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Reflections |
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In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Ever
Merciful
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The Most
Beautiful Month On Way!
Source:
"Nine reasons why we must plan for Ramadan" - SoundVision.com
Have you noticed that each year, Ramadan goes by faster and faster?
Personally, I can remember details of Ramadan 11 years ago better in some
ways than of Ramadan last year. It’s frightening.
This blessed month can’t be left to become a blur in our memories. It has to
be more than that time of the year we squeeze in fasting amongst the other
things we do daily.
One way to make the most of Ramadan is to plan beforehand. Here are ten
reasons why you should plan for Ramadan:
Reason #1: To be in "Ramadan mode"
By planning for Ramadan before it arrives, you put your mind in "Ramadan
mode". If you plan, you will mentally prepare for it, and it will force you
to see it as the special month it is outside of your regular routine the
rest of the year.
Reason #2: To adjust your schedule
By planning in advance, you can adjust your work, sleep and meal
schedules in such a way as to make time for Suhoor, Iftar, etc. That means,
for instance, that if you normally go to bed at midnight, in Ramadan you
would sleep earlier in order to get up early for Suhoor. Or if you usually
study late, you can instead sleep earlier and start studying after Suhoor in
the early morning hours. Planning in advance allows you the luxury to make
time for the change in schedule that Ramadan brings.
Reason #3: You can plan Ramadan family time
Is dinnertime usually an individual affair in your home, as opposed to a
time the whole family eats together? Are Friday evenings the time every
family member goes off to his/her own social activities? Planning in advance
can change this at least in Ramadan. Calling a family meeting about a month
in advance, explaining the importance of Ramadan, its implications for the
family and the need to eat Iftar together when possible as well as to attend
Tarawih prayers, for example, will allow all family members to adjust their
work and school schedules accordingly. That will, Insha Allah, make Ramadan
a blessing not just to every person in the family, but to the family as a
whole.
Reason #4: To make the menu
While Ramadan may mean extra Ibadah to some of the brothers, it usually
means extra cooking for most of the sisters. Ramadan’s blessings are for men
and women. Making a Ramadan menu for Iftar and meals, and working out when
you want to invite relatives, neighbors and friends for Iftar will give
sisters the opportunity to catch Tarawih and various other advantageous
Ibadat instead of spending Ramadan’s 29 or 30 days stuck in the kitchen.
(And by the way, brothers, helping out with cooking or cleaning was a
practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him-maybe this is a way
you can increase your Sawab [rewards] this month).
Reason #5 : You can plan a Iftar at your home
You may have eaten fantastic Iftars at friends’ homes last year. This
year, open your doors. There is blessing in feeding a fasting person other
than yourself and your family. Planning in advance gives you the luxury of
calling friends over the month before and setting a date, so you can "grab"
them before others get an opportunity to. Muchos Sawab, Insha Allah!
Reason #6: To make a travel schedule
Do you know a fellow Muslim in your neighborhood who wants to get to the
mosque for Tarawih every night but doesn’t have a car? Or do you look at
your work schedule and realize you have to work overtime near the end of
Ramdan, so your family will miss out on Tarawih at the mosque the last ten
nights of Ramadan? Planning in advance helps you work out your daily or
weekly travel schedule to attend Tarawih prayers at the mosque, or even a
trip for Iftar at a friend’s place who may life farther away. It also helps
ease the burden of transportation in winter. Maybe you can start a car pool?
Since you have the time before Ramadan begins, you can work this out with
neighbors and friends.
Reason #7: To do good at high Sawab times
Being generous is definitely an Islamic merit, but being generous in
Ramadan is even more highly rewarded. Match Ibadat with specific times that
carry more reward. Prepare to do Itifkaf, increase asking Allah for
forgiveness in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Plan to give increased Sadaqa
this month. Plan to visit that relative you may have not seen for months, if
not years. Thinking about and arranging to do these things and finding other
ways of gaining the pleasure of Allah in Ramadan will Insha Allah help you
benefit more from it.
Reason #8: You can squeeze in Eid shopping
Planning in advance helps you think about all of those things you wanted
to do in time for the end of Ramadan or Eid last year but couldn’t. Maybe
you wanted to go Eid shopping for gifts for family and friends in the last
week of Ramadan but were too busy with the last ten nights of Ramadan. No
problem. This year, you decide to go in the third week of Ramadan instead.
Reason #9: You can plan Dawa activities during Ramadan
Some Muslims have gone to soup kitchens and made meals during Ramadan,
while they were fasting. Not only will, Insha Allah, they be rewarded, but
this is a great Dawa opportunity to explain what Ramadan and Islam are
about. Planning in advance for such an activity gives you the time to call
up a soup kitchen in your area, explain what you want to do, and get your
act together. You can also plan school Dawa activities in Ramadan by
planning in advance, by meeting with the principal or teacher beforehand,
preparing a presentation, etc.
Author/Source:
Sound Vision
(www.soundvision.com)
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1013
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In this
Issue |
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Reflections
* Why Are Muslims
So Powerless
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Read & Reflect
* Belief in God
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Debate & Discuss
* Discussion Forum:
Islamic
Punishments:
Misconceptions
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Express & Explain
*
General Discussion
Forum: Doctor's Fee
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Pause & Ponder
*
Status of the
Taraweeh Prayer
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Recent
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Spot on Site
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Read and Reflect : |
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Belief in God
هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ
وَالشَّهَادَةِ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ
الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ هُوَ
اللَّهُ الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى يُسَبِّحُ
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (٥٩:
٢٢-٢٤)
He is God,
besides whom there is no other deity. He knows the unseen and the manifest. He
is the Most-Gacious, the Ever-Merciful. He is God, besides whom there is no
other deity. He is the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace in entirety, the
giver of peace, the Guardian, the Mighty One, the All-powerful, the Most High.
Exalted is God above whom they associate with Him! He is God, the Architect, the
Originator, the Modeller. All good names are His. All that are in the heavens
and the earth give glory to Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise One. (59:22-24)
Allah is the name of the being Who is
the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all other creations. The article
alif lam appended to the word is for definition, and since the very beginning
this name has been specifically used for the Lord of this world. Before the
advent of the Prophet (sws), in the times of Arab jahiliyyah also this name was
used for Him. This word was also one of the remnants of the religion of Abraham
(sws) which the Arabs inherited. Thus the Qur’an says:
وَلَئِنْ
سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ
وَالْقَمَرَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ فَأَنَّا يُؤْفَكُونَ اللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ
الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ
شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ نَزَّلَ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً
فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهَا
لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ (٢٩:
٦١-٦٣)
And if you ask
them: “Who has created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the
moon [to His law]?” They will reply: “Allah.” How are they then deluded away
[from the truth]! It is Allah who gives abundantly to whom He pleases and gives
sparingly [to whom He pleases]. Allah has knowledge of all things. If you ask
them: “Who is it that sent down-rain from the clouds and therewith revived the
earth after it became dead.” They will say: “Allah.” Tell [them]: “Gratitude is
for God alone!” But most of them do not use their intellect. (29:61-63)
Who is this being? What are His
attributes? What are the laws and practices He has set for Himself? These are
the questions which arise in the mind of a person for comprehending Allah. This
comprehension is essential for faith. When the Qur’an demanded from people to
profess faith in God, it answered these questions. In the following pages, we
will take a look at these answers.
Author:
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (Tr. by Shehzad Saleem)
Topic URL:
http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=29
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Debate and Discuss: |
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Discussion Forum:
Islamic Punishment: Misconceptions
Siddiq Bukhary
Moderator
Who are the
Umiyyin?
Desert_
People who
were directly approached by the prophet.
atifrafi
Sir can you
please explain the Literal meaning of the word Umiyyin.
Are Muslims of this age not part of Umiyyin?
naeem_n
quote:
Who are the
Umiyyin?
ibrahim
Ummiyyeen
Literary means "Illiterate People" but this word is used as Sir Name for
People of "Bani Ismaeel" from whom Prophet Muhammad (sws) & his nation
Belongs.
This name was given to them By "Bani israeel"
because due to a Long Series of prophets in them, they use for themselves
the word of "Ahl-e-Kitab" & because of no Prophet in Bani Ismaeel, they
Gave them its Opposite word "Ummiyyeen" as their Sir Name.
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Express and Explain: |
General Discussion Forum:
Doctor's Fee
Does Quran and the
Sunnah favours what Fee money a Muslim doctor charges from a patient?
Hkhan
(Moderator)
As for the question re: assembly of the state and
Kashmir issue, please refer to our course re: Political Directives; about
prayers and indecency, we cannot judge whether the person's prayers are being
accepted as we do not have communication with God like the prophets did.
At the most we can give a good advice in a gentle
manner-whilst trying to practice ourselves.
Coming
to the topic of doctors now
Qur'an and Sunnah outlines the basic rules of
interaction and conduct-we ought to use common sense in order to provide benefit
and avoid harm to the humanity whilst adopting a non-selfish and caring attitude
in our lives-including profession.
rimsoo
I am very much
grateful to brother hkhan for his kind reply! But the common sense (regarding
the doctor’s fee) may vary from individual to individual. A doctor may have a
different common sense than that of a patient. So who will be considered right
or near the commandments of our Deen?
Rakhtal
It is no
exaggeration to say that most of the income of most of the
doctors is Hara'm!
waseem
Doctors are like
other professionals. they study to train as doctors and like any other
professional i.e engineer, carpenter, electrician, work to earn a living and
look after their family. I did not understand the question about the doctor's
fee being halal. Are you saying that doctors should work free? how do you
expect them to support their family? I am working as a doctor and get paid to
do my job. I pay the taxes of the government and zakaah according to Islamic
shariah. I consider my working halaal.
I disagree with bro Rakhatal's generalised
comment that most doctors in Pakistan earn haram income. I personally know
many God fearing class fellows, colleagues and family members who despite the
climate of corruption in Pakistan , are earning halal income.
We must look at every profession in Pakistan and
ask the question how rife is corruption in every institution? Why single out
doctors? They are a part of the same society. Why do we have different
expectations from them and not from a police man, judge, government officer
etc.?
It is amazing that
basic moral values like punctuality, sincerity and truth and justice to our
work are much better adhered to by the West then in any Muslim country. We the
Muslims claim to have the ultimate religion. What about its practical
application? Where?
rimsoo
quote:
Are you
saying that doctors should work free?
Never but the limit of amount of money they charge.
I asked about this limit in the light of our deen?
waseem
Brother! are we talking about halal and haram,
then we must be clear about it. For example let us say if I am doing private
practice in Pakistan and let us say I advertise that I will charge let us say
5000 rupees to see one patient, this is not haram. You have a choice to pay or
see someone else, I am not forcing you to see me, you may call me greedy and
unreasonable but how does it become haram.
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Pause
and Ponder: |
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Status of the Taraweeh
Prayer
Question
asked by Anonymous.
Posted on: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - Hits: 71
Question:
I have some questions
regarding the Tarawih prayer that is offered during Ramadan. Did the Prophet
Muhammad (sws) offer Tarawih prayer throughout Ramadan? Did he mention any
specific reward for it? I read somewhere that the Holy Prophet (sws) did not
offer the Tarawih prayer every day because he did not want people to think that
it was an obligatory act. If this is true, what was the maximum number of days
Muhammad (sws) prayed the Tarawih. Can I still go on praying the Tarawih for
thirty days bearing in mind that it is a voluntary act for myself? Also please
tell me what number of Rak'at one should offer.
Answer:
*The Tarawih prayer is
actually the Tahajjud prayer that was held obligatory for the Holy Prophet (sws)
and optional for the rest of the Muslims. The Prophet (sws) would always offer
the prayer at home. But once he happened to offer it in the mosque. However, he
never offered this prayer with 'Isha; rather at its prescribed time after
midnight. Once, during a Ramadan, some Companions saw the Holy Prophet (sws)
praying in the mosque at night and they joined him. The second night the Prophet
(sws) again appeared in the mosque and this time the number of the Companions
increased as they had learnt that the Prophet (sws) came to the mosque to offer
Tahajjud the previous night; they in their earnest efforts to follow the Holy
Prophet (sws) joined him in his prayer. The same happened on the third night.
But the Holy Prophet (sws) did not come to pray on the fourth night. The reason
being that he had noticed that the people started praying the Tahajjud in the
mosque and he feared that it might be perceived as obligatory like the other
five prayers.
Another important point in this regard is that the Prophet (sws) had allowed
Muslims to offer this prayer before going to bed if they thought that it would
be difficult for them to offer it at its prescribed time. He had said:
Whoever among you fears that he would not be able to rise during the last part
of the night (for Tahajjud) he ought to pray an odd number of Rak'ats before
going to bed. However, those who are sure that they would be able to get up at
that time must pray an odd number of Rak'ats then as the recitation during the
last part of the night best affords concentration and therefore bears
excellence. (Muslim, No: 163)
As we have reached the conclusion that Tarawih is in fact Tahajjud prayer, we
now proceed to ascertain the number of the Rak'at. The following narrative is
the most comprehensive on the issue:
Abu Salamah b. 'Abd al-Rahman narrates that I asked 'A'ishah, wife of the
Prophet (sws): 'How did the Apostle of Allah (sws) pray during Ramadan?' She
replied: 'The Apostle of Allah (sws) did not pray more than eleven Rak'ats
during Ramadan and other than Ramadan. He would pray four Rak'ats. Do not ask
about their elegance and length! He would then pray four Rak'ats. Do not ask
about their elegance and length! Then he would pray three Rak'ats'. (Bukhari:
No. 1147)
Although some other narratives tell us that he sometimes prayed thirteen Rak'ats
but we believe that these two Rak'ats had been added in the same way as he would
add two during other obligatory prayers, for example Maghrib, which we generally
call Nafl. It should be kept in mind that Tahajjud is obligatory for the Prophet
(sws) in contrast to other Muslims.
As for the decision of the Caliph Umar (rta), it needs to be appreciated that he
only organized the Companions who were reciting the Qur'an in their individual
prayers in the mosque— he only intended to rectify the state of chaos in which
no one could know who was reciting what. He however did not participate in the
prayer himself and preferred to offer the prayer at its prescribed time. This is
manifest from his remark as recorded in the well-known narrative about the
Tarawih that 'How blessed is the act they have left for the act they are
performing!'
We think that a person can go on offering the Tarawih in the present form as it
affords him an opportunity to recite and listen to the Qur'an. You therefore
should go on praying all through Ramadan. However, it would be an unfounded
claim to say that the prayer in question must essentially be offered with the 'Isha
prayer; the befitting way is to offer the Tahajjud at the prescribed time, which
should always be stressed upon.
regards
Tariq Mahmood Hashmi
Research Assistant, Studying Islam
* Answer is based entirely on Mr. Javed Ahmed Ghamidi's research on the topic.
see: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=662
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Announcements: |
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Successful Participants
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ID |
Course
Name |
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Grade |
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800 |
Arrangement of the Qur'an |
UK |
E+ |
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7885 |
Arrangement of the Qur'an |
UK |
C+ |
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7827 |
Arrangement of the Qur'an |
UK |
C+ |
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7372 |
History of the Qur'an |
UK |
B |
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3887 |
Interpreting the Qur'an |
USA |
A+ |
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7521 |
Introduction to the Hadith |
USA |
C |
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6881 |
Introduction to the Hadith |
Pakistan |
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7948 |
Islamic Customs and
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USA |
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3887 |
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USA |
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7768 |
Preaching Islam |
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3887 |
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6610 |
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7948 |
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7955 |
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A |
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7346 |
The Religion of Islam |
USA |
D+ |
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6639 |
Qur'an Fehmi kay Usul |
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6639 |
Qur'an ka Mawzu |
Pakistan |
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