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Glorify Allah

To Stay Permanently Close to Him {The Editor}

In his commentary on the Qur‟an, the famous scholar, Ibn

Katheer says: “Allah gives this general order that we should

remember Him often at the beginning and end of each day, as

He ordered that we should worship Him at these two times,

when he says: „Extol the praises of your Lord before sunrise

and before sunset.‟ This used to be the case before daily

prayers were made obligatory and the night when the Prophet,

peace be upon him, went on his night journey.”

This verse was revealed in Makkah. Here Allah says that we

should remember Him “in the morning and evening”, and this

should be done humbly, and with awe, without raising our

voices. This is the best way to remember Allah, not to address

Him loudly. The Prophet‟s (pbuh) companions asked him: “Is

our Lord near to be addressed softly or distant so that we

should appeal to Him loud?” In reply, Allah revealed the

Qur‟anic verse: “When My servants ask you about Me, I am

near. I respond to the supplication of anyone when he

addresses Me.”

Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim relate in their “Saheeh” on the

authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ashari: “On some travel people

raised their voices when they made their supplication. The

Prophet (pbuh) said to them: “People watch what you do. You

are appealing to someone who is neither deaf nor away. The

One Whom you are calling hears all that is said, and He is

close at hand. Indeed, He is close to each one of you than

the neck of his camel.”

Allah‟s remembrance is not the mere mentioning of His name

verbally; it can be achieved when both heart and mind are

brought into it. It is the type of remembrance that can makes

hearts tremble and minds react. Unless it is coupled with a

feeling of humility and awe, it will not be true remembrance

of Allah. Indeed, it could border on impoliteness toward

Allah. When we remember Allah, we should think of His

greatness, fear His punishment and hope for His mercy. Only

in that way, can we achieve spiritual purity. When we mention

His name as we remember His greatness and we bring the

physical action with the spiritual one, we must show humility,

speaking in a low voice, without singing or showing off.

“And remember your Lord within yourself humbly and with

awe, and without raising your voice, in the morning and

evening.” This is to ensure that our hearts remain in contact

with Allah at both ends of the day. Remembering Allah is not

NOOR-I-ISLAM Ahmadiyah Anjuman

Isha’at-i-Islam (Lahore),

Canada

NOVEMBER, 2011

Editor: Sadiq Noor

Web: aaiil.org Read on-line: aaiil.org/Canada Comments: aaiil.canada@gmail.com

”And remember your Lord within yourself humbly and with awe, and without raising your voice, in the morning and evening: And do not be negligent. Those who are with your Lord are never too proud to worship Him. They extol His glory and before Him alone prostrate themselves.” [The Heights – “Al-A’araf” 7:205-6]

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limited to these two times; indeed it must be all

the time. We should be on constant guard against

slipping into error. But in these two particular

periods we can observe the clear change that

takes place in universe as the night changes into

day, and the day changes into night. Human hearts would feel

in touch with the universe around them, as they witness how

Allah accomplishes this transition of day and night and the

great changes that take place as one gives way to the other.

Allah {limitless in His glory} knows that at these two

particular times, human hearts are most likely to be impressed

and to respond positively. There are frequent directives in the

Qur‟an to remember Allah and glorify Him at the time when

the whole universe appears to interact with the human heart,

sharpen its impressions, and motivate it to remain in touch

with Allah the Almighty:

“Persevere in the fact of what they say, and extol the praises

of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. Also in the

depth of the night, glorify Him and do so after prayers.”

“At different times through the night do glorify your Lord,

and also do so at both ends of the day so that you may be

gratified.”

“Remember the name of your Lord early in the morning and

before sunset. And in the depth of the night, prostrate

yourself to Him and glorify Him

through the long night.”

There is no need to [repeatedly] say that

this order to remember Allah at this

particular time was before the daily prayers were made

obligatory at their appointed times, because this may give the

impression that these obligatory prayers have superseded this

order. The fact is that this remembrance of Allah is wider than

the obligatory prayers. Its timing and its form are not limited

to obligatory prayers. It may be a remembrance in private, or

something in which both heart and mouth share without the

movements that prayer includes. It is indeed wider than that

because it involves constant remembrance of Allah‟s

Almightiness, when one is alone or with people, before any

action, big or small, and before resolving to do something.

However, the early morning, the end of day as the sun begins

to set, and the depth of the nights is mentioned because these

are times that has special appeal to human hearts. Allah Who

has created man and Who knows his nature is fully aware of

all that.

“Do not be negligent.” This is a reference to people

who neglect to remember Allah, not by word of mouth, but in

their heart and mind. It is the remembrance that keeps the

heart alive to deter man from doing anything or following any

course in which he feels embarrassed to be seen by Allah and

who watches Allah before doing anything. This is the type of

remembering Allah that is ordered here. It would not be true

remembrance of Allah if it does not lead to obeying Him and

implementing His orders.

Do not let yourself be negligent of remembering Allah and

watching your actions. Man needs to remain in constant touch

with his Lord so that he is able to resist the temptation that

Satan may place before him.

“Should a tempting thought from Satan attract you, seek

shelter with Allah. He hears all and knows all.” ….

Do any of us know this man

or have any of us ever heard his name

before? Most probably, the majority

of us, if not all, have not heard his

name mentioned before. I imagine that

you wonder, who Sa‟iid Ibn „Aamir

is? Well, you are about to embark on a

journey back in time so as to find out

all that there is to be known about this

“happy” (“Sa‟iid” means “happy”) man, so

fasten your seat belts.

In short, Sa‟iid was one of

the outstanding Companions of the

Prophet (pbuh), notwithstanding the fact

that his name was seldom, if ever,

mentioned. He was one of the most

distinguished unknown pious

Companions. It was natural that he,

like all Muslims, would accompany

the Prophet (pbuh) in all his expeditions

and battles, for as a believer, he could

not lag or turn his back on Allah‟s

Prophet (pbuh) in peace or war time.

Shortly before the Conquest of

Khaibar, Sa‟iid submitted himself to

Islam. Ever since he embraced Islam

and gave his allegiance to the Prophet

(pbuh), he consecrated his life,

existence, and destiny to the service of

Islam. All the great virtues of

obedience, asceticism, dignity,

humbleness, piety, and pride thrived

harmoniously inside this pure and

kind man.

In our attempt to unveil his

greatness, we must bear in mind that,

in most cases, appearance contrasts

with reality. If we are to judge him by

his outer looks, we will not do him

justice, for he was definitely ill-

favored as regards his appearance. He

had dusty uncombed hair. Nothing in

his looks or appearance distinguished

Companions Of The

Prophet

(peace be upon him)

SA‟IID IBN „AAMIR (May Allah be pleased with him, always)

“Greatness under Worn-out Garments”

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him from poor Muslims. If we are to

judge his reality by his appearance, we

will see nothing impressive or breath-

taking. But if we dive deep into his

inner self beyond his outer

appearance, we will see greatness in

the full meaning of the word. His

greatness stood aloof from the

splendor and ornament of life. Yet, it

lurked there beyond his modest

appearance and worn-out garments.

Have you ever seen a pearl hidden

inside its shell? Well, he was much

like this hidden pearl.

When the Commander of the

Faithful „Umar Al-Khattab‟ dismissed

Mu‟aawiyah from the position as

governor of Homs in Syria, he exerted

himself in searching for someone who

was qualified to take over his position.

Undoubtedly, „Omar‟s standards of

choice of governors and assistants

were highly cautious, meticulous, and

scrutinizing. He believed that if a

governor committed a sin, error, or

violation, two people would be asked

to account for it before Allah: „Omar

and the governor, even if this

governor were in the farthest corner of

the earth. His standards of estimation

and evaluation of governors were

highly subtle, alert, and perceiving.

Centuries before the advent of Islam,

Homs was a big city that witnessed,

one after the other, the dawn and

eclipse of many civilizations, besides,

it was a vital trade center. The

attractions of the vast city turned it

into a place of seduction and

temptation. In „Omer‟s opinion only

as ascetic, devout, and repentant

worshiper would be able to resist and

renounce its attractions.

„Omer suddenly realized that

Sa‟iid ibn Aamir was the man he was

looking for and cried out, “Sa‟iid ibn

„Amir is the right man for this

mission.” He summoned him, Sa‟iid

was offered the governorship by the

Commander of the Faithful, but he

refused saying, “Do not expose me to

Fitnah (trials and affliction).” „Umar

then cried out, “By Allah, I will not

let you turn me down. Do you lay the

burdens of your trusteeship and the

caliphate upon my shoulders, and

then you refuse to help me out?” Instantly, Sa‟iid was convinced of the

logic of „Omar‟s words. Indeed, it was

not fair to abandon or avoid their

obligation towards their trusteeship

and towards the caliphate and lay

them on „Umar‟s shoulders.

Moreover, if people like Sa‟iid ibn

„Aamir renounced the responsibility

of rule, then „Umar would definitely

have a hard time to find a man who

was highly pious and righteous

enough to be entrusted with such a

mission.

Hence, Sa‟iid traveled with

his wife to Syria. They were

newlywed. Ever since his bride was a

little girl, she has been an exquisitely

blooming beauty. „Umar gave him a

considerable sum of money at the time

of his departure.

When they settled down in

Syria, his wife wanted to use this

money, so she asked him to buy

appropriate garments, upholstery, and

furniture, and to save the rest of it.

Sa‟iid said to her, “I have a better

idea. We are in a country with

profitable trade and brisk markets, so

it would be better to give this money

to a merchant so as to invest it.” She

said, “But if he loses it?” Sa‟iid said,

“I will make him a guarantee that the

amount will be paid notwithstanding.”

She answered, “All right then.”

Of course, Sa‟iid went out

and bought the necessities for an

ascetic life, then gave all his money in

voluntary charity in Allah‟s cause to

the poor and those in need. Time went

by, and every now and then his wife

would ask him about their money and

their profits and he would answer, “It

is a highly profitable trade.”

One day, she asked him the

same question before one of his

relatives who knew what he had done

with the money. His relative smiled,

then he could not help laughing in a

way that made Sa‟iid‟s wife

suspicious. Therefore, she prevailed

on him to tell her the truth. He told

her, “Sa‟iid on that day gave all his

money in voluntary charity in Allah‟s

cause.” Sa‟iid‟s wife was broken-

hearted, for not only had she lost her

last chance to buy what she wanted

but also lost all their money. Sa‟iid

gazed at her sad, meek eyes glistening

with tears that only added more charm

and grace to her eyes; yet before he

yielded to this fascinating figure, he

perceived Paradise inhabited by his

late friends and said, “I had

companions who preceded me in

ascending to Allah and you will not

deviate from the path they have

taken, not for the world.” He was

afraid lest her excelling beauty should

make her disobey him; therefore he

said as if he were talking to himself,

“You know that Paradise is filled with

Houris, fair females with wide and

lovely eyes as wives for the pious,

who are extremely lovely. If one of

them had a peep at the earth, she

would illuminate it with her light that

combines the light of both the earth

and the moon. So you should not

blame me if I choose to sacrifice your

love for their love and not vice versa.”

Throughout his talk, he was calm,

pleased, and satisfied. His wife was

peaceful, for she realized that she had

no choice but to follow Sa‟iid‟s

example and adopt herself to his rigid,

ascetic, and pious way of life.

Homs at that time was called

the second Kufa. The reason behind

this was that its people were easily

stirred and swayed to revolt against

their governors. Homs was named

after Al-Kufa in Iraq, which was

notorious for endless mutiny and

uprising. Although, the people of

Homs were given to mutiny, as

already mentioned, Allah guided their

hearts to His righteous slave Sa‟iid.

Thus, they loved and obeyed him.

One day, „Umar said to him,

“I find it rather strange that the people

of Syria love and obey you.” Sa‟iid

answered, “Maybe they love me

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because I help and sympathize with

them.”

Despite the love of the

people of Homs for Sa‟iid, their innate

rebellious disposition got the better of

them. Hence, sounds of discontent and

complaint began to be heard, thus

proving that Homs was not called the

second Kufa in vain. One day, as the

Commander of the Faithful was

visiting Homs, he asked its people

who gathered around him for their

opinion of Sa‟iid. Some made

complaints against him which were

blessings in disguise, for they

unveiled an impressively great man.

„Umar asked the criticizing

group to state their complaints one by

one. The representative of the group

stood up and said, “We have four

complaints against Sa‟iid: First, he

doesn‟t come out of his house until

the sun rises high and the day

becomes hot. Second, he does not see

anyone at night. Third, there are two

days in every month in which he

doesn‟t leave his house at all.

Fourth, he faints every now and

then, and this annoys us although he

can‟t help it.” The man sat down and

„Umar was silent for a while for he

was secretly supplicating Allah

saying, “Allah, I know that he is one

of Your best slaves. Allah, I beseech

You not to make me disappointed in

him.” He summoned Sa‟iid to defend

himself. Sa‟iid replied, “As for their

complaint that I do not get out of my

house before noon, by Allah I hate to

explain the reason that made me do

that, but I have to do so. The reason

is that my wife does not have a

servant, so I knead my dough, wait

for it to rise, bake my bread, perform

ablution and pray Duhar, and then I

go out of my house.” „Umar‟s face

brightened as he said, “All praises and

thanks to Allah.” Then he urged him

to refute the rest of the allegations.

Sa‟iid went on, “As for their

complaint that I do not meet anyone

at night, by Allah, I hate to say the

reason, but you force me to. Anyway,

I have devoted the day to them and

consecrated the night to Allah. As for

the third complaint, that they do not

see me two days per month, well, I do

not have a servant to wash my

garments and I have no spare one.

Therefore, I wash it and wait for it to

dry shortly before sunsets, then I go

out of my house meet them. My

defense against the last complaint of

the fainting fits is that I saw with my

own eyes Khubaib Al-Ansaariy being

slain in Makkah. The Quraish cut his

body into small pieces and said, „Do

you want to save yourself and see

Mohammad in your place instead?

He answered, „By Allah, I will not

accept your offer of setting me free to

return to my family safe and sound,

even if you gave me all the splendors

and ornaments of life in return for

exposing the Prophet (pbuh) to the

least annoyance, even if it was a

prick of a thorn. Now, every time this

scene of me standing there as a

disbeliever, watching Khubaib being

tortured to death and doing nothing

to save him flickers in my mind. I

find myself shaking with fear of

Allah‟s punishment and I faint.”

These were Sa‟iid‟s words

which left his lips that already wet

from the flow of his pure and pious

tears. The overjoyed „Umar could not

help but cry out, “All praises and

thanks be to Allah Who would not

make me disappointed in you!” He

hugged Sa‟iid and kissed his graceful

and dignified forehead.

Since it is not time for

Paradise yet, it is only natural that

those glorious superior men who pass

by life are but few, very few. Sa‟iid

ibn „Aamir was definitely one of those

superior Muslims.

His position allowed him a

considerable salary, yet he took only

enough money to buy the necessities

for himself and his wife and gave the

rest in voluntary charity in the way of

Allah. One day, he was urged to spend

his surplus on his family and relatives,

yet he answered, “Why should I give

it to my family and relatives? No, by

Allah, I will not sell Allah‟s pleasure

to seek my kinfolks‟ pleasure.”

He was later urged, “Spend

more money on you and on your family

and try to enjoy the lawful good things.”

But he always answered, “I will not stay

behind the foremost Muslims after I heard

the Prophet (pbuh) say:

“When Almighty Allah gathers all

people on the Day of Reckoning

the poor believers will step

forward in solemn procession.

They will be asked to stop for

reckoning but they will answer

confidently: We have nothing to

account for. Allah will say: My

slaves said the truth and they will

enter Paradise before all other

people.” In 20 A.H., Sa‟iid met Allah

with a pure record, pious heart, and

honorable history. He yearned for so long

to be among the foremost Muslims; in

fact, he consecrated his life to fulfill their

covenant and follow in their footsteps. He

yearned for so long for his Prophet (pbuh)

and instructor and his pure and repentant

comrades. He left all the burdens, troubles,

and hardships of life behind. He had

nothing but his pious, ascetic, awesome,

and great inner self. These virtues made

the balance of good deeds heavy rather

than light. He impressed the world with

his qualities rather than with his

conceit.

What a great guidance must have been bestowed on those

outstanding men! What an excellent instructor

Allah’s Prophet (pbuh) must have been!

What a penetrating light must have emanated from Allah’s

Book! What an inspiring and

instructive school Islam must have been!

I wonder if the earth can take in so much of the piety and righteousness of those

fortunate men! I presume that if that happened, then we would no longer call it the earth but rather Paradise.

Indeed the “Promised

Paradise.”

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{Ibn Saleh}

Your attitude of helping parents settle their debts is highly

commendable. Indeed, it is the attitude to be expected from

every dutiful son. You cannot abandon your father and your

mother to face creditors when you have money to help them.

Since that help went through your savings, you had no Zakah

to pay. Your wife is wrong to object to your helping your

parents. You should not hesitate to continue to help them until

their debts are settled. When you do so, you are not merely

being dutiful; you are investing for your own and your

children‟s future. If your wife objects, tell her that you would

like to be sure that if in your old age you need your children‟s

help, you will find it readily available. If you do not help your

parents, how can you be sure that your children will help you

when you grow old? Not only this, but when you help your

parents, your children will be sure to find a helping hand

should they need it when you have died.

It may be true that your parents got into debts as a result of

your brother‟s fault. The fact remains that they are facing

creditors and they have to pay these debts. If you are able to

help, you must do so. It is greatly important that you should

continue to help your parents. Let me remind you of the

Hadith which mentions that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not

offer the prayer for the deceased i.e. Janazah, when the body

of a dead man was brought into the mosque for prayer,

because the Prophet (pbuh) learned that the man left unsettled

debts. When one of his companions volunteered to settle those

debts, the Prophet (pbuh) offered that prayer for the deceased

man. That shows how greatly important the payment of debt

is, even after death. You cannot stand watching your parents if

they are encumbered with these debts. Your help should

always be forthcoming.

Before I started to write the reply to this letter, I tried to look

up the specific question of a husband preventing his wife from

seeing her parents in books of Fiqh and books that speak

extensively about the status of women in Islam. I referred to

numerous books, but my efforts produced only the result I had

expected. There was next to nothing on this specific question.

This is not surprising because the whole question of

preventing a married woman from visiting her parents is, to an

Islamic scholar, unthinkable. What right does a man think

he has over his wife‟s feelings and duties to stop her

from seeing her parents? Does he, by chance, think

that by marrying her he has come to own her? Does he

put her in the same category or the same relationship

to his as a goat he buys? If so, then he is certainly

mistaken. From the Islamic point of view, the relationship

between a man and his wife is one between two human beings

of equal status. Each of them has certain rights and certain

duties, but

neither of

them can

negate the

independent

personality of

the other.

It is simply

unacceptable

from the

Islamic point

of view that a

husband

should

consider that

the marriage

divides his

wife‟s life into

two separate

stages and that

each stage is

completely

isolated from

the other. If he

tries to impose

this situation,

then he will

have a wife

who is

disillusioned,

broken-

hearted and

totally lacking in the ability to impart to her children the

proper values of kindness to family relations and dutifulness

to parents. How could she, when she herself is denied the right

to maintain her relationship with her parents?

The fact is that dutifulness to parents is a duty imposed by

Allah on all children, boys and girls, men and women, single

and married. This dutifulness does not stop at any particular

stage in any-one‟s existence. It extends throughout the

parents‟ and the children‟s lives. Being dutiful to one‟s

parents is not considered to have been completed when they

die. Their children are required to continue to show

dutifulness to them by showing respect and kind treatment to

their friends and relatives, supplicating in their behalf, praying

Allah to have mercy on them, reading the Qur‟an and giving

Sadaqa or charitable donations on their behalf, etc. When such

a claim parents have against their children, how is it possible

that a husband thinks of preventing his wife from visiting her

parents? If he does, then he certainly is unjust to her, unless he

has a very good reason for his action, which can only be

imagined in isolated cases. An example may be seen in the

case of parents who try to persuade their daughter to be

rebellious against her husband or encourage her to seek

Q: Now that I am married, do I

have any financial obligation towards my parents, when they have to pay debts to others?

Q: I would be thankful if you

explain the duties of a married

woman toward her parents. Can a

Muslim husband stop his wife

from visiting her parents, and

threaten her with divorce if she

visits them? How often should she

visit them in normal

circumstances? What if they are ill

and old and need her to look after

them? May I say here that in our

society (Indian sub-continent), the

general view is that only the sons,

particularly the eldest, are

responsible for their parents. What

if a couple have only daughters and

no sons? {Questions shortened and names withheld}

Obligations: Towards Parents After Marriage

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divorce. But we are not talking about those isolated cases

here; we are referring to ordinary situations.

In these, a man should consider what his feelings would be

like if his sister was prevented from seeing their parents by

her unreasonable husband? He should extend to his wife the

same treatment he would like to see extended to his dearest

sister. My reader is asking about the case of a woman‟s

parents being ill or old and requiring frequent visits.

My answer is that she should try as much as she can to look

after them, and her husband should help her to do so. She

should certainly not neglect her own household duties, but she

can try to make the necessary arrangements to enable her to

look after her parents and her husband at the same time. Her

husband can help her in many ways such as driving her, if he

has a car, to her parent‟s home, or fetching her from there

when she wants to come back, putting their young children to

bed when she is looking after her parents, relieving her of her

cooking duties if the situation requires that, etc. These are

matters of common sense. He should feel very happy when

her parents express their gratitude to him and pray Allah to

reward him and his wife. He should realize that such

supplication is certainly answered. It can bring him and his

family only good. It may be customary in a certain community

to consider that the eldest son bears the greatest responsibility

in looking after his parents, but this is not

the Islamic view. In Islam, all sons and

daughters are responsible, each according

to his or her means. If sons are the ones to

provide financial help and looking after

their parents‟ material needs, paying the

expenses of their living and medical

treatment, then daughters can also help by providing the

necessary care and nursing, etc. If one of the children fails to

do his duty, then the others should not wait for him, but

provide what is needed without hesitation. Suppose, that the

eldest son is the richest in the family, but he happens to be

stingy, unwilling to pay for his parents‟ needs. Suppose also

that all the other children are of limited means. They still have

to look after their parents. They cannot say that their rich

brother does not help, so they cannot do much on their own.

They should look at the case as if their rich brother was not

there. What would they do in that case? Leave their parents to

suffer? Certainly not. Therefore, they should collaborate in

looking after them.

If an elderly couple has only daughters and they are all

married, and the couple needs to be looked after, then their

daughters should try their best to look after them. Islam does

not accept that such elderly parents should be abandoned

simply because their daughters are married. How can it be so

when kindness to all relatives in an Islamic duty? When we

speak of relatives here we are not simply speaking of brothers,

sisters, uncles and aunts, but of distant relatives also who are

separated by two or three grades of relationship. We are still

required to be kind to them and to show them that we care for

them. A religion that makes this a duty incumbent on all its

followers cannot condone the action of a husband who

arbitrarily refuses his wife permission to visit her parents.

Good Muslims have a different sense of duty. With Muslims

nowadays traveling all over the world, either to pursue their

education or to find better employment, there are countless

women who live away from their home cities and villages

only to accompany their husbands and raise their own

families. The overwhelming majority of Muslim men in this

situation take their wives home as frequently as possible to

give them a chance to see their parents and families. If the

husbands cannot go themselves, then they send their wives

home for such visits. To think of the other extreme is simply

not acceptable. If a husband threatens his wife with divorce

for visiting her parents, he is unjust to her and to them.

Injustice is forbidden in Islam. Allah says in a Qudsi Hadith:

“My servants, I have forbidden injustice and have

made injustice forbidden to you. Do not be unjust

to one another.” If it is forbidden to be unjust to a person

whom we do not know, it is far more strongly forbidden to be

unjust to the closest relatives, one‟s wife to whom the Prophet,

peace be upon him, has urged us to be very kind.

Nor is it permissible for a Muslim to obey anyone

encouraging him to be unjust to his wife, not even his parents.

If your parents insist that you treat your wife harshly or

unjustly, you should realize that injustice represents

disobedience to Allah. The Prophet (pbuh) says: “No creature

may be obeyed in what constitutes disobedience to the

Creator.” It is a man‟s duty to provide his wife with a

suitable home according to his means and of the standard

considered reasonable in her social status. If he wants her to

live with his parents, then he should explain this right at the

beginning. She should be aware of what awaits her when she

gets married to him. If she moves into his parents‟ home and

she is unhappy there, then it is her right to ask her husband to

provide her with an independent home.

On her part, she should ask only what is reasonable in her

husband‟s circumstances. If he looks after his parents and he

cannot afford to have two homes, then she should accept what

is reasonable and he has the duty of protecting her against any

injustice or ill-treatment or harassment that may be

perpetuated by his parents. On the other hand, if he has the

means to give her a separate home, he may not impose on her

that she should live with them. In all these questions, what is

required of both husband and wife is to care for each other‟s

feelings and be reasonable. Common sense is an important

factor in all this. Common sense tells every husband that if he

has good wife, then it is her parents who have brought her up

as a good Muslim woman. Her relationship with them is not

severed the moment he is married to her. Common sense also

tells every Muslim wife the same thing about her husband and

his parents. If they need to be looked after, then she should

help him looking after them. When both look at this question

in a relaxed manner and with common sense, keeping the

Islamic teachings in mind, it is not difficult to steer the course,

which satisfies everybody and ensures kindness and

dutifulness to parents of both husband and wife.

19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 7

Habeebah bint Sahl, may Allah be pleased with her, was an Ansari woman who embraced Islam in its early days in

Madinah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, had not yet immigrated to Madinah when she and many other men and

women declared their belief in him. Many members of her family were also among the early Muslims. When the

Prophet (pbuh) arrived in Madinah, Habeebah and her sister Rughaynah were among the women who met the

Prophet and pledged their loyalty to him as Muslim women. One report mentioned by Ibn Sa’ad on the authority

of Yahiya ibn Saeed claims that the Prophet wanted to marry her, but he felt that jealousy was a strong feeling

among the Ansar. Therefore, he decided not do so. The jealousy he meant was the rivalry between the different

tribes and clans of the Ansar. The report mentions that the Prophet “disliked disappointing them with regard to

their women.” This suggests that if he were to marry a woman who belonged to a certain tribe, the other tribe of

the Ansar would feel disappointed.

In the event, Habeebah married Thabit ibn Quays, one of the more learned figures among the Prophet‟s companions.

However, her marriage was not a happy one. It appears that there was a strong feeling of incompatibility between them.

This need not be due to any ill treatment or to serious failings on the part of either party. It may be simply that the

chemistry between them is not right. When Habeebah felt that her marriage would never work, she went to the Prophet

(pbuh) with her complaint. She put it is a very delicate way, recognizing that her husband was a good man. She said:

“Messenger of Allah, I do not take anything against Thabit with regard to his manners or strength of faith. However, I

hate to be an ungrateful person when I am a Muslim.” We have some reports which suggest that Thabit was far from

handsome. When she saw him among other people, he was distinguished by his lack of attractiveness. So, she must have

had a feeling of lack of fulfillment.

Here was a case which required a solution within Islamic teachings. The Prophet (pbuh) put the matter to her husband, telling him that

she wanted to be released. Thabit told him that he had given her a handsome dowry, an orchard. The Prophet (pbuh) asked her whether

she was willing to give the orchard back. She agreed. The Prophet (pbuh) arranged that Thabit take back the orchard and the marriage

was dissolved. This was the first case of Khul’h in Islam, which is the termination of marriage at the wife‟s request for no particular

reason other than her desire to end the marriage. It provided guidance for the implementation of the relevant provisions in Islamic

Law. Such termination of marriage at the wife‟s request was unheard of in Arabia before Islam. Indeed, in many Arabian tribes,

women were treated like inanimate objects. They were not even consulted about their marriage. It was up to the man to keep his wife

or to divorce her, but she had no recourse available to her if her marriage is unhappy.

Habeebah used to visit the Prophet‟s (pbuh) wives, may Allah be pleased with them all, where she learned some Hadiths. On one occasion, the Prophet (pbuh)

came in when she was with his wife, Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her. After he had sat down, he said: “If a Muslim couple loses three of their

children before they attain puberty, the children are brought on the Day of Judgment up to the gate of heaven when they are told to enter.

They refuse unless their parents are admitted with them. They will be told to enter with their parents.” Delighted with what she heard, Ayesha

said to her: “Have you heard that?” She said: “Indeed, I have.”

“RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM” Habeebah bint Sahl

The First Applicant for “Khul‟h” (Divorce)

19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 8

The

FOUR

Imams

ZamZam Water Carrying Home

Fasting: Compensation

In chronological order

are:

---- Imam Malik

ibn Anas lived in

Madinah most of his life, His

grandfather was a companion of the

Prophet, peace be upon him.

---- Imam Abu Haneefah was

called Al-Nauman ibn Thabit.

He was of Persian origin, but lived in

Iraq.

---- Imam El-Shafie was born in

Gaza and traveled when still a young

boy to Madinah where he studied

under Imam Malik. He also traveled to

Iraq where he met the leading scholars

of the Hanafi school of thought such

as Imam Abu Yusuf. He then traveled

to Egypt where he spent the last five

years of his life.

---- The Hanbali school of thought

was founded by Imam Ahmad ibn

Hanbal, who lived mostly in

Baghdad. He was a close friend of

Imam El Shafie. Both learned from

each other, although Imam Ahmad,

the younger scholar, was keen to

maintain this close relationship which

lasted until El-Shafie left Baghdad for

Egypt.

Is it recommended to carry ZamZam

water to one‟s home country?

It is recommended to drink of

ZamZam water after one has done

tawaf. Taking it home is not

something that has been

recommended to us. It was not the

practice of the companions of the

Prophet, peace be upon him, to carry

ZamZam water home with them.

However, if one takes it home for

people to drink it, he is welcome to do

so.

Accidently Mishandling

If one accidently drops

the Qur‟an on the floor,

how does he seek forgiveness?

If you dropped the Qur‟an on the floor

accidently, taking proper care to hold

it firmly, there is no blame to be

attached to you. It is when you are

careless that you commit an offense.

In this case, you need to repent, pray

for forgiveness and resolve to be more

careful in future.

When compensating for not fasting,

we are required to feed one poor

person two meals for each day. Can

we feed two poor persons one meal

each?

Compensating for not fasting during

the month of Ramadan is normally by

fasting a day instead.

Feeding a poor person is acceptable as

an alternative only when such

compensation by fasting is impossible,

either because the person concerned is

too old or has a chronic illness that is

unlikely to be cured. In this case, for

each day of not fasting, the

compensation is to feed one poor

person two meals.

Giving one meal each to two poor

persons is not right because the

relevant Qur‟anic verse [2:184] uses

the singular form.

Considering that the

Prophet‟s father‟s name

was Abdullah, may I

ask if God‟s name,

Allah, was known

before Islam?

Yes, God‟s name, Allah, was known

for a long time in Arabia. We find it in

Arabic poetry dating back many

centuries prior to the advent of Islam.

It is perhaps the name used by the

Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail.

To the Arabs who lived shortly before

Islam, it signified the overall God who

controlled the universe. However,

they thought their idols to be His

partners who would listen to their

appeals and bring them closer to God.

Is there a particular way we should

observe when entering or leaving a

mosque?

It is recommended that when entering

a mosque, we put the right foot first

and say: “My Lord, forgive me and

open for me the gates of Your

mercy.” On leaving, we put out our

left foot first and say: “My Lord,

forgive me and open for me the

gates of Your bounty.” But this is a

recommended practice, which means

that if we do not do it, we do nothing

wrong. It is just an omission of what is

preferable {and of course you miss out

on gaining some credits}.

I used to write

the figure 786 at

the top of my

correspondence

as a substitute for “Bismillah hir-

Rahman Er-Raheem.” I was recently told

that it is not proper, Please comment.

The number 786 is claimed by some

people to be equivalent to the phrase

you have mentioned which means „In

the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the

Merciful.‟ Muslims are recommended

to start any action of importance with

this phrase. However, in order not to

write the name of Allah or His

attributes on a piece of paper, which

may be torn or thrown in the rubbish

bin, they replaced it with this figure.

They rely on a strange way of

calculation which assigns a number to

each letter of the Arabic alphabet and

add those up to reach the number 786

for the word Bismillah.

This is certainly illogical. No one ever

feels that this figure or any other

figure represents the inspiring

meaning of the phrase. Besides, there

is no evidence that such a method of

replacing letters with figures is

acceptable or desirable.

19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 9

“I a

m c

ert

ain

ly i

n c

ha

rge

of

ev

ery

be

lie

ve

r, b

oth

in

th

is p

rese

nt

life

an

d t

he

fu

ture

lif

e. R

ea

d, i

f y

ou

wil

l: ‘T

he

Pro

ph

et

ha

s m

ore

cla

im o

n

the

be

lie

ve

rs t

ha

n t

he

y h

av

e o

n t

he

ir o

wn

se

lve

s’.

An

y b

eli

ev

er

wh

o

lea

ve

s b

eh

ind

pro

pe

rty

wil

l b

e i

nh

eri

ted

by

his

he

ir.

An

yo

ne

wh

o

lea

ve

s a

de

bt

or

yo

un

g c

hil

dre

n,

the

y s

ho

uld

co

me

to

me

. I

wil

l ta

ke

care

of

the

m.”

(Al-

Bu

kh

ari

)

Guidance from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

HOW CARING FOR THE

COMMUNITY

The Prophet, peace be upon him, always took good care of his community. In fact, he took

good care of future generations of the Muslim community. The Hadith on your left

establishes certain responsibilities that ensure that everyone in the Muslim community is

taken care of. This Hadith is quoted by Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him.

In this Hadith, the Prophet quotes a portion of a Qur‟anic verse, stating that he “has more

claim on the believers than they have on their own selves” [33:6]. However, he places

more emphasis on his own responsibility, rather than that of the believers. Thus, the

Hadith explains the type of care believers will receive from the Prophet (pbuh). This

responsibility is undertaken after the Prophet by all Muslim rulers. Thus, the principle the

Hadith is talking about is permanent, concerned with the rulers of any Muslim state. Then

the Prophet (pbuh) and the Muslim state take on themselves the role of guardian of the

Muslim community.

Had the Prophet (pbuh) taken advantage of the principle Allah lays down in this verse, he

would have laid a claim to all the wealth any believer leaves behind. However, he makes

clear that he takes none of that. He declares that any property a believer leaves behind is

left to his heirs, according to the elaborate system of inheritance the Qur‟an outlines. The

Prophet‟s claim is linked only to responsibility. He calls on a deceased believer‟s heirs to

come to him if the deceased has left behind any debt that cannot be paid out of his estate,

or young children who cannot be looked after.

This principle establishes the basis of a system of social security. The Muslim state is

responsible to take care of a deceased person‟s affairs. It has to take over his debts, if

these cannot be paid out of the deceased‟s estate. The heirs are not responsible to repay

such debts out of their own money. This is related to the principle that defines the

preferred claims on a deceased person‟s estate. The first claim is that of arranging the

burial of the deceased. The second is the repayment of his outstanding debts. No heir

may be given anything until these two claims have been met. If a Muslim dies and leaves

nothing behind, the Muslim state should take care of these responsibilities, paying for his

burial and repaying his debts. If a poor Muslim leaves behind young children who cannot

be looked after by relatives, the Muslim state must ensure that they are well looked after.

Should the state fail to fulfill this responsibility, the Muslim community should undertake

it. In fact, Muslims should compete to shoulder this responsibility because it ensures

great reward for them. Anyone who repays an outstanding debit of a deceased Muslim

will earn very rich reward. Likewise, those who look after orphans and bring them up,

taking good care of them, stand to earn in reward much more than any expense they

incur.

It is because of the emphasis the Prophet (pbuh) has laid on the importance of looking after

orphans that we see people in all Muslim communities come forward and take care of

them. In every Muslim society, you see a network of charities undertaking the task of

looking after those in need in their communities. This is a manifestation of the real bond

of brotherhood Islam establishes in Muslim society.

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Is the sacrifice at the Eid Al-Azha applicable to every earning member of the family, men and women, married

or unmarried? Or is it sufficient if the head of the family makes the sacrifice on behalf of the family?

The Sacrifice at the Eid is a highly rewarding Sunnah. If one performs it once during one’s lifetime, that person is deemed to have performed the Sunnah. However, if it is performed every year, it earns more and more reward. It is recommended that one keeps one-third of the meat for one’s family, and gifts one-third to relatives and neighbors, and give to the poor one-third. Like all religious requirements, it applies to every Muslim, married or unmarried, man or woman, provided that they can afford it. Thus, if a person earns an income but his income is hardly sufficient for his family’s needs, this Sunnah does not apply to him. Another person may be earning less, but he can afford the sacrifice because his commitments are much less than the first one. Such person is strongly recommended to perform the sacrifice. The head of the family may intend his sacrifice to be on his own behalf and on behalf of his dependants. These are his wife and young children who are not yet able to earn their living.

Eid Mubarak

to everyone reading this

message.

May Almighty Allah keep you in

good Health, Happiness and In

safe hands.

Give you strength to

follow His Right Path

and shower His

Blessings on you,

Always.

Keep ‘Noor-i-Islam’ in your prayers.