Know Your Deen

May 24, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

effective student habits come with respect

Q. Salam,
is there a dua for a person who is academically struggling?
Is there such a thing as respect for education and teachers as a code in the form of Islamic etiquette

A. Chose a field of study that you enjoy. Pass the prerequisites with relative ease. Send lots of durood (salutations) upon the Messenger (Peace be upon him). Stay away from sin, for sins darken the heart and cloud the mind with impure thoughts. Read ?????? ??????? ???????? (rabbi zidni ilma) oh Allah increase me (in beneficial) knowledge before and after your studies. Ask Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) to make matters easy for you.

Make an intention that your studies are purely to benefit all of humanity. Start your studies before fajr if possible. Start your morning with the recitation of Yaseen. The mind is most fresh at this hour and retains more information. Have a fixed time when you learn new material and a fixed time when you review old material. Always look at your next day’s work in advance, never sitting amazed in class with data you should have known. Sit with respect in the class. Dress with modesty. Never stare the teacher in the face. Always have respect for the teacher, their friends and children. Pray for them all. These suggestions have made students superior students.

Additionally, respect your teachers — be they Muslim or nonmuslim. Always pray for fellow students and remove hatred towards those that share their knowledge with you. Never correct a teacher to embarrass them. Allah has extreme dislike for the arrogant. Correct people in private by asking them for clarification as to what they have made an error in, do so with politeness. If they insist on a wrongful response, never gossip about them, pray for them instead and always wish them well.

My teachers shared the above to me, and I am merely passing it on.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 21, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
8 Comments

hijab is not fashion (part 1)

Question 1: Salam,
I’m getting confused about the fashion is going on….even hijbs is sometimes worn the wrong way….being grown up this country I’m not sure what is the correct hijb? some lady cover their whole body including the face, others are simple, and their is some who misrepresent the hijab. Please explain what is the correct hijab using hadith and quran verses.

Q. 2: Does one have to always cover the face as part of Hijab?

Answer:

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We have derived our answer from Quran and Hadith. Although it would be best to cover the face, to impose the rule of haraam for those that do not abide by it would be incorrect under general circumstances. In all conditions, modesty in presenting oneself is required. Jeans and top, short dresses with form fitting pants does not function as part of an appropriate Islamic dress code, hijab or jilbab. Nor does the fashion of wearing an abaya that exposes a person for a public viewing constitute hijab!

Sadly, your question lacks specificity. I hope we could have helped you more.

Please see the following, thereafter, if something seems unclear, email us back.

http://islaminaction.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/diff-bet-hijab-and-jilbab

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 21, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

fidyah and fasting – follow up

Comment box:

Question: Jazakallahu khair for the clarification.
Okay so I missed 12 days of fasting,
and say I invite a miskeen for dinner for x amount of days would that be considered fidya?
basically how many days of fidya would I have to do to be cleared for my 12missed days?

Response: Option one: Do the following:

Calculate 12 days x 1.632 kilograms of wheat in financial value.

Option one: Invite 12 poor people and feed them to their fill, or give them each a meal voucher. Obviously 12 vouchers would have to be given.

Option two: If your health permits, just keep the 12 missed fast, (and save your money.)

Option three: feed the 12 people. Then when you have reached peak health performance, keep the missed 12 fasts.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

(Option two generally can work best)

May 20, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
2 Comments

school boy prays

Q. Salaam ul Aikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

I’m taking a night class from 6-9 so I was wondering what is the absolute latest that I can pray Asr salaat since it starts during my class at 6:30 and Maghrib starts at 8:45?
I would like it to not be late that the reward is any less than if prayed on time.
For arguments sake, let’s say that I cannot pray from 6:30-7:30…would praying after that time still be acceptable?

Jazakullah Khair in advance.

A. ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???????

Based on your explained circumstance, knowing from personal experience relating to summer school, summer school covers great amounts of material within a short span of time. Sometimes teachers do not prefer students walking out of the class. The following rule can be utilized for restrictions or constraints that are imposed upon students: (it applies only to the issue of Asr and magrib prayers)

Should the time for Magrib start at 8:45pm, merely ask to be excused at 8:40pm, read your Asr salaah prior to 8:45 pm, then at the onset of Magrib (8:45pm or a couple minutes into the magrib time), pray your magrib salaah. This way you can accomplish your Asr as well as magrib. To use this method without valid reasoning is makrooh.

In your situation, the above shared advice may prove ideal.

An added point: should you get a break between the time period of 6:30 and magrib, then in such a situation you should perform your Asr salaah without hesitation. Also, if you have an in class group discussion moment and leaving the class for a few minutes to perform Asr would not pose harm to your studies, then you should make use of this moment to perform your Asr salaah. This would be best for you.

We hope the above options would be of benefit to you. May Allah keep us all firm on our obligations.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

p.s. Students have requested forms excusing them to pray their Zohr prayer in school, as well as attaining requests forms for Jummah. You are welcome to come to the office and furnish us your name to attain your necessary consent letter.

May 18, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
8 Comments

Fasting and fidya

Questions:
Assalamu Alaykum rahmatullahi wabarakatu,

I attended your Tafseer class on Friday the 15th.
It was on the subject of Fasting. Alhamdulilah it was a good class and benefited a lot from it. I have a few questions pertaining to the things you have said:
“…sickness of a person allows them to be excused from fasting. If fasting is difficult due to health concerns, the non-fasting person can merely feed a miskeen. Miskeen person is defined as one who does not have wealth, in debt, have less amount of ‘miswab’? (Please define the term miskeen and help make the above statements clear for me)”

I was sick for awhile during Ramadan I still have not made up my fasting days. So if I do the above things I’m cleared? And how much wheat must I give.
Jazakallahu Khair

Answer:

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A person suffering from an illness, and it is such an illness that makes fasting impossible, or such fasting would contribute to greater deterioration of health — in such circumstances a person would be excused from fasting and would have to give fidya to a miskeen. (Derived from ayah which was covered)

Who is a Miskeen

A miskeen is a poor person. A poor person is defined in Islam as that individual whose finances does not have a total asset worth reaching the nisab. Should you want to know the definition of nisab, merely go here: http://islaminaction.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/what-is-the-nisaab

By when do i make it all up?

Although there is no time limit to making up a fast, it is best for a person to make up for their missed fasts (salah, etc) as soon as they have recovered from an illness. Should an individual not have recovered from an illness, then they would merely have to give what is called the fidya.

What constitutes fidya?

One form of calculation for fidya is in accordance to the measurement of 1.632 kilograms of wheat or its dollar value in equivalence as observed in regular stores (market place.) One need not give the total fidya amount to a single poor person. One can spread it out in such a manner that each poor person gets to consume the value in equivalence of the 1.632 kilograms of wheat. This is the best manner to dispense the fidya. It does not mean that one MUST give only wheat; one can give its equivalence of monetary value to a poor person as well. For example, a dinner of similar or higher value of the wheat amount described above can also be given.

And if i got no money?

Should a person not have sufficient resources to give to a poor person, then insha-Allah, Allah would forgive you, insha-Allah.

What is the best thing to do?

Once you have paid your fidya and have later been blessed with good health, then merely try to keep the missed fast. Although fidyah may absolve you,fasting would still be the better (afzal) thing for you to do.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 18, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
2 Comments

set priorities to get what you want

Scenario:
Assallamu alykum,

I just started college this year and confused about major. I want to do something for Islam. I want something that will benefit our community. As being a female it is recommended that we do work in a place that is less interaction with guys. I’m not planning to stay in college longer as i’m planning to get married to fulfill my deen. Please help me for wallahi im confused and stressed out about this.

Answer: You have not specified a question to us. Help you in what area of your life? Deen? Your choice of major in college? If you just started college and don’t know your major, coupled with the fact that you are not going to be in college long enough to graduate, chances are you would unfortunately fail in your obligation!

You have two choices: get a major, graduate in it and make a contribution to the Muslim Ummah. If the reality of this is impossible, then learn those skills that would make you an effective home maker. In Islam this is not a crime!. Attain good household and homemaking habits. If you are confused and wish to harp on both – college and homemaking whilst lacking focus, chances are that you would not attain either one with superior standards. Your ineffectiveness would result in frustration and another generation of girl-like behavior instead of a new generation of honorable woman!

If you have desires and your adult related desires are causing you to want to get married, then get married with appropriate consent and be the best woman you can be when it comes towards religious and martial obligations.

Instead of limiting your focus on college and marriage, we think you need to sort out what you really want to achieve in life. Attain professional counseling from a person that understands Islamic and western values.

Good luck, wasalam

Allah certainly knows Best.

May 16, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
6 Comments

‘yummy yummy fries’ (You are what you eat)

Question/Comment: Imaam here is something for you to read. My question is if it is true that beef is in the yummy yummy fries which I had to stop eating then is it not haram? Simply said… i want to eat it. Now its up to you to save this 13 eyar old. Read this… starving13yearoldhookedonfries
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USA

Hello XXXX: (Islaminaction.wordpress.com has omitted personal data and the blessed name)

Thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s. We appreciate this opportunity to share information with you about our French fries.

For flavor enhancement, McDonald’s French fry suppliers use a very small amount of beef flavor as a natural flavoring during the par-frying process at the potato processing plant. In the restaurant, the French fries are cooked in vegetable oil.

You may be interested to know that we recently updated our nutrition information to include the ingredients in “natural flavors” for all our US core menu items. Customers will now be able to find out if a natural flavor comes from a dairy, meat or vegetable source. Here is the list of ingredients

French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/ingredientslist.pdf

We hope this information is helpful and we appreciate the time you took to contact us.

Jessica
McDonald’s Customer Response Center

ref#:5718694

Answer: If the beef (or any other animal) attained was slaughtered from a halal animal in the name of Allah, then it would be halaal. Generally, such is not the case. As we know, Muslims do not slaughter all of McDonalds animals.

Thus, if it is slaughtered in the non-muslim manner, then we cannot vouch for it being halal. One should abstain from such products.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

May 16, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

Help for new Muslims sort — our duty

Query/Question:

Hello,
A few months ago, I realized I was a Muslimah. I know a lot about Islam…but knowing about it and living it are totally different things and the living it part is what I am having a hard time with. I have to look at charts on the internet to see how to pray and the words are hard to hear and see and say because it is not a real person who can hear me speaking..so I don’t pray, but it is really bothering me now. Anyway, I am a single mother and I need to start teaching my daughter about our religion and practice it. I am not one who goes into things overzealously but rather very cautiously…but I do know that for me Islam is the truth. I cannot find any new revert info for SLC or anyone here to talk to or help me learn or introduce me to others, and I am hoping someone (Preferrably a woman…one here in SLC) will contact me back and help me.

Thank you in advance for your response…

A. If there are sisters in the Salt Lake City area that would be willing to help the above sister, do contact our Islamic society. You can contact us through a parent, male sibling or a spouse. Should this be impossible, you are welcome to contact us yourself so as to best help this sister and her family.

Should you know of more then a few reverts or converts that would be interested in learning more about Islam, merely form a group and contact the Imaam.

Wasalam

Allah Certainly knows Best.