ummtaalib

Sunnats and Aadaab of Sleeping – Part 5 1. One should sleep on the right side with placing the right hand under the right cheek. عن حفصة رضي الله عنها زوج النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا أراد أن يرقد وضع يده اليمنى تحت خده ثم يقول اللهم قنى عذابك يوم تبعث عبادك ثلاث مرار. (ابو داود رقم 5047) Hadrat Hafsa (Radiallahu anha) reports that when Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) intended to sleep, he would place his right hand under his cheek and recite the following duaa thrice: اللَّهُمَّ قِنِى عَذَابَكَ يَوْمَ تَبْعَثُ عِبَادَكَ 2. One should not sleep on one’s stomach. وعن يعيش بن طخفة الغفاري رضي الله عنهما قال فبينما أنا مضطجع فى المسجد من السحر على بطنى إذا رجل يحركنى برجله فقال إن هذه ضجعة يبغضها الله. قال فنظرت فإذا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم. (ابو داود رقم 5042) Hadhrat Ya’eesh Ghifaari (Radhiallahu Anhu) reports: “On one occasion I was sleeping on my stomach in the Musjid due to stomach pains. Suddenly a man came and shook me with his leg saying: “Sleeping in this position (i.e. on the stomach) is disliked by Allah Ta’ala.” (I turned to see who was addressing me), then I saw that it was Hadhrat Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).”

Happy to hear you are well Haya! Alhamdulillah for good health and yes its often when we're ill that the reality of death hits us. Otherwise we tend to forget that death is inevitable!

We are Slaves of Allah Ta’ala Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) had a frame in his room in which “Ana ‘abdullah (I am the slave of Allah Ta‘ala)” was inscribed. This serves as a constant reminder that Allah Ta‘ala has the right to command and I have the duty to obey. This duty should be with beauty as well. That is we should carry out our duties happily and not grudgingly. Source: Al-Haadi

Manage Depression and Bring Back Your Productivity Depression is like being stuck in a deep, dark dungeon. The walls are dull and there are no windows. You feel suffocated and disturbed all the time. Your head feels empty and you feel lifeless: like all your abilities and energy have been sucked away by a black hole. The worst part is, no one seems to understand the mental pain you are going through. People label you and call you lazy, moody and selfish. I’ve been through severe clinical depression and would not wish that mental agony for anyone. But despite the pain, Allah taught me many precious lessons through my depression. This illness has shaped me into the person I am today and I do not regret having this disorder. When I was actually having depressive episodes, I wished someone would teach me how to manage this deathly affliction. But that never happened. That’s when I learned the valuable lesson that when you can’t find a shady tree, plant one. “Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves.” [Qur’an: Chapter 13, Verse 11] This article is the tree I’ve planted to help you bring back productivity to your life. So here are 5 proven and practical ways to manage depression that have done wonders for me and many different people for years: 1. Salah Initially in my depression, I was always told to pray more. But I never understood this advice nor did it seem to help me. I was already praying but the depression wasn’t going away. Then I realized: I didn’t need to change the amount of my salah, rather I needed to change the quality of it. When I started improving my relationship with Allah through salah, I noticed an immense change in my mood. Salah helped me manage depression because in sujood, I would make dua to Allah to help me cope with this illness. That’s when I learned the second technique to managing depression… 2. Pills Suggesting taking anti-depressants might come as a shocker for many, but there is nothing wrong with using them if your doctor has prescribed them for you. Just like a deep cut needs a bandage, clinical and severe depression warrants medication. However, this option is not for everyone. When you have situational depression pills are often not the answer. With this type of depression, you need… 3. Exercise and Healthy Eating If you’re skeptical about the consequences of taking prescribed anti-depressants, here’s my personal experience: I’ve been able to completely stay off anti-depressants for ages because of the life style changes I’ve made. I did need pills when I had severe depression, but once the severe down time passes, a little physical exercise and healthy eating can do wonders for your mood. Learn how to make your personal exercise program and plan healthy, tasty meals for yourself! 4. Support Network Strong support networks are one of the most effective aides to completely overcoming depression and regaining your productivity. When you’re low: don’t be alone: be with positive people from your friends or family talk out your depression with people who you know will be of help, but be careful of whom you trust seek help from as many different professionals as you need 5. Therapy Therapy helps you identify the triggers of your depression (even clinical depression) and works better than medication. Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy or art therapy – you can explore and choose the therapy that works best to bring back your liveliness. Remember, therapy is a consistent process and needs regular sessions to work. It’s like mental exercise: just like we need to stimulate our body physically, therapy helps stimulate our minds to become productive again. Ultimately, every shady tree that gives you refuge from depression is a favor from Allah. Cherish it, be grateful for it and use it to your advantage. What is your experience with depression? What do you do when you feel depressed? Comment below! Saba Malik (productiveluslim.com)

Six Productive and Practical Steps for Walking Out of Depression Depression is a condition which affects a growing population of individuals around the world. It does not discriminate with regard to race, educational background, social status or religion. Despite the fact that there is nothing to be ashamed of, individuals who suffer from this condition usually bear it quietly for fear of the stigma of being labelled as having a mental incapacity. Islam being not just a religion but also a complete way of life has provided us with a solution out of every problem, and depression is one problem the solution to which can be found in the teachings of Islam. I must stress here that I will not discuss anti-depressants as steps for walking out of depression, the reason being, I consider them to be more chemical than practical. Speaking from personal knowledge and experience, we shall examine six ways of rising above the trials and tribulations of depression: 1. Reciting Suratul Nas: Basically, depression mostly consists of feelings of self-doubt and extremely low self-esteem which I can attribute to the deceptive whisperings of Shaitan. When one peruses through the meaning of Suratul Nas, you will notice it is mostly a prayer for protection from the whisperings of Shaitan. Consistently reciting Surah tul Nas, whenever feelings of self-doubts surface; will safeguard one from depression and uplift the mood of one who suffers from depression. 2. Reciting the duas for overcoming anxiety and sorrow: ‘O Allaah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant, my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You name Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Qur’aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety.’[Hisnul Muslim]. and ‘O Allaah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being over powered by men.’[Hisnul Muslim]. 3. Take up or join a charitable cause: It is a proven fact that giving one’s time to providing others with happiness by engaging in charitable causes also has an effect on a person’s mood, countenance and disposition. It’s a simple formula; you give happiness, you get happiness. A charitable cause in this sense need not be something huge in terms of financial consideration. It could be anything from volunteering at a nearby orphanage, soup kitchen, organizing a clothes collection to give to the needy or simply feeding one needy person with a meal a day. Once you start to put a smile on people’s faces, inshaAllah your mood will improve dramatically. 4. Take walks and appreciate nature: One major feature of depression is that it takes hold of sufferers and drains their mental vitality. It is common to find that depressed individuals lose the zeal to interact with people, recede into their own mental shells or confine themselves to their homes, thereby further plunging themselves into the hold of depression. Although it is not as easy as it seems, taking walks and appreciating nature will definitely uplift the spirit and lighten the mood. Speaking from personal experience, I can say seeing the beauty of Allah’s creation and appreciating things as simple as the interaction of birds in the sky, the scenery of the land can be a step towards walking out of depression. 5. Start a new hobby: As the English saying goes “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” If someone suffering from depression stays idle, while isolating himself from the world, then there is a greater chance of one spiraling deeper into depression. Starting a new hobby can also act as an effective barrier against depression. Hobbies such as reading a book, starting an interactive Islamic blog, exercising or reciting the Qur’an are all productive hobbies. I must stress here that listening to music, watching movies or engaging in other frivolous and non-rewarding are not hobbies in this case. 6. Think about how easy your life is: If all the aforementioned tips fail, then this will certainly jolt you out of your reverie. Think about what you’re going through and ask yourself “Can it in any way compare to what the Prophet Muhammad ?” “Am I going through even 1% of what he went through?” He lost his parents at a very young age. He lost his wife and uncle at a time when he needed their support the most. He was persecuted by his kinsmen and banished from his own homeland. What on earth are you going through that even remotely compares to that? I know fighting depression is not as easy as it sounds but inshaAllah, with determination and sincerity, the above steps will help in the fight to step out of it. Usman Shamaki (productivemuslim.com)

10 Tips to Fight Depression ! Assalam O Alaykum, I would like to share this article,which is very usefull for everyone. Well, from last few days, i’m extremely depressed, so I was looking for some solution.and i found this article. .. Feeling down in the dumps, depressed, having the blues: these are just some of the terms used to describe a feeling of hopelessness and despair that can hit even the most optimistic of us at some point in our lives. While clinical depression requires proper professional treatment, the occasional feeling of sadness due to factors ranging from economic difficulty to harassment and discrimination can be helped through some simple spiritual practices. Here are a couple that can help: 1. Look at those below you The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whenever you see someone better than you in wealth, face or figure, you should look at someone who is inferior to you in these respects” (Bukhari, Muslim). If you are reading this article online, consider this: you are one of the lucky set of human beings on the planet who can afford a computer and internet connection or at least have access to one. The United Nations Development Program’s 2007 Human Development Report notes that there are still around 1 billion people living worldwide at the margins of survival on less than $1 a day, with 2.6 billion living on less than $2 a day. Also consider that in the Quran (14:7), God says that if you are thankful to Him for what you have, He blesses you with more. 2. Serve your fellow human beings The best way to thank God is to serve humanity, especially those who have less than you. Serving others is uplifting and rewarding. It helps us gain a better perspective on life’s challenges, making us realize how very often, are problems seem so small compared to the awesome difficulties others face. That’s why when the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Muslims were a small, poor and persecuted community, they used to give to the poor even more. They understood that when you are generous when you have less, you achieve the perspective of a winner. You are focused on the bigger picture. 3. Read Surah Ad Duha According to one report, after the Prophet had begun receiving revelation from God, at one point a long period of time passed with no such communication from Allah. As a result, the Makkans ridiculed the Prophet and he became severely depressed. That’s when this chapter was revealed (Quran 93: 1-11). The chapter is a beautiful reminder to us to see life in the greater scheme of things, to be grateful for what we have and to never give up striving for what is right. This chapter of the Quran can be considered a direct recipe from God for depression. 4. Turn to God in all situations Remember that nothing can harm you without the consent of God. While you must take care of yourself, rely on God and know that He is always with you and only He can give you strength in difficult times. Also remember that He will help you can come out of a trying situation as a better person if you deal with it positively. 5. Remember God’s Names God has many beautiful Names which describe His attributes and powers. These are reminders of His Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, Justice, Strength and much, more. Supplicating to God using these Names reminds us that God has these attributes more than any other being and that we can and must rely on Him during good and bad times. 6. Say ‘Hasbun Allahu wa Ni’ mal Wakeel‘; This has been translated as “God suffices me and He is the best guardian.” It is an excellent way of reminding us that whatever worries we have or problems we face, God has the answer and cure to all of them and is the only One who can really do what is best for us. 7. Make sure when you leave home, you read this Dua ‘In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah.’ Bismillahe tawakkaltu alAllahe la haula wa la quwwata illa biAllah. 8. Take your spiritual break from the world, five times a day Taking a break away from school, work or other life activities to spend a few minutes to remember God helps you reconnect with the Creator of the Universe, fortify your soul and strengthen your resolve to live a better life that is in tune with your faith and principles. 9. End your day on a good note Shakespeare once wrote a play entitled “All’s well that ends well.” That’s good advice for dealing with depression too. End a day that may have been riddled with challenges and frustrations by making Wudu before going to bed, thinking of God and the Prophet and counting every blessings you have 10. Stop Shaytan in his tracks Shaytan is the source of many of our negative emotions. It’s his job to make us feel pessimistic and to despair of any good in life. When you feel these feelings coming on, stop him dead in his tracks: say Aoutho billahi minash Shaytan ir Rajeem (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed satan). I pray,Almighty will remove these pains from my heart,and make this post usefull for muslims brothers and sisters… Ameen! (islamgreatreligion)

Nasihah (Advice): Tasbeeh Counters Imaam Abu Dawood mentions that on one occasion Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam came to a woman who was reciting Tasbih using date pits and pebbles. Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam did not reprimand her nor disapprove of her action. (Hadiyyatul Abraar Fi Subhatil Azkaar) _______________________________________________ Question and Answer: Q. Assalamu alaykum, Is using counter or beads to count dhikr of Allah Bidah. Using of digital Tashbeeh or tally counter is allowed? (Question published as received) A. It is permissible (Mubaah) to use a “Tasbīh” or “Subhah” in order to aid oneself in performing Zikr. In the past, people used stones and beads as an aid in making Zikr. In today’s times, digital counters along with other technological methods are used. Hence, if one uses a Tasbih for this purpose it will not be Bid‘ah. The general principle of Mubaah is one may practice on it or use it on condition he does not regard it as compulsory in Deen or a Sunnah. Allah Knows Best Mufti Ismaeel Bassa Confirmation: Mufti Ebrahim Desai Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

Use of Left hand or Right for counting Question Is it true ? or I am okay to use both hands for counting tasbihat. I recently got a forwarded email which say Tasbih should not be performed on Left hand (Using fingers to cound number of tasbihat) Is it true ? or I am okay to use both hands for counting tasbihat. Answer (Fatwa: 831/660/B=1431) Recite the tasbeeh only with right hand or with both the hands, both ways are right. It is mentioned in hadith: count using fingers because they will be questioned on the Day of Judgement what they did and answer will be sought from them and while answering they will bear witness. The same thing is mentioned in the holy Quran in several places that the body, hands and feet of man will be asked what good and bad deeds they performed. و في الحديث: واعقدن بالإنامل فإنهن مسؤلات مستنطقات ، الحديث (المشكاة ص:202) Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Deoband Source

Question: Assalamualaikum, what is the proof of using a prayer bead? some say it is Bid’ah is this right? Wassalaam Answer: Hazrat Saaad bin Abi Waqqaas (R.A.) reports that once, while accompanied by the Nabi of Allah (S.A.W.), he came across a lady who was using date pits or pebbles for making Tasbeeh (glorifying Allah). Nabi (S.A.W.) addressed her saying, Should I not inform you of an easier or better way than that, SUBHANALLAHI ADADA MA KHALAQA FIS SAMAAI WA SUBHANALLHI ADADA MA KHALAQA FIL ARDHI WA SUBHANALLAHI ADADA MA BAYNA THALIK WA SUBHANALLAHI ADADA MA HUWA KHALIQ WALLAHU AKBAR MITHLA THALIK WALHAMDULILLAHI MITHLA THALIK WA LAILAHA ILLALLAHU MITHLA THALIK WA LA HAUWLA WA LA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAHI MITHLA THALIK. In the commentary of this Hadith, the author of Mirqaat (a commentary of Mishkaat) explains that, the fact that Nabi (S.A.W.) did not disapprove of her action or show any resentment towards it, clearly proves that using beads, pebbles, etc. when making Tasbeeh is permissible. It would therefore be incorrect to classify an act which Nabi (S.AW.) approved of, as Bidah. Hazrat Umar (R.A.) once saw a person using beads for making Tasbeeh and he did not prevent him from doing so. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) used a string, which consisted of a number of knots for making Tasbeeh. There are many Ahadeeth in which the Nabi of Allah instructed the Sahabah to recite a particular Zikr a certain amount of times, which naturally implies that something be used for counting. (Mirqaat, Vol. 5, Page 138-139, Hayaatus Sahabah, Vol. 3, Page 427) And Allah Taala knows best Ebrahim bin Zainul Abedeen Backus Attested to as correct by: Mufti Muhammad Ashraf Darul Iftaa Jameah Mahmoodiyah Springs www.mahmoodiyah.org.za [email protected] Source

Question Is using tasbeeh a bidah and can it be given as a gift? I have following questions: 1. Is using tasbeeh is bidah & is this imitation of christianity. 2. Giving tasbeeh as a hadiyah is permissible in islam. Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. It is permissible to use a “tasbīh” or “subhah” in order to aid oneself in performing dhikr. A tasbīh helps in performing dhikr in two ways: By holding it in the hand or seeing it, one is encouraged and reminded to perform dhikr. This is why it is also known as a “mudhakkir” (reminder). It also helps one keep count. Using beads or stones to help one with dhikr is supported by hadīths. Imāms Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī narrated in their collections on the authority of Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās (radiyAllāhu ‘anh) that together with Rasūlullāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) he came upon a woman with date stones or pebbles before her, with which she was reciting tasbīh. The narration continued, but does not state Rasūlullāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) reprimanded her or disapproved of what she was doing. Imām al-Tirmidhī and Hāfiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī graded the chain of narration hasan.[1] This offers proof that taking assistance from something to help one to keep count of his dhikr is permissible. Hence, if one uses tasbīh for this purpose it will not be bid‘ah. However, there should be no belief attached to the tasbīh that it has intrinsic virtue or the one who recites dhikr using it is superior to one who does not. The great scholars, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūtī (d. 911 H)[2] and ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Laknawi (d. 1304 H)[3], have both authored treatises showing the permissibility of using a tasbīh. It is permissible to give a tasbīh as hadiyyah. And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best Zameelur Rahman Student Darul Iftaa UK Checked and Approved by, Mufti Ebrahim Desai. www.daruliftaa.net

Tadbeer, Tafweez and faith in Taqdeer is the solution to depression: For better understanding, the following excerpts are taken from "The Cure for Depression Tafweez" by Shaykh Yunus Patel (Raheemahullah) Tadbeer: Making Effort Tafweez: Antidote to Depression Taqdeer:Predestination Great wisdom lies in the decisions of Allah. Something much worse could have happened....

اَلَّلهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحُزْنِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَ الْكَسَلِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِن غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ Allaahumma innee a'oothubika minal hammi wal huzni wa-a'oothubika minal 'ajzi wal kasali wa-a'oothubika minal bukhli wal jubni wa-a'oothubika min ghalabatid dayni waqah-rir rijaal Oh Allah I seek protection in you from worries and sadness and I seek protection in you from weakness and laziness and I seek protection in you from miserliness and cowardliness and I seek protection in You from overpowering debts and being overpowered by people.

Trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you. Joanna Francis Writer, Journalist – USA

A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Joanna Francis Writer, Journalist – USA

Hope in Du'a Once, a ten-year-old boy was praying feverishly in prostration, “O Allah [swt], the Most Merciful, the Magnificent, Make Faisalabad [a small city of Pakistan] the capital of Pakistan, make Faisalabad the capital of Pakistan…” His mother overheard him and inquired, “Why would you pray so, my child?” The boy answered, “Well, Mother. We had a question on our final exam which asked, “What is the capital of Pakistan?” and I mistakenly put “Faisalabad” as my answer

Ridding Oneself of Depression and Suicidal Thoughts Answered by Ustadh Abdullah Anik Misra Question: As’Salamu Alaykum, I have a problem with myself in that I keep having these images of harming myself somehow or committing suicide and I don’t know what to do. I’m at a difficult stage in my life right now. I have very bad family issues, financial problems and problems with myself in terms of my heart. I just feel like ending my life so I can escape all of my problems. The last few years have been very hard for me in that I’ve been unemployed for a while and I have mounting debts that I can’t pay off and other issues. Counselling hasn’t helped. I’ve turned to Allah and prayed long and hard but then suddenly I’ll become lax in my prayers etc. I feel like I’m being pushed away from worshipping Allah. I have started doing some SG courses and they help but I still find myself weak and vulnerable. And lately the suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming myself have started terrifying me. It’s like I don’t have the guts to hurt myself but at the same time I dont know what I’m capable of doing. Please help me before I end up hurting myself. Answer In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate, Wa alaikum as salam, Dear brother in Islam: you possess the most valuable thing that any person could wish for: iman, or true faith in Allah Most High. Remember that mankind’s sworn enemy, Shaytan, is insanely jealous of how much mercy Allah Most High envelopes you in at each moment, and how much Allah loves you. Even in your lowest, most sinful, most problem-ridden, most heedless, depressed state, you mean so much to Allah. This is why Shaytan will do everything in his power to drive you out of true faith: so that you end up damned like him. Shaytan is an evil whisperer; his way of misleading you is to whisper doubts into your heart: doubts about the things around you, about your faith and your sanity, and ultimately, about Islam and Allah Himself. Horrible Thoughts Are Whispers from the Shaytan into the Heart of the Believer The thoughts and images you are seeing start from satanic whisperings (waswasa). You have become tricked into adopting them and believing that they are your own thoughts. You might feel disgusted, shocked and scared. But the thoughts are not really yours; you don’t really want to hurt yourself. They are devilish illusions, that while painful, cannot truly hurt you, or cause you to hurt yourself, unless you allow them to become a part of you. Passing bad thoughts are normal for a Muslim, but they must be disregarded quickly and shunned. Once, the Companions confessed to the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him]: “Indeed, we are finding thoughts within ourselves that any of us would find abominable to mention!” So the Prophet asked, “Do you really find that within yourselves?” They replied, “Yes.” So the Prophet said: “That is a clear sign of faith.” [Muslim] Ridding Oneself of Bad Thoughts The thoughts may be difficult to erase once the mind has adopted the whisperings. Firstly, at the onset of any of these images or doubts, I would advise that you immediately declare in your heart – with authority and certainty- that these are not your thoughts, and tell the Shaytan you are not about to fall for his tricks. Tell him your Lord is Allah, and that you are so grateful for that, and that you are not scared of him and his whisperings, as you have the greatest Protector watching over you. Then, flee to Allah Ta’ala in your heart, and seek refuge in Him from the Shaytan with full sincerity, consciousness, and in utter neediness. Recite the final surah of the Qur’an with presence of heart, while knowing the meaning of its verses [surah 114: al-Nas]. Admit to Allah Ta’ala that He is your only Lord; your only hope; your rock and your only refuge. Tell Allah that no matter what the thoughts say or provoke, you only want to stand by Him and worship Him. Confess your sins to Him, and repent for them. Then, ask Him to protect you and rid you of those thoughts forever. Completely consign the problem and solution to Him. Shun Bad Influences, Live a Pure Life, And Trust in Allah Once you’ve done that, do your best to rejoice and feel thankful for your faith- Shaytan hates to see that and is driven away by a believer rejoicing in his Lord. Shun and avoid negative, sinful influences in your life that enter your heart through your eyes and ears: violence, sexuality and pornography, or other vices. Cut the mental noise out of your life: stop reading useless blogs and articles, watching TV or ads, or surfing the net. Seek out the company of good people, in good places like the mosque or a study circle. Repent from your sins regularly, maintain a state of ritual purity as much as possible, eat lawful food only, be consistent in your daily prayers, recite some Quran each morning and evening, and try to keep in the remembrance of Allah through dhikr. Don’t go into hyper-mode praying, as that won’t solve your problem; this is Shaytan’s trick to exhaust you till you quit. Rather, stay balanced and moderate, but keep your heart focused on loving Allah as much as possible. Love of Allah is everything. The Importance of Seeking Both Professional and Spiritual Help Lastly, I would advise you to continue to seek counseling for this issue, as we are commanded to use the best means at our disposal, while turning to Allah in prayer and supplication, knowing that the results are in Allah’s hands. Only He creates happiness in the heart. Do not see the challenges in your life as insurmountable; you still have many blessings, so take things a day at a time, seeking Allah’s help. Everything I’ve advised you is what I have gleaned from my spiritual guide; may Allah forgive my shortcomings and mistakes. It is best for you to consult a qualified spiritual guide and master of Islamic spirituality yourself when you can. May Allah Most High bless you, relieve you of your troubles, protect us all, and make us all into His righteous and beloved servants, Ameen. Wassalam, Abdullah Anik Misra Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani Source

Question Could you please give me some dua’s for anxiety and depression. Answer Assalāmu `alaikum Warahmatullāhi Wabrakatuh, What is the cause of the anxiety and depression? It is important to treat the cause. Duas alone are not sufficient to overcome anxiety and depression. We are living in a world of cause and effect and in the world of means. To diagnose a problem and adopt means for cure is the teaching of Shariah. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam and the Sahaba radi allahu anhum faced various challenges in their lives. They attempted to identify the cause of the problems and adopted means to remedy the problems. Yes, they took strength and courage through Salah and Duas. At times our own actions lead us to anxiety and depression. The remedy is then simple. Self reformation. In such a situation ones can make any amount of dua and Dhikr, his wrong deeds will still drown him in grief and depression. This life is filled with challenges and adversities. It is natural to feel anxious and experience grief. The best solution for such feelings is to remind ourselves that we are muslims and we are sent in this world to be tested. A feeling of anxiety is actually a test from Allah. Allah want to see our reaction. We are caught between the order of Allah and our Nafs. To control ones Nafs at this time and remind ourself of Allahs test is what Allah wants from us. It is then Allah’s help will come. It is the barakaat of such submission, duas and Dhikr that Allah will guide one to the road of relief and comfort. Allah Ta’ala tells us يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and Salah. Indeed Allah with those who are the patient ones. (Qur’an 2:153) Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam advised us the following dua for grief and depression. اَلَّلهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحُزْنِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَ الْكَسَلِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِن غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best, Muftī Ebrahim Desai Daruliftaa 35 Candella Rd, Durban, South Africa www.daruliftaa.net Source

إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ [10:23]your injustice is against your ownself. ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ [30:41]Corruption has appeared thoughout the land and sea by what the hands of people have earned. [Download original Talk's mp3] In this present day and time in this country of Pakistan, a great many people who, due to the situation in the country, feel greatly and deeply disturbed about the conditions of the country and we find that everybody is saying ” we are very worried, so much so that no one can talk about religion, even if one starts talking about religion then people say that molvi sahab kindly talk about the current conditions .” Today, I’m going to speak about the current conditions and what is the cure for our halaat, the cure for our halaat is exactly what the ullema of the deen of Islam would have told us. I’m going to state it very clearly at the outset, and I’m going to establish it with the Qur’an: Unless we fix our individual halaat we have no hope, absolutely no chance whatsoever, for our collective halaat to get improved. So, I will establish this premise from the Qur’an-e-karim and then will describe how is our own individual halaat in the times that we live in. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an-e-karim: إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ [10:23]your injustice is against your own self. That know humanity that whatever you do is going to come back to haunt you. That whatever we do is going to come back to haunt us, so if we seek to live a life as an individual, as a family, as a society, as a community, as a country, as an ummah distant from the ahkaam of Allah Almighty , distant from the teachings in the life of Sayyidina RasoolAllah (peace and blessings be upon him) عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ it is going to come back to haunt us, it is going to come back and plague us and then Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an-e-karim:ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ that how does fasad become apparent, when does it manifest itself everybody feels we are living in the times of fasaad. فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ on land and on water بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ That what is the sabab of it? – What human beings themselves do, what we ourselves earned, our own actions that is what brings fasaad. Fasaad does not come about on its own. Allah Almighty is saying very clearly that Fasad is a product of what we ourselves earned. Its our ‘amaal or in many cases our lack of certain amaal that has lead to the situation that we are in right now. Infact, I would suggest that if we were to be honest: our bad amaal or our lack of good ‘amaal actually warrant and justify that much more should be happening right now, it is infact a dua of RasoolAllah (peace and blessings be upon him) that has saved this ummah from the azaab of Allah Almighty: It is mentioned in hadith that Jibraeel (peace be upon him) came to him at a particular moment and told him that the duas that you make at this moment, Allah Almighty will accept them and there is a masjid that is marking this place that is on walking distance from Masjid-e-Nabwi to Madina Munawwara and in this masjid, sayiddina RasoolAllah (peace and blessings be upon him) made a few duas, one of the duas was that Ya Allah , I make dua to You that You never Put an azaab on my Ummah. It is just due to this dua that we have not fallen under the azaab of Allah Almighty, otherwise as an Ummah we are doing sins the like of which have not in any way been exceeded by the Qaum of Aad and Thamud. We are an ummah who have left the teachings of our Book and our Prophet , not unlike the previous communities left the teachings of their Book and their Prophet. This is our real haqiqat; this is our real reality. Now, before we continue I want to mention a few more ayahs in the Qur’an-e-karim, in which Allah Almighty Has Promised His Madad, His Nusrat, His Nijaa’at to the mo’mineen; in which Allah Almighty in the Qur’an-e-Karim Has Promised that He will help the believers, and after going through these ayahs we will have only two possible questions left to ask ourselves that: Are we believers? Have we stopped being believers? Or Has Allah Almighty stopped being Allah Almighty? There are only two possibilities! 1. Allah Almighty says in the Quran: إِنَّا لَنَنْصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا (40:51) Indeed! certainly we will help our messengers and prophets And the people of Imaan in their worldly matters. Allah Almighty is promising and invoking with emphasis His nusrat for the people who believe. And He is saying in this ayah that He is going to help them as much and as certainly as He helped his messengers and prophets. All of us are Alhamdullilah familiar with the sirah of Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and how much Allah Almighty’s madad and nusrat came. Whether it is Badr, all the way to Fatah-e-Makkah, all the way from Badr till after Fateh Makkah. Allah Almighty’s miraculous madad came on Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Allah Almighty is pledging with equal certainty and surety that He will help the believers in their worldly lives. 2, Q: And then We will give nijaat to messengers and prophets and just like that we will grant nijaat to the believers. We will free them and take them out of their pareshan halaat. We will grant nijaat Allah Almighty says it is lazim on Him. We talk about Haqooq Allah; Allah’s rights over us. We talk about Haqooqul Ibaad; other’s rights over us. Here Allah Almighty has used the word Haq ul Alaina that it is a Haq on Allah Almighty to give madad and nusrat to the believers. Allahu Akbar Kabeera! This is how far Allah Almighty has gone. The words used in both ayat were Al’lazeena Aminoo and Mu’mineen. So it’s not something just for the mutaqeen, muhsineen, sadiqeen or sabireen. It is for the basic entry level Ummati, a person who is amongst the mu’mineen Allah Almighty has promised and made it mandatory upon Himself their nusrat and nijaat. So there are only these options left: a) Either Allah (swt) has stopped being Allah (swt) [Na’auzubillah] and that’s why He is not giving His nusrat and nijaad. b) Or He is still Allah (swt) but He has broken His promise. He is not true to His Kalaam, the Quran al kareem [Na’auzubillah] c) Or the other possibility, which is the true reality, is that we have stopped being such believers who would get His nusrat and nijaat, this promised help from Allah (swt). Just in case a person thinks that no we still have to strategize we still have to plan because only we know who our enemies are and who are plotting against us, whether they are within the country or out of the country. We should spend hours and hours watching television programs every single night. This is what our whole country has been doing. Anywhere from 1 to 6 hours every single person in this country is either watching television, listening to the radio or reading the newspapers, doing what you call ‘tabsira on the halaat’. And then when they turn the program off and they look at one another and they do ‘tabsira ala tabsira’. We have become people who do tabsira ala tabsira, while Allah (swt) wanted us to become Noor-’ala-Noor. It is only because we have not become noor ala noor, that we are doing tabsira ala tabsira. This is our response to the situation. We think we can somehow figure out what is going on, we can engage in news and analysis and the wonderful programs on television from one channel to another channel. Has this brought you even an inch closer to solving your problem? Has this brought you even an inch closer to the aman which you so desperately want and have so vainly lost due to your own actions. Imagine now those same 150 million people spending 1 to 5 hours making dua to Allah (swt) in about 30 days let’s say 1 hour per day, so 150*30 = 4.5 billion hours could have been spent making dua to Allah (swt). You tell me, had 4.5 million hours been spent in making dua to Allah (swt), you don’t think His nusrat and nijaat would have come? You have under-estimated the power of Islam and you have over-estimated the power of news analysis. We have failed to understand how our deen teaches us to respond to these halaat. Let’s say some of you are thinking that all these ayaat are saying Al’lazeena aaminoo and mu’mineen tou wohi na ijtamaai halaat theek houn gey tou phir infradi halaat theek houn gey. So here’s another ayah of the Quran al Kareem which makes it clear, it’s a crystal clear verse: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ [5:105] O you who believe! It is laazim on you to fix your ownselves. Remember the 2nd verse? That helping the believers is laazim on Allah Almighty. Now what is laazim on you O believers is your ownselves. Fix ourselves! Fix our own individual selves. This is what we are being taught in Arabic grammar muqabila tul jama ala jama it means taqseem ul ifraad ala ifraad. I’ll explain giving an example. Allah Almighty says all of you should wash all of your faces. It doesn’t mean all of you should get together and start washing each other’s faces together. It means each and every one of you should wash your own face. Alaikum anfusikum means each and every one of you should fix your ownselves! That is what is laazim on you. If we can fix just one 6 feet body of our ownself, and each and every one can do this, then Allah Almighty will Himself take care of the nusrat and the nijaat and the madad for all of the mu’mineen and muslimeen. Then Allah Almighty goes further to say عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ [5:105]Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided. Mand’alla is that person who has gone astray, who is on zalalat. La yuzurrukum means that person on zalalat will not be able to harm you in any way. Those who are astray and those who wish to lead you astray will not be able to harm you in any way. When will that happen? When we do Alaikum anfusikum – > when we take care of our ownself. Allah Almighty says that Allah knows better of who our true enemies are. So He is the most perfect to do our nusrat and nijaat. And He has said simply that all we have to do is fix our own self. Further He says that no way will any person who is astray or wishes for us to go astray will ever be able to harm us ‘iza hidaytum’ if we submit to hidaya. If we follow the hidaya, if we follow the deen, if we follow the Quran and the Sunnah of Syedna Rasool Allah (may peace and blessings be on him), there is no way that anyone will be able to harm us. And all of us will return to Allah Almighty collectively and Allah Almighty will inform us that what it is that we used to do. Better to figure it out in our lives that what is it that we are doing which has led to this state of affairs rather than being informed by Allah Almighty on THAT day what it is that we were doing that caused these state of affairs! Allah Almighty has told us clearly what it is that we are supposed to do. There’s another feature to our dilemma We have been born in an age of fitnah. Those who are younger are born, while some of us who are a bit older are living and witnessing the age of fitnah. This is even more intense. Allah Almighty says that fitnah is even more devastating than murder. And we are worried about the murders and killing that has begun recently while we have been in the state of fitnah for several years. But we are blind to it. Most of us are still oblivious. We are unaware of our true state of being collectively and individually. We are just worried about our own individual peace. There are people in Pakistan making plans of going to Dubai, or of going to Bahrain… o shabash! Little runaway havens worrying about their kids, right? They still don’t understand, they still don’t get it. We’re not going to be safe in Dubai. Not in this age of fitnah. That’s not the response that Allah Almighty wants. We are supposed to fix ourselves. We are supposed to be a means to fix this society. Now what does fitnah mean? Syedna Rasool Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) in the Hadith has defined fitnah in several ways, in case anybody thinks that we are not sure that we are in the age of fitnah. There are many Ahadith describing fitnah. In fact, muhaditheen have gathered these Ahadith into chapters named kitaab ul fitan. In one hadith Syedna Rasool Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) says ‘Fitnah will occur in you just like the rain falls ‘ So fitnah will occur just like a downpour. That will be the age of fitnah. Not just one fitnah, but a downpour of fitnas. How is the age of fitnah defined in Ahadith? 1. This is that age when it will be difficult to tell who is right and who is wrong. There will be so many fitnas that you won’t know for sure who is Haq (truthful) and who is Batil (wrong). There will be many people out there trying to convince you. But deep in your heart you won’t really know for sure what is going on. The age in which we won’t be able to tell what is truth and what is falsehood. That is also the age of media. The age of media actually fits very well with the age of fitnah. 2. The age of fitnah will be such that disobedience to Allah Almighty will become widespread. This is something that is clearly apparent in the urban centers of this country. And it’s not something only confined to the youth. Whether it’s people in their 40’s 50’s or 60’s we find within them 24 hours of widespread range of sins. For some of them the sin starts off when they sleep through their fajr Salah. For some of them their entire day is spent in sin as they work in interest bearing banks. Sin is common and widespread. It is unrepentant and unabashed. Sin means to do anything against the will of Allah Almighty and/or to do anything against the practice and teachings of Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Some of us have fooled ourselves by believing only fuhish (vulgarity) is a sin. So a person thinks no I’m not a bad person because he thinks that he doesn’t do anything vulgar or obscene. Because we have misunderstood sin. Yes there are sins which also have vulgarity in them. But sins means anything done against the pleasure and wish of Allah Almighty and against the teachings and practice of Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). 3. The age of fitnah is such that the crimes will become rampant. Crimes whether theft, burglary, corruption, bribery, murder, rape, they have become rampant. These are the sign, by the way, which Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioning will take place within the ummat-e-Muslima in the age of fitnah. 4. People will present proofs for falsehood which aren’t proofs for it and they will present proofs to refute the truth which aren’t proofs against it. This again we see in media. People giving you reasons why such and such thing is correct. But if you pause for a moment you’d realize this is not a justification or proof of it. 5. In the time of fitnah one of the signs that will occur in this Ummah is that two groups of Muslim Ummah will fight one another and kill one another and the one killing the other one would not know why he killed the other one. And the one killed would not know for what crime he was killed. This has been further explained in another Hadith of Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): When two Muslims meet one another with weapons, both the killer and the one being killed will both go to jahannum. These days some of us like to think that both are shaheed. Maybe we think one of them is shaheed. But according to Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) they are both jahannumi. It’s because they both intended to kill without justification. So me and you are living not just in difficult times, but we are living in an age of fitnah. In this age of fitnah it’s all the more important for us to know what our deen tells us to do. I’m going to go even one step further. And I’m going to explain that one thing that is mentioned in the Hadith are the signs of the age of fitnah, up till now I’ve given some of those signs. Then there’s a second set of Hadith that mentions not just the sign and the alamaat of the age of fitnah, but another phrase is used ‘the alamaat of qurb e qiyyamah’. That there are certain signs, and again these are the signs that are going to take place inside the Ummah, that indicate the closeness of the end of time. Now people don’t understand, they don’t realize in fact many of us enjoy studying this Hadith but these Hadith were said by Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for a reason. When we try to signal something to a person, we want them to get the signal. So by giving the alamaat Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wants us to realize that we are living in the age of end of time. There’s a particular fitnah related to the age of end of time and that fitnah is called fitnatul Dajjal. This is the greatest fitnah to inflict the humanity. Even Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to make dua ‘Allahumma inni aoozubika min fitnati Dajjal’ [O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the fitnah of Dajjal]. Such a big fitnah that all of the Sahaaba karam, tabieen, all of the great Muslims, Muslims who had real Imaan and taqwah used to seek refuge from the fitnah of Dajjal. And me and you who have weak Imaan and taqwah, we’re not even thinking, we’re not even opening up our eyes to all of these alamaat, we’re not even realizing that the age of fitnah of Dajjal had begun. Nobody knows when Dajjal will show himself. Nobody can tell when zuhur e Dajjal will take place. But the fajr of that age has begun because the alamaat are present. When does the fajr start? When the time of sunrise is close and the alamaat can be seen. So if these alamaat that I will be mentioning are already here then that means that the time of coming of Dajjal is near. However, nobody can ever tell you how close you are. Normally when the fajr starts it takes about one and a half hour for the sun to rise. When the fajr of Dajjal starts we don’t know it could take 10 years, 20 years, 50 years or even 100 years before Dajjal comes. But it means that Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wants us to take a lesson that the time is near. That we are living close to that time. It may happen in our lifetime or in our children’s lifetime, maybe our grandchildren’s lifetime. But there’s a mentality which Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was trying to create by telling us these signs. And not only are we going to notice the signs , rather we are drowning in these signs. We are drenched in the realities that were mentioned in Ahadith 1400 years ago but we are still not able to take a simple ibrat. In fact there’s a famous Arabic proverb which will tell us something about ibrat. “A good person is he who takes ibrat from others, while a badbakht is he who becomes an ibrat for others.” We have two choices. Either we choose to take ibrat.If we don’t take ibrat from these things and fix ourselves then we will become an ibrat for people who come. So let’s look at the ilamaat and signs which have been mentioned in the Hadith. There are many of them but we are only going to do a few: 1. My Ummah will miss their prayers. Now we should also think, imagine who is hearing this. Me and you are listening to this now. But imagine Sahaaba karam listening to this. They would have been stunned. They would have thought Ya Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) we are giving our lives in Uhad and Badr for this Deen. We are giving our lives for the sake that this Ummat should continue and you are telling us that there will come a time when this Ummat will voluntarily leave Salah, which to them was more basic and more essential than food and drink. I can only imagine what the Sahaaba must have thought at that moment. And they would have thought that surely such a thing would be the beginning of the end. They would have thought such a state when the Ummat would miss compulsory Salah truely the day of judgement should dawn on it. And we who leave salah do not understand it. There are a very few Muslims left today who pray five times a day. It’s very shocking for me to say this. It’s like saying that they don’t have the most basic thing such as water. The human race would have died out. Actually the mu’mineen have died out. Mu’mineen and Al’lazeena amino are an endangered species. Because they are so few that’s why this nusrat and nijaat doesn’t come. A naik Musalman today is that who prays four or four and a half times a day. And a University naik is that who only prays Jumma. That’s the university level of Islam. Some of our uncles are pious who offer the Eid prayer. That’s the uncle level of Islam. Right at the first alaamat we are there. In fact the missing of the prayers is so widespread that we would say this has been going on for quite some time, don’t think that this is new that we just came near to this because of a couple of bombs that hit us 2009. These alamaat have been there for several years. 2. The people in the Ummat will betray one another’s trust. They will do khayanat in amanaat. They will betray and leave their promises unfulfilled, broken promises. 3. Riba and interest will be widespread and rampant. Today we go to any commercial market in any neighborhood of any city in this country we will find several institutions called banks that openly, unabashedly and proudly have their windows advertising that they are ready to offer you a loan on such and such rate of interest. And the thing is we don’t understand, we don’t feel that to be vulgar. The vulgarity and obscenity of riba is as much as zina, no less. It’s as shameful as zina. As far as I’m concerned a man that works in a bank is as shameful as someone working 9 to 5 in a prostitution rank. I see no difference between the two. That’s what my deen tells me. That’s the mizaj that our deen is trying to create. we think we should have repulsion on the basis of our tabiyat? No! we should have repulsion on the basis of what Allah Almighty has forbidden. And a thing that Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be on him) has mentioned that will bring about the end of time for this Ummah, how can we not be repulsed by such a thing? How can we not feel a moral outrage, this is what we call in English. That we should feel a moral outrage. Just like we would feel if a vulgarity took place such openly, we should feel the same level of moral outrage at the presence of these institutions in our society. We don’t feel that, at all. 4. Lying will be widespread. 5. Murder will be widespread. 6. The believers will sell their deen for a small price. That’s what happens when people miss their prayer. we go to any commercial centre in any city and just see what happens during Jumma. The vast majority of people do not pray Jumma.Most of the shopkeepers don’t go for jummah. The majority of our corporate workplace do not go for Jumma. If we go to a store and let’s say the Medical Store owner decides not to go for a Jumma. Let’s just talk about the farz of Jumma. How long does it take? It would take 20 minutes max, although we could get done with even less than that. So let’s see what is it that this owner is doing in those 20 minutes instead of praying Jumma. What exactly did that guy earn? Maybe he sells Rs. 500 or 600 worth of medicine. Maybe he sells Rs. 1000 worth of medicine. Within 20 minutes he’s not going to sell much. What’s the cost of that medicine? Probably Rs. 700 or 800. So what did he do? For Rs. 200 to 300 he decided to leave his Jumma. Had he closed the shop how much would he have lost? What was the cost of that 20 minutes of closure of shop? Just a few 100 rupees. That’s it. For a few hundred rupees. That’s what Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said that they will sell their deen for a small price. Now this is what Allah Almighty says about the kuffar from the ahl-e-kitaab that “they sold their soul for a cheap price.” And this is the exact same thing that Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said about his Ummah that they will also sell their deen for a small price. That would be a sign for the end of time. 7. Zulm (oppression) would become widespread. Within 48 hours we have 120.000 refugees from Waziristan. Who are they? They are all mazlumeen. This is their shar’ai definition. Within a period of 2 days we can create this many mazlumeen. That’s phenomenal. 8. Talaq (divorce) would be widespread. 9. People will die sudden deaths. Heart attack, strokes, to name a few. 10. The Muslims will blame others for their problems. Allahu Akbar! Muslims will blame others; they won’t think that it’s their own earning or their own fault. They will blame others for their difficulties. 11. There will be hot weather. Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said there will be hot weather despite rains. He added that lest a person thinks that rains would stop. English tarjuma of this would be: Global warming. Green house gases. This was predicted by Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) 1400 years ago and mentioned as an alaama of qurb-e-qiyamah. That means Muslims only after knowing the first sign, let alone so many signs, should take ibrat. We don’t do that. 12. The leaders of the Muslimeen will be from the zalimeen. The unjust and undeserving people will be amongst the leaders of the Muslims. 13. The hudood will be suspended. What is hudood? Hudood is Allah Almighty ’s own stipulated punishment for those things which Allah Almighty has Himself declared to be a crime. Now tell me as Muslims, if Allah Almighty declared something to be a crime and then Allah Almighty Himself said what the punishment should be for that crime then we should at least in act those punishments, if nothing else. That’s the easiest open case of criminal law. That those things that Allah has said is a crime and the punishment He has set for those crimes, that is what is hudood. “Hudood will be suspended.” English translation: women’s protection act. 14. Children will disobey parents. Children will lose their respect and will start disobeying their parents in matters that are permissible. In fact what happens is that children today are obeying their parents in disobedience to Allah Almighty . Or the children are being asked by the parents to obey them in disobeying Allah Almighty. There was a time when parents used to ask their children to obey them in an equal obedience to Allah Almighty and now the parents ask their children to obey them in an equal disobedience to Allah Almighty. They want their children to not look a certain way, not to dress a certain way, not to act a certain way, not to follow the deen, not to follow Sunnah, not to follow shari’ah. So then they command their children not to do so. Sometimes they invoke this right that Allah Almighty has given them, that o my son or daughter, doesn’t your religion tell you to obey your parents? At that time they say your religion they don’t even say our religion. Know that the deen of Islam and the Quran doesn’t anywhere say that you must obey your parents. The Qur’an says you must be kind and respectful to your parents. Obedience lies to Allah Almighty and His messenger alone. Yes, you can obey your parents as long as their obedience doesn’t mean disobeying Allah Almighty. There’s no obedience to a creation if that obedience equals disobedience to the Creator. That’s not possible. The same Allah Almighty who has allowed their children to be kind and respectful to them how can those same parents twist that right of Allah Almighty and tell their kids to disobey Allah Almighty! 15. Singers will be given a great status in society. Singers will be given a maqam of izzah in society. English translation: celebrity… celebrity musician. Allahu Akbar! who could have thought these would be the celebrities of our time. And this is again referring to inside the Ummah itself. 16. The later Muslims will curse and slander the earlier Muslims. They will say that the earlier Muslims didn’t know anything. The earlier Muslims just came up with ijtihad based on the top of their head. The earlier Muslims didn’t know Hadith. As opposed to the beginning of the deen when the later Muslims used to have love and respect for the earlier Muslims. The people who met the sahaaba said we would do your it’tiba that’s why they were called the tabieen. The people who met the tabieen said we would do your it’tiba and they were called taba tabieen. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: follow the person who has taken up the path that leads towards Me. Allah Almighty in Surah Fatiha tell us follow the siratal mustaqeem. What is that path? The path followed by those who were blessed with the favors of Allah Almighty. All of these signs make us realize that we are definitely living in the time of fitnah. All of those first Ahadith generally about fitnah, and then all of those Ahadith about the alamaat of the fitna of Dajjal and of end of time all of these signs are present. In fact in my own personal study of Hadith, I have not come with a single spiritual alamat of the Ummah that was mentioned as a sign of qurb-e-qayyamat except that I found that spiritual condition present in the Ummah right now. So we are living in that age. Now we come to the real purpose: what does Allah Almighty tells us to do? What are we supposed to do in these halaat? Whether we want to still view it as our national conditions, whether we want to realize now that actually this is the age of fitnah or this is the age of beginning of the end of time. How long will that journey take, again nobody will know. But the forces of Dajjal are already present. The pre-cursors the preludes of Dajjal are rampant. What should we do in response to this? So listen to what Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an al Kareem: وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ (3:139) so don not weaken and do not grieve and you will be superior if you are true believers. Wala tahinu: Don’t be lazy. Don’t have apathy, don’t be disinterested. This is exactly what we do. we look at this country and we will see many people going exactly opposite to this verse. They would tell us that due to the conditions we have become lazy, apathetic. we are not interested in doing anything anymore. We cant concentrate on anything, cant even do ibadat, we are not even interested in the worldly affairs. Complete apathy, complete disinterest, complete laziness. Completely opposite to the order of Allah: Don’t be lazy. Remain active, remain dynamic, do something! Fix yourselves and be a means to fix others. Wala tahazanu: and dont be depressed, dont lose hope. And Every single one says im sad, we are depressed about the conditions. Everybody is saying that. The Qur’an is saying don’t grieve, don’t despair, don’t worry, don’t fear, don’t have stress, don’t have tension, don’t be depressed, even then everyone is depressed. Antumul aalaun inn kuntum mo’mineen: You will be a’ala, you will be triumphant and victorious if only but you can make yourself believers. This worry and depression won’t take you anywhere. Instead you must work on yourself and become believers. This laziness, apathy, disinterest is not going to take us anywhere. We must become believers. Even physically people have become stationary. What in English in America we used to call ‘couch potato’. The elites of this country have become nothing more than couch potatoes. Subhaan Allah! Couch potatoes, and they watch hours of that till 11 pm, till midnight, till 1 am and then they go to sleep without praying isha and they don’t wake up for fajr in the morning. You tell me what’s going to happen to such a society? What does such a society deserve? What do such people deserve? At least what do they deserve from their Allah Almighty? You tell me. They sit down and do exactly the opposite; they become lazy, they watch tv for hours till they say I’m depressed and they go to sleep without praying isha and they wake up having missed their fajr. I’m not talking about one or two people here. We know that this is the case with the majority of the elites of this country; whether we want to view them as economic elites, political elites, military elites, civil servant elites, educated elites, journalist elites, lawyer elites, judge elites any way we want to plot it. Some of them are pious but most of them are exactly the opposite to the Qur’an. For me that is actually the biggest sign of end of time; that the thinking Muslims, the ones who may actually even have some ability, as opposed to the poor guy who drives the rickshaw, they are going against Qur’an. When they are going against Qur’an then what is the hope for our society. Allah Almighty says that the izzat is given to the believers. All we have to do is adorn ourselves with the characteristics of imaan. So now what should we do? 1. Work on ourselves. This is what the Qur’an is telling us to do. Try to look within ourselves and see how we can improve ourself. Try to see what is wrong with me as an individual in the eyes of Allah Almighty and His messenger. What is there in my life that is divergent from the Qur’an and Sunnah? To do tabsira on myself in fact to do several tabsira on ourselves. This is the first thing that we should do. 2. Don’t be lazy. Don’t be heedless. 3. Don’t worry Don’t become pareshan. Don’t despair. Don’t become depressed. 4. Have Sabr. Allah Almighty tells us to do sabr and have patience, why? Because after every difficulty will come ease. It is just upto us whether we want to spend that time of difficulty in a state of sabr or not. So we must learn to become people of sabr. By the way, sabr is not passive. People think sabr in Islam means just to sit back and be patient. Sabr is a very dynamic concept. Sabr means himmat, fortitude, istiqamat, perseverance. That’s what sabr means. It doesn’t mean that Allah Almighty is with the people who are passively patient. It means that Allah Almighty is with the people who are dynamically strong and persevere in the face of adversity. We must have sabr. That is a strength that we must have. We must develop our will power. We must be people of action. 5. We must remain razi with Allah Almighty . You must always remain pleased with Allah Almighty. We can never become displeased with Allah, disillusioned with Allah Almighty, or upset with Allah Almighty , or complaining to Allah Almighty. We must remain razi. This is also a part of the sabr. This is also a part of the himmah. That we remain completely pleased with you Allah Almighty in this state as we were in the other state. Our being pleased with you has not changed in any way. Look at Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) how he was always pleased with Allah Almighty . Allah Almighty bestows the mantel of prophethood on him. He goes out and tries to invite his family members. Uncles refuse him. He tries to invite his tribe Qurraish. The vast majority of them refuse him. He tries to invite the youth of Makkah Mukarama. The vast majority refuse him. He was being faced with adversity. Then he is opposed, persecuted, prosecuted, oppressed but he was always pleased with Allah Almighty. People say this “we are not so bad why does Allah Almighty puts us through such calamities?” what do we think of ourselves? Do we ever think that Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made this dua k “Ya Allah! im the seal of the prophet hood. what happened that my uncle and the ppl of Quraish are unable to accept emaan, that abu jehl and Abu Lahab aren’t accepting my teachings”. He never thought like that. He was always razi with Allah Almighty. Syedna Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) goes to Taaif alone thinking that I had a wet nursing mother Haleema Sadia in Taaif when I was a baby. No one would have remembered it was so long ago but he thought maybe just that nisbat will make somebody in Taaif accept me. So he walks to Taaif all the way alone. Not one person in all of Taaif takes Imaan. No man, no woman, no elderly, no child, not a single person takes Imaan. But Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is still razi with Allah Almighty . Subhaan Allah! Pleased with Allah Almighty at all times, in any situation. We must learn to be pleased with Allah Almighty . If we are pleased with Allah Almighty then Allah Almighty will be pleased with us. When Allah Almighty becomes pleased with us then He will save us. He will take us out from any and all of our situations. 6. Develop a ta’aluq with Allah Almighty . We must develop a relationship with Allah Almighty by way of doing amaal. Today the average Muslim is totally disconnected from Allah Almighty , has lost touch, has lost contact. We say this about one another that he is out of touch. She’s out of touch. She never contacts, he never contacts anymore. That is actually how a believer has become with Allah Almighty. We are out of touch; we have lost touch lost contact with Allah Almighty. No ta’aluq at all. A sign of that is we cannot make dua for more than 2 minutes, we cannot stand up and pray nafl for 5 minutes, we cannot read the Qur’an for 5 minutes. We have no ta’aluq with Allah Almighty and this is our own doing. It’s insane. Generally speaking insane, and at times like this, it is sheer insanity to lose touch and contact with Allah Almighty The way to create that contact is through amaal; to become people who do good deeds, and we have to do extra. It’s not enough anymore to just do fard and waajib. Some of us think that deen has been reduced to just doing fard and waajib. It’s not going to be enough to just do that. Do we think that a student who is struggling with his CGPA just comes up with D’s he would be fine? we ll say that the compulsory was only that he shouldn’t score an F. He comes home to his parents and says I got straight D’s in this semester. Do we think the parents will say that yes you are lifting yourself out of a difficult situation? It’s amazing that the same parents who are not happy if their kids get straight D’s themselves are getting F’s with Allah Almighty. They never think about it. I really feel for the conditions of the parents of this day and age. The people in this country who are in their 40’s or 50’s! So distant from Allah Almighty , I’m amazed, how are they living is beyond me. I don’t know actually how they live this Allah-free life. I don’t know how they manage it. Their gatherings are Allah-free, free from the remembrance of Allah . Their homes are Allah-free. Even their whole entertainment system, they lead Allah-free lives. Their workplace is Allah-free. This is completely opposite. We have to bring Allah Almighty back into every part of our lives, everywhere. When people look at our office, our cubicle they should think of Allah Almighty, when they enter our rooms they should think oh this place reminds me of Allah Almighty . We have to start surrounding ourselves with the reminders of Allah Almighty . That is the way we are going to bring Him back in ta’aluq with ourself. We have to remind ourself our own reality our own asal which is we are abd Allah. We don’t even think like that. How many times do we consciously think that I’m not a free person? I’m a slave of Allah Almighty. We don’t even have that consciousness anymore. That im not an ordinary being. Do we ever say to somebody when they invite us, that I cannot go there, im not a free person im a slave of Allah Almighty. How can i go there? Im an ummati of a nabi. Im someobody’s daughter, im somebody’s son. We have completely lost our identity. People don’t even think like that. When Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that Ummul mo’mineen the wives of Nabi (peace and blessings be upon him) are our mothers, then who do we think our father is? Father is the husband of the mother. So the biggest thing that Syenda Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is saying that his wives are mothers of the believers, he is saying I’m Abu mo’mineen i.e. I’m the father of the believing men and women. Has any man ever thought like that? That “I’m the son of Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) what are you talking about? What makes you think I can do that for you?” Has any woman ever thought like that “I have to carry myself in society like the daughter of Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I have to have a haya that befits the daughter of Propher (peace and blessings be upon him)”. We have forgotten who we are and we have lost our ta’aluq with Allah Almighty. 7. The last and final thing is that we should make taubah. We seem to think that we don’t need to make taubah. Allah Almighty says that we must repent to Allah Almighty a true and sincere repentance. In another place Allah Almighty says that you should make taubah all together. We should think that I’m the reason it is because of my sins, because my name is written with this Ummat this is why all of this is happening to Muslims. We should think that it’s my presence, my wajood in this world that is causing this to happen. That’s the level of taubah we should make. But we don’t think like that. I will make you think like that. If you’re a woman, you should think that at any point in the day if there’s a Muslims sister of yours whose izzat is being taken whether it is in Afghanistan or Iran or Kashmir. Now imagine Allah Almighty just like you like to watch the tv channels, Allah Almighty is Al Baseer He is watching everything. He can see everyone at every single moment. At that very same moment He looks at this other Muslims woman who is well-off and well educated in Pakistan. What is she doing at the moment? She is herself walking around without haya. Imagine how it must look to Allah Almighty when at that same moment a Muslim woman is being oppressed. Right now how many Muslim women are sitting in these areas you have written them off completely by calling them illaqa-e-ghair. While they are wondering if a drone would come and bomb them to smithereens. This is terror. You want to know what terrorism is? It’s a state of terror that every single night you think that any second you can be blown to bits, to pieces and your children and your grandchildren can be blown to bits, to pieces and your entire country couldn’t care less about you. And the women of this country won’t even shed a tear over you. You never sleep one night like that. Your terror is that the lights are going to go and the fan would stop working for an hour. That’s the extent of your terror. We just don’t realize what’s going on in this world. We are completely oblivious, we have become cold hearted. If you’re a man you should think that at that same moment at that same time when somebody is rising up in pain and somebody is sitting without any home and that same night when some woman is being oppressed, switch the channel to that young man and what is he doing? The Muslim young man is doing badnazri. Exactly at that same moment Allah Almighty can see them both. Imagine what must Allah Almighty feel looking at that situation. Sins are so rampant. We don’t even have the strength to get up for tahajjud and make dua for the muzlimeen. What is the worth of our news commentators on tv? They can’t even get up for 5 minutes and make dua for someone? We are really the cold-hearted, the dead hearted Muslims. We have to make taubah of this. Ya Rab e Kareem I make true taubah to you. I make taubah for all the things that I have done in my life that have numbed my heart. I make taubah from all those things that have made my heart fall asleep. I make taubah for all those things that have made my heart dead. I make taubah for everything that I’ve done that was ever displeasing to you. I make taubah for not feeling for my fellow Muslims. I make taubah for not being dynamic and trying to help others in the society. I make taubah from all of these things. It’s time that we make taubah to Allah Almighty. If this Ummah, this country, our people were able to learn the power of taubah; the power of taubah is such that it attracts Allah Almighty. He is At’Tawaab. It means that Allah Almighty is the Being always ready to accept our taubah. No other being is like that. Even if we go to Allah Almighty after being repeatedly betrayed by the dunya, then Allah Almighty doesn’t leave us alone, He doesn’t taunts us that you came to me after being betrayed from so many places, like we do do others. Somebody goes somewhere else, somewhere else then somewhere else, and as a last resort comes to us, we taunt them saying you went to so and so and now you’ve come to me. Allah Almighty is not like that. He gets very happy. Allah Almighty is an amazing Rabb. He gets very happy. Instead let me you Allah Almighty comes in a state of Haal. Listen to the haal of Allah Almighty in Qur’an. قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ [39:53] O my servants who have transgressed against themselves(by sinning) do not despair of the Mercy of Allah. Indeed Allah forgives all sins. Indeed it is He who is forgiving, the Merciful. Allah Almighty says that o sinful servant you came to me? you came to me in a state of repentance? not just forgiveness I will grant you my love. Allah Almighty could have said Allah has forgiven the sinful servants or that Allah has accepted the repentance, and forgave them. No no, Allah Almighty says that o my sinful servant you have come to me after the whole world has betrayed you, you have come to me bringing nothing except my disobedience. But you repented sincerely, you felt remorse in your heart, now listen to the declaration of my Love, that i love the people of repentance. I made you my beloved. This is our Allah Almighty. Our Allah Almighty wants to make us His beloved. Beloved of Allah for the sinful servants. Gunehgar Package: To become the mehboob of Allah Almighty just make taubah. That’s it. We should Return back to Allah Almighty and Repent from our sinful lives and from this distance from Allah Almighty. We should just say that O Allah Almighty I want to become yours, I am sick and tired of my hipocrisy, I also want to live a sincere, true, just and sinfree life. I repent and i seek Your forgiveness. If we can make this amal of taubah, and if we can fix our own halaat and inshaa Allah Ta’aala if we become people of sabr, Allah Almighty’s nusrat is there. He is still the being who has pledged His nusrat. He is still Rabbe Kareem. His nusrat and nijaat will come swiftly if only we can make our taubah swiftly and once again become mo’mineen. zaynab academy [Download original Talk's mp3]

Question Assalāmualaikum. Recently I have been feeling a huge depression inside me. I have lost interest in studies and in any kind of work. I remain sad/upset and get anxious for no reason. Please tell me something with regards to Qurān and Hadīth. Why am I feeling so useless and uncomfortable? I failed doing anything I wanted to do. Isha Allāh I will wait to hear from your team. Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. The inner feelings and conditions of every human being vary from time to time. Sometimes one feels very happy and excited while at other times one feels sad and unpleasant. This is part of life. This should not cause one to lose hope and become despondent. Pondering over the blessings and favors of Allāh upon you will give you internal contentment and satisfaction. Think of the blessings allotted to you by Allāh Ta’ālā that have not been granted to others. There are so many people who cannot see, hear, or talk. Imagine if Allāh did not bestow us with these faculties, how straitened life would become. Every time you drink a cold glass of water, know that there are people who are struggling to acquire a single sip. Thereafter praise Allāh for favoring you with such bounties. This will create the love of Allāh within your heart and you will feel content and satisfied. This is a prescription given by Allāh Ta’ālā Himself to Nabī Sallallāhu A’laihi Wa Sallam in the Qurān. Almighty Allāh Ta’ālā says: وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ () فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ السَّاجِدِينَ (سورة الحجر، رقم الاية 97-98) And We know that your heart feels distressed for what they say. So proclaim the purity and glory of your Rabb and be among those who prostrate. (Qurān 15:97-98) Consider taking out some time daily and sitting in seclusion for the Dhikr (remembrance of Allāh). On a daily basis, set a time wherein you recite the Kalimah Lā Ilāh Illallāh. Think of the might and grandeur of Allāh Ta’ālā while doing Dhikr. Have conviction in your heart that each time you recite the Kalimah Allāh Ta’ālā is filling your heart with divine light. Through the Dhikr of Allāh, Allāh Ta’ālā will give you contentment of heart. Allāh Ta’ālā says in the Qurān: أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ (سورة الرعد، رقم الاية 28) Behold! The hearts find peace through the remembrance of Allāh. (Qurān 13:28) Lastly, have confidence in yourself. Keep your spirits high. Involve yourself in those permissible activities that you enjoy. We ask Allāh Ta’ālā to grant you happiness and success in both the worlds. Amīn. And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best Mawlana Abdul Azīm bin Abdur Rahman, Student Darul Iftaa US Checked and Approved by, Mufti Ebrahim Desai. www.daruliftaa.net Source

after a lot of research, we have compiled as much information as we could on depression. We have tried our utmost to present facts from reliable medical sources and verification of the Islamic perspective. Included are remedies from the Qur'an and Sunnah. We pray it will be a means of help and cure to sufferers everywhere inshaAllah. May Allah subhaanahu wata'ala grant relief as it is He alone Who cures, Aameen. We would appreciate feedback and /or advise/information we may have overlooked. We request readers to make du'a for acceptance of this effort and it becoming a means of relief for sufferers. Jazaakumullah

Further Reading: Suicide as seen in Islam Every breath of a human, every moment of his or hers life in all Religious traditions, their teachings, their guidance, their viewpoints, their perspectives is worth more than a priceless gem. These breaths the human being takes in order to survive in life and the moments of life itself are like the pearls of a necklace. Just as a pearl will embellish the appearance of that neck that wears the necklace of pearls, in the same way the life of a individual is enhanced by that person who looks after the moments of his life. No Treasure trove of any Ruler, no Sultanate of any Sultan, no Kingdom of any King, no Rulership of any Queen in tantamount is equal in value to one moment of an individuals life. Life in-fact in numerous places of the Quraan, either directly or indirectly, is described by Allah as a favour on human beings. In one verse of the Quraan, Allah says, " How can you disbelieve? Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you will return." (Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 28) Out of all the bounties Allah has bestowed upon human beings, the most precious is the gift of life. Each one us should remember that this life Allah has granted us, it is not our personal possession or our personal property. In-fact it is a trust from Allah, making us merely trustees. Because we are trustees we should utilise each and every moment of our lives in the paths that please Allah. In one verse of the Quraan Allah informs mankind, "And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)". (Surah Adh-Dhariyat Verse 56) From this verse we can learn the reason why Allah created mankind. How precious is this gift of life, we can learn through the Holy Quraan, Ahadeeth (Traditions and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) and the Shariah (Islamic Law). For instance, in one verse of the Quraan, Allah says, "He has forbidden you only the carrion (flesh of dead animals), and blood, and flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah (or has been slaughtered for idols, on which Allah’s Name has not been mentioned whilst slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."(Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 173) In the closing stages of this verse Allah talks about one who is forced to consume Haraam (unlawful) items due to the fear of death. Allah says, then there is no sin in him. For example, one is in severe hunger, such hunger that could lead to ones death, he consumes something that is Haraam (unlawful) e.g. Carrion, on the Day of Judgement he will not be questioned regarding these Haraam (Unlawful) items he consumed in order to save his life. Similarly one is fasting in the Month of Ramadhaan and severe thirst over-takes him, again it is permissible for him to break his fast in order to saves ones life. Even if he broke the fast by consuming Haraam (Unlawful) fluids e.g. Blood, Alcohol he will not be questioned regarding this. From this verse we can undoubtedly acknowledge how precious and valuable life is in the eyes of The Almighty Allah. Life in many people’s opinion is a journey. Some even sees it as a pilgrimage. In the Islamic perspective it is a journey far beyond death. It is like a trip around the world. We stop in many different Continents, Countries, Cities, Towns and Villages. Some bring happiness and some give us grief. The white beaches, beautiful rainforests, buildings etc would force a smile on the face of many a person regardless of what grief he is in, but the sight of the poor, war-stricken and weak will give one intense grief. Life is a test from Allah, He tests people in various ways and times. He tests some by blessing them with countless bounties to see if the servant appreciates what he has been blessed with by Allah and he shows gratitude towards Allah for blessing him with these bounties. At times Allah in his infinite wisdom, puts a person in intense grief, to see if the servant turns to Allah and seeks guidance and help. Excellent examples of both situations are found in the life and story of the Prophet of Allah, Ayyub (AS). Allah granted him many bounties, then he gave him such illness that the people around him could not bear. Prophet Ayyub (AS) turned to Allah for help and Allah in his infinite mercy returned all the past bounties upon him. In some narrations it has been said that Allah gave him more bounties than the amount he had before his illness. In the Quraan Allah has mentioned the call for help of Prophet Ayyub (AS). Allah says: "And (Remember) Ayyub (Job), when he cried to his Lord: "Verily, distress has seized me, and you are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy". So We answered his call, and removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a reminder for all those who worship Us. (Surah Al-Anbiya Verse 83-84) In another Surah of the Quraan Allah says regarding Prophet Ayyub (AS): "And remember Our slave Ayyub (Job), when he invoked his Lord (saying):"Verily Satan has touched me with distress (by ruining my health) and torment (by ruining my wealth)! (Allah said to him): "Strike the ground with your foot: This is (a spring of) water to wash in, cool and a (refreshing) drink". And We gave him back his family, and along with them the like thereof, as a Mercy from Us, and a Reminder for those who understand."And take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike therewith (your wife), and break not your oath. Truly, We found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft- returning in repentance (to Us). Like Prophet Ayyub, each and every one of us is tested by Allah in someway or another. Some turn to Allah and seek help, as in the case of Prophet Ayyub and others turn completely to the opposite side, which leaves many in grief. These people upon whom many grieve and mourn are the people who have turned to suicide. Suicide, or self-killing, has been known throughout the whole of recorded history and has been a phenomenon in every culture and social setting. It was noted in the Biblical Times within the Jewish and Christian faiths. It is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita within the Hindu faith, in classical Greece and Rome, and later throughout the Middle-Ages, when the reaction to the heresy of suicide was severe hostility from the Universal Church, whose later fathers railed against the canonical sin of despair. Suicide occurs in every culture, not only in the Western developed world, but also in India, China and, despite severe theological prohibitions, in Islam. Within the Judaeo-Christian tradition, there are eleven instances of suicide described in the Bible's Old Testament and one in the New Testament. Perhaps the most famous death in the former is the suicide of King Saul following his defeat in the hands of the Philistines, heard in David’s lament, and ‘how are the mighty fallen’. Saul had sought the assistance of his bodyguard to help kill himself. The soldier was horrified at the irreligious notion of killing his appointed King, and turned the sword upon himself. Saul, apparently aided by such an example, then followed suit. It appears that the avert prohibition against suicide was first formerly pronounced by Saint Augustine, who in his City of God describes the action as a ‘moral sin’. The Church did not always condemn suicide when, for example, following some severe assault, such as rape, the victim took a ‘virtuous’ or honourable way out. She could then claim sympathy and the forgiveness of her society and family, in both Roman and Christian times. As shown, neither the Judaic nor Christian parts of the Bible are there direct injunctions against suicide. However, this is not the case in the traditions of the true religion, Islam, which continues to be a major influence upon many Islamic people. There are a few quite specific sanctions expressed in the Quraan against self-killing. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also assigns suicide to the lower levels of Hell. Allah says explicitly in the Quraan, "And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you". (Surah An-Nisa Verse 29) In another verse of the Quraan, Allah says: "And do not throw yourselves in destruction". (Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 195) The impact of this injunction still has considerable force in Islamic countries, and it may be one reason why, with the exception of Jordan and Turkey, there is no recorded suicide in national statistics of the Islamic Nations. But, in the last decade or so there has been a substantial increase of suicide in Muslims living in Non-Muslim countries, namely Britain and America. The current attitude and dilemmas, unlike in previous times, suicide can be discussed relatively easily today, even within the mass media of the late twentieth century. For example, in the worldwide magazine Time there have been three major articles concerning suicide, which while acknowledging dilemmas, were mainly concerned with where firm baselines should be drawn, accepting without question the ‘obvious’ rationality of such actions in many situations. Yet a little more than 100 years ago, Robert Louis Stevenson, in what was considered to be a horrendous book, The Suicide Club, found himself almost at the extreme end of the case of language, because he could not describe in sufficiently villainous terms the leader of this ‘devilish’ club. Constantly, modern poets and novelist have almost celebrated suicide. The reasons that lead a person to commit suicide are as numerous and complex as the thousands of people who do so every year. Below are a few contributing causes of suicide: Unipolar affective disorder (Depression) The mental disorder usually called ‘depression’ is now described as ‘unipolar affective disorder’. The term depression is of course problematic, in that a low mood, or sometimes a feeling of emotional glumness, of living ‘out of sorts’ or ‘fed up’, is a frequent experience for many people. In this sense it is ‘normal’ and many people can feel ‘depressed’ without having depression. There is another side to this coin, where a person can feel particularly well, ‘on a high’ or with a feeling of well being. This can be the experience of a large number of people without it being felt, thought or obseverd as a problem or a disorder. A person simply feels in a ‘good mood’. The causes of depression are many: 1. Mood: There is a profound disturbance of mood, which is one of the prevailing sadness and misery. 2. Cognition (To think deeply): There is an important disturbance of cognition, so that everything around them is interpreted dismally. Sufferers can believe they are hateful, worthless and, at the extreme, that they are already dead and responsible for the evils in the world. 3. Energy: There are very often tell-tale changes in mood and energy, in which the mood is especially low in the early morning hours, with relative lighting of misery in the afternoon. 4. Sleep: There is a disturbance of sleep, where it is quite usual for a person to be able to sleep almost as soon as going to bed, but with early waking, sometimes accompanied by quite enclosed changes of mood. 5. Appetite: There is a loss in appetite, and an apparently liked food turns to such, that you cannot bear the sight of it. 6. Stress: Stress at work, home, school etc can cause severe depression which can lead to suicide. Isolation and detachment One of the most common sentiments expressed by many of those who resort to suicidal behaviour is a sense of detachment from others. This is not so much physical isolation but refers more to a sense of moral insulation, where the individual has come to define his, or her, situation as so hopeless that others cannot help to put it right. Substance misuse (Drugs and alcohol) Addiction to drugs and alcohol, in this day and age, has become a major factor, which leads a person to suicide. In the past few months the media around the world have shown many cases of suicide due to drug use. Some have also predicted if drugs like cannabis was to be made legal, the death toll will increase due to this. The media have shown the devastating effects suicide has on the society around the world through drug use. Loss of family or friends One may feel isolated after the death or separation from family members or friends. Loss of a relative/friend causes immense grief, which may cause one to think about suicide. Some commit suicide thinking they will join the dead in the grave. Relationship break-ups This many times has the same effect as the death of a loved one. Sometimes it may, make some feel life is not worth living. Financial problems One who is large debts, thinking he will never be able to pay-up and may resort to suicide, thinking he will no more have this burdensome responsibility on his head, leaving his next of kin this problem. Sickness and disability Severe sicknesses, which one cannot bear, can lead one to take his life. In many cases taking help from others in doing this act (Euthanasia). (Above are only a few reasons why one may resort into taking his own life. Many others can be found through thorough research.) Few events inlife have the same impact on us as the suicide of a friend or a loved one. The loss of a loved one, from any cause, brings out intense grief and mourning. The response and emotions felt by the bereaved following suicide are very different to those felt after other types of deaths. The fact that a loved one's death appears to involve an element of choice, raise painful questions which deaths from natural or accidental causes do not. Bereavement by suicide is usually prolonged. The grief is characterised by agonising, questioning and the search for some explanation as to why the death of his loved one has happened. Bereavement in this way often encompasses strong feelings of abandonment and rejection. The sense of shock and disbelief following suicide is very intense. The most common and disturbing aspect of grief after suicide is recurring images of death, even if it was not witnessed. The finding of the body can be a traumatic experience. Going over and over the very frightening and painful images of the death, and the feelings these create, is a normal process of grief. Newly bereaved people always ask ‘why?’ However bereavement through suicide often involves a prolonged search for a reason or explanation to tragedy. Most people bereaved by suicide usually come to accept that they will never know the reason why a loved one did what they did. In the search for answers, different members of the same family may have different ideas as to why he/she took their life, it could strain family relationships, especially if an element of blame is involved. Below, I have included statistics, which I have obtained for many different sources, including The Samaritans (www.thesamaritans.org). · The World Health Organisation estimates that in the year 2002 approximately 1.1million people will die from suicide · A global mortality rate of 17 per 100,000 · One death every 40 seconds from suicide · In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 65% worldwide. · Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death amongst those aged 14-44(both sexes) · Suicide attempts are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicide · Although suicide rates have traditionally been highest amongst the elderly, rates among young people have been increasing to such a rate that they are now the group at highest risk in a third of all countries · More people die from suicide than homicide in the USA, in 1997 there were 1.5 times as many suicides as homicide · Mental disorders (particularly depression and substance abuse) are associated with more than 90% of all causes of suicide · Males are four times more likely to die from suicide than women are. However , females are more likely to attempt suicide than males · 2 suicides every day by young people in the UK and Republic of Ireland · 80% of suicides by young men · Suicide accounts for a fifth of all deaths of young people · An estimated 24,000 adolescents self-harmed in 1998 – 3 every hour · Alcohol and substance misuse are significant factors in youth suicide · Contributory factors to youth suicide include unemployment, social isolation, recent inter personal life events and difficulties with parents, peers and partners · 6,216 suicides in the UK, 439 suicides in the Republic of Ireland · One suicide every 79 minutes in the UK and the Republic of Ireland · More than two young people commit suicide every day in the UK · Suicide figures are double the death toll from road traffic accidents · Suicide is now the second most common cause of death in the UK for young people aged between 15-24 · People who make suicide attempts or threats are not just "attention seeking", but are at the risk of harming themselves · Most suicidal people are undecided about living or dying, and try beforehand to let others know how they are feeling, or give clues or warnings · Somebody tries to take his own life every three minutes · In any given week, at least 463,000 people have serious thoughts about suicide · Every year around 2500 children or young people phone child-line about feeling suicidal · Overdosing accounts for 50% of female suicides and 25% of male suicides · Under 25 year olds account for 9.26% of all suicides in East Lancashire. Of which 2.3% are of Asian heritage Statistics about suicide are difficult to collate, and many are inaccurate because of the sensitivity of the issue. According to some research suicide rates are 50%-60% higher than the official rate. There are three areas where the law is relevant to suicide. First, while attempting to commit suicide has not been illegal in Britain since 1961, it is still a criminal offence under the ‘Suicide Act 1961’ to help someone commit suicide. Second, health professionals who do not take reasonable precautions to safeguard a suicidal patient who then goes on to commit suicide may be sued for negligence in the civil courts. Third, in some cases, people felt to be at grave risk of harming themselves can be detained for their own safety under the ‘Mental Health Act 1983’ (England and Wales), 1984 (Scotland), or ‘Mental Health Order 1986’ (Northern Ireland). Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) mentioned suicide many times, a few of these incidents are recorded in Muhammad Ibn Ismael's, 'Sahih Al-Bukhari'. In one incident narrated by Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak (RA): the Prophet (SAW) said, "Whoever intentionally swears falsely by a religion other than Islam, then he is what he has said, (e.g. if he says, 'If such thing is not true then I am a Jew,' he is really a Jew if he is a liar). And whoever commits suicide with a piece of iron, he will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell-fire." Narrated by Jundub: The Prophet (SAW) said, "A man was inflicted with wounds and he commited suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him." Narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet (SAW) said, "He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell-fire (forever), and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself, he shall keep stabbing himself in the Hell-fire (forever)." From the sayings of Allah and his Prophet (SAW), we can see suicide is not accepted in Islam and we can also see through other sources, it is also prohibited in other religions. If one is thinking of committing suicide he should think about his friends and family, then he should turn to Allah and ask for his help. Talking to the Scholars and others would also help. Confidential information is also available through your GP. Many centres also offer help for people in these troubled times. May Allah save us from this sin and give us all guidance to the straight path. May Allah save us from all types of grief and give us all entrance into Paradise.

Suicide | No Solution Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem By Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) Despite severe suffering, persecution and torture, not a single Sahabi (companion) of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) nor a single Wali (friend) of Allah Ta’ala, throughout history, ever committed suicide. Their trials were borne with patience, perseverance and fortitude, which strengthened their Imaan (faith) in Allah Ta’ala. The large number of suicides that occur every day in the world is due to disbelief or weak faith in Allah Ta’ala. Those who commit suicide think that they are going to escape the difficulties, pains and problems of this world, but they will be severely punished for taking their lives. And how will they then escape the pain of the punishment that is meted out for taking their lives? We should, however, not pass judgment regarding the person who has taken his or her life. Judgment should be left to Allah Ta’ala, for we do not know in what mental state the person was in – for example, severe depression – to have snapped and committed suicide. Source

Suicide is not the Answer nor is it an Escape! Committing Suicide (as we are all aware) is strictly forbidden in Islam and can never be justified. No matter how miserable and depressed one becomes, one must not kill oneself. Allah Most High says: Do not kill yourselves, for indeed Allah is Most Merciful to you. (Surah al-Nisa, V. 29) A person, who commits suicide, does so believing it an escape from his crisis so he ends his life willing to bear a moment of pain and may throw himself of a cliff or drink a poisonous substance. Yet the following hadith shows that he actually brings upon himself that pain not just momentarily but again and again in Hell-fire. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: Whoever intentionally throws himself from a mountain and kills himself, will be in the fire (of Hell) falling down into it and abiding therein eternally forever; and whoever drinks poison and kills himself with it, he will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in the fire (of Hell) wherein he will abide eternally forever; and whoever kills himself with an iron weapon, will be carrying that weapon in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the fire (of Hell) wherein he will abide eternally forever. (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim) The following are advices of Scholars Impermissibility of Suicide Rather than take life... Suicide is the result of... Is suicide permissible under extreme circumstances? There is no Escape Do not Despair!

Question As salaam alaikum, Dear brother/sister, I honestly don’t know where to start. It’s been 2 years now that ive been a practicing muslimah alhamdulillah. I wasn’t always stable though…I had my ups and downs. I am engaged to a wonderful and pious man. So everything seemed to be alright…but now I feel like everything is collapsing. Ive waited for 3 years to do the study Ive always wanted to do. They finally accepted me and this is my first year. But things are not going wel with my study..I feel like Im not going to make it this year and that wil be another year spent. Plus..i have no other choice after this..no way out. So thats really making me depressed at the moment. Also..I want to wear the hijab asap but my parents won’t let me. I tried to wear it a year ago but they wouldnt let me…it was impossible at that moment. And lets not even mention my health…Ive been soo sick lately…everything hurts, my whole body..I feel so weak..I have a lot of health problems lately. And my husband (I dont live with him yet) expects a lot from me. He has always been a faithful and pious man…he doesnt miss any prayer…he reads a lot..he knows a lot about islam. But me…I am a failure..i truly am. It’s been a month now that I havent been praying…I had a study loan because I couldnt pay my study..I dont read, I dont practice so often. And I have the feeling that because of my behaviour towards the Lord…I am in this position now. I am losing a lot..and I dont know how to handle it cause problems are just about to start. I am sure that when my parents find out that I am gonna wear the hijab and dont want a wedding party, they will make things very difficult for me. People keep telling me…make dua..do the prayer..those things I already know…thats not what I want to know. I want to know how I can get out of this position and how I can increase my imaan…cause thats where all the problems start I guess. I know this story is too long…I just hope someone can at least give me some good advice for I have no friends and can’t be honest about this to my husband. I am looking forward to an answer. jazakallah khair. Answered by Umm Yusuf Abdul Sattar Verified by Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah. We pray that this finds you in the best of spirits, by the Grace of Allah, Most Exalted. You’ve brought up a number of issues that you are dealing with. As Muslims, we know that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) tests us in many ways, whether it is through our finances, our health, or our interpersonal relationships. At the heart of the matter is iman. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Iman wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts.” [Al-Hakim] Our Beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) also said, “Renew your faith.” He was asked, “Messenger of Allah, how do we renew our faith?” He replied, “Say often: ‘There is no god but Allah.’” [Ahmad & at-Tabarani] Unfortunately, when it comes to iman, there are no shortcuts. You cannot increase your iman by bypassing the integrals of Islam, such as the prayer and the remembrance of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). In reality, iman is maintained and strengthened by the outward forms of worship, and in turn, iman and Islam become the foundation of ihsan. Alhamdulillah, your recognizing the need to bring your life more in line with the teachings of Islam, and your seeking assistance are indications that the seed of iman is within your heart. However, as is the case with any seed, it must be nurtured, so it can grow and flourish. Remember, the arsenal of a Muslim is comprised of many tools, the most important of which is the salat (the five daily prayers performed in their prescribed times) and the remembrance of Allah, whether it is through dua, dhikr or reading Qur’an Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says in Surah Al-Ankabut, “(Muhammad), recite to them what has been revealed to you in the Book and be steadfast in prayer; prayer keeps one away from indecency and evil. It is the greatest act of worshipping God. God knows what you do.” [Verse 45] And Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says in Surah Ar-Ra’d, “Who have believed and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest!” [Verse 28] We would also encourage you to exert effort in these areas, as they will help you complete your daily acts of ibadat, and in turn help you strengthen your iman. These are recommendations and keep in mind that you can work toward them slowly. Our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “The most beloved actions to Allah are those which are regular/consistent, even if they be few.” [sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim] Increase your knowledge of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), His Names, His Attributes, His Prophet, and His Book. Attend a regular class at your local masjid. Having a sound understanding of your religion is imperative to strengthening your iman. Increase your good deeds and voluntary worship, as they are a means of drawing closer to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). This could include voluntary fasting or prayers. Surround yourself with good company; this will be a positive outlet in your life and increase the likelihood of your performing good acts and avoiding sinful behavior. Turn to someone in your community who is knowledgeable in matters of the heart. They will be able to advise you on sound ways of strengthening your iman through dhikr and istighfaar. We would recommend http://www.islamicspirituality.org/ Insha’Allah, once you give the prescribed, obligatory acts their due importance and recognize their role as stepping stones in increasing your iman, you will see things fall into place. The other issues you mentioned, such as wearing hijab or being honest with your husband about your ups and downs, will become easier to confront and overcome. Lastly, we recommend seeing a qualified physician to help you positively deal with your medical issues. A sound body goes a long way toward a sound heart and mind. Answered by Umm Yusuf Abdul Sattar zamzam academy

Where the Witness of one Woman is Accepted As far as the witness issue and thus deficiency in intelligence is concerned, the ruling of two women witnesses is also found in the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah. It should be made clear that not in all matters is the witness of two women required. Such an issue on which there is Ijma’ where two women are required is the issue of financial transactions. This has been explained by Ibn Qudaamah in al-Mughni (Darul Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon; 1985, vol.10 pg 155-161) where he has also stated: قال القاضي: و الذي تقبل فيه شهادتهن منفردات خمسة اشياء: الولادة, و الإستسهال, و الرضاع, و العيوب تحت الثياب كالرتق و القرن و البكارة و الثيابة و البرص, و إنقضاء العدة “Qadhi said: And that in which the witness of only women of accepted is Birth, Crying of the Child at birth, Rida', 'Uyub under the clothes such as Ratq and Qarn, whether she is a virgin or not, Baras and the end of Iddah.” Thus it is seen that there are many such cases where man has no knowledge and the witness of a woman is accepted. As far as the issue of financial dealing is concerned, some have explained that it has to do with the weakness of the memory of woman in mathematical issues. Some neuro-psychiatrists have also expressed this but it should be know that one should not be in favor of trying to justify or express the wisdom of the laws of Shari’ah with the help of science. This is because science is not absolute but the Wisdom of Allah is Absolute. It should however be noted that this deficiency that the Hadith talks about is general and not all encompassing. Mufti ‘Aashiq Ilahi رحمة اللہ علیه writes in Anwarul Bayan (Darul Ishaat, Karachi, Pakistan; 2005, vol.1 pg 341): “This applies to general circumstances since there are many exceptions where women may possess stronger memories, are more intelligent or better able to express themselves than men.” Moreover, the Qur’an says in Surah Nur (24) verse 6-9: وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ شُهَدَاء إِلَّا أَنفُسُهُمْ فَشَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ أَرْبَعُ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَوَالْخَامِسَةُ أَنَّ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ وَيَدْرَأُعَنْهَا الْعَذَابَ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَوَالْخَامِسَةَ أَنَّ غَضَبَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ Those who accuse their wives (of adultery) while they have no witnesses except their own selves, then the evidence of one of them would be to swear four oaths by Allah that he is truthful,and the fifth (oath) that Allah‘s curse be on him if he is one of the liars.And it will remove the punishment from the woman if she swears four oaths by Allah that he (the accuser husband) is certainly one of the liars,and the fifth (oath) that Allah‘s wrath be on her if he is one of the truthful. In this example it is seen that a woman’s witness by Li’aan is enough to be accepted over the husband’s oath. Mufti Shafi’ Usmani رحمة اللہ علیه in Ma’ariful Qur’an (Maktaba e Darul ‘Uloom, Karachi, Pakistan; 2007, vol.6 pg 363) writes: “When a husband accuses his wife of adultery or refuses to own his child as being legitimate, and his wife refutes his allegation to be false, and claims for the punishment of false accusation of eighty stripes to be awarded to him, then the husband will be asked to produce four witnesses. If the husband produces four witnesses, then the wife will be awarded the punishment of adultery, and if he could not produce four witnesses, then they will be subjected to Li’aan, that is first the husband will be asked to testify four times with the wordings given in the Qur’an to the effect that he is honest, and the fifth time will say that if he was lying, then Allah’s curse be on him. If the husband hesitates from saying these words, then he should be arrested and asked either to swear by saying these words five times or accept himself to be a liar. Until he accedes to one of the two alternatives, he should not be released. If he accepts himself to be a liar, then he should be awarded the punishment of false allegation of adultery, but, in case he swears by repeating the required words five times, then the wife be asked to swear five times by uttering the words given in the Qur’an for this purpose. If she refuses to swear, then she should be put under arrest until such time that either she swears five times or accepts her guilt of adultery, in which case she will be awarded the punishment of adultery. In case she agrees to swear and utters the required words five times, then the process of Li’aan has been completed. This way they both have escaped the punishment in this world but in the Hereafter, the one who has lied will suffer the punishment, as Allah knows best who is the liar.” The suggestion that the woman is half a person, because of the requirement for two women as witness in some issues, is very incorrect. Firstly if woman was something inferior or degraded in Islam then there would not have been an issue where only a woman’s witness would suffice and as seen in the case above, given preference over the man’s witness. And if a woman is said to be half because of certain cases of witness, then where man’s witness is not counted, Islam did not even give that status of half a person to man. Additionally it can also be argued that normally two men are required to complete the requirement of witness in an issue but in the case of adultery the requirement is of four men. Then one should also say that man is half a person as well. Hence such arguments are baseless and do not have any ground to stand upon. By not making ‘equal’ the witness of one woman to one man in certain cases, there is yet wisdom of Allah. It is not easy to go through the process of being a witness, becoming an enemy of the person against whom one is becoming a witness and at times even travel from one city to another to give the shahadah. These are all stressful and difficult matters and Allah has relieved the woman from such difficulties otherwise it would have been obligatory for the woman to go through all such hurdles to give testimony as Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah (2) verse 283: …وَلاَ تَكْتُمُواْ الشَّهَادَةَ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ… “…Do not conceal testimony. Whoever conceals it, his heart is surely, sinful…” In another Hadith, in Muwatta Imam Malik as well as in Sahih Muslim, it is stated: حدثنا يحيى عن مالك عن عبد الله بن أبي بكر بن محمد بن عمرو بن حزم عن أبيه عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن عثمان عن أبي عمرة الأنصاري عن زيد بن خالد الجهني أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ألا أخبركم بخير الشهداء الذي يأتي بشهادته قبل أن يسألها أو يخبر بشهادته قبل أن يسألها۔ موطأ مالك، كِتَاب الْأَقْضِيَةِ، بَاب مَا جَاءَ فِي الشَّهَادَاتِ Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Shall I not tell you who is the best of witnesses? The one who brings his testimony before he is asked for it, or tells his testimony before he is asked for it." – (Muwatta Imam Malik; Book of Judgments, Chapter of Testimonies) Another Hadith narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash’ari says, قال رسول اللہ ﷺ من کتم شھادة اذا دعی الیھا کان کمن شھد بالزور۔ جمع الفوائد بحواله طبرانی صفه ۲٦ جلد ١ Rasulullah ﷺ said, “Whosoever is called to give witness and then he conceals it, it is as if he has given false witness.” – (Jama’ul Fawa’id with reference to Tabrani, vol.1 pg 26) It is but for their ease and comfort that the responsibility of certain things are not put on their shoulders unless there is a necessity. Where the burden and responsibility is put on the shoulders of one man, there it has been divided among two women. Conclusion We live a short life in this world and have a limited amount of time to do good deeds to secure a place in Jannah with the Mercy of Allah. However, we spend that time dwelling over questions which have no productive effect on our deeds and in no way help us in the Hereafter. The history of Islam is full of women with great achievements in different fields. On the witness of one woman, ‘Ayesha رضی اللہ عنھا, we have a great many number of Ahadith on which many rulings of fiqh are based. Hasan al-Basri رحمة اللہ علیه narrated from his mother Khayrah رحمة اللہ علیھا, a woman. Al-Aqd ath-Thanein mentions Zulaykha bint Ilyas al-Wa’iz رحمة اللہ علیھا who narrated from the scholars of Makkah and earned dual blessings of worship and narration of Hadith. There are many such examples of great women in Islamic history who excelled in their fields. Our time should not be wasted on contemplating how the Hereafter will be. Its state will be seen once we are there but while we are here let us not waste time on asking the question ‘Who will be in Jannah or Jahannam?’ but let us all ask ourselves ‘Will I be in Jannah or Jahannam?’ Part of Article HERE