Eid ul-Fitr

Well, Eid ul-Fitr is almost here (in a few hours inshallah), and I think it’s important for all of us to remember what is expected of us this Eid:

Remembers-

»      As par Sunnah, break your fast before going to pray. Preferably with a date, but any sweet will do J

»      Offer your Zakat-ul-Fitr before prayer. The more charity you give, the better for you and your community!

Hazrat Ibn Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah  [SAWW](PBUH) enjoined the payment of one Sa' of dates or one Sa' of barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to offer the Eid prayer. (One Sa' = 3 Kilograms approx.)

»      Show happiness to others

»      Try to pray Fajr in your local Masjid

»      Either way, wake up for Fajr J you’ve done if for 30 days, don’t break the habit! Don’t forget to brush your teeth and take a shower before going for prayer (Also sunnah!)

»      Go early for Eid Salat

»      If possible, walk to the Masjid

»      While going to the Masjid, recite Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar. Lā ilāha illà l-Lāh wal-Lāhu akbar, Allahu akbar walil-Lāhi l-ḥamd

»      Try to travel on different paths when going to/coming back from prayer.

So, what’s the history behind Eid? Well,

When the Prophet arrived in Madinah, he found people celebrating two specific days in which they used to entertain themselves with recreation and merriment. He asked them about the nature of these festivities at which they replied that these days were occasions of fun and recreation. At this, the Prophet remarked that the Almighty has fixed two days [of festivity] instead of these for you which are better than these: Eid al-fitr and Eid al-adha[5]

Eid ul-Fitr is during the first 3 days of Shawaal, which is after Shahr-Ramadan. It is meant to be a celebration for the completion of fasting.

Eid ul-Fitr happens after Hajj (I’ll have another post about that when it comes up, Inshallah)

Just a Reminder

As always, I shall include my own 2-cents :)

This past month, I believe that everyone has improved, Mashallah. I mean, Shaitan was locked up, and the Roohs in all of us stive to get closer to God. So, whether we can see it or not, people have become better, in some way or another, this past month. If you see a change in yourself, be thankful and don’t go back to the way you were before! We all now know what we are capable of if the Shaitan isn’t with us, so, why should we let him rule us when he gets back?

Here are some common things that people to start in Shahr-Ramadan, and then ditch again as soon as it ends:

1.     Reading Qur’an

2.     Praying 5 times a day

3.     Offering voluntary prayer

4.     Giving up music

5.     Lying

6.     Talking back to your parents

7.     Being kinder to others

8.     Charity

9.     Helping other people

10. And much more.

Remember everyone, the month of Ramadan is meant to be a RECHARGE! And when you charge a battery, it’s power is supposed to last a while, even after it’s taken out of it’s charger….



So, with that,

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE!!!

Is it Haram to be Vegetarian?

Ok let’s all be honest, we’ve all wondered that at some points in our lives. After all, if Islam has an answer to everything, than what about this? Well, I don’t know the answer, but while listening to the tafseer of the Qur’an today, I had a sudden thought.

So, in Surat Al-Baqarah, ayah 168, it says, “O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy.”    

Usually, when talking about what is halal and haram, in terms of food, we tend to focus on what we are not allowed to eat- like pork, alcohol, gelatin, and non-zabiha food.

But in the Ayah, Allah (swt) seems to be telling us about the other side of the coin- TO EAT WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED! If we’re not forbidden from eating it, than why are we forcing ourselves?

So, should we vegetarian- my thoughts- no.

However, humanity to animals is still key. Animals shouldn’t be killed for fun or treated inhumanely (see earlier post). So when sacrificing an animal, make sure to kill it the right (zabiha) way to make sure it is halal, and that the animal hasn’t suffered.

Now, there are some people who become vegetarian because they can’t bear the thought of an animal dying, and that’s fine. But if you’re stopped eating meat because you think the religion forbids you, well, just know that I’ve never heard anything in the religion against eating (halal) meat. If you have, then please feel free to share below :)

Qur'anic Ayah found at: http://www.qurantoday.com/BaqSec21.htm

Is It Permissible to Kill Bugs?

So, here’s a gray area I’m sure we’ve all wondered: Is it ok to kill bugs? I’m specifically thinking about flies…house flies…that fly around your kitchen and bother you- are you allowed to kill them?

We all know that Islam propagates fair treatment of all living things. Other then self-defense, it is not permissible to kill humans, and all animals and plants must be treated with love and kindness.

I think a lot of people tend to forget that plants are living things too. They might not have feelings, but they are still creations of Allah (swt) that praise him every time the wind blows. If you wouldn’t starve your child, than why would you starve your flowers? And yes, plants can starve, burn, and/or die. So please be kind to those silent beings as well.

We tend to be better with our treatments of animals. Whether pets or not, all animals must be treated with respect and kindness. In the Qur’an, it is said that

"It is Allah Who has provided you livestock of every kind.  You can ride some kinds and others you eat..." (40:79) This means that we are allowed to kill animals for food, however, not for fun. Also, when slaughtering the animal, you must do it in a way that the animal feels the least amount of pain as possible. (Look into the ruling for Zabiha meat for more information)

However, what about bugs? When I was little, I heard a hadith that for every bug we kill in this life, on the Day of Judgment, those bugs will kill the same way that we killed them. However, I can’t find that hadith now, so I’m not sure if it’s a legitimate one…

However, I did come across this while researching: The Messenger (S) said: ‘There are five pests that may be killed whether one is in ihram (state of consecration) or not: rats, scorpions, crows, kites [a hawk-like bird], and mad dogs.’ (Muslim). Another report adds a sixth animal: snakes.

So basically, any animal that you feel could prove as harmful, you’re allowed to kill it before it harms you. Subhanallah, this really reminded me of the ruling against hurting a human- you’re only allowed to hurt another human in the act of self-defense. At all other times, it is haram (impermissible)

So, what does this mean to the average person who might have a fly problem at home? Well, here’s what I got out of it:

Go ahead and kill the flies, but make it a quick death- don’t torture them. Also, don’t make it a habit of killing them. For example, whenever I see bugs (like a spider), I try to put it on a paper and throw it outside. That way, it’s out of my house, but atleast I didn’t kill it. However, cleanliness is half of our religion, so if you’re having a bug problem- don’t feel (too) bad about cleaning your house.

That being said, I just want to reiterate that I am NO scholar, and this is all just my opinion based off of my Islamic knowledge. if you have more info, please let me know! 

Are Women Allowed to go the Masjid?

If anyone has been to Southeast Asia, specifically Pakistan and India, you’ve noticed that a lot of Masjids are for men only. Many of the people who live there believe that women aren’t allowed to go to the Masjid, and when they learn that western Masjids often have rooms specifically for women, they claim that it is because of the western culture which has influence the religon. They strongly believe that, religiously, women are NOT ALLOWED in the Masjid.

Because of this, many of us end up questioning what we’ve believed growing up. After all, one of my strongest memories of Eid as a child is going to the Masjid and having to navigate between the shalwars and dupattas of various aunties. So…are women allowed to go to the Masjid?

Well, according to must of the Ulimah, yes, women are allowed. It’s actually specifically the Hanafi and Maliki madhabs who restrict the women from going to the Masjid. Both are mainly based on a few hadiths. Let’s take a look at them:

Ibn Hazam reports that Aisha (R) once reported, “If the Messenger of Allah (S) had seen what the women innovated after him, he would have stopped them attending the Masjids.”

Here, Ibn Hazam also had a few things to say. He claimed that this isn’t valid because none of us know what the Prophet would or wouldn’t have done. This is an entirely hypothetical scenario  (“If the Messenger…), so it is invalid because we don’t have the intellectual resources to know what Allah (swt) and his Messenger (S) would or wouldn’t have done.

Umm Humaid (R) once reported that the Prophet (S) once said, “Surely your prayer in your house is better than your prayer with me.”

Abu Hurayrah (R) reported that the Prophet (S) said, “For the women to offer her prayer in her chamber is of greater merit than to offer it in her courtyard, in her courtyard than in the Masjid of her people, in the Masjid of her people than in the congregational Masjid and in the congregational Masjid than going out for prayer in Eid day.”

I’m sure all of us have heard either these two hadiths, or something similar, before, and I can understand this. As women, we tend to dress up, put up makeup, spray some perfume, deck out in jewelry, and then leave our house- all of which is completely haram. If we’re going to look like queens, we’re supposed to look like queens in our own homes, not outside. And the Prophet (Swt) said that rather than getting all dressed up to go pray, it’s better to just pray at home. There are many hadiths stating that if a woman touches perfume, she’s not allowed to go to the Masjid. Maybe he (S) told us it’s better to stay at home because he wanted us not to be tempted by doing anything haram. Wallah hi 3lam (Allah knows best)

However, I do want to point out one thing- the above hadiths DO NOT stay that women aren’t allowed to go to the Masjid. They state that it  is better for a Muslimah to pray at home, but the option of attending jam’at at the masjid is still open to her.

Now, let’s look at some hadiths that support the attendance of women at the Masjid.

The Prophet (S) said,  “On many occasions I start the prayer with the intention of prolonging it and then shorten it on hearing the cry of a baby for fear of keeping his mother away from attending him.”

So here, the Prophet (S) is obviously acknowledging that women were in the Masjid, and instead of banishing them from it, he seems to be accommodating for them so that attending the Masjid isn’t difficult for them. (Subhanallah, he really did love his Ummah didn’t he? You can just feel his love for us in some of these hadiths, may Allah shower him with infinite blessings. Ameen.)

One day, the Prophet (S) said, “If we could only leave this door for the ladies!”

So here, he is obviously accommodating for women. The mixing of men and women is seen as very bad in Islam, so here, he seems to want to make it easier for women to enter the Masjid. There is how a lot of western Masjids are, with a separate door for the women that leads directly to the women’s prayer hall.

The Prophet (S) said, “Do not prevent your women from (going to) the Masjid, through their houses are best for them.” (Abu Dawud)

So here the Prophet (S) seems to be asserting, as he did above, that it is preferable for women to stay at home. However, if a woman wants to go to the Masjid, than she is allowed to, and no one is allowed to stop her. After all, both men and women are Muslims, and both have the right to benefit from the Houses of Worship.

[A disclaimer, most of the information stated above, I got from http://www.tamilislam.com/english/human_rights/Islamdiscouragewomen.htm. I basically summarized some of his points, but if you want to read more detail, I would recommend reading his article]

In addition to everything just stated, I just wanted to add one more thing. I am a Muslim woman living in the US, so I’m writing from the perspective of a Western woman, and here’s my biggest issue:

>>>>If we don’t make a habit of going to the Masjid, than what are we going to teach our kids?<<<<<<

I mean, think about it. We don’t live in an Islamic country. In Pakistan/other Islamic countries, even if we don’t teach our kids a certain part of Islam, atleast we can hope that they’ll learn in from outside. However, living in the West, we can’t hope for that. Our kids will know Islam how we present it to them. If we don’t go to the Masjid, than our kids won’t even know what a Masjid is! If we don’t read Qur’an on a daily basis, our kids won’t even know how to read Qur’an! I mean, how scary is that! As future Islamic mothers, it is our job to ensure that we instill all of the essential Islamic values in our children. I might not be married yet nor have kids, but it is my dream that my kids and I can live in Jannah together!

So think about that the next time you almost slack off in something…

Last comment (this wasn’t supposed to be such a long post), I have a request for anyone who might read this. Please refrain from using the word “mosque” and instead, use the word “Masjid”. The word “mosque” was derived from Kuf’aar back in the day when they commented “during the time of prayer, all of the Muslims would swarm to the masjids like mosquitoes” (Mosquitoesà mosques). I mean, subhanallah, we Muslims used to be so strong, we should all try to reach that state of iman again, but at the same time, the term “mosque” can seem kind of derogatory…

Ok..sorry for the super long post, but I thought it would be nice if all of the facts were found on one page. Hopefully, it won’t be so long next time J Salaam everyone!

Respect Due to the Sahabas (R)

So today, one of my friends posted a facebook status commenting on how we should all respect the Prophet (S)’s companions and try to learn more about them. One of my other friends commented back stating that not all Sahabis are worth respecting, and how we should first do some research on them and get all of the facts. Specifically, the debate took the example of AbuBakr (R). For those of you who are unfamiliar, here’s the story in a nutshell:

After the Prophet’s (S) death, Fatima (R) went and asked Abu Bakr  (R) to give her the inheritance that the Prophet (S) left for her. Abu Bakr (R) refused because he remembered that the Prophet (S) had told him that Prophets don’t leave inheritances. After much going back and forth, Fatima (R) eventually got so angry, that she refused to talk to Abu Bakr (R) for the rest of her life. She died 6 months later, and Ali (R) buried her by himself, and didn’t even inform the Caliph (Abu Bakr [R]) about his wife’s death.

Now using this example, my friend made the point of stating that how can we respect someone who made the most beloved daughter of Rasulallah  (S) so angry?

Here’s my two cents:

I think first, we all need to remember one important thing. The Prophets and the Sahabis were all human, not angels! That being said, humans make mistakes! We all have our Achilles’ heals! Humans aren’t perfect! When we try to follow someone, we should focus on their good qualities, not the few negative qualities/instances that they went through!

True, all of the above did happen, and there was an argument between Abu Bakr (R) and Fatima (R), but at the end of the day, BOTH were the some of the most beloved of the Prophet (S)! Fatima (R) was the Prophet’s flesh and blood, and as everyone knows, his favorite daughter. And Abu Bakr (R) was a companion of the Prophet since childhood, and also so loved by Allah (Swt) that he was even mentioned in the Qur’an! Now who are we to pick and choose between Sahabas!?!? I’m sure each and every one of us could learn way more than one lesson from both of these people. If any of us were anywhere near as good as either one….Subhanallah, even thinking of the possibility is enough to give a person chills.

My point- ALL of the Sahabis deserve respect. If you love the Prophet (S), than you love who he loved. It’s as simple as that. No ifs, no buts. When you love someone, you follow him or her with no questions asked. And this is a lesson we can learn from Abu Bakr (R)- he was the man who never questioned Rasulallah (S), but instead heed his every word. When Rasulallah (S) came down and told the world about Barak, the Kufar of Mecca teased him mercilessly, even some of the Muslims were a little hesitant. But the second Abu Bakr found out, he said (and I’m paraphrasing here), “If Muhammad (S) sais it’s true, than it must be true.” I mean, Subhanallah! We don’t even listen to our own parents like that, and look how much love he (and other Sahabis) had for the Prophet! Mashallah! Shouldn’t we all be trying to reach that level of Iman? Instead of arguing about small incidents and occurrences, we should be looking at the bigger picture--- a select group of men and women were left to us to look up to. So what should we do? Look up to them! There’s a reason Allah (Swt) made the Sahaba’s stories survive through the generations. If we can’t be like the Prophet (S), than we should try to be like those who were closest to them- the Sahabas.

That being said, I think we should all try to learn more about the Sahabas. Learn there good and bad- both are helpful. Learn their good qualities, and try to gain those qualities as well. And also look at their bad qualities- did the Sahabis do anything particular in order to control themselves? Who knows, maybe we’ll finally find an answer to all the problems we have! For example, everyone knows how Umar (R) had a really bad temper. Well, do you have a bad temper? Find instances of when his temper got the better of him. What did the Prophet say to him? How did Umar (R) control his anger? In these ways, Inshallah we can all become better Muslims.

Also, one more thing. We all pray to be with the Prophet in Jannah (Inshallah). Well, who do we know who are almost guaranteed a seat by him? His Sahabis. If we don’t respect the Sahabis, than do you really think we deserve to be by them in Jannah?

And so it starts...

Hmm...I've thought of making a blog before, but I always stopped and wondered, "even if I do blog, what would I blog about?" Well, I'm at a point in my life where I'm trying to learn more about my Deen.  I want to know more than what Sunday School and elementary-school-Islamic-Studies-books taught me. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time or means to go to conferences and halaqas, and nor do I know any elder who could serve as my teacher. And I'm definitely no expert in anything Islamic; I'm just a normal Muslim girl bumbling through life, and so, I decided to create my blog.
Here, I plan to explore questions I, and others, have always wondered. As Muslim girls/women who are living in the Western world, there are a lot of things we're not sure about. I'm going to look for answers and try to shed some insight on our problems.
In essence, this is going to serve as a personal diary for me, as well as anyone else who comes to this.

So stranger, if you're reading this, Salaam! and Welcome! If you see me say something that's wrong, let me know! If I helped you in any way, let me know! If you want me to search something up, let me know!

And let this journey begin, with the blessings of Allah, who will help me (and you!) Inshallah come down the right path :)