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Glimpses on the Birth of Brightness
Author : An Article by the Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassanat
Date Added : 19-11-2018

Glimpses on the Birth of Brightness

 

Allah, The Almighty has ordained sending Prophets and Messengers for all mankind to lead them to the righteous path where He, The Almighty, Said (What means): "Apostles who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the apostles, should have no plea against God: For God is Exalted in Power, Wise." [An-Nisa/165]. He, The Exalted, also Said (What means): "nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle (to give warning). [Al-Isra'/15].

 

Moreover, those Prophets (PBUT) are the best of the best when it comes to manners or shapes, and this enables them to keep up with the noble task entrusted to them and that is calling people to the way of Allah, The Exalted.

In addition, Allah sent to every nation a Prophet of their own in order for them to accept and understand his message easily. However, the end of that Prophet`s message and life were inseparable.

Therefore, a continuous message to the end of days(Judgment day) was a pressing need; thus Allah chose for this great message a great man who had favors upon all Prophets to the end of days; Mohammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdulmattalib Ibn Hashim Ibn Abdmanaf  whose lineage extends to Prophet Ismaiel (PBUT).

The period of sending Prophets to people/nations was somehow specified, but the period before the birth of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) till the beginning of his message was the longest compared to other Prophets. Allah, The Exalted, used to send one Prophet after the other and, sometimes, more than one were sent at the same time and He, The Almighty, has never took a Prophet's soul without replacing him with another one.

Further, during the long period before sending Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), humanity has encountered many negative aspects namely intellectual, religious and behavioral corruption. As a result, injustice, classism and the breaking of kinship ties have prevailed, in addition to the fact that humanity was lacking in societies.

Therefore, Allah sent His Prophet (PBUH) to correct humans` way of life, and be a safe haven to humankind by preventing injustice, putting an end to slavery, restoring the sense of humanity to people and revealing the divine mercy on his hands. Allah, The Most Exalted, Said (What means): We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures." [Al-Anbiya'/107].

The face of the world has changed when the Prophet (PBUH) was born. The throne of Anushirvan cracked, the Magians` fire extinguished and the lake of Sawa dived deeper. Amina, the mother of Prophet (PBUH), narrated: "When she was pregnant with him she dreamed that a great light came out of her and illuminated all the castles in Al-Sham." [Mosanaf Abdel-Razaq]. This shows that his reign is going to reach Al-Sham, so his birth was not a normal one; rather it was a sign for a nation's birth. Further, he (PBUH) was divinely raised and disciplined; he had neither a father, a mother nor a grandfather.

He (PBUH) was sent as a Seal of Prophets and a guidance to all mankind since Allah, Said (What means): "We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin)." [Saba/28] and He, The Exalted, Said (What means): "but (he is) the Apostle of God, and the Seal of the Prophets." [Al-Ahzab/40].

Indeed, he had to be the Seal of all Prophets and Messengers since no other Prophet or Messenger had his shape or manners. His shape was perfect and his mercy has encompassed all creatures for Allah, The Most Exalted, Said (What means): "We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures." [Al-Anbiya/107] and He Said (What means):" to the Believers is he most kind and merciful." [Al-Tawbah/128]. 

Besides, he (PBUH) has transferred the Arab nation from the state of illiteracy to literacy by urging them to seek knowledge, castaway myths and use their minds. He made seeking knowledge incumbent upon every Muslim where He (PBUH) said (What means):" Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim." [Sunn Ibn Majah].This is because it is only through knowledge that societies could flourish and prosper.

Therefore, it is imperative that we adhere to good character as basis for our religion, since the Prophet (PBUH) said (What means): "I was sent to perfect good character." [Musanaf Ibn Shyiba]. In fact, nations will never be able to achieve prosperity, unless they abide by good character and seek knowledge.

Nowadays; Muslims are in desperate need to follow the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) in dealing with others regardless of their cultural background and ways of thinking. This is because winning people's hearts and minds is far more important than conquering fortresses and castles.

In conclusion, we do need to follow the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) in everything, since Allah, The Exalted (What means): "And know that among you is God’s Apostle." [Al-Hujurat/7]. Further, when Muslims celebrate his birth, they show gratitude to Allah, The Exalted, for His endless generosity that lies in choosing and allocating them to be the best to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. He, The Almighty, Said (What means): "In the bounty of God. And in His Mercy, - in that let them rejoice": that is better than the (wealth) they hoard." [Yunus/58].

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What are the Sunnah acts of fasting?

● Delaying Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) as long as there is no risk of Fajr beginning.
● Hastening Iftar (breaking the fast) immediately after confirming sunset.
● Performing I‘tikaf, especially during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
● Reciting the Quran frequently.
● Avoiding idle and useless talk.
● Being generous and charitable.
● Guarding oneself from desires.
● Purifying oneself from major impurity (janabah) before Fajr.

When does the time for Udhiyah begin?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The permissible timeframe for Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) begins on the day of Eid al-Adha—the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—once the sun has risen and a period of time sufficient to perform two brief prayer units (Rak'ahs) and two short sermons (Khutbahs) has passed. This window remains open until the sun sets on the final day of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Every valley of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and slaughtering may be done throughout all the days of Tashreeq." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Hibban)
 
The days of Tashreeq refer to the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
The most virtuous time to perform the sacrifice is immediately after concluding the Eid prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and offer our sacrifice. Whoever does that has acted in accordance with our Sunnah (tradition), and whoever slaughters before that, it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it has nothing to do with the ritual sacrifice." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
What is meant here is an estimation of time rather than the actual performance of the prayer itself, as our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to offer the Eid al-Adha prayer immediately after sunrise.
 
The sacrifice is valid if performed at any time during these designated days, whether by day or by night, though slaughtering at night is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on a woman who learns of her divorce or her husband's death after her *ʿiddah* has ended? And does the *ʿiddah* of a woman who abandoned mourning (*iḥdād*) for the whole period of the *ʿiddah*, or part of it, still end, even though she knew that abandoning it is forbidden?**

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The waiting period of a widow who is not pregnant is four months and ten days, based on the saying of Allah Almighty (which means): “And those of you who die and leave wives behind, they shall wait concerning themselves for four months and ten days” [al-Baqarah/234]. If she is pregnant, her ʿiddah ends with the delivery of her child. The ʿiddah is calculated by lunar months and begins from the date of death.
If her ʿiddah ends before she learns of her husband’s death, or of his divorcing her, she does not observe the ʿiddah upon learning of it, because her ʿiddah has already ended.
It is stated in al-Bayān fī Madhhab al-Imām al-Shāfiʿī (Vol.11/p.41), one of the books of the Shāfiʿī school: “If a man divorces his wife, or dies while he is absent from her, her ʿiddah is from the time of the divorce or from the time of death. If she does not know of the divorce or the death until her ʿiddah period has ended, then her ʿiddah has ended. If she learns of it before the end of the ʿiddah period, she completes her ʿiddah counting from the time of the divorce or death.”
As for a woman who abandoned mourning throughout the ʿiddah while knowing that it is forbidden, she is sinful, although her ʿiddah has nonetheless ended. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on the prayer of one who said "Subḥāna Rabbiya al-ʿAẓīm" in prostration (*sujūd*) and forgot to correct it?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Saying “Subḥāna Rabbiya al-ʿAẓīm” in bowing (rukūʿ) and “Subḥāna Rabbiya al-Aʿlā” in prostration (sujūd) is one of the hayʾāt (non-essential sunnahs) of the prayer. Whoever omits it, whether deliberately or by forgetfulness, or replaces it with another remembrance (dhikr), his prayer is valid and he does not perform sujūd al-sahw. Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Our school holds that one does not prostrate for omitting the audible or silent recitation, the tasbīḥ, and the rest of the hayʾāt.” [al-Majmūʿ, Vol.4/p.127]
If he performs sujūd al-sahw for something that does not call for it, his prayer is invalidated, because he introduced a prostration of forgetfulness without a cause, and he must repeat the prayer. The exception is one who did so out of forgetfulness or ignorance, whether because he recently entered Islam or because he lives far from scholars; he is excused and his prayer is not invalidated.
It is stated in Mughni al-Muḥtāj (Vol.1/p.417): “It is stated in al-Anwār: If he does something that does not call for sujūd al-sahw, thinking that it does, and then prostrates, his prayer is not invalidated if he is ignorant because he recently entered Islam or because he is far from scholars.”
Since this issue is hidden from the laity, as it is among the subtleties of knowledge, and the laity are excused for ignorance of whatever is of such a nature, and their act of obedience is not invalidated because of it, it may be said that the prayer of one who has not acquired knowledge of the issue is not invalidated. As for after knowing it, the prayer is invalidated.
Whoever realizes while still in the prayer that his prostration was out of place, it is sunnah for him to perform sujūd al-sahw. And Allah Almighty knows best.