"Pray (du'a) to ALLAH your Rabb (God) with sincere niyah (purpose) and pure heart so that ALLAH will guide you to do syiyam (fasting) and read HIS Qur'an (holy book)"

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.

Dear brother and sister in Islam, we invoke Almighty Allah to enable us to reap the fruits of the blessed month, accept our acts of worship, and grant us forgiveness and immunity against the punishment of Hell-fire.

The month of Ramadan is a blessed month and an opportunity for every Muslim to draw near to Allah, increase his spirituality, and gain abundant reward.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is of paramount significance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Prayer, paying the Zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Surely, the month of Ramadan is the best season for offering good deeds and gaining reward. It is the duty of every Muslim to prepare himself for that blessed month.
In his response to your question, Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author, states:
Almighty Allah says: (The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast the same) number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you; and (He desireth) that ye should complete the period, and that ye should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that peradventure ye may be thankful.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 185)
This blessed month is a great opportunity for goodness, blessing, worship, and obedience of Allah.

It is a great month, a noble season, a month in which rewards for good deeds are multiplied and in which committing bad deeds is more serious than at other times. The gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the sinners’ repentance to Allah is accepted. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is redemption from the Fire.

So give thanks to Him for the season of goodness and blessing that He has bestowed upon you, and for the means of bounty and various kinds of great blessings for which He has singled you out. Make the most of this blessed time by filling it with acts of worship and leaving haram (unlawful) things so that you may attain a good life in this world and happiness after death.

For the sincere believer, every month is an occasion for worship, and his whole life is spent in obeying Allah. But in the month of Ramadan he has even more motives to do good, his heart is even more focused on worship, and he turns even more to his Lord. By His grace, our generous Lord bestows His bounty upon the fasting believers and multiplies the reward for them on this blessed occasion, so He gives abundantly and rewards generously for righteous deeds.

Time passes quickly

Days pass so quickly, as if they were mere moments. We welcomed last Ramadan, then we bade it farewell, and only a short period of time passed and we are welcoming Ramadan again. So we should hasten to do good deeds in this month and strive to fill it with what Allah is pleased with and with what will help us on the Day when we meet Him.

How can we prepare for Ramadan?

We can prepare for Ramadan by taking stock of ourselves and recognizing our shortcomings in living up to the Two Shahadahs (Testimonies of Faith, i.e., there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), or our shortcomings in fulfilling our duties, or in not keeping away from the desires and doubts that we may have fallen into.
We should set ourselves straight so that in Ramadan we will have a higher degree of faith. For faith increases and decreases. It increases through obedience to Allah and it decreases through disobedience and sin. The first act of obedience that a person should achieve is that of being a true slave of Allah and believing that there is none that is rightfully worshiped except Allah, so he directs all kinds of worship to Allah and does not associate anyone else in worship with Him. Each of us should realize that whatever has befallen him could not have missed him, and whatever missed him could not have befallen him, and that everything happens by the will and decree of Allah.

We should avoid everything that could undermine our commitment to the Two Shahadahs. This means keeping away from bid`ah (innovations) and things that have been introduced into the religion. We should also follow the principle of al-wala’ wal-bara’ (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and enmity), by taking the believers as our friends and by regarding the unbelievers and hypocrites as enemies, and we should rejoice when the Muslims gain a victory over their enemies. We should follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions and adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the way of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs who came after him. We should love the Sunnah and love those who adhere to it and defend it, in whatever country they are and whatever color or nationality they are.

After that, we should take stock of ourselves and recognize our shortcomings in doing acts of worship such as praying in congregation; remembering Allah (dhikr); paying attention to the rights of neighbors, relatives, and the Muslims; spreading the greeting of salam; enjoining good and forbidding evil; urging one another to follow the truth and be patient and steadfast in doing so; being patient in avoiding evil actions and in doing good deeds; and accepting the decree of Allah with patience.

Then we should take stock of ourselves, our sins, and our following whims and desires. We should stop ourselves from persisting in that, whether the sin is great or small, whether it is a sin of the eye, by looking at that which Allah has forbidden; or by walking to things that Allah does not approve of; or by using one's hands to strike in a manner that Allah is not pleased with; or by consuming things that Allah has forbidden such as riba (interest) and bribes, or any other means of consuming people’s wealth unlawfully.

We should never forget that Allah stretches forth His hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who sinned at night, and He stretches forth His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the day. Almighty Allah says:
(And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil); those who spend (of that which Allah hath given them) in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; Allah loveth the good; and those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins — Who forgiveth sins save Allah only? — and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did. The reward of such will be forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever, a bountiful reward for workers!) (Aal `Imran 3: 133-136)

(Say: My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.) (Az-Zumar 39: 53)

(Yet whoso doeth evil or wrongeth his own soul, then seeketh pardon of Allah, will find Allah Forgiving, Merciful.) (An-Nisa’ 4: 110)

By taking stock, repenting and seeking forgiveness—this is how we should welcome Ramadan. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The smart man is the one who takes stock of himself and strives to do that which will benefit him after death, and the helpless one is the one who follows his own whims and desires and engages in wishful thinking, (assuming that Allah will forgive him regardless of what he does and that he does not need to strive to good deeds).” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

The month of Ramadan is the month of great gains and profits. The smart trader is the one who makes the most of special occasions to increase his profits. So make the most of this month by doing lots of acts of worship, praying a great deal, reading the Qur’an, forgiving people, being kind to others, and giving charity to the poor.

In the month of Ramadan the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut. The devils are put in chains and a caller cries out each night, “O seeker of good, proceed! O seeker of evil, desist!”

So, O slaves of Allah, be among the people of good, following the path of your righteous forebears who were guided by the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so that we may end Ramadan with our sins forgiven and our righteous deeds accepted.

We should note that the month of Ramadan is the best of months.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said in Zad al-Ma`ad,:
“Another of example of that [the differentiation between the things that Allah has created] is the fact that the month of Ramadan is superior to all other months, and the last ten nights are superior to the other nights.”

This month is superior to others in four things:

1. In it there is the best night of the year, which is Laylat Al-Qadr. Almighty Allah says: (Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is! The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees. (That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.) (Al-Qadr 97: 1-5)
So worship on this night is better than worshiping for a thousand months.

2. In this month was revealed the best of Books to the best of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all). Almighty Allah says: (The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).) (Al-Baqarah 2: 185)

(We sent it (this Qur’an) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the Night of Al?Qadr) in the month of Ramadan — the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]. Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments. As a Command (or this Qur’an or the Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily, We are ever sending (the Messengers).) (Ad-Dukhan 44: 3-5)

Ahmad and At-Tabarani narrated in Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir that Wathilah ibn Al-Asqa` (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The Scriptures of Ibrahim were sent down on the first of the month of Ramadan. The Tawrah was sent down on the sixth of Ramadan. The Injeel was sent down on the thirteenth of Ramadan. The Zaboor was sent down on the eighteenth of Ramadan, and the Qur’an was sent down on the twenty-fourth of Ramadan.” (Reported by Ahmad)

3. In this month the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained up.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are put in chains.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

An-Nasa’i narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are put in chains.” (Reported by An-Nasa’i)

At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ibn Khuzaymah narrated: “When the first night of the month of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinn are chained up and the gates of Hell are closed, and not one gate of it is opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed. And a caller cries out: ‘O seeker of good, proceed! O seeker of evil, desist!’ And Allah has those whom He redeems from the Fire, and that happens every night.”

Some may ask, why do we see many evil actions and sins committed in Ramadan, for if the devils are chained up that would not happen?
The answer is that evil actions become less for those who observe the conditions and etiquette of fasting; or that the ones who are chained up are some of the devils – namely the rebellious ones – not all of them; or that what is meant is that evil is reduced in Ramadan, which is a proven fact. If evil happens at this time, it is still less than at other times. Even if all of the devils are chained up, that does not necessarily mean that no evil or sin will happen, because there are other causes of that besides the devils, such as evil souls, bad habits, and the devils among mankind.

4. There are many kinds of worship in Ramadan, such as fasting, praying Qiyam Al-Layl (Night Vigil Prayer), feeding the poor, performing i`tikaf (religious retreat), giving charity, and reading the Qur’an.

I ask Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, to help us all to do that and to help us to fast and pray Qiyam Al-layl, and to do acts of worship and to avoid doing evil. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://www.islam-qa.com/
Source taken from: Fatwa on Islam Online

Sister, after having your menstruation done or janaba, we have to perform a ritual of bath before we can perform prayers or read Quran or even fasting. But have you ever think if our ritual bath is being done correctly or not according to shari'ah?
PLEASE CHECK THESE FACTS: ALL YOUR PRAYERS ARE INVALID IF YOUR GHUSL IS NOT CORRECT. CLEANLINESS IS HALF OF FAITH.
HERE IS THE METHOD OF GHUSL ACCORDING TO SUNNAH.
Before making Ghusl one should make Niyyah (intention) thus: - Lafaz: "Naiwatul ghusla liraf'il hadatsil akbari fardlal lillaahi ta'aalaa" translated in english as "I have intention to perform Ghusl so as to purify myself from dirt obligated because of ALLAH." Without Niyyah, there is no Thawaab (reward) although Ghusl will be valid. Ghusl should be made in a place of total privacy and one should not face towards the Kiblah while making Ghusl. Ghusl may be performed standing or seated, preferably seated. Use sufficient water, don't skimp nor be wasteful. One should abstain from speaking while performing Ghusl. It is better not to read any Kalimah or Aayah while bathing. Be aware of these rules whilst making Ghusl.

PROCEDURE FOR PERFORMING GHUSL:

• Wash both hands up to and including wrists.
• Wash the private parts. The hands and private parts should be washed even if one is not in the state of Janaabat or Najaasat. If there is Najaasat elsewhere on the body, it should now be washed off.
• Perform Wudhu (Read separate pamphlet for Wudhu according to Sunnah). If making Ghusl on a stool or platform where water will rapidly flow away, and then perform the complete Wudhu. If there is fear of the feet being immersed in wastewater during the Ghusl then postpone the washing of the feet to the end of the Ghusl. Ensure that the mouth and nostrils are thoroughly rinsed thrice.
• After performing Wudhu, pour water over the head thrice, then pour thrice over right shoulder and thrice again over left shoulder. Now pour water over entire body and rub. If the hair of the head is not plaited, it is compulsory to wet all the hair up to the very base. If a single hair is left dry, Ghusl will not be valid. If the hair of a woman is plaited, she is excused from loosening her plaited hair, but it is compulsory for her to wet the base of each and every hair. If one fails to do this then the Ghusl will not be valid. As for men who grow long hair and plait them, they are NOT excused from leaving their hair dry. If a woman experiences difficulty or is unable to wet the very bottom of her plaited hair, then it is necessary for her to unplaite her hair and wash her entire head. It is Mustahab (preferable) to clean the body by rubbing it. All parts of the body should be rubbed with the hand so as to ensure that water has reached all parts of the body, and that no portion is left dry. Rings and earrings, etc. should be moved so as to ensure that no portion covered by them is left dry. Ensure that the navel and the ears are all wetted. If they are not wet Ghusl will be incomplete.
• On completion one should confine oneself to a clean place. If, while performing Wudhu, the feet had been washed, it is not necessary to wash them again. Dry the body with a clean towel, and dress as hastily as possible.
  If, after Ghusl, one recalls that a certain portion of the body is left dry, it is not necessary to repeat the Ghusl, but merely wash the dry portion. It is not sufficient to pass a wet hand over the dry place. If one has forgotten to rinse the mouth or the nostrils, these too could be rinsed when recalled after Ghusl has been performed.

The three Faraa'ids (compulsory acts) of Ghusl are:

1. To rinse the mouth in such a manner that water reaches the entire mouth.
2. To rinse the nostrils up to the ending of the fleshy part.
3. To completely wet the whole body. When one performs these Faraa'id intentionally or unintentionally Ghusl will be valid.

Ghusl is mentioned in some Hadeeth. Please check out this site for further information of the hadeeth: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/005.sbt.html

Wallahua'lam bishowab

Part of this post was taken from http://www.jamiat.org.za/ghusl00.html

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Wahai Saudaraku, Barokallaahu 'alayka, Allahumma amin. :)


Fatwa Ulama 18 April 2006 MENGADAKAN PERAYAAN HARI ULANG TAHUN

Ditanyakan kepada Syekh Muhammad bin Shalih al-Utsaimin tentang memperingati hari ulang tahun. Pertanyaannya adalah sebagai berikut. "Apakah mengadakan perayaan untuk memperingati hari ulang tahun seseorang dianggap sebagai bentuk menyerupai orang-orang Barat yang kafir, ataukah dianggap menghibur jiwa dan mendatangkan rasa bahagia dalam hati orang tsb dan keluarganya?"

Syekh Muhammad bin Shalih al-Utsaimin menjawab sebagai berikut.

"Mengadakan perayaan untuk memperingati hari ulang tahun seseorang tidak terlepas dari dua hal. Bisa jadi hal itu sebagai ibadah, dan bisa jadi sebagai adat istiadat. Jika digolongkan sebagai ibadah, termasuk mengadakan bidah (perkara agama yang tidak ada contohnya) dalam agama. Nabi saw. telah melarang dari mengadakan perbuatan bidah, karena bidah termasuk dari kesesatan. Beliau saw. bersabda (yang artinya red.), "Hati-hatilah kalian dari mengadakan perkara-perkara yang baru dalam agama, karena sesungguhnya setiap bidah adalah sesat, dan setiap kesesatan dalam api neraka." (HR Abu Dawud, Tirmizi, Ibnu Majah). Jika perayaan itu dianggap sebagai adat istiadat, ada dua larangan padanya. Pertama, menganggap suatu hari yang bukan hari raya sebagai hari raya, hal ini termasuk melancangi Allah dan Rasul-Nya, yaitu (jika kita mengadakan perayaan ulang tahun itu) kita telah menetapkan suatu hari perayaan dalam Islam yang Allah dan Rasul-Nya tidak menetapkannya.

Tatkala datang ke kota Madinah, Rasulullah saw. mendapati pada kaum Ansar ada dua hari perayaan. Mereka bermain-main pada dua hari raya itu, dan mereka menganggap dua hari raya itu sebagai hari perayaan. Lalu, Nabi saw. bersabda, "Sesungguhnya Allah telah mengganti bagi kalian hari yang lebih baik dari keduanya, yaitu hari raya Idulfitri dan hari raya Iduladha." (HR Nasai).

Adapun larangan kedua adalah perayaan hari ulang tahun itu menyerupai musuh-musuh Allah SWT, karena adat istiadat ini bukan termasuk adat istiadat kaum muslimin, tetapi adat istiadat yang diwarisi dari orang selain mereka. Dan, Nabi saw. telah bersabda, "Barang siapa menyerupai suatu kaum, maka ia termasuk golongan darinya." (HR Abu Dawud).

Kemudian, bertambahnya umur seseorang bukanlah suatu hal yang terpuji, melainkan dalam keridaan Allah dan ketaatan kepada-Nya. Maka, sebaik-baik manusia adalah yang panjang umurnya dan baik amal perbuatannya, dan sejelek-jelek manusia adalah yang panjang umurnya dan jelek amal perbuatannya.

Oleh karena itu, sebagian ahli ilmu memakruhkan berdoa untuk tetap berumur panjang secara mutlah, dan mereka memakruhkan seseorang untuk mengatakan, "Semoga Allah mengekalkanmu." Juga, dalam bentuk tidak secara mutlak, seperti seseorang yang berkata, "Semoga Allah mengekalkanmu dalam kebaikan," atau yang serupa dengan kalimat itu.

Yang demikian itu dikarenakan terkadang umur panjang adalah suatu hal yang buruk bagi seseorang, karena panjang umur disertai dengan amal yang jelek (kita berlindung kepada Allah dari yang demikian itu) adalah jelek bagi manusia, dan menambah azabnya dan kerugian baginya. Allah SWT berfirman, "Dan orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat Kami, nanti Kami akan menarik mereka dengan berangsur-angsur (ke arah kebinasaan), dengan cara yang tidak mereka ketahui." (Al-A'raf: 183).

"Dan janganlah sekali-kali orang-orang kafir menyangka bahwa pemberian tangguh Kami kepada mereka adalah lebih baik bagi mereka. Sesungguhnya kami memberi tangguh kepada mereka hanyalah supaya bertambah-tambah dosa mereka; dan bagi mereka azab yang menghinakan." (Ali Imran: 178).

Sumber: Majalah Info Al-Irsyad Edisi 79, Tahun Ke-8, April 2005, Menukil dari Fatawa Manarul Islam, Syekh Muhammad bin Shalih al-Utsaimin.

Dengan Nama ALLAH Yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang,

Dari Amr Ibnu As, "Dunia adalah perhiasan dan sebaik-baik perhiasannya ialah wanita shalihat."
(HR. Muslim, Ibnu Majah dan An Nasai).

Dari Abdullah bin 'Amr r.a., Rasulullah bersabda, "Sampaikanlah daripada aku walaupun dengan satu ayat".

Al-Qur'an,096.001 اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created-Al-Qur'an. Al-Qur'an,096.001 *)

ALLAH SWT command us to read, to learn so that we know the truth and believe in HIS existing. The image above is one of those proves that we can "read". The image is actually a picture of a group consist of 1000 galaxies which was taken by hubble telescope placed in outer space within this century (21st). We can see that the galaxies performing a shape of a red rose. And this condition have already been mentioned in the holy Qur'an since thousand of years ago. It is stated within the surah Ar-Rahman (chapter 55th) verse 37th.

Al-Qur'an,055.037فَإِذَا انْشَقَّتِ السَّمَاءُ فَكَانَتْ وَرْدَةً كَالدِّهَانِ

When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment:

Al-Qur'an, 055.037 (Ar-Rahman [The Beneficent, The Mercy Giving]) *)

We believe that the holy Qur'an is words from ALLAH which delivered by Rasulullah (PBUH) to all human being. That picture above had proven it since it revealling what has already been stated before. Only ALLAH SWT the Creator Who knows exactly what will happen in the future so that, in this case, He mention specifically about the sky which turn into red like a rose. We see picture of group of galaxies forming a shape of red rose which is placed in the sky above. It is literally proved the words from ALLAH SWT. Masyallah. Subhanallah.

Wallahua'lam bishowab.

*) Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.9

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