FEEDS RSS 2.0 Comments Introduction Calling non-Muslims to Islam Chapter 2 20920: Her boyfriend has become a Muslim and is making her choose between Islam and splitting up Question: I'm a christian woman and my boyfriend has converted and is a muslim now. We've been through so much and made a lot of promises that we always stay together even if I do not become a muslim. I am learning more about Islam. But with my job and my own believes I would never wear a veil. I always wear long sleeves and dress business. So if I would become a muslim am I not allowed to wear business clothes? I'm not scared what others think I just don't believe in it. Last week my boyfriend told me he would never choose no one over me regardless of what religion I am and yesterday he told me I have to chose either I become a muslim or we break up because he said the e-man said he should be with a muslim woman. All I need is some time to decide what is best for me and I am learning more about the Koran. He basically put me on the spot and is forcing me to chose. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Allaah makes it easy for the one for whom He wills happiness to find it. Perhaps Allaah wills that for you by means of this person who is calling you to Islam and by means of your getting in touch with us so that you may be guided to what is best for you in this life and in the Hereafter. Islam does not allow any illicit relationship between a man and a woman. Allaah has established marriage as the legitimate means for satisfying sexual desire, and through marriage a man and woman form a family based on the laws of Allaah, and their children are legitimate. We will not tell you that hijab (the veil) is not obligatory, and we will not tell you that Islam excuses you from wearing it. Rather we will tell you that you should not let the idea of wearing hijab form an obstacle to your entering Islam. You have to start by saving yourself from your current situation and enter into that which Allaah loves and is pleased with, which is to believe in Him alone (Tawheed) and to bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is His Messenger. After you enter Islam and faith becomes established in your heart, you will have the opportunity to study and find out for yourself everything that Allaah likes, so that you can do it, and everything that He hates so you can give it up and avoid it. We advise you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts to choose that which is best for you, not so that you can marry a Muslim man, but for your own sake, and for your own happiness and salvation from the punishment and wrath of Allaah. What you are going to choose is nothing other than the religion of the Prophets of old. It is the religion of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. All the Prophets bore witness that God is One, and they denied that He has any partner, wife or son. Allaah accepted the Covenant from all the Prophets that they would believe in our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and that they would support him if he was sent during their lifetimes, and He commanded them to tell their nations to do likewise. Allaah made the message of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a message to all mankind until the Hour begins [i.e., until the Day of Judgement comes], whereas the Prophets before him were each sent only to their own people. So do not hesitate. Hasten before your time is up and death comes. Choose the path that leads to happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allaah make you a Muslim woman and a righteous wife who will establish a home and family based on Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allaah) and obedience. We ask Allaah to guide you and support you. Please also see the answer to question no. 3023. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 11865: How many times should he call a non-Muslim to Islam? Question: For up to many times should we conduct Islamic lectures to a group of non-muslims who seems not interested to what we are conveying. We are a volunteer dawah brothers and we use to visit workshops, factories, hospitals to make dawah. Oftentimes we make a visit which last 4 to 5 times in one place. But we noticed nobody is listening. Some only stayed just because the owner of the establishment ordered (obliges) them to attend. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. We ask Allaah to reward you with good, and to bless your work and your efforts. There is no specific number of times that you should give lectures to those whom you mention. That depends on the number of places you visit and the time that is given to you, and the extent to which the people are responsive. The daa'iyah is required to be wise in giving da'wah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would try to choose the right time for preaching to his companions so that they would not get bored, and this is how you should be. Strive to call people to Islam in a way that is better, and choose suitable times and places for da'wah. The daa'iyah should not despair if he makes da'wah time after time and sees little response. Hearts are in the hand of Allaah, and all the daa'iyah has to do is to convey the message. A word that the daa'iyah thinks little of may have an effect on a person's heart years later, and may be the cause of his being guided. In order for this word to bear fruit, it should be accompanied with a smile, compassion and a sincere desire to save these poor people and bring them forth from the darkness of kufr and atheism. If the daa'iyah can add some money or help to his words, let him do so, for that give credibility to the values and principles to which he is calling people, and may prepare people's hearts to accept the goodness that comes to them and remove any hatred, resistance and objections. Also strive to solve any problems that these people may have with their bosses at work. This will have a great effect in softening their hearts towards the daa'iyah. Long ago the poet said: Be kind to people, you will win their hearts… Even better than that is the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): "The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allaah orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend" [Fussilat 41:34] You should leave with these people something that they can look at in their spare time, when you are not there, such as pamphlets and booklets. If a person thinks about the truth when he is on his own, he is more likely to accept it and submit to it. Part of your da'wah should be addressed to the bosses themselves, advising them to treat these workers well and to show them the good morals and attitudes of Islam. Often that is a cause of the workers embracing Islam, just as the bad attitude of a boss and his mistreatment of his workers may be a cause of their resisting Islam. May Allaah help you to guide others and make you truly guided. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20849: He married a second wife and they became Muslim _ what should he do with his first wife? Question: I would appreciate if you can give an immediate answer to this question which has been bothering my new brother who just professes his faith in Islam. A man has had a relationship with a woman bearing 2 children during their marriage relationship way back on their own country. In the course of time, the man got a job in Saudi Arabia for contractual basis, leaving his wife and children behind. At the time the man was working in Saudi Arabia, he met a woman and had a relationship with her which bores them 1 child. A civil marriage ceremony was consumated without the knowledge of the first wife which he leave in his own country. Now, the couple who both works in Saudi Arabia recently embraced Islam. Since both are new in the religion, fearing they might commit sins/wrongs which is against the teaching of Islam, could you please give us your advise on the following: 1. what is the Islamic ruling about the relationship mentioned? 2. what is the man's responsibility as far as to his 2 children from the first wife, and what is his responsibility now to the first wife? 3. what sins are committed and what to do to avoid this sins? Further, please give Islmaic advice as regards the siutation stated above. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: We praise Allaah for having guided them to Islam, and we ask Allaah to make them steadfast in Islam until death, so that they may attain the Paradise of Allaah and His good pleasure. We give them the glad tidings that Islam erases whatever sin came before it. No matter what sins a person may have committed, if Allaah then blesses him with guidance to Islam, then he will become cleansed and free from sin as on the day his mother bore him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven" [al-Anfaal 8:38] "If they cease" means if they give up their kufr or disbelief by submitting to Allaah alone, with no partner or associate. Tafseer al-Sa'di. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Islam erases whatever came before it" (narrated by Muslim, 121) _ meaning, of sin. Secondly: A man does not have the right to form a relationship with a woman who is a stranger (non-mahram) to him. If something of that nature happened before they got married, it is a sin which is recorded against them. If that happened before they became Muslim, then Allaah has forgiven it when they became Muslim. If that happened after they became Muslim, then they have to repent from that. Allaah has promised to accept the repentance of the one who turns to Him in repentance. He says (interpretation of the meaning): "And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do" [al-Shoora 42:25] "And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do" [Ta-Ha 20:82] For more information on repentance and its conditions, please see question no. 13990. Thirdly: There is no sin involved in a man's marrying a second wife. Allaah has permitted a man to have up to four wives, if he is able to treat them fairly and give them all their rights. He does not have to inform his first wife of his desire to marry a second or that he has already done so. Fourthly: With regard to the man's duties towards his children and first wife, he has to spend on them according to their needs. What really matters is that he should try to guide them and save them from the Fire, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded" [al-Tahreem 66:6] So he must do all that he can to call his wife to Islam and to advise her, and encourage her to embrace Islam. If she refuses then he can still remain married to her and not divorce her if she is from among the People of the Book (i.e., Jewish or Christian). But if she is an idol-worshipper then it is not permissible for her to remain the wife of a Muslim, so in that case he has to divorce her. Please see also question no. 9949. It should be noted that if one of the parents becomes Muslim and his children are still small (i.e., below the age of adolescence), then they are judged to be Muslim because of his becoming Muslim. But if they are adults or have reached the age of adolescence, then that is not the case. See al-Mughni, 13/115; Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah by Ibn al-Qayyim, 2/507. Based on this, if the small children know that Allaah has blessed him and them with guidance to the true religion, then he has to teach them about tahaarah (purity, i.e., wudoo') and prayer, and other rulings, so that they will grow up with it and get used to doing it, following the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Teach your children to pray when they are seven years old and smack them if they do not do it when they are ten, and separate them in their beds." Narrated by Abu Dawood, 495; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 5868. See also question no. 10016. He should not stay here for work and leave his young children exposed to loss and deviation; he should try to bring them here to be with him, so that he will be able to do that which Allaah has enjoined him to do of bringing them up well. If he cannot bring them here then he should be in constant contact with them, corresponding with them and guiding them. It is not permissible for him to neglect them and leave them to be lost. He will be responsible for them on the Day of Resurrection. We also encourage our new brother and his wife to learn the rulings of Islam by reading and asking knowledgeable people and reading useful Islamic sites on the internet, and to apply whatever they have learned in the required manner. We ask Allaah to make them steadfast and help them to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 22852: Should he advise those who frequent pornographic websites? Question: I want to do the will of Allaah and call people to Allaah, by calling kaafirs who frequent pornographic websites. What advice can you offer us? I have a Muslim diary which contains commentary on the Qur'aan in English. What do you suggest we should do?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. We advise you to ignore these pornographic websites and not look at them at all. Strive to call people to Islam in your own environment and in your own community. That is best for you. A person may be sure of his religious commitment, and he may get in touch with people who run these websites, and gradually the Shaytaan will cause him to fall into haraam, especially since there are so many of these sites and the people who set them up are so evil. So they may gradually lead this sincere person astray and may flood him with their filthy e-mails. So fear Allaah, and avoid all places of doom. Protect your religious commitment from any temptation. Keep yourself busy with that which will benefit you, such as seeking beneficial knowledge and doing righteous deeds. Note that warding off bad things takes priority over bringing benefits. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20815: A Christian wants to become Muslim and is asking about the prayer Question: I have not read about the prayers anywhere yet, at least how they are performed.(movements,speach ie: what is said if anything specific) How can one convert not knowing arabic? Isn't this the only language the Qu'ran should be read and recitted from? . Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Prayer is the greatest of the pillars of Islam after the Shahaadatayn (twin declaration of faith). What is obligatory is five prayers during the day and night. This establishes a relationship between a person and his Lord, in which a person finds peace, happiness and contentment, as he stands before his Lord and speaks to Him, and calls upon Him and converses with Him, and prostrates before Him, complains to Him of his worries and sorrows, and turns to Him at times of calamity. Whatever has been said to you about the prayer, nothing can really describe how great and important it is, and no one can appreciate it except the one who tastes its joy and spends his nights in prayer and fills his days with it. It is the delight of those who believe in the Oneness of God and the joy of the believers. Allaah has prescribed purification before the prayer, so that the body is cleansed of impurities and sins are washed away. For the Muslim does not wash any of his limbs but sins are washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us. With regard to how the prayer is done, it involves standing, saying "Allaahu akbar (Allaah is Most Great)", reciting Qur'aan, bowing and prostrating. All you have to do is go to an Islamic Centre in your country to see how the Muslims pray and learn about it. The fact that a person does not know Arabic does not affect his Islam, and it is not deprive him of the honour of belonging to the faith. How many people's hearts are opened to Islam every day, who do not know even one letter of Arabic. There are thousands of Muslims in India, Pakistan, the Philippines and elsewhere who have memorized the Qur'aan by heart, but not one of them can hold a lengthy conversation in Arabic. That is because Allaah has made the Qur'aan easy, and has made it easy for people to memorize it, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And We have indeed made the Qur'aan easy to understand and remember; then is there any one who will remember (or receive admonition)?" [al-Qamar 54:17] In the prayer the Muslim must recite Soorat al-Faatihah in Arabic, so he has to learn it. If he is unable to do so but he knows one verse of it, he should repeat it seven times, which is the number of verses in Soorat al-Faatihah. If he is unable to do that then he should say: "Subhaan Allaah, wa'l-hamdu Lillaah, wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar, wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god except Allaah, Allaah is Most Great, there is no god but Allaah, and there is no power and no strength except with Allaah)." See question no. 5410. The matter is easy, praise be to Allaah. How many people have learned to speak a language other than their own very well, even two or three languages, so how can they be unable to learn thirty or forty words that they need in their prayers? If the language was really an obstacle, you would not find millions of Muslims who are not Arabs, who perform the acts of worship with ease, praise be to Allaah. So hasten to enter Islam, for no one knows when his appointed time (i.e. death) will come. May Allaah save you and keep you safe from His wrath and punishment. All you have to do to enter this great religion is to say, "Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa Rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger)," and you will find people among your Muslim brothers who will help you to learn the prayer and other matters of Islam. Please also see the following questions: 219, 12376, 6389, 6706, 378, 2585, 20239, 10590, 4319 And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 37653: A Christian woman wants to fast Question: I'm a christianity but I do not believe in my religion anymore,and i'm sorry for that. I believe in allaah and his prophet. Now I want to do the Rammadan,but I'm still christianity,can I do the rammadan now? I dont know how to be a muslim. I feel it in my heart but I think this is not enough?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. We ask Allaah to open your heart to Islam. If you fast without entering Islam, you will not gain anything from it except hunger and thirst, because Allaah does not accept any acts of worship unless they are based on correct belief and sound religious commitment. The most important thing for you _ and the most important thing overall _ is to start with the right step, which is entering Islam. After that you can start to pray and fast, and read Qur'aan, and do all the acts of worship which will bring life and joy to your heart. It is not difficult for you to enter Islam, all you need to do is to utter the Shahaadatayn (the twin testimony of faith): Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah). The fact that you feel in your heart that you are already Muslim is a good sign, but you have to take the last and most important step, which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. If you do not believe in your religion _ as you say in your question _ then what is life worth if a person does not have a religion or values or a divine system by which to live? Do you think that the life of this world is no more than leisure, idle pursuits and satisfying desires, then it all comes to an end when you die? No way! For after death comes the reckoning, and after the reckoning comes either Paradise or Hell. So you must hasten to do that which will lead to your salvation. Do not wait or hesitate, for life passes quickly and no one knows when his life will come to an end and he will enter the first stage of the Hereafter, where regret will be of no avail, and a man will wish that he could return to this world so that he could believe and do righteous deeds. "Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allaah), he says: `My Lord! Send me back, So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!' No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected" [al-Mu'minoon 23:99-100 _ interpretation of the meaning] "If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say: `Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.) of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!'" [al-An'aam 6:27 _ interpretation of the meaning] "But those who disbelieve (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism), for them will be the fire of Hell. Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die nor shall its torment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever! Therein they will cry: `Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (the evil deeds) that we used to do.' (Allaah will reply:) `Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it? And the warner came to you. So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there is no helper.'" [Faatir 35:36-37 _ interpretation of the meaning] We ask Allaah to guide you and to help you to do that which is good for you in this world and in the Hereafter. We are ready to answer any questions you may have in sha Allaah. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 9232: She wants to become Muslim and she is asking about the etiquette of entering the mosque Question: I am in love with a Muslim. We do plan to be married soon, as long as his parents are accepting of it. I plan to pronounce shahaadah soon, and begin the rituals of cleansing and prayer. My question is, what things can I do that will make me a good and virtuous wife to him? What manners should I have and what practices should I follow? What rules are there about women in the mosque? Also, how should I read the Holy Book?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. We praise Allaah Who has lighted the path of truth for you and enabled you to become convinced of Islam which is the true religion. All you have to do now is to utter the twin testimony of faith (the Shahaadatayn) in order to set your affairs straight, and you will be granted divine support in this world and in the Hereafter. So hasten to take this step and I ask Allaah to make you steadfast in adhering to His religion. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. Secondly: In order to be a righteous wife with whom Allaah is pleased, we advise you, after obeying Allaah, to obey your husband so long as he does not tell you to do anything wrong or sinful, for a wife's obedience towards her husband is one of the most important principles of marriage propagated in Islam. It was narrated that Mu'aadh ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone else, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their husbands, because of the husband's great rights. No woman can find the sweetness of faith until she fulfils her husband's rights, even if he calls her to him when she is atop her camel." Al-Haythami said: This was narrated in full by al-Bazzaar and in part by Ahmad, and the men of its isnaad are the men of saheeh. Majma' al-Zawaa'id, 4/309 Thirdly: After that you have to give up the bad customs that you used to engage in before your Islam, that go against Islam and its commandments. That includes tabarruj (wanton display), being unveiled and not wearing proper Islamic hijaab _ if you are one of those who do not wear Islamic dress. You also have to give up such customs of the disbelievers as mixing with men, and making friends with men who are not your mahrams. You have to get used to Muslim customs and the commands of their religion which teaches that the Muslim woman is to be protected and not to wander about half naked in the marketplaces and places where there is free mixing with men, because that offends her husband's honour. Fourthly: With regard to the way of life that you have to follow, that is by adhering to the commands enjoined by Allaah and by avoiding the things that Allaah has forbidden; that includes praying and fasting regularly and remembering Allaah in all situations. In all of that it will help if you read the Qur'aan and useful books which describe Islam and its teachings. Fifthly: With regard to the guidelines on women entering the mosque, they are as follows: 1 _ She should not go out wearing perfume, adornment or make-up. This does not apply only to going out to the mosque, rather whenever she goes out of her house, it is haraam for her to go out wearing make up. Her purpose in going out of the house should be to pray to Allaah or to attend a lesson from which she can learn the rulings of her religion. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not prevent the female slaves of Allaah from going to the mosques of Allaah, but let them go out not wearing perfume." Narrated by Abu Dawood, 565; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 529 2 _ It is Sunnah for the Muslim, when he leaves his house and heads towards the mosque, to recite the du'aa' for walking to the mosque: It was narrated that `Abd-Allaah ibn `Abbaas said: "… Then the muezzin gave the call to prayer, and he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) came out, saying, `Allaahumma aj'al fi qalbi nooran wa fi lisaani nooran waj'al fi sam'i nooran waj'al fi basari nooran waj'al min khalfi nooran wa min amaami nooran waj'al min fawqi nooran wa min tahti nooran, Allaahummah a'tini nooran (O Allaah, place with my heart light, and upon my tongue light, and within my ears light and within my eyes light, and place behind me light and in front of me light and above me light and beneath me light, O Allaah, bestow upon me light)." Narrated by Muslim, 763. 3 _ When he enters the mosque, he should enter with his right foot first, and say the words that were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): It was narrated that Abu Humayd or Abu Usayd said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When any one of you enters the mosque, let him say: Allaahumma iftah li abwaab rahmatika (O Allaah, open to me the gates of Your mercy), and when he leaves let him say, Allaahumma inni as'aluka min fadlika (O Allaah, I ask You of Your bounty)." Narrated by Muslim, 713 According to some reports, the words Bismillaah, Allaahumma salli `ala Muhammad (In the name of Allaah, O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad) are added at the beginning of each. See al-Tirmidhi, 314; Ibn Maajah, 771. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 625 It was narrated that Haywah ibn Shurayh said: "I met `Uqbah ibn Muslim and said to him, `I heard that you narrated from `Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr ibn al-`Aas that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered the mosque, he would say, "A'oodhu Billaah il-`Azeem wa bi wajhihi'l-kareem wa sultaanihi'l-qadeem min al-shaytaan il-rajeem (O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your noble countenance and Your eternal authority from the accursed Shaytaan)."' He said, `Is that all?' I said, `Yes.' He said, `And when he said that, the Shaytaan said, "He is protected from me for the whole day."'" Narrated by Abu Dawood, 466; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 441. 4 _ When the Muslim enters the mosque, he should not sit down until he has prayed two rak'ahs to "greet the mosque". It was narrated from Abu Qutaadah al-Sulami that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When any one of you enters the mosque, let him pray two rak'ahs before he sits down." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 443; Muslim, 714 Abu Dawood (455) narrated that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that mosques should be built in every neighbourhood, and that they should be cleaned and perfumed. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 437. 5 _ The mosque should be cleaned and perfumed by those who are able to do it: It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The deeds of my ummah, both good and bad, were shown to me, and I found that among the best of its deeds was removing a harmful thing from the road, and I found among the worst of its deeds leaving phlegm in the mosque and not burying it." Narrated by Muslim, 555. 6 _ Not raising one's voice in the mosque, even in reciting Qur'aan, because that may disturb one of the worshippers. It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went into i'tikaaf (seclusion or retreat for worship) in the mosque, and he heard them reciting Qur'aan in loud voices. He pulled back the curtain and said: "Each one of you is conversing with his Lord, so do not disturb one another and do not raise your voices above one another in reciting Qur'aan" _ or he said, "in prayer". Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1332; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1183. 7 _ He should exit the mosque with the left foot first, and saying the du'aa' narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When any one of you enters the mosque, let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and say, Allaahumma iftah li abwaab rahmatika (O Allaah, open to me the gates of Your mercy). And when he leaves let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and say, Allaahumma i'simni min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (O Allaah, protect me from the accursed Shaytaan). Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 773. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 515 Sixthly: With regard to reading Qur'aan, you should read it a lot, because for every letter that you read you will have ten hasanaat (good deeds). It is permissible to recite Qur'aan with or without wudoo', because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to remember Allaah in all situations. (Narrated by Muslim, 373). But it is better to do wudoo' before reciting Qur'aan. It was narrated from Muhaajir ibn Qunfudh that he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst he was urinating and greeted him with salaam, but he did not return the greeting until he had done wudoo'. Then he apologized to him and said, "I did not want to mention Allaah when I was not in a state of purity." Narrated by Abu Dawood, 17 _ this version was narrated by him; Ibn Maajah, 350. Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 2472. But it is haraam for one who is junub (in a state of impurity following sexual activity) to recite Qur'aan. With regard to a menstruating woman, the correct view is that it is permissible for her to recite Qur'aan. See question no. 2564. All of that has to do with reciting Qur'aan without touching the Mus-haf. With regard to touching the Mus-haf, that is only permissible for one who has wudoo, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "No one should touch the Qur'aan except one who is taahir (pure)." Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta', 419; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa' al-Ghaleel, 122. If the Muslim wants to read from the Mus-haf and he does not have wudoo', he should hold the book with something in between, such as wearing gloves on his hands. Seventhly: It is Sunnah for him to be humble and think of the meaning of the verses that he is reading. He should ask about the meaning if he finds the words difficult to understand, so that he will increase in knowledge whilst reading. After that he should strive to act in accordance with what he has learned and apply the rulings of the Qur'aan. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 6581: Christian lady interested in Islam Question: For the last few years, I have been interested in Islam. I have no idea where to begin in further studies. I am a nearly 50 year old woman and am a bit put off by the retractions (seemingly) regarding women. How can I begin to enter the realms of Islam to study? I am open to learning. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. How women are dealt with is something that varies from one culture to another. A woman is usually subjected to the teachings, systems and customs of her society, good and bad alike. Many non-Islamic social systems, customs and ways of life are unfair to women. Anyone who studies them will find that the purpose behind them is to make women a means for men's enjoyment under the banner of freedom. This is something which goes against the true religion and is contrary to the dictates of common sense and wisdom. Is it wise or fair that a precious pearl should be shared by a number of people when one of them is able to keep it and look after it? Is it wise to uncover that which should be hidden merely for a few moments of fleeting pleasure? Is it wise to open the door to provocation of desires, free mixing and women uncovering their beauty so that men may commit immoral actions with them, which leads to the spread of disease and large numbers of illegitimate children and the mixing of lineages? Is it wise to burden women with work outside the home which results in them neglecting the house and being crowded together with men and neglecting their children, which they are not able to bear, mentally or physically? Look at this simple comparison between the situation of women in Islam and their situation in other systems and religions. Firstly: Islam liberated women from enslavement to human beings and to whims and desires; other religions and systems have subjugated women to the devil and to whims and desires. Secondly: Islam protects women's honour and dignity; other religions and systems cheapen their honour and dignity. Thirdly: Islam makes spending on women an obligation so that their dignity may be preserved; other religions and systems make women a product to traded in, and they put too much pressure on women to spend on themselves and go out to work. Fourthly: Islam protects women when they are young and honours them when they are old; other religions and systems make that a burden on society. Fifthly: Islam protects women's wealth, children and life, and organize her life in a proper manner; other religions and systems neglect all of that. So firstly: you should read the Book of Allaah (the Qur'aan) and study the commentaries on it (tafseer), such as the Tafseer of Ibn Katheer. [Translator's note: this is now available in English, published by Darussalam, Riyadh] Then read Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim [also available in English]. Listen to Islamic tapes, especially those made by the shaykhs of Ahl al-Sunnah (Sunni shaykhs). Secondly: you should go to the nearest Sunni Islamic center to find out what programs they have for teaching women. Thirdly: you can benefit from the many Islamic sites on the Internet which present pure Islam and will be able to answer your questions, and you could write to some of the trustworthy Sunni Islamic institutions and ask them to send you books and magazines that will be of use to you, such as the al-Haramayn Institute and WAMY (World Association of Muslim Youth) _ which has a women's section. Fourthly: You can get to know some Muslim sisters who could help you and teach you that which will benefit you, because a woman is better able to make another woman understand than a man is. Fifthly: Beware of being deceived by some of those who claim to be Muslims but who in fact have nothing to do with Islam, like the Qadianis (also known as Ahmadis), Shi'ah, Baha'is and Sufis. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 9020: Accusing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of being mentally ill Question: Recently, I read an article concerning Prophet Muhammed's validity. The article explained Prophet Muhammed was insane and suffering from a terribe psychological problem. Is this true? I think it is not, but a majority of people believe so. Is there any way YOU can defend Prophet Muhammed as being a true prophet?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The Muslim must realize that there is a difference between defending Islam before Muslims, which is done by quoting from the Qur'aan and Sunnah and other reliable sources, and defending Islam before non-Muslims who do not believe in the sources of sharee'ah, so we have to address them on the basis of reason and common sense. In order to answer this question we should realize that such things could not be said by a Muslim who believes in the sharee'ah of Islam, and that such words undoubtedly constitute kufr and heresy. Based on that, it is obvious that the people who said this are not Muslims and do not believe in sharee'ah, rather they are kaafirs who do not believe in Allaah or in the religion of Islam. So we should debate with them on the basis of reason, therefore we say to them the following: This claim can only come from one who hates and is jealous of the religion of Islam, for jealousy and hatred only come to a person when he sees an obvious blessing, which gives rise to hatred and envy in his heart. When those who came up with this claim saw the Muslims and the obvious blessings that they enjoy such as peace of mind and tranquility of heart, and the rare occurrence among the Muslims of evils such as adultery and alcohol consumption, and the low numbers of Muslims afflicted by physical and mental diseases which are rampant among them (the non-Muslims), such as AIDS and other illnesses, and when they saw the glowing history of the Muslims and how they were masters of the world when they adhered to Islam, and other manifest blessings to which everyone attests, and they saw how many people were becoming Muslim every day throughout the world, that upset them and they feared the spread of Islam, but they could not resist it except by using the feeble trick of slander. Intelligent people agree that anyone who makes a claim has to produce evidence to confirm the truth of what he is saying, otherwise it is to be rejected and thrown back in his face. Where is the proof of their sinister claims? If an intelligent man is told that some person managed to convince many people, numbering in the billions, of a specific idea, and that they followed him in that, or that a man on his own was able to succeed in the elections _ for example _ or to convince the people to vote for him, this intelligent man would attest that this person was brilliant and intelligent and wise. So how about out Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) _ may my father and mother be sacrificed for him _ whom the Arabs and non-Arabs followed, whose message of Islam spread everywhere and whose message with which Allaah sent him has remained strong until our own times, facts which are attested by everyone? Even those who make these sinister claims believe this deep in their hearts, but their envy and hatred have made them blind. Many of the enemies of Islam, such as the Orientalists who study Islam, affirm the virtues of Islam and the status of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and they testify that he was wise and perfect. When enemies testify to the virtues of their opponent, this carries great weight. The Muslim should not pay any attention to these people with ulterior motives who lay in wait to attack Islam and its followers, and try to undermine Islam. Islam is not affected by the slurs of such people or by their praise either. And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 6401: His mother doesn't practise Islam Question: My mother was raised as a Christian and does use liqueur on occasion discuss it with her but she will not refrain from this practice. Besides this many other unislamic practices are also done, for instance all food stuff is not halaal with the result these same utensils are used to prepare food for me i am under the impression that this is not permissible. Now I am considering leaving home since this is not something i am in favour of. Also I intend to leave country some time in future (IN-SHA ALLAH) because i cannot go for namaaz as regularly as i must. In short i want to live as a Muslim but as I live in a westernized country it is difficult to live as a Muslim should. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. If your mother is a Christian then you have to call her to Islam with wisdom and beautiful preaching. Tell her about the beauties of Islam and its characteristics and beliefs. Explain to her the falseness of the Christian belief in the divinity of Jesus (peace be upon him). You can also refer to the questions in the Da'wah to Non-Muslims section of this website, so that you can convince her, as well as reading some books which speak of the falseness of Christian doctrines. But if your mother is a Muslim, then you have to call her to give up sin and to repent from it, especially drinking alcohol. Tell her the evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah which proves that it is haraam, and that when a command comes from Allaah or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the believer has to hear and obey, and hasten to follow the command even if that is contrary to his own whims and desires. Make her fear Allaah and His punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. You have to be gentle and kind to her, tell her that you are eager that she should be guided and saved from Hell. Perhaps this will be the means of guiding her to the truth. With regard to the cooking utensils with which haraam foods are cooked, if there are others available then it is preferable for you to eat from those. But if no others are available, then you can wash them with water and then eat from them. It was narrated that Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "I said, `O Messenger of Allaah, I live in the land of the People of the Book. Please advise me with regard to their vessels.' He said, `Do not eat from them, unless you cannot find anything else, in which case wash them and eat from them.'" (Agreed upon. Buloogh al-Maraam, p. 23, hadeeth no. 24). With regard to your thinking of leaving home or leaving your country, that may be better if you know that your family will not respond to your words and if staying with them will damage your religious commitment in such a way that you cannot do what Allaah commands. But if you know or you think it most likely that after you call them to Allaah they will respond, then you must stay with them. Imam al-Bukhaari included a chapter in his Saheeh entitled: Baab al-Inbisaat ila'l-Naas (Chapter on being friendly towards people). Ibn Mas'ood said: "Mix with people but beware of damaging your religious commitment." (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 5/2270). But if you know from your experience with your family that this will be futile, then leave them and go and live in a place where you can practice the rituals of Islam. We ask Allaah to make you steadfast in your religious commitment and to keep you safe. We ask Him to guide your mother and all your family to His religion so that the religion of Allaah will be the dearest thing to you all. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 7182: References (video and audio tapes and books) for non-Muslims Question: In our city, we started a new project called "Islamic Information Center". The main objective of this project is to intoduce Islam for non-muslims. We are trying now to get some information regarding the best materials (Dawa kit) that are suitable for this aim. We started our plan by getting these information as a first step and In Shaa Allah we will follow it by getting many copies of these (Dawa kit) and distribute them in the bublic libraries in our city and so on. We think that the Dawa Kit should consist of the following: a book or at most 2 books, one or two audio tapes, one or two video tapes.So, my questions now are: To your best knowledge: What is/are the best book(s) "remember: for nonmuslims not muslims"? "not more than 2" What is/are the best audio tape(s)? "not more than 2" What is/are the best video tape(s)? "not more than 2" I think that the material should be: a) attractive, b) not very long, breif. c) simple but not weak. I would be grateful if you answered the above questions. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. 1 _ Books which we recommend for non-Muslims: 1. Kayfa tadkhul fi'l-Islam (How to enter Islam) by Muhammad Sulaymaan al-Ashqar 2. Laa tahzan (Do not grieve?) by Shaykh `Aa'id al-Qarani 2 _ Audio tapes which we recommend for non-Muslims: 1. Da'wah li'l-Ta'ammul (Invitation to think) by Shaykh Ali al-Qarani. 3 _ Video tapes which we recommend: 1. Innahu'l-Haqq (It is truth) by Shaykh `Abd al-Majeed al-Zandaani 2. The debates of Ahmad Deedat the following books, available in English, may also be suitable: For the Seeker of Truth Lessons for New Muslims (A package published by Darussalaam, Riyadh). May Allaah help you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 2584: Relations with women according to Islam Question: I am in the processing of becoming a truly practicing Musalman and wonder what is said regarding your life previous to the full integration of Islam. I wonder whether any experiences that I have had would limit me from becoming a follower of the straigth path to Allah? Please forgive my explicitness...but since men and women are not allowed to engage in full-blown relationships, how do I resolve the conflict that prior to it's integration in my life, I have had different experiences and now have read repeatedly that it is forbidden...how can I possibly reconcile the two dichotomous notions? I recognize that you do receive many questions, please accept my sincere thanks for having this site, regardless of whether I receive an answer or not. May peace be with you...:) Answer: Praise be to Allaah. We cannot conceal our joy and pleasure at the intention expressed in your question of embracing the true religion, Islam. The confusion and hesitation that you describe are quite understandable, because when a person has been indulging in forbidden relationships and then wishes to move to a religion of purity and chastity, it is natural to feel that his own "nafs" (desires) will defeat him and that he will not be able to do what Islam requires of him in the way of purity and chastity. But we will tell you some things here which we hope will help you to overcome any difficulty that you may be fearing and give a true picture of the situation. When a person follows the true religion, it is expected to have a far-reaching effect on his personality and behaviour, so that it re-forms him and gives him a fresh start and a new direction in life, completely different from the way he was during his "jaahiliyyah" (days of ignorance before his Islam). This radical change will produce morals and values that were not there before, which will purify his heart and fill him with a sense of chastity, so that the new Muslim looks with revulsion and disgust both at his own former deeds and at the ignorant world of promiscuity, infidelity, nakedness and utter corruption that exists in the society around him. He will come back to the sound nature (fitrah _ the natural state of man) and purity of heart of which Shaytaan had robbed him during the days when he was a kaafir and sinner. This new direction in life is undertaken freely, by choice, and is accompanied by contentment and acceptance stemming from his total submission to the commands and prohibitions of Allaah, Who revealed this religion of Islam with all its laws. We have two sources of proof to support what we say here, one from the sharee'ah and one from history. The shar'i evidence is to be found in numerous places in the Qur'aan, for example (interpretation of the meanings): "Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and by disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and by faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out?…" [al-An'aam 6:122] "And those who invoke not any other god along with Allaah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse _ and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace, Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds, for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [al-Furqaan 25:68-70] Concerning the phrase "Allaah will change their sins into good deeds" the mufassireen (commentators) said: their evil deeds will be replaced by good deeds. `Ali ibn Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbaas said: "These are the believers, who before they believed did evil deeds, but Allaah wanted them to do something else, so He changed their bad deeds into good deeds…" `Ataa' ibn Abi Rabaah said: "This is in this world: a man may be doing evil but then Allaah replaces it with good." Sa'eed ibn Jubayr said: "Allaah changed them from worshippers of idols into worshippers of the Most Merciful, and changed them from those who fight the Muslims into those who fight the mushrikeen (polytheists), and from those who marry mushrik women into those who marry believing women." Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Allaah changed them from evil deeds to good deeds, from shirk (polytheism) to ikhlaas (purity of faith), from promiscuity to chastity, from kufr to Islam." This is the view of Abu `Aaliyah, Qutaadah and a group of others. (Ibn Katheer, Tafseer al-Qur'aan al-`Azeem). The historical evidence includes a number of stories of Muslims who entered Islam after having been kuffaar (disbelievers), and how they changed and became righteous. Among these stories is the following: "There was a (Muslim) man called Marthad ibn Abi Marthad who used to smuggle Muslim prisoners-of-war from Makkah (which was the territory of the mushrikeen) to Madeenah (which was the territory of the Muslims). There was also a woman in Makkah, called `Anaaq, who was a prostitute. She had been a friend of Marthad's (before he became Muslim). Marthad had promised to take one of the prisoners from Makkah to Madeenah. He said: "I came to the shade of one of the gardens of Makkah on a moonlit night, then `Anaaq came and saw my shadow by the garden. When she reached me, she recognized me and said: `Marthad?' I said, `Marthad.' She said: `Welcome! Stay with us tonight.' I said, `O `Anaaq, Allaah has forbidden zinaa (unlawful sexual relations).' She called out, `O people of the camp! This man is stealing away your prisoners!' (i.e., she wanted to take revenge on him because he refused to have unlawful relations with her, so she called the mushrikeen to come and seize him). Eight men pursued me (and he described how Allaah saved him from them)." This event was the reason for the revelation of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry any but a woman similarly guilty, or an Unbeliever; nor let any but such a man or an Unbeliever marry such a woman; to the Believers such a thing is forbidden." [al-Noor 24:3 _ Yusuf `Ali's translation] (Reported and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 3101). The reason for telling this story is that it illustrates how this man changed after he embraced Islam, and refused to commit the haraam deed with which he was tempted. Another story describes a woman who embraced Islam and became righteous: `Abd-Allaah ibn Maghfal reported that there was a woman who had been a prostitute during the days of ignorance (before Islam). A man passed by her, or she passed by him, and he touched her. She said: "Stop it! (Mah! A word connoting a rebuke or denunciation). Allaah has done away with shirk and had brought Islam." So he left her alone and went away. (Reported by al-Haakim, who said this hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, although they did not report it). If you enter Islam and become a truly practising Muslim, adhering to this pure sharee'ah, worshipping Allaah as He wants to be worshipped, obeying His commands and heeding His prohibitions, then in sha Allaah you will not encounter or suffer the difficulties you refer to in your question. Moreover, you will have the means of keeping chaste, such as marriage, which will help you to refrain from doing haraam deeds; marriage is enjoined by this sharee'ah. The one who chooses a pure and clean way has no need to enter the mire (of illicit relationships). We ask Allaah to guide you and make things easy for you, and to keep evil away from you. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 10001: The status of the family in Islam Question: What does Islam teach about the family and the roles of men , women and Children Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Before we find out about the role of Islam in organizing and protecting the family, we should first find out what the situation of the family was before Islam, and what it is in the west in modern times. Before Islam, the family was based on mistreatment and oppression. All affairs were controlled only by men or in other words, the males, and women and girls were oppressed and humiliated. An example of that is that if a man died and left behind a wife, his son by another wife had the right to marry her and control her life, or to prevent her from getting married. Men were the only ones who could inherit; women and children had no share. They viewed women, whether they were mothers, daughters or sisters, as a source of shame, because they could be taken as prisoners, thus bringing shame upon the family. Hence a man would bury his infant daughter alive, as is referred to in the Qur'aan, where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And when the news of (the birth of) a female (child) is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief! He hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonour or bury her in the earth? Certainly, evil is their decision" [al-Nahl 16:58] The family in the broader sense, i.e., the tribe, was based on supporting one another in all things, even in wrongdoing. When Islam came, it did away with all that and established justice, giving each person his or her rights, even nursing infants, and even the miscarried foetus who was to be respected and prayed for (i.e., given a proper funeral). When you examine the family in the west today you will find that families are disintegrating and the parents cannot control their children, whether intellectually or morally. The son has the right to go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants; the daughter has the right to sit with whoever she wants and sleep with whoever she wants, all in the name of freedom and rights. And what is the result? Broken families, children born outside marriage, (elderly) mothers and fathers who are not looked after. As some wise men have said, if you want to know the true nature of these people, go to the prisons and the hospitals and seniors' homes, for children do not remember their parents except on holidays and special occasions. The point is that among non-Muslims the institution of family is destroyed. When Islam came it paid a great deal of attention to the establishment of strong families and protecting them from things that could harm them, and preserving family ties whilst giving each member of the family an important role in life. Islam honoured women, whether as mothers, daughters or sisters. It honoured women as mothers. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, who among people is most deserving of my good company?" He said, "Your mother." He asked, "Then who?" He said, "Your mother." He asked, "Then who?" He said, "Your mother." He asked, "Then who?" He said, "Then your father." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5626; Muslim, 2548) Islam honours women as daughters. It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever has three daughters or three sisters, or two daughters or two sisters, and takes good care of them and fears Allaah with regard to them, will enter Paradise." (Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, 2/190) And Islam honours women as wives. It was narrated that `Aa'ishah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The best of you are those who are best to their wives, and I am the best of you to my wives." (Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 3895). Islam gave women their rights of inheritance and other rights. It gave women rights like those of men in many spheres. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Women are the twin halves of men." (Narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, 236, from the hadeeth of `Aa'ishah; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 216). Islam encourages men to treat their wives well, and gives women the freedom to choose their husbands; it gives women much of the responsibility for raising the children. Islam gives fathers and mothers a great deal of responsibility for raising their children. It was narrated that `Abd-Allaah ibn `Umar heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, "Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The man is the shepherd of his family and he is responsible for his flock. The woman is the shepherd of her husband's household and is responsible for her flock. The servant is a shepherd of his master's wealth and is responsible for his flock." He said, I heard this from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 853; Muslim, 1829) Islam paid a great deal attention to implanting the principle of respect for fathers and mothers, taking care of them and obeying their commands until death. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. 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 honour"[al-Isra' 17:23] Islam protects the honour, chastity, purity and lineage of the family, so it encourages marriage and forbids free mixing of men and women. Islam gives each family member an important role to play. So fathers and mothers take care of the children and give them an Islamic upbringing; children are to listen and obey, and respect the rights of fathers and mothers, on a basis of love and respect. Even our enemies have borne witness to the strength of family ties among the Muslims. And Allaah knows best.Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 14418: How to call a Christian to Islam Question: I am inviting someone to islam, i chat to him through the internet.. he lives in brazil and he is 18 years old..i already told him some stuff about islam.. but it appears that he is so religious, and it appears that he doesn't want to change to islam that easily.. he is christian(prostant),, can u plz tell me a good way to invite him to islam Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Before replying to this question, I would like to say how impressed I am with my brother's concern to call people to Allaah, using the developments in computer science to further the mission of the Prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them). May Allaah reward him with the best reward, and record him among His righteous slaves. With regard to the question you asked: The best way to call this man and everyone else is that which is indicated in the Qur'aan, where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And argue not with the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words and in good manner, inviting them to Islamic Monotheism with His Verses)" [al-`Ankaboot 29:46] "Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur'aan) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better" [al-Nahl 16:125] And the command which Allaah issued to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when He said (interpretation of the meaning): "Say (O Muhammad): O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allaah (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah" [Aal `Imraan 3:64] - Tell him about the innate nature of man (fitrah) which predisposes man to believe in Tawheed or the Oneness of Allaah, and how the doctrine of trinity contradicts that innate human nature and common sense. - Explain to him the status that `Eesa (Jesus _ peace be upon him) and his mother have among the Muslims, and that he is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger, and His Word which He bestowed upon Maryam (Mary), and a soul created by Him. - Explain to him that the religion of Allaah is the same from Adam to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that it is Islam. Tell him that the differences are in the laws and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets (i.e., the last of them) and that his Book abrogates the rulings which came before and confirms the true beliefs and stories that were mentioned in them. - Answer his questions calmly, and provide him, if necessary, with some of the books and tapes by Shaykh Ahmad Deedaat. Answered by Shaykh Dr. `Abd al-Rahmaan al-Qaadi, Imam Muhammad ibn Sa'ood University, al-Qaseem Campus You could also send him Question No. 2690, entitled A serious dialogue with a Christian from this site. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 10469: Questions from a confused Christian Question: I read in the newspaper that 15% of the Koran is about Jesus Christ; and I also read in the English version of Koran that Mohammad believe in Christ, Abraham, The prophets and their writings which preceded Koran. If so, why does the Koran accept some doctrines of the bible, like the miracles of Christ, his sinlessness, being a prophet, etc. and contradict many of its doctrines like the deity of Christ as written in Isa.9:6 & John 1:1, 3:16, and the atonement both in the old and new testaments? If the Koran is without error, why are there sects in Islam namely, shuhite& shiite respectively? Why does the Koran allows polygamy, while the Bible is against it as written in Gen. 2:24 & Matt. 19:5 ? My soul needs THE TRUTH. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Allaah often mentions the Messiah `Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) in His Book the Qur'aan for a number of reasons, including the following: 1. He is one of His Prophets, indeed he is one of the Messengers of strong will whom He sent to His creation and His slaves. It is obligatory to believe in him as in all the other Prophets, as enjoined by Allaah in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): "Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allaah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibraaheem (Abraham), Ismaa'eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac), Ya'qoob (Jacob), and to Al-Asbaat [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya'qoob (Jacob)], and that which has been given to Moosa (Moses) and `Eesa (Jesus), and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)" [al-Baqarah 2:36] 2. The first people whom we should be concerned about when calling others to Islam are the People of the Book, i.e., the Jews and the Christians, because they are the closest of later nations to whom the later Messengers were sent. Both the Jews and the Christians knew of the coming of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his attributes were written in their books, the Tawraat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel). So they should not deny what they find in their books and they should hasten to believe in him, because they already believe in the Messengers who came before him, unlike other nations who worshipped idols. Because they did not believe in the Last Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as they were enjoined to do, they had to be refuted and shown how they had distorted the message of divine Oneness (Tawheed). This is why they are frequently mentioned in the verses of the Qur'aan. 3. Tawheed (the Oneness of God) is the basic principle upon which everything else, both religious and worldly affairs, is to be built; through Tawheed people will be saved from Hell and admitted to Paradise. This means affirming that Allaah is One. We see that the Jews and Christians differed concerning `Eesa ibn Maryam. The Jews said that he was a charlatan who told lies about God, so he had to be killed. The Christians differed from them greatly; some of them said that he was God, and some of them said that he was the son of God, but was one with Him in the Trinity, so that outwardly he appeared to be the son of God but he was in fact God. And some of them said that he was the third person of the Trinity which is a rejection of Tawheed. Others said that he was a Messenger from God and was human like the rest of mankind, but that Allaah singled him out to perform miracles in order to establish proof against people. The last group are the ones who were right. So it was essential to explain the matter and describe `Eesa in befitting terms. As with all the other Prophets and Messengers, it is not inappropriate to say that he was a human being, created from clay, whom Allaah chose from among all of mankind to be created without a father, as a manifestation of the power of Allaah to create a man outside the usual means. The likeness of `Eesa before Allaah is like Adam, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, the likeness of `Eesa (Jesus) before Allaah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: `Be!' — and he was" [Aal `Imraan 3:59] This is the correct belief concerning the creation of the Prophet of Allaah `Eesa, which was a miracle for all the people to see. But the miracle of Adam's creation is greater. For `Eesa (peace be upon him) was created without a father, but Adam was created without a father or a mother, and this is more expressive of the power of Allaah to create; it is more miraculous than the creation of `Eesa (peace be upon him). For all these reasons and others, it was essential to explain the issue of `Eesa (peace be upon him) and put matters straight. In conclusion, the miracles which Allaah gave to `Eesa (peace be upon him) were just like the miracles of all the other Prophets, to prove that he was speaking the truth and that he was truly a Messenger from Allaah. But those who distorted the religion confused the matter for the simple-minded people and used his miracles as a justification to say that he was the son of God or that he was God. All of that is a distortion of the teachings and message of the Messiah (peace be upon him). If everyone who follows a Prophet were to take the miracles which Allaah bestowed upon him as a sign that he was a god, then all the Prophets would be gods and each Prophet would be different from the others. For the mountains glorified Allaah along with Dawood (David _ peace be upon him), but they did not do so with `Eesa. The sea was parted for Moosa (Moses _ peace be upon him) and he spoke with his Lord and his Lord spoke with him, so he was known as Kaleem-Allaah (the one who spoke with Allaah), but this did not happen to `Eesa (peace be upon him). Allaah flooded the earth in response to the supplication of Nooh (Noah _ peace be upon him) and that did not happen to `Eesa (peace be upon him). Allaah singled out Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to speak to him and to protect his miracle from being lost or distorted; he alone was sent to all of mankind, and he was given miracles that were not given to `Eesa. So how could that be taken to mean that they were all gods? Secondly: With regard to the view that if the Qur'aan were not distorted there would not be all these many sects such as the Shi'ah and other groups. The answer to that is that the Qur'aan cannot force people to choose the right path, because the Qur'aan is simply guidance (and it is up to people to choose). Allaah has warned us about these sects and groups, and He has forbidden us to imitate the nations who became divided in religious matters. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "and be not of AlMushrikoon (the polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah). Of those who split up their religion (i.e. who left the true Islamic Monotheism), and became sects, [i.e. they invented new things in the religion (Bid`ah), and followed their vain desires], each sect rejoicing in that which is with it" [al-Room 30:31-32] "And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment" [Aal `Imraan 3:105] Allaah has commanded them to adhere to His Book and to follow the Sunnah (way, path) of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as He says (interpretation of the meanings): "And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allaah (i.e. this Qur'aan), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allaah's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allaah makes His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided" [Aal `Imraan 3:103] "O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allaah and His Messenger, and fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is AllHearing, AllKnowing" [al-Hujuraat 49:1] i.e., do not say or do anything that goes against the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). What is meant here is that Allaah forbade the people to split into various groups, and He commanded them to be united, but they followed their own whims and desires, and they cast the Book of Allaah behind their backs, and if they were confused about a verse from the Book of Allaah, they did not refer to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in order to understand it, rather they let their own opinion and corrupt reasoning be the judge. All of that is not from the Qur'aan and not from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Thirdly: With regard to the question about plural marriage in Islam and its being forbidden in the New Testament, it should be noted that Allaah gave each Messenger his own laws and path. Allaah enjoined Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allaah) upon every single Prophet whom He sent, but the laws varied and some of them abrogated others. Some things that were permissible at the time of Adam (peace be upon him) were abrogated at the time of Nooh (peace be upon him). The laws that existed at the time of Moosa (Moses _ peace be upon him) were partially abrogated at the time of `Eesa (Jesus _ peace be upon him), as Allaah tells us (interpretation of the meaning): "To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way" [al-Maa'idah 5:48] So once this is understood, we will realize that plural marriage did not exist only in the law of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather it existed in the laws of all the previous Prophets. For example, Ya'qoob (Jabob _ peace be upon him) had two wives and was married to two sisters at the same time, according to the Old Testament, as it says in the Book of Genesis 29:15-35. The father of the Prophets, Ibraaheem (Abraham _ peace be upon him) was also married to two women, Haajar (Hagar) and Saara (Sarah). The Old Testament mentions that the Prophet of Allaah Dawood (David) had seventy or ninety-nine wives, and Sulaymaan (Solomon) had one hundred wives. These and other examples demonstrate that each of the Prophets implemented the laws that Allaah had prescribed. Plural marriage is not only for this ummah (nation _ i.e., the Muslims). The fact that the Christians do not allow it may be for two reasons: 1 _ This is one of the laws of Allaah which was binding before the time of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 2 _ They introduced their own innovation and went to extremes in this matter, as in the case of monasticism which they invented and which was not prescribed for them, but they sought to earn the pleasure of Allaah thereby. We ask Allaah to guide you and to help you find the true religion, which is Islam, and the path of the Prophet of Mercy (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) according to the understanding of his noble Companions. And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 31796: She wants to become Muslim but her mother and grandmother are opposed to the idea Question: I have been contemplating Islam since I was 11. I am now 14 and I am certain that is what I want in life. I have learnt all the words of Salat and Al-Fatihah and try to practise them but I get confused with the prayer positions.I have also chosen an Islamic name for myself. I have told my Mother about my beliefs but she is catholic so is against me becoming Muslim. I have no Muslim friends so there is no one to advise me. Mum says I have to wait until I am 16 and in the meantime go to church etc. I know I am ready to embrace Islam but everytime I mention it, my Granny who I also live with says I am cause trouble and that they don't belong in England. This upsets meand I do not want to shout at her because I know being disrespectful is very un-Islamic. I want to admit my beliefs openly to my friends but Gran says people will treat me different and make me an outcast. I thought about becoming Muslim in secret but I can't get to a mosque alone and would not be allowed to wear Hijab or Pray 5 times a day because of my school. I do not know what to do. Please help!!! Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Your question this morning brought us good news and made us very happy. Praise be to Allaah for what we have read in your question. We understand the difficulties that you are facing and how you feel. We will try to offer you some solutions to the problems you are facing. We are impressed by your learning all the words of the prayer and of al-Faatihah even though your language is English, and by your knowing Allaah since the age of eleven and your becoming more convinced and certain of Islam after three years, now that you are fourteen. We tell you the following, and Allaah is the Source of strength: When a person believes in something, he will be prepared to make sacrifices for its sake, so how about if this thing is Tawheed or belief in Allaah Alone, worshipping Him alone, following His Messenger and obeying His commands? Undoubtedly in this case the sacrifices will be even greater. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that Paradise is surrounded with obstacles, and what that means is that there is no way for us to reach Paradise except by overcoming obstacles and putting up with difficulties. For the reward of Allaah is precious and its blessings are immense and never-ending, and life there is eternal and its joys and pleasures will never cease. So the true Muslim will be prepared to sacrifice many things in this transient, passing world for the sake of that blessing; he will be prepared to put up with the insults and slander of people, with their criticism and mockery, for the sake of attaining that blessing. There is something else good about this matter, which is that the more a person is harassed and bears it with patience, the more his reward will increase and the higher he will rise in status before the Lord of the Worlds; indeed, his faith may increase and grow stronger, so that he will enjoy bearing this bitterness with patience for the sake of earning Allaah's pleasure. The sweetness of striving to please the Lord cancels out the bitterness of people's anger, insults and criticism. If the harm he faces is just some words of mockery or criticism that he heard, what is wrong with his putting up with that in order to earn the pleasure of the Lord and His reward? In all of that he believes in the promise of Allaah, as He said in his holy Book (interpretation of the meaning): "So be patient. Surely, the (good) end is for the Muttaqoon (the pious)" [Hood 11:49] He knows that patience can only be achieved by the help of Allaah, so he asks Him to help him and make him steadfast. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And endure you patiently (O Muhammad), your patience is not but from Allaah" [al-Nahl 16:127] He is prepared to announce the truth before people, regardless of who approves and who rejects that. If they reject it, he turns away from them and ignores them, as Allaah said to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meanings): "Therefore proclaim openly (Allaah's Message Islamic Monotheism) that which you are commanded, and turn away from AlMushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters, and disbelievers)" [al-Hijr 15:94] "and turn away from the foolish" [al-A'raaf 7:199] Hurtful words from relatives are difficult to bear, worse than a blow from a weapon, but that will become insignificant for one who bears in mind the greatness of Allaah and His reward, and he will continue on his path without turning away or hesitating. Having explained this, we will now answer your question with the following points: 1 _ You have done well by not raising your voice to your grandmother, because respecting parents and grandparents is part of Islam. 2 _ Try to resist going to the church as much as you can, because it is a place where the signs of Allaah are rejected and shirk (association of others with Allaah) is proclaimed and a false religion is practiced openly. Since you are female, you are not obliged to go to the mosque as men are, so you will not be falling short if you do not go to the mosque, because the best place for a woman to pray is in her own house. 3 _ Try as much as you can to wear hijaab, and put up with insults for the sake of Allaah. Be patient in praying the five daily prayers on time, knowing that they do not all coincide with the time you must be in school. If you pray Fajr after dawn comes, then you go to school, you will be able to pray Zuhr at school before the time for `Asr comes. You could find the time for that in a break between classes or at lunchtime, or after coming home. It is important to pray Zuhr after the sun has passed its zenith and before the time for `Asr comes. 4 _ If you treat people kindly, you will win them over in the end and you will not be rejected, in sha Allaah. 5 _ Do not delay entering Islam, do not wait a moment longer. For you do not know when death will come. So utter the words of the Shahaadatayn (the twin declaration of faith) and start praying. You will get used to the number of rak'ahs and the times of prayer, the words to say and how to do it as time goes by, and this will dispel the confusion that you mention in your question. So long as you are prepared to enter Islam, you do not _ praise be to Allaah _ need the approval of your mother or grandmother, or anyone else, because Allaah has commanded you to follow His religion: "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers" [Aal `Imraan 3:85] 6 _ Look for Muslim sisters with whom you can make friends and be in touch, so that they can help you to learn the religion and remain steadfast in following it. There follows the telephone number of al-Muntada al-Islami in London, so you can call them and ask about the times of women's classes; this may be a starting point for you, since you live in the U.K. [44-207-7369060] Finally, we want to say again how happy we were to read your question, and we give you the glad tidings of a happy life and good future in the shade of the pure monotheistic religion of Islam. We are prepared to help you as much as we can. May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 12734: How can she tell her non-Muslim mother that her husband is going to take a second wife? Question: what is the best way to tell my non muslim mother, who is very critical of islam, that my husband is about to take on another wife? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. There is nothing wrong with you happening to mention to your mother whilst you are talking to her that your husband is thinking of taking a second wife, and telling her that he has valid reasons for doing so, such as not having any children from you, or that he is not satisfied with one wife, and so on. That will be like an introduction for her if she knows. But do not tell her about the matter now, less that open the door to problems for you that you can do without. If she finds out about that in the future, then you can explain to her, one way or another, that Islam is the religion of justice and does not approve of injustice on anyone's part, and that in a plural marriage there are many great benefits which the countries which claim to be civilized cannot attain. (See question no. 12528). Even if she is not convinced at first, she will become convinced as the days and years go by. But you should not express too many objections about this matter in front of her, because by doing so you will provoke her to criticize Islam. Rather you have to show her that you accept this and approve of it, and show her that it is not affecting your relationship with your husband. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13810: A Christian woman asks about the Prophet's birthday and what it means to the Muslims Question: What is the significance of the Prophet's Birthday and when and how is it celebrated? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allaah to all of mankind, the one through whom Allaah leads people from darkness into light, from misguidance to guidance. Please see question no. 11575. Perhaps this question is the start of your research into the religion of Islam and your attempt to learn more and read widely about it. Try to find a translation of the meanings of the Qur'aan so that you can learn more about this pure monotheistic religion. No doubt our joy will be multiplied if you become our sister in Islam by entering this religion. Secondly, acts of worship in Islam are based on an important principle, which is that no one is permitted to worship Allaah in any way except that which Allaah has prescribed in his Book or which was taught by His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Whoever worships Allaah by doing something that Allaah and His Messenger have not enjoined, Allaah will not accept that from him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us of that, as it was narrated that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e., Islam] that is not part of it will have it rejected.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Sulh, 2499). Acts of worship include festivals. Allaah has prescribed two festivals or Eids for us to celebrate, and it is not permissible for us to celebrate any others. (Please see question no. 486). With regard to celebrating the day on which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was born, it should be noted that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not tell us to celebrate this day, and he himself (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not celebrate it, nor did his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). They loved the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) far more than we do, yet despite that they did not celebrate this day. Hence we do not celebrate this day, in obedience to the command of Allaah Who has commanded us to follow the commands of His Prophet. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)" [al-Hashr 59:7] And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah [way] and the way of the Rightly-Guided khaleefahs. Adhere to it and cling tightly to it. And beware of newly-invented matters [in religion], for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going-astray." (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Sunnah, 3991; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 3851). The extent to which a person loves the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to be seen in how he follows him with regard to all that he commanded or forbade. That includes following him in not celebrating the day on which he was born. See question no. 5219, 10070. Whoever wants to venerate the day on which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was born should follow the alternative that is based on Islamic evidence, which is that one should fast on Mondays, not just the day that he was born but every Monday. It was narrated from Abu Qutaadah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on Mondays. He said, "On that day I was born and on that day the Revelation came to me." (Narrated by Muslim, 1978). On Thursdays deeds are taken up and shown to Allaah. Conclusion: celebrating the Prophet's birthday was not prescribed by Allaah or by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so it is not permissible for the Muslims to celebrate his birthday, in obedience to the command of Allaah and the command of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). We ask Allaah to guide you to the Straight Path. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13521: Should he tell a non-Muslim all the details of Islam? Question: is it o.k for a muslim boy to tell someone from another religion what islam is all about? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Yes, it is right to tell him what Islam means, but it is not wise to tell him all the details of Islam in one go. Hence the daa'iyah has to exercise wisdom and start with the most important things and understand the priorities of da'wah. It was narrated in the hadeeth of Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent Mu'aadh (may Allaah be pleased with him) to Yemen, he said: "You are going to some of the People of the Book, so let the first thing to which you call them be the worship of Allaah alone. Then when they have learned about Allaah, tell them that Allaah has enjoined upon them five prayers each day and night. After they do that, then tell them that Allaah has enjoined upon them the zakaat to be paid from their wealth and given to the poor. If they obey, then take that from them, but leave the best of their wealth." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1458; Muslim, 19) The Muslim is obliged to call others to Islam, on condition that he knows what he is calling them to, so that he will not make mistakes in his da'wah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say (O Muhammad): `This is my way; I invite unto Allaah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allaah, i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism with sure knowledge). And Glorified and Exalted be Allaah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah; those who worship others along with Allaah or set up rivals or partners to Allaah)'" [Yoosuf 12:108] Baseerah (translated here as "sure knowledge") means the knowledge with which truth may be distinguished from falsehood." (From Tafseer al-Baghawi, 4/284). Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer (4/422) in his commentary on this aayah: "Allaah is telling His slave and Messenger to the two races of mankind and the jinn to tell the people that this is his way and his path, which is calling them to bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, calling them to Allaah in this way with sure knowledge, certain faith and shar'i and rational proof." You should note that calling people to Islam is obligatory. Our scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) said: "It is obligatory upon every Muslim and Muslimah to know four things and act upon them: 1 _ Knowledge, which means that the slave knows his Lord and his Prophet, and knows the religion of Islam based on evidence. 2 _ Acting upon it, which means that he should act upon this knowledge. 3 _ Calling others to it, i.e., calling them to what he has learned. 4 _ Patiently bearing any difficulties encountered as a result of seeking knowledge, acting upon it and calling others to what he has learned. The evidence for these four things is the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "By Al`Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (AlMa`roof) which Allaah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (AlMunkar) which Allaah has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allaah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad)" [al-`Asr 103:1-3] The phrase "Except those who believe" refers to the first issue, because there is no faith or belief without knowledge. The phrase "and do righteous good deeds" refers to the second issue. The phrase "and recommend one another to the truth" refers to the third issue, which is da'wah. And the phrase "and recommend one another to patience" refers to the fourth issue. So you should explain to the non-Muslim what the religion of Islam means, namely submission to Allaah, accepting His commands, and believing in His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). You should tell him about the beauties of Islam (see question no. 219) so that he will be convinced of Islam and will accept it. If he becomes Muslim, then tell him about the rulings of Islam in detail, explaining it to him gradually, according to his level of understanding. Do not discuss with him things that may cause him to doubt or overwhelm him with too much information. But follow the method of the rabbaaniyeen of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Be you Rabbaaniyyoon (learned men of religion who practise what they know and also preach others), because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it" [Aal `Imraan 3:79] It was said that the rabbaaniyyoon are those who teach people by starting with easy and straightforward issues before they present them with complicated issues. (Tafseer al-Baghawi, 2/60) i.e., the major principles and issues before the finer details and minor issues. And Allaah is the Guide to the straight path. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 26885: A Sikh girl wants to marry a Muslim man Question: hi my name is amandeep sidhu. i am not a muslim but i like a person who is muslim. he said he will get married to me. but he never did for some reason.i have a question for you that why can a sikh and a muslim get married? is it all wright for them to get married? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. First of all, we thank you for your trust in this site. We feel that your sending this message is indicative of your openness to searching for the truth and not to cling blindly to that which you grew up with. This in itself is a blessing and we ask Allaah to complete it for you by bringing you to the truth which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. In order to reach that point, we advise you to read about Islam on this website and to think about it, and to be sincere in your search for the truth. Ask the One Who created you from nothing to guide you to the correct path and the right religion. Note that human life cannot be good and proper without a correct religion to give life and that this human soul cannot be stable without a proper relationship with its creator, Allaah. Worship of Allaah is the spirit of life, without which there can be nothing but hardship and misery. With regard to your question about your getting married to a Muslim, if you embrace Islam and accept it as your religion _ and this is what we ask Allaah to help you to do _ then there is nothing to stop you from marrying him. Your guardian for the purpose of marriage should be your closest Muslim relative; if you have no Muslim relatives then your guardian should be the Muslim judge (qaadi) in the city in which you are living, or someone who is responsible for the Muslim community if there is no Muslim qaadi or sharee'ah court. You should note that Islamic law (sharee'ah) forbids a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man, no matter what his religion is, and it forbids a Muslim man to marry any non-Muslim woman apart from women of the People of the Book, namely Jews and Christians; no others are allowed. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And do not marry Al-Mushrikaat (idolatresses) till they believe (worship Allaah Alone). And indeed a slave woman who believes is better than a (free) Mushrikah (idolatress), even though she pleases you. And give not (your daughters) in marriage to AlMushrikoon till they believe (in Allaah Alone) and verily, a believing slave is better than a (free) Mushrik (idolater), even though he pleases you. Those (Al-Mushrikoon) invite you to the Fire, but Allaah invites (you) to Paradise and forgiveness by His Leave, and makes His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to mankind that they may remember" [al-Baqarah 2:221] This verse makes clear the great wisdom behind this prohibition, which is to protect Muslim men and women from being influenced in religious matters. But because the man is the one who has the final say in the household, he is less likely to be influenced by his wife than in the opposite situation, hence he is permitted to marry a woman from among the People of the Book only [not from other religions], because their disbelief is less serious than that of others, in general, and because they are followers of a previous divine message, even though it has been distorted, so they are different from others. On this basis, it is not permissible for a Muslim to marry a Sikh woman unless she becomes Muslim. Our advice to you, to which we hope Allaah will open your heart, is that so long as this issue exists, you should make the most of it so that it will be a motive for you to enter Islam, especially since this Muslim man is following his religion. We hope that if you become Muslim, you and he will be able to help one another to be patient and steadfast, because after you become Muslim you will need someone to stand by your side and protect you from those who will not like the fact that you have become Muslim and have left the religion of your forefathers. This is how Allaah tests many of those who enter this pure monotheistic religion, so that it may be a motive for them to remain steadfast, and to show in reality whether they deserve this blessing or not. We ask Allaah to help you find the way to true happiness and to believe in it and adhere steadfastly to it, until it ultimately leads to Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth. Please also see question no. 3023. Peace be upon those who follow true guidance. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 26758: He wants to become Muslim in order to marry a Muslim woman Question: I was told that if a person was to become a Muslim, to get married to a muslim girl for example, even if not truly out of faith, then it is still accepted by God. Since this way one more person is becoming a Muslim, and especially that his children would be Muslims instead of Christians for example. So what do u say about that? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The basis of faith is in the hearts, and so the intention plays a major role in Islamic sharee'ah. This is indicated in the hadeeth which the scholars regard as half of the religion of Islam, and with which many scholars begin their books, such as al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his Saheeh. He narrated that `Umar ibn al-Khattab said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "Actions are but by intention and each person will have but that which he intended. So whoever migrated for some worldly purpose or for the sake of a woman whom he could marry, his migration was for the purpose that he intended." (al-Bukhaari, 1). According to the version narrated by Muslim, "So whoever migrated for the sake of Allaah and His Messenger, his migration was for the sake of Allaah and His Messenger, and whoever migrated for some worldly purpose or for the sake of a woman whom he could marry, his migration was for the purpose that he intended." (Muslim, 2530). Based on the above, this matter may be examined from two angles: The first has to do with the acceptance of this person's Islam by Allaah. The hadeeth indicates that it will not be accepted if this (marrying a woman) is the only intention that he has and faith has not entered his heart. The second has to do with applying the rulings of Islam to him. If this person utters the Shahaadatayn and follows the teachings of Islam, and does not do anything that would nullify his Islam, then he should be treated like any other Muslim, and his marriage to this Muslim woman may be accepted. That is because we are commanded by sharee'ah to deal with people according to how they appear to be; we are not commanded to enquire into what is in their hearts. It says in the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: I was not commanded to enquire into what is in people's hearts or to find out their secrets." (al-Bukhaari, 4004; Muslim, 1763). Perhaps if this person enters Islam, even if it is with this intention, he will look at the perfection of Islam and be encouraged to form a sincere intention, so he will become sincere towards Allaah and become a good Muslim, and Allaah will accept his Islam. Those who are in touch with this person can advise him to make sure that his intention is primarily to seek the pleasure of Allaah and to enter into Islam truly, and his marriage will then be a consequence or a means of his entering into the blessing of Islam, and not an aim in and of itself. This girl could make marriage to her a means of encouraging him to become Muslim, as happened in the case of Umm Sulaym (may Allaah be pleased with her) and her marriage to Abu Talhah (may Allaah be pleased with him). It was narrated that Anas said: "Abu Talhah married Umm Sulaym, and the dowry between them was Islam. Umm Sulaym had become Muslim before Abu Talhah. He proposed marriage to her and she said, `I have become Muslim; if you become Muslim I will marry you.' So he became Muslim and that was the dowry between them." (al-Nasaa'i, 3288; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa'i, 3133). With regard to the reason for accepting him _ as mentioned in the question _ being to increase the number of Muslims, this is not correct, because increasing the number of Muslims, even though this is something good and desirable, is not a reason for accepting anyone who claims to be a Muslim but does not really believe in Islam, because Islam is concerned with quality as well as quantity, it is not concerned only with quantity. One person who sincerely believes in the religion is better than a thousand who are lying about it. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 20239: A Catholic man wants to marry a Muslim woman and is thinking about Islam Question: I am a Catholic male and i am interested in marrying a Muslim woman. I have been reading about the religion and i am interseted in converting, how does one go about this? Thank you in advance for your response. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Praise be to Allaah Who has instilled in you the desire to enter Islam. We thank you for your question about how to enter the religion of Allaah, for no one will be saved on the Day of Resurrection but those who follow it. Allaah says in the Holy Qur'aan: "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers" [Aal `Imraan 3:85] Entering Islam is very easy and is not a complicated matter. All you have to do is to utter the Shahaadatayn (the twin testimony of faith), which is the key to Islam and the sum and basis of the faith. You have to say "Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah)"; then take a bath (ghusl) with the intention of purifying yourself in order to pray and practise the rituals of the Islamic religion, the greatest of which is prayer, which connects the person to his Lord. For more details on how to do that, see Question no. 13340 and 11497. You also have to believe with certainty that `Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary _ peace be upon him) is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger, not a god or the son of God; rather he is a human being whom Allaah sent with the Message of Divine Oneness (Tawheed) and that only Allaah is to be worshipped, with no partner or associate. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings): "No son (or offspring) did Allaah beget, nor is there any ilaah (god) along with Him" [al-Mu'mineen 23:91] "The Messiah [`Eesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary), was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother [Maryam (Mary)] was a Siddeeqah [i.e. she believed in the Words of Allaah and His Books (see Verse 66:12)]. They both used to eat food (as any other human being, while Allaah does not eat)" [al-Maa'idah 5:75] This shows you that Islam respects `Eesa (Jesus _ peace be upon him) and his mother, without exaggerating about them or falling into shirk (polytheism, the association of others in worship with Allaah). We would also like to point out that although the motive for your becoming Muslim at this stage may be your desire to marry a Muslim woman, if you become Muslim and learn more about this religion and really put it into practice in your life, then your faith will become stronger, your intention will become purely for the sake of Allaah and you will have the conviction that this religion is indeed true and the soul cannot be purified except through this religion. We are optimistic that you will have a happy future, because of the good start you mention in your question, which makes us optimistic, especially when we ponder the words of the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "And whomsoever Allaah wills to guide, He opens his heart to Islam" [al-An'aam 6:125] We ask Allaah to open your heart to the religion and help you to enter it. No doubt this will be good news for the Muslim woman whom you will marry, for she will know that she cannot marry you unless you become Muslim, as is the law of the Lord of the Worlds. We welcome you to join us on this site as a questioner or reader, or to cooperate with us in doing good. May Allaah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 14246: Become Muslim first, then do not worry about your past Question: i'm a young girl, wanting to convert to islam, for me this religion is really the truth. The problem is, that before i discovered islam, i used to live a pretty wild life, I did a lot of wrong things (if not all wrong things). I would like to know if it's possible for a girl like me to convert, and what should I do regarding my past when converting Answer: Praise be to Allaah. In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful "The revelation of the Book (this Qur'aan) is from Allaah, the All Mighty, the All Knower. The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours). Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), to Him is the final return"[Ghaafir 40:2-3 _ interpretation of the meaning] Ibn `Abbaas _ who was one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) _ narrated that some of the people of shirk (polytheism) killed and did a lot of killing, and they committed adultery and they did that a great deal, then they came to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, "What you say and what you are calling for is good. If only you could tell us that there is any expiation for what we have done." Then Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning): `Say: "O `Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is OftForgiving, Most Merciful. And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him (in Islam) before the torment comes upon you, (and) then you will not be helped. And follow the best of that which is sent down to you from your Lord (i.e. this Qur'aan, do what it orders you to do and keep away from what it forbids), before the torment comes on you suddenly while you perceive not!" Lest a person should say: "Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allaah (i.e. I have not done what Allaah has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth! i.e. Laa ilaaha illAllaah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah), the Qur'aan, and Muhammad and at the faithful believers] Or (lest) he should say: "If only Allaah had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqoon (the pious)." Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: "If only I had another chance (to return to the world), then I should indeed be among the Muhsinoon (gooddoers)." Yes! Verily, there came to you My Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and you denied them, and were proud and were among the disbelievers.'[al-Zumar 39:53-59]" `Amr ibn al-`Aas was a mushrik (polytheist, idol-worshipper), a sinner and an enemy of Allaah. He said: "When Allaah put the love of Islam into my heart, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to pledge my allegiance to him. He stretched out his hand towards me, but I said, `I will not pledge allegiance to you, O Messenger of Allaah, until you forgive me my previous sins.' The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me, `O `Amr, do you not know that Islam wipes out whatever sins came before it.'" (Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 17159). So flee to Allaah and know that there is nothing that you are worried about, but the solution to it is to be found in the texts quoted above. Indeed, these texts are addressed to you; they refer to your situation and contain the answer to your problem. Your Lord is Most Merciful; He accepts repentance and forgives all sins. His Mercy encompasses all things. He calls you and all His slaves to repent and to become Muslim. He has promised you, through the words of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that all of your previous sins, major and minor, of whatever type, will be wiped out completely when you become Muslim, and you will start with a clean sheet, a new record of deeds that is free of bad deeds. So what are you waiting for? Why delay it any further? Hasten to enter Islam and worship your Lord, and we give you the glad tidings of a happy future and a good life in the shade of Islam. We were very happy _ by Allaah _ to receive your question, and we are waiting to hear good news. For more information on how to enter Islam, please look at Questions #703&11936 And Embracing Islam . May Allaah protect you from all evil, for He is the Best of Protectors and the Best of Supporters, and He is the Guide to the Straight Path. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 14070: He has been asked to research about Islam and its impact on Europe Question: Discuss the rise of Islam by exlporing the life and religious ideas of muhammad, as well as development in the century after his death. Explain at lenght Muhammed's religious ideas, placing them in there historical context. That is, how do these ideas reflect Muhammed's personal life expiriences and background, and more generally the environment of seventhy century Arabian society? Then explain how and when Islam spred from Arabia to Europe adressing Islam's inpact on the Christian West as well as arabia and its surrounding regions. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not produce his ideas by himself, rather the message that he brought came from Allaah _ it was Revelation (wahy) which Allaah sent to him. Secondly: with regard to his life (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): He was the best of all people on earth in terms of lineage, for he was descended from the noblest line. Even his enemies bore witness to that. Hence his enemy Abu Sufyaan testified to that effect before the Byzantine ruler. The noblest of people were his people; the noblest of tribes was his tribe; the noblest of clans was his clan. His full name was Muhammad ibn [son of] `Abd-Allaah ibn `Abd al-Muttalib ibn Haashim ibn `Abd Manaaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilaab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghaalib ibn Fahr ibn Maalik ibn al-Nadar ibn Kinaanah ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyaas ibn Mudar ibn Nizaar ibn Ma'd ibn `Adnaan… ibn `Ismaa'eel [Ishmael] ibn Ibraaheem [Abraham] (peace be upon them). Allaah sent him as a Prophet at the age of forty, which is the age of perfection. The first sign of Prophethood which was sent to the Messenger of Allaah was dreams: he did not see any dream but it would come true like daybreak. It was said that that lasted for six months. The period of his Prophethood lasted for twenty-three years. These dreams were one of the forty-six parts of Prophethood. Then Allaah honoured him with Prophethood, and the angel came to him whilst he was in the cave of Hira', where he used to love to go to be alone. The first words (of the Qur'aan) to be revealed to him were: "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists)" [al-`Alaq 96:1 _ interpretation of the meaning] His message came in stages. Firstly, he was appointed as a Prophet; secondly, he warned his nearest kinsmen; thirdly, he warned his people; fourthly, he warned the people to whom no warner had ever come, namely all the Arabs; fifthly, he warned all those whom his message reached, both jinns and humans, until the end of time. After that (initial revelation), he spent three years calling people to Allaah in secret. Then the following words were revealed to him: "Therefore proclaim openly (Allaah's Message Islamic Monotheism) that which you are commanded, and turn away from AlMushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters, and disbeliever" [al-Hijr 15:94 _ interpretation of the meaning] See Zaad al-Ma'aad by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/71 Thirdly: With regard to the message to which our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called people, it is sufficient to quote what was said by Abu Sufyaan _ who was a kaafir (disbeliever) at the time. Heraclius, the ruler of Byzantium, asked Abu Sufyaan, "What does he tell you to do?" Abu Sufyaan said: "He tells us to worship Allaah alone, not associating anything with Him, and he forbids us to worship that which our fathers used to worship. He commands us to pray, to give in charity, to be chaste, to keep our promises and fulfil our trusts." Heraclius commented on Abu Sufyaan's words by saying: "This is the description of a Prophet. I knew that he would appear, but I did not think that he would be from among you [the Arabs]. If you are indeed speaking the truth, then soon he will take possession of the place where my feet are standing. If I thought that I could meet him I would not hesitate to go to him, and if I were with him I would wash his feet." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2782; Muslim, 1773). Fourthly: After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he was succeeded as khaleefah (leader of the Muslim community) by Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq, during whose time a number of major events took place: the dispatching of the army of Usaamah [to Syria]; the wars against the apostates (ahl al-riddah); fighting those who refused to pay the zakaah; the emergence of Musaylimah the liar [a false prophet]; and the compilation of the Qur'aan. Then came `Umar ibn al-Khattaab, who was one of the earliest Muslims, one of the ten whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had testified would enter Paradise, one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (al-khulafa' al-raashideen), one of the in-laws of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), one of the greatest scholars and ascetics among the Sahaabah (the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). Many conquests took place during his time, including the conquest of Damascus, Jordan, Iraq, Jerusalem and Egypt. He is the one who decided, in consultation with `Ali, that history should be dated from the time of the Hijrah (the migration of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from Makkah to Madeenah). He was martyred in 23 AH by the kaafir Magian murderer Abu Lu'lu'ah. Then came `Uthmaan ibn `Affaan, who was also one of the ten whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had testified would enter Paradise. He had also become Muslim in the earliest days. He was one of those whom Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq had called to Islam. He migrated twice, first to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) then to Madeenah. He married Ruqayyah the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then she passed away and he married her sister Umm Kalthoom. He ruled as khaleefah for twelve years, then he was martyred in 35 AH at the age of eighty-odd. Then came `Ali ibn Abi Taalib, who was also one of the ten whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had testified would enter Paradise. He was the brother of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) according to the system of brotherhood established when the muhaajiroon (migrants from Makkah) first came to Madeenah, and he was also the Prophet's son-in-law as he married his daughter Faatimah, the best of all women (may Allaah be pleased with her). He was also one of the first people to become Muslim, one of the greatest scholars, bravest warriors, prominent ascetics and preachers. He was one of those who compiled the Qur'aan and showed it to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Fifthly: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was guided by the teachings of the Qur'aan, indeed his whole attitude was the Qur'aan as the Mother of the Believers `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said. The way our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was in Islam was the same as the way he had been before, but Allaah perfected his character and made it more beautiful. When the first revelation came, [his wife] Khadeejah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said, listing his attributes: "No, by Allaah, Allaah would never let you down. For you uphold ties of kinship, you help the weak, you give charity to the poor, you honour your guests and you help the deserving calamity-afflicted ones." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4; Muslim, 160) Both his companions and his enemies described him in a befitting manner, as he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) deserved, saying that he was honourable, brave, merciful, well-spoken, worshipped a great deal, was honest and trustworthy, and so on. This was all summed up in the verse: "And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted (standard of) character" [al-Qalam 68:4 _ interpretation of the meaning] His good character and attitude had a great effect, as it was the reason for some of the mushrikeen (pagans, polytheists) coming to Islam. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent some cavalry towards Najd, and they brought a man from Banu Haneefah whose name was Thamaamah ibn Athaal and tied him to one of the pillars of the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out and said, `Untie Thamaamah.' Then he (Thamaamah) went to grove of palm trees near the mosque and washed himself (did ghusl), then he entered the mosque and said, `I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4114; Muslim, 1764). Sixthly: With regard to Islam reaching Europe, it did so in several ways, including the following: 1 _ The keenness of the Muslims to convey the truth to all of mankind. Andalusia [in Spain] was conquered by Taariq ibn Ziyaad in 92 AH/711 CE, and the conquests in western Europe continued until they reached southeastern France in 114 AH. 2 _ People coming from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia to look for work and a better future. 3 _ Westerners bringing some people from other countries, such as the Germans bringing Turks, to work in their country. 4 _ The presence of Muslim daa'iyahs (callers, "missionaries") in those countries. 5 _ The conquests of the Ottoman state of part of Europe. 6 _ The conversion of some indigenous Europeans to Islam, who then began to propagate Islam. 7 _ Trade links between Muslims and Europe. 8 _ Conversion of some Europeans to Islam. 9 _ Changes in the European intellectual approaches. 10 _ Rejection of the church myths which contradict revelation and the adoption of empirical knowledge whose foundation was laid by the Muslims. 11 _ Participation of Muslim communities in the development of research, inventions and companies in Europe, through the work of qualified Muslim professionals, plus the increase in the number of Muslim communities in Europe, which resulted in the increase in the number of mosques, schools and Islamic centers. This has resulted in increased Muslim influence, to the extent that the enemies of Islam such as the Jews are scared. The Israeli newspaper "Ha-eretz" said, in an issue published in late June 2001 CE, "As is the case in western Europe, the great increase in the number of Muslims in the United States has led to an increase in their political influence… The increase in the number of Muslims and their increasing political awareness, especially the Arab students, who are the most active of the Arabs in the political field, and the decrease in the number of Jews as a result of mixed marriages and their assimilation into American society, will all, in the future, play a role in changing the balance of power and changing the influence that these competing groups have in Washington. This is now something tangible, as can be seen in the activities of the pro-Arab lobbies in Congress. 1. The increase in the number of Muslims in European counties. More than ten years ago the number of Muslims in Europe was approximately 12 million. 2. The spread of mosques, Islamic centers and schools. 3. The spread of hijaab and Islamic dress in the capitals of European countries. 4. The holding of Islamic exhibitions and seminars, and the establishment of companies that take care of halaal slaughter of meat, and burying the dead in the manner prescribed in Islam. And Allaah is the Guide to the straight path and the Source of strength. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13747: Dating women, and what are evil spirits? Question: 1- What is the role of women and children in Islam? 2- Is there any such thing as a ghost or spirit? 3- Why is it that Muslim people aren't allowed to date? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. With regard to women, they have the same responsibilities as men; they have to call people to Allaah as much as they can, strive to call women and warn them against imitating the kuffaar, call them to acquire knowledge of Islam and to remember and worship Allaah, warn them against major and minor sins, and be a good example to others. This applies in all places where women meet. With regard to children under the age of ten, their parents are responsible for striving to give them a good upbringing; if they make mistakes or do something that is haraam, then the sin is on the parents, because they should warn them to keep away from drugs, smoking and other things so that they will grow up healthy and sound. Evil spirits are the spirits of the devils, and there are also devils among mankind who have been brought up to love evil and evildoers. They are the ones whose spirits emanate from their bodies and cause harm by means of the evil eye used against those whom they wish to harm. The jinn and the devils are evil and harmful spirits who may cause a great deal of harm to those who rely on them and trust them. But if a person is cautious about their evil, and seeks refuge with Allaah from the devils of mankind and the jinn, then Allaah will protect him and keep him safe from their evil. Shaykh `Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen It is not permissible for a Muslim man to date a non-mahram woman and go out with her, because Allaah has forbidden the believers to do that as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "Made lawful to you this day are AtTayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods, which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time when you have given their due Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends. And whosoever disbelieves in Faith, [i.e. in the Oneness of Allaah and in all the other Articles of Faith i.e. His (Allaah's) Angels, His Holy Books, His Messengers, the Day of Resurrection and AlQadar (Divine Preordainments)], then fruitless is his work; and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers" [al-Maa'idah 5:5] And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts" [al-Ahzaab 33:53] And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No man is ever alone with a (non-mahram) women but the Shaytaan is the third one present." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2165; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1758) And Allaah is the Source of strength. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13755: The Muslims as seen by themselves and by others Question: How are muslims seen and how do they see themselves? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The Muslims are those who submit themselves to Allaah, establish His laws, act according to the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), do what Allaah and His Messenger have commanded them and abstain from that which is forbidden. When that is the case, their enemies look at them with awe, admiration and respect, because they know that their adherence to Islam and the true religion raises their status before Allaah and enables them to take control over lands and people. So their enemies look at them with awe and respect, and fear them. But when their commitment to Islam becomes weak and they introduce innovations and bid'ahs, then their enemies look down on them with contempt and loathing and all feelings of fear disappear. With regard to how the Muslims view themselves, they have to check on one another and look at the faults and weakness that have befallen them, and deal with them as much as possible so that their glory and power will be restored, and so that their enemies will fear them. If they check on one another and pay attention to that and put right the things that have gone wrong among them, then Allaah will strengthen them and support them. Shaykh `Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (www.islam-qa.com) 13497: Islamic holy days and special occasions Question: what holy days does Islam have? what major historical events has Islam had? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. There is a special day in Islam which Allaah has singled out for blessings which are not to be found in any other days. This day is Friday, to which Allaah guided the Muslims and from which He led the Jews and Christians astray. It is the weekly festival of the Muslims, and it has many special features, some of which we will describe here: 1 _ It was the teaching of the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to venerate this day, honour it and single it out for special acts of worship that belong exclusively to this day. In Fajr (early morning prayer) on Friday he used to recite the Soorahs `Alif-laam-meem tanzeel' (al-Sajdah, no. 32) and `Hal ata `ala'l-insaan' (al-Insaan, no. 76). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite these two soorahs in the Fajr prayer on Friday because they refer to what happened and will happen on that day, for they speak of the creation of Adam, the resurrection and the gathering of mankind, all of which happened or will happen on a Friday. So reciting them on this day is a reminder to his ummah (nation) of what has happened and what is yet to come. This is one of the special features of Friday. 2 _ It is mustahabb (recommended) to send lots of blessings upon the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the ay of Friday and the night before, because he said: "Send lots of blessings upon me on Friday and the night before." (Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 3/249; classed as saheeh (sound) by al-Arna'oot). 3 _ Jumu'ah (Friday) prayers are held on this day; this is one of the most strongly-affirmed duties of Islam, and one of the greatest gatherings of the Muslims. It is the greatest and most obligatory gathering in which they come together, apart from `Arafah [a place near Makkah (Mecca) where the pilgrims stand and pray during the Hajj or pilgrimage]. Whoever neglects Jumu'ah prayers out of carelessness, Allaah will place a seal over his heart. The people of Paradise will be brought closer (to Allaah) on the Day of Resurrection and they will see Allaah sooner, commensurate with how close they were to the imam on the day of Jumu'ah and how early they came to Jumu'ah prayers. 4 _ The command to do ghusl (take a bath for the purpose of purification) on Friday; this command is most emphatic. 5 _ Wearing perfume on Friday; this is better than wearing perfume on any other day of the week. 6 _ Cleaning the teeth with the siwaak (tooth stick); this is better than using the siwaak on any other day. 7 _ Going to the prayers early. 8 _ Keeping oneself busy with prayer, dhikr (remembering Allaah) and reading Qur'aan until the imaam comes out to give the khutbah (sermon). 9 _ Listening attentively to the khutbah, because listening to it is obligatory according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions. If a person fails to do that he is engaging in idle talk, and whoever does that has not prayed Jumu'ah. In al-Musnad a marfoo' report [i.e., a report which is attributed to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings be upon him)] states: "The one who says to his companion, `Be quiet and listen,' has not prayed Jumu'ah." (Narrated by Ahmad, 2034; classed as hasan by al-Arna'oot. See Haashiyat Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/377. Also narrated by al-Bukhaari (934) and Muslim (851), with the wording: "If you say to your companion, `Be quiet and listen,' on a Friday when the imaam is delivering the khutbah, then you have engaged in idle talk.") 10 _ Reading Soorat al-Kahf (no. 18) during the day of Friday. It was narrated that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on a Friday, light will shine for him from beneath his feet to the clouds of the sky, which will shine on him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be forgiven from one Friday to the next." (Narrated by al-Haakim, 2/368; classed as saheeh by al-Arna'oot). 11 _ It is a festival which is repeated every week. Ibn Maajah narrated in his Sunan that Abu Lubaabah ibn `Abd al-Mundhir said: "The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Friday is the best and greatest of days before Allaah, and it is greater before Allaah than the day of al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) and the day of al-Fitr (the Feast of Breaking the Fast). It has five characteristics: on this day Allaah created Adam; on this day Adam came down to earth; on this day Allaah caused Adam to die; on this day there is an hour during which no one asks Allaah for something but He will grant it to him, so long as he does not ask for something haraam (forbidden); and on this day the Hour [i.e., the Day of Judgement] will begin, so there is no angel who is close to Allaah, no heaven, no earth, no wind, no mountain and no tree that does not feel some apprehension on Friday." (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1084. Al-Busayri said: its isnaad is hasan, and it was classed as saheeh in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 888). 12 _ It is mustahabb (recommended) to wear the best clothes one has on Friday. Imaam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad that Abu Ayyoob said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, `Whoever takes a bath on Friday, puts on perfume if he has some, wears his best clothes then goes out , walking in a dignified manner until he reaches the mosque, then he prostrates in prayer if he wants and does not disturb anybody, then he remains quiet until the imaam comes out and he prays, that will be an expiation from one Friday to the next.'" (Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 23059; classed as hasan by al-Ana'oot). In Sunan Abi Dawood it is narrated from `Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam that he heard the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say on the minbar (pulpit) one Friday: "There is nothing wrong with any one of you if he buys two garments for Friday other than his workaday clothes." (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1078; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 953). 13 _ It is mustahabb on Fridays to perfume the mosque with incense. Sa'eed ibn Mansoor narrated from Na'eem ibn `Abd-Allaah al-Mujmir that `Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) commanded him to perfume the mosque of Madeenah with incense every Friday until noontime. This is why Na'eem was called al-Mujmir (from the word tajmeer meaning perfuming with incense). 14 _ It is a day on which sins are expiated. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari it is narrated that Salmaan al-Faarisi said: "The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `No man takes a bath on Friday and purifies himself as much as he can, and makes his hair tidy, and puts on perfume, then goes out, and does not come between two people, then prays as Allaah decrees for him and listens attentively when the imaam speaks, but he will be forgiven for his bad deeds between this Friday and the other.'" (al-Bukhaari, 843). 15 _ On Friday there is the "hour of response" which is an hour in which no Muslim asks Allaah for something but He will grant it. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `On Friday there is an hour in which no Muslim asks for something whilst he is standing in prayer, but it will be given to him" _ and he demonstrated the shortness of that time with his hands. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 883; Muslim, 1406). 16 _ On Fridays there is the khutbah (sermon) which is intended to praise and glorify Allaah, and to bear witness to His Oneness and to the Messengership of His Messenger, and to remind His slaves of His blessings, to warn them of His punishment and wrath, to advise them of that which will bring them closer to Him and His Paradise, and to forbid them that which will bring them closer to His anger and Hell. This is the purpose behind the khutbah and of gathering to hear it. 17 _ It is the day on which it is mustahabb to devote oneself to worship and it has an advantage over other days by being characterized with all kinds of worship, obligatory and mustahabb. Allaah has made for the followers of each religion a day on which they devote themselves to worship and refrain from worldly work. So Friday is a day of worship, and in relation to other days it is like Ramadaan in relation to other months; the "hour of response" on Friday is like Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) in Ramadaan. Hence whoever gets it right on Friday, his whole week will be good, and whoever gets it right in Ramadan, his whole year will be good, and whoever gets it right on Hajj, his whole life will be good. Friday is the measure of the week, Ramadaan is the measure of the year and Hajj is the measure of one's life. And Allaah is the Source of strength. 19 _ It is the day with which Allaah has exclusively favoured this ummah, and from which He led the People of the Book astray before them, as it says in al-Saheeh, where it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The sun has never risen or set on any day better than Friday. Allaah guided us to it and led the people away from it. The people are behind us in this respect. It (Friday) is for us, Saturday is for the Jews and Sunday is for the Christians." (Narrated by Ahmad, 10305, classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah, 3/114). 20 _ It is the day which Allaah chose from among all the days of the week, just as He chose Ramadaan from among the months of the year and Laylat al-Qadr from among all the nights, and Makkah from among all places on earth, and Muhammad from all of mankind. With regard to the second question, the Muslims have several special occasions, such as: 1 _ The blessed month of Ramadaan, which is a month that has special characteristics. You will find more information in Question no. 13480. 2 _ Eid al-Fitr (the Feast of Breaking the Fast). This is the first day of the month of Shawwaal, on which the Muslims express their joy at the blessing which Allaah has bestowed upon them by enabling them to complete the month-long fast of Ramadaan. 3 _ The Day of `Arafah, which is the ninth day of the month of Dhu'l-Hijjah, the day of the greater Pilgrimage (Hajj), the greatest pillar of the Hajj. It has many virtues, details of which are to be found in question no. 7284. 4 _ Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice). The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The best of days is the Day of Sacrifice." This is the tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. It was narrated that `Uqbah ibn `Aamir said: "The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `The Day of `Arafah, the Day of Sacrifice and the Days of al-Tashreeq [the three days following the Day of Sacrifice] are a festival for us Muslims, and they are days of eating and drinking.'" (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 704; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 620). See Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/375 (www.islam-qa.com) 13946: She wants to enter Islam; do her two children have to say the Shahaadah too? Question: I'm converting to Islam from Christianity, my question is I have two children, boy age 14 and girl 11 and I've been a widow for nine years now; I know that I have to say the Shahada is this also required by my children? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Saying the Shahaadah is an essential condition of entering Islam, but whoever is born to two Muslim parents does not have to utter the Shahaadatayn because he is judged to be a Muslim, unless he does something that nullifies Islam. But whoever is born to two non-Muslim parents must utter these words, like his parents. Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr. (www.islam-qa.com) 23444: If his wife becomes a Muslim then apostatizes, what should he do? Question: I am muslim living in USA married to a christian woman and she is planning to convert to islam the question is if she converted to islam and later she turned back of the islam (rideah) should I stay with her or divorse her according to islam what should I do? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Guidance to the religion of Islam is a great blessing, and the one who is the cause of a person being guided will have a great reward. It was narrated from Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say to `Ali ibn Abi Taalib: "By Allaah, if one man were to be guided at your hands, it would be better for you than red camels [i.e., the most valuable kind]." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2942 and Muslim, 2404). So you must do your utmost to guide your wife to Islam because of the great good there is in that for you, for her and for your children. With regard to her situation after becoming Muslim, this is a matter that rests with Allaah, because you do not know what will happen to you, will you remain steadfast in Islam or not? For people's hearts are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful and He turns them as He wills, so how about someone else? It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say often: "O Controller of the hearts, make my heart steadfast in adhering to Your religion." I [Anas] said: "O Messenger of Allaah, we believe in you and that which you have brought, do you still fear for us?" He said, "Yes, for people's hearts are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful and He turns them as He wills." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2140); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2792). We remind you that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to like to look on the bright side. It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "(There is) no `Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed without Allaah's permission), nor is there any tiyarah (bad omen from birds). I like fa'l (optimism)." They asked, "What is fa'l?" He said, "A good word that one of you hears (and takes as a good omen)." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5776; Muslim, 2224). So be optimistic that she will remain in Islam. What you have to do now is to strive to guide her. If your wife becomes Muslim then apostatizes, then in this case it is obligatory to leave her and it is not permissible to stay with her unless she comes back to Islam. We ask Allaah to end our lives with righteous deeds. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 20756: Islam and Muslims Question: What is the difference between Islam religion and the Muslim religion? Or are they the same? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Islam means submitting to Allaah, worshipping Him alone and obeying Him, and shunning shirk (polytheism, associating others with Allaah) and those who believe in that. This is the religion which Allaah approves for His slaves. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Truly, the religion with Allaah is Islam" [Aal- `Imraan 3:19] "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers" [Aal `Imraan 3:85] The person who enters this religion is called a Muslim (one who submits), because he has submitted (aslama) to all the rulings that have come from Allaah and from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And who turns away from the religion of Ibraaheem (Abraham) (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) except him who befools himself? Truly, We chose him in this world and verily, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, `Submit (i.e. be a Muslim)!' He said, `I have submitted myself (as a Muslim) to the Lord of the `Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).'" [al-Baqarah 2:130-131] "Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah (i.e. follows Allaah's religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin ( a doer of good who does good deeds solely for the sake of Allaah) then his reward is with his Lord (Allaah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve" [al-Baqarah 2:112]. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) Set of 30 Paperback Books: Only £164.45 Click here to buy now Click this link to Preview all 30 Parts Online Biography of Hafiz Ibn Kathir Reasons For Buying Tafsir Ibn Kathir