Eid Mubarak!

Tomorrow, Friday the 10th will be the first day of Eid Ul-Fitr inshallah (God Willing).

I haven't been able to complete the writing on Ramadan, so I will be continuing that after Eid inshallah (God Willing).

Eid Ul-Fitr roughly translates into "Holiday of breaking the fast" and starts on the day directly following Ramadan. Eid Ul-Fitr lasts 3 days. The following are a few Sunnahs (traditions of the Prophet, peace be upon him) regarding Eid:

1 – It is recommended to recite takbeer during the night of Eid from sunset on the last day of Ramadan (after sunset) until the imam comes to lead the prayer. The format of the takbeer is as follows:

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allah, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, there is no god except Allah, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, and all praise be to Allah).

Or you can say Allahu akbar three times, so you say:

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allah, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, there is no god except Allah, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great , Allah is Most Great, and all praise be to Allah).

Both are permissible.

2 – You should eat an odd number of dates before leaving for the Eid prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not set out on the day of Eid until he had eaten an odd number of dates. He should stick to an odd number as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did.

3 – You should wear your best clothes – this is for men. With regard to women, they should not wear beautiful clothes (or overtly attractive clothes) when they go out to the Eid prayer-place, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Let them go out looking decent” i.e., in regular clothes that are not overtly fancy or attention-drawing.

4 – Some of the scholars regarded it as recommended to do ghusl (ritual shower) for the Eid prayer, because it is narrated that some of the first generation Muslims did this. Doing ghusl (ritual shower) for Eid prayer is recommended, just as it is prescribed for Friday because one is going to meet people. So if one does ghusl (ritual shower), that is good.

5 – The Eid prayer. The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the Eid prayer is prescribed in Islam.

In the first rak’ah the imam (leader of the prayer) should recite Sabbih isma rabbika al-A‘ala (Surat al-A’la, chapter 87) and in the second rak’ah he should recite Hal ataaka hadeeth ul-ghaashiyah (Surat al-Ghaashiyah, chapter 88). Or he may recite Surat Qaaf (Chapter 50) in the first and Surat al-Qamar (Chapter 54) in the second. Both options are narrated in authentic hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

The Eid Prayer is a bit different than the regular prayer. The following video shows a Eid Prayer. In the beginning, they are reciting the takbeer (listed in point number 1). If you fast forward to 2:50, that is when they start the prayer:

Notice that the imam (leader fo the prayer) says "Allahu Akbar" 7 times extra in the first ra'kah (a total of 8 "Allahu Akbar") than what is normally said in prayer, before starting his recitation. During the second ra'kah, 5 extra "Allahu Akbar" (a total of 6) is said before starting the recitation.

6 – One of the rulings on the day of Eid – Eid al-Fitr – is that Zakaat al-Fitr (almsgiving on the day of breaking the fast) is due on this day. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined that it should be paid before the Eid prayer. It is permissible to pay it one or two days before that, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) which was narrated by al-Bukhari: “They used to give it one or two days before (Eid) al-Fitr.” If it is paid after the Eid prayer, it does not count as Sadaqat al-Fitr, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbas: “Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is Zakaat al-Fitr, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is ordinary charity.” It is haram (forbidden) to delay Zakaat al-Fitr until after the Eid prayer. If one delays it with no excuse then it is not acceptable zakaah, but if there is an excuse – such as if a person is traveling and does not have anything to give or anyone to give it to, or he is expecting his family to pay it and they are expecting him to pay it, then in this case he should pay it when it is easy for him to do so, even if that is after the prayer, and there is no sin on him because he has an excuse.

7 – People should greet one another, offer congratulations and exchange good wishes, no matter what the wording is, such as saying to one another Taqabbala Allaah minna wa minkum (May Allaah accept (good deeds) from us and from you” or “Eid mubarak” (May you have a blessed Eid) and other permissible expressions of congratulations.

It was narrated that Jubayr ibn Nufayr said: When the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) met one another on the day of Eid, they would say to one another, “May Allaah accept (good deeds) from us and from you.” Al-Fath, 2/446.

8 – It is prescribed for the one who goes out to the Eid prayer to go by one route and return by another, following the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This Sunnah does not apply to other prayers, Jumu’ah or anything else, it only applies to Eid.

It was said that the reason for that was so that the two routes would testify for him on the Day of Resurrection, for the earth will speak on the Day of Resurrection and say what was done on it, both good and bad.

So Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim brothers and sisters celebrating it!

Courtesy of Islam Q&A

Ramadan 2010

This article is a compilation of photos of Muslims celebrating Ramadan across the world. The photos are beautiful, so I thought I would share:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/ramadan_2010.html

Ramadan - When Is It?

Ramadan is the tenth month in the Islamic calendar. This month is spent by Muslims in worship and fasting during the daylight hours.

Ramadan 2010 will either take place August 11, or August 12, depending on where you live. As of today, the majority of the Muslim world has sighted the moon and decided that Ramadan is tomorrow, Wednesday, August 11.

The reason for this uncertainty of the date is that the Islamic Calendar is a lunar one, whereas the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. So in order to find out the date that the new month begins, the moon must be sighted as a crescent moon to signify the beginning of the new month.

The Lunar year is also 11 days shorted than the Solar year, so Ramadan always comes 10-12 days earlier than the year before. How many exact days earlier depends on how many days are in all the other months of the Lunar year. This also means that around every 33 Gregorian years that pass, you are actually one year older (34 years), by Islamic years.

So what if it's a cloudy night, and you cannot see the moon properly? Or what if you live in the North Pole where it's six months of daylight, and six months of dark? The majority of the scholars agree that as long as the moon is sighted in a country that you share a part of the night with, then you can use their moon sighting to signal the start of Ramadan. This fatwa (ruling) is also used to calculate the beginning and end of all other Islamic months.

Some North American Muslims prefer to sight the moon themselves, in their own country, whereas others are fine with starting Ramadan if the moon has been sighted in their country of origin. Therefore, it isn't uncommon to find some Muslims, in the same city, starting Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr on different days than others. Both opinions are correct.

Many cities now try to come to an agreement with all the Islamic centers and organizations so that all the Muslims in the same city celebrate Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr at the same time.

If you would like to wish someone well in Ramadan, the proper greeting is "Ramadan Kareem" (May your Ramadan be full of generosity) or "Ramadan Mubarak" (May you have a blessed Ramadan).

The months of the Islamic Calendar are as follows:

Muharram

Safar

Rabee' Al-Awal (Rabee' the first)

Rabee' Al-Thanee (Rabee' the second)

Jumaad Al-Ulaa (Jumaad the first)

Jumaad Al-Thanee (Jumaad the second)

Rajab

Sha'baan

Ramadan

Dhul-Qi'daa

Dhul-Hijaa

I will be posting more about Ramadan in the upcoming days, so stay tuned!

How to be a Successful Husband

By Muhammad AlShareef

1. Dress up for your wife, look clean and smell good.When was the last time us men went shopping for designer pajamas? Just like the husband wants his wife to look nice for him, she also wants her husband to dress up for her too. Remember that Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad] - would always start with Miswak [toothbrush] when returning home and always loved the sweetest smells.

2. Use the cutest names for your wife. Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad] - had nicknames for his wives, ones that they loved. Call your wife by the most beloved names to her, and avoid using names that hurt their feelings.

3. Don't treat her like a fly. We never think about a fly in our daily lives until it 'bugs' us. Similarly, a wife will do well all day - which brings no attention from the husband - until she does something to 'bug' him. Don't treat her like this; recognize all the good that she does and focus on that.

4. If you see wrong from your wife, try being silent and do not comment! This is one of the ways Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad] - used when he would see something inappropriate from his wives - radi Allahu 'anhunn. It's a technique that few Muslim men have mastered.

5. Smile at your wife whenever you see her and embrace her often. Smiling is Sadaqah [charity] and your wife is not exempt from the Muslim Ummah. Imagine life with her constantly seeing you smiling. Remember also those Ahadith [traditions] when Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad] - would kiss his wife before leaving for Salah [prayer], even if he was fasting.

6. Thank her for all that she does for you. Then thank her again! Take for example a dinner at your house. She makes the food, cleans the home, and a dozen other tasks to prepare. And sometimes the only acknowledgement she receives is that there needed to be more salt in the soup. Don't let that be; thank her!

7. Ask her to write down the last ten things you did for her that made her happy. Then go and do them again. It may be hard to recognize what gives your wife pleasure. You don't have to play a guessing game, ask her and work on repeating those times in your life.

8. Don't belittle her desires. Comfort her. Sometimes the men may look down upon the requests of their wives. Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad] set the example for us in an incident when Safiyyah - radi Allahu 'anha - was crying because, as she said, he had put her on a slow camel. He wiped her tears, comforted her, and brought her the [other] camel.

9. Be humorous and Play games with your wife. Look at how Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad] - would race his wife Aisha - radi Allahu 'anha - in the desert. When was the last time we did something like that?

10. Always remember the words of Allah's Messenger - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam [the Prophet Muhammad]: "The best of you are those who treat their families the best. And I am the best amongst you to my family." Try to be the best!

In conclusion: Never forget to make Dua [prayer/supplication] to Allah - azza wa jall [the Mighty and Majestic] - to make your marriage successful. And Allah ta'ala [the Exalted] knows best !!

Courtesy of Islamway

Cloning

From Bilal Philips' Contemporary Issues, 2002:

Cloning is defined in biology as the production of a genetically identical duplicate of an organism and in the world of scientific technology as the artificial production of organisms with the same genetic material. In simple terms, cloning is genetic duplication.

1) Humans have been cloning roses long before knowing what cloning is. In 1997, cloning made the headlines around the world when Dr. Wilmut announced that he had successfully cloned a sheep named "Dolly" from the mammary cell of an adult ewe. However, Wilmut had actually manipulated an egg rather than actual cloning. This process is referred to as cloning even in scientific circles.

2) The application of cloning techniques to agricultural and animal husbandry might be a clue for boosting food production the world over. Islam has no objection to gene-manipulation in the animal and vegetable kingdom as long as no harm to human life has been confirmed [and it does not cause undue harm or stress to the animals - blogger's note].

3) Cloning may be used to save a life by giving children who need organ transplants to have a clone born to donate organs. The need for bone-marrow transplants in children with leukemia has raised the ethical issues about parents having other children to provide the transplant. Cloning could also be a big advantage for people who have lost a loved one like the copy of a child for a couple whose child had died.

4) Scarcity of organs or human parts is putting tremendous pressure on scientists to come up with a way to generate organs and human parts in the laboratories. Without a parent body, the generation of organs and parts seems unlikely. Consequently, the demand will be for the cloning of an entire human. From the statements of a number of scientists, it appears that the main thrust of cloning a human being is the prolonging of human life with the ultimate goal of achieving eternal life. In the first stage, a human clone would be a source of original spare parts to replace worn out parts in a relatively healthy body. Ultimately, a brain transplant would eliminate multiple operations in an old or unhealthy body. The belief that the totality of a human being is the contents of the human brain offers the possibility of avoiding operations by simply attaching electrodes tot he human brain and downloading its contents into a computer. Once the process is complete, electrodes could be reattached to a cloned body and the stored contents of the computer could be uploaded into the new body. In that way human beings could afford such an operation could live forever.

5) Islam opposes such plans because, if they succeeded the clone would be another human being, having its own spirit and right to life. The clone would be like an identical twin who, though looking exactly the same as its brother/sister, is a unique individual.

6) Those believing that humans are the contents of their brains, since the '70s, have paid tens of thousands of dollars to have their heads severed at death and preserved in liquid nitrogen with the hope that they will be revived at some time in the future. However, their fate is no different from the pharaohs who mummified their bodies in the vain belief that they would continue to live after their deaths. Death is a one way street. There is no coming back. The near death experiences are hallucinations. Those who were revived did not die, but only appeared to die to observers or to less sensitive instruments.

7) Cloning has also been proposed as a possible solution for getting children if parents happen to be infertile. This would create ethical problems as a clone of the husband would be genealogically his brother and of the wife her sister.

[Islam is strict about maintaining genealogy, so the child of a couple should always be biologically theirs, meaning that the sperm and egg must belong to the couple themself. Adoption is another issue that will be discussed further at another time. - blogger's note]

Patience and Perseverance

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) passed by a woman who was crying over a grave and said, "Fear Allah and be patient." She said, "Away from me! My calamity has not befallen you and you are not aware of it." The woman was later told that it was the Prophet (PBUH) (who had advised her). She came to his door where she found no doorkeeper. She said, "(I am sorry) I did not know you." Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Patience is (becoming) only at the first (stroke) of grief".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration in Muslim says: The woman was crying over her son.

Commentary:

This Hadith indicates the excellence of the Prophet's character. The woman whom he advised to have patience did not behave properly, but the Prophet (PBUH) was neither annoyed nor did he reproach her. When she appeared before him for the second time, he again repeated his advice for patience.

A Promise

I've been forgetting to add new entries. The last entry is from December 2009!

So, I will promise you all something. I will be updating this blog weekly. Every Friday, expect a new entry inshallah (God Willing).

If you have any specific topics you would like to learn more about, either leave a comment here, or email me at whatdidyouwant2know@gmail.com

Inshallah, I will have a new entry this Friday :)