\r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n| \r\n QURAN \r\n |
\r\n\r\nTranslation:\r\n
\r\n\r\nSurah al-Baqarah (The Cattle)
\r\n
\r\n Chapter 2: Verse 185\"And (Allah desires) that you should complete the period (of fasting), \r\n and that you should magnify Allah (saying \"Allahu Akbar\") for \r\n having guided you, and that perchance you may be thankful.\" \r\n
\r\n@ Commentary @
\r\nAllahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, \r\n la il Llaha il Allah!
\r\n
\r\n Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa li Llah il-Hamd!
\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAllah commands His servants to say \"Allah \r\n is Greatest\" in azhan (call to prayer), salah (prayer) and \r\n 'Eid, and urges Muslims to wholeheartedly chant these sweet and \r\n beautiful words of praise and glory, that, despite being soft on the tongue, \r\n are heavy on the scales of Judgement.\r\n
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- \r\n Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest! \r\n This is neither in vain nor in jest, but it \r\n is meant to implant in the hearts of the believers the essence of \r\n this religion: the fact that Allah is One, Eternally \r\n Supreme, and He is Above anything else!\r\n
\r\n - \r\n Allah is Greatest! His Might is above all psychological \r\n crises that overwhelm people, no matter how extensive these woes \r\n and crises are. Even if they become mountainous \r\n to the extent of encompassing the whole earth and engulfing all \r\n souls, and no matter how overwhelming people’s calamities are, nothing \r\n can relieve them of these crises except faith in \"Allahu Akbar!\" \r\n\r\n
\r\n - \r\n Allah is Greatest! He is Greater than all temporal lusts \r\n that disseminate mischief in the earth, spread chaos in society, \r\n and tear apart people's amity, cooperation, and solidarity. \r\n Nothing can curb these lusts except the belief in \"Allahu Akbar!\" \r\n\r\n
\r\n - \r\n Allah is Greatest! He is Greater than all tyrants who enslave the helpless \r\n people and infringe upon their rights, for they are weak and powerless. \r\n Nothing can set these affairs in order except the belief \r\n in \"Allahu Akbar!\"\r\n
\r\n - \r\n O you Muslims who declare in your \r\n prayers, your 'Eids, and your calls to heaven your true belief in \r\n \"Allahu Akbar\"! Never faint, nor grieve, \r\n nor despair, nor weaken, nor give in. \r\n Surely, the earth is Allah's, it does not belong to America, \r\n Russia, England, or France. He, Almighty, gives it for an inheritance \r\n to whom He wills amongst His servants, and the best end is for those \r\n who keep their duty to Him, not for the traitors, nor for the aggressors, \r\n nor for the tyrants, nor for the oppressors. Be confident in the \r\n fulfillment of Allah's promise, for He never breaks His promise. \r\n\r\n
\r\n - \r\n Worship Him and don't associate \r\n other with Him. Fear Allah and implore Him to forgive your sins. \r\n Unify your word, gather your forces, know \r\n your way, and arrange your work. Then, don't fear the \r\n alliance of tyrant nations against you, for Allah is Predominant \r\n in His affairs, but most of mankind know not.\r\n
\r\n - \r\n Remember the Day of Reckoning when \r\n you will stand in front of Allah. Remember the resentment of \r\n the coming generation (if you fail in your work). Remember the curse \r\n of history (on those who went astray). Unify \r\n your efforts! Be as one man with one goal! Make that goal gaining \r\n victory in the Last Hour’s battle! At this very moment, \r\n we can tell each other – tasting the joy of victory and the thrill \r\n of triumph:\r\n \r\n
\r\n\r\n\"Kull 'Aam wa Antum Bekhair!\" May \r\n you have a happy and blessed 'Eid!
\r\n \r\n
\r\n[compiled from an 'Eid khutba \"Allahu \r\n Akbar\" by Imam Hasan al-Banna (rahimahullah)]
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| \r\n DEALING \r\n WITH TEENAGERS: TIPS FOR PARENTS \r\n |
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSeries continued from Issue #157
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAlthough no two families have exactly the same \r\n situation, there are some general guidelines for dealing with \r\n Muslim teenagers that might be useful.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n5) We should listen \r\n to our children
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\r\n Sometimes, children act out in order to get our attention. \r\n If we give them our attention freely, they will not have to seek \r\n it in destructive ways. Also, by listening to our children, \r\n there is a greater chance that they will confide in us and ask \r\n us questions, rather than seeking answers from negative sources.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n6) We should do what we say
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\r\n Teenagers hate hypocrisy, and many of them seem to have a built-in \r\n radar for detecting it. If we want them to listen to us and \r\n take our advice, they must trust us. If we tell them not to drink, \r\n but drink ourselves, they will not respect us. If we watch bad \r\n programs on television, how can we expect them to watch good programs \r\n and listen to good music?\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe teenage years are usually difficult, and \r\n parents need to prepare for them before they arrive. If parents \r\n have built a strong, trusting, and loving relationship with their \r\n children before the teenage years, their children will be less \r\n likely to go astray. It is very difficult to see one's child \r\n going in the wrong direction and not know how to stop him or her \r\n from destroying themself. But if we work hard to instil in \r\n them the right values early and try to help them develop a wholesome \r\n lifestyle without being overbearing, perhaps we can prevent such \r\n a tragedy from ever occurring.
\r\n
[compiled from \"8 Tips for Dealing With Your Child's Teenage \r\n Years\"
\r\n @ www.SoundVision.com]
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| \r\n SHARIAH: THE \r\n WAY OF JUSTICE \r\n |
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nShari'ah is the Islamic Law: the final, perfected and universally-applicable \r\n form of the divinely revealed code of life and conduct for \r\n all humanity. This series seeks to inform and educate both \r\n Muslims and non-Muslims about the place of Shari'ah within \r\n Islam, its fundamental principles, objectives, and methodology \r\n for implementation in the day-to-day civic life of society. \r\n It will also aim to remove some of the misconceptions built \r\n around the various rulings in Shari'ah that distract from \r\n its main purpose - safeguarding human life, family, dignity, \r\n wealth, and intellect hence creating an environment that nurtures \r\n the soul!
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSeries continued from Issue #157
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\nWomen: Roles within Family\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe social roles assigned by the Shari'ah \r\n to man and woman within the family emanate from one simple \r\n but profound reality: the two are biologically and sexually \r\n different; only the woman can bear children. Other important \r\n psychological, physical and social differences follow from \r\n this. But even if, for the sake of argument, these other genuine \r\n differences are dismissed as having been ‘socially caused’, \r\n the reality of this biological and sexual difference is \r\n impossible to deny.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nObviously the role of bearing children is one \r\n that the woman can neither shirk nor transfer, unless the \r\n era of test-tube babies is ushered in or mankind decides to \r\n extinguish itself. Gender differences, reproduction, role \r\n of differentiation, sexual morality, survival of the family, \r\n healthy child development and the health and strength of society \r\n are closely inter-linked and mutually dependent phenomena, \r\n in which sex-based role differentiation is the key to the \r\n stability of the entire system. If it is abandoned, the whole \r\n chain will snap: sexual morality will collapse, personality \r\n disorder will be rampant, anarchy and chaos will the order \r\n of the day. In short, the family will vanish.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThere is no convincing case however for saying \r\n that role differentiation is socially caused; on the contrary, \r\n the cumulative weight of all evidence, whether from pre-history \r\n or history, indicates unmistakably that every society has \r\n chosen to do things the same way, even the contemporary West, \r\n which is so vociferous in professing ‘equality of the sexes’. \r\n No society is on record which has ever progressed without \r\n placing woman in full charge of the home!
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDifferent But Not Inferior
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHence the principle in the Shari'ah: the \r\n woman's doman is the domestic sphere. However, it is very \r\n important to note that to be different is NOT to be inferior. \r\n Islam attaches no stigma to being a woman; there is no \r\n inferior nature, no myth of 'the fall' and no responsibility \r\n for 'original sin'.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTo bear and rear children is no disgrace \r\n either. To rule over and manage the kingdom of home - that haven \r\n of human happiness and progress - is no mean achievement. Home \r\n and children can be degrading and a burden only in a society \r\n which chooses to make them so. In Islam, domesticity is \r\n not a devalued sphere of human life, nor is home in any way \r\n inferior to public life. Indeed, the very epithet 'confined \r\n to the four walls of the home' is absurd to a Muslim, as the \r\n home in Islam, far from being a place to be looked down upon \r\n with contempt, is more important and sacred than even a parliament \r\n building or a university, and certainly more prestigious, creative \r\n and rewarding than the shop floor or secretarial desk, where \r\n two thirds of 'emancipated' women finally end up working.\r\n
... to be continued next week \r\n ...
\r\n[compiled from \"Shari'ah: \r\n The Way of Justice\" by Ustadh Khurram Murad (rahimahullah)]
\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n| \r\n ISLAMIC VOCAB \r\n |
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nQ u r b a n\r\n
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\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLiterally, qurban \r\n is an Arabic word which means sacrifice. In other \r\n parts of the world, qurban is also known as \r\n qurbani\r\n \r\n - \r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIn Islam, qurban \r\n is an act of worship performed by Muslims on specific \r\n days (10th, 11th or 12th of Zhul Hijjah \r\n in the Islamic calendar) whereby livestock are \r\n slaughtered and distributed for consumption to the \r\n poor, and friends and relatives of the performer
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBasic \r\n conditions of slaughtering during Qurban\r\n \r\n
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\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe slaughtering process \r\n must be carried out in accordance to the Shari'ah\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe animal should only \r\n be slaughtered with a sharp knife or object. It \r\n is not permissible to use guns, electronic shock \r\n or carbon dioxide gas in the slaughtering process\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe animal should be \r\n laid on its left side with its face pointing towards \r\n the Qibla and slaughtered quickly\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBefore the animal is \r\n slaughtered, \"Bismillah\" (In the Name of \r\n God) must be recited\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWhen slaughtering, at \r\n least three of the four veins in the throat of the \r\n animal must be cut\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe animal must be completely \r\n dead before it can be skinned and cut into pieces\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe following animals \r\n can be slaughtered for qurbani: goats, sheep, cows, \r\n oxen, buffaloes, and camels, all whether male or \r\n female\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nA person can offer either \r\n one goat or sheep, or one seventh of a cow, buffalo \r\n or camel as qurbani, i.e. 7 people can agree to \r\n offer a cow, buffalo or camel between them\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAnimals that are impaired \r\n (i.e. blind or crippled) cannot be slaughtered for \r\n qurbani\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nQurbani can only be carried \r\n out during the period of qurbani (i.e. during the \r\n three days of Eid-ul-Adha - 10th, 11th and \r\n 12th of Zhul Hijjah). Animals that are sacrificed \r\n outside this period will not be considered as qurbani\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[source: IslamiQ Knowledge Center http://www.islamiq.com/ - What is \r\n Qurban?\r\n
\r\n For more on the fiqh of 'Eid-ul-Adha, Qurban and Udhiyya, \r\n
\r\n please refer to the Fatwa Bank at IslamOnline.net - http://www.islamonline.net]