OFFERING A SACRIFICE: WHAT DO I DO?

November 5, 2010

What should the one who wants to offer a sacrifice refrain from doing ?

 

 

If the onset of Dhul-Hijjah has been proven and a person wants to offer a sacrifice, it is haraam for him to remove anything from the hair on his body or to cut his nails or any part of his skin. It is not forbidden for him to wear new clothes or to put on henna or perfume, or to be intimate with his wife or have intercourse with her.

 

This ruling applies only to the one who is going to offer the sacrifice, and not to the rest of his family, and not to the one whom he appoints to slaughter the sacrifice on his behalf. None of these things are forbidden for his wife or children, or for his deputy.

 

No differentiation is made between men and women with regard to this ruling. If a woman wants to offer a sacrifice on her own behalf, whether she is married or not, then she should refrain from removing any hair from her body or cutting her nails, because of the general meaning of the texts which state that that is not allowed.

Read the rest of this entry »

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MISTAKES WHEN PERFORMING TAWAF

November 13, 2009


These are mistakes that occur during tawaaf, and are of various types:

1 :  Uttering the intention out loud when wanting to do tawaaf, so you see the pilgrim standing facing the Black Stone when he wants to do tawaaf, saying, “O Allaah, I intend to do seven circuits of tawaaf for Umrah” or “O Allaah, I intend to do seven circuits of tawaaf for Hajj,” or “O Allaah, I intend to do seven circuits of tawaaf in order to draw closer to You.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did tawaaf before you and he did not speak the intention out loud when he did tawaaf. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) did tawaaf before you and did not speak the intention out loud when they did tawaaf, or when doing any other act of worship, so this is a mistake.

2 :  Some of those who do tawaaf push and shove too much when they touch the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner, and they are disturbed by the overcrowding and disturb others. They may be pushing and shoving a woman, and the Shaytaan may tempt him and fill his heart with desire when he is crowding this woman in this narrow place. People are only human and may be overwhelmed by their souls that prompt them to do evil, so an evil action may take place in the shadow of the House of Allaah. This is a matter that becomes even worse in light of where it takes place, although it is a fitnah in any place it happens.

It is not prescribed to push and shove when touching the Black Stone or the Yemeni Corner, rather if it is easy for you to do so in a calm and dignified manner, then you must do it, and if it is not easy for you to do it, then you should just point to the Black Stone.

With regard to the Yemeni Corner, there is no report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he pointed to it, and we cannot compare it to the Black Stone, because the Black Stone is greater than it, and it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) pointed to the Black Stone.

Just as crowding is not prescribed in this situation and there is the fear that it may cause fitnah when one is crowded together with women, so too it may also cause annoyance, because in crowded situations a person will inevitably hear words that he dislikes and he will feel annoyed and angry when he leaves this place.

What the person who is doing tawaaf should do is always remain calm and dignified, so that he will have the proper presence of mind for worshipping Allaah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Tawaaf around the House and (Saai) between al-Safa and al-Marwah and the stoning of the Jamaar have only been prescribed so that remembrance of Allaah (dhikr) will be established.”

3  : Some people think that tawaaf is not valid unless one kisses the Black Stone, and that kissing the Black Stone is one of the conditions of tawaaf being valid, and of Hajj and Umrah being valid too. This is a mistaken notion. Read the rest of this entry »

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VISITING THE PROPHET’S MOSQUE

November 13, 2009

Islamic Guidelines for Visitors to the Prophet Mosque

O you who come to the City of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), you have come to a good place and you are going to earn great reward. May Allaah accept your righteous deeds and fulfil your greatest hopes. Welcome to the land of Hijrah and victory, the land of the Chosen Prophet, the land to which the righteous Sahaabah migrated and the home of the Ansaar.

There follow a few words of advice to those who want to visit the Mosque of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):

1 : O you who come to Madeenah, you are in a place which, after Makkah, is the best and noblest of all places, so respect it as it should be respected; honour its sanctity and holiness and observe the best etiquette therein. Know that Allaah has warned of the severest punishment for those who commit evil therein.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Madeenah is a Haram (sanctuary), so whoever commits evil therein or gives protection to an evildoer, the curse of Allaah, the angels and all of mankind may be upon him. Allaah will not accept any obligatory or naafil deed from him on the Day of Resurrection.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1867; Muslim, 1370.

So whoever commits any evil action or offers protection to any evildoer who seeks his help is exposing himself to a humiliating punishment and the wrath of the Lord of the Worlds.

One of the most serious of evil deeds that violate its purity is openly doing acts of bidah and spoiling its atmosphere with myths and false ideas, and contaminating its pure land with the spread of articles which promote bidah, books which contain shirk, and all kinds of reprehensible and haraam actions which go against Islamic shareeah. The evildoer and the one who gives him protection are equally guilty of sin. Read the rest of this entry »

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Good Deeds Challenge

December 7, 2008

Challenge #18

Posted: 06 Dec 2008 09:39 AM CST

Pilgrims praying at Mount Arafat (BBC News)

Pilgrims praying at Mount Arafat (BBC News)

Say : “O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your ownselves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives all sins – for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.” (39:53)

We all need forgiveness. No matter how infallible we think we are- how sensible, how careful, how conscientious… we make mistakes. And sometimes they’re really big ones. In just a few days, the best day of the year will be upon us.

1. Ask for forgiveness.
Something I have learned through Islam is that seeking forgiveness is a whole-body experience. It is not the flippant repentance I used to seek as a child- squeezing my eyes shut, begging for forgiveness, and bargaining with an act of goodness, only to revert to bad behavior when I felt that my penance was done. Since becoming Muslim, I’ve been caught off guard by the intensity of emotion that accompanies my prayers for forgiveness (when they are done correctly). Despite how difficult it is to accept responsibility for certain acts, I am inexplicably grateful that I now have the ability to recognize that they are mistakes. Or that I care enough to apologize for them. Or that I am humble enough to acquiesce to ALLAH’s power to forgive. Reflect on ALLAH’s boundless mercy, celebrate HIS limitless powers, and call on HIM:

“O Son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me ascribing no partners to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” (Hadith Qudsi)

2. Forgive others who have wronged you.
The Quran and the legacy of the Prophet (SAW) regarding forgiveness and mercy towards others is very clear.

“Pardon them and overlook – Allah loves those who do good” (Qur’an 5:13)
“Those who control their anger and are forgiving towards people; Allah loves the good.” (Qur’an, 3: 134)

How unjustifiably haughty and unjust we would be to refuse others what we wanted for ourselves, in this case, forgiveness. Without bestowing forgiveness, we imprison ourselves to destructive emotions associated with resentment, pain, and possibly hatred. Out of spite, pride, or obstinacy, we CHOOSE to carry the baggage of our damaged souls. This is not the way of a Muslim… so let us forgive. Pray for the strength and humility to forgive as you wish to be forgiven.

“The Messenger of Allah was seated in a gathering with the Sahabah when he looked towards the entrance and said, “A man of Paradise is coming.” At that instance someone who seemed to be very ordinary entered the mosque where they were seated. A Sahabi was curious as to why the Prophet .‘ said this, so he followed the man to his house. This Sahabi told the man that he was a traveler and stayed as a guest. For three days the Sahabi saw nothing unusual, so he finally told the man what the Prophet had said and asked him what was so special. The man thought for a long time and said, ‘There might be one thing — before going to sleep every night I forgive everyone and sleep with a clean heart.’ Focus on your worship. How merciful ALLAH is, that one day of sincere worship and repentance can absolve a lifetime of sins! What have we done- what are we doing- to deserve this immeasurable gift? Here’s a link to a beautiful post by Hesham Hassaballah about the Day of Arafat. It is very much worth the read.

http://godfaithpen.blogspot.com/2006/12/let-us-reflect-upon-most-forgiving-one.html

(feed) Subscribe to the feed version of The Good Deeds Challenge in a feed reader.

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Day of Arafat

December 7, 2008

allahuakbarNarrated by Jabir(Radhiallaho anho):
 Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said “The ten days
 of the month of Dhul-Hijjah are the best days in the sight of Allah.”
 A man asked, “Are these days better than an equivalent number of days that are spent fighting for the cause of Allah?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered, “They are better than an equivalent number of days spent fighting in the cause of Allah. And there is no day better in the sight of Allah than the Day of Arafah. On this day Allah, the Almighty and the Exalted One, descends to the nearest heaven, and He is proud of His slaves on the earth, and says to those in heaven, “Look at My servants. They have come from far and near, with hair dishevelled and faces covered with dust, to seek My Mercy, even though they have not seen my chastisement. Far more people are freed from the Hellfire on the Day of Arafah than on any other day.”
 
Al-Mundhri said that this hadith was reported by Abu Ya’la, al-
 Bazzar, Ibn Khuzaimah, and Ibn Hibban, in whose wording it is given
 here.

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THE WELL OF ZAMZAM

December 4, 2008

 

The Well of Zamzam

 

The well is situated 21 meters from the Kabah. It is hand excavated and is about 30 meters deep, with an internal diameter ranging from 1.08 to 2.66 m

Abraham took Hagar and her son, Ishmael to a place near the Kabah; he left them under a tree at the site of Zamzam. No one lived in Makkah back then, yet Abraham made them sit there, leaving them with some dates, and a small water-skin. Thereafter he set out towards home. Ishmael’s mother followed him saying:

‘O Abraham! Where are you going! There is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything to take pleasure in.’

g_zamzam_well

She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him: ‘Has Allah ordered you to do so?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘Then He will not neglect us.’ Abraham proceeded onwards, and upon reaching a hill where they could not see him, he faced the Kabah and invoked Allah saying:

(Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your Sacred House. Our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.) (14:37)

Hagar suckled Ishmael and drank from the water she had. When the water finished, she and her child became very thirsty, she eyed her child in agony while he cried. So she rushed to the nearest hillock, which was the hillock of as-Safa, she stood there and looked intensely hoping she might see someone, but she could not see anyone. She then descended and once she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress, until she reached the hillock of al-Marwa. She gazed attentively, hoping to see someone, but she could not. She repeated this seven times.

Ibn Ab’bas said:

The Prophet said, ‘This is the origin of the tradition of Sa’ee (walking and running) between the hillocks of as-Safa and al-Marwa. When she reached al-Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she calmed herself and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, ‘O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?’ And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zamzam tapping the earth with its wing till water gushed from that place. Hagar quickly contained the water by making a barrier around it. She filled her water-skin. The Prophet added, ‘May Allah bestow mercy on Ishmael’s mother! Had she let the Zamzam flow without trying to control it or had she not scooped from that water to fill her water skin, Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth.’ (Bukhari)

 

http://www.thekeytoislam.com/en/what-do-you-know-about/station-of-abraham-and-zamzam-well.shtml

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VIRTUES OF ZAM ZAM WATER

December 4, 2008

 

                                 

In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate 

“May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You”

 

 

 

Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
 
  
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam ‘ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
 

 

 

  

Virtues of ZamZam Water

Allah Taala has made all living creatures out of water. People require water for almost for everything but not all water carries the same value and significance. Muslims refer to the water of Zamzam as something revered and unique. They crave this mysterious liquid and love to drink it whenever they can. And for those who managed to go to the Hajj, they return home carrying it for thousands of miles as a prized possession and to give as special gift to their friends and families.

So what is so special about Zamzam water ? In a word: Everything!
There is nothing ordinary about it. The miracle of how it came to being in the middle of a desert, its consistency throught out 1000s of years, the beneficial qualities it has, the fact that it never dries up. This water is special.

The fact is, this small and only 5 ft deep well is far away from any other source or body of water. It is self replenishing. It is constantly replenishing itself in order to produce gallons upon gallons of water for the consumption of thirsty pilgrims plus the additional amount that is bottled up and also the amount that is taken as gifts and distributed worldwide to millions. SubhanAllah!

Zam zam water has scientifically been proven to contain healing qualities due to its higher content of Calcium and Magnesium Salts and also natural fluorides that encompass a germicidal action.

It is also an established scientific fact that pools orwater wells tend to grow vegetation such as algae– especially in warm climates. Amazingly this is not the case in the well of Zamzam. It has remained free from bilogical contaminations.

History of Zamzam Water
 
Zamzam is the name of a famous well in al-Masjid al-Haraam [the Sacred Mosque in Makkah], which is thirty-eight cubits away from the Kabah. It is the well from which Allah quenched the thirst of Ismaaeel the son of Ibraaheem (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both) when he was an infant. His mother (Haajra (peace and blessings of Allah be upon her) looked for water for him, but could not find any. She climbed to the top of Mount al-Safaa, praying to Allah to help her and give her water for Ismaaeel, then she climbed to the top of Mount al-Marwah and did the same. Allah sent Jibreel (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) , and he struck the earth, and water appeared.

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THINGS TO DO IN DHUL-HIJJA

December 3, 2008

Alhamdulillaah. …..the blessed days are here one more time! The 
glorious days when rewards are multiplied many times, and sins are 
forgiven much more… the days in which Allaah gives us yet another 
chance to worship Him, to ask for forgiveness and correct our faults 
and make up for our shortcomings. … the blessed days that the 
Sahabah waited for and prayed for…. the beautiful days in which 
they strived long and hard in worship, until they could do no 
more…. What are these magnificent days? These blessed days are the 
first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Just like the last ten nights of 
Ramadaan are the best ten nights out of the whole year, the Ulama 
tell us that out of the 365 days of the year, these first ten days of 
Dhul-Hijjah are the best days of the year and the most beloved to 
Allaah as they combine acts of worship in a way unlike any other 
times. The Prophet testified to that. He said: “There are no days in 
which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten 
days.” The people asked, “Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?” He 
said, “Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of 
a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the 
cause, and came back with nothing.” (Bukhaari) Subhaan Allaah wal-
Hamdulillaah! What a blessing! The question is…..what do I do on 
these magnificent days and how can I make the most of this perfect, 
golden, golden opportunity to earn rewards and Jannah? Obviously, 
Hajj is one of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days. 
However for those of us who were not invited to His House this year, 
there are still many, many good deeds that one can do and earn the 
Pleasure of Allaah. Some of these are: 
1) Fast all nine days and especially fast the Day of ‘Arafah The 
Prophet said: “Anyone who fasts for one day for Allah’s pleasure, 
Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance 
covered by a journey of) seventy years.” (Bukhari, Muslim) Just 
imagine….. if you fast these nine days (fasting on Eid is haraam), 
how far your distance will be from hell! The Prophet used to fast on 
the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah and he said: “Fasting the Day 
of ‘Arafah (ninth Dhul-hijjah) is an expiation for (all the sins of) 
the previous year and an expiation for (all the sins of) the coming 
year.” (Muslim)  Read the rest of this entry »

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