Dar al-Madinah Sisters

Sincere Advice to my beloved sisters…….

Allah (swt) says (what means), O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you, as it was on those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa.

We are now in the last ten days….nights of Ramadan… I question myself and all of you: have we tried to attain Taqwa in the first 20 days of Ramadan? Now we have less than 10 nights and days of our beloved month Ramadan to seek forgiveness and look toward Allaah to attain piety, taqwa and to sincerely ask Him to keep us on the siratul mustaqeem.

Many of us spend our days in the kitchen worried more about what we are going to fill our and our families’ stomachs with. Let us put down or at least minimize our kitchen duties and focus for these last ten nights.

Let us seek out the greatly anticipated Laylat ul Qadr……

Let us strive to stand up in Qiyam al Layl during these nights as it was reported by:

Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu `anhu) that the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever stands (in qiyaam) in Laylat ul-Qadr out of faith and expectation (of Allah’s reward), will have all of his/her previous sins forgiven.” Al-Bukhari and Muslim

We should also make a lot of dua’ during these last nights… Seeking Allaahu Subhana wa ta’Ala’s forgiveness.

`A’ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported that she asked Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), “O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night is Laylat ul-Qadr, what should I say during it?” And he instructed her to say:”Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuh.ibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee – O Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me.” Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi. Authenticated by Al-Albani

We have let the first 20 days and nights pass us….now we have just these limited amount of nights left. We should, if we haven’t done so already, leave our worldly desires and refrain from those things that we let waste our precious time throughout the year.

`A’ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported:

“When the (last) ten started, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) would tighten his izaar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in order to have more time for worship), spend the whole night awake (in prayer), and wake up his family.” Al-Bukhari and Muslim

My dear beloved sisters we have just these nights to prepare us and give us a solid foundation for the rest of the year. Let us focus and give this time truly to Allaah and protecting our selves through repentance and let us truly attain the Taqwa that Allaahu subhana wa ta’Ala has promised to us in this blessed month.

The Mothers Of The Believers

Mothers of the Believers is a ground breaking series exploring the lives of the wives of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). It seeks to enlighten the hearts, minds and souls of the Muslim youth in the West. It is through the wonderful examples of the Mothers of the Believers that we can achieve a correct and balanced understanding when approaching issues such as building the Islamic family, social life, working, parenting and raising children.

• Introduction
• Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (part 1)
• Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (part 2)
• Sawda bint Zama
• Aisha bint Abi Bakr (part 1)
• Aisha bint Abi Bakr (part 2)
• Hafsa bint Umar
• Hind bint Abi Umayyah (Umm Salamah)
• Zaynab bint Jahsh
• Juwayriyah bint Al-Harith & Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan
• Safiyah bint Huyy Maymunah bint Al-Harith & Conclusion

http://www.kalamullah.com/lectures.html

Fasting in Ramadan provides a month of health benefits

By Dr. Ashraf Ali

Saudi Gazette

Muslims all over the world fast during the month of Ramadan just because it was ordained to them by Allah and not for any other purpose. However, this month-long fasting period has spiritual, religious, social, physical and economical benefits.  The most important issue is that fasting in Islam is not absolute fasting (i.e. fasting all day), which harms the body immensely. Instead, fasts last during the day and one is free to eat and drink at night. In other words, there is a mere re-scheduling of meals so that breakfast is advanced to Suhoor (just before dawn), lunch is skipped, and the fast is broken at sunset. Therefore, abstention from eating and drinking is only for about 12 to 14 hours in most parts of the Muslim world. This abstention brings a wealth of health benefits to the human body.

Rest and Rejuvenation
The entire digestive tract from the mouth down the stomach, liver,pancreases and intestines is at rest during the fast. Any organ which is rested this way has time to repair and renew itself for sustained work with renewed vigor.

Detoxification
The food we consume gives us life-sustaining nutrition as well as toxic by-products which are excreted in urine, stool and sweat. The detoxification process is undertaken by the liver which has ample time to catch up with its pending work in this 12–14 hours of fasting.

Prevention of cell choking
Each cell in the body is a chemical factory. By the constant supply of digested products, the cell gets ‘choked’, and fasting gives it ample time to clear pending work and escape from this ‘choking’.

Weight loss
Fasting leads to modest weight loss which results in a host of benefits like improvement in blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnola, atherosclerosis, heart diseases, lung diseases, obesity, digestive disorders, fatty liver, infertility, hypertrighlyceridermia and prevention of heart attacks and strokes.
However, these benefits only come to those who adhere to their fasts the way it has been laid out in the holy Qu’ran and Ahadith and not to those who fast all day and feast all night, as fasting in Ramadan has widely become these days. Islam’s prescription of month-long fasting – if done correctly – can act as an insurance against the obesity pandemic threatening society of late.

Tuning and Toning
During fasting, every day the glycogen storage in the liver gets depleted during the day and replenished in the night. Similarly, the dormant fat in the body cells gets renewed. This dormant fat is committed into active participation of energy generation.

Mental acuity and stamina
Fasting also improves mental acuity as well as increasing the physical and mental stamina of the fasting person. The more athletes practice, the more stamina they acquire. Fasting works the same way; making the body get used to working without the instant gratification provided by food and drink.

http://www.islamchannel.tv/streamVideo.aspx?media=mp&conn=bb

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

A Child’s First Fast

| Hinâ’ al-Hamrânî|

“You will not eat anything today until the Sun sets.”

Such a declaration can be dreadfully frightful to a small child. It seems like a very, very long time.

Many adult Muslims can recall the first Ramadan fast they observed when they were children. It is often a poignant memory. The difficulty of that day is easy to recall. Nevertheless, when the fast is successfully accomplished for the first time, the sense of triumph and of joy felt on that day is cherished for life.

One woman recalls that day as follows:

It was all a very long time ago, yet I can still remember some of the details of that day. I remember standing all puffed up with pride between my brothers. I was the only one fasting. Shortly before sunset, they brought sweets and gathered round to eat them. I just couldn’t resist. That day, I broke my fast. The next day, I steeled myself up for the challenge. On that second day I triumphed, and may Allah be praised.

Another woman relates this memory:

Who could forget those days? Fasting was very difficult for us. If our families found out that we were fasting, they would forbid us and force us to eat. To tell the truth, I couldn’t resist the smell of food. That was enough to make me break my fast.

A third has this childhood memory to share:

I woke up late one day in Ramadan. It was, as a matter of fact, in the afternoon. I felt extremely hungry, but I resolved to fast. Later in the afternoon, my mother sent me to the neighbors to borrow some drink mix powder from them. On the way back, I was so hungry that I ate the drink mix powder.

Another woman shares this memory:

The days were very long. I used to climb onto the roof of the house in the late afternoon to watch the Sun go down.

Some Motherly Advice

A number of mothers share with us their experiences with teaching their children how to fast.

One mother tells us:

I would get them used to fasting by constantly reminding them of the blessings and rewards that a fasting person receives. I would teach them the wisdom behind fasting. I would also encourage them by preparing for them their favorite foods to break their fasts with. As the day progressed, I would keep them busy with beneficial tasks, and as the time for breaking the fast grew near, I would keep them preoccupied by playing with them. A final strategy was that I would instill in them a spirit of competition. The children would vie with each other as to who would fast the greatest number of days.

Another mother has this to share:

I would try to give my children strength by telling them things like: “When we were small, we would see our mother fasting, so we would fast along with her.” I would remind them of the blessings that they would receive and that our beloved prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to fast.

A third mother tells us:

Every time a child was about to eat something, I would remind that child of the fast. I recall one singularly humorous incident. I saw my little girl put a piece of gum in her mouth, so I reminded her that she is fasting. So she spit out the gum, looked at it for a while, then quickly put it back in her mouth and swallowed it. Then she looked at me and said: “That solves the problem.”

The Example of Our Pious Predecessors

The best example of raising children is that of our Pious Predecessors. They brought up the greatest of generations. Al-Rabî`, the daughter of Mu`awwadh tells us [Sahîh al-Bukhârîand Sahîh Muslim]:

We used to fast and have our children fast. When we went to the mosque, we would give them cloth toys to play with. Whenever a child would cry for food, we would give that child the toys. We would do this until it was time to break the fast.

This shows that the Pious Predecessors did not simply impose fasting on their children. They looked for ways to occupy their children’s time and make the fast easy upon them.

Is My Child Ready to Fast?

Fasting is more difficult for some children than it is for others. Children who have a weak constitution might not be able to fast. Likewise, children who normally need to eat frequently can find fasting difficult. Children who are extra active in their play are also among those who have trouble fasting. It is the job of the parents to determine whether their children are ready to fast. They know their children’s health. However, the parents should not be lax in the matter. As long as a child is in good health, the child can be introduced to fasting in some manner or another.

Dr. Rashâd Lâshîn has the following advice for making the fast easy upon our children:

Between seven and nine years of age, it is possible to gradually introduce children to the fast. At the beginning, they can be encouraged to fast until 10 AM . Then the time can be increased until the time of the Zuhr prayer, then until the time of the `Asr prayer. At this point, we can encourage them, saying: “Come on, be brave. Keep up the fast until sunset and complete it all the way.”

A healthy ten year old child can handle the fast. Medically, his body is able to handle cope with it. We can say to a child at this age: “Come on. Show us how brave and strong you are. Do something really great and fast the whole day.”

It is important for us as parents to adopt the following measures so that our children can get the maximum benefit from their attempts at fasting – and not develop instead their skills at lying and deception:

1. We must work to instill in our children’s heart the desire to fast. This means that compulsion is out of the question. Forcing them to fast is no way to develop their inner selves. Instead, it can cultivate ugly character traits like hypocrisy, lying, cowardice, and deceit.

2. Positive reinforcement works wonders and can make it much easier to get our children to fast. Praise and encouragement are strongly recommended. Prizes – both material and honorary – can be awarded to the children.

3. A great way to encourage our children is to cultivate a competitive spirit among them. This is especially effective when the children have peers who are fasting and who are praying in the mosque.

4. We must not neglect using the gradual approach with our children. This approach should be used so that the child steadily advances to the point of fasting a full day.

“I am fasting, Mom” (but only when you can see me)

What is a mother to do when she discovers that her child has not been observing the Ramadan fast, but has been lying?

Dr. Hiba `Îsâwî, a professor of Psychology at the `Ayn Shams School of Medicine, addresses this question. She stresses that the fasting of small children is a mother’s responsibility, since the children are too young to understand the importance of the fast. Therefore, when a mother discovers that her child has been eating in secret, she should do the following:

1. Encourage the child’s fasting by giving the child an allowance for each day successfully fasted.

2. Do not confront the child because of the mistake. Do not call the child a liar. Instead, inform the child indirectly – by using stories of others – just how serious it is to break the Ramadan fast and to lie.

3. Do not expect a small child to fast a full day from the onset. Increase the duration of the child’s fast in increments, according to the child’s age and ability.

4. When the child fasts, make sure to praise the child and to give the child recognition in front of the rest of the family.

5. Encourage the child to fast by only permitting fasting people to have the privilege of sitting at the table at the time of breaking the fast. In this way, the child will understand that breaking the fast early is a big mistake.

6. Do not place sweets and displays of food within the child’s line of vision before the time of breaking the fast. There is no need to weaken the child’s resolve with such temptations.

7. Cultivate a religious and celebratory atmosphere at home. Let the child sense the importance of this month by making it different that the other months of the year. Ramadan should be something special.

O you who believe! Observing al-sawn (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious).” [al-Baqarah 2:183]

“… And that you fast, it is better for you, if only you know.” [al-Baqarah 2:184 – interpretation of the meaning]

Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu ) said: “Rasulullah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) said, ‘There has come to you Ramadaan, a blessed month. Allaah has made it obligatory on you to fast (this month). During it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained up. In it there is a night that is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed.’” (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, 4/129; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/490)

Fasting will intercede for a person on the Day of Judgment, and will say, “O Lord, I prevented him from his food and physical desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/174. Al-Haythami classed its isnaad as hasan in al-Majma’, 3/181. See also Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/411).

Fasting is a protection and a strong fortress that keeps a person safe from the Fire. (Reported by Ahmad, 2/402; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/411; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3880).

http://tj-ramadan.tripod.com/ramadanlearning.htm

Conditions, Pillars, and Wajibat of the Salat, by Shaikh Taraheeb ad-Dosiri

The following is a summary of the conditions, pillars and wajibat of the salat, from four lectures given by Shaikh Taraheeb ad-Dosiri (hafidhahullaah).

The Shuroot (Conditions) of the Salat are Nine

The conditions are prerequisites that must be met and fulfilled for the salat to be accepted. The nine conditions are:

1- Islaam (Islaam; one must be a Muslim for any deed to be accepted)
2- ‘Aql (Must be of sound mind – not insane)
3- Tameez (Must be at the age of understanding, which is seven)
4- Rafi` al-Hadath (Removal of hadath, i.e. with wudhoo)
5- Izalat an-Najasa (Removal of impurities; from body, clothes, place of salat)
6- Sitra al-’Awrah (Covering ‘awrah)
7- Dukhul al-wakt a salat (Entrance of salat time)
8- Istiqbal al-Qiblah (Facing the Qiblah)
9- Niyyah (Intention [in the heart, not tongue] to pray that specific salat)

The Pillars (Arkan) of the Salat are 14

The pillars of the salat are 14. These 14 pillars must be done for the salat to be accepted. Sujud as-sahuw will not make up for someone neglecting one of these pillars – even out of forgetfullness. If, for example, someone realizes during the third rak’ah of the ‘Isha prayer that he left out a rukn (pillar) during each of the first two rak’ah, then he must make up those first two rak’ah. Additionally, before taslim, he should make sujud as-sahuw. But if he were to say, “I’ll just make sujud as-sahuw at the end” and not make up those first two rak’ah in which he left off a rukn, then his salat would be null and void. The 14 pillars are:

1- Qiyam ma’il Qudrah fil fard (Standing, if able)
2- Takbeerat ul-ihram (Opening Takbir)
3- Qir`aat al-Fatihah (Recitation of Surat al-Fatihah)
4- Ruku` (Bowing)
5- Rafi’ min ar-ruku’ (Standing from bowing position)
6- Sujud ‘alal a’dha a-sab’a (Prostrating on seven bones)
7- Al-i’tidhan min a sujud (Rising from sujud)
8- Al-jalsa bayna as-sajdatain (The sitting between the two sajdas)
9- Abta ma anina fi jami’ arkani salat (Tranquility in all the pillars of the salat)
10- At-tartib baynal arkana salat (the proper order of the pillars of the salat)
11- At-tashahud al-akheer (The final tashahud)
12- A-julus li tashahud al-akheer (The sitting of the final tashahud)
13- A salatu ‘ala nabiyan, salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (Sending salam upon the Prophet, salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)
14- Taslimatan (The two Taslims) [Note: the first time, the shaikh said "Taslim"; the second time he said, "taslimatan"]

The Wajibat of the Salat are Eight

The Wajibat (obligatory) matters are similiar to the Arkan (pillars) in that they cannot be left off on purpose. However, the wajibat are different in that if left off unintentionally (out of forgetfullness), sujud as-sahuw at the end make up for it; whereas the neglected arkan (pillars) must be repeated even if unintentionally left off. As the shaikh often asked, “Waadih (clear)?”

1- Jami’ut takbirat ‘ada takbirut il-ihram (All the takbirs besides opening takbir)

2- An ya Qulla al musali fi ruku’a, “Subhana Rabbi al-’Adheem” (saying “Subhana Rabbi al-’Adheem” in ruku’)

3- An ya Qulla min raf’ihi min ruku’a, “Sami’ Allaahu liman Hamidah” (to say, after standing from ruku’, “Sami’ Allaahu liman Hamidah”)

4- Thumma Qawl “Rabbana wa lakal Hamd” (Then to say “Rabbana wa lakal Hamd”)

5- Qawl “Subhana Rabbi al-A’la” fi sujud (The statement “Subhana Rabbi al-A’la” in prostration)

6- Qawl al Musali bayn as-sajdatain “Rabb ighfirli, Rabb ighfirli” (The statement between the two sajdas: “Rabb ighfirli, Rabb ighfirli”)

7- At-Tashahud al-awal (the first tashahud)

8- Al-Julus li Tashahud al-awal (sitting for the first tashahud)

* All these conditions and pillars are for the one who is saleem (able, normal). It is upon him to do what he is able to do. For example, if a person is not able to stand or is handicapped and cannot sit, then Allaah does not place a burden on a soul more than it can bear.(Al-Baqarah 2:286) However, if he is able to stand and do ruku’, but not sit or make sujud, then he is obligated to stand and do ruku’, as these are pillars and he has the ability to do these. So whatever he is able to do, then these conditions and pillars apply to him.

Source: a Masjid Rahmah CD, under the title “Conditions of Salat and Wudhoo”

Subhanak Allaahuma wa bihamdika ash-hadu anlaa illaaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk

If I said anything correct, then it is from Allaah (subhanahu wa taa’ala), and if I erred, then that is from me and shaytan.