to visit us.” The visitor asked: “Should I get up and close the door for you so that they don’t come in?” The sick person replied: “Yes, but close it from outside.” (I.e. you also remain outside as you are also causing inconvenience). (Mirqaat) Ihyaauddeen.co.za

It is not always so that a Man inherits twice as much as a Woman Although in most cases the male inherits a share that is twice that of a female, it is not always so. There are certain circumstances when they inherit equal shares, and in a few instances a female can inherit a larger share than that of the male. Allah has stated three types of shares for a woman's inheritance as follows: A woman will have an equal share as that of the man. A woman will have an equal share to that of the man, or a little less. A woman will have half the share of a man. "Women under the shade of Islam"

By Sadaf Farooqi Because of high expectations about the early marital relationship, borrowed from past life and also from films, couples end up feeling hurt. Life is not a bed of roses... How many times did you read or hear this adage whilst growing up? Whether you were the indomitable idealist lost in a fantastical world of romance, make-believe and fiction, or the cynical realist who flicked away all hearsay regarding someone’s blissful matrimony with a “we’ll-see” eye-roll and contemptuous snort, the fact is that, notwithstanding life in general, marital life is definitely not a bed of roses! It doesn’t take long for a married couple to realize, once the roses in the floral table centre-pieces at their walimah dinner have drooped and wilted, that married life is less about round-the-clock romance and more about being human, making mistakes, compassion, forgiveness, moving on from the past, adjustment, compromise, responsibility, Shari’ rights and persistent work. Expectations vs. Reality When many people get married, they are more often than not young and never married before. Whereas the innocence and naiveté adds to the giddiness of novel experiences, the lack of life experience and past interactions with people from the opposite gender also unfortunately fuel their level of expectations from their spouse, and make them enter their marriage with baggage carried over from witnessing their own parents’ marital relationship. “Delicious…almost as good as Mom’s!” Take the case of, for example, Adnan. A loving, stay-at-home mother who never had a job, was not educated beyond high school; never earned her own money, nor possessed much wealth. She could therefore not supervise her children’s homework or exam preparation beyond primary school level. Her kid always saw his father single-handedly take care of financial matters, never consulting his mother for any career-related discussions or professional advice. He grew up watching her mother keep house, cook, clean, sew and host dinners - and not much else. Now when he gets married, he might presume, against his better judgment that his wife intends to live exactly like his mother, which might make him attempt to replicate his own parents’ marriage with his wife. He might presume that his wife is inept to handle outside-the-home worldly matters, and is not street-smart; but rather, is predisposed and content to stay at home; aspires to cook at the level of master chef, and she may not be matured enough to be consulted for professional advice and major career decisions. He might start always comparing his wife, detrimentally to their marital relationship, with his mother or sisters, even going so far as to judge her novice cooking skills against his Mom’s polished, decades-old culinary expertise. How often has a wife gone out of her way to cook an elaborate dish only to have her husband undermine it because his “Mom” made it better? As a result, for the first few years of their marriage, his wife might struggle for him to accept her for who she is, particularly if she is highly educated, world-wise, well-read, professionally experienced, capable of handling money, and up-to-date with current affairs. She might get frustrated at being coerced to keep her focus only in the kitchen, when her interests spill over into many other areas. She might feel angry at being compared to someone else, and have all her skills and talents besides homemaking and cooking completely ignored. “But Daddy always used to……” Now let us look at the other side of the coin: when a wife carries her baggage of past life experiences and observation of her parent’s marriage into her marriage, in the form of high expectations. It is common for many wives to expect the same, if not a better lifestyle and standard of living, than that which they were accustomed to before marriage. Whether or not they were a pampered ‘Daddy’s Girl’, if they were always kept on a pedestal and showered with love and material gifts on demand, they might be in for an awakening after marriage. By naively falling into the trap of assuming that their husband will immediately love, trust and indulge them just like their parents used to, they might soon also suffer the consequences of “carry-over-syndrome”. Sometimes new brides’ expectations from their husbands are based entirely on their past relationship with their father, who might have consulted them in all major family decisions and valued their opinion as an individual with a head on their shoulders. Consequently, they will expect their husbands to do the same from day one, and when that doesn’t happen in the beginning, they might get hurt. The question that arises then would be; who is responsible for this pain? The person who did not come up to expectations, or the person who kept those expectations too high, made unfair comparisons, and expected perfection much too soon? Life is Rosy….. Now picture this scenario: Sameera got married thinking that her husband would have long, deep conversations with her over romantic dinners at restaurants. She expected that he’d dish out pocket money for her from day one, just like her father did with her mother, and consequently, that he would be earning enough to have that much money in the first place. She expected him to wear the kind of clothes she liked whilst at home, just the way her brother did, lounging around in branded tees and sweatpants. As it turned out, her husband did not dine at restaurants, and preferred having her cook everything at home. He was interested in little else but physical intimacy the first few weeks, and long conversations just caused delays. He wanted to relax and ‘be himself’ when at home, which translated to wearing a vest and worn-out PJ’s. He never gave her any money, but more than willingly bought her whatever she needed. He did not consult her about his career or professional work, as he wanted their time together to be more about her. Nevertheless, he was madly in love. There was nothing in the least wrong with Sameera’s marriage, nor was her husband lacking in any significant way, but because of her high expectations and preconceived notions about the early marital relationship, borrowed heavily not just from her past life experiences but also from films, glossy magazines and novels, she ended up feeling hurt and disappointed. She thus started to spiral into a downward eddy of ingratitude and anxiety, believing that her husband and her relationship with him was lacking in many ways, when for the most part, everything was fine. Relationships Need Time to Mature Both the spouses, in the above fictional scenario, were unintentional victims of the “carry-over-baggage” syndrome, if we can call it that. They carried their own past relationships with their parents, and their parent’s marital relationship with each other, over into their own marriage, instead of letting their relationship develop a new, purely on the basis of their unique personality traits, strengths and weaknesses as a couple. It can take years before the ups, downs, peaks and trials of married life unveil to each spouse the true positive and endearing qualities of the other. Every couple eventually falls in love, finds happiness and becomes each other’s best friend, but this necessitates for each one to stop comparing their spouse to their parent of the same gender, and learn to value them for who they were. Adnan’s son will then be able to realize that whilst his wife might not be able to expertly ‘cook up a storm’ in the kitchen, - yet - she can do many other things. She can drive a car, educate his children, give him career advice, build his resume online, check and respond to his work emails, draw up and adhere to monthly and annual household budget, and also save money for the family using the “envelope” system. Sameera will be able to realize that her husband is much caring and romantic than her father ever was, and let’s her have a lot of leeway in the way she chooses to run the household, bringing out the hidden administrator and interior designer in her. And that he looks just fine in PJ’s. Once she stops comparing him to her father, and he stops sizing her up against his mother, they will be able to not just appreciate each other for who they are as unique individuals, but will be also able to build their spousal relationship from scratch, free from clichéd expectations and childhood baggage carried over from the past. That was when they started to truly enjoy the recurring pleasant “you- also-have-this-amazing-quality?” surprises!

Reasons behind why a Man Inherits twice as much as a Woman

To Deprive Women of Inheritance is a Grave Sin The Importance of Giving Shares to Girls The Holy Qur'an demonstrates visible concern to ensure that girls are given their share when it mentions the share of girls as a basis for determining the share of boys. In other words, instead of saying - 'for two females there is a share equal to that of one male'- it has elected to say "for a male there is a share equal to that of two females". Those who do not give shares to sisters on the pretext that they have forgone their right are in error, because their sisters usually do not forgo their rights willingly. Done reluctantly, with the knowledge that they are not going to get anything anyway, they think, why create bad blood between brothers and sisters? Such an act of forgiving is not valid under Islamic law. Their claim remains due against brothers - and those who usurp inheritance are terrible sinners. In case minor girls hold shares in such inheritance, not giving them their shares is a sin committed twice by usurping the share of a legal heir and by devouring the property of an orphan. [Ma'ariful Qur'an]

Importance of the Mahr (dowry given to the wife) and its role in Inheritance Husbands are obligated to pay their wives the mahr (dowry). If the husband has died before giving the mahr, the obligation does not fall. The mahr will then be taken out of the estate left behind by the husband. It must be ascertained before the' distribution of inheritance that the mahr (dower) of the wife has been paid. If the deceased has not paid the mahr of his wife, this will be taken as debt, and will have to be paid first from the total property, like all other debts. The inheritance will be distributed only after that. It should be noted that the woman, after having received her mahr, shall go on to receive her fixed share in the inheritance as a competent inheritor. And in case, the property left by the deceased is not more than the value of dower, and nothing remains after it is paid, the entire property will be given to the woman against her debt of mahr very much like other debts and, as a result, no heir will receive any share from the inheritance thus used up. [Ma'ariful Qur'an] Since Mahr is treated like debt, the shari'ah makes sure that no heirs can get their share until it (the mahr) is given to the wife. Even if the mahr happens to exhaust the entire estate, so be it. The wife's right to the mahr will have to be fulfilled, even if it means the other heirs get nothing. Source

How Islam Protects the Inheritance of the Wife Some selfish husbands try deprive their wives of inheritance by giving them a divorce on their deathbed. These immature "men" may do this because of a grudge they are holding against their wife, or as an act of revenge. Little do most of these ignoramuses know, that Islam has established a ruling to protect the wife from such a stunt. In case a person divorces his wife and the divorce is revocable, and this person dies before the revocation of the divorce and the expiry of his wife's waiting period, then this woman will get a share in the inheritance, for the marriage is in force. If a person divorces his wife during his sickness culminating in his death, even though the divorce is irrevocable or pronounced thrice, and he died before the expiry of the waiting period, even then, this woman will get a share in the inheritance. And in order to make her inherit, the longer of the two waiting periods shall be taken as operative in the following manner: The waiting period following a divorce is three menstrual periods and the waiting period following the death of the husband is four (lunar) months and ten days. The waiting period out of the two which lasts longer shall be prescribed as the waiting period for the aforesaid woman so that the woman may get a share in the inheritance as far as possible. And if a person divorces his wife, irrevocably or by pronouncing it thrice, prior to any sickness culminating in his death and, a few days later he passes away during the period of his wife's waiting period, then, she will not get a share in the inheritance under this situation. However, if the divorce given was revocable, she will inherit. [Ma'ariful Qur'an] SubhaanAllah, is there any religion in the world that goes to such an extent to preserve the right of the wife? Notice that even in the case of an irrevocable divorce, as long as the husband dies within the waiting period, the wife will still get her inheritance. And on top of that, the fuqahaa have ruled that the longer of the two waiting periods shall be considered, so she has an even greater chance of getting her share. If this is not perfect justice, I dont know what is. Another slap on the face of the kuffaar and their idiotic claims. Note: The detailed rulings of this particular mas'alah can be found on page 434 of the English translation of Bahishti Zewar (2005 Edition). Source

Islam gives Women the right to Inherit!

Inheritance Laws for Women in other Religions In Judaism In Christianity In Hinduism Hindu and Zoroastrian inheritance systems

Inheritance in Pre-Islamic Arabia In order to truly appreciate the favours bestowed upon women by Islam, let us look at their before the advent of Islam. Arabs used to make unlimited bequest in favour of any person according to their own interest. The position of women was worse than that of the women of any other country. The women were not entitled to have the share of the property of their deceased husbands, fathers and other relatives. They regarded women as chattels. The Wife is a part of Inheritance The advent of Islam brought justice for everyone!

The Revival of Islam By Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera Zamzam Academy There is a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) related by a number of hadithscholars (including Imam Abu Dawud, and Imam Hakim in his Mustadrak) that is unanimously considered to be sahih, in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) made a very special statement. This article will discuss this hadith. Given the times that we are experiencing, people need glad tidings. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, Abshiru (or bashshiru): “Give glad tidings.” The hadith, narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him), is as follows: “Allah will send (or appoint) for this umma at the end of every century someone who will revive their faith for them”. At the end of every century, from the time when the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) migrated from Makka to Madina Munawwara, every hundred years there has been at least one individual, if not more, who Allah has specially selected and appointed to be a reviver of the faith. What is the need for revival? We know that Allah has said in the Qur’an: “We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)” (15:9). This is speaking about the Qur’an in particular. However, when we are speaking about the Qur’an, we are speaking about the religion in general, as the Qur’an is the heart and the soul of our religion and it is preserved until today. Allah has taken this responsibility upon Himself. Regarding the difference between this umma (nation) and the nations and communities of the past prophets (may the peace of Allah be upon them all), a hadithof the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) tells us that the Banu Israel (Israelites) had prophets that came one after the other among them. There was the rasul, the special messenger, which was Musa (upon him be peace) who came with a Sacred Law. After him numerous prophets came that revived the Sacred Law and message that Prophet Musa (upon him be peace) came with, and that is the difference between a messenger (rasul) and a prophet (nabi). Although we use these terms interchangeably, a messenger is a special type of prophet that Allah selects and gives a new Sacred Law to, one that would abrogate the previous one. Prophet Ibrahim (upon him be peace) was a prophet and a messenger, as was Prophet Musa (upon him be peace). With Prophet Musa (upon him be peace) he had Yusha’ ibn Nun (upon him be peace) and Harun (upon him be peace) who were prophets to support and assist him. The Israelites had many prophets that would come one after the other to redirect them to the Shari’a. In this umma, there will be no more prophets, neither rasul nor nabi, as the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) was the seal of the prophets (upon them be peace). Therefore, the responsibility of the revival of the religion has been given to the scholars. The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) has communicated in many hadiths the virtue of the scholars and how they are to continue the message of the prophets (upon them be peace): “The ulama are the inheritors of the prophets” (Abu Dawud). The first thing that we need to understand is that Islam has a very enduring nature. Islam will never be stamped out: “Allah will perfect His Light, although the disbelievers dislike it” (Qur’an 61:8). Allah will continue His Light until the last day, after which this world will end. While it is a fact that Allah is preserving this faith, yet there is a need for revival, and this is why Allah selects certain individuals from the umma, especially towards the end of each century, who revive the religion. Reviving the religion concerns aspects of it that have become corrupt. This could be because people have begun to spread innovations: in beliefs, ideologies or philosophies that are alien to the core fundamentals, and the soul and spirit of Islam. Whether it is an attack from outside of Islam or within it, there are individuals or groups Allah selects, in each field and discipline of Islam, who take the religion and purify it. There is another hadithnarrated from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) where he says: “This sacred knowledge of the religion is going to be taken and carried from every preceding generation by a group of the subsequent generation. They will expel from it the alteration made by those going beyond bounds, false claims of the liars and the false interpretations of the ignorant ones” (Bayhaqi). From every preceding generation, a group will take knowledge and they will purify from it any misrepresentation of the religion. For example, someone may have come with a new claim about religion and corrupted a number of people; after all, ideas are prone to exaggeration. The whole reason that communism came about is because the core need of man was to have economic stability. In Russia, there was a massive gap between those who had and those who did not, and that is why one need among the many needs of humanity—of economic stability—was promoted as the main need of that time. Eventually that particular need became the dominant aspect around which everything else began to revolve and they formed an entire system around it. Similarly, let us say there is a time when we need to promote politics in Islam, which is just one of its many aspects. If somebody takes that and makes it the entire crux and spirit of Islam, and begins to say that even your salat (prayer) is part of your Islamic politics and it is a type of training in obedience to the leader, and starts to reinterpret all other acts of worship around a political vision, he will corrupt the entire religion. He has taken one aspect of religion, and made it the core of religion. Therefore, Allah sends people to deal with the consequences of such corruption and innovation. They undertake the work of revival. Who are the revivers? When we look into our history, we see numerous individuals, some of whom are not considered revivers of faith because they did not live and pass away at the turn of an Islamic century. They may have passed away during the middle of the century. We have a number of hadiths in this regard, that speak about the enduring nature of our religion and the powerful nature of its continuity. However, people will fall off the bandwagon. There will be people who consider themselves to be Muslims, but are on the edge, just clinging on to their faith. When something unfavourable happens to Muslims in the world or some Muslims decide to perpetrate certain crimes or acts of aggression, and the media hypes up these events, such people become very confused. They look at these events and think ‘if my religion was the truth, why is it becoming so blameworthy to be a Muslim today?’ Shaytan is always looking for ways to confuse us. The spirit of this religion will constantly remain firm, and there will always be true ones on the straight path until the day of judgement. The question is whether we are among them and will we remain firm. This is the fitnah—the challenge. A hadithstates that there will always be a group of people from this umma who will remain steadfast, upholding the religion of Allah. Those who try to forsake them will not harm them. The Arabic word used here is khidhlan (to forsake). Khidlan means to leave somebody alone, to stop supporting them and assisting them, basically, to side-line them. This happens often. We see this happening, day in day out, today. People are side lined because they call to the truth. However, the fortunate ones are those who are not concerned or harmed in the least by those who forsake them until the command of Allah comes to them, which is that they meet their death or the day of judgement comes upon them. They will remain holding onto the religion. It is irrelevant whether you and I forsake the religion of Allah because there will always be a group who will uphold it. The religion is important, but it is also independent and self-enduring, because it is the religion of Allah Most High. It is not in need of you and I. We need Allah more than He needs us. So religion will continue. The question is whether we will continue on it or not. Imam Suyuti passed away in 911 Hijri. It is said nowadays that Imam Mahdi’s time is imminent. There is no categorical information that tells us when he will appear. If we look into history, we have been in far worse times than we are in now, more deadly and detrimental scenarios than what we face today. Back in the early 9th Hijri, as Imam Suyuti says in his poem, people were saying that the Day of Judgment was very near. The 1000th year of Islam was nigh and people thought the world was going to end. There have been many downs and dips in our history, but Allah be praised, we have also had our heights and elevations. When we look at our history, it fills us with joy and courage, as it shows that Allah Most High is with this umma. There were many times that it felt as though this religion was coming to an end, but Allah uplifted it again. Let us look to the time of the Tartars, for instance, when they went into Herat. Herat was a bustling city, one of the main cities on one of the main caravan routes, and in those times, a place of great magnificence. When the Tartars had finished sweeping through Herat, only 27 or so people emerged from the ruins. We have carnage today but maybe nothing that can compare with what the umma has experienced in the past. We have deaths in large numbers, which we do not consider trivial, but we have fared worse. This should not make us despondent, nor should it make us question whether we are on the truth, or why the help of Allah does not appear to come to us. People asked these questions of Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) and this angered him. He related to them stories of past nations who had their flesh torn from their bones, but it did not stop them from believing in Allah. This is all a part of life in this world. Allah did not promise us paradise in this world; Allah has promised us paradise in the hereafter. Allah Most High says: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient” (Qur’an 2:155). As has been mentioned before, many scholars such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Imam Suyuti and numerous others have written that there were great scholars who did many exceptional things, and at times, their achievements were greater than some of the mujaddidin (revivers). Imam Bukhari’s work, for instance, in the collection, verification and compilation of hadiths, has been an important and enduring work from his time to our time. As monumental as his work is, Imam Bukhari is not considered a reviver of the religion because he passed away in 256 Hijri, which is the middle of the century, and not towards the end of it, as the hadith is said to indicate. There is an agreement by consensus that the reviver of the first century was ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, and he is probably the greatest of the revivers. He was able to combine scholarship and rule. In his two years and five months as the caliph, he managed to achieve what many had not attained before him or after him. According to many great scholars, he is considered the first and greatest reviver. The reviver of the second century was Imam Shafi’i; he was born in 150 Hijri and passed away in 204 Hijri. Scholars have said that after the first few centuries it was very difficult to have only one reviver of the religion. A reviver is the one who is still alive at the turn of the century, the beginning of the new century. He becomes knowledgeable of both the internal and external sciences; he is in conformity with the Sunna of Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), and he speaks out against the innovations and corruption in the religion. This is generally something that is recognised by the ‘ulema who notice and acknowledge certain traits and characteristics and come to the conclusion that a particular individual must be a reviver. It is difficult for a single person to possess characteristics to reform the many different corruptions that may occur in the religion in its different aspects: the political, the judicial, the Sunna, hadith, Qur’anic interpretation, spirituality and so on. This is why the ‘ulama entertain the idea that it doesn’t have to be one person who is the reviver at the end of each century. There may be a reviver for the science of hadith, one for Qur’anic studies, one in reformatory guidance and spirituality, and so on. There could be revivers in each of the different fields of the religion. Revivers throughout history From the revivers of the early centuries, we have mentioned ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz in the first century, but in individual disciplines such as the science of hadith for example, we have ibn Shihab al-Zuhri. Then, we have Qasim ibn Muhammad, Salim ibn ‘Abdillah and Hasan al-Basri. We had the likes of ibn Sirin, the great muhaddith, mufassir and dream interpreter. We had Muhammad al-Baqir. In the second century, we had people like Yahya ibn Ma‘in along with Imam Shafi’i, as has been already mentioned. In the third generation, we had Imam Nasa’i, Qadi Abu ’l-Abbas ibn Surayj. In the fourth generation, we had Imam Hakim al-Nishapuri, a great hadithscholar who collected and compiled narrations that he felt were at the same level as those in Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim’s works which were not mentioned by them. There is Hafiz ‘Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa’id al-Misri and Abu Hamid al-Isfirayini, who were among the great Ash’ari scholars, along with Imam Baqillani Abu ’l-Hasan al-Ash’ari. In the fifth century, we had Imam Ghazali, who definitely deserves the position of a reviver, as agreed upon by many scholars. In the sixth century, there was Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. In the seventh century, many say it was the great ibn Daqiq al-‘Id. In the eighth century, another great Ash’ari theologian named Imam al-Bulqini and Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi, the great hadithscholar. In the ninth century, the reviver was Imam Suyuti, and in the tenth century, Imam Shihab al-Din al-Ramli. After the tenth century we also have Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, also aptly known as Mujaddid Alf Thani (Reviver of the Second Millennium) who emerged at the turn of the second Islamic millennium. The amount of work he did to deal with the corruption of the ruler of the time, who tried to mix the religion of Islam with Hinduism, is quite phenomenal. For this reason, he was considered a reviver of his time. In the eleventh century, there was also Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan al-Kurdi al-Qurani and Sayyid Murtada al-Husayni al-Zabidi who wrote a profound commentary on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din. Some scholars say that if all the other books were destroyed, then this commentary would suffice for us. Some say Shah Waliyullah al-Dihlawi was among the revivers of the eleventh century, and the same for Imam al-Haddad and Mulla Ali al-Qari. In the twelfth century, we have Imam Saleh ibn Muhammad ibn Nuh al-Fulani. In more recent times in the thirteenth century, we have Imam al-Tahtawi, Shah ‘Abd al-Aziz al-Dihlawi and ‘Uthman bin Fudi (may Allah have mercy upon them all). For the recent century, we will leave it to the ‘ulama. And Allah knows best. How Allah (glorified and exalted be He) uses individuals for His work Imam Hasan al-Basri was a remnant of the Companions. He was not one of them, as he came after the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) departed from this world but he was among the generation that saw the sahaba, and he acted as a bridge between them and the people that came after them. He had lived at a time when the spirit of Islam was strong and people were enthusiastic about their faith, upholding the best of values and morals. Then, as he witnessed the sahaba leaving the world, he became aware of the decline of the umma and how the rulers of the time were corrupt, who in turn were being followed by the people in their corruption. He had benefited from the sahaba, so he would deliver heart-rending speeches, drawing people back to the true ways of Islam. It was through his powerful and emphatic speeches that Allah rekindled the spirit of Islam. Although he is not generally considered a reviver he was considered to be a saviour of the Islamic spirit. In the first century, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz was appointed the caliph of the Muslims. In two years and five months, he had completely turned around the state of the umma. His efforts were so great that the entire umma, which by then spread all the way across the north of Africa, had become so affluent and successful that there was not a single person who was eligible to receive zakat. This was because of the distribution of wealth in a just manner that people had sufficient sustenance. The suffering that we have today is because the laws of Islam are not implemented, including the absence of proper zakat discharge and distribution. This is why others are progressing further than the Muslims. After ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz and Imam Shafi’i, came Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. During his time came a new and even greater trial. The texts of the Greeks, such as Aristotle, Plato and other philosophers started becoming available in translation in the Arabic language due to the translation movement by Harun al-Rashid and his son Ma’mun al-Rashid. Many Jewish and Christian Arabs were employed to translate Greek and Syriac works into the current Arabic language, and slowly these began to circulate in the Muslim lands. Those who could read and had scholarly interests began to take these philosophical works and decided that it would be appropriate to adopt some of the views and amalgamate them with the religion of Islam. Benefitting from such works on a very supplementary and auxiliary level, using them just in some subsidiary manner may have been acceptable, as some scholars did later on. Instead they decided to mix them with the religion of Islam, which caused it to become corrupt with foreign elements being introduced, thus changing its image. This became a very big issue when they could not reconcile between it and a hadith or Qur’anic verse. Whenever a perceived clash arose, they gave preference to their own understandings over the clear sacred text. They innovated many deviant ideas and beliefs; one of their biggest deviations being their belief that the Qur’an was a creation of Allah’s rather than His eternal uncreated word, contrary to the beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunna wa ’l-Jam’a. This issue became so widespread that ‘ulama who opposed their views were persecuted, and in many cases, killed in the inquisition. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was brought before the caliph of the time, Mu’tasim bi’ Llah to answer questions on certain aspects of his beliefs. He remained steadfast on the beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunna wa ’l-Jam’a. Though he was lashed, punished, tortured and imprisoned, he fought against these deviant beliefs and upheld the true beliefs. Allah used Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal to preserve the true beliefs of Islam in the face of deviation, and today we do not see people from this deviant group anymore. During the fifth century of Islam, a new fitna occurred. Several Hellenistic philosophers such as Alfarabi, ibn Sina (Avicenna) and later ibn Rushd (Averroes) held the idea that the Qur’an was revealed for people who lacked intellect, and that there were certain people that Allah had chosen who could grasp the realities of the world using only their intellect. They believed that people like Aristotle and Plato were at the same level of the prophets (may the peace of Allah be upon all the prophets) and that Allah had chosen to give them intellect rather than revelation. These philosophers felt that they could reconcile their ideas with the Qur’an and introduced the idea of double truths. They became so strong in their belief that there was no scholar to respond to them in a comprehensive way. Allah then sent the reviver of the fifth century, Imam Ghazali, who despite his busy life as the rector of the Nizamiyya College in Baghdad, read all the books of the philosophers over the course of two years in his free time, and wrote a book titled The Objective of the Philosophers. After this, he wrote another book in response to the philosophers titled The Incoherence of the Philosophers, refuting their ideas. Up until his time, there was no one who could respond to them. Nobody possessed the requisite knowledge and methodology, and so Imam Ghazali learned their ways and did so. The manner in which he responded to them was to be marvelled at. Whilst being cautious yet bold and at times sarcastic in his remarks, he was capable of making light work of their claims, often questioning what had possessed them to make such statements that he believed even children would not make. Mawlana Abu ’l-Hasan Ali Nadwi writes that for about a hundred years there was nobody who was able to respond to Ghazali’s refutation. This is said to have caused a heavy blow to Hellenistic philosophy, and according to some caused their decline. What is important for us is that Allah used Imam Ghazali to remove corruption in the religion of Islam during the 5th century and fulfilled His promise of the ever-enduring nature of Islam. Reviving Islam in the present day We have to realise that whether the Imam Mahdi comes in our time or not is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to do something for our religion ourselves, which is to teach our children and to learn ourselves. Our responsibility is to hold fast to the religion of Allah Most High. When we go wrong, we correct ourselves and try to do better. We have to realise that there will be many difficulties. However, there could also be another glorious period of Islam before we even hear about Imam Mahdi’s appearance. The point is that we need to strengthen our own faith because that is our responsibility. On the day of judgement, we cannot go to Allah and give the excuse that we were awaiting the arrival of the Mahdi. Even if we have lost hope of becoming revivers of Islam ourselves, then we can at least hope that the revivers are from among our children, but we need to give them the right environment. We need to give them the correct upbringing at home. We have to build our communities to do that which attracts people to the religion of Islam out of the darkness. We are not a people that exist only in a contemporary period. We are products of a legacy that has existed for over 1400 years, we have had rises, and we have had falls, but just as history repeats itself, so will time repeat itself. Allah takes for the service of His faith many different people in many different ways. We pray that Allah Most High chooses us for His work and makes us a means of reviving the din of Islam. Transcribed by Usamah Muttakin Edited by Abdul Aziz & Adnan Ashraf

The woman who dropped out of Cambridge PhD to enter into polygamous marriage to Muslim businessman with two other wives 16 September 2014 Sam Creighton for Daily Mail Nabilah Phillips dropped out of Cambridge to marry Hasan Phillips She is one of three women married to the businessman and charity worker There are as many as 20,000 polygamous Muslim marriages in Britain New documentary, The Men with Many Wives, exposes rise in these unions Studying for a PhD in engineering at Cambridge, she might not seem like a prime candidate to enter into a polygamous marriage. But that is what Nabilah Phillips did, dropping out of university to become the second woman married to businessman Hasan Phillips who has since acquired a third wife. Yesterday it emerged that Mrs Phillips, from North London, is among thousands of Muslim women entering into such relationships which are illegal in the UK but allowed under sharia law which permits men to have four wives. new television documentary, The Men with Many Wives, exposes the rise in these unions – of which there are believed to be as many as 20,000 in Britain – and the dating agency, Muslim Marriage Event, responsible for setting many of them up. Copy link to paste in your me The couple were interviewed in this week's Radio Times Having already been through a divorce Mrs Phillips, 35, originally from Malaysia, signed up to a similar matrimony service specifically looking for a married man. She told the programme: ‘I was looking for someone who had been married or was already in a marriage. ‘I was married before and having gone through one divorce, you kind of know what you want in marriage, so I wanted someone who already knows how to be a husband. ‘I really enjoy being in a polygamous relationship. We are not stupid people who are forced into this type of relationship.’ Through the service she signed up to she met 32-year-old Mr Phillips – also divorced but re-married to City worker Sakinah, 33, – and decided to abandon her studies to become his second wife. The wives occasionally meet when Mr Phillips, who as well as being a businessman also works for a charity aiming to spread the word of Islam, organises family outings. Nabilah Phillips said: ‘If any problem happens between co-wives it’s usually his fault. Praising somebody too much. “Why don’t you be more like her, she’s this, she’s that”. If he didn’t say that, we would all be happy.’ She has two children with Mr Phillips, who has six in total, and helps to run his import-export business. But abandoning her high-flying academic career was not her only change after she married. She also began wearing the Muslim veil, the niqab. She told Radio Times: ‘I wanted to wear one before I got married – being married to Hasan has given me the opportunity to wear one and be steady at it. The only prejudice I have met so far has been from other Muslims.’ During filming Mr Phillips, who converted to Islam from Christianity when he was 16, marries a third woman, Somalia-born Anub, 41. He did not invite his other two wives to the small ceremony, held at the local mosque, saying: ‘I don’t think it would be right to invite them. Even though they are accepting of polygamy, you don’t want to really rub it in their faces, “Look, I’m getting married”, and expect them to be happy and have a party about it.’ Each wife lives in a separate house in London and Mr Phillips spends three nights in each home before moving on to the next.

Mirror, mirror on the wall By Sadaf Farooqi At times, we get so used to reciting Masnoon Du’as and Adhkaar (supplications and words of remembrance) in our day-to-day lives that we lose sight of their deep meanings and how relevant they are to our everyday thought processes and attitudes. For example, in our contemporary world of increasing mental diseases, personality disorders and psychological problems, psychiatrists, self-help gurus and life coaches help clients or patients to “think positively” and “develop a positive self-image”. Yet, this positive thinking was deeply-entrenched in the life, teachings and habits of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – if only we paused for a moment to reflect. Take just one Du’a. For example, the Du’a he would recite aloud when he looked at his reflection in the mirror. The translation is: “O Allah! The way you have beautified my physical form/body (‘khalqee’), thus beautify (also) my character (‘khuluqee’).” Another Hadith added in the end: “...and make my face forbidden for the Hell-Fire”. The starting words of this short and simple, yet profound, Du’a reflect positivism. When a person looks in the mirror, he or she sometimes does so with a critical eye (women in particular). What needs to be spruced up or fixed is analyzed in detail. The “defects” are loathed over and people turn into being ungrateful. “O Allah, the way you beautified my physical creation...” The believer follows the Sunnah. He or she calls out to Allah when looking into the mirror and acknowledges that Allah created the physical form in a beautiful manner. This is the first step towards positive thinking – a step that gives negative thoughts a kick in the teeth. Nowadays the more people look into the mirror, the more they complain about their looks – they criticize their height, anatomical proportions, their graying or balding hair, and complexion. However, this Du’a that the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited is guidance for all believers to be grateful to Allah for their physical form. The next few words of the Du’a form the gist of the invocation: “So beautify my conduct.” The word Khulq means a person’s dealings with others, his character and his personality. After acknowledging the beauty or perfection of his physical appearance, instigating gratitude in the heart, a believer now turns to Allah in prayer and asks Him for what is much more important than superficial, outward physical looks, i.e. good conduct. Allah says about the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Qur’an: “And verily, you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) are on an exalted (standard of) character.” (Qur’an, 68:4) His wife Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her), when asked about the Khulq of Allah’s Messenger, stated, “His Khulq (character) was the Qur’an,” implying that his actions embodied the character that is in complete accordance with the commands of the Qur’an. In the looks-obsessed world of today, society finds it harder and harder to give importance to a person’s innate good traits and character. Plastic surgery, fitness training, fashionable looks and wellness, panoramic skin care regimens and products, and anti-ageing devices are the rage of the day. People try out new hair colors, liposuction, tummy tucks, weight loss measures, and plethora of physical fitness programs to keep themselves looking young and good-looking. What they overlook is the inside that really and truly matters. Relationships – how you deal with the less fortunate, being ethical in business dealings, and showing respect to the elderly – are all being ignored. Do we forgive or keep grudges? Do we do good to others even if they wrong us? The things – the Khulq – define a person. The last part of the Du’a – “…and forbid my face to the Hell Fire” – reminds the believer as he utters it while looking at his face in the mirror that indeed one of the torments of Hell is to have one’s face burned in it over and over again: “The Fire will burn their faces, and therein they will grin with displaced lips (disfigured).” (Qur’an, 23:104) “…And if they ask for help (relief, water), they will be granted water like boiling oil, that will scald their faces.” (Qur’an, 18:29) Therefore, while looking in the mirror and reciting this Du’a, the believer focuses on the real and eternal preservation and well-being of his face – bypassing the trivial wrinkles and effects of ageing in this world – by asking Allah to forbid it the Hell-Fire. In this way, a simple Du’a taught to us by the Prophet (peace be upon him), when analyzed, reveals how thoroughly positive and increase the Adhkaar of Islam are. They remind believers to appreciate the good they possess, instead of focusing on minor blemishes; to strive for greater blessings than the fleeting, superficial ones, and finally, to ask for the permanent success and salvation in the Hereafter, than for the elusive, temporary, and worldly physical perfection. That is why, a sincere believer hardly gives a second thought to his wrinkles and grey hair – he has loftier goals in mind, and mightier goals to aspire to! – SG Islaaminfo.com

Why do Muslim women inherit half of what men do? Isn't that discrimination against women? Why are women treated unfairly in Islam? So are the allegations of the Orientalists and Non-Muslims correct? Are women denied equality by being given a lesser share and are women discriminated against in Islam? Contrary to the tide of misinformation and allegations, it was Islam which was the first religion to give women rights and a share in the inheritance at a time when women were considered property of their male counterparts and were denied all rights. It is also incorrect to say females always receive half the share. Although in most cases the male inherits a share that is twice that of a female, it is not always so. There are certain circumstances when they inherit equal shares, and in a few instances a female can inherit a larger share than that of the male. InshaAllah in this topic we will compile information which will answer the questions and clear the misconceptions beginning with Inheritance in Pre-Islamic Arabia and Inheritance laws for women in other religions. Discussions will follow on how Islam gave women their rights in inheritance at a time when women themselves were part of inheritance and the reasons behind the lesser share and how grave a sin it is when women are deprived of their rightful share of inheritance. Last but not least, a very important aspect overlooked by those who raise objections, examples of how females can inherit a share which is equal to, or even more than a male and where the male can even be left out completely. Advice to Muslims before going forward:

Does saying the Kalima include Agha Khanis amongst Muslim? Question: Are aga khani muslims or not (-) can a sunni muslim marry aga khani girl who is ready to read kalima but not ready to change her beleifs? Answer: It is not sufficient to be considered a Muslim to say the Kalima and at the same time hold the beliefs of the Aga Khani sect. The followers of this sect are undoubtedly disbelievers and it would be a heinous sin to marry from any of them. The following are some of their deviations: 1, They worship the picture of their Imam Aga Khan. 2, Their Bismillah is different to the Bismillah of the Muslims. 3, The method of performing their Salah has no basis in the Qur'an and Hadith but rather is in violation of the sacred sources. 4, Fasting is restricted to fasting of the eyes, mouth and hands. 5, Haj is for them is to visit their Imam. These and other beliefs and practices are a denial of that which is firmly established in the Religion of Islam, as taught and transmitted by the last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and consequently leave a person a disbeliever. Fataawa Haqaniyya, vol.1 p.385. Mufti Mohammed Sajjad Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab As-Suffa Institute Follow-up: Question: I would like to correct you on a Q&A regarding Aga Khani's, aka Ismaili MUSLIMS. Yes, Aga Khani's are pure Shia Muslims and this has been proven in history. I would appreciate if you could please remove your answer regarding Aga Khani's not being Muslims, as they also follow the Shahadah, Allah (SWT), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)and the Holy Qur'an. We are no one to judge who are and who are not Muslims. Answer: Please note that just because a person says the Shahadah does not gaurantee that he/she is a Muslim, just as, for example, person who upholds justice but practices all forms of injustice, to continue to call him a just person, even if he proclaims to the world that he is just, is making a mockery of language and the intelligence. Shahadah does tell us that a person is a Muslim, but only as long as he/she does not uphold beliefs and ideas that negate it. If one were to uphold the view you seemingly do, then you would not be able declare anyone a disbeliever no matter how anti-Quranic and opposed to the clear teachings of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) they are. You would have to concede that even the Qadianis are Muslim as too are the Kharijis for they both pronounce the Shahadah, yet about the latter the Prophet (SAW) himself said, they would leave the Deen just as an arrow goes through its target (Sahih Muslim). Furthermore, this is not and never has been the approach of the best of generations and the Muslim scholars for the last 1400 years. Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) with all the companions fought and killed those who denied Zakah, even though they would recite the Shahadah. The companions did this because these people had apostated from Islam, which is why those wars are known in Islamic History as the Riddah Wars (Apostasy wars). Similarly Islamic History testifies that Muslim scholars, in order to protect the pure Deen from corruption and the Ummah from misguidance, often declared as apostates or disbelievers individuals who held views that could not be reconciled in any way with the very teachings of the two entities found in the Shahadah. It will be clear to see for any objective person that this internal mechanism Islam has had to protect it from corruption is such a distinction that it helps prove its being the true Religion and divinely revealed. All other religions did, as you wish for Muslims to do, namely they let whatever erroneous baseless heresies reared their heads amongst them to take shelter under the name of the religion. Yet do you not see the absurdity of this, that something that is not only not revealed, but is in fact contrary to what is revealed, is somehow to be made equal to real revelation? Would we be so accommodating in worldly matters? If someone wished to buy another’s car and pulled out a pile of monopoly money, according to your principle the seller should happily accept the payment. But obviously you would never allow this, then why is it that when it comes to the most important of things: the Deen, upon which clings our eternal salvation or ruin we are prepared to make anything and everything the Religion of God. The Deen of Islam is that which the Holy Messenger (SAW) brought. Allah taala said: "Today I have perfected for you your Deen and completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your Religion" (Sura al-Maidah:3). This verse was revealed right at the end of the Messenger of Allah’s (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) mission. Thus when we look to the teachings of the Aga Khanis we find clear violations of this and other sacred texts. To elaborate, when a person adopts a symbol of disbelief, it is sufficient for his/her leaving Islam. For example were a person to wear a cross around his neck, it would take him out of Islam. For this visual expression of Kufr is equivalent to a verbal or written expression of kufr. Now, it is from the practices of this sect that they worship the picture of Aga Khan and have it in their places of worship. Just as wearing a cross takes a person out of Islam so too would this act. Similarly the belief that Allah taala is dwelling within their leader, is also sufficient for Takfir. There are many other grave deviances found in this sect that take them out of the fold of Islam such as changes in the way they offer prayer. (See Jawaahir al-Fiqh, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, vol.1 p.70). Thus it is not permitted to marry into them, eat their slaughtered meat and generally mix with them. Mufti Mohammed Sajjad Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said: Cleanliness is half of Imaan (faith), and Alhumdulillah (praising Allah) fills the scale, and Subhaanallah (glorifying Allah) and Alhumdulillah (praising Allah) fill up what is between the heavens and earth, and Salaah (prayer) is light, and Sadaqah (charity) is a proof (in your favour), and Sabr (patience) is brightness, and the Quraan is an evidence on your behalf or against you. Every person starts their day (and with their actions) either gain salvation or destroy themselves. (Muslim)

Hadhrat Waa’il (Radhiallahu Anhu) Has His Hair Cut. Hadhrat Waa’il bin Hujar (Radhiallahu Anhu) says: "I once visited Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) when the hair on my head was extremely long. While I was sitting with him, he uttered the words, 'Zubaab, Zubaab' (Meaning something evil). I thought that he was referring to my hair. I returned home and immediately had my hair cut. The next day when I went to visit him again, he said, 'I was not referring to your hair when I uttered those words yesterday. Anyway, it is good that you had your hair cut." (Fazaail Aamaal) This action of this Sahaabi reflects the true love he possessed for Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) within his heart. No sooner did he doubt that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was displeased with him on account of his long hair, he immediately had his hair cut. One can well imagine that if this was the level of the love they possessed, that just a mere doubt of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)’s displeasure would make them uneasy, could it have been possible for them to disobey the command of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) or go against his mubaarak sunnah. يَا رَبِّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَدًا عَلَى حَبِيبِكَ خَيرِ الخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ

Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. يَا رَبِّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَدًا عَلَى حَبِيبِكَ خَيرِ الخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ

Oh yes i know where you're coming from Haya... We can at least have a longing and sigh for it

I don't agree...because when we abstain from what we are not allowed by Islam then we get full reward for it. Take the example of kissing the Hajare Aswad (Black Stone on the corner of the Ka'bah). Women are told to keep away as there is a lot of pushing and showing around it and we would be bumping into the men. For doing so we would still get the reward for it....and maybe even extra for keeping away from the men... hey, Allah ta'ala is as we think of Him : )

Non-Muslim writers on Slavery in Islam

How to Be a VIP on the Day of Judgment Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah will cover seven people with His shade, on the Day when there will be no shade but His: a just ruler, a youth who has grown up in the worship of Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only, a man who refuses the call of a beautiful and influential woman for illicit relation with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, and a person who remembers Allah while he is alone and his eyes are flooded with tears." (Al-Bukhari) We all need Allah’s shade. To be under Allah’s shade is to be protected by Him and be blessed by Him. We need His shade in this life and in the Hereafter. It is mentioned that the Day of Judgment will be a very hard and difficult Day. On that day everyone will be worried and will try to find some protection and shade; but there will be no shade on that Day except the special shade of Allah. This shade will be granted to seven special types of people: 1. A just ruler or a just leader: It could be any person who has some authority and he/she uses this authority with justice and fairness without any favoritism or prejudice. Justice is the command of Allah for all people; but the most critical is the doing of justice when one has power and authority. More difficult is, of course, dealing justly with those who show hate and animosity towards you. A just person, especially a just leader or ruler, is given number one place in this list of seven. 2. A young person growing up in the worship of Allah: Worship of Allah is good for all people at any age and time; but the worship of Allah from the tender young age has special blessings. Many people become devoted to Allah when they grow old. In the old age when the body becomes weak, people start paying attention to the spirit. However, to be conscious of one’s spirit and growing up as a youth in the obedience of Allah bring a special honor and blessings. 3. A person whose heart is connected to the Masjid: Literally it says that the heart is hanging (mu`allaq) in the masjid. Imam Malik explained that it was a person who when he leaves the musjid, looks forward to coming back again soon. Normally people’s hearts are attached to their jobs, business and home. The masjid are not the priority for many people. However, those who love the House of Allah and keep it as their priority are the blessed people and they shall receive the special favor of Allah. 4. Two people loving each other for the sake of Allah: One should be friendly to all people and deal with all people in a kind and courteous manner. However, the friendship for the sake of Allah, for the reasons of piety and goodness is a very blessed friendship. This is a sincere friendship and when two or more people become attached to each other for Allah’s sake they bring a lot of good to themselves and to those around them. This is a kind of friendship that generates goodness in the world and is especially blessed by Allah. 5. A person of solid moral character: The Prophet gave an example of this solid character. He said a man tempted for illicit relationship by a woman who is beautiful and rich, influential or of a prestigious family (the word “mansib” means all these things in Arabic) and he refuses. Imam Ibn Hajar says that this is not limited to a man only who is tempted by a woman; it equally applies to a woman who may be tempted by a man who is very beautiful, powerful and rich and she refuses and says “I fear Allah.” It requires a lot of moral strength to refuse temptation when the other partner is attractive, rich, and not only consenting but persuasive. Those who have such a strong character are indeed under the protection of Allah. 6. A person of charity who does not show off his/her charity: A person gives charity in such a way that even his left hand does not know what his right hand has done. This is a very powerful and beautiful way to say that a person gives quietly, discreetly and with sincerity. His/her purpose is not to show off, seek publicity, name or fame; but only to please Allah. This is the highest kind of charity and it has a special reward and blessing from Allah. 7. A person who remembers Allah privately with eyes filled with tears: Thinking of Allah, repeating His Beautiful Names, thanking Him and praising Him, these are the ways to remember (dhikr) Allah. Doing the “dhikr” alone in one’s privacy, when no one is watching, with moving heart and tearful eyes is a sign of sincere faith and deep love of Allah. Those who have the love of Allah, they are indeed under His shade and protection. All these seven characters are deeply moral and spiritual characters. They indicate a person’s faith and sincere commitment. They are related to feeling, thinking, speaking and action. These are true characters of sincere believers. We pray to Allah to bless us with these characters and with his shade in this world and also in the Hereafter. Ameen. Islaaminfo.com