SAMOTALIS: INTERNATIONAL HOLY QURAN AWARD...DUBAI 2008
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Monday, September 29, 2008
Paying zakaat al-fitr on behalf of the dead
My grandmother wanted to know if fitra of Eid can be given in the name of a dead, for e.g. her parents.
Praise be to Allaah.
Zakaat al-fitr is obligatory for all Muslims, males and females, old and young, as stated by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
It is only required from the living who are present at the time when it becomes due.
The time when zakaat al-fitr becomes due is when the sun sets on the last day of Ramadaan, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called it sadaqat al-fitr, and fitr or breaking the fast of Ramadaan comes when the sun sets on the night of Eid (i.e., the night before Eid). It is a purification for the fasting person from any idle or obscene speech, and the fast ends when the sun sets.
If a person dies before the time it become obligatory, he does not have to pay this zakaah. If a person lives until the time when it becomes obligatory, then dies before paying it, then it should be paid on his behalf from his wealth because it is still a duty that he owes and becomes a debt that must be paid on his behalf.
See: al-Majmoo’, 6/84; al-Mugni, 2/358; al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 23/341
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If a person dies before the sun sets on the night before Eid, he does not have to pay zakaat al-fitr, because he died before it became obligatory. End quote.
Fiqh al-‘Ibaadaat, p. 211
In conclusion: The deceased person is responsible for this if he died after the time when it became obligatory, which is sunset on the night before Eid. In that case it must be paid on his behalf. If he died before the time when it became obligatory – which appears to be the case in the question asked here – then this zakaah is not obligatory.
If your grandmother gave charity such as food, money, etc on his behalf, then it is charity given on his behalf and is not zakaat al-fitr.
It is proven in more than one hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that charity given on behalf of the dead benefits them and the reward reaches them.
See question no. 42384.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
4 killed, 20 injured in eastern Ethiopia explosion
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: An explosion outside a hotel in Ethiopia’s volatile eastern region killed four people Sunday and injured 20 others, a federal police spokesman said.
The explosion occurred at 10:20 a.m. (0720GMT) outside a hotel in the eastern Ethiopia town of Jijiga, some 430 miles (700 kilometers) east of the capital, Addis Ababa, said spokesman Demsash Hailu.
The explosion occurred at 10:20 a.m. (0720GMT) outside a hotel in the eastern Ethiopia town of Jijiga, some 430 miles (700 kilometers) east of the capital, Addis Ababa, said spokesman Demsash Hailu.
“It is a criminal act. It’s not an accident. It was a terrorist action,” he said.
The explosion killed or injured people in front of the hotel and on the street but did not damage the hotel itself, he said, declining to say what caused the explosion or who may have caused it.
Jijiga is the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali region, where separatist rebels have been fighting for autonomy for decades.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front has been fighting for the independence of a large part of Ethiopia’s southeastern region, officially called the Somali region but also known as the Ogaden.
The conflict intensified in May 2007 when the government launched an offensive against the rebels after a rebel attack on a Chinese-run oil exploration field that killed
74 workers.
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
Ruling on praying tahajjud on Laylat al-Qadr only
What is the ruling on praying tahajjud on Laylat al-Qadr and not on other nights?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There are reports which speak of the great virtue of doing acts of worship on Laylat al-Qadr. Our Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, has told us that it is better than a thousand nights, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that whoever spends this night in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward will be forgiven his previous sins.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree).
2. And what will make you know what the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is?
3. The Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allaah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
4. Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allaah’s Permission with all Decrees,
5. (All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allaah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn”
[al-Qadr 97:1-5]
And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends this night in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward will be forgiven his previous sins.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1901; Muslim, 760.
Out of faith means believing in its virtue and in the reward for that.
In the hope of reward means by seeking the pleasure of Allaah.
Secondly:
The scholars differed as to the definition of Laylat al-Qadr, and there are many opinions, more than forty as it says in Fath al-Baari. The most likely to be correct is the view that it is one of the odd-numbered nights among the last ten nights of Ramadaan.
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Seek Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2017; Muslim, 1169.
Al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled: “Seeking Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights (of Ramadaan).”
The reason why it is hidden is to encourage the Muslim to strive hard in worship and du’aa’ and dhikr during all the last ten nights of Ramadaan. This is the same reason why the time when du’aa’ is answered on Friday has not been defined, and why the ninety-names of Allaah have not been defined, concerning which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever learns them by heart will enter Paradise.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2736; Muslim, 2677.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words of Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) – “Seeking Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights (of Ramadaan)” – indicate that it is most likely that Laylat al-Qadar cannot be in any month other than Ramadaan, and is in the last ten nights thereof, and is one of the odd-numbered nights, but not on any particular night. This is what is indicated by a number of the reports that have been narrated concerning it.
Fath al-Baari, 4/260.
And he said:
The scholars said: The reason why Laylat al-Qadar has been concealed is so that people will strive to seek it, because if its timing was known, they would limit their efforts to that night only, as we have explained previously about the time on Friday (when du’aa’s are answered).
Fath al-Baari, 4/266.
Thirdly:
Based on this, it is not possible for anyone to be certain that a particular night is Laylat al-Qadr, especially since we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to tell his ummah when it was, then he told them that Allaah had taken away that knowledge.
It was narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out with the news of Laylat al-Qadr, but two men among the Muslims started arguing. He said: “I came out to tell you about Laylat al-Qadr, but So and so and So and so started arguing, so (that knowledge) was taken away. Perhaps that will be better for you. So seek it on the (twenty-) seventh and the (twenty-) ninth and the (twenty-) fifth.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 49.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
With regard to singling out one night of Ramadaan as Laylat al-Qadr, this requires evidence to show that it is this night and not any other. But the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan are more likely than others (to be Laylat al-Qadr) and the twenty-seventh night is the most likely night to be Laylat al-Qadr, because of the ahaadeeth to that effect.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 10/413
Hence the Muslim should not assume that any particular night is Laylat al-Qadr, because that would mean that he is being certain about something concerning which we cannot be certain, and because it means that he is missing out on something that is good for him. It may be the night of the twenty-first, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-ninth. If he spends the night of the twenty-seventh only in prayer, then he will have missed out on a lot of goodness, and he may have missed that blessed night.
T
he Muslim should strive his hardest to do acts of obedience and worship throughout Ramadaan, and more so in the last ten days. This is the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: When the last ten days of Ramadaan began, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would tighten his waist-wrapper, spend his nights in prayer, and wake his family.
Narrated by Muslim, 2024; Muslim, 1174.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There are reports which speak of the great virtue of doing acts of worship on Laylat al-Qadr. Our Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, has told us that it is better than a thousand nights, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that whoever spends this night in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward will be forgiven his previous sins.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree).
2. And what will make you know what the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is?
3. The Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allaah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
4. Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allaah’s Permission with all Decrees,
5. (All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allaah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn”
[al-Qadr 97:1-5]
And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends this night in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward will be forgiven his previous sins.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1901; Muslim, 760.
Out of faith means believing in its virtue and in the reward for that.
In the hope of reward means by seeking the pleasure of Allaah.
Secondly:
The scholars differed as to the definition of Laylat al-Qadr, and there are many opinions, more than forty as it says in Fath al-Baari. The most likely to be correct is the view that it is one of the odd-numbered nights among the last ten nights of Ramadaan.
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Seek Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2017; Muslim, 1169.
Al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled: “Seeking Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights (of Ramadaan).”
The reason why it is hidden is to encourage the Muslim to strive hard in worship and du’aa’ and dhikr during all the last ten nights of Ramadaan. This is the same reason why the time when du’aa’ is answered on Friday has not been defined, and why the ninety-names of Allaah have not been defined, concerning which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever learns them by heart will enter Paradise.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2736; Muslim, 2677.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words of Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) – “Seeking Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights (of Ramadaan)” – indicate that it is most likely that Laylat al-Qadar cannot be in any month other than Ramadaan, and is in the last ten nights thereof, and is one of the odd-numbered nights, but not on any particular night. This is what is indicated by a number of the reports that have been narrated concerning it.
Fath al-Baari, 4/260.
And he said:
The scholars said: The reason why Laylat al-Qadar has been concealed is so that people will strive to seek it, because if its timing was known, they would limit their efforts to that night only, as we have explained previously about the time on Friday (when du’aa’s are answered).
Fath al-Baari, 4/266.
Thirdly:
Based on this, it is not possible for anyone to be certain that a particular night is Laylat al-Qadr, especially since we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to tell his ummah when it was, then he told them that Allaah had taken away that knowledge.
It was narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out with the news of Laylat al-Qadr, but two men among the Muslims started arguing. He said: “I came out to tell you about Laylat al-Qadr, but So and so and So and so started arguing, so (that knowledge) was taken away. Perhaps that will be better for you. So seek it on the (twenty-) seventh and the (twenty-) ninth and the (twenty-) fifth.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 49.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
With regard to singling out one night of Ramadaan as Laylat al-Qadr, this requires evidence to show that it is this night and not any other. But the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan are more likely than others (to be Laylat al-Qadr) and the twenty-seventh night is the most likely night to be Laylat al-Qadr, because of the ahaadeeth to that effect.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 10/413
Hence the Muslim should not assume that any particular night is Laylat al-Qadr, because that would mean that he is being certain about something concerning which we cannot be certain, and because it means that he is missing out on something that is good for him. It may be the night of the twenty-first, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-ninth. If he spends the night of the twenty-seventh only in prayer, then he will have missed out on a lot of goodness, and he may have missed that blessed night.
T
he Muslim should strive his hardest to do acts of obedience and worship throughout Ramadaan, and more so in the last ten days. This is the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: When the last ten days of Ramadaan began, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would tighten his waist-wrapper, spend his nights in prayer, and wake his family.
Narrated by Muslim, 2024; Muslim, 1174.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
INDONESIA CALLS FOR MUSLIM REPRESENTATION ON SECURITY COUNCIL
The world’s estimated 1.1 billion Muslims deserve specific representation on an expanded Security Council, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister <"http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/pdf/indonesia_en.pdf">said today, calling for any reform of the 15-member body United Nations body to consider the need for a variety of constituencies as well as greater geographic distribution.
Hassan Wirajuda told the General Assembly’s annual General Debate that the Council was in urgent need of reform, saying that in a series of recent conflicts and tensions – over Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iraq and Afghanistan, among others – the panel “should have been more decisive.”
Mr. Wirajuda said it was clear that the Council’s inability to deal adequately with these challenges was due mainly to what he described as its lack of democracy.
“To make the Council more democratic, the application of veto power of the permanent five [members] must be regulated,” he said, referring to China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. “The misuse of the veto by any one permanent member should no longer be allowed to paralyze the entire Council.”
He said that true democratization of the Council “also means an equitable distribution of its membership – not only in terms of geographical representation, where we already have imbalances – but also in terms of constituencies. Hence, the world’s major civilizations should be proportionately represented. The world’s community of 1.1 billion Muslims must be represented on the Council if it is to be truly democratic.”
Uruguay’s External Relations Minister, Gonzalo Fernández, told the Assembly that his country would not support reform of the Council if it meant the creation of new members with veto rights.
Mr. Fernández <"http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/pdf/uruguay_es.pdf">said the veto right “constitutes a privilege that goes against the democratization of our Organization” and would in any case not be allowed under any intergovernmental negotiations package.
Earlier this month the General Assembly adopted a decision to begin intergovernmental negotiations on Council reform in informal plenary by February next year.
However, Mr. Fernandez said he was disappointed that countries have not yet reached consensus on reform, and taken on “timid steps forward” on changes to the UN Secretariat and the General Assembly.
Paula Gopee-Scoon, Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, <"http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/pdf/trinidadandtobago_en.pdf">said reform of Council was indispensable to the wider transformation of the UN.
“Failure to reform the Security Council could serve to undermine that organ’s authority as the agency with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,” she said.
Mrs. Gopee-Scoon said small States such as her own deserved “equity of access” on any expanded Council and she added that there was a need for all the world’s regions to be represented in the permanent membership.
For his part, Pham Gia Khiem, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam, <"http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/pdf/vietnam_en.pdf">said reform of the UN should not be confined to just the Security Council, but include the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and specialized agencies as well.
Such reforms “will make this Organization more effective and efficient in the areas of work mandated by the [UN] Charter,” he said.
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Russian ship may help fight pirates off Somalia's coast – military source
Russian ship may help fight pirates off Somalia's coast – military source
The patrol ship Neustrashimy, which belongs to Russia's Baltic Fleet, may help crack down on pirates operating off the coast of Somalia, a source in the Baltic Fleet's headquarters told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"The crew of the Neustrashimy, which embarked on a long-distance voyage last Wednesday, prepared to carry out combat tasks off Somalia's coast recently," the source said.
The category of the ship allows it to successfully travel from the Baltic Sea into the Gulf of Aden and to carry out tasks in this region, he said.
Russia plans to send its combat ships to the Somali coast in the near future to help fight piracy in the area, Russian Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said.
"We have such plans for the near future. However, Russian ships will not be involved in any international operations. They will do this job on their own," Vysotsky said.
The number of attacks by Somali pirates on civilian vessels belonging to different countries has increased recently. Pirates hijacked Ukraine's vessel Faina under Belize's flag en route to Kenya in neutral waters not far from Kenya's coast on Thursday. Some reports indicate that the Ukrainian ship was carrying military hardware, including nearly 30 T-72 tanks and spare parts for armoured hardware.
The patrol ship Neustrashimy, which belongs to Russia's Baltic Fleet, may help crack down on pirates operating off the coast of Somalia, a source in the Baltic Fleet's headquarters told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"The crew of the Neustrashimy, which embarked on a long-distance voyage last Wednesday, prepared to carry out combat tasks off Somalia's coast recently," the source said.
The category of the ship allows it to successfully travel from the Baltic Sea into the Gulf of Aden and to carry out tasks in this region, he said.
Russia plans to send its combat ships to the Somali coast in the near future to help fight piracy in the area, Russian Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said.
"We have such plans for the near future. However, Russian ships will not be involved in any international operations. They will do this job on their own," Vysotsky said.
The number of attacks by Somali pirates on civilian vessels belonging to different countries has increased recently. Pirates hijacked Ukraine's vessel Faina under Belize's flag en route to Kenya in neutral waters not far from Kenya's coast on Thursday. Some reports indicate that the Ukrainian ship was carrying military hardware, including nearly 30 T-72 tanks and spare parts for armoured hardware.
The patrol ship Neustrashimy is equipped with anti-submarine and air defense missile systems, a 100-millimeter artillery gun, torpedo systems, and rocket-assisted bomb launchers. It also has a Kamov Ka-27
ship-based helicopter on board.
Source: Interfax-AVN
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Six years in Guantanamo
Sami al-Haj, an Al Jazeera cameraman, was beaten, abused and humiliated in the name of the war on terror. He tells our correspondent about his struggle to rebuild a shattered life Sami al-Haj walks with pain on his steel crutch; almost six years in the nightmare of Guantanamo have taken their toll on the Al Jazeera journalist and, now in the safety of a hotel in the small Norwegian town of Lillehammer, he is a figure of both dignity and shame.
The Americans told him they were sorry when they eventually freed him this year – after the beatings he says he suffered, and the force-feeding, the humiliations and interrogations by British, American and Canadian intelligence officers – and now he hopes one day he'll be able to walk without his stick.The TV cameraman, 38, was never charged with any crime, nor was he put on trial; his testimony makes it clear that he was held in three prisons for six-and-a-half years – repeatedly beaten and force-fed – not because he was a suspected "terrorist" but because he refused to become an American spy.
From the moment Sami al-Haj arrived at Guantanamo, flown there from the brutal US prison camp at Kandahar, his captors demanded that he work for them. The cruelty visited upon him – constantly interrupted by American admissions of his innocence – seemed designed to turnal-Haj into a US intelligence "asset".
"We know you are innocent, you are here by mistake," he says he was told in more than 200 interrogations. "All they wanted was for me to be a spy for them. They said they would give me US citizenship, that my wife and child could live in America, that they would protect me. But I said: 'I will not do this – first of all because I'm a journalist and this is not my job and because I fear for myself and my family.
In war, I can be wounded and I can die or survive. But if I work with you, al-Qa'ida will eliminate me. And if I don't work with you, you will kill me'."The grotesque saga began for al-Haj on 15 December, 2001, when he was on his way from the Pakistani capital Islamabad to Kandahar in Afghanistan with Sadah al-Haq, a fellow correspondent from the Arab satellite TV channel, to cover the new regional government.
At least 70 other journalists were on their way through the Pakistani border post at Chaman, but an officer stopped al-Haj. "He told me there was a paper from the Pakistani intelligence service for my arrest. My name was misspelled, my passport number was incorrect, it said I was born in 1964 – the right date is 1969. I said I had renewed my visa in Islamabad and asked why, if I was wanted, they had not arrested me there?"Sami al-Haj speaks slowly and with care, each detail of his suffering and of others' suffering of equal importance to him.
He still cannot believe that he is free, able to attend a conference in Norway, to return to his new job as news producer at Al Jazeera, to live once more with his Azeri wife Asma and their eight-year old son Mohamed; when Sami al-Haj disappeared down the black hole of America's secret prisons the boy was only 14 months' old.Al-Haj's story has a familiar ring to anyone who has investigated the rendition of prisoners from Pakistan to US bases in Afghanistan and Guantanamo.
His aircraft flew for an hour and a half and then landed to collect more captives – this may have been in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital – before flying on to the big American base at Bagram."We arrived in the early hours of the morning and they took the shackles off our feet and pushed us out of the plane. They hit me and pushed me down on the asphalt. We heard screams and dogs barking. I collapsed with my right leg under me, and I felt the ligaments tearing. When I fell, the soldiers started treading on me. First, they walked on my back, then – when they saw me looking at my leg – they started kicking my leg. One soldier shouted at me: 'Why did you come to fight Americans?' I had a number – I was No 35 and this is how they addressed me, as a number – and the first American shouted at me: 'You filmed Bin Laden.' I said I did not film Bin Laden but that I was a journalist. I again gave my name, my age, my nationality.
"After 16 days at Bagram, another aircraft took him to the US base at Kandahar where on arrival the prisoners were again made to lie on the ground. "We were cursed – they said '**** your mother' – and again the Americans walked on our backs. Why? Why did they do this? I was taken to a tent and stripped and they pulled hairs out of my beard.
They photographed the pupils of my eyes. A doctor found blood on my back and asked me why it was there. I asked him how he thought it was there?"The same dreary round of interrogations recommenced – he was now "Prisoner No 448" – and yet again, al-Haj says he was told he was being held by mistake.
"Then another man – he was in civilian clothes and I think he was from Egyptian intelligence – wanted to know who was the "leader" of the detainees who was with me. The Americans asked: 'Who is the most respected of the prisoners? Who killed [Ahmed Shah] Massoud ([the leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance Afghan militia]?' I said this was not my business and an American soldier said: 'Co-operate with us, and you will be released.' They meant I had to work for them. There was another man who spoke perfect English. I thought he was British. He was young, good-looking, about 35-years-old, no moustache, blond hair, very polite in a white shirt, no tie. He brought me chocolate – it was Kit Kat—and I was so hungry I could have eaten the wrapping."On 13 June, al-Haj was put on board a jet aircraft.
He was given yet another prison number – No 345 – and once more his head was covered with a black bag. He was forced to take two tablets before he was gagged and his bag replaced by goggles with the eye-pieces painted black. The flight to Guantanamo took 12 to 14 hours."They took us on a boat from the Guantanamo runways to the prison, a journey that took an hour." Al-Haj was escorted to a medical clinic and then at once to another interrogation. "They said they'd compared my answers with my original statement and one of them said: 'You are here by mistake. You will be released.
You will be the first to be released.' They gave me a picture of my son, which had been taken from my wallet. They asked me if I needed anything. I asked for books. One said he had a copy of One Thousand and One Nights in Arabic. He copied it for me. During this interview, they asked me: 'Why did you talk to the British intelligence man so much in Kandahar?' I said I didn't know if he was from British intelligence. They said he was."Then after two months, two more British men came to see me.
They said they were from UK intelligence. They wanted to know who I knew, who I'd met. I said I couldn't help them." The Americans later referred to one of them as "Martin" and they did not impress al-Haj's senior interrogator at Guantanamo, Stephen Rodriguez, who wanted again to seek al-Haj's help. "He said to me: 'Our job is to prevent "things" happening. I'll give you a chance to think about this.
You can have US citizenship, your family will be looked after, you'll have a villa in the US, we'll look after your son's education, you'll have a bank account'. He had brought with him some Arabic magazines and told me I could read them. In those 10 minutes, I felt I had gone back to being a human being again. Then soldiers came to take me back to my cell – and the magazines were taken away."By the summer of 2003, al-Haj was receiving other strange visitors. "Two Canadian intelligence officers came and they showed me lots of photos of people and wanted to know if I recognised them. I knew none of them."In more than 200 interrogations, al-Haj was asked about his employers the Al Jazeera television channel in Qatar. In one session, he says another American said to him: "After you get out of here, al-Qa'ida will recruit you and we want to know who you meet.
You could become an analyst, we can train you to store information, to sketch people. There is a link between Al Jazeera and al-Qa'ida. How much does al-Qa'ida pay Al Jazeera?""I said: 'I will not do this – first of all because I'm a journalist and this is not my job. Also because I fear for my life and my family.'"Many beatings followed – not from the interrogators but from other US guards. "They would slam my head into the ground, cut off all my hair. They put me into the isolation block – we called it the 'November Block' – for two years. They made my life torture. I wanted to bring it to an end. There were continual punishments without reason. In interrogations, they would tighten the shackles so it hurt. They hadn't allowed me to receive letters for 10 months – even then, they erased words in them, even from my son. Again, Rodriguez demanded I work for the Americans."In January of last year, Sami al-Haj started a hunger strike – and began the worst months of his imprisonment. "I wanted my rights in the civil courts. The US Supreme Court said I should have my rights.
I wanted the right to worship properly. They let me go 30 days without food – then I was tied to a chair with metal shackles and they force-fed me. They would insert a tube through my nose into my stomach. They chose large tubes so that it hurt and sometimes it went into the lung. They used the same tube they had used on other prisoners with muck still on it and then they pumped more food into me than it was possible to absorb. They told us the people administering this were doctors – but they were torturers, not doctors. They forced 24 cans of food into us so we threw up and then gave us laxatives to defecate. My pancreas was affected and I had stomach problems.
Then they would forbid us from drinking water."Al-Haj says he completed 480 days of hunger strike by which time his medical condition had deteriorated and he was bleeding from his anus. That was the moment his interrogators decided to release him."There were new interrogators now, but they tried once more with me. 'Will you work with us?' they asked me again. I said 'no' again – but I thanked them for their years of hospitality and for giving me the chance to live among them as a journalist.
I said this way I could get the truth to the outside world, that I was not in a hurry to get out because there were a lot more reporters' stories in there." They said: 'You think we did you a favour?' I said: 'You turned me from zero into a hero.' They said: 'We are 100 per cent sure that Bin Laden will be in touch with you...' That night, I was taken to the plane. The interrogators were watching me, hiding behind a tennis net. I waved at them, those four pairs of eyes."The British authorities have never admitted talking to Sami al-Haj. Nor have the Canadians.
Al Jazeera, whose headquarters George Bush wanted to bomb after the invasion of Iraq, kept a job open for Sami al-Haj. But Prisoner No 345 never received an official apology from the Americans. He says he does not expect one.
Source Independent.co.uk
Robert Fisk: Six years in Guantanamo
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
The Americans told him they were sorry when they eventually freed him this year – after the beatings he says he suffered, and the force-feeding, the humiliations and interrogations by British, American and Canadian intelligence officers – and now he hopes one day he'll be able to walk without his stick.The TV cameraman, 38, was never charged with any crime, nor was he put on trial; his testimony makes it clear that he was held in three prisons for six-and-a-half years – repeatedly beaten and force-fed – not because he was a suspected "terrorist" but because he refused to become an American spy.
From the moment Sami al-Haj arrived at Guantanamo, flown there from the brutal US prison camp at Kandahar, his captors demanded that he work for them. The cruelty visited upon him – constantly interrupted by American admissions of his innocence – seemed designed to turnal-Haj into a US intelligence "asset".
"We know you are innocent, you are here by mistake," he says he was told in more than 200 interrogations. "All they wanted was for me to be a spy for them. They said they would give me US citizenship, that my wife and child could live in America, that they would protect me. But I said: 'I will not do this – first of all because I'm a journalist and this is not my job and because I fear for myself and my family.
In war, I can be wounded and I can die or survive. But if I work with you, al-Qa'ida will eliminate me. And if I don't work with you, you will kill me'."The grotesque saga began for al-Haj on 15 December, 2001, when he was on his way from the Pakistani capital Islamabad to Kandahar in Afghanistan with Sadah al-Haq, a fellow correspondent from the Arab satellite TV channel, to cover the new regional government.
At least 70 other journalists were on their way through the Pakistani border post at Chaman, but an officer stopped al-Haj. "He told me there was a paper from the Pakistani intelligence service for my arrest. My name was misspelled, my passport number was incorrect, it said I was born in 1964 – the right date is 1969. I said I had renewed my visa in Islamabad and asked why, if I was wanted, they had not arrested me there?"Sami al-Haj speaks slowly and with care, each detail of his suffering and of others' suffering of equal importance to him.
He still cannot believe that he is free, able to attend a conference in Norway, to return to his new job as news producer at Al Jazeera, to live once more with his Azeri wife Asma and their eight-year old son Mohamed; when Sami al-Haj disappeared down the black hole of America's secret prisons the boy was only 14 months' old.Al-Haj's story has a familiar ring to anyone who has investigated the rendition of prisoners from Pakistan to US bases in Afghanistan and Guantanamo.
His aircraft flew for an hour and a half and then landed to collect more captives – this may have been in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital – before flying on to the big American base at Bagram."We arrived in the early hours of the morning and they took the shackles off our feet and pushed us out of the plane. They hit me and pushed me down on the asphalt. We heard screams and dogs barking. I collapsed with my right leg under me, and I felt the ligaments tearing. When I fell, the soldiers started treading on me. First, they walked on my back, then – when they saw me looking at my leg – they started kicking my leg. One soldier shouted at me: 'Why did you come to fight Americans?' I had a number – I was No 35 and this is how they addressed me, as a number – and the first American shouted at me: 'You filmed Bin Laden.' I said I did not film Bin Laden but that I was a journalist. I again gave my name, my age, my nationality.
"After 16 days at Bagram, another aircraft took him to the US base at Kandahar where on arrival the prisoners were again made to lie on the ground. "We were cursed – they said '**** your mother' – and again the Americans walked on our backs. Why? Why did they do this? I was taken to a tent and stripped and they pulled hairs out of my beard.
They photographed the pupils of my eyes. A doctor found blood on my back and asked me why it was there. I asked him how he thought it was there?"The same dreary round of interrogations recommenced – he was now "Prisoner No 448" – and yet again, al-Haj says he was told he was being held by mistake.
"Then another man – he was in civilian clothes and I think he was from Egyptian intelligence – wanted to know who was the "leader" of the detainees who was with me. The Americans asked: 'Who is the most respected of the prisoners? Who killed [Ahmed Shah] Massoud ([the leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance Afghan militia]?' I said this was not my business and an American soldier said: 'Co-operate with us, and you will be released.' They meant I had to work for them. There was another man who spoke perfect English. I thought he was British. He was young, good-looking, about 35-years-old, no moustache, blond hair, very polite in a white shirt, no tie. He brought me chocolate – it was Kit Kat—and I was so hungry I could have eaten the wrapping."On 13 June, al-Haj was put on board a jet aircraft.
He was given yet another prison number – No 345 – and once more his head was covered with a black bag. He was forced to take two tablets before he was gagged and his bag replaced by goggles with the eye-pieces painted black. The flight to Guantanamo took 12 to 14 hours."They took us on a boat from the Guantanamo runways to the prison, a journey that took an hour." Al-Haj was escorted to a medical clinic and then at once to another interrogation. "They said they'd compared my answers with my original statement and one of them said: 'You are here by mistake. You will be released.
You will be the first to be released.' They gave me a picture of my son, which had been taken from my wallet. They asked me if I needed anything. I asked for books. One said he had a copy of One Thousand and One Nights in Arabic. He copied it for me. During this interview, they asked me: 'Why did you talk to the British intelligence man so much in Kandahar?' I said I didn't know if he was from British intelligence. They said he was."Then after two months, two more British men came to see me.
They said they were from UK intelligence. They wanted to know who I knew, who I'd met. I said I couldn't help them." The Americans later referred to one of them as "Martin" and they did not impress al-Haj's senior interrogator at Guantanamo, Stephen Rodriguez, who wanted again to seek al-Haj's help. "He said to me: 'Our job is to prevent "things" happening. I'll give you a chance to think about this.
You can have US citizenship, your family will be looked after, you'll have a villa in the US, we'll look after your son's education, you'll have a bank account'. He had brought with him some Arabic magazines and told me I could read them. In those 10 minutes, I felt I had gone back to being a human being again. Then soldiers came to take me back to my cell – and the magazines were taken away."By the summer of 2003, al-Haj was receiving other strange visitors. "Two Canadian intelligence officers came and they showed me lots of photos of people and wanted to know if I recognised them. I knew none of them."In more than 200 interrogations, al-Haj was asked about his employers the Al Jazeera television channel in Qatar. In one session, he says another American said to him: "After you get out of here, al-Qa'ida will recruit you and we want to know who you meet.
You could become an analyst, we can train you to store information, to sketch people. There is a link between Al Jazeera and al-Qa'ida. How much does al-Qa'ida pay Al Jazeera?""I said: 'I will not do this – first of all because I'm a journalist and this is not my job. Also because I fear for my life and my family.'"Many beatings followed – not from the interrogators but from other US guards. "They would slam my head into the ground, cut off all my hair. They put me into the isolation block – we called it the 'November Block' – for two years. They made my life torture. I wanted to bring it to an end. There were continual punishments without reason. In interrogations, they would tighten the shackles so it hurt. They hadn't allowed me to receive letters for 10 months – even then, they erased words in them, even from my son. Again, Rodriguez demanded I work for the Americans."In January of last year, Sami al-Haj started a hunger strike – and began the worst months of his imprisonment. "I wanted my rights in the civil courts. The US Supreme Court said I should have my rights.
I wanted the right to worship properly. They let me go 30 days without food – then I was tied to a chair with metal shackles and they force-fed me. They would insert a tube through my nose into my stomach. They chose large tubes so that it hurt and sometimes it went into the lung. They used the same tube they had used on other prisoners with muck still on it and then they pumped more food into me than it was possible to absorb. They told us the people administering this were doctors – but they were torturers, not doctors. They forced 24 cans of food into us so we threw up and then gave us laxatives to defecate. My pancreas was affected and I had stomach problems.
Then they would forbid us from drinking water."Al-Haj says he completed 480 days of hunger strike by which time his medical condition had deteriorated and he was bleeding from his anus. That was the moment his interrogators decided to release him."There were new interrogators now, but they tried once more with me. 'Will you work with us?' they asked me again. I said 'no' again – but I thanked them for their years of hospitality and for giving me the chance to live among them as a journalist.
I said this way I could get the truth to the outside world, that I was not in a hurry to get out because there were a lot more reporters' stories in there." They said: 'You think we did you a favour?' I said: 'You turned me from zero into a hero.' They said: 'We are 100 per cent sure that Bin Laden will be in touch with you...' That night, I was taken to the plane. The interrogators were watching me, hiding behind a tennis net. I waved at them, those four pairs of eyes."The British authorities have never admitted talking to Sami al-Haj. Nor have the Canadians.
Al Jazeera, whose headquarters George Bush wanted to bomb after the invasion of Iraq, kept a job open for Sami al-Haj. But Prisoner No 345 never received an official apology from the Americans. He says he does not expect one.
Source Independent.co.uk
Robert Fisk: Six years in Guantanamo
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Friday, September 26, 2008
Ramadan & Women Issues
The Da`iyah, Zienab Mostafa
Profession
A prominent Muslim Scholar and Da`iyah
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours, Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
Name
Sister - United States
Profession
Question
Does my husband have a duty to the physical care of our two daughters? My husband works long hours, about 10 hours a day. He feels that is enough for him and does not help much with the raising of our two daughters. I dress them, I feed them, I teach them, I take them to the bathroom, I do everything for them. He doesn't even help me with their Islamic teachings. Is this right? Does he have a duty to the physical care of his kids? I understand that he brings in all the money, but I'm not asking him to clean the house, just to help with the kids. On top of all that, my mother in law is living with us. I feel really that I will go mad. Please help. Note: In terms of love and affection for them, he gives that.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. I ask Allah to reward you for all the efforts you put towards raising your kids and looking after them. Even though it is not a wajib upon you that you do all what you mentioned, but if you are doing them with the sincere intention to please Allah and fulfill the objectives of marriage in Islam, I hope Allah will reward you abundantly for such great work. As for your husband, it is very important to appreciate how he works hard for earning livelihood, spending many hours for the sake of his family. It is also important to appreciate the sympathy, compassion and kindness he gives his children. It would be greatly appreciated on his part to contribute towards some of the other household duties to the best of his ability, but usually physical care is taken care by mothers as they are presumed to be looking after this part. However, any contribution is greatly rewarded. Gentleness and affection could be the key to your husband’s heart, so try to express your appreciation for what he is doing so he can be motivated to contribute more. Regarding your in-law, you’re supposed to be patient with her, treat her well, and encourage your husband to be dutiful and kind to her. Kindness to one’s parents is an obligation, especially when they reach an old age, and you are supposed to conquer any satanic whispers that tell you to get mad at her or show less care. Accept her with patience and treat her as if she is your own mother.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Anonymous -
Profession
Question
As-Salamu `alaikum. My wife is pregnant in her 5th month. Sometimes when I ask her for sexual intercourse, she refuses, saying that she is tired. However, this reflects on me and affects my sexual emotions, especially when we are in a western country and surrounded by sexual motives. My question is what should I do, knowing that I do not ask her for sex everyday, but every 3-5 days, and I get angry inside me, if she refuses to have sex. Please tell me what to do. Jazakum Allah khair.
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. You should first understand the psyche of pregnant women. Certain biological changes affect their psychological status and ruin their appetite especially in the beginning. She may refuse intimacy not because she hates you or that she does not want to, but because she does not feel normal from inside. You need to be patient and affectionate at this time, rather than angry and annoyed. Try to tolerate this refusal and help her overcome this situation.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Hind -
Profession
Question
I have a question I just converted to Islam but I'm married to someone who don't want to be Muslim, is that okay for me to be still married to him? We been married for 8 years; what should I do?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Let me first congratulate you on accepting Islam as a way of life. May Allah make your steps firm on His right Path and grant you wisdom and understanding of Islam. It is not allowed for a Muslim lady to marry a non-Muslim. If you converted to Islam, and tried to convince your husband to Islam but it looks like he is not willing to embrace Islam, then I believe you have only one option and that is to put a deadline for you to try another time to win his heart over to Islam. If he still does not want to convert, then it is very important to know that faith comes first and that it is not allowed for you to stay in such a marriage.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Shai -
Profession
Question
Dear Scholar, I am not married and I am nearing my late twenties. InshAllah Allah blesses me with a good spouse in the near future - amen. I have a problem. I always feel something. No matter what I do, every time I watch something, or talk to anyone, I feel something. I know this sounds dumb but it's true, I always have ghusl- and it is getting quite annoying. Even when I am reading the Qur'an and Allah (Swt) talks about Zina, I feel something. It's getting very difficult, and I am constantly having showers and repeating my wudu. Please tell me is this just waswasa? Please advise me on what to do? Please pray for me!
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. May Allah increase your knowledge and awareness. It seems to me that you’re suffering form a high level of waswasa that keeps you in great confusions. It would be advised that you consult a psychiatric about this issue, looking for ways to overcome such a problem.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Taqwa -
Profession
Question
Dear Scholar, I am trying my best to make this Ramadan a special one. I am very strict about eating halal food and so far so good. It is just when we are invited for Iftar (breaking one's fasting) or invite someone over to our place - they buy sweets and sometimes those sweets contain gelatin or some kind of emulsifier (that may or may not be from some animal) I find it rude to refuse it, even though I have told them over and over again how strict I am about this issue. But when they arrive with the sweets, I feel its rude to ask them to show me the ingredients on their ice cream or sweet packets. I know one of the conditions for du'a to be answered is that our Rizq (provision) be halal, and I am in need of so many things. Will this affect Allah accepting me this Ramadan?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. I think you’re taking making things hard on yourself. Take it easy, sister and don’t be rigid or try to complicate things for yourself. Besides, when you choose to avoid something that is controversial, you should know that you are not supposed to impose it upon other people. Rigidity is highly condemned in Islam, and one way of being rigid is to be meticulous about every tiny detail. If you don’t wish to eat a certain food, you may gently apologize for not consuming it, and you don’t have to embarrass people by asking them so many questions about ingredients and the like. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Mumina -
Profession
Question
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to ask our questions. This Ramadan I have put in all efforts to stop gossip or back biting, and so far alhumdulilah it is a lot better. There is just one thing. My mother is very hard to deal with and she favors my brothers over my sisters and I. So my younger sister and I always complain to each other about her and my father. I just wanted to know is it haram to talk about ones own parents and brothers and sisters. Nothing evil or wicked, just complaining to each other. In the end we all love each other and we do not do fitnah(sedition). please advise me dear scholar.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Gossiping and backbiting are serious sins, and so is favoring one’s boys over daughters. However, you cannot correct one mistake by committing another mistake. When you speak ill about your parents, it counts as backbiting. You need to seek other lawful means to solve your problems. You can gently and politely approach them and express your concerns. Try several times, while maintaining ethics and good behavior especially the manners of speaking to them. If you continue to try without any positive results, try to take it as a test in life and pray for your parents that they may be guided to the right way. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Lara - United Kingdom
Profession
Question
My Husband fasts in Ramadan but he does not pray or read Qur'an (in or out with Ramadan). I try to gently to encourage him but he gets angry at me, so I left it and only making Du'a' , Is there any thing more I can do? Is there any specific Du'a'I can say?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Jazakum Allahu khairan for being aware of your role in advising and encouraging your husband to be more practicing of his faith. Continue to do the same, use proper approach and best times. Avoid lecturing or harsh approach. Continue to make du’a’, any general one. There is no specific du’a’, so pray with anything you see suitable to your case. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
sam -
Profession
Question
Salam, I have 2 questions I hope you can answer both Insha Allah. my first question is I am overweight and I am taking a pill that is time released threw out the day I take it once in the morning it is a chemical blocker and appetite blocker Is this hahram to take during Ramadan? the second question is I take a high form of vitamin because I am anemic I hear that you cant take vitamins during Ramadan is this true as well? Thank you for your reply.
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is allowed to seek ways to reduce weight provided that they are not harmful to the body. It seems to me that you are using wrong pills that you are anemic, so I strongly advise you to see a nutritionist for that purpose and seek the best and safest method suitable for you. As for vitamins, if they are taken after iftar, i.e. during the night till fajr, they are allowed. If they are taken during the day, i.e. from dawn till sunset, the fast will be broken. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Arash -
Profession
Question
Assalamu 'alaykum. I have a question about fasting with migraine. In the last days I had a very strong migraine and it is very hard for me to fast. But on the other side I think it is a big sin not to fast, because it is one of the pillars of Islam. So it is a struggle with my conscience and I don't know what to do about it. (PS: More than 4 weeks ago, I asked a very important question in the cyber counselor and there is no answer yet, although they told me, there would be an answer within 3 weeks. Here is the question number:XgH9nT)
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Sickness is one of the valid reasons to break one’s fast. If you are fast and you got a migraine, you are allowed to break your fast. Through my personal experience with migraine in the past, I have been advised to delay the suhur, eat something sweet, preferably natural such as honey, and avoid hard work and exhaustion during the daytime in Ramadan. You may try the same or consult a doctor to prescribe the best medication for your case. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
samira - Denmark
Profession
Question
Assalamu 'alaikum.. My husband and I are trying to have a baby Insha Allah and I have been give hormone pills to take that will help me ovulate along with a pill that helps me to get more eggs then normal so the possibility of us getting pregnant is more likely I take them at night after we break fast the problem is they are in my system for 20 hours during fast is this bad? someone told me that I shouldn't take them now but I thought it was only if its nutritional that it is hahram I hear different answers can you please help Inhsa Allah....Thanks
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is so strange how this brother/sister told you it is bad because it stays 20 hours in your body. How about the food tat we eat in the suhur that takes hours to digest? If you are taking those pills after iftar, then you should not be worried at all. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Editor -
Profession
Question
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions. Yours, Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Profession
A prominent Muslim Scholar and Da`iyah
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours, Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
Name
Sister - United States
Profession
Question
Does my husband have a duty to the physical care of our two daughters? My husband works long hours, about 10 hours a day. He feels that is enough for him and does not help much with the raising of our two daughters. I dress them, I feed them, I teach them, I take them to the bathroom, I do everything for them. He doesn't even help me with their Islamic teachings. Is this right? Does he have a duty to the physical care of his kids? I understand that he brings in all the money, but I'm not asking him to clean the house, just to help with the kids. On top of all that, my mother in law is living with us. I feel really that I will go mad. Please help. Note: In terms of love and affection for them, he gives that.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. I ask Allah to reward you for all the efforts you put towards raising your kids and looking after them. Even though it is not a wajib upon you that you do all what you mentioned, but if you are doing them with the sincere intention to please Allah and fulfill the objectives of marriage in Islam, I hope Allah will reward you abundantly for such great work. As for your husband, it is very important to appreciate how he works hard for earning livelihood, spending many hours for the sake of his family. It is also important to appreciate the sympathy, compassion and kindness he gives his children. It would be greatly appreciated on his part to contribute towards some of the other household duties to the best of his ability, but usually physical care is taken care by mothers as they are presumed to be looking after this part. However, any contribution is greatly rewarded. Gentleness and affection could be the key to your husband’s heart, so try to express your appreciation for what he is doing so he can be motivated to contribute more. Regarding your in-law, you’re supposed to be patient with her, treat her well, and encourage your husband to be dutiful and kind to her. Kindness to one’s parents is an obligation, especially when they reach an old age, and you are supposed to conquer any satanic whispers that tell you to get mad at her or show less care. Accept her with patience and treat her as if she is your own mother.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Anonymous -
Profession
Question
As-Salamu `alaikum. My wife is pregnant in her 5th month. Sometimes when I ask her for sexual intercourse, she refuses, saying that she is tired. However, this reflects on me and affects my sexual emotions, especially when we are in a western country and surrounded by sexual motives. My question is what should I do, knowing that I do not ask her for sex everyday, but every 3-5 days, and I get angry inside me, if she refuses to have sex. Please tell me what to do. Jazakum Allah khair.
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. You should first understand the psyche of pregnant women. Certain biological changes affect their psychological status and ruin their appetite especially in the beginning. She may refuse intimacy not because she hates you or that she does not want to, but because she does not feel normal from inside. You need to be patient and affectionate at this time, rather than angry and annoyed. Try to tolerate this refusal and help her overcome this situation.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Hind -
Profession
Question
I have a question I just converted to Islam but I'm married to someone who don't want to be Muslim, is that okay for me to be still married to him? We been married for 8 years; what should I do?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Let me first congratulate you on accepting Islam as a way of life. May Allah make your steps firm on His right Path and grant you wisdom and understanding of Islam. It is not allowed for a Muslim lady to marry a non-Muslim. If you converted to Islam, and tried to convince your husband to Islam but it looks like he is not willing to embrace Islam, then I believe you have only one option and that is to put a deadline for you to try another time to win his heart over to Islam. If he still does not want to convert, then it is very important to know that faith comes first and that it is not allowed for you to stay in such a marriage.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Shai -
Profession
Question
Dear Scholar, I am not married and I am nearing my late twenties. InshAllah Allah blesses me with a good spouse in the near future - amen. I have a problem. I always feel something. No matter what I do, every time I watch something, or talk to anyone, I feel something. I know this sounds dumb but it's true, I always have ghusl- and it is getting quite annoying. Even when I am reading the Qur'an and Allah (Swt) talks about Zina, I feel something. It's getting very difficult, and I am constantly having showers and repeating my wudu. Please tell me is this just waswasa? Please advise me on what to do? Please pray for me!
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. May Allah increase your knowledge and awareness. It seems to me that you’re suffering form a high level of waswasa that keeps you in great confusions. It would be advised that you consult a psychiatric about this issue, looking for ways to overcome such a problem.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Taqwa -
Profession
Question
Dear Scholar, I am trying my best to make this Ramadan a special one. I am very strict about eating halal food and so far so good. It is just when we are invited for Iftar (breaking one's fasting) or invite someone over to our place - they buy sweets and sometimes those sweets contain gelatin or some kind of emulsifier (that may or may not be from some animal) I find it rude to refuse it, even though I have told them over and over again how strict I am about this issue. But when they arrive with the sweets, I feel its rude to ask them to show me the ingredients on their ice cream or sweet packets. I know one of the conditions for du'a to be answered is that our Rizq (provision) be halal, and I am in need of so many things. Will this affect Allah accepting me this Ramadan?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. I think you’re taking making things hard on yourself. Take it easy, sister and don’t be rigid or try to complicate things for yourself. Besides, when you choose to avoid something that is controversial, you should know that you are not supposed to impose it upon other people. Rigidity is highly condemned in Islam, and one way of being rigid is to be meticulous about every tiny detail. If you don’t wish to eat a certain food, you may gently apologize for not consuming it, and you don’t have to embarrass people by asking them so many questions about ingredients and the like. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Mumina -
Profession
Question
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to ask our questions. This Ramadan I have put in all efforts to stop gossip or back biting, and so far alhumdulilah it is a lot better. There is just one thing. My mother is very hard to deal with and she favors my brothers over my sisters and I. So my younger sister and I always complain to each other about her and my father. I just wanted to know is it haram to talk about ones own parents and brothers and sisters. Nothing evil or wicked, just complaining to each other. In the end we all love each other and we do not do fitnah(sedition). please advise me dear scholar.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Gossiping and backbiting are serious sins, and so is favoring one’s boys over daughters. However, you cannot correct one mistake by committing another mistake. When you speak ill about your parents, it counts as backbiting. You need to seek other lawful means to solve your problems. You can gently and politely approach them and express your concerns. Try several times, while maintaining ethics and good behavior especially the manners of speaking to them. If you continue to try without any positive results, try to take it as a test in life and pray for your parents that they may be guided to the right way. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Lara - United Kingdom
Profession
Question
My Husband fasts in Ramadan but he does not pray or read Qur'an (in or out with Ramadan). I try to gently to encourage him but he gets angry at me, so I left it and only making Du'a' , Is there any thing more I can do? Is there any specific Du'a'I can say?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Jazakum Allahu khairan for being aware of your role in advising and encouraging your husband to be more practicing of his faith. Continue to do the same, use proper approach and best times. Avoid lecturing or harsh approach. Continue to make du’a’, any general one. There is no specific du’a’, so pray with anything you see suitable to your case. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
sam -
Profession
Question
Salam, I have 2 questions I hope you can answer both Insha Allah. my first question is I am overweight and I am taking a pill that is time released threw out the day I take it once in the morning it is a chemical blocker and appetite blocker Is this hahram to take during Ramadan? the second question is I take a high form of vitamin because I am anemic I hear that you cant take vitamins during Ramadan is this true as well? Thank you for your reply.
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is allowed to seek ways to reduce weight provided that they are not harmful to the body. It seems to me that you are using wrong pills that you are anemic, so I strongly advise you to see a nutritionist for that purpose and seek the best and safest method suitable for you. As for vitamins, if they are taken after iftar, i.e. during the night till fajr, they are allowed. If they are taken during the day, i.e. from dawn till sunset, the fast will be broken. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Arash -
Profession
Question
Assalamu 'alaykum. I have a question about fasting with migraine. In the last days I had a very strong migraine and it is very hard for me to fast. But on the other side I think it is a big sin not to fast, because it is one of the pillars of Islam. So it is a struggle with my conscience and I don't know what to do about it. (PS: More than 4 weeks ago, I asked a very important question in the cyber counselor and there is no answer yet, although they told me, there would be an answer within 3 weeks. Here is the question number:XgH9nT)
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Sickness is one of the valid reasons to break one’s fast. If you are fast and you got a migraine, you are allowed to break your fast. Through my personal experience with migraine in the past, I have been advised to delay the suhur, eat something sweet, preferably natural such as honey, and avoid hard work and exhaustion during the daytime in Ramadan. You may try the same or consult a doctor to prescribe the best medication for your case. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
samira - Denmark
Profession
Question
Assalamu 'alaikum.. My husband and I are trying to have a baby Insha Allah and I have been give hormone pills to take that will help me ovulate along with a pill that helps me to get more eggs then normal so the possibility of us getting pregnant is more likely I take them at night after we break fast the problem is they are in my system for 20 hours during fast is this bad? someone told me that I shouldn't take them now but I thought it was only if its nutritional that it is hahram I hear different answers can you please help Inhsa Allah....Thanks
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is so strange how this brother/sister told you it is bad because it stays 20 hours in your body. How about the food tat we eat in the suhur that takes hours to digest? If you are taking those pills after iftar, then you should not be worried at all. Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Editor -
Profession
Question
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions. Yours, Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Ruling on one who does not pay zakaat al-fitr although he is able to
What is the ruling on one who can afford to pay zakaat al-fitr but does not pay it?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who does not pay zakaat al-fitr has to repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, because he is sinning by withholding it. He also has to pay it to those who are entitled to it, but after Eid prayer it is simply regarded as ordinary charity.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who does not pay zakaat al-fitr has to repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, because he is sinning by withholding it. He also has to pay it to those who are entitled to it, but after Eid prayer it is simply regarded as ordinary charity.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Ruling on one who does not pay zakaat al-fitr although he is able to
What is the ruling on one who can afford to pay zakaat al-fitr but does not pay it?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who does not pay zakaat al-fitr has to repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, because he is sinning by withholding it. He also has to pay it to those who are entitled to it, but after Eid prayer it is simply regarded as ordinary charity.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who does not pay zakaat al-fitr has to repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, because he is sinning by withholding it. He also has to pay it to those who are entitled to it, but after Eid prayer it is simply regarded as ordinary charity.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
To whom should zakaat al-fitr be paid?
Men are asking for zakaat al-fitr in the marketplace, and we do not know whether they are religiously committed or not. There are others whose situation is comfortable, and whatever they get of the zakaah they spend on their children. Some of them receive a salary but they are weak in religious commitment. Is it permissible to give them zakaat al-fitr or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Zakaat al-fitr should be given to poor Muslims even if they are sinners so long as their sin is not something that puts them beyond the pale of Islam. What is meant by poor is those who appear to be poor, even if they are in fact rich. The one who is paying the zakaah should seek out good poor people as much as possible. If he finds out later that the one who took it was actually rich, that does not affect the one who gave it, rather he has discharged his duty, praise be to Allaah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Praise be to Allaah.
Zakaat al-fitr should be given to poor Muslims even if they are sinners so long as their sin is not something that puts them beyond the pale of Islam. What is meant by poor is those who appear to be poor, even if they are in fact rich. The one who is paying the zakaah should seek out good poor people as much as possible. If he finds out later that the one who took it was actually rich, that does not affect the one who gave it, rather he has discharged his duty, praise be to Allaah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks'
Medeshi 26 Sept, 2008Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks'
Pirates off the coast of Somalia have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying T-72 tanks, an official has said.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
Pirates off the coast of Somalia have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying T-72 tanks, an official has said.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
(Photo: T-72 tanks)
A report from Russia's Interfax news agency said earlier that the ship had a cargo of about 30 tanks, as well as spare parts for armoured vehicles.
There has been a recent surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia.
The country has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading to a collapse of law and order both on land and at sea.
Somali pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
It was not immediately clear where the Ukrainian ship had been taken.
Speed boats
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said the captain of the Faina cargo ship had reported being surrounded by three boats of armed men on Thursday afternoon.
Andrew Mwangura, who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, confirmed to the BBC that the ship was carrying a cargo of tanks.
The tanks were due to be transported by road from Kenya to South Sudan.
Insurgents in Somalia, not known to have links to the pirates, are currently battling a combination of government troops, their Ethiopian allies and African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia.
The US has an anti-terror task force based in neighbouring Djibouti and has carried out several air strikes against the Islamist insurgents, accusing them of sheltering al-Qaeda operatives.
Flourishing industry
Pirates have seized dozens of ships from the major shipping routes near Somalia's coast in recent months.
Pirate "mother ships" travel far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack passing vessels, sometimes using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are powerless to confront the pirates, who have been growing in strength.
In Eyl, where ships are held for ransom, a flourishing local industry has developed.
Last week France circulated a draft resolution urging states to deploy naval vessels and aircraft to combat piracy in the area.
France has intervened twice to free French sailors kidnapped by pirates, with commandos freeing two people whose boat had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month.
After an earlier raid in April, six arrested pirates were handed over to French authorities for trial.
International navies have been escorting humanitarian deliveries to Somalia, where a third of the population needs food aid.
A report from Russia's Interfax news agency said earlier that the ship had a cargo of about 30 tanks, as well as spare parts for armoured vehicles.
There has been a recent surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia.
The country has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading to a collapse of law and order both on land and at sea.
Somali pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
It was not immediately clear where the Ukrainian ship had been taken.
Speed boats
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said the captain of the Faina cargo ship had reported being surrounded by three boats of armed men on Thursday afternoon.
Andrew Mwangura, who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, confirmed to the BBC that the ship was carrying a cargo of tanks.
The tanks were due to be transported by road from Kenya to South Sudan.
Insurgents in Somalia, not known to have links to the pirates, are currently battling a combination of government troops, their Ethiopian allies and African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia.
The US has an anti-terror task force based in neighbouring Djibouti and has carried out several air strikes against the Islamist insurgents, accusing them of sheltering al-Qaeda operatives.
Flourishing industry
Pirates have seized dozens of ships from the major shipping routes near Somalia's coast in recent months.
Pirate "mother ships" travel far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack passing vessels, sometimes using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are powerless to confront the pirates, who have been growing in strength.
In Eyl, where ships are held for ransom, a flourishing local industry has developed.
Last week France circulated a draft resolution urging states to deploy naval vessels and aircraft to combat piracy in the area.
France has intervened twice to free French sailors kidnapped by pirates, with commandos freeing two people whose boat had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month.
After an earlier raid in April, six arrested pirates were handed over to French authorities for trial.
International navies have been escorting humanitarian deliveries to Somalia, where a third of the population needs food aid.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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