Ahadith

Giving in charity as much as one can afford

Narrated by Asma bint Abu Bakr(Radhiallaho anha): 
Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said "Do not shut 
your money bag; otherwise Allah too will withhold His blessings from  you. Spend (in Allah's cause) as much as you can afford. " 
 
Sahih Al Bukhari Vol 2 Number 515

 

A pagan giving charity and then embraces Islam

 

Narrated by Hakim bin Hizam(Radhiallaho anho): 
I said to Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam), "Before 
embracing Islam I used to do good deeds like giving in charity, 
slave-manumitting, and the keeping of good relations with kith and 
kin. Shall I be rewarded for those deeds?" The Prophet replied, "You 
became Muslim with all those good deeds (without losing their 
reward)." 
 
Sahih Al Bukhari Vol 2 Number 517

Compound your Fast

Compound your Fast by providing food for 1 fasting person each day, so you get the reward for 60 days though you fasted only 30 days.

Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: He who gives food to a fasting person for iftaar, he will receive as him & nothing will be reduced from the fasting persons reward.

Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Tirmidhi.

So in this noble month we can earn the reward from Allah (سبحان وتعال) enormously. If we can't contribute directly then we can forward the money thru our friends. 

This Month is Bonus Month for us brothers...

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

They ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) what they should spend. Say: Whatever you spend of good must be for parents and kindred and orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) and the wayfarers, and whatever you do of good deeds, truly, Allâh knows it well. 

(Al-Baqarah 2:215) ..

Electronic Games

Question:
What is the ruling on playing or allowing one’s children to play the many electronic games that are widely available, such as those produced by companies like Sony and Nintendo, etc.?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah.

The one who looks at these games will see that they are based on mental skills and individual reactions or decisions. These games are of various types, with many aspects. Some of them take the form of illusionary battles which train a person in what to do in similar circumstances [in real life]; some are based on being alert so as to save oneself from danger; fighting enemies and destroying targets; planning; having adventures; finding the way out of a labyrinth; escaping from wild beasts; racing cars, planes, etc.; overcoming obstacles; searching for treasure. Some games increase knowledge and enhance one’s interests, such as games that involve taking things apart and putting them back together, jigsaw puzzles, building things, colouring, and shading and lighting.

The shar'i ruling:

Islam does not forbid leisure or having fun in permissible ways. The basic rule concerning these games is that they are permissible so long as they do not get in the way of obligatory duties such as establishing prayer [i.e., praying properly and on time] and honouring one’s parents, and so long as they do not include anything that is haraam. There are, however, many haraam elements in these games, such as the following:

1. Games which depict wars between the people of this world (“good guys”) and people from the sky (“bad guys”), with all its implications of accusations against Allaah, may He be glorified, or the noble angels.

2. Games which involve sanctifying the cross or passing over or by it to gain strength, to bring one back to life or the give the player extra “lives” and so on. Also, games which are used for designing birthday cards as in Christian culture are also forbidden.

3. Games which approve of witchcraft/magic, and which glorify witches/magicians/sorcerers, etc.

4. Games which are based on hatred of Islam and Muslims, like the game in which a player gets 100 points if he hits Makkah, 50 points if he hits Baghdaad, and so on.

5. Games that glorify the kuffaar and show pride in belonging to them, like games in which if a player chooses an army belonging to a kaafir state he becomes strong, and if he chooses an army belonging to an Arab state he becomes weak. Also, games which teach a child to admire kaafir sports clubs and the names of kaafir players.

6. Games that include depictions of nudity, and some games that allow the winner to see a pornographic picture; games that corrupt morals, such as games where the idea is to run away with a girlfriend from the bad guys or a dragon.

7. Games based on ideas of gambling.

8. Music and other things that are known to be forbidden in Islam.

9. Physical harm, such as damage to the eyes and nervous system; harmful effects of game sounds on the ears. Modern studies have shown that these games may be addictive and harmful to the nervous system, as well as causing stress and nervous tension in children.

10. Making children get used to violence and criminality, and teaching them to take killing and murder lightly, as in the famous “Doom” game.

11. Corrupting children’s sense of reality by teaching them about a world of illusions and impossible things, such as coming back from the dead, supernatural powers that do not really exist, images of space aliens, and so on.

We have gone into details about some of the ideological dangers and things that are prohibited by Islam because many fathers and mothers do not pay attention to these things, and they bring these games for their children and let them play with them.

We should also point out that it is not permissible to compete for prizes in playing these electronic games, even if the game itself is permissible, because they are not a means of jihaad, and they do not help you develop strength for jihaad.

(al-Musaabaqaat wa Ahkaamuhaa fi’l-Sharee’ah al-Islaamiyyah by Dr, Sa’d al-Shathri).

Ten Useless Matters

by - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

There are ten useless matters:

1. Knowledge that is not acted on
2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others
3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him
5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah
6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure
7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good
8. A mind that thinks about useless matters
9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life
10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.

However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.

How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.

They said, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us.
You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." (Surat al-Baqara: 32)

What Can You Do In Ten Minutes?

By - Abdul Malik Al-Qasim

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "The best actions are continuous ones even if little..." [Muslim] After I looked at my own state and the state of those who waste their time, I wanted to encourage our souls to obey and worship Allah `azza wa jall by compiling a list of some well-known actions that Allah `azza wa jall has honored us with and prepared a great reward for those who do them. This list is also a reminder of better utilizing our time and seizing the opportunity of every hour and making use of it. My goal in compiling the list is not to point out the actions as much as to show the necessity of organizing and planning and preserving one's time by investing it in something good.

First of all, let us talk about time, with which many are heedless and wasteful, and which importance only few recognize.

Time is like wealth, it requires our attention and care in both spending and managing. While it is possible to gather and store wealth, and even add to it, time, however, is in no way like that. For every minute that passes can never come back even if you were to spend all the wealth of this world.

So since time is preordained to be a specific period that can not be brought forward or delayed and since the value of it depends on what it is spent on, it is obligatory upon every human being to preserve time, be it little or long. One should use it in the best possible way and not be heedless about it.

In order to preserve one's time, one must reflect on how and where to spend it. The best way to spend time is in obeying Allah ta`ala. One will never regret time spent in such acts of obedience. The only regret would be that if one were not to take yet more provisions in terms of good actions. So set your goal, O brother or sister, make your intention sincere, beginning with a desire to preserve your time and beware of wasting any minute of it.

My noble brother and sister,

I selected the time span of ten minutes (for performing particular righteous actions listed in this book) due to ease of application, so that one starts with them until he or she engages in good all the time, by Allah's grace. In these actions there is conformity with the saying of the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, "The most beloved action to Allah is the most continuous, even if little." [Muslim]

Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in relation to this hadeeth, "In it (the above hadeeth) is an exhortation to perform deeds regularly and continuously, and [an explanation] that a small deed done regularly is better than a great one that is interrupted. It is because by continuously doing a little of such actions as, [one’s] obedience, remembrance, awareness of Allah, sincerity and dedication to the Creator, subhanahu wa ta`ala, the outcome accumulates and it is multiplied exceeding what is greater but interrupted."

The Messenger, sallalahu `alayhi wa sallam, spoke the truth. My dear brother or sister, I will give you an example of the blessing of utilizing ten minutes in righteousness. Glorifying Allah subanahu wa ta`ala by saying "Subhan Allah" a hundred times daily means that one will do so 36,500 times in a year. So take account of your soul, my brother or sister. You can only glorify Allah this much in a year if you are regular in performing tasbeeh and if you make good use of your time.

Similarly, if one reads the Qur'an for ten minutes regularly, one can finish reading it in full every two months. Is this how you do it? Ask yourself, do you complete recitation of the full Qur'an outside of Ramadan? And do not limit, my dear brother or sister, these special ten minutes, devoted to obedience, to be performed only once a day. Perhaps you will find the time after the morning prayer, or after the sunrise, or after the noon prayer, or before sleep.

Likewise, if one manages to memorize only a single verse from the Book of Allah, `azza wa jall, every day, he or she will complete memorization the complete Qur'an in only eight years.

Most of the actions mentioned are performed with the tongue, so one is able to gain rewards at all times and in all situations. So whoever wants to strive in obedience to Allah, doors of good are open and one can make one's days and indeed all of one's life like the ten minutes. Abu Bakra, radhiallahu anhu, related that a person said: "O Messenger of Allah, which people are the best?" He said, "Whose life is long and his actions good." He said, "And what people are the worst?" He said, "Whose life is long and his actions bad." [Muslim]

This is an opportunity for you, dear brother or sister. Ten minutes in which one can taste the sweetness of regularity of performing righteous actions and which can be a step towards managing one's time, until all of one's life becomes beneficial. Ten minutes that are in agreement with the saying of Allah `azza wa jall, "And I have not created the Jinn or humans except to worship Me." [adh-Dhaariyaat (51):56]

Ibn ul-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "In conclusion, the servant, when he turns away from Allah and becomes preoccupied with sins (in this world), he loses days of his true life (in the hereafter). He will see the consequence of losing them the Day he says, "He will say, 'Oh, I wish I had sent ahead [some good] for my life [i.e. true, everlasting life in the Hereafter].'" [al-Fajr (89):24]”

Some actions that can be done in ten minutes:

The forenoon prayer

Recitation of the Quran

Salawat on the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam

Praying Salat al-Janazah

Remembrance of Allah, `azza wa jall

Saying Subhan Allah, alhamdulillah and Laa ilaha ill Allah

Teaching children

Supplication

Taking account of oneself

Reading

Removal of others’ difficulties and fulfillment of their needs

Preserving ties of kinship

Listening to da`wah tapes

Visiting believers for Allah’s sake

Remembering Allah after the obligatory prayers

Making peace between people

Advising

Phoning relatives

Writing one’s will

Giving charity

Reading traditions of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam

Contemplating

Mailing da`wah information

Feeding the poor

Praying Salat al-Istikharah

Taking care of orphans

Serving one’s family

Seeking knowledge

Ordering good

Making sajdah

Spreading Islamic knowledge

Calling to Allah

Giving Sadaqa jariyyah (charity that carries perpetual award)

Guiding and nurturing one’s children

Repeating after the mu’adhdhin

Performing the night prayer

Source : http://www.islaam.com

There Will Come Seven Hard Years

by Shaykh Muhammad Al-`Abdah

When an opportunity arises whereby the Call to Allah becomes an active process, wherein Callers may forge links with the people and guide them, why isn't such an opportunity exercised by those best capable of succeeding?

The story of Allah's Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) showed an out-standing far-sightedness when he wisely utilised the present period of prosperity to prepare for the coming period of austerity. He did not deceive himself or the people in thinking or promising that things were improving constantly with-out any setbacks.

Muslims believe that Allah does test the believers with infertile years of grimness so that they might emerge from such a period with more clarity and purity. The Muslims might also emerge with a better comprehension and an awareness that might make them more able to use every opportunity under every circumstance to take assured steps forward. We know what our enemies mischievously plot against us day and night, as well as those who actually harm and oppress Muslims. So when Allah takes those persons away, Muslims ought to take such an opportunity and multiply their efforts and solidify their positions.

The peace-treaty of al-Hudaybiyah was a golden opportunity which the Messenger of Allah best used. He agreed to Quraysh's conditions and the Muslims were subsequently able to deliver the Message of their Lord amongst the tribes unhindered. In a short period of time, the number of Muslims multiplied so that while the number of the companions who witnessed al-Hudaybiyah was 1,400, this total rose magnificently to 10,000 who witnessed the conquest of Makkah two years later. It was that victorious treaty of al-Hudaybiyah which Allah described in: 'Verily, [O Muhammad] We have laid open before you a manifest victory.' [Surah al-Fath 1] Indeed, it was a victory through the opportunity it gave for the Muslims to proclaim Da`wah leading to the people embracing Islam in droves.

Truly, the invitation to Islam in a calm atmosphere of freedom of speech and discussion, through the establishment of proof and evidence coupled with fine speech will undoubtedly have a great effect amongst people. This will occur as truth vis-a-vis falsehood has a distinctively innate strength. If the Da`wah was pleasantly carried out and the Caller possessed the relevant knowledge, was aware of Islam's general goals and was alert to his surroundings, the results will be pleasing by the will of Allah.

The constant wasting of opportunities through our simplicity of thinking will inevitably end in dismay and displeasure. Particularly if we believe that a period of calm will eternally last, and that things are heading in the direction of our choice. Occasionally, it is observed that our efforts and energies are dissipated in very pale and insignificant actions, and so the days and years pass by without the establishment of a satisfactory process to which our future generations can add and contribute to.

The Believer Follows -Imam Ibn Taymiyyah

The believer, who is (by definition) a follower of the Messengers, orders people to follow the orders of the messengers so that religion may be for Allah alone, [and he does] not [act] for his personal benefit.

When he orders someone in this way he (in fact) loves him and helps him, and is happy to see others doing the same.

When he does good to people, he does so only seeking the Face of Allah, the Most High, and knows that Allah bestowed favors upon him by making him a doer of good, and not a doer of evil. He therefore intends his every deed for Allah, because it is done by the grace of Allah.

This is mentioned in the Opening of the Book (al-Fatiha), about which we mentioned that the need of all of the creation for it is greater than their other needs.

This is why reciting it in every prayer, to the exception of any other soorah, was made obligatory upon them. Its like has not been revealed neither in the Tawrah, nor the Injeel, nor the Zaboor, nor the Qur'an. And in it is (the verse), "It is You we worship and You we ask for help." [al-Fatiha (1):5]

So the believer intends his deed for Allah, because he worships Him Alone. And he sees that his deeds are done by His grace, because he seeks help from Him Alone. So he does not seek from anyone who behaves well towards him either reward or thanks, because what he did for him, he did for Allah's sake. As the righteous said: "We feed you only for the countenance [i.e. approval] of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude." [al-Insaan (76):9] So the believer does not consider what he did a favor, nor causes harm to him (by reminding him of what he did for him), for he knows that Allah is the Bestower of favors upon him, when He uses him in goodness. [He knows] that this is a favor from Allah to both him and that other person.

So the believer must thank Allah, when He eases him towards ease, and the other must also thank Allah, when He facilitates for him that someone brings to him what benefits him, from provision, or knowledge, or help, or something similar.