Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Menstruating women reading and touching the Quran

Menstruation women reading and touching the Quran 
Verily the scholars differ regarding menstruating women reading and touching the Quran . 

Reading the Quran 
a) it is prohibited 
 jumhur ulama - majority of the scholars are in view that it is prohibited  for menstruating women to read the Quran. In this category they differs in the prohibition. 1) Some prohibit it as itlaq (blanket prohibition) 2) while others in this category prohibit it generally except for special circumstances such as hafizah who need to revise in case she will forgets or a female teacher teaching deen n Quran or a student who need to memories or learn the Quran or saving the Quran and etc. 3) while others said the prohibition only in reciting in by lisan (audibly). But reading by heart or silently is ok.
Some of the proofs of this prohibition are:
Hadith of the prophet saw
لاَ تَقرَأِ الْحَا ءضُ َوَلاََ الْجُنُبُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْقُرْانِ
do not read a menstruation woman or those in junub anything from the Quran 
(termizi n bayhaqi)
N some of other ahadith in the same meaning.
This is the view majority of the sahabah and fuqaha.
2) it is not prohibited
This is a view of some scholars such as imam bukhori, Ibn hajar etc and some of the companions such as Ibn Abbas 
Why?
1)According to the scholars the ahadith that prohibit the menstruation from reciting the Quran are weak. There is no  Hadith sohih in the prohibition. 
2) And also the prophet saw send the letter to other non Muslim rulers with the Quran in it and this show it's permissibility. Some may argue that is not the whole Quran however the argument is that the whole Quran was only been compiled after the prophet's death so what Quran is been prohibited? Partly or whole. Not mentioned in any textual proofs. If using the hadith earlier, even part of it is prohibited.
And some other adilah (proofs) not mentioned here as it will get lengthy.
Conclusion
It is up to any individual. If he feels that the first opinion is more sound, so incumbent upon him that no reading I Quran unless he is free from hadath. However if he feels that the second opinion is stronger, he can use it. For matter of differences in opinion with both sound proofs, it is better to have an open minded heart and respect each other opinion. 
When someone asked me of my stand, I prefer the second opinion. Why?
Usually I always take the opinion
Of majority unless certain areas such as this. This is because of 
1) taysiril ummah- make it easy for ummah.
When there are two opinions both with sound textual proofs, I will go to the one which is easier for the ummah as this is what been taught by the prophet saw. Make it easy for the ummah.
2) al istifadhah, ayyuhuma aksar- the benefits derived from it. Which one has more benefits.
From my limited and weakness, the benefits in the second opinion is more such as in :
a) taalim wa taalum- teaching n learning
There will be no disruption in teaching n learning the Quran and Deen.  Especially for  those studying to memorize the Quran etc or teaching in madrasah or etc.
b) taqarrub ilallah- closeness to Allah swt
As we know that the Quran has special effect to the hearts, surrounding etc. heart or even house devoid of the recitation of the Quran is like a deserted house in which syaithan is taking over them. By making heart devoid of this recitation will cause it to be more prone to attacks from the syaithan.
c) dakwah- invitating someone to Islam
Such as the action of the prophet saw in sending letters to rulers with Quran in it. We can also seen story of a young sahabah who been elected as an imam for his clan when he is not reached puberty coz he had memorize the most of Quran among his people, in whic he memorize them before embracing Islam n making baiah to the prophet saw.
Wallahualam 

Touching the Quran 
a) it is prohibited 
and this is also the opinion of majority of scholars and companions
The proof is from
1) إنه لقرآن كريم في كتاب مكنون لا يمسه إلا المطهرون تنزيل من رب العالمين
..... Is not touched except those who are pure (al waqiaah)
2) the Hadith of the prophet saw
- لا تمس القرآن إلا وأنت طاهر
You do not touch the Quran except you are clean
- لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهر
Don't touch the Quran except clean person
Both Hadith are sohih Inshaallah 

b) it is not prohibited.
Some of the adilah is the same with reading the Quran such as the letters send to the non Muslim. 
Also they understand from the ayah
1) إنه لقرآن كريم في كتاب مكنون لا يمسه إلا المطهرون تنزيل من رب العالمين
The pure ones are the angels as from the overall of the ayah is mentioning Abt the angels bringing down the Quran from luh Mahfouz and explained many mufaasirin such as Ibn kathir.
Also they understand from the Hadith
That athohir or clean person mentioned are Muslim . A Muslim is always clean as mentioned in one hadith 'subhannallah ya aba hurairah, a Muslim will never become najas'
Wallahualam
Conclusion
Just as the case of recitation of the Quran , those who feel the first opinion is stronger and more safer , tafadhol and those who thinks the latter is more sound, he is also free to do so.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Last days of ramadhan

Powerful Tips for the Last 10 Nights - by Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury :

1. Do not let your 'performance' until now affect your last 10 days. The moment of forgiveness could be today or anytime in the coming days! It is not all lost! If you sincerely wish it could have been better - Chin up and get ready to make it your best yet! Start with a positive, sincere intention!

2. Today, take a little time to read the Tafseer of Surah al-Qadr to understand what actually happens this night! You will feel its power & greatness so much more!

3. Do not wait for the 27th Night to give it your "all". The entire last 10 days should be your target. Stay up each night! Would you want to miss Laylatul Qadr even "by chance"?

4. Do not fall into any innovations/celebrations any masjid or culture might try to promote. Follow the Sunnah! The Prophet (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) guided us simply: "Whoever stays up and prays on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

5. Memorize and keep asking the dua' taught by Rasulullah (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam): Allaahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibb al-‘afwa fa’affu ‘anni (O Allaah, You are forgiving and You love forgiveness, so forgive me).

6. Prepare a short dua' list. Remember this is as awesome as it ever gets for a servant of Allah! The Night of Qadr, of Destiny! Consciously pick each and everything you crucially wish for in this dunya, in your deen, family, and in your aakhirah! Don't forget to include the brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering and in grief!

7. Take brief naps during the day, if possible. Keep your stomach light and sleep as soon as you have prayed 'isha. Do not delay! After a brief nap, refresh yourself and get. ready for worship.

8. Don't neglect your family! Rasulullah made it a point to wake up his wives throughout these nights! And yes, your children are not too young to stay up some part of the night - if they can be allowed to play video games or watch TV, they can be inspired to be up atleast for sometime! Prepare them, make them excited, plan some activities for them to do!

 9. Look the Part: The way we dress and prepare.has a big effect on our psychology. Wear your best, perfume yourself, and feel the energy!

10. Choose a spot, whether in the Masjid or in your home, where you can have peace and solitude. Keep your mushaf, praying mat, and water at hand so that you are not distracted by constantly getting up for this or that.

11. IMP: This is not the night to tweet pics or update FB statuses about how amazing the night is and how you are feeling & worshipping Allah! Let that be a secret between you & your Rabb! So switch off those phones, wifi, laptops and computers. Disconnect with the world, and connect with al-'Afuww!

12. If you find yourself feeling sleepy, vary your acts of worship. Alternate between qiyaam, heartfelt dua'a, reading the Qur'an. Do not spend the night listening to lectures or recitations. Or do it only for a short while when you feel the sleep coming on!

13. Patience is the Key: The last 10 days might be tiring. You might still have work or school. This is the time to bear all that hardship, and keep firm sabr. Think how Allah has blessed you with this tremendous opportunity that might NEVER come again in your life again. If you knew for sure that this was your last Ramadan , if you knew certainly that Jannah was up for grabs, wouldn't you sprint for it no matter what it takes?

14. This is most important: Keep husn adh-dhann bi Allah (good expectations from Allah). When you ask, remember you are asking the Most Generous King. If you hope for the best, He will give you the best. Don't hold back. Trust in Him, pour out your heart in front of Him, and let no doubt, no barrier, no evil thoughts keep you away from ar-
Rahman, ar-Raheem!

Allahumma ballighna laylatal qadr..

Sunday, July 7, 2013

If sin smells

If sin smells....
Countdown to ramadhan 
(2 more days) by abuhanzolah

Yes, if every sin we do give out smells, what will become of us? Nobody will like to be near us!
Just imagine, for every solat we misses or delays, we will emit pungent continuous smell in which no amount of perfume can eradicate it. Or every ursury we took or give will give out smells that can give us misery, or every curses or backbiting will give repulsive smell that could bite the nose out of the ones near us, or every oogling of girls will give a mind boggling smell that will cause tears to the smeller, or every bad intentions or malice or hate in our hearts will emit incorrigible and horrible smell that will rot the hearts of the ones smelling it, and so on and so on. 
I will clearly say that nobody will want to be near us, let alone be or close friend.
But Allah swt the most gracious had made a veil for all of us as he is as-sittir wa as-Sattar. If he opens up all our shortcomings n bad deeds, we will not know what will become of us.
So let's start asking for His forgiveness so that we will start this coming ramadhan with a clean slate. We don't have to wait for ramadhan to start asking for Taubah and istighfar coz 1) we may not even have the opportunity to meet ramadhan however close we are to it; 2) our sins are too numerous and enourmous so why not start now; 3) the prophet saw who is protected and forgiven from sins everyday make 70x Taubah and istighfars, so who are we for not doing the same.
Sometimes we are not doing Taubah due to various reasons such as follows:

1) no hope. 
Some people believe that there is no hope for them due to their numerous mistakes and sins. Don't. Allah swt forgives sins even  how great or many they are. Just start returning to Him. Make the first step, He will do the rest. There's no bigger door than the door of Allah swt forgiveness.
2) too confident of themselves
Yes many people think they are good already. "Others are in more problematic state than mine. I had already prayed and fast and read Quran. I already  go to the mosque. I am chairman of an Islamic society , mosque etc u noe. My family are pious. Don't worry god is forgiving. I had made a lot of sacrifices for deen. I study here and there. I had done this and that....'"
These are all dangerous thoughts. Just as a word of reminder. Nobody among us, whether he is an alim, or big syaikh or maulana, or so called wali, or student of knowledge or pillar and supporter of dakwah movements or etc has been certified jannah dwellers. In fact nobody among us has been guaranteed to die as a Muslim ! The khatib every Friday reminds us with Allah swt words : " don't ever you all die except when you are all muslimun". May Allah swt save us and give us husnul khotimah. Look at our beloved prophet saw. How's his actions are? He prayed till his feets blistered. How Abt his companions such as Abu Bakar . He was guaranteed paradise but he kept on crying for Allah swt forgiveness . So who are we to act high and mighty. 
In fact iman is between hope and fear. Hoping for His forgiveness and fear of not getting His pleasure. Hope without fear is wishful thinking and arrogance. Fear without hope is lackness in iman and understanding His great qualities and attributes thus will also result in depression and faithless.
3) seeing sins as a small matter.
Yes due to weak iman, we sometimes see sins as insignificant. A real mukmin when he does a sin as though as a mountain is going to fall on him. Whereas a fasiq when he does a sin, it just like a fly flying near him. He just shoo-ed it away. Allah swt describe believers : "when they hears Allah 's name / or being mentioned His name, their hearts trembles"
4) too used to the sins that it becomes part of our lives.
Yes when we are used to a particular sin, that we we think it is ok although we knew from the Quran and sunnah that it is prohibited. Well everybody is doing it so I am ok. For eg, when we gets used to seeing a half naked girls, we will got not feel anything when seeing them and does not feel it is a sin. So does other sins such as backbiting whether in a real sense or now online such as via social networks and platform . It becomes a part of our life trolling, cursing ..etc
In an authentic Hadith the prophet saw said : whoever amongst you a mungkar, he has to change it with his hands, if not able to, he has to change it with his tongue , and If not possible too, he has change it with his heart and that is the lowest of iman". So what is the state of our iman. Sadly sometime not dat we hate the sin but nauzubillah we enjoys the sins and love it. 
5) or when the sins we do we think is a Good deed.
This usually occurs on innovation in the ibadah or worship of Allah swt. When a deed is passed or masked as a part of the deen, the doer will not realize it and thus will pose danger to the doer as he does not know that he is doing a sin instead. For normal sin, a doer knew that he is doing a sin but due to weakness in his iman he does it, and this he acknowledge it and possibly in his heart that he will make amends and do Taubah. But if he does not knew that he is doing a sin and believe it is a good deed, how can he make Taubah? For eg action of making prostration to a Syeikh due to his awe, whereas there are numerous ahadith assohihah that clearly prohibits the action. How can he make Taubah when in his heart he thinks he is doing the right thing. May Allah swt guides us all. We have to return back to the main source of deen,  Quran and sunnah.
6) when he thinks his time is still long.
Yes I am still young so I got years later to make Taubah . But hard facts there are dead youngs everyday. So start now.

And many other reasons too. The main idea is that we all, especially myself have to start making Taubah everyday, especially before ramadhan so that we will celebrate this ramadhan with a clean heart and pure soul, and if you have time, spare some of your doa for me and my family
جزاكم الله خيرا

Countdown to Ramadhan : blessed gift

السلام عليكم
Countdown to ramadhan 
Dear all
May Allah swt bless us on this coming ramdhan. Let's us all begin the preparation to welcome this special guest.
Take some of yr time for this beautiful reminder.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي "