Salaat ad-Duha (Forenoon prayer)

Narrated Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her): Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) used to pray four Rakats (units) in Duha prayer and added whatever Allah wished for him. (Muslim)

Let it be known that Ishraaq, Salaat ul-Awwabin and Duha are different names that stand for identically the same forenoon prayer. The time of this prayer starts with the sunrise and goes on until one-fourth of the day. The least number of Rakats of Duha prayer is two and the maximum is twelve. The preferable among them are four which are supported and approved by the Ahadith of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). It may also be remembered that this prayer is a Sunnah of former messengers as they used to offer it during their times. Hence, this prayer is a Sunnah and mustahabb (desirable). As to the matter of this prayer being called a Bidah (innovation) by Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) it only alludes to the fact that if someone develops a habit of continually offering it, it may be regarded as an innovation, as the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) did not always offer it.

Narrated Zaid bin Arqam (May Allah be pleased with him) Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.), "The prayer of those who are penitent is offered when the young weaned camels feel the heat of the sun." (at-Tirmidhi)

This Hadith indicates that the best time of Duha prayer is just before noon.

Narrated Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said, "Whoever prays twelve Rakats (units) of Duha, Allah will build a castle for him in Paradise." (at-Tirmidhi who graded it Gharib "unfamiliar, doubtful").

Narrated Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her): Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) entered my house and prayed eight Rakats (units) of Duha prayer. (Ibn Hibban in his Sahih)

Sooner or Later Everything is to Perish

Death is the end for all of us: the oppressor and the oppressed, the mighty and the feeble, the rich and the poor. Your death is no novelty. Nations before have gone and nations after will perish.

Ibn Batoota related that in the north, there is a graveyard with one thousand kings buried in it. At the entrance of this graveyard is a sign board that reads:

"The Kings: ask the dirt about them,
And about the great leaders; they are all bones now."

A cause for wonder is the forgetfulness of man and how he remains heedless of death, the menace of which hangs over him day and night. Man deludes himself by thinking that he is immortal on this earth.

"O Mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of judgment) is a terrible thing." (Quran 22/1)

"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness." (Quran 21/1)

When Allah destroyed a nation and wiped out a transgressing people, He said:

"Can you find a single one of them or hear even a whisper of them?" (Quran 19/98)

All traces of them are gone.

Ten Oppressors

Sufyan ath-Thauri (may Allah have mercy on him) said that ten people are regarded as oppressors:

1. The person who prays for himself, but forgets his parents and other believers.
2. The person who does not recite at least a hundred verses of the Holy Quran daily.
3. The person who leaves the Masjid (mosque) without performing at least two units of Salah.
4. The person who passes a graveyard without greeting the deceased or praying for them.
5. The person who enters a city on Friday and leaves without performing the Friday prayer.
6. The man or woman in whose vicinity a learned person comes and none acquires any religious knowledge from him.
7. Those two people who love each other for the pleasure of Allah but are unaware of each others names.
8. The person who is invited by another, but does not accept his invitation (when acceptance does not contradict the Shariah).
9. The youngster that has no commitments yet does not acquire any religious knowledge or manners.
10. The person who has eaten to his fill while his neighbor goes hungry.

20 Causes of Forgiveness of Future Sins

"That is the grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He pleases. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty." (Quran: 57:21)

1. Perfecting one's ablution

"No worshipper perfects his ablution except that his past and future sins are forgiven." (Hasan, al-Bazzaar. Al-Haythami and al-Mundhiri agreed.)

2. Fasting the month of Ramadan with belief and seeking Allah's reward

"Whoever fasts Ramadan out of Iman and seeking Allah's reward then his past and future sins are forgiven." (Hasan, Ahmad. Declared Hasan by adh-Dhahabi, as mentioned in al-Mughni (5876).)

3. Performing the night prayer in Ramadan with belief and seeking Allah's reward

"Whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadan out of Iman and seeking Allah's reward then his past and future sins are forgiven." (Saheeh. an-Nasaa'i.)

4. Performing the night prayer on the Night of Qadar with belief and seeking Allah's reward

"It (Laylatul-Qadr) is in Ramadan, and expect it in the last ten days; it is on an odd night: on the 21st, or the 23rd, or the 25th, or the 27th, or the 29th, or on the last night (of Ramadan). He who performs the night prayer on it out of belief and seeking Allah's reward his past and future sins are forgiven." (Narrated by Ahmad. There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding this Hadeeth, some declaring it weak and some Hasan. Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr said in Al-Fath (4/116), "This addition – meaning, 'and future (sins)' – is also in 'Ubadah bin as-Samit's Hadeeth, in (the Musnad of) Ahmad, in two narrations. Its chain is Hasan and it is supported by the previous chain.")

5. Praising and thanking Allah after eating and putting one's clothes on.

"Whoever ate a food and then said, 'Praise be to Allah who has fed me this food and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part', is forgiven his past [and future*] sins. And whoever wears a garment and says, 'Praise be to Allah who has clothed me with this (garment) and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part', is forgiven his past and future sins." (Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, al-Bukhari in al-Kabeer, al-Hakim, Ibn Sunni and Ahmad. The addition marked by (*) is related by Abu Dawud. Shaikh Al-Albani declared the Hadeeth Hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami' (6086) and in al-Irwaa' (1989). He said in al-Irwaa', "Such a Hadeeth causes hesitation between making it Hasan (good) and Da'eef (weak). Maybe the first one is closer to be the truth, because those who made it weak didn’t explain it and didn’t explain the reason for its weakness. Allah knows best.")

6. Getting old in Islam

"No one reaches forty years in Islam except that Allah protects him from madness, leprosy and leucoderma. When he is fifty, Allah makes easy his reckoning. When he reaches sixty, Allah grants him repentance. And when he reaches seventy, Allah loves him and the inhabitants of the heavens love him. And when he reaches eighty, Allah accepts his good deeds and overlooks his sins. When he reaches ninety, Allah forgives his past and future sins, he is named 'the prisoner of Allah on earth' and is granted intercession (for forgiveness) for his family." (Hasan, Ibn 'Asakir. Ahmad Shakir said in his notes to Al-Musnad (8/23,25): "Its chain is at least Hasan. It is supported with other chains which raise it to the level of Saheeh.")

7. Leaving the following: performing Ruqia (curing with Quran), seeking having Ruqia performed on one, cauterization, believing in bad omens.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him): Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said, “…I was told: ‘These are your people and amongst them there are seventy thousand who shall enter Paradise without being taken to either account or torment.' …'They are those who do not make Ruqia nor seek it, nor believe in bad omens, but trust in their Lord (Allah).'" (Bukhari and Muslim)

8. Whose two or three children die and he remains patient

"Whoever buries three children, Allah will forbid the Fire for him." (Saheeh, Tabarani in al-Kabeer, Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh Al-Jaami' (6238).)

"There are no two Muslim parents whose three children die before reaching puberty except that Allah will enter them into Paradise due to His mercy to the children. It will be said to them, "Enter the Paradise", so they will say, "Not until our parents enter first". It will be said, "Enter the Paradise you and your parents." (Ahmad, an-Nasaa'i, and Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh al-Jaami' (5780).)

"'Whoever iHtasaba (remains content and patient after the death of) three of his offspring will enter Jannah.' A woman said, 'What about two?' He said, 'And two.'" (Saheeh, an-Nasaa'i, Ibn Hibban, authenticated by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami (5969).)

"To no woman three children die and she remains patient and content, except that she will enter Jannah. Or two (children)." (Muslim)

9. Who raises three daughters or sisters and is nice to them

"There is no one from my Ummah who takes care of three daughters or three sisters, and is nice to them, except that they will be a veil (protection) for him from the Fire." (Saheeh, al-Bayhaqi and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab, authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh Al-Jaami' (5372).)

10. Defending the honor of a Muslim

"Whoever defends the honor of his brother in absence has the right over Allah to be freed from the Fire." (Saheeh, Ahmad, al-Tabarani. Authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami' (6240).) Al-Manaawi commented" "'Whoever is limited to other than the disbeliever and public wrongdoer." (Fayd al-Qadeer 6:136)

11. Ihklas (sincerity) to Allah

No servant who says 'la ilaha ill Allah', seeking the pleasure of Allah, will reach the Day of Judgment, except that Allah will forbid the Fire for him. (Ahmad, al-Bukhari) Hafidh Ibn Hajr said, "It's not like that (i.e. not entering the Fire at all) for everyone who believed in Tawheed and worshipped, but it is specific for the sincere, and sincerity (Ihklas) requires the realization of its meaning by the heart. One cannot imagine that the heart will reach that while persisting upon sins, as the heart would be filled with the love and fear of Allah, whereupon limbs will embark upon obedience and leave disobedience."

12. Crying out of fear of Allah

"No man who cried out of fear of Allah will enter the Fire until the milk returns to the udder, and dust in the path of Allah (jihad) and the smoke of the Fire cannot go together." (Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasaa'i and Hakim who authenticated it. Authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami' (7778).)

13. Performing the prayer in congregation for forty days while reaching the opening Takbeer

"Whoever prays to Allah for four days in congregation, reaching the opening Takbeer, will have two written for him: freedom from the Fire and freedom from hypocrisy." (Hasan. at-Tirmidhi, declared Hasan by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami' (6365).)

14. Being consistent in praying four Rakats (units) before Dhuhr and after it

"Whoever is consistent in praying four units of prayer before Dhuhr and four after it, Fire will be forbidden for him." (Saheeh. Abu Dawood, An-Nasaa'i, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim who authenticated it. Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh al-Jaami' (6195).)

15. Being consistent in praying before sunrise and before sunset

"No one will enter Fire who prays before sunrise and before sunset." (Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasaa'i) Meaning, Fajr and 'Asr prayers.

16. Dust of Jihad

"The dust of Jihad and the smoke of the Fire will never coexist within a servant, and greed and Iman will never coexist in the heart of a servant." (Saheeh. An-Nasaa’i and al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak. Authenticated by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami' (7616).)

17. Killing a mushrik in war

"A Kafir and one who killed him will never be together in the Fire." (Muslim, Abu Dawud)

18. Good character

"Whoever is easy-going, easy to deal with and kindhearted, Allah will forbid the Fire for him." (Saheeh. Al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, al-Bayhaqi, at-Tabarani. Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh al-Jaami' (6484).)

19. Freeing slaves

"Whoever frees a believing slave it will be his salvation from the Fire." (Saheeh, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasaa'i. Authenticated by al-Albani (6050).)

20. Salat ut-Tasbeeh (Tasbeeh Prayer)

There is an unusual difference of opinion about this one. Scholars have greatly differed about the authenticity of the relevant narrations, with their rulings ranging from fabricated to authentic. In a narration, Al-Mustamir ar-Rayan relates, "Whoever prays it will be forgiven his past and future sins, what he did secretly and what he did openly." (Mentioned by Ibn Hajar in Ma'rifat al-Khisal al-Mukaffirah, p. 48, who said it was Hasan due to supporting narrations. Allah knows best.)

Easy Actions-Rewards Multiplied

How great will be the regret of those who waste the opportunity!

1. Preserving the ties of kinship: "Whoever wishes that his provision be increased and his age lengthened, let him maintain the ties of kinship." (Bukhari and Muslim)

2. Performing many prayers in the two noble Harams (in Makkah and Madinah): "Prayer in this masjid of mine is superior to a thousand prayers elsewhere, except for Masjid al-Haram, and prayer in Masjid al-Haram is superior to one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere." (Ahmad and Ibn Majah)

3. Performing prayers in congregation: "Prayer in congregation is superior to praying individually twenty-seven times." (Bukhari and Muslim)

4. Praying 'Isha and Fajr in congregation: "He who prays Isha' in Jama'ah (congregation) is as if he has prayed for half the night. As to him who (also) prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he has prayed all night." (Malik and the wording is that of Muslim who also reported it)

5. Performing voluntary prayers at home: "Superiority of a man's prayer in his home over his prayer when people see him is like the superiority of an obligatory prayer over a voluntary one." (Bayhaqi, classed as Saheeh by Albani) "The most superior prayer of a person is in his home, except for obligatory prayers." (Bukhari and Muslim)

6. Observing some manners of the day of Jumu'ah: "Whoever Ghassala (washes his head, and it is said: has intercourse with his wife so that it be a means to lower the gaze from the Haram that day) on the day of Jumuah, then comes in the earliest time and before the first khutbah, walks and doesn't ride, stays near the Imam, listens and does not speak - for each step [he makes] he has actions of one year, the reward of fasting and standing in prayer in it." (Ahl as-Sunan)

7. Salat ul-Ishraq: "Whoever prays al-Ghadaa (i.e. al Fajr) in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until sunrise, then prays two units of prayer, has a complete reward of Hajj and Umrah (The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) repeated 'complete' three times for emphasizing)." (Tirmidhi, classed as Saheeh by Albani)

8. Attending lectures in the mosque: "Whoever goes to the mosque not desiring except to learn or teach what is good has the reward of a pilgrim who completed his Hajj." (Tabarani, classed as Saheeh by Albani)

9. Performing Umrah in the month of Ramadhan: "Umrah in Ramadhan is equal to a Hajj with me." (Bukhari)

10. Performing obligatory prayers in the Mosque: "Whoever leaves his home in a state of purity to perform obligatory prayer, his reward is like that of a pilgrim (while) in the state of Ihram ([i.e. he receives reward similar to that of spending time in ihram during Hajj)." (Abu Dawud, classed as Saheeh by Albani) So one should be in a state of purity when leaving one's home, rather than the place for ablution within the mosque, except due to necessity.

11. Being from the people of the first row in congregational prayers: 'Irbad Bin Saariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) used to seek forgiveness for (the people of) the first row three times, and for (the people of the) second row once." (Nasa'i and Ibn Majah). "Allah and His Angels make salawat upon (the people of) the first row." (Ahmad, with a good isnad)

12. Prayer in Masjid Qubaa' in Madinah: "Whoever purifies himself in his house then comes to Masjid Qubaa' and prays in it has the reward like that of 'Umrah." (Nasa'i and Ibn Majah)

13. Saying what the caller to prayer says: "Say as they say (i.e. callers to prayer), and when you finish, ask and you will be given." (Abu Dawud and Nasa'i) That is, supplicate when you finish repeating after the caller to prayer.

14. Fasting Ramadhan and following it with six days of Shawwal: "Whoever fasts Ramadhan, then follows it with six (days) of Shawwal, it is like fasting all the time." (Muslim)

15. Fasting three days each month: "Whoever fasts three days each month, it s like fasting all the time." (Tirmidhi). This is supported by the verse, "Whoever comes with a good deed for him is a tenfold (reward)." One day being equal to ten days.

16. Providing food for breaking of the fast: "Whoever provides food for breaking of the fast of a fasting person receives the reward of the fasting person, without the reward of the fasting person being reduced in any way." (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

17. Standing in prayer on Laylatul-Qadr: "Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months" (Quran 97:3), that is, superior to approximately 83 years of worship.

18. Jihad: "Standing of a man in a row (saff) in the way of Allah is superior to 60 years of worship." (Hakim, classed as Saheeh by Albani) This is the superiority of standing in a row, so what about one who fights in the way of Allah for days, or months, or years?

19. Ribaa: "Whoever takes a post (at borders of Muslim lands, where an enemy may be expected) for a day and night in the way of Allah has the reward of fasting and standing in prayer for a month, and whoever dies in such a state receives a continuous reward similar to it, and is (also) rewarded with provision and saved from al-Fattaan." (Muslim) Al-Fattaan is punishment of the grave.

20. Righteous actions in the first ten days of Dhul Hijja: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are dearer to Allah than these ten (days of Dhul Hijjah)." They said, "O Messenger, even jihad in the way of Allah?" He said, "Not even jihad in the way of Allah, except for the man who leaves with his wealth, and does not return with any of it (life or wealth)." (Bukhari)

21. Frequent recitation of Quranic Soorahs: "Qul Huwa'Llahu Ahad" is equal to a third of the Quran and "Qul yaa ayyuha'l Kaafiroon" is equal to a fourth of the Quran." (Tabarani, classed as Saheeh by Albani)

22. Al-Istighfaar: "Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing women, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man ad believing woman." (Tabarani, classed as Hasan by Albani)

23. Fulfilling people's need: "That I walk with my Muslim brother in (fulfilling his) need is dearer to me than being in itikaf in the masjid for a month." (Ibn Abi Dunya, classed as Hasan by Albani)

24. Dhikr: That I say 'Subhaan Allah, wal-Hamdu li'Llah, wa laa ilaaha ill Allahu wa'Llahu Akbar' is dearer to me than what the sun has risen upon." (Muslim)

"Whoever enters a market and says: 'Laa ilaaha ill Allah waHdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul Hamdu yuHyi wa yumeetu wa huwa Hayyun laa yamoot, bi yadihil khayr, wahuwa 'alaa kulli shay'in qadeer' (there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah, He is alone without partner, to Him belongs dominion and praise, he causes life and death and He is the Living and does not die. In His Hand is all the good, and He is over all things competent.) Allah will write for him a million good deeds, erase a million of his bad deeds and raise him a million levels."(Tirmidhi, classed as Hasan by Albani) There are many other words of remembrance which are rewarded abundantly, as is well known.

"There are two blessings which many people lose: good health and free time." (Bukhari)

Can Human Reason Do Without Revelation?

Many people today allege that they can do without the Messengers and their messages and instead use the reason that Allah has bestowed on them. We see them enacting laws, planning, directing, approving and prohibiting, their only reference in doing so, being, what their reason accepts or rejects. In the past there have been groups of similar thinkers (Brahmah: a sect of Mazdaism) who alleged that:

"Sending messengers is useless and there is no wisdom in it because the reason can assess what is conveyed by Messengers. If it conforms with its rules it will do it, and if it contradicts the rules of reason, then it can either do it (if there is any need) or reject it."

In such debates, the Muslim should not be hasty to deny reason's capability to know good and evil. Allah has created mankind with an innate disposition to distinguish between good and evil, and has created in them reason, to enable them to distinguish between what is useful and what is harmful.

The first innate disposition (distinction between good and evil) is what distinguishes mankind from other animals. The second (to know the difference between the useful and the harmful) is common even in animals. The dispute arises in the following:

First, there are some matters that are good for man but he cannot realize them with his reason alone because they are beyond his field of recognition. How can he know Allah or His qualities? How can he know the details of the religion He ordains for His slaves? How can he know the details of His love, anger, contentment and wrath? How can he know the details of His reward for those devoted to him and His punishment for His enemies? How can he know the unseen which Allah has not disclosed to anyone except to the Prophets He selected?

Second, reason can realize that certain matters are good or evil in their totality but cannot know the details of what is ordained by religion. Reason, for instance, can realize the benefits of justice, but whether a certain act is just or unjust, it cannot (always) tell.

Third, human reason may be confused by one act which comprises both good and harm, and cannot be certain which one is most likely. The Shariah explains such issues, commands what is more likely to be good and prohibits what is more likely to be evil. Also the same act may be useful for someone and harmful for another, and reason cannot encompass that. The Shariah (Islamic law) clarifies the situation, commands it for the first, and prohibits it for the second. An act may be explicitly harmful, but implicitly comprises great benefit. This is also made clear by the Shariah. Ibn Taymiyyah said, "The Messengers are sent to clarify the issues that confuse reason and not to confirm what reason already knew."

Fourth, what is realized by reason (even if correct) is only hypothesis, subject to argument by disbelievers, and even if it survives (in the absence of revelation) then it is just a guess (as the case could possibly be confirmed otherwise).

The Ideal Muslim and His Community

1. He is truthful
2. He does not cheat, deceive or stab in the back
3. He is not envious
4. He is sincere
5. He keeps his promises
6. He has a good attitude towards others and treats them well
7. He is characterized by shyness
8. He is gentle towards people
9. He is compassionate and merciful
10. He is tolerant and forgiving
11. He is easy-going in his business dealings
12. He is of cheerful countenance
13. He has a sense of humor
14. He is patient
15. He avoids cursing and foul language
16. He does not falsely accuse anyone of fisq or kufr
17. He is modest and discreet
18. He dos not interfere in that which does not concern him
19. He refrains from backbiting and slander
20. He avoids giving false statements
21. He avoids suspicion
22. He keeps secrets
23. He does not converse privately with another person when there is a third person present
24. He is not arrogant or proud
25. He is humble and modest
26. He does not make fun of anyone
27. He respects elders and distinguished people
28. He mixes with people of noble character
29. He strives for people's benefits and seeks to protect hem from harm
30. He strives to reconcile between Muslims
31. He calls people to truth
32. He enjoins what is good and forbids what is evil
33. He is wise and eloquent in his Dawah
34. He is not a hypocrite
35. He does not show off or boast
36. He is straightforward and consistent in his adherence to the truth
37. He visits the sick
38. He attends funerals
39. He repays favors and is grateful for them
40. He mixes with people and puts up with their insults
41. He tries to make people happy
42. He guides others to righteous deeds
43. He is easy on people, not hard
44. He is fair in his judgment of people
45. He does not oppress or mistreat others
46. He loves noble things and always aims high
47. His speech is not exaggerated or affected
48. He does not rejoice in the misfortunes of others
49. He is generous
50. He does not remind the beneficiaries of his charity
51. He is hospitable
52. He prefers others to himself
53. He helps to alleviate the burden of the debtor
54. He is proud and does not beg
55. He is friendly and likeable
56. He checks his customs and habits against Islamic standards
57. He follows Islamic manners in the way he eats and drinks
58. He spreads the greeting of salam
59. He does not enter a house other than his own without permission
60. He sits wherever he finds room in a gathering
61. He avoids yawning in a gathering as much as he can
62. He follows the Islamic etiquette when he sneezes
63. He does not look into other people's houses
64. He does not imitate women

The Virtues of the Month of Sha'ban

Sha'ban is the name of the (eighth) month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and it is so called because in this month the Arabs used to disperse (tasha'aba) in search of water, or it was said that it is so called because it sha'aba (branches out or emerges) i.e., it appears between the months of Rajab and Ramadan.

Fasting in Sha'ban

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger (p.b.u.h.) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha'ban." (Bukhari and Muslim). According to a report narrated by Muslim, "He used to fast all of Sha'ban, he used to fast all but a little of Sha'ban."

A group of scholars, including Ibn al-Mubarak and others thought that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) did not fast all of Sha'ban, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report in Saheeh Muslim narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "I never knew of him - meaning the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) - fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadan." According to another report also narrated by Muslim, Aisha said: "I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madeenah, apart from Ramadan."

It was reported in Bukhari and Muslim that Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadan." Ibn 'Abbas regarded it as Makrooh to fast any entire month apart from Ramadan. Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "He observed more voluntary fasts in Sha'ban than in any other month, and he used to fast most of Sha'ban."

Usamah Ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha'ban.' He said, 'That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.'" (Nasa'i). According to a report narrated by Abu Dawood, he said: "The most beloved of months for the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) to fast in was Sha'ban, and his fasting in Sha'ban was continuous with his fasting in Ramadan." (Classed as Saheeh by al-Albani)

Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Fasting in Sha'ban is better than fasting in the Sacred Months, and the best of voluntary fasts are those that are (observed in the months) closest to Ramadan, before or after. The status of these fasts is like that of al-Sunan al-Rawatib which are done before and after fard (obligatory prayers) and which make up for any shortfall in the number of obligatory prayers. The same applies to fasts observed before and after Ramadan. Just as al-Sunan al-Rawatib are better than other kinds of voluntary prayers, so fasts observed (in the months) before and after Ramadan are better than fasts at other times.

The phrase "Sha'ban is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadan" indicates that because it comes between two important months, the Sacred Month of Rajab and the month of fasting, people are preoccupied with those two months and they do not pay attention to Sha'ban. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in Sha'ban, because Rajab is one of the Sacred Months, but this is not the case.

In the Hadeeth quoted above there is an indication that even though certain times, places and people may be commonly thought to posses a particular virtue, there may be others that are better than them. It also indicates that it is Mustahabb (recommended) to make good use of the times when people tend to be negligent, by doing acts of worship. A group of the Salaf used to fill the time between Maghrib and Isha with prayer, saying that it was a time when many people were negligent. Another example is the remembrance of Allah (Dhikr) in the marketplace, because this means one is remembering Him in a place where people tend to be negligent and among people who are negligent. There are a number of benefits that come from making good use of times when people are often negligent, and using these times for worship, including the following:

It is more concealing of one's good works, and hiding and concealing Nawafil (supererogatory) actions is better, especially fasting, because it is a secret between a slave and his Lord. Hence it was said that there is no element of showing off in fasting. One of the Salaf used to fast for years without anybody knowing about it; he would go from his home to the marketplace carrying two loaves of bread, which he would give away in charity, and he would fast. His family thought that he ate the bread, whilst the people in the marketplace thought that he had eaten at home. The Salaf thought it was Mustahabb for a person who was fasting to do things that would conceal the fact that he was fasting. It was reported that Ibn Mas'ood said: "When you get up in the morning and you are fasting, then apply perfume." Qutadah said: "It is Mustahabb for the (man) who is fasting to apply perfume so that there will be no sign that he is fasting."

By the same token, doing righteous deeds at times when people are distracted and negligent is more difficult. One of the indications of how virtuous a deed is, is how difficult it is: if everyone is doing a certain action, it is easy, but if most people are negligent, this makes it more difficult for those who do remember Allah. Muslim narrated from the Hadeeth of Ma'qil Ibn Yasar: "(The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said:) 'Worship at times of tribulation (Fitnah) is like Hijrah to me.'" (The phrase "worship at times of tribulation" refers to times of upheavals and trials, when people follow their own desires, and those who adhere to Islam are doing something difficult.)

The scholars differed as to the reasons why the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) fasted so much in Sha'ban. Their various opinions were as follows:

That he had been unable to fast three days out of every month because he was traveling or for some other reason, so he made them all up together in Sha'ban. When the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) began to do some Nafl (supererogatory) action, he would persist in it, and if he missed it, he would make it up later.

It was said that his wives used to make up the days that they missed of Ramadan in Sha'ban, so he used to fast because of that. This is the opposite of what was reported from Aisha, that she used to delay making up days that she had missed in Ramadan until Sha'ban because she was too busy with the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) to fast.

It was said that it was because this is a month which people do not pay attention to. This is the most correct view, because of the Hadeeth of Usamah quoted above, in which it says: "That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadan."

When Sha'ban began, if the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) still had some voluntary fasts outstanding that he had not fasted, he would make them up during Sha'ban so that his Nafl fasts would be complete before Ramadan came. Similarly, if he had missed some Sunnah prayers or he had missed Qiyam al-Layl (night prayer), he would make it up. Aisha used to make the most of this opportunity to make up any obligatory Ramadan fasts that she had missed because of menstruation; during other months she was too busy with the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to fast.

We should also note here that anyone who has any missed fasts to make up has to make them up before the next Ramadan comes. It is not permissible to delay it until after the following Ramadan except in cases of necessity (such as a valid excuse that continues between the two Ramadans). Whoever is able to make them up before the (second) Ramadan and does not do so, has to make them up after the (second) Ramadan and in addition to that, he has to repent and to feed one poor person for each day that he missed. This is the view of Malik, al-Shafa'i and Ahmad.

Another benefit of fasting in Sha'ban is that it is a kind of training for the Ramadan fast, in case a person finds it difficult to fast when Ramadan starts; if he fasts in Sha'ban he will have gotten used to fasting and he will feel strong and energetic when Ramadan comes. Sha'ban is like an introduction to Ramadan and it has some things in common with Ramadan, such as fasting, reciting Quran and giving in charity. Salamah Ibn Suhayl used to say: "The month of Sha'ban is the month of reciters (of the Quran)." Habeeb Ibn Abi Thabit used to say, when Sha'ban came, "This is the month of reciters (of the Quran)." When Sha'ban came, 'Amr Ibn Qays al-Mala'i used to close his store and devote his time to reading the Quran.

Fasting at the end of Sha'ban

It was reported in Bukhari and Muslim from 'Imran Ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said to a man, "Have you fasted anything of the Sirar of this month?" He said, "No." He said: "If you have not fasted, then fast two days." According to a report narrated by Bukhari: I think he meant Ramadan. According to a report narrated by Muslim, (the Prophet - p.b.u.h.) said: "Have you fasted anything of the Sirar of Sha'ban?"

There was some dispute as to the meaning of the word Sirar. The most well-known view is that it refers to the end of the month. The end of the month is called Sirar because the moon is hidden at that time. Someone may raise the point that it was reported in Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: "Do not pre-empt Ramadan by one or two days, except for those who have the habit of fasting regularly, in which case they may fast." (Bukhari and Muslim).

How can we reconcile the Hadeeth which encourages fasting at this time with the Hadeeth which says not to fast at this time? The answer is: many of the scholars and most of those who commented on this Hadeeth said: this man to whom the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) addressed this question was known to have the habit of fasting regularly, or else he had made a vow, so the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) commanded him to make up his fast. There are also other points of view on this issue.

In brief we may say that there are three scenarios for fasting at the end of Sha'ban:

The first scenario is when a person fasts at the end of Sha'ban with the intention of being on the safe side and not missing the first day of Ramadan. This is forbidden.

The second scenario is when a person fasts with the intention of fulfilling a vow or of making up a day of Ramadan that he missed or as an act of expiation (kaffarah), etc. This is permissible according to the majority.

The third scenario is when this is purely a voluntary fast. This is regarded as makrooh (disliked) by those who said that we should differentiate between Sha'ban and Ramadan by not fasting for a while. Among those who said this was al-Hasan. If it happens to coincide with a day when a person habitually fasts, Malik and those who agreed with him permitted this, but al-Shafa'i, al-'Awza'i, Ahmad and others made a distinction between cases where it is a fast which a person habitually observes or otherwise.

In conclusion, the Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah quoted above is what we should follow according to the majority of scholars. It is makrooh to observe a voluntary fast one or two days before Ramadan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have not previously fasted until the end of Sha'ban.

It may be asked: why is it Makrooh to fast just before Ramadan (for those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there are a number of reasons why this is so, such as:

Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadan that are not part of it. Fasting on the day of Eid is prohibited for the same reason, lest we fall into the same trap as the People of the Book with regard to fasting, as they added to their fasts because of their own whims and desires. For the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the "day of doubt". 'Ammar said: whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abu'l-Qasim (p.b.u.h.). The "day of doubt" is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadan or not, when news of the sighting of the crescent moon comes from one whose word cannot be accepted. As for a cloudy day, some of the scholars said that this was also a 'day of doubt' and said that fasting was not allowed on this day. This is the view of the majority.

Secondly: to make a distinction between Fard (obligatory) fasts and Nafl fasts, because making a clear distinction between Fard actions and Nafl actions is prescribed in Islam. Hence it is Haram to fast on the day of Eid, and the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with another prayer unless they are separated by saying salam or speaking, especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr. It is prescribed to make a clear separation between this prayer and the obligatory prayer. Hence it is prescribed to pray it at home and to lie down afterwards.

When the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) saw a man praying at the time when the Iqamah had been given for Fajr, he said to him: "Al-Subh is four Rak'ahs (units)?" (Bukhari).

Some people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before Ramadan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting. This is an ignorant mistake on the part of those who think this.

Rewards of Fasting

Every act of goodness is rewarded. Rewards are given based on the sincerity of the intention. Fasting is the only worship about which Allah has said that He Himself is the reward for it. This means that one develops such a close relationship with Allah that Allah Himself becomes the helper.

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Allah, the Lord of Honor and glory says: All other deeds of man are for himself, but his fasting is purely for Me and I shall reward him for it. The fast is a shield. When any of you is fasting he should abstain from loose talk and noisy exchanges. Should anyone revile him or seek to pick a quarrel with him, he should respond with: I am observing a fast. By Him in Whose hands is the life of Muhammad, the breath of one who is fasting is purer in the sight of Allah than the fragrance of musk. One who fasts experiences two joys: he is joyful when he breaks his fast, and he is joyful by virtue of his fast when he meets his Lord" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Sa'ad Ibn Sahl relates that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "There is a gate of Paradise called Rayyan through which only those will enter on the Day of Judgment who are regular in observing the fast and no one else. A call will go forth: Where are those who observed the fast regularly? And they will step forth and no one beside them will enter through that gate. After they shall have entered, the gate will be closed and no one else will enter thereby" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Abu Sa'id Khudri relates that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "When a servant of Allah observes the fast for a day for the sake of Allah, He thereby repels the Fire from him a distance of seventy years of journeying" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "He who observes the fast during Ramadhan out of sincerity of faith and in hope of earning merit will have his past sins forgiven him" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "When Ramadhan arrives the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of hell are locked up and satans are put in chains" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Eid and Zakat ul-Fitr

- Playing, recreation, and eating on the day of Eid:

These are permissible as long as they stay within the acceptable bounds of Islam. Anas said: "when the prophet (p.b.u.h.) came to madinah, they had two days for amusement. the prophet (p.b.u.h.) has exchanged these days for two better days: the day of breaking the fast and the day of sacrifice." (Nsa'i and Ibn Hibban)

- Taking women and children to the prayer area:

The prophet (p.b.u.h.) used to take his wives and daughters to the two Eids. Umm Atiyah said: "we were ordered to go out with the single and menstruating women to the two Eids in order to witness the good and the supplications of the muslims. the menstruating women though would stay away from the prayer area." (Bukhari and Muslim)

- Going to the prayer area:

The prophet (p.b.u.h.) used to go to the prayer area by walking. Jaber narrated: "on the days of Eid, the prophet (p.b.u.h.) would go to the prayer area by one route and come back by another route." (Bukhari)

- Eating before going to the prayer area:

Since Eid al-Fitr is the day on which Muslims break their Ramadhan fast, it is preferable to eat before going to the Eid prayer. It is a Sunnah of the prophet (p.b.u.h.) to eat an odd number of dates before going to pray salat al-Eid. Anas reported: "the prophet (p.b.u.h.) would not go out on the day of Eid al-Fitr without eating an odd number of dates." (Bukhari.)

- Preparation for Eid prayer:

It is preferred to make ghusl (take a bath), wear one's best clothes and, for men, to wear perfume before going to salat al-Eid. Ibn al-Qayyim said: "the prophet (p.b.u.h.) used to wear his best clothes for the Eid prayers and he had clothes that he reserved for the two Eids and Jumuah."

- Making Takbeer:

Takbeer starts from the night of Eid's eve until the imam comes out to start the prayer. Allah says: "you should complete the prescribed period and then you should glorify allah (i.e., say takbeer) for having guided you so that you may be grateful to him." the form of takbeer is related by 'umar and ibn mas`ud: "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la illaha illallah. Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar wa lillahil-hamd."

- Congratulating each other:

It has been narrated that when the prophet's companions met each other on the Eid day, they would say to each other: "may Allah accept from us and from you." (Ahmad)

Zakat al Fitr

Zakat al Fitr is an obligatory charity on every muslim at the end of the month of ramadan. Ibn 'Umar said: "the prophet (p.b.u.h.) enjoined the payment of one sa'a of dates or one sa'a of barley as Zakat al-Fitr on every Muslim, young and old, male and female, free and slave." (Bukhari and Muslim)

The purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to purify the one who has fasted from any type of indecent act or speech he might have committed while fasting. it also helps the poor and the needy. Ibn abbas said: "the messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) enjoined Zakat al-Fitr on the one who fasts to shield him from any indecent act or speech and for the purpose of providing food for the needy." (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.)

The amount of Zakat al-Fitr

As the first Hadith indicated, the amount of Zakat al-Fitr is one Sa'a. Sa'a is a volume measure corresponding approximately to the volume of 5 lb of good wheat. The material of Zakat can be either dates, barley, wheat, rice, corn or similar items considered as basic foods. Abu Saeed said: "we used to give for Zakat al-Fitr on behalf of every child, aged person, free man or slave during the lifetime of the messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) one Sa'a of food, or one Sa'a of dried yogurt, or one Sa'a of barley, or one Sa'a of dates, or one Sa'a of raisins." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The time for Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat al-Fitr has to be paid by the end of Ramadhan. There are two times to pay akat al-Fitr. Either one or two days before Eid as 'Umar used to do, or the day of Eid before the Eid prayer. Ibn Umar reported that the prophet (p.b.u.h.) ordered them to pay Zakat al-Fitr before they go out to perform the Eid prayer. If Zakat al-Fitr is paid after the Eid prayer, it will only be considered as regular charity. The prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: "if one pays Zakat al-Fitr before the salat, it is considered an accepted Zakat, if he pays it after the salat, it is considered an ordinary charity." (Abu Dawud)

Zakat al-Fitr is to be given to the same eight categories or people as in the other types of zakat. Some scholars say that the poor and the needy are the most deserving ones since the prophet (p.b.u.h.) said that it had "...the purpose of providing food for the needy."

Signs of a Good End

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, "A Muslim who is killed in a battle is a martyr, (dying in) plague is martyrdom, a woman who dies while delivering a baby is a martyr." (Ahmad, Daarimee, Tiyaalisee, authenticated by Al-Albaanee)

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, "The martyrs are seven, other than the one who is killed in the Way of Allaah, Ta'aalaa:
- one who dies of plague,
- one who drowns,
- one who dies of pleurisy,
- one who dies of stomachache,
- one who dies due to burning
- one who dies under a demolition (by accident)
- a woman who dies with a baby in her womb."
(Maalik, Aboo Dawood, An-Nasaaee, Ibn Maajah, Ibn Hibban, Haakim, Ahmad. Authenticated by al-Albaanee)

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: "Getting killed in the Path of Allaah Ta'aalaa is martyrdom,
- (death in) confinement during childbirth is martyrdom,
- (death by) getting burned (by accident) is martyrdom,
- (death by) drowning (by accident) is martyrdom,
- (death due to) tuberculosis is martyrdom,
- (death due to) stomachache is martyrdom."
(Tabaraanee, Ahmad, authenticated by al-Albaanee)

The Ruling on Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday

Question: Is it permissible for Muslims to celebrate in the Masjid with dhikr and readings from the Seerah (Biography) of Prophet (r) on the night of the 12th of Rabee'-ul-Awwal, especially on the Prophet's birthday without making it a day of Eid? There is some differing between us as to whether it's Bid'ah Hasanah (good innovation) or not.

Answer: It's not from the way of Muslims to gather to celebrate the Prophet's birthday on the night of the 12th of Rabee'-ul-Awwal or any other night. Likewise, it is not from the way of Muslims to gather for any birthday celebration of any one, including the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). And this affair of celebrating and gathering for the birthday of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) is an innovation and a newly introduced matter in the Religion. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) never celebrated his birthday during his lifetime. And he was the one who communicated the Religion to us and legislated its legislation (for us) with Allaah's authority. This affair of celebrating the Prophet's birthday was not practiced by the rightly guided Khaleefahs or his Companions nor by those who preceded them in righteousness because they knew it was an innovation.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said:

"He who innovates something in this affair of ours (i.e. Sunnah) that is not part of it, will have it rejected." (Bukhaari and Muslim)

And in another version of the Hadeeth:

"He who does an act which is not in agreement with our affair (i.e. religion), will have it rejected."

This celebrating of the Prophet's birthday is not from his practice but rather it is something that was introduced into the Religion by the later generations of Muslims and so it is to be rejected.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) would say in his Friday khutbah (sermon):

"To Proceed. Surely the best speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of all guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. And the worst of all affairs are newly invented things and every newly invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is astray." (Sahih Muslim)

It is also recorded by an-Nasa'i with a good chain of narration with the addition:

"...and every astray is in the Hellfire."

Rights and Duties of Women

Issues in which men and women are treated alike or women are treated favorably.
This article discusses issues that carry little or no controversy.

1. Education
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) once said: "Acquiring knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim. (At-Tabarani)
This narration applies equally to men and women. "Knowledge" in this context refers primarily to knowledge of the Holy Quran and Sunnah as no Muslim should be ignorant of his or her Faith, but it also covers other areas of general education, which can contribute to the welfare of civilization. It is precisely the ignorance about their religion among Muslims that has led to men oppressing women because they believe it is permitted, women not demanding their God-given rights because they are ignorant of them, and children growing up to perpetuate their parents' follies. Throughout Islamic history, men and women both earned respect as scholars and teachers of the Faith. The books of Rijal (Reporters of Hadith) contain the names of many prominent women, beginning with Aishah and Hafsah.

2. Worship
Both men and women are the slaves of Allah and have a duty to worship and obey Him. Men and women have to pray, fast, give charity, go on pilgrimage, refrain from adultery, avoid the prohibited, enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and so on. Because of women's roles as mothers, a role which does not end at a specific time but is a round the-clock career, they have been exempted from attending the Mosque for the five daily prayers or for Jumuah (Friday) prayer. Nevertheless, if they wish to attend the Mosque, no one has the right to stop them.

3. Charitable Acts
Men and women are both encouraged to give charity, and there is nothing to stop a woman giving charity from her husband's income. Aishah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: "A woman will receive reward (from Allah) even when she gives charity from her husband's earnings. The husband and the treasurer (who keeps the money on the husband's behalf) will also be rewarded, without the reward of any of them decreasing." Asmaa once said to the Prophet "O Messenger of Allah, I have nothing except what Zubair (her husband) brings home." The Prophet told her: ‘O Asmaa give in charity. Don't lock it lest your subsistence is locked.’"

4. The Right to Own Wealth and Property
A woman has the right to keep her property or wealth, whether earned or inherited, and spend it as she may please.
This right was granted to Western women only very recently, and the women of India had to wait until 1956 for a right which Muslim women have always taken for granted. Concerning the right to one's earnings, the Holy Quran says:
"And wish not for the things in which Allah has made some of you excel the others. For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned, and ask Allah of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knower of everything." (V. 4:32)

5. Freedom to Express One's Opinion
Few societies exist in which the ordinary citizen can confront the ruler face to face and challenge his policies. Even fewer societies allow women to be so bold, yet the Islamic ideal has always been open and accessible. This freedom of expression is aptly demonstrated by a famous incident involving Omar the second Rightly- Guided Caliph. Omar was once standing on the pulpit, severely reprimanding the people and ordering them not to set excessive amounts of dower at the time of marriage. A woman got up and shouted, "Omar, you have no right to intervene in a matter which Allah the All-Mighty has already decreed in Quran:
"But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a Qintar (of gold, i.e., a great amount as Mahr bridal money), take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin?" (V.4:20)

After being reminded of this Verse, Omar withdrew his order, saying, "I am in the wrong and she is correct."

6. Participation in Jihad
The battlefield is a place, which frightens many men let alone women. Due to the aggressive and violent nature of war, only men have a duty to participate in Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's cause) while women are exempted. A woman once asked the Prophet to allow women to go on Jihad with men because of its excellence and the unlimited reward promised to Mujahideen (Muslim fighters) in the Hereafter. The Prophet replied: "For them is a Jihad without fighting," which referred to the Hajj and Umrah. Nevertheless the Prophet did permit women to nurse the injured and supply provisions to the Mujahideen at some battles. A woman from the tribe of Ghifar came with a large group of women to the Prophet when he was preparing to leave for the conquest of Khaibar. She said: "O Allah's Messenger, we wish to accompany you on this journey so that we may nurse the injured and help the Muslims." The Prophet responded, ‘Come may Allah shower His blessings upon you.’” Umm Atiyyah an Ansari woman once said:
"I have participated in seven battles with the Prophet. I used to guard the camels of the Mujahideen in their absence, cook the food, treat the injured and care for the sick."
Muadh Bin Jabal reports that his cousin Asmaa Bint Yazid killed nine Roman soldiers with a tent-pole during the battle of Yarmuk.

7. Freedom to Choose Her Husband
The guardian of the girl whether her father, brother or uncle plays an important role in her marriage such as finding a suitable match for her. But under no circumstance does this allow him to force his choice on her against her wishes. She is free to accept or reject his choice, or make her own choice. A woman named Khansa Bint Khidam once came to the Prophet and complained:
"My father has forced me to marry my cousin in order to raise his own status (in the eyes of the people)." The Prophet told her that she was free to dissolve this marriage and choose whomever she wished to marry. She replied, "I accept my father's choice, but my aim was to let the women know that fathers have no right to interfere in the marriage." (Ahmad, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah)

8. A Woman's Guarantee in War is Acceptable
If a woman gives surety to a war-captive or gives him shelter, her guarantee will be accepted. Umm Hani, a cousin of the Prophet, said to him after the conquest of Makkah: "I have given shelter to two of my in-laws." The Prophet said: ‘O Umm Hani, we have given shelter to whom you have given shelter.’" According to another narrative, Umm Hani gave shelter to a man but her cousin Ali tried to kill the man. She complained to the Prophet who endorsed her act of giving shelter to the man.

9. The Right to Custody of Children
Divorce is especially painful and difficult when the couple has had children, and awarding custody to either party involves difficulties. According to Western law, both father and mother have to prove to the Court that they are more capable of looking after the children, and this often involves maligning the other party in order to strengthen their own claims to custody. Islamic law has its own clear decision on this issue. Custody of young boys and girls goes to the mother. The son stays with his mother until he is about seven or nine years of age, after which he is looked after by the father. The daughter remains with her mother until she gets married. The exception is when the mother herself re-marries, in which case custody may be awarded to someone else such as the girl's grandmother or aunt. This is based on the Prophet's words to the divorcee:
"Your right to custody of the child is greater as long as you do not remarry."

10. Participation in Extending Co-operation for the Promotion of Good and Elimination of Evil.
The Holy Quran deals with this subject in clear terms:
"The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salat (Iqįmat-as-Salat), and give Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise." (V. 9:71)

Rights Due to Parents

None can deny the parents' favor upon their children. The parents are the underlying reason for the existence of the child. They have reared him in his babyhood and experienced painstaking efforts to provide full comfort and sound well-being. Your mother had you in her womb while you were a parasite there sharing her food and whole being for nine months. In this context, Allah says:
"And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship..." (31:14)

It is a preliminary stage followed by incubation and breast feeding for two years marked by peculiar fatigue and hardships. The father, on his part, is meanwhile also fully engaged catering for his child and bringing him up, not sparing any sort of instructions or guidance he could provide his child with; the child, meanwhile, a helpless creature is neither harmful nor useful to himself.

Allah has always enjoined that children should be good and thankful to their parents and He says:
"And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years - give thanks to Me and to your parents, - unto Me is the final destination." (31:14)

"... And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small." (17:23, 24)

The right of parents upon you is to do good with them. You should be good to them physically as well as monetarily, and also with your words and your actions. You should be obedient to them unless in it there is disobedience to your Lord or there is some harm to you. Be kindhearted to them and serve them as they need your help. In their old age, in case of any ailment or weakness, never consider them a burden on you, neither speak to them harshly, because one day you will also become as old as they are. You will be a father as they are your parents and, if life permits, soon you will be an old man before your children just like your parents became old before you. So you need the help of your children as your parents need you today. If you are doing good to your parents then you must have the good news of a great reward and a better showing from your children, because whoever remained good to his parents, his children will also be good to him; and whoever annoyed his parents, will also be annoyed by his children. It is the process of recompense that deeds provide the results accordingly "as you sow, so will you reap. Allah has ranked the rights due to the parents high next only to His and the Prophet's, Allah says:
"Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents..." (4:36)

And Allah also says:
"...give thanks to Me and to your parents... (31:14)

Being dutiful to one's parents assumes priority even over Jihad (fight in the cause of Allah) as is narrated in the tradition of Ibn Mas'ood when he asked the Prophet (p.b.u.h.):
"Which deed is most beloved by Allah?" He said, 'Observing prayer in time.' "And next to that?" He said: 'Being dutiful to one's parents.' "And next to that?" He answered: 'Jihad (fight in the cause of Allah).'"

This Hadith (Prophetic saying) reported by Bukhari and Muslim points directly to the significance of the rights due to one's parents.

Unfortunately, most people have forgotten these rights, instead disobedience and severance of ties have risen to harden the hearts, and even they contempt and detest their parents. Some people have even deemed themselves superior to those two old good creatures. A recompense is sure in store for those disobedient children, sooner or later.

The Muslim is Friendly And Likeable

The Muslim who truly understands the teachings of his religion is gentle, friendly and likeable. He mixes with people and gets along with them. This is something which should be a characteristic of the Muslim who understands that keeping in touch with people and earning their trust is one of the most important duties of the Muslim. It is an effective means of conveying the message of truth to them, and exposing them to its moral values, because people only listen to those whom they like, trust and accept. Hence there are many Hadiths which commend the type of person who is friendly and liked by others. Such a person is one of those chosen ones who are beloved by the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and will be closest to him on the Day of Resurrection:
"Shall I not tell you who among you is the most beloved to me and will be closest to me on the Day of Resurrection?" He repeated it two or three times, and they said, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.).’ He said: "Those of you who are the best in attitude and character." (Reported by Ahmad and its Isnad is Jayyid) Some reports add: "Those who are down to earth and humble, who get along with others and with whom others feel comfortable."

One of the attributes of the believer is that he gets along with others and others feel comfortable with him. He likes people and they like him. If he is not like this, then he will not be able to convey the message or achieve anything of significance. Whoever is like that has no goodness in him, as in the Hadith:
"The believer gets along with people and they feel comfortable with him. There is no goodness in the one who does not get along with people and with whom they do not feel comfortable.” (Reported by Ahmad and al-Bazar; the men of Ahmad's Isnad are Rijal as-Sahih)

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) set the highest example of good behaviour towards people. He was skilful in softening their hearts and called them to follow him in word and deed. He demonstrated how to reach people's hearts and win their love and admiration.

He was always cheerful and easy-going, never harsh. When he came to any gathering, he would sit wherever there was a free space, and he told others to do likewise. He treated everyone equally, so that no one who was present in a gathering would feel that anyone else was receiving preferential treatment. If anyone came to him and asked for something, he would give it to them, or at least respond with kind words. His good attitude extended to everyone and he was like a father to them. The people gathered around him were truly equal, distinguished only by their level of taqwa. They were humble, respecting their elders, showing compassion to young ones, giving priority to those in need and taking care of strangers.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) never used to disappoint anyone who came to ask from him. There are three characteristics that he did not possess: he was not argumentative, he did not talk too much, and he did not concern himself with matters that were not his business. There are three things that he never did to people: he never criticized anyone, he never said "Shame on you!" to anyone, and he never looked for anyone's faults. He never said anything but that for which he hoped to earn reward. When he spoke, the people around him would listen earnestly, sitting still as if there were birds on their heads. When he was silent, then they would speak. They never argued with one another in his presence. They would smile at whatever he smiled at, and would be impressed by whatever impressed him. He would be patient with a stranger who might be harsh in his requests or questions, and his Companions would ask the stranger to speak gently. He said, "If you see someone in need, then help him." He never accepted praise except from someone who was thanking him for a favour, and he never cut off anyone who was speaking; he would wait until the person indicated that he had finished, or stood up.

Aishah tells us that he used to be cautious of the worst type of people, and he would speak gently to them and treat them well. A man sought permission to enter upon him and he said, "Let him in, what a bad brother of his tribe he is!" When the man came in, he spoke gently to him. Aishah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.), you said what you said, and then you spoke gently to him.’ He (p.b.u.h.) said, "O Aishah, the worst of people is the one whom people avoid (or are gentle towards) because they fear his slander." (Bukhari and Muslim)

The true Muslim follows in the footsteps of his Prophet in his dealings with all people, whether they are good or bad, so that he is liked and accepted by all people.

Rights Due to Children

The word "children" stands for sons and daughters, who are entitled to indisputable rights of rearing represented in promoting their religious orientation and ethical approach in order to be armed with both merits. Allah, the Almighty, says: "O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones..." (The Holy Quran: 66:6)

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Everyone of you is a protector and guardian and responsible for your wards and things under your care and a man is a guardian of his family members, and is accountable for those placed under his charge." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Children are a trust put in the hands of parents who will be answerable before Allah on the Day of Judgment about their children as they are enjoined to satisfy their offspring's spiritual and religious urges in order to produce righteous men and women, to be a consolation for the eyes of their parents in both the present world and Hereafter. Allah, the Almighty says: "And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in Faith, to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned." (The Holy Quran: 52:21)

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) in this context, said: "When a believer dies, his work ceases to be except in three areas: a perpetual Sadaqa (charity), some useful knowledge he leaves and a righteous son praying for him." (Muslim)

However, some parents have paid no heed to their children's rights and shirked away their obligations to them. Consequently the latter have got lost and begun to grope in darkness. Their parents have been too busy in worldly affairs promoting their financial situation and hoarding wealth to enquire about the company in which their children are involved or to guide them to good and make them shun evil, although they are more eligible for parental care, love and attention. Duties of father are not confined to catering for his child's physical well-being, nutritious needs and clothing only; he is rather demanded to care about the spiritual side of his child's character, feeding his heart with knowledge and faith and enveloping his soul with a clad of piety and the fear of Allah.

Children are eligible to be spent on in kindness with neither extravagance nor stint. Spending on one's children manifests deep gratitude to Allah for the wealth, which the Creator has conferred on to the father. He cannot withhold his wealth, nor stint on it; otherwise it will go involuntarily to his children after his death. Should he be stint, although it is the right of the children to acquire adequate money to sustain themselves.

Another right fully due to children is equality in parental treatment. No one should be given preference over the others in gifts or presents. The canonical law of Islam dictates that no child should enjoy privileges to the prejudice of his brothers or sisters; this is injustice on the face of it. Allah forbids injustice because it leads to aversion on the part of the deprived children, and creation of hostility between the ill-treated and the pampered ones or even between the former and their parents. One child could show more honor to his parents than his other brothers or sisters, the thing that invites his parents to single him out for more privileges to the exclusion of the others. This behavior is unjustifiable because the dutiful son is rewarded by his Lord; moreover, a privilege of this sort could on the one hand lead the child to vain glory and on the other, the less fortunate ones could develop a kind of aversion and then overstep the mark and indulge in further disobedience. Life is rich in vicissitudes; the undutiful son could turn into a respectful one and vice versa; after all, hearts are in the grasp of Allah and they could show different emotions as He desires.

Bukhari and Muslim reported a narration from An-Numan bin Bashir that his father Bashir bin Sa'd took him to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said, "I have given this son of mine a slave." The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, 'Have you given all your sons the like?’ He replied in the negative. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, 'Take back your gift then.'"

In another narration, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Be afraid of Allah, and be just to your children."

And in another narration, he (peace be upon him) said: "Make anyone else a witness upon this because I cannot be a witness on a Zulm (wrongdoing)."

In clear words, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) described preference of one's child over the others as injustice which is synonymous with Zulm (wrongdoing) and Zulm is Haram (prohibited). However, we must not mix up between preference and making an exception of one child and satisfying his urgent needs; this exception serves special exigencies and runs in the same channel of supporting one's family.

When the parent has discharged his obligations towards his offspring in all aspects including sustenance and upbringing, then the child should certainly manage to observe full obedience and honor to his parent. But when a father fails to fulfill his duties, he is liable to be punished that his son should deny his parental right and let the father be rightly recompensed of what he did.

Benefits of Becoming a Muslim

1. As far as the Creator (whose proper name is Allah) is concerned, you will be able to identify Him and get to know Him, His role and your relationship to His names, you will be able to communicate with Him any time, 24 hours a day, throughout the whole year. As a result of this category, you will be able to know your origin, your roots and the wisdom as to why you are on this planet. You will be able to have good answers to the questions why, how, when, where, what and other philosophical questions.

2. As a result of the first benefit, your loyalty, allegiance, and obedience will be to the Creator himself. You will transcend yourself from all types of allegiance for this world. This means that if there is a conflict of interest between your boss, your job, your government, your system or any worldly relationship with the Creator, you will undoubtedly put your trust in Allah, the Creator of the universe. You will follow Him before you follow anyone else.

3. As a result of the second benefit, you will be able to acquire peace, harmony, tranquility and happiness within yourself, with your family, with people of the world, with the environment and with the universe. One has to remember that the source of peace is Allah, and one of his beautiful names is that He is The Peace.

4. As an endorsement to the third benefit, you will get rid of the extra electrostatic charges from your brain and the central nervous system by performing the daily Salah. Through Salah, you are to prostrate by putting your forehead to the floor; and as such are grounding yourself, and you are discharging these extra charges into the ground. As a result of this act, you will get rid of many of the neurological diseases from your body.

5. As a result of the fourth benefit, you will acquire a pleasant personality. You will be friendly and amicable. You would not need to drink alcohol, to use drugs or to get involved in vulgarity or immorality.

6. Through the experience of fasting in Islam, you will be able to have self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline, self-education, self-evaluation, and self-obedience to Allah the Creator. You undoubtedly will be able to improve health, personality, character, and behavior.

7. As a result of the sixth benefit, you will be able to control your lusts, selfishness, desires, greed, ego, and conceitedness.

8. Another side reaction of the sixth and seventh benefits is that you will be generous and hospitable; you will try to purify yourself and your mistakes by sharing your happiness and your wealth with those who are less fortunate than you. Your rewards will manifold, compounded daily until the Day of Judgment.

9. By performing pilgrimage to Makkah, you will transcend yourself from being nationalistic, sectarian, or denominational into being universal. You will be part and an essential constituent of the rainbow of Islam. You will be also part of the brotherhood of Islam with those who already submitted themselves to the Creator. At the same time, you will get rid of any inferiority or superiority complexes. You will also find yourself in synchrony and harmony with all the prophets and messengers of Allah since the creation of Adam and Eve until the last final messenger to mankind, prophet Muhammad (pbuh). While in Makkah, you will be able to visit the places of revelation of the Quran as well as the places visited by prophet Abraham and members of his family such as Hagar and Ishmael. You will visit the place where the first astronauts, Adam and Eve landed on earth.

10. In becoming a Muslim, you will do your best to stop all types of exploitations in all their forms: economic, biological, mental, spiritual, psychological, political, etc.. You will also work to liberate people and give them freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression. You will be a leader and help lead people to peace, tranquility and happiness.

11. In accepting Islam, you will help to reduce all types of social ills in the society: juvenile delinquency, child abuse, domestic abuse, incest, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, premarital relationships, extramarital relationships, and other vices.

12. As a result of the eleventh benefit, you will reduce and eliminate venereal diseases, AIDS, and other diseases of similar nature in the society.

13. Finally, when you die, you will die at peace. You will have a happy life in the grave and later, eternal happiness. Angels at the time of death will comfort you. They will also show you your place in paradise. On the Day of Judgment, you will be able to see and meet all the prophets and messengers of God to mankind including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. You will be able to see and meet any and all of your friends and relatives. You will live an eternal life of bliss in paradise.

Reflections:

The benefits mentioned above and many more cannot be purchased with money anywhere in the world. No one is to sell them to you or to advertise them on TV. You have to take the initiative yourself and try to acquire them by accepting Islam first and then by practicing its teachings. You should be honest with yourself, sincere, and truthful to the Creator. You should try wholeheartedly to practice what you believe, regardless of whether someone else is good or not While seeking happiness is a must, it should not be measured with other people's standards or with material gains. Happiness is from its potential to its kinetic forms. People around you should feel your happiness as well as benefit from you.

Are you ready to accept this challenge today? Remember, tomorrow may not come, and it will be too late?

Optimizing PHP string concatenation

Hello there,

This post is not really a question, but it could be useful to share some coding tips.

Here is the one I'de like to share with you. I'm gonna show you 4 examples to do the same thing, but only the last one will be the best.

$foo = 'John SMITH';

echo "Hello $foo, welcome on my website.";

echo "Hello " . $foo . " welcome on my website.";

echo 'Hello ' . $foo . ' welcome on my website.';

echo 'Hello ', $foo , ' welcome on my website.';

I'm sure you all know that echo '$foo' won't work, but still, I'm pretty sure that you use double quote to display a simple information. THIS IS BAD.

Well let's begin : The first one is bad (as well as the second) because using double quote forces php to scan the string to look for a substitution to be done (I mean a variable).

The second one is a little better, since php has no replacement to do.

The third one, is better because of simple quote, so that the language knows he can just send the text without processing, but the "bad" thing is the use of concatenation (dot operator, like in the second example).

The last one uses simple quote, and the coma operator. Why is this solution better?

Well, what happens when Using the third solution?

php creates a string, containing "Hello ", then it has to enlarge it, to put the content of foo variable ("John SMITH"), and then, enlarge it again to put " Welcome on my website." sentence. Then, echo can use this, to ... echo it :)

Whereas in the 4th one, the only thing to do for echo is to send "Hello ", then $foo's content, then " Welcome on my website." to the output, and that is all! Because echo just has to send the text, without creating a string that will have to be enlarged to contain the whole texte (that would have been concate, which has to be grown (because of concatenation) and then displayed.

I'll try to find back some benchmarks and put them here.

Fell free to comment or react, and excuse my english, this is not my mother thong.

Linux Commands You Need to Know as Web Developer

As web developer, somewhere along the line, you’ll meet unix or linux shell. For those who never use unix/linux before, it could be frustate to deal with shell command.

For a simple thing as list files in current directory to extract zip files. So here a quick list commands you probably need for your next journey. In my opinion, it won’t hurt you to learn some of linux shell commands. Take a quick look, and maybe you have familiar with some of them.

• chmod - change permission of a file or directory
  
  

  Linux has something called permission on file or folder.

  
  

  r - Read permission. Permission to read a file or browse a folder

  
  

  w - Write permission. Permission to write to file or create new file in the folder

  
  

  x - Execute permission. Permission to execute file

  
  

  
  $ls -al
  -rw-r--r--  1 gchandrasa gchandrasa     43 2009-02-15 15:00 sample.txt
  

  
  

  the first 3 characters after -, rw- belong to users permission.
  
  the second 3 characters r-- belong to group permission.
  
  
  the third 3 characters r-- belong to others user permission.

  
  

  One way to change this permission is using the number
  
  r = 4
  
  w = 2
  
  x = 1
  
  So if you want to change the sample.txt permission to others, give read and write permissions.
  
  r = 4 and w = 2, so rw = 4 + 2 = 6

  
  
  

  
  $chmod 646 sample.txt
  

  
  

  Give read and write permission to users, read permission to group, and read and write permission to others.

  
  


• cd - change directory
  
  Use this command to change your current directory.
  
  Example : you need to change directory to Documents
  
  

  $ cd Documents

  
  



• cp - copy files and directories
  
  Example : copy file index.php from directory a to directory b
  
  

  $ cp a/index.php b/

  
  


• ls - list files in a directory
  
  Example : list files in current directory
  
  

  $ ls

  
  
  

  Example : list files in current directory, and show hidden files.
  

  $ ls -a

  
  


• man - display manual for a command
  

  $ man mv

  
  


• mkdir - create new directories
  

  $ mkdir newfolder

  
  


• mv - move (rename) files
  
  
  Use this command to move your file(s) or to rename file(s).
  
  

  $ mv oldfolder newfolder

  
  


• rm - remove files or directories.
  
  Delete all files with extension jpg in current directory.
  
  

  $ rm *.jpg

  
  


• tar - The GNU version of the tar archiving utility
  
  
  Untar and extract file
  
  

  $ tar -xvf test.tar.bz2

  
  


• unzip - list, test and extract compressed files in a ZIP archive
  
  Extract file zip
  
  

  $ unzip test.zip