O muslims! Fear your Lord..

Fear your Lord Who knows all that is hidden, and Sufficient is He, concerning the sins of His servants, as Acquainting and Seeing. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always), and die not except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh)).”

(Aal ‘Imraan 3:102)

In this world, man is between two dreaded things: his past life which he does not know what Allaah is going to do with it, and the remaining part of his life which he does not know what Allaah is going to decide on it.

The wise one then makes proper use of his life for his own benefits, fills his worldly life with righteous deeds in preparation for his hereafter and judiciously uses his free time before a time comes when he will be busy. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, there is nothing one can do after the death has come, and there is nothing after the life of this world but Paradise or Hell.

Dear Muslims! Man’s conditions in this world change between health and illness, free time and busy time, toil and rest, seriousness and indolence.

These days, the end of the academic year has created some free time. It is now common that people have their annual vacation in the summer; a situation that was unknown before but only created by the contemporary modernity that has turned man into a tool for the whole year, toiling tirelessly and frantically running after the materials of this world, far from spiritual nourishment like eemaan, which is the source of rest for the body, heart and the soul. The plague of vacations had become so widespread that it has become the sign of the summer all over the world.

In view of the reality of Islaam, its universality, its comprehensiveness and its balanced rules and just laws, it has affirmed the soul and the body’s right to have their share of rest and relaxation. The Messenger of Allaah said,

“Surely, your body has a right upon you and your family has a right upon you. So give each their right.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

The soul might become tired because of a long work. And the hearts also are tired like bodies. ‘Alee said, “Give the hearts an hour of rest every now and then, for if the heart is coerced into work it becomes blind.”

Nevertheless, this recreation should not be allowed to exceed the limits of what is permissible. It is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah used to make jokes but he would not say anything but the truth. He engaged ‘Aaishah in a race, played with children and encouraged playing with one’s wife. He approved that the Abyssinians should play with their javelins. He would tell his companions, “Throw [arrows], for your father was an arrow-thrower.” These are some of the allowed recreation that do not consume all the time and that do not become one’s perpetual habit.

Making oneself happy and cheerful and refreshing oneself through permitted recreational activities are some of the things that Islaam considers in its law. A permitted recreational activity is the one that does not contradict the fundamentals and laws of Islaam. It should not be a forbidden thing or lead to a forbidden thing or block the way to an obligatory deed.

Brethren in faith! Since vacations have become a reality in people’s life, the conscious Muslim should therefore always keep two things at the back of his mind:

One: That the time of vacation is a part of his life, that time is life and that vacation does not mean abandonment of works.

Two: That he is not excused from abiding by Islaamic obligations. For, man is required to use all his time in worshipping Allaah, which is the purpose for which he was created. Allaah says,

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).”

(Adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56)

However, this does not mean that one should spend all his time in prayer, fasting and jihad without any stop or rest. What is meant is that man should always remain in obedience to his Lord in all his situations. He should not abandon the obligation, for he is always commanded and prohibited and there is no time in his life in which he is free from Islaamic regulations and free to do all that he likes. He should always abide by obligatory, supererogatory and permitted things. At least, he is obliged to shun all forbidden things however remote or relaxed he may be.

Holiday is not a time used on the margin of life. It is rather part of man’s life that is not owned by man but by Allaah, Who created man so that he might use the time in the service of his Lord. That is why Allaah made it forbidden that man should destroy his own life or waste his time in any form and for any reason. Allaah says,

“And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire.”

(An-Nisaa 4:29-30)

This is in spite of the fact that the suicide perpetrator killed only himself. This underlines man’s responsibility before his Creator, regarding his own life.

The Messenger of Allaah said, “The feet of the son of Adam shall not slip on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked of four things: His life as to how he spent it, his youth as how he used it, his knowledge as to what he did with it and his wealth as to where he got and how he spent it.” (At-Tirmidhee)

Travels are also part of life. And everyone shall be held accountable for how he spent the hours of his life. Based on this, we realize that the concept of time, according to Islaamic legislation, does not permit man to waste any part thereof. We also realize the greatness of time in that Allaah swears with it and with some parts of it. He says,

“By Al-’Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe (in Islaamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma’ruf) which Allaah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar which Allaah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience.”

(Al-‘Asr 103:1-3)

Allaah also swears by the night when it covers and the day when it appears and with the two kinds of creation: male and female. He also affirms that people’s efforts are diverse. He swears by the sun and its brightness, and by the day, night and the soul, affirming that whoever purifies his soul has succeeded and that whoever instils it with corruption has failed. All this, indicating that time is the essence of life.

O Fellow Muslims! The wise is the one who reflects over his affairs and realizes that movement of days means nearness of his death however long or short he is destined to live. He then takes the safe side, strives in his day and prepare for his morrow. The time is nothing but man’s life and his repeated breath. Time is precious. The part of it that is gone will never be retrieved.

We seriously need to be alert. Many are the heedless who have sold off their most precious possession –their time – for a pittance. The time goes and those who fail to catch up with it, their days and times will go in vain and they will incur great loss, and nothing will remain of the life but only its effects. So choose for yourself what will benefit you. That is why the prosperous ones will be told on the Day of Resurrection,

“Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!”

(Al-Haaqqah 69:24)

And the miserable ones will be told,

“That was because you had been exulting in the earth without any right (by worshipping others instead of Allaah and by committing crimes), and that you used to rejoice extremely (in your error). Enter the gates of Hell to abide therein: and (indeed) what an evil abode of the arrogant!”

(Ghaafir 40:75-76)

Dear brethren! Man has two days in which he will regret his time that he has wasted and in which he will ask to be given some respite.

One: when he dies, that is when he will say,

“My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (i.e. Zakât) of my wealth, and be among the righteous.”

(Al-Munaafiqoon 63:10)

And the answer to this request will be:

“And Allaah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.”

(Al-Munaafiqoon 63:11)

Two: in the Hereafter when he enters Hell. Allaah says,

“Therein they will cry: “Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (the evil deeds) that we used to do.”

And the reply will be:

“Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it? And the warner came to you. So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there is no helper.”

(Faatir 35:37)

O Muslimimeen! Preserving time and making proper spending of one’s life need some resoluteness and strong will. As for indolence, it is a destructive and fatal disease. It reflects negatively on individuals and the society. It causes languor, poverty, moral and material backwardness and it leads to sins. Though work might be strenuous, indolence is undoubtedly destructive. If one sits down too much, he will fail to achieve his goals.

Tell those who are looking for places of fun to kill their time: ‘Do you think that life is just a pastime or do you think that death is just a fun?’

Tell those who spend their days between illusions and dreams: ‘If you are ignorant of how much of the time you waste, visit the graveyards, and seek from their inhabitants some time so that you might know that time is a precious thing that cannot be perpetually owned and a missed thing that can never be retrieved.’

Many are those who say: O Lord, send me back to the world that I may do righteous deeds that I had earlier abandoned.’ But they will be told: ‘No, life does not go back.’

Free time does not remain so for ever. It must be filled with either a good or a bad deed. He who does not occupy himself with good deed will have himself occupied with evil deed. The righteous predecessors disliked that a man should have nothing to do neither in matters of his religion or matters of his worldly life. If free time is combined with wealth and health, the danger then becomes greater if that free time is not used in good thing. The Messenger of Allaah said, “There are two blessings in which many people are deluded: health and free time.” (Al-Bukhaaree)

If someone has no goal to pursue, he will waste his time. The one who wanders about aimlessly bothers none but only himself. A man without a goal is like a captain-less ship tossed about by the waves. Days are records of deeds, so fill them with good deeds. Opportunities move like clouds, and languor is the habit of backward people. He who adopts the life of weakness will stumble. If procrastination and indolence are combined they generate loss. One of the righteous people cried when he was dying and when he was asked of the cause of his crying he said, “I am crying in regret of a day in which I did not fast and a night in which I did not pray.”

The reality is that whenever everyone nears his death he regrets every moment in which he had not done a good deed, regardless of whether the person was righteous or neglectful. Can’t we then catch up with what is left of our lives? You will find the earliest generations the best in terms of their keenness to preserve their time more than a stingy person would be keen to preserve his money. The harvest of their keenness was useful knowledge, righteous deeds, fighting in the way of Allaah, glory and a firm-rooted civilization of towering branches.

But when you look at the situation of the contemporary Muslims, you will be surprised to notice how they waste their lives and times in a manner that is foolish and idiotic thereby lagging behind after they had been the leaders.

O ye who believe!

If a man’s life is blessed he attains, within a short time, uncountable favours of Allaah. Many are those who are made to succeed in achieving a lot within a short time so much so that you think that their achievements are miracles, while the reality is that they are only blessed and made successful in investing their time in useful things. The best example is the Messenger of Allaah who brought the people out of darkness to the light and changed the face of human history within a short period of twenty-three years.

Another example is ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab who worked continuously through days and nights. He would say, “If I slept in the night I would waste my life and if I slept during the day I will waste the lives of my subjects. How can I then sleep between these two periods?”

Ibn ‘Aqeel said, “I cannot waste an hour of my life. Even if my tongue stops from reading and discussing matters of knowledge, and my eyes stops from browsing books, I make use of my thoughts at my time of rest and when I am lying down. When I get up I’ll already have in my mind what needs writing down.” That is how he was able to write his book, al-Funoon, about which adh-Dhahabee said, “Nothing greater than it [in its field] has ever been authored.”

Ibn al-Qayyim said about his Shaykh, “I have seen wonders in the strength of Shaykh al-Islaam concerning his ways, his actions and his writings. In a single day, he would author what a copyist would copy for a whole week.”

Adh-Dhahabee said about him, “His writings reached about five hundred volumes.”

All this is in addition to his other activities like da’wah and jihaad.

The Messenger of Allaah said, “He who fears [sudden attack of the enemy] sets out in the night, and he who sets out in the night will arrive at the appropriate station. Behold, Allaah’s commodity [ Paradise ] is precious and expensive! Behold, Allaah’s commodity [ Paradise ] is precious and expensive!” (At-Tirmidhee)

Brethren in faith! Since we have talked about time and the importance of investing it in useful things, here is a piece of advice for those who are gambling with their lives in the ambiguities of darkness that lead to unlawful shedding of the blood of Muslims.

Dear Muslim youths! The afflictions of your Ummah are many and its wounds are still fresh. However, the most bleeding wound of the Ummah and its most painful disease is the deviant thoughts and actions of some of its youths. It greatly pains this Ummah to see some of its youths attacking the scholars, the rulers and the wise men of their society who weigh the interests of the Ummah and try to prevent the worst of the two evils with the lesser one. This is a deviation that results in killings and shedding of innocent blood among Muslims and within the vicinity of the sacred cities.

The reprovers have reproved and the sincere advisers have given their sincere advice. The scholars have explained the truth. Will you then cease?

Many of the lives that should have been used in constructing the useful society with the guidance of the scholars and upon the Sunnah of the Prophet have been wasted. This is a call from a sympathetic and sincere adviser to those who have denounced the community of the Muslims to return to the right path. Let those who have committed mistakes repent, and those who are accused surrender themselves so that they can enjoy security. It is an act of bravery to admit mistakes and face the consequences.

It is our hope that you will understand and reason and then be excused and shown mercy. If not, you need to atone for your sins. Either of the two options is however better for a Muslim than proceeding in committing mistakes. Whatever Allaah has decreed shall come to pass, and to Him belongs the control of all affairs in the beginning and in the end. We seek refuge with Him against misleading trials.

May Allah Guide all to true path!

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. ~Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ, c.1420


You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. ~Steven D. Woodhull


What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939, translated from French by Lewis Galantière


Don't wait for the Last Judgment. It happens every day. ~Albert Camus, The Fall, 1956


Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other. ~Henry David Thoreau


Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns! ~Allison Gappa Bottke


Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all life really means. ~Robert Louis Stevenson


If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. ~Jim Rohn


In what you say of another, apply the test of kindness, necessity and truth, and let nothing pass your lips without a 2/3 majority. ~Liz Armbruster, on www.robertbrault.com


See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little. ~Pope John XXIII


Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow. ~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros


Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


You will turn over many a futile new leaf till you learn we must all write on scratched-out pages. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


Now that it's all over, what did you really do yesterday that's worth mentioning? ~Coleman Cox


Laziness will cause you pain. ~Slogan on T-shirt worn at the Vee Arnis Jitsu School of Self-Defense


If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it. ~Toni Morrison


Do not confuse your vested interests with ethics. Do not identify the enemies of your privilege with the enemies of humanity. ~Max Lerner, Actions and Passions, 1949


Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it. ~Author Unknown


Sometimes it's more important to be human, than to have good taste. ~Brecht


[O]wning your burdens is half the battle. ~From the television show Scrubs


Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. ~Victor Hugo


We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood. ~William James


You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him. ~Leo Aikman


Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty. ~Frank Herbert, Dune Chronicles


The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile. ~Plato


Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. ~Jonathan Kozel


Tough and funny and a little bit kind: that is as near to perfection as a human being can be. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966


I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. ~Frances Willard


Always when judging
Who people are,
Remember to footnote
The words "So far."
~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me. ~Author unknown, variation of an excerpt from "The Serenity Prayer" by Reinhold Neibuhr


A day is Eternity's seed, and we are its Gardeners. ~Erika Harris, lifeblazing.com


People cannot go wrong, if you don't let them. They cannot go right, unless you let them. ~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827


Excess on occasion is exhilirating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~W. Somerset Maugham, The Summing Up, 1938


The vow that binds too strictly snaps itself. ~Alfred Lord Tennyson, "The Last Tournament," Idylls of the King


I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes. ~Sara Teasdale, "The Philosopher"


Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it - torn up to irrecoverable tatters. ~Samuel Butler


Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~Theodore Roosevelt


Whatever we worship, short of God, is sure to be our undoing. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


Toss your dashed hopes not into a trash bin but into a drawer where you are likely to rummage some bright morning. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.... People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back. ~Alice Walker, The Color Purple, 1982


Be pleasant until ten o'clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself. ~Elbert Hubbard


On the bathing-tub of King T'ang the following words were engraved: "If you would one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let there be daily renovation." ~Confucian Analects


The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. ~Jimmy Johnson


What a strange narrowness of mind now is that, to think the things we have not known are better than the things we have known. ~Samuel Johnson


To sensible men, every day is a day of reckoning. ~John W. Gardner


There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go. ~Tennessee Williams (Thomas Lanier)


Face what you think you believe and you will be surprised. ~William Hale White


Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way. ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter


Don't look at where you fell, but where you slipped. ~African Proverb


One can enjoy a wood fire worthily only when he warms his thoughts by it as well as his hands and feet. ~Odell Shepherd

"If you don't have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer."

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves."
Thomas A. Edison

"The success you are enjoying today is the result of the price you have paid in the past."
Brian Tracy

"Good work done little by little becomes great work. Your house of success will be built brick by brick."
Max Steingart

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing."
Abraham Lincoln

"The major difference between the big shot and the little shot is the big shot is just a little shot who kept on shooting."
Zig Ziglar

'Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."
Marilyn vos Savant

"If you're to succeed at any endeavor, the first and most important person you must convince is yourself. Success comes not from merely a belief that you can do it.
Success comes when you absolutely know you can achieve it"
Ralph Marston

"The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what the task may be. This is a habit followed by all successful people since the beginning of time. Therefore I saith the surest way to doom yourself to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid."
Og Mandino

"You can't hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can't catch a fish if you don't put your line in the water. You can't reach your goals if you don't try."
Kathy Seligman

"The act of taking the first step is what separates the winners from the losers."
Brian Tracy

" Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and LEAVE A TRAIL !"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It's always too early to quit."
Norman Vincent Peale

"Success depends on where intention is."
Gita Bellin

"If you don't have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer."
Zig Ziglar

"If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it's moving you away from your goals."
Brian Tracy

A man to carry on a successful business must have imagination. He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing."
Charles M Schwab

"If you don't have a vision for the future, then your future is threatened to be a repeat of the past."
A.R. Bernard

"To succeed... you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you."
Tony Dorsett

"The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been."
Alan Ashley-Pitt

"The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do."
Brian Tracy

"You can have everything in life YOU want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want !"
Zig Ziglar

"I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games,26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot...and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Michael Jordan

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful"
Albert Schweitzer

"I don't care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants."
Zig Ziglar

"We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals."
Stephen Covey

"People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.
Brian Tracy

"I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles."
Zig Ziglar

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."
Mario Andretti

"If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, And endeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, They will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
Henry David Thoreau

Quotes of Wisdom

Knowledge talks, wisdom listens.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me !

Only the wisest and the stupidest of men never change.

Don’t let your victories go to your head, or your failures go to your heart.

Those who criticize our generation forget who raised it.

Criticizing is easy, art is difficult.

Violence won’t solve a thing. It makes it more challenging to solve, though.

I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.

Not to care for philosophy is to be a true philospher.

The mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work unless it’s open.

The best mind-altering drug is truth.

Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so.

Never forget what a man says to you when he is angry.

A winner listens, a loser just waits until it is their turn to talk.

Guns don’t kill people — people do.

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.

If you are not part of the cure, then you are part of the problem.

The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.

The best things in life are not things.

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.

Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.

Beware of a man of one book.

He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise.

Never Ever miss the Namaaz

Allah The Whole and Sole Provider

Love of Allah Taala

No Excuse for Namaaz

Benefits of Zikr

Never Laugh at anyone

Surah Al Mulk

Heart of a Muslim

Dua as per Surah Al Furqan

Allama Rumi's Message

The Position of a Believer

Top 10 Most Beautiful Mosques in The World

Top 10 Most Beautiful Mosques in The World
Here’s a list of most beautiful mosques in the world.
Mosques is place for praying for Muslim. Usually
mosques was built in the countries with lot of Muslim population.
It means that those beautiful mosques is located in those countries.
The criteria of these chosen mosques are based on the large of area,
history, facilities and functionality of those mosques.
Let’s take a look at those most beautiful mosques in the world


1. Al Haram Mosque, Mecca, Saudi Arabia:

Al Haram mosque is the largest mosque in the world.
The mosque located in the city of Mecca, around the Ka’aba,
where Muslims pray toward it. The mosque is considered
the holiest place on Earth by Muslims. The mosque is also
known as the biggest Mosque. Current structure covers
an area of 400,800 square meters (99.0 acres), including
outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate
up to 4 million people during the period of the Hajj,
one of the largest annual worship of the Muslim in the world.



2. Al Nabawi Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Al-Nabawi mosque is the second holiest mosque in Islam and
the second largest mosque in the world after the al-Haram mosque
in Mecca. One of the most important place of this mosque is
Green Dome (the center of the mosque), where the tomb of
the Prophet Muhammad is located. It is not unknown when
the green dome was built but a manuscript dating to
the early 12th century explain about the dome.


3. Al Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, Palestine

Al-Aqsa Mosque ( mean the farthest mosque), also known as Al-Aqsa,
is an Islamic shrine in the old city of Jerusalme. In the mosque itself
is part of Al-Haram ash-Sharif or “Sacred Noble Sanctuary”
(together with the Dome of the Rock), a site which is also
known as Temple Mount as the holiest site in Judaism,
because it is believed to be The Temple of Jerusalem once stood.
The mosque is widely regarded as the third holiest site in Islam.
Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad was transported
from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the Al-Aqsa Mosque
during the Night Journey. Islamic tradition states that
Muhammad led prayers toward this mosque until
the seventeenth month after the emigration,
when God ordered him to turn to the Ka’aba.


4) Zahir mosque Kedah Malaysia:

The mosque was built in 1912, funded by Tunku Mahmud,
son of the Sultan Tajuddin Mukarram Shah. This mosque is
the tomb of Kedah warriors who had died while defending Kedah
from Siam in 1821. The architecture from the mosque inspired
by AZIZI Mosque in the city of Langkat in north Sumatra, Indonesia.
The mosque was founded with five large domes symbolizing
the five main principles of Islam.


5) Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque:

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is the royal mosque for
Brunei Sultanate located in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of
the Sultanate of Brunei. The mosque is classified as one of
the most spectacular mosques in the Asia Pacific region and
become a major attraction for tourists. Sultan
Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is considered amongst
the people of Brunei as a landmark of their country.



6. Taj’ul Mosque, Bhopal, India:
Taj’ul mosque, is a mosque located in Bhopal, India.
This is one of the largest mosques in Asia.
This mosque is also used as a madrasa (Islamic school)
in the afternoon.



7. Baiturrahman Mosque, Banda Aceh, Indonesia:


Baiturrahman Mosque is a mosque located in downtown of
Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This mosque is a mosque that formerly
was a mosque of the Sultanate of Aceh.


When the Dutch attacked the city of Banda Aceh in 1873,
the mosque was burned, and the Netherlands rebuild a mosque
as its successor. This single-domed mosque was completed
on December 27, 1883. This mosque further extended to
3 dome in 1935.

And lastly expanded again into 5 domes in 1959 to 1968.


This mosque is one of the most beautiful mosques in Indonesia,
which has a nice shape, carving an attractive, spacious yard and
was very cool when was in the room of the mosque.



8. Sultan Mosque, Singapore:

Sultan Mosque, located at Muscat Street and North Bridge Road
in Kampong Glam Rochor District in Singapore is still considered
one of the most important mosque in Singapore.

Sultan mosque has stayed essentially unchanged since it was built,
only with improvements made to the main hall in 1960 and
annex added in 1993. It set as a national monument on
March 14th 1975.




9. Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, Pakistan :

Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is the biggest mosque in south east
and southern Asia and the fourth largest mosque in the world.
It was the largest mosque in the world of 1986-1993 before
defeated measure by the completion of the Mosque of Hassan II
in Casablanca, Morocco and after the expansion of Masjid Al-Haram
(Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi
(Prophet’s Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia in the 1990s

10. Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Dhaka City, Bangladesh:

This mosque is the National Mosque of Bangladesh.
Located in the heart of Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh,
This mosque was founded in the 1960s.

has a capacity of 30,000 people, this mosque is
The top 10 biggest mosque in the world, but still this mosque is
too full for Muslim worship there. Because of this,
Bangladesh government has decided to add more area for the mosque.

Real Inspiring Story: Hereafter Life. Dream Interpretation

Real Inspiring Story: Hereafter Life. Dream Interpretation
Once a man saw in his dream, that a lion was chasing him.
The man ran to a tree, climbed on to it and sat on a branch.
He looked down and saw that the lion was still there waiting for him.



The man then looked to his side where the branch he was sitting on
was attached to the tree and saw that two rats were circling around
and eating the branch. One rat was black and the other one was white.
The branch would fall on the ground very soon.






The man then looked below again with fear and discovered
that a big black snake had come and settled directly under him.
The snake opened its mouth right under the man so that he will fall into it.
The man then looked up to see if there was anything that he could hold on to.




He saw another branch with a honeycomb. Drops of honey were falling from it.
The man wanted to taste one of the drops. So, he put his tongue out



and tasted one of the fallen drops of honey. The honey was amazing in taste.
So, he wanted to taste another drop. As he did, he got lost into
the sweetness of the honey.


Meanwhile, he forgot about the two rats eating his branch away,
the lion on the ground and the snake that is sitting right under him.

After a while, he woke up from his sleep.

To get the meaning behind this dream, the man went to
a pious scholar of Islam. The Islamic scholar who interpret the dream said,
the lion you saw is your death. It always chases you and goes
wherever you go.

The two rats, one black and one white, are the night and the day.
Black one is the night and the white one is the day. They circle around,
coming one after another, to eat your time as they take you closer to death.

The big black snake with a dark mouth is your grave. It's there,
just waiting for you to fall into it. The honeycomb is this world and
the sweet honey is the luxuries of this world. We like to taste a drop
of the luxuries of this world but it's very sweet. Then we taste another drop
and yet another.

Meanwhile, we get lost into it and we forget about our time,
we forget about our death and we forget about our graves.

This Life is Material, and the Hereafter is Far Better:

Moral of the Story:
According to Islam, this life is very short and full of material things
that can get in the way of our submission to Almighty God.
It's not wrong to have these material possessions as long as we remember
our obligations to Almighty God and thank Him for those things.

We shouldn't get preoccupied with this temporary worldly life
and forget Hereafter.

It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (saw) has said:
"Most intellectual of man is he remembers the death most."

It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (saw) has said:
"One who gains the love and grace of Allah, always end (Ajal)
will be before his eyes and he will be always worried about his death.

But the one who take Satan (Shaitan) as a friend and becomes Bad-Bakht.
Shaitan overpowers him and indulge (Giraftaar) him in long long desires
and then he never remember death."

Inspiring Story :The Apple Tree and the Boy

Inspiring Story :The Apple Tree and the Boy
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come
and play around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples,
took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and
the tree loved to play with him.

Time went by. The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around
the tree everyday. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.

"Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy.
"I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore."
The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them."

"Sorry, but I don't have money. But you can pick all my apples and sell them.
So, you will have money." The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples
on the tree and left happily.

The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.
"Come and play with me" the tree said.
"I don't have time to play. I have to work for family.
We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"

"Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you can chop off my branches
to build your house."So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then.
The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted.
"Come and play with me!" the tree said. The boy said, "I am sad and getting old.
I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?"

"Use my truck to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy."
So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing
and never showed up for a long time.

Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. "Sorry, my boy.
But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you."
the tree said.

"I don't have teeth to bite" the boy replied.
"No more truck for you to climb on"
"I am too old for that now" the boy said.
"I really can't give you anything. The only thing left is my dying roots."
the tree said with tears.

"I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years."
the boy replied."Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest.
Come, come sit down with me and rest."
The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.

Lessons to Learn From Heart Touching Story:

This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young,
we loved to play with Mom and Dad. When we grown up, we left them,
only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.

No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could
to make you happy. You may think the boy is cruel to the tree but that's how all of us are treating our parents. So Respect Parents and help them when they really need you,
Love them,Take care of them as they take care of you when you was small baby.
Allah/God Will be happy with you if you keep your parents happy.
That is what i can say

Guidance to Straight path comes from Allah Alone!

Guidance to Straight path comes from Allah Alone!

Source: Usool al-Deen al-Islami by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri

Allaah has created man and given him reason, and He has sent down to him Revelation and sent to him Messengers to call him to the truth and warn him against falsehood. Then He has left him to make his own choice.

“And say: ‘The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve [al-Kahf 18:29 – interpretation of the meaning]

Allaah commanded His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to convey the truth to all of mankind. Then they have the choice to do as they wish. If a person obeys, he benefits himself, and if he disobeys, he harms himself, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: ‘O you mankind! Now truth (i.e. the Qur’aan and Prophet Muhammad), has come to you from your Lord. So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of his own self; and whosoever goes astray, he does so to his own loss; and I am not (set) over you as a Wakeel (disposer of affairs to oblige you for guidance)’”[Yoonus 10:108]

Islam is the religion of the natural state of man (fitrah), the religion of reason and thought. Allaah has distinguished the truth from falsehood. He has enjoined all that is good and forbidden all that is evil. He has permitted good things and forbidden evil things. There is no compulsion in religion because the benefits or harms come back upon the created being, not upon the Creator. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taaghoot (false gods) and believes in Allaah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break” [al-Baqarah 2:256]

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whosoever does righteous good deed, it is for (the benefit of) his ownself; and whosoever does evil, it is against his ownself. And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves”[Fussilat 41:46]

Guidance is in the hand of Allaah. If Allaah willed, He could guide all of mankind, for there is nothing that He cannot do on this earth or in the heavens. Nothing happens in His Dominion except that which He wills.

“Say: ‘With Allaah is the perfect proof and argument, (i.e. the Oneness of Allaah, the sending of His Messengers and His Holy Books, to mankind); had He so willed, He would indeed have guided you all’”[al-An’aam 6:149 – interpretation of the meaning]

But in His Wisdom, Allaah has created us with the ability to choose, and He has sent down to us guidance and the Criterion. So whoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger will enter Hell, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, proofs have come to you from your Lord, so whosoever sees, will do so for (the good of) his ownself, and whosoever blinds himself, will do so to his own harm, and I (Muhammad) am not a watcher over you”[al-An’aam 6:104]

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has no part in guidance; all that he and the Muslims have to do is to explain and convey the message, and show them guidance but they cannot force people to follow it, as Allaah said to His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers”[Yunus 10:99]

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And the duty of the Messenger is only to convey (the Message) plainly”[al-‘Ankaboot 29:18]

Guidance to the truth is in the hand of Allaah alone and no human being has any share in that, as Allaah said to His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, you (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but Allaah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided[al-Qasas 28:56]

Allaah guides whomsoever He wills and sends astray whomsoever He wills. He has told us that He guides those who obey Him and turn to Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their piety”[Muhammad 47:17]

But whoever disobeys Allaah and turns away from Him, Allaah will not guide him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Truly, Allaah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever” [al-Zumar 39:3]

Allaah is Omniscient and knows what has happened and is happening and what is yet to come. Allaah knows the believers and the disbelievers, and what they will do, and He knows what their fate will be in the Hereafter. He has written all that in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet), as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And all things We have recorded in a Book”[al-Naba’ 78:29]

Allaah has created man with the ability to choose, and He has created him able to do both, either believer or disbelieve, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful”[al-Insaan 76:3]

Man has the choice in terms of his reason only; if he loses his reason by which he is able to distinguish between the alternatives of good and evil, truth and falsehood, then he is not accountable.

Hence according to Islamic sharee’ah, the pen is lifted from the insane person (i.e., he is not accountable) until he recovers his senses, and from the child until he reaches the age of understanding, and from the sleeper until he wakes up. None of these people are accountable until they gain or recover the reason by which they may distinguish between the alternatives of faith and disbelief, truth and falsehood, and so on.

Whatever direction a person takes, there will be reward and punishment, If he obeys, there will be Paradise:

“Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allaah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds” [al-Shams 91:9 – interpretation of the meaning]

and if he disobeys, there will be Hell:

“And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self (i.e. disobeys what Allaah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds” [al-Shams 91:10 – interpretation of the meaning]

The choice of one of these two ways is something about which a person will be questioned by the Lord of the Worlds. Hence it is clear that faith or disbelief, obedience or disobedience, is the matter of personal choice. Allaah has made reward and punishment dependent upon this choice:

“Whosoever does righteous good deed, it is for (the benefit of) his own self; and whosoever does evil, it is against his own self. And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves”[Fussilat 41:46]

Whoever loves Allaah and His Messenger and desires good in this world and in the Hereafter, let him enter Islam, and whoever turns away from that and is content with this world and has no interest in the Hereafter and does not submit, then his abode will be Hell. The individual is the one who will benefit or harm himself. There is no compulsion to choose either. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, this (Verses of the Qur’aan) is an admonition, so whosoever wills, let him take a Path to his Lord (Allaah)” [al-Insaan 76:29]

O Allah show us the right path, the path of those whom u have favored! Ameen!

Islamic Marriage Rules

In The name of Allah,The Most Merciful,The Most gracious
Islamic Marriage Rules


Islam provides essential ingredients for a man and woman to be married and to have sexual relations as man and wife. While there are many books on the subject which we recommend for all Muslims to read, we humbly offer the follow information about these ingredients, inshallah.

1. The first ingredient is the “wali” (nearest relative to the lady, such as her father or brother if the father is unable to perform the task) or “wakil” (imam or appointed guardian to act on behalf of the best interests of the lady). It is his job to help find and interview the background of any potential suitor for the lady.

2. After choosing the young man, there is an appointment scheduled for the two of them to meet (under chaperoned supervision) to discuss their possible future together.

3. After the initial meeting, both of them are to pray to Allah in the form of salat known as “salatul istakharah” for guidance. If this is not done, it does not invalidate the marriage, but it is something that will really help both of them in their future. Please refer to the subject of the “salatul istakharah.”
To know How to do Istikhara Click here !

4. If both of them recognized positive signs from the “salatul istakharah” then they would proceed to make the “nikah” (marriage contract). This again is done under supervision with two witnesses. It is usually attended by an imam or knowledgeable person in Islam, just so that there will be no mistakes in taking care of the details.

5. The mahr (dowry) is presented and the lady is asked if she is prepared to accept this mahr and be married to this man. This is usually repeated three times in front of the witnesses, but at least one acknowledgment from the lady is necessary to proceed.

6. The women would then sign the nikah document in front of the witnesses.

7. The witnesses (usually two) would sign and attest that they had been present at the nikah and did witness the acceptance by the lady of the offer of marriage by the man. The imam might also sign, but this does not affect the validity of the marriage. Any two adult Muslims may witness the document. In the case of women witnesses, it is correct to have two in place of one. If there were to be two witnesses, but one is a woman, then it would be correct to have a man and two women sign the document.

8. After the acceptance of the lady, the signing of the nikah (document), witnessing of the two witnesses and exchange of mahr, the man and the women are considered legal in Islam to live together and be together as man and wife and to have sex. However, until they actually consummate the marriage (i.e., have intercourse) they may cancel the marriage, and the mahr would be returned back to the man.

9. After the signing of the marriage document, and the acceptance of the bride of the ‘mahr’ (dowry), and the signing of the two witnesses, the groom is free to take his bride at anytime he chooses. There is no waiting, if that is what you are implying.

As regards any kind of a deadline, this would be according to the contract. If the lady or the gentleman has specified that for whatever reasons, if they are not able to be living together by such and such a date, then the mahr could be returned back to the man and the woman and man would be considered not married (unless of course, if they had consummated the marriage by having sex together).

10. If the groom is unable or unwilling to take the bride after an extended period of time and she or he would like to annul the marriage, they would simply let the other person know and cause the mahr to be returned to the groom.

NOTE: This is all based on the fact that although they have a contract for marriage (nikah) it is not considered completed until after they consummate (have sex). Once that has happened, they are married and the only way for them to no longer be married would be through divorce (khula or lian or talaq).

And of course, Allah Knows Best.

Any good is from Allah the mistakes were from myself. May Allah guide all of us to His Truth, ameen.

Falling in Love: Allowed in Islam?

In The name of Allah,The Most Merciful,The Most gracious
Falling in Love: Allowed in Islam?

Question :What does Islam say about falling in love? Is that allowed in Islam? If it is yes, how could we show that to the person we love without causing fitnah?

Answer: Islam teaches us to be truthful and realistic. Usually, we love for the sake of Allah and we hate for the sake of Allah. Islam teaches us that a male and female can build up a good relationship founded on marriage.

We do not say love is halal or haram because it is a feeling. Maybe it is not under control. You can judge what is under control. But people who fall in love are in many episodes away from the cleansed and pure atmosphere.

Marriages that are usually good and lasting marriages are those that start at the least affection. That affection grows after marriage and maybe it will grow until the couples continue their companionship at the Jannah.

If you have any affection towards a person, you should ask yourself: why do you like that person? If you have good Islamic, reasonable justification, then you need not tell that person of what you feel. However, you can make a serious plan to make him ask for your hand. If you want to know the meaning of fitna, a great part of it is what people nowadays call love or romance.

In this context, we’d like to cite the following fatwa that clarifies the Islamic ruling on falling in love:

“If we are speaking about the emotion which we call “love” then we are simply speaking of a feeling. What we feel toward a particular person is not of great importance, until our feeling is expressed in a particular action.

Now if that action is permissible, then well and good. If it is forbidden, then we have incurred something that Allah does not approve of. If it is love between a man and a woman, the emotion itself is not the subject of questioning on the Day of Judgment.

If you feel you love someone, then you cannot control your feeling. If that love prompts you to try to see that person in secret and to give expression to your feelings in actions permissible only within the bond of marriage then what you are doing is forbidden.”

Shedding more light on the issue in point we’d like to cite the words of Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He states:

In Islam, it is not a sin if you feel a special affinity or inclination towards a certain individual since human beings have no control on such natural inclinations. We are, however, definitely responsible and accountable if we get carried away by such feelings and take specific actions or steps that might be deemed as haram (forbidden).

As far as male and female interaction is concerned, Islam dictates strict rules: It forbids all forms of ‘dating’ and isolating oneself with a member of the opposite sex, as well indiscriminate mingling and mixing.

If, however, one does none of the above, and all that he or she wants is to seriously consider marrying someone, such a thing itself is not considered haram. In fact, Islam encourages us to marry persons for whom we have special feelings and affinity.

Thus, Islam recommends that potential marriage partners see one another before proposing marriage. Explaining the reason for such a recommendation, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “That would enhance/foster the bonding.”

This permission notwithstanding, we are advised against getting carried away by merely the outward appearances of a person; these may be quite misleading. Marriage is a life-long partnership and a person’s real worth is determined not by his or her physical looks, but more so by the inner person or character.

Hence, after having mentioned that people ordinarily look for beauty, wealth and family in a marriage partner, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised us to consider primarily “the religious or character factor” over and above all other considerations.

Islam does not allow any illicit relationship between a man and a woman. Allaah has established marriage as the legitimate means for satisfying sexual desire, and through marriage a man and woman form a family based on the laws of Allaah, and their children are legitimate.

In Islam, there is no such thing as a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship. You are either married or you are not. To have a boyfriend or girlfriend, no matter the level of interaction and involvement, is completely haraam!

Contact between the sexes is one of the doors that lead to fitnah (temptation). Sharee’ah is filled with evidence which indicates that it is essential to beware of falling into the traps of the shaytaan in this matter. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a young man merely looking at a young woman, he turned his head so as to make him look away, then he said:

“I saw a young man and a young woman, and I did not trust the shaytaan not to tempt them.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (885) and classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

This does not mean that it is haraam for a man or woman to like a specific person whom he or she chooses to be a spouse, and feel love for that person and want to marry them if possible.

Love has to do with the heart, and it may appear in a person’s heart for reasons known or unknown. But if it is because of mixing or looking or haraam conversations, then it is also haraam. If it is because of previous acquaintance, being related or because of hearing about that person, and one cannot ward it off, then there is nothing wrong with that love, so long as one adheres to the sacred limits set by Allaah.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

A person may hear that a woman is of good character and virtuous and knowledgeable, so he may want to marry her. Or a woman may hear that a man is of good character and virtuous and knowledgeable and religiously committed, so she may want to marry him. But contact between the two who admire one another in ways that are not Islamically acceptable is the problem, which leads to disastrous consequences.

In this case it is not permissible for the man to get in touch with the woman or for the woman to get in touch with the man, and say that he wants to marry her. Rather he should tell her wali (guardian) that he wants to marry her, or she should tell her wali that she wants to marry him, as ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) did when he offered his daughter Hafsah in marriage to Abu Bakr and ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with them both). But if the woman contacts the man directly or if the man contacts woman directly, this is may leads to fitnah (temptation).

Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftooh

The permissible ways to get the one whom you loves are sufficient i.e

contact the wali or the gaurdian of the person whom you desire to marry, there is no need for haraam means, but we make it hard for ourselves and the shaytaan takes advantage of that.

The Role of Muslim Women in Daw’ah

In The name of Allah,The Most Merciful,The Most gracious
The Role of Muslim Women in Daw’ah

“You are the best of the nation raised up for mankind because you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah” [ Ale-Imran: 110]

There many evidences in the Qur’an and Sunnah that obligates ALL Muslims, men and women to do da’wah, and enjoin good and forbid evil.

The Qur’an and Sunnah have expressed the idea of da’wa with the terms; tableegh (delivering the call), enjoining the good (ma’ruf) & forbidding the evil (munkar), recommending one another on the truth (tawaasi), being sent to give good tidings and to warn, clarifying the truth, advising (naseeha) and reminding the people, and debate and discuss with the people in the manner which is best and the struggling to make the Deen prevail.

ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ

Allah (swt) says, “Invite to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islaam) with Hikmah (divine evidences), and argue with them in a way that is better.” [16: 125]

What we can notice when we look at the evidences is that they have come in a general form, addressing Muslims as a whole – not being specific to men or women.

The fuqaha have explained that Da’wah to non-Muslims is in origin Fard Kifayah (obligation of sufficiency), meaning if some people are fulfilling it – the rest of the Ummah are not sinful and are encouraged to also perform it. However, it can become Fard Ayn (individual obligation) in the case where we know a non-Muslim who does not know about Islam and is unlikely to hear about it except through you – in this case it is our obligation to convey the message of Islam to them.

Da’wah to non-Muslims differs from da’wah to Muslims which includes enjoining the Ma’ruf and forbidding the Munkar which is an individual duty.

Ahmad narrated on the authority of Abu Bakrah that the messenger said:

“If the people see the Munkar (evil, wrong doing) and they do not change it, Allah will take them with a punishment”.

The Muslims, as individuals, are required to enjoin that which they are commanded with and forbid that which they are ordered to abstain from – if anything happens in front of them that necessitates that – according to the knowledge each individual has.

Furthermore, the Messenger (saw), when addressing the people used to say,

“Let the one who is present convey what he has heard to the one who is absent” (Al-Bukhari).

Consequently, enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar becomes an individual obligation (fard ayn) for which the Muslim will be sinful if he or she did not undertake it, and he is not excused for abandoning it. Thus the Muslimah, in her daily life with her husband, children, relatives, neighbours, customers, acquaintances or anyone else who they happen to meet; each one of such people needs be given the naseeha (advice), if they failed to perform a duty or was disobedient. How can this not be the case when there are sins that only she may be aware of. Such as a sin committed in front of her at a sitting where no one else is present. If she did not advise them then she will be sinful. No one else can take her place, and in his sphere, nobody other than her can fulfil it. For every munkar that appears in his sphere, no one other than the individual who witnesses it is responsible.

If one of our friends is not wearing the khimar, taking riba, has haram relations with men before marriage or engages in any other definitive haram – then you are obliged to forbid this munkar.

The Prophet (saw) said in a hadith narrated from Imam Muslim from Abu Sa’id al Khudri:

“Whosoever sees a Munkar (an evil or wrong) let him change it by his hand, if he could not let it be by his tongue. If he could not let it be by his heart, and this is the weakest of Iman”

We are also obliged to work to establish the mechanism which will establish the Ma’ruf and ensure the removal of Munkar, the Islamic state – which has been emphasised by the hadith in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (saw) said:

“Whosoever dies without a bay’ah on their neck dies the death of Jahiliyyah.” [Sahih Muslim]

Women have been expressly addressed with the duty of the da’wah because Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, says:

يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَعْرُوفًا

“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allah) then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire, but say that which is Ma’roof (good).” [33:32]

Ibn Abbas understood Allah’s injunction to the Prophet’s wives, to “say good,” to mean that they have to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. This can be taken as a general address to all Muslim women. Allah also says:

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاَةَ

“The believers, men and women are Auliya (helpers, protectors) of one another, they enjoin the good and forbid the evil, they perform salah and give away zakah and obey Allah.” [9:71]

It is clear in this verse that women are addressed with this task, just as men, whenever they are capable of undertaking it.

* Removing ignorance, increasing awareness of Islam, and the creation of qualified women da’wah carriers. These results have a lasting and beneficial influence, not only on women and the Muslim community, but also on the whole society at large

* Women’s place and status in Islam would be highlighted and Muslim women would attain a better awareness of their rights and duties.

* Making dawah should be part of our children’s upbringing by making them aware that they are the future carriers of Islam; and Islam is their identity; without it they are lost.

Examples from Muslim women in the past

The Prophet’s companions who left their homes to go places that were thousands of miles away to take the new religion to people also had the support and the backing of their wives. Let’s look at some examples:

- Khadija’s (ra) comfort, help, and support of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, offer the greatest proof of the vital importance of this role. Khadijah was very rich, and she spent her money to support the da’wah

- If we look at the hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed that the women said to the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, “The men are keeping you busy and we do not get enough attention from you. Would you specify a day for us, women? He promised them a day to meet them and educate and admonish them.” (Bukhari) The fruits of this understanding and concern by the women companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, and the attention he gave them, are shining examples and a source of pride for Muslim women

- Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, is also a perfect example of what the Muslim women should strive to be like. After the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, died, Aisha (ra) was the main source of knowledge about the Prophets teachings. She was active in telling people about Islam and giving knowledge to those who sought it. Abu Musa Ash’ari narrated, “We never had a problem to tackle but always found a relief from Aisha (ra). Her knowledge was stupendous.” Imam Zuhri, a Tabe’ie of great renown said, “Aisha was the greatest among the living scholars.”

- Umm Sulaim (ra) teaching her son Anas Ibn Malik (ra) about Islam, even though her husband rejected Islam. When Abu Talha proposed to her (before accepting Islam) she told him that her dowry was Islam, he in-turn embraced Islam and she married him. She gave her son Anas to the Prophet (saw) as a servant.

- Umm Hakeem (ra) was the reason behind her husband embracing Islam, the aunt of Adi ibn Hatem (ra) also led him to Islam. Amra, the wife of Habib Al-Ajami would wake up her husband to make salah at night. Asmaa (ra), the daughter of Abu Bakr, encouraged her son, Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair (ra), to stand up for the truth and not fear death in the face of a tyrant.

- Sumayyah (ra) gave up her life when Abu Jahl killed her for becoming a Muslim. She was the first martyr in Islam.

- Umm Salamah (ra) left her husband and saw her children persecuted when she migrated. (She is the one who narrated the famous speech of Ja’far to Najashi). Umm Ammarah (ra) fought in defence of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, in the Uhud battle. Tending the wounded in battles was the role Muslim Women played throughout history.

- It is reported that Dawud ibn Husayn (ra), a companion of the Prophet, used to take Qur’anic lessons from Umm Sa’d Jamilah bint As’ad Ansariyyah (ra), daughter of As’ad ibn Rabi who fought in the Battle of Badr and achieved martyrdom in the Battle of Uhud. According to Ibn Athir, Umm Sa’d had memorized the Qur’an and used to give regular lessons.

Even in later generations Muslim women continued to play a large part in Da’wah and the propagation of Islam.

- Nafisa bint al-Hasan (d. 208/824) taught hadith to Imam ash-Shafi’i.

- Ibn Hajar mentioned 12 women who were musnida (transmitters of collection of hadith). He studied with 53 women.

- Ibn Asakir al-Dimashqi (499-571) took hadith from 1,300 male shaykh and 80-odd female shaykha.

What contribution can women make?

Many obstacles and restraints have been the causes behind the weakness and neglect of da’wah work amongst women.

One major reason, is that many men are not convinced about the importance of women’s role and responsibilities in the field of da’wah. This is due to the influence of eastern Mushrik culture where women are seen as slaves to men. Unfortunately some attempt to justify this by misinterpreting Islamic evidences, for example:

The Qur’anic verse: وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ “ …remain at your homes…” [33:33] has been misinterpreted by many, and so has the right of guardianship or Qawama. In many instances we see men objecting to women’s participation in da’wah and thus preventing them from fulfilling their role toward their fellow Muslims and to the larger society in general. Spreading Islam has been made incumbent on all Muslims, men and women.

It is vital that husbands encourage their wives to participate in da’wah work. Unfortunately, not a lot of Muslim women feel that they know enough about Islam to share it with others. They need to realize that it is their responsibility to obtain that knowledge and then share it with others. Many women also feel uncomfortable presenting to groups of people due to various reasons.

Although many women are busy due to their responsibility as a wife, mother, cook, and teacher, inside their homes, etc – as with any fard, we must make time and organise our lives such that it becomes a centre point of our lives. Women have the ability to make a real difference:

- They generally have a great effect on their husbands. If they have strong Iman and character, they have a very good chance at helping their husbands become strong as well.

- Women are more free than men in communicating with other women, either individually for da’wah activities, or in women’s learning and other forums and places of meeting.

- Women stay at home with their sons and daughters, and thus can bring them up as they please.

Practical Steps for women

* Where to do dawah: ideally where people gather regularly, such as the mosques, girls schools – trying to influence the teacher and the curriculum, associations, da’wah groups, friends, families etc.

* We need to start by seeking knowledge and developing our Islamic personalities.
Proper Islamic rules of mixing between men and women must be observed at all times

* Building of the da’wah personality: Da’wah requires sacrifices and therefore women must be prepared to bear the burdens of calling to Islam

* Da’iyat delivering lectures, seminars, sermons, should be able to persuade the listeners by addressing their minds through proofs and evidences.

* Utilising the latest communication technology is important for fruitful dawah. Radio, TV, and the internet are very efficient means for local and international mass-dawah.

* Writing and publishing such as books, newspaper, articles etc are means by which you can easily reach people. Writings should both be eloquent and convincing, through sincere, sound and documented arguments.

So, let us strive to aid in the revival of the Ummah, by being da’wa carriers – possessing thought and articulation to uphold the truth.

Each of us has a gift from Allah we should not ignore our obligation in fear of rejection or failure but, join together to contribute our talents and reasons to share the gift of Islam, truly a mercy from Allah (swt).

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

“Who is better in speech than the one who calls (people) to Allah, works righteousness, and says I am one the Muslims?” (41:33)