Know Your Deen

Islamic QA for North America

June 2, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
9 Comments

Hijab is not fashion: (part 2)

Question/Comment from Comment Box:

‘K… so i am still confused
Shouldn’t it be inappropriate for guys as well to wear jeans because
1. It’s imitating the Kuffar.
2. because those same jeans in todays society is considered clothing of women as well.
so there is no escape and no excuse for a woman to wear pants period?’Comment by sister — May 23, 2009

Answer: A learning educational response to:  anonymous, comment by sister and maria… (we are to focus on bolded portions of the above questions/comments.)

The definition of imitation:

‘Whoever imitates a people, then they are part of them.’ (Hadith)

“He is not of us who imitates women nor is he of us who imitates men (sic).”
(Al-Hakim) (From comment box)

The brief meaning of the above: to wear that set of attire that represents only a given group of people falls into the category of ‘imitating a nation.’ Ex: a chain with a cross attached to it, a sari as worn in the manner of the Hindus — exposing portions of the awrah, wearing the Buddhist robe whilst being a Muslim, etc. In each of these examples, the given attire functions as clothing specific to a given people/nation. To wear such clothing would be prohibited. Continue Reading →

June 2, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

a little more quite please

Q. Salaam ul aikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu,

Is it Fardh to listen to the Azaan? Must we stop all that we are doing such as frivolous talking to repeat what we hear when the Mu’azzin calls out?
Jazakullah Khair in advance.
Answer: ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???????

Not fard. Mustahab. It is highly preferred to listen to the live azaan if one in not involved in another religious activity.

Frivolous actives should not be taken part in by anyone, more so by a Muslim at the time of Azan (or salaah). If one is involved in useless activities, then merely put an end to it, give the appropriate reply to the muazzin, and prepare yourself to stand before our Creator.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 31, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
11 Comments

to repent is a blessing we should never forget

Question:

sallam,
I have been thru a lot in my life. alhamdulelah Allah always helps me out and i repent from my sins but now i have been repeatedly doing the same sin again and again even though i promised i will never go back to it. I feel my imam (imaan) is becoming weak everyday and worried about Allah’s anger. even sometimes i feel like Allah will never forgive me for my sins because i keep promising and going back. what are the steps to repentance? i heard if a person breaks a promise they made to Allah(SWT) then they must fast three days, is this true?

Time Sent: Tuesday May 19, 2009 at 9:03 pm

Answer: ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???????

Going through a lot in life, and yet remaining a Muslim shows that Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) loves and cares a lot about you. Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) tests some people to make them stronger believers. This should make you grateful and hopeful towards the added mercy of Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) upon you. You are being blessed, and yet you are humble to seek even better of religion. Shaytan and his agents never want you to see this Merciful side of Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala). Shaytan prefers you to brood on the wrongs you have done, lose hope and walk away from deen.

Wrongs are of two types: Allah and humanity

1. Wrongs towards Allah include not performing salah, giving zakat, performing the hajj when able to do so, dealing in interest, taking part in minor and major shirk, etc. All these sins can be forgiven by Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) if the sinner repents and relinquishes negative habits. To do so is simple, merely ask Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) for forgiveness, put right your wrongs, and if you repeat errors, ask Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) for a sincere forgiveness again. Do not let shaytan make you feel guilty. Shaytans guilt is to hinder your future spiritual growth. Shaytan wants you to become despondent, so you can stagnate in life.

2. Wrongs towards humanity include gossiping, slandering, not paying back loans, being mean to people, cheating on exams, stealing your best friends watch, etc. These actions violate the rights of fellow humans. If the people whose trust you violated do not forgive you, then on the Day of Judgment you would have to give some of your good rewards to the ones you hurt. In this second type, you must ask the person you have wronged for forgiveness. Asking Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) alone would not be sufficient.

When a person feels like their Imaan is weakening:

This is a sign that Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) wants to help you by giving you insight into yourself. When a believer does a wrong and they feel that their Imaan is affected due to their transgressions, it means that they are possessing a great deal of good in themselves and Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) is giving them a second chance to reflect and avert farther evil. Hardness of the heart is as a result of people doing wrong, justifying their wrongs, in the process not caring as to the outcome of their Imaan. Allah is preventing you from such a nasty attitude. One only becomes worthy of Allah’s anger when they persist on evil. This you are being prevented from, Alhamdulillah.

Reality of Allah

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Say (oh Muhammad SAW): O My slaves (servants) who have been reckless to themselves (doing evil)! Despair not in the Mercy of Allah, Verily Allah forgives all sins. Verily Allah is the most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) will always forgive His servants. To despair in His Mercy is to relinquish hope in Him. To give up hope in Allah is tantamount to disbelief. This is wrong for a believer. Thus a Muslim always prays for the love and compassion of Allah upon all.

What you can do to become stronger

Above, you mentioned ‘sallam’ instead of Asalamualikum. Many of us are guilty of this. (So am i at times.) Seeing you want to rectify your life, let us help you a little. The first step for you would be to practice whatever little you can from the Quran and sunnah. The following points are mentioned in Hadith for improving one’s self. A simple suggestion would be inclusive of sharing the complete Islamic greeting when greeting one another. Take its words serious and live up to its value. Share love and peace to all people worthy of it. This may seem trivial, but it is a starting point. Learn to visit the sick. Go to the invitations of the pious. Eat halaal foods. Look at that which is pure, and not that which is forbidden. Following even the minutest of sunnah helps chip away with sinning and heart filled restlessness. It brings joy to strengthening ones Imaan.

The ability to repent is proof that Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) loves you and wants the very best for you. Few people have the ability to repent sincerely as a result of wrong. Consider yourself blessed.

Allah certainly knows best.

(Regarding promises, go here)

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May 29, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

unemployment – zakat

Q. I collect unemployment. Do I have to pay zakat?

A. We are sure that Muslims collect unemployment due to legitimate circumstances. There is a criterion of nisab that must be met. Once this criteria is fulfilled, as well as other conditions, you would qualify to give your zakat to those that are most needy. Please see the following: http://islaminaction.wordpress.com/?s=nisab. It would clarify matters for you, Insha-Allah.

May Allah the Greatest make matters easy for all, Ameen.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 29, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

hate the sin, not the sinner

Q. Asalamualikom,
“never judge a book by it’s cover.” In my case it is trusting a person immediately even before knowing them, especially when they are Muslims. Lets just say I put my trust in a certain person (because of who they hang out with and the way they dress. i know i learned my lesson) {Or people they claim to hang out with, comments they have heard, truthful or not, etc.} And i know for a fact that it is not just me that trusts this certain person, lots of people tend to trust him/her too quick because of just the way that person’s personality is. Lately i have been getting a vibe that this person is not so honest/modest as they appear to everyone and so i waited to make sure i wasn’t accusing. Now i am 99.9 % sure that i was right. I need advice on how to tell my other friends about that certain person. Should I tell them what is going on and show evidence (some might not take my word over that individuals) or should i just warn them and that’s it?

Q. At the potluck on Sunday you talked about the ills of cell phones the impact of MySpace (both of which I have)  Do I just abandon all my friends that do haram on it? Continue Reading →

May 29, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

pass code please

Q. is it fair for a male or female to hack into another’s email system or data base to gain information for marital purposes. This happened to me a while back and unfortunately I was in the process of changing my life and just got caught doing things I should not have been doing. Now was this correct for the other party to do? Was it a sinful action?

A. Hacking by private citizens is prohibited. What the ‘other’ party did to you was wrong. For them to expose your private actions would constitute a sin.

The information gained cannot be used against you by a true Muslim. More so if it was gained through wrongful methods. To pass such private information on would be a sin, more so if it was linked to personal incorrect behavioral choices.

This does not justify wrongful actions on your part. If you happened to be guilty of inappropriate behavior, ask Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) for forgiveness. Do not get stuck on your past. Have hope in the Mercy and Love of Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala).

If one needs information on a potential spouse, it can be sort through close friends and family. Not by violating the law of the land and peoples private data collection systems, regardless of how tempting.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 27, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
4 Comments

Give me a winner combination (a must read for those with problems!)

Q. Assallamu alykum,
jazzkAllahu kharian for everything! I have two questions. How could a person win Allah’s love? and what are the steps to winning his love?

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To get it all, you must give it your all:

To attain the love of anything, one must posses love and passion for that which that they endear. Another criterion is to obey the Belovered to attain the love of the Belovered. One cannot increase their love for Allah whilst following the ways which contradict His pathway.

Steps to winning the Love of Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala):

Abstain from the kabair (major sins). Avoid falling into the category of the seven destructive habits. Never even remotely enjoin partners with Allah, never practice sorcery, never take a life without justice (or accuse someone wrongfully so as to have their life taken), avoid the taking of riba (usury), usurping the rights and property of an orphan, fleeing the battle field, never accuse a chaste woman of wrong doing. (paraphrased form Hadith)

Keep your eyes focused, they are the windows to your heart (ache)

Additionally, keep the eyes away from looking at that which is forbidden. Avoid intermingling with the opposite gender. It creates lust in the heart which could manifest itself in real life adverse situations. Avoid gossiping about people. Never carry tales. Practice silence. Practice patience. Practice what you preach, or remain silent. Never obey people in matters of evil. Command righteous behavior without thinking of yourself as better then others. Abstain from the forbidden, regardless of its temptation. Violating the rights of the innocent makes the anger of Allah become worthy upon a criminal. Allah created humanity, Allah loves humanity, when we hurt humanity, we become worthy of the anger of Allah.

In order to keep up with good actions, never let go of your salah, zakah, hajj when possible; always  take the kalimah seriously and live up to its expectations. Rejecting such simple injunctions  would reduce the necessary continual love and mercy of Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala).

Ask yourself, what must people do to win the favor of one another? What must I do to win the favor of my teacher, employer/ee? Since Allah is Greater then all entities, is He not more worthy of us doing the best? Reflect of this, your life would Insha-Allah turn towards a winners combination of both the worlds, Ameen.

Allah Certainly Knows best

May 27, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
2 Comments

How about some genuine Islamic knowledge

Q. Assalamu Alaykum rahmatullahi wabaraktu,

To shorten my question without getting into a really long story;
how does one become a female maulana? Especially in the state of Utah. Do I need to go out and get outside education? What is the process I must undergo?

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Utah does not offer classes for men or woman to become fully fledged Islamic scholars under the supervision of Muslim scholars.

The title maulana, sheik, alimah (title given to woman) in some cultures refers to that set of knowledge which comprises of approximately seven years of Islamic studies. Its completion is inclusive of what is known as the siya sitha (ibn majah, tirmizi, muslim, bukari, nasai, as well as other Hadith text that have been used throughout the centuries.) Such pursuit of knowledge comprises of the study of not just Hadith, but Tafseer and Islamic jurisprudence in the language of Arabic, as well as other language choices that a given instution may have.

A woman seeking such education may have to travel to a country that provides such education. Countries such as parts of the Middle East, Malaysia, as well as certain parts of Africa serve best for woman embarking upon such studies.

Contact people that have been through the process. Contact institutions that cater to such educational needs.

We do need woman that want to share greater Islamic knowledge for the benefit of their family and friends.  We sincerely wish you the very best in the pursuit of your Islamic knowledge.

Allah Certainly Knows best

May 26, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

Reality check!

Q. if a woman loves her husband and the husband loves his wife. Can they exchange last names?

A. If the husband has a father, then he cannot attribute another persons last name to himself. This is forbidden. Also to attribute another persons linage as your own is linked to deception. Deception in Islam is forbidden.

A woman need not change her last name, if they both agree to keep their own last names.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 25, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

person cannot keep promise

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Q. Person took an oath to fast for about 45 days. The person cannot keep up with the promise. What must the person do? Please send me a formal written response.

A. For a broken promise as described above, the person could do either of the following:

  • Free a slave
  • Or, give 10 people clothes. Each person must be given a set of clothing that is enough to cover the entire body to make that person eligible for a salaah. Merely giving one person a hat, another a scarf, etc. would not qualify
  • Or, feed 10 people
  • If neither of the above is possible, the individual must merely fast for three consecutive days.

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Allah Certainly Knows Best