WHAT IS ZAKAT AND HOW DO I PAY IT?

September 14, 2009

Zakaat and Zakaat Al-Fitra are different.

Those who have given Zakaat also needs to pay “Zakaat Al-Fitra”

before they attend the Eid Salaat.

If they Pay after the Eid Salaat…  then it would be considered as “normal charity” and Not “Zakaat Al-Fitra”

Definition

Zakaat al-Fitr is a kind of charity (sadaqah) that is obligatory at the time of breaking the fast of Ramadaan. The word zakaat is connected byidaafah (genitive structure in Arabic grammar) tofitr because the occasion of breaking the fast is the reason why this zakaat becomes obligatory.

Reasons for zakaat al-fitr and what Islam says about it

Ibn Abbaas said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made zakaat al-fitr obligatory as a means of purifying the fasting person from idle talk and foul language, and to feed the poor. Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an accepted zakaat, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is just a kind of charity (sadaqah).”

(Reported by Abu Dawood, 1371. Al-Nawawi said: Abu Dawood reported it from Ibn Abbaas with a hasan isnaad).

“Purifying” means purifying the soul of the one who has fasted Ramadaan. With regard to the word “foul language”, Ibn al-Atheer said: “ ‘Foul language’ refers to obscene speech. ‘Feeding [the poor]’ refers to food that is edible. ‘Whoever pays it before the prayer’ means before Salaat al-‘Eid. ‘It is an accepted zakaat’ – here zakaat means sadaqat al-fitr. ‘Just a kind of charity’ means a kind of charity that could be given at any time.”

(Awn al-Mabood Sharh Abi Dawood).

It was said that this is what was meant by the aayah in Soorat al-Alaa (interpretation of the meaning): “But those will prosper who purify themselves, and glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in Prayer.” [al-A’laa 87:14-15 – Yusuf Ali’s translation]. It was reported that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez and Abu’l-‘Aaliyah said: “He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] paid zakaat al-fitr then he went out for the prayer – i.e., Salaat al-‘Eid.

(Al-Jassaas, Ahkaam al-Qur’aan, part 3, Soorat al-A’laa).

Wakee ibn al-Jarraah said: “Zakaat al-fitr for the month of Ramadaan is like two sajdahs of sahw for the prayer. It makes up for any shortcomings in the fast as the prostrations make up for any shortcomings in the prayer.”

(Al-Nawawi, al-Majmoo’, part 6).

Rulings on zakaat al-fitr

The correct view is that it is fard (obligatory) , because Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made zakaat al-fitr obligatory,” and because of the consensus of the scholars (ijmaa’) that it is fard.

(Al-Mughni, part 2, Baab Sadaqat al-Fitr). Read the rest of this entry »

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ANOTHER RAMADAN SLIPS AWAY

September 14, 2009

And yet another Ramadaan slips away…
(Adapted from an article on the internet)

– Asma bint Shameem

Alas…..it is here…..Its the time for parting.
The countdown that marked the arrival ofRamadan, the excitement of the coming month of boundless mercy, now turns to wistfulness and grief.
All too soon, the few fleeting days of Ramadan will pass away.
The question is…..did we make an effort to gather the uncountable blessings from Allah that this month brings in?
The question is……did we do enough?

Allah blessed us with the month of Ramadan, and bestowed His favor upon us with the fasting of its day and the praying of its night.

I ask Allah that He accepts from us our fasting, our standing in prayer, our recitation of theQuraan and that He makes us from the people who are saved from Hell Fire.

Soon, as we bid farewell to this blessed month…this beloved, noble guest, it is a good time to remind ourselves …..and to take a moment to reflect upon our actions during Ramadan, our motives and perhaps even chart a course for the continuity of our good deeds. We should ask ourselves a few questions for which we need to find some honest answers.
An answer, it is said, is only as good as the question that precedes it. For it is only when we frame a query searching enough, searing enough, that we can hope to find a reply that is comprehensive and just. It is these answers that may have a chance to awaken us from our absent-mindedness, our heedlessness and help us remain steadfast and virtuous.

These questions are in their utmost simplicity:
Who did you fast for??
Why did you fast??
What is to be done after Ramadan?

Yet, the answers are only the bare truth. Why, nothing else could be clearer! I fasted for Allah alone, to worship Him, seeking the rewards from Him alone. Read the rest of this entry »

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WHAT TO DO ON EID DAY

September 14, 2009

What is prescribed for the one
who comes to the Eid prayer-place ?

EID PRAYERS HELD IN THE FOOTBALL STADIUM

EID PRAYERS HELD IN THE FOOTBALL STADIUM

The Sunnah for the one who comes to the Eid prayer-place to pray the Eid prayers or to offerprayers for rain, is to sit down and not pray Tahiyyat al-Masjid (two rak’ahs to greet the mosque), because it is not narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions did that, as far as we know. But if the prayer is being held in a mosque, then he should pray Tahiyyat al-Masjid, because of the general applicability of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “When any one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he has prayed two rakahs.” (Saheeh, agreed upon).

What is prescribed for the one who sits down to await the Eid prayer is to recite a lot of Tahleel (saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah) and Takbeer (saying Allaahu akbar), because these are the slogans of this day, and this is the Sunnah for all of those who are inside the mosque or outside of it, until the khutbah is over.

If a person busies himself with reading Quraan, this is also OK.

And Allaah is the Source of strength

http://www.islam- qa.com/en/ cat/96/ref/ islamqa/9464

FOR A FULL PAPER ON EID MANNERS PLEASE DOWNLOAD THIS BOOKLET

Eid Etiquette and Rulings.pdf force download

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WHAT SHOULD WE DO AFTER RAMADAN?

September 14, 2009

Now That You Have Become a Muslim,
Stay As a Muslim- Adil ibn Manzoor Khan

The holy month of Ramadan is drawing to a close and Inshallah we will soon be celebrating Eid. The excitement of Eid is all around us and all are busy with the preparations for Eid.

If we take a look at the past month, Alhamdulillah we did a great job. We obeyed Allah swt by fasting for full 30 days. We stayed away from haraam things to the best of our ability. We did not backbite nor fight. Our heart was filled with emaan and wherever we saw looked so beautiful.

We had indeed became a “Complete Muslim”.

A Muslim is a person who summits his will to Almighty God.

Now That You Have Become a Muslim, Stay as a Muslim…

Is this not what Allah swt expects from us?

After Ramadan, everything will be as it always was the same masjid, the same namaz, the sameMuezzin and the same azaan.

Hayya alas-Salah… Hayya alal-falah…

(Come to prayer – come to success).

But sadly these words wont matter for most of us.

After Ramadan, it is too difficult for us to get up for the Fajr namaz let alone going to the masjid for Fajr Salaat.

Once again our morning sleep will be having more importance than the call of Allah swt.

During Ramadan, we anxiously used to wait for the Fajr azaan to go the masjid but once Ramadan is over, when do we take time to wait for the azaan ?

Remember my brothers; the person who goes for Fajr Namaz in the darkness of the dawn will be having light on the Day of Judgment when we all are walking on the siraat.

Now That You Have Become a Muslim, Stay As a Muslim

And build your aakhira.

In the evenings, we used to come home early and sit for iftar and wait for the mouzieen to say the magrib azaan. But now who cares, right?

Work is once again will become more important than namaz

Or

I am traveling towards home during that time and hence cannot perform the magrib prayers on time.

Excuses…Excuses…

These are nothing but excuses which we use to absolve ourselves from our responsibilities as true Muslims.

When we will stop giving excuses and start living as a Muslim?

We stay away from TV and other haraam things for the whole one month of Ramadan. Mashallah we survived the temptations to see whats forbidden to see … because our emaan was strong.

If we can survive for 1 month, it is time for us to carry it forward.

However, as a practical person, I know it is very hard to continue in the same way as we did in Ramadan, we are bound to fall in to Satans trap.

But that does not give the liberty to start watching or doing zinaa with our eyes / hands / mouth and legs ?

Is this what Allah expects from us?

am not asking you to make impossible resolutions and say we are going to stay like this for next 11 months.

All I say is that let us take small steps and make small resolutions which we as a new Muslims can carry.

I urge our New Muslims not to loose their emaan and carry their emaan for another 2 months, till the Eid al-Adhaa (Bakri Eid).

It is hardly 2 months away.

If we could survive and resist temptations of Satan for one month, I am sure we can continue in the same vein for the next 2 months… cant we?

Yes we can… and we will strive do so.

After Eid-Al-Adhan when we look back we would see that we have been a full Muslim for past 3 months.

Inshallah by that time our emaan would be hard as a rock and then we will not need other person to tell us to “be a good Muslim”.

Thereafter, carrying this strong emaan for another 9 months till next Ramadan would not be difficult as it seems to be today.

Yes you can … All you have to do is one thing.

Stay As a Muslim.

As-Salaam Walekum

Adil ibn Manzoor Khan

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