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Truly, the (recognized) religion in the sight of Allah is only Islam (Qur'an 3:19)

Friday 26 March 2021

FASTING IN ISLAM



 O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing, (Qur'an 2:183) 

The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was revealed as guidance for mankind, and as clear signs that show the right way and distinguish between right and wrong. So those of you who witness the month must fast in it. But the one who is sick, or is on a journey (should fast)  as much from other days (as he missed). Allah intends (to provide) ease for you and does not intend (to create) hardship for you. All this is so that you may complete the number (of fasts as prescribed) and proclaim the Takbir of Allah for having guided you, and (so) that you may be grateful. (Qur'an 2:185)

  Narrated Ibn 'Umar (R.A)The Prophet observed the Saum (fast) on the 10th of Muharram ('Ashura'), and ordered (Muslims) to observe Saum (fast) on that day, but when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, the fasting of the 'Ashura' was abandoned. 'Abdullali did not use to observe fast on that day unless it coincided with his routine fasting by chance. (Sahih Bukhari 1892).

Narrated AbU Hurairah (R.A) Allah's Messenger said, "Saum (fasting) is a shield (or a screen or a shelter from the Hell-fire. So, the person observing Saum (fast) should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should say to him twice, 'I am observing Saum (fast)." The Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h) added, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a person observing saum (fast) is better with A1lah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink ad sexual desires for My sake. The Saum (tast) is for Me . So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times."(Sahih Bukhari 1894)

Narrated SahI (R.A) The Prophet (pbuh) said, "There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe Saum (fasts) will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it. It will be said, 'Where are those who used to observe Saum (fast)?' They will get up, and none except them will enter through it. After their entry the gate will be closed and nobody will enter through it."(Sahih Bukhari 1896)

Narrated Abti Hurairah (R.A) Allah's Messenger said, "When (the month of) Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened."(Sahih Bukhari 1898)

Narrated AbU Hurairah Allah's Messenger said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."(Sahih Bukhari 1899)

 Narrated Abu Hurairah (R.A) The Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h) said, "Whoever established salat (prayer) on the night of Qadr with sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever observes Saum (fasts) in the month of Ramadan with sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."(Sahih Bukhari 1901)

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas (R.A) The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Jibril (Gabriel) visited him, and JibrIl used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) used to recite the Noble Qur'an to Jibril, and when Jibril met him, he used to be more generous than the fair wind [sent by Allah with glad tidings (rain) in readiness and haste to do charitable deeds.].(Sahih Bukhari 1902)

 Narrated AbU Hurairah  Allah's Messenger said, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except Saum (fasting) which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Observing saum (fast) is a shield or protection (from the Hell-fire and from committing sins). If one of you is observing Saum (fast), he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarrelling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am observing Saum (fast).' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the person observing aum, one at the time of Iftãr (breaking his fast), and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his saum (fasting) ."(Sahih Bukhari 1904)

Narrated 'Aishah (R.A) The Prophet  Muhammad (p.b.u.h)used to kiss and embrace (his wives) while he was observing .saum (fast), and he had more power to control his desires than any of you. Jabir bin Zaid said, "If a man gets a sexual discharge as a result of casting a look (at his wife) should complete his Saum (fast) ."(Sahih Bukhari 1927)

 Narrated Hishãm's father: 'Aishah said, "Allah's Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) used to kiss some of his wives while he was observing saum (fast) ," and then she smiled. (Sahih Bukhari 1928)

Narrated Abfl Bakr bin 'Abdur- Rahmãn: My father and I went to 'Aishah and she said, "I testify that Allah's Messenger ; at times used to get up in the morning in a state of Janaba from sexual intercourse, not from a wet dream and then he would observe Saum (fast) that day."(Sahih Bukhari 1931)

Narrated Abu Hurairah While we were sitting with the Prophet Muhammad  (pbuh) a man came and said, "O Allah's Messenger! I have been ruined." Allah's Messenger asked what was the matter with him. He replied, "I had sexual intercourse with my wife while I was observing Saum (fast)." Allah's Messenger  asked him, "Can you afford to manumit a slave?" He replied in the negative. Allah's Messenger ; asked him, "Can you observe Saum (fast) for two successive months?" He replied in the negative. The Prophet ; asked him, "Can you afford to feed sixty poor persons?" He replied in the negative. The Prophet ; kept silent and while we were in that state, a big basket full of dates was brought to the Prophet . He asked, "Where is the questioner?" He replied, "I (am here)." The Prophet  said (to him), "Take this (basket of dates) and give it in charity." The man said, "Should I give it to a person poorer than I? By Allah; there is no family between its (i.e., Al-Madina's) two mountains who are poorer than L" The Prophet smiled till his premolar teeth became visible and then said, "Feed your family with it."(Sahih Bukhari 1936)

Narrated 'Aishah  the wife of the Prophet h: Uamza bin 'Amr Al Aslami asked the Prophet  "Should I  observe Saum (fast) while travelling?" The . Prophet replied, "You may observe Saum (fast) if you wish, and you may not observe Saum (fast) if you wish." (Sahih Bukhari 1943)

 

 


Monday 22 March 2021

FIRST MAN ON THE EARTH (The story of prophet Adam )

Informing the Angels About Adam

Allah the Almighty revealed:

"Remember when your Lord said to the angels: 'Verily, I am going to place mankind generations after generations on earth.' They said: 'Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, while we glorify You with praises and thanks (exalted be You above all that they associate with
You as partners) and sanctify You.' Allah said: 'I know that which you do not know.' Allah taught Adam all the names of everything, then He showed them to the angels and said: "Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful." They (angels) said: "Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise." He said: "O Adam! Inform them of their names," and when he had informed them of their names, He said: "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you have been hiding?"
Remember when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourself before Adam" They prostrated except Iblis, he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers(disobedient to Allah)."
We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimeen (wrongdoers)." Then the Satan made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down all with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time." Then Adam received from his Lord Words. His Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the most Merciful. We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. But those who disbelieve and belie Our Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, and signs and revelations, etc) such are the dwellers of the Fire, they shall abide therein forever." (Chapter 2:30-39, Qur'an).

Almighty Allah also revealed:
"And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being), then We told the angels, "Prostrate to Adam", and they prostrated, except Iblis, he refused to be those who prostrate. Allah said: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not postrate when I commanded you?" Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire and him You created from clay." Allah said: "O Iblis get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out for you are of those humiliated and disgraced." Iblis said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (Day of Resurrection)." Allah said: "You are of those allowed respite." Iblis said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (they will not be dutiful to You)." Allah said: "Get out from Paradise, disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all." "And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimeen (unjust and wrongdoers)."
“Then Satan whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts before, he said:" Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals." Satan swore by Allah to them both saying: "Verily I am one of the sincere well wishers for you both." So he misled them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to stick together the leaves of Paradise over themselves (in order to cover their shame). Their Lord called out to them saying "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you, Verily Satan is an open enemy unto you?" They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." Allah said: "Get down one of you an enemy to the other (i.e. Adam, Eve, and Satan etc). On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment, for a time." He said: "therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out (resurrected)." (Chapter 7:11-25 Qur'an).

Adam's Progeny Accept Allah

Allah the Almighty revealed:
"Remember when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves saying: 'Am I not your Lord?' They said: 'Yes! We testify' lest you should say on the Day of Resurrectio:. 'Verily we have been unaware of this'. Or lest you should say: 'It was only our father aforetime who took others as partners in worship along with Allah and we were merely their descendants after them; will you then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practiced al batil (polytheism) and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allah?'
Thus do We explain the Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations etc) in detail so that they may turn unto the truth". (Ch 7:172-174 Quran).
Adam's progeny declared: "Our Lord, we bear witness that You are our Lord; we have no other Lord but Allah. Allah raised their father Adam, and he looked at them and saw those of them who were rich and those who were poor, and those who had good forms and those who did not. Adam said: "O Allah! I wish You to make Your servants equal." Allah replied "I love being thanked." Adam saw among the prophets like lamps among his progeny.

Teaching Adam

Almighty Allah granted Adam the power to know the natures of all things and to summarize them by names; that is a bird, that is a star, that is a tree, etc Allah implanted in Adam an insatiable need for and love of knowledge and a desire to bequeath knowledge to his children. This was the reason for his creation and the secret of his glorification. After Adam had learned the names of all things, along with their properties and uses, Allah presented them to the angels and said: 
"Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful."(Ch 2:31 Quran)
The angels admitted their inability:
"Glory be to You, we have knowledge except what You have taught us. Verily it is You the All Knower, the All Wise." (Ch 2:32)

Allah Almighty then turned to Adam:

"O Adam! Inform them of their names," and when he had informed them of their names, He said: 'Did I not tell you that I know the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you have been hiding?'" (Ch 2:33).
Allah wanted the angels to know that He knew of their astonishment when He had told them about the creation of Adam and that He also knew of their confusion which they had not revealed, as well as what Iblis had concealed of his disobedience and ingratitude. The angels realized that Adam was the creature who knew what they did not know and that his capacity to learn was his noblest quality. His knowledge included knowledge of the Creator which we call faith or Islam, as well as the knowledge he would need to inhabit and master the earth. All kinds of worldly knowledge which are included in this. Adam knew the names of everything. Sometimes he talked to the angels, but they were preoccupied with worshipping Almighty Allah. Therefore Adam, felt lonely. One day he slept and when he awoke he found near his head, a woman gazing at his face with beautiful tender eyes. The angels asked him her name he replied: "Eve (Hawa)." (means living things). They asked: "Why did you call her Eve?" Adam said: "Because she was created of me and I am a living being."

Adam Sees Eve

Ibn Abbas and a group of companions of the Prophet (PBUH) narrated that when Iblis was sent out of Paradise and Adam was accommodated therein, Adam was alone in Paradise and did not have a partner from whom he could get tranquility. He slept for some time and when he woke up, he saw a woman whom Allah had created from his ribs. So he asked her, "Who are you? She replied, "A woman" He asked: "Why have you been created?" She said :"So that you could find tranquility in me." The angels, trying to find out the extent of his knowledge, asked him: "What is her name, O Adam?" He replied, "Eve". They asked: "Why was she so named?" He replied, " Because she was created from something living."

Eve's Creation

Muhammad Ibn Ishaaq and Ibn Abbas related that Eve was created from the shortest left rib of Adam while he was sleeping and after awhile she was clothed with flesh. That is why Allah the Exalted said: "O men, fear your Lord who created you from a single soul, and from it created its match, and spread many men and women from the two. (Qur'an Ch 4:1)
Allah also said:
"It is he Who has created you from a single person (Adam) and then He created from him his wife (Eve), in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her."(Qur'an Ch 7:189).

Allah's Warning to Adam and Eve
O ‘Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise, and eat from wherever you like, but do not go near this tree, otherwise you shall join the transgressors.”
Then Satan whispered to them, so that he might expose to them their shame that was hidden from them; and said, “Your Lord has not prohibited this tree for you, but to avoid your becoming angels or your becoming eternal.”
He swore an oath, “I am one of your well-wishers.”
Thus, he cast both of them down by deception. When they tasted (the fruit of) the tree, their shame was exposed to them, and they began to patch together some leaves of Paradise upon themselves, and their Lord called them, “Did I not forbid you from that tree? Did I not tell you that Satan is your declared enemy?”(Qur'an Ch 7:19-22).
O children of ‘Adam, “Do not let Satan put you in trouble the way he had your parents expelled from Paradise, having their dress removed from them, so that he could show them their shame. Indeed, he sees you _ he and his company _ from where you do (Qur'an Ch 7:27).

Adam's Life on Earth

 Allah  said, “Go down, some of you enemies of some; and for you on the earth there will be a dwelling place and enjoyment for a time.”
 (Further) He said, “There you shall live and there you shall die, and from there you shall be raised again.”
O children of ‘Adam, We have sent down to you the dress that covers your shame and provides adornment. As for the dress of Taqwa (piety), that is the best. That is one of the signs of Allah, so that they may learn a lesson.(Qur'an Ch 7:24-26)
Adam knew he bade farewell to peace and he left Paradise. On earth he had to face conflict and struggle. No sooner had one ended than another began. He also had to toil to sustain himself. He had to protect himself with clothes and weapons and protect his wife and children from the wild beasts.
Above all, he had to struggle with the spirit of evil. Satan, the cause of his expulsion from Paradise, continued to beguile him and his children in an effort to have them thrown into the eternal hellfire. The battle between good and evil is continuous, but those who follow Allah's guidance and should fear nothing while those who disobey Allah and follow Iblis will be damned along with him.
Adam grasped all of this and with the knowledge of this suffering he started his life on the earth. The only thing that allowed his grief was that he was master of the earth and had to make it yield to him. He was the one who had to perpetuate, cultivate and construct and populate the earth. He was also the one who had to procreate and raise children who would change and improve the world.

The First Four Children

The pinnacle of earthly bliss was reached when Adam and Eve witnessed the birth of their first children, a set of twins. Adam was a devoted father and Eve a contented mother. The twins were Cain (Qabil) and his sister. Later Eve gave birth to a second set of twins, Abel (Habil) and his sister. The family enjoyed the bounties and fruits of the earth provided by their Lord. The children grew up to be strong and healthy young adults. Cain tilled the land while Abel raised cattle.