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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 21

ASMA BINT YAZID (radhiallahu anha)

The era of the Prophet was an era of knowledge. The Companions who were around the sublime Prophet learned many things from the source of knowledge. They asked the Messenger of Allah about the problems they encountered in daily life and asked him various questions. Not only men but also women went into the presence of the Prophet to ask them about their problems. For, they knew that modesty did not prevent learning one’s religion. There was no need to feel ashamed while learning one’s religion.

One of the women who caused many issues, especially those about women, to be clarified was Asma bint Yazid (r.anha). Hz. Asma was a woman of Ansar.

When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, the women of Ansar paid allegiance to him and promised that they would not

“cry out loud as if they were screaming after a dead person, follow a funeral, associate any partners with Allah, steal, commit adultery and kill their children”.

One of those women was Hz. Asma. She kept her promise throughout her life. Like the other female Companions, Asma loved the Messenger of Allah very much, served her and treated her some food whenever she could. She was not rich but she was generous. She took spiritual pleasure when she shared her food and drink with the Messenger of Allah. Once, she saw that the Messenger of Allah was performing the evening prayer at the mosque. She went home. She prepared some bread and raisins. She waited for him outside the mosque and invited him to her house. The Messenger of Allah did not want to break the heart of this self-sacrificing Companions. He went to her house with some Companions. Hz. Asma put the food she had prepared in front of the Messenger of Allah and said,

“O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you! Help yourselves.”

The Prophet said to his Companions

“Help yourselves! Bismillah!”

They ate the food. After narrating this incident, Hz. Asma said,

“I swear by Allah, in whose hand is my existence, that I saw with my own eyes. The group of 40 people could not finish the bread or raisins. After eating, they drank water and left. When the people in my family got ill, we would drink the water that was left in the water-skin by the Messenger of Allah and the Companions and got well. Our sustenance increased thanks to it.”( Tabaqat, 8: 319-320. )

Hz. Asma sometimes went to the house of the Prophet and listened to the talk of the Prophet with the other women.

When the Prophet married Hz. Aisha, Hz. Asma was there with some other female Companions. After the Prophet drank some milk, she gave the bowl of milk to Hz. Aisha. She did not want to take it because she was feeling very shy. Thereupon, Hz. Asma said,

“O, Aisha! Do not refuse the offer of the Messenger of Allah. Take it and drink it.”

Hz. Aisha took the bowl drank some milk and gave it back. This time, the Prophet gave the bowl to Hz. Asma. She took it and drank from the milk that the Prophet had left.( Musnad, 6: 458. )

Hz. Asma was distinguished among the female Companions due to her straightforwardness and eloquence.

Therefore, she was known as “the Orator of the Women”. When the women of Madinah wanted to ask the Prophet something and learn from him, they would send her as their representative. She would go to the Prophet and tell the Messenger of Allah clearly about the issue.

Once, the women chose her as their representative and sent her to the Prophet to ask about an issue that occupied their minds. Hz. Asma appeared before the Prophet; when she was given permission to speak, she said,

“O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you!”

After expressing her respect, she spoke as follows:

“I am the representative of some women. There is no doubt that Allah Almighty sent you as His Prophet for all mankind – men, and women. We believe in you and your Lord. We, women, live within our houses and fulfill the legitimate wishes of our husbands. Men are superior to us in that they perform Friday prayers and attend congregational prayers in the mosques, visit ill people, take part in the janazah prayer and go to hajj many times. The most virtuous of all is taking part in jihad. When men go to hajj, umrah or jihad, we to protect their property, clean and repair their clothes. We look after their children. Are we going to be given the same rewards as men?”

After listening to Asma’s talk, the Prophet appreciated her intelligence and eloquence; he said to the Companions who were there,

“Have you ever heard any women asking a religious question to speak more eloquently than her?”

Then, he gave the following glad tiding to Asma and all believing women:

“Listen and tell the other women whom you are representing! If a woman gets on well with her husband and attains his consent, she receives the same rewards for the deeds that you have listed.”( Usdu'l-Ghaba, 5: 398. )

Hz. Asma left joyfully after the answer of the Prophet. She wanted to give the glad tiding to her friends. She told them what she had heard from the Messenger of Allah. All of the women became very happy when they heard the glad tiding. From then on, they regarded housework as worshipping bringing them rewards not as a burden.

Asma, who sometimes listened to the talks of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and learned from him, narrated 81 hadiths. One of them is as follows:

“The Prophet said to his Companions, ‘Shall I tell you who are the best ones among people?’ They said, ‘Yes! O Messenger of Allah!’ He said, ‘The ones you see mentioning Allah (dhikr).’ Then, he said, ‘Shall I tell you who are the worst ones among people? They are the ones who drive a wedge between people who gossip and act as talebearers.”( Musnad, 6: 459. )

Another hadith is as follows:

“When Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet, died, the Messenger of Allah wept. Hz. Abu Bakr or Umar said to him, ‘You are indeed the best of those who glorify Allah with what is due to him.’ Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: ‘The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we do not say anything that angers the Lord. O, Ibrahim! If the death was not something that inevitably comes to all, and that the latter did not join the former, we would be sadder than we are now.’“( Ibn Majah, Janaiz: 53. )

Hz. Asma, who was known for her braveness and heroism along with her intelligence, participated in the Battle of Yarmuk in order to take care of the wounded people and to give the mujahids water. Once, she grabbed a tent pole and went to the battlefield. She killed nine Byzantine soldiers. ( Hayatu’s-Sahaba, 1: 442. )

It is not known where and when this great Islamic woman, who did not hesitate to sacrifice her life in order to spread Islam and to punish those who wanted to eliminate Islam, died.

May Allah be pleased with her!

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 20

FATIMA BINT ASAD (radhiallahu anha)

Who does not want to do favors and help people when it is possible? If the poor person is an oppressed person who needs to be taken care of, we can forget about even our own needs and fulfill that person’s wishes. We will not eat but feed him; we will not wear new clothes but make him wear. We do all of the favors that we can. Ali’s blessed mother, Hz. Fatima, had such a spirit. She had the burden of a big family with her husband Abu Talib. He was a well-known and respected person of Quraysh but he was a poor person who hardly made ends meet. When his father, Abdulmuttalib, died, his beloved nephew, Muhammad, was entrusted to him.

The material upbringing of this precious orphan, who was eight years old, was under the responsibility of his uncle but he needed the compassion of a mother and a loving heart more.

Hz. Fatima did her best so as not to make this blessing child feel that he was motherless.

She fed and clothed him before her own children; she combed his hair before her own children. What is more, she acted as if she was his real mother. Thus, the Prophet lived with his uncle and aunt and under their protection until he got married.

When the Messenger of Allah was assigned the duty of prophethood, he was inflicted unbelievable tortures by the polytheists.

This situation distressed Hz. Fatima very much and made her sad. She protected him with Abu Talib and did her best to make him forget the pains. She became a Muslim after a while. The Messenger of Allah became very glad when Fatima, whom he liked as if she was his own mother, became a Muslim and forgot about his pains.

Hz. Fatima attained the honor of becoming a muhajir when she migrated to Madinah.

However, what made her happier was the fact that she became the mother-in-law of the Prophet’s beloved daughter, Fatima, whom he described as “a part of me”. She regarded it a great honor. She did her best so as not to distress Hz. Fatima. They shared the tasks at home. They did their tasks in the best way and helped each other. They set an example of how a daughter-in-law and a mother-in-law should treat each other. They're getting on very well rejoiced both the Messenger of Allah and Hz. Ali.

The Prophet showed her gratitude and duty of loyalty to Fatima bint Asad whenever it was possible.

He frequently visited her, asked about her health and helped her. He did more than what a son would to his mother. He addressed her “mum” and mentioned her by saying “mum”.

Four years passed after the Prophet migrated to Madinah. The Prophet, whose face always smiled, was sad one day. He expressed the reason for his sadness as follows:

“My mum passed away today.”

This blessed woman was Fatima bint Asad, who took care of the Prophet in her house, who was among the first ones who believed in him, and who left her hometown when migration to Madinah started because she could not put up with being away from him.

The Prophet took off his shirt and wanted it to be used as her shroud.

He himself led her janazah prayer. Then, her dead body was placed in the grave. The grave was big. The Prophet also entered the grave. He lay there for a while. Then, he came out. There were tears coming from his eyes. The tears fell onto the grave. This attitude of the Prophet’s represented his closeness to her. It was also a compliment to her. For, the grave that the Prophet’s body touched would be a garden of Paradise.

The Companions asked the Prophet about his attitude toward her:

“O Messenger of Allah! We have not seen you taking care of anybody else like this?”

The Prophet answered them as follows:

“She was my mother. She fed me before her own children. She combed my hair and put rose oil on me first though her own children were dirty and dusty. She was my mother. I have not met anybody who took care of me more than her after my uncle Abu Talib. I put my own garment on her so that she will be clothed in garments of Paradise. I lay down in her grave for a while so that life in the grave will be easy for her.“

After the soil was thrown on the dead body of Hz. Fatima, the Messenger of Allah prayed as follows for his beloved mother:

"O, Mum! May Allah show mercy on you and reward you with goodness. You treated me like a mother after my own mother. You fed me while you yourself went hungry. You gave me new clothes though you yourself did not have new clothes. You gave me the best food without eating them yourself. You did this for the sake of Allah and the hereafter.

Allah gives both life and death. O, Allah! Forgive my mother, Fatima bint Asad and widen her grave! O, Allah! The Most Merciful of all who have mercy! Accept my prayer for my sake and for the sake of Your previous prophets!”

After a while, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) smiled and gave the people who were there the following glad tiding:

Jibril said to me, ‘This woman is a person of Paradise.’ Besides, Allah ordered 70 thousand angels to perform her janazah prayer. The angels performed her janazah prayer.”(Usdu'l-Ghaba, 5: 517; Mustadrak, 3: 108; Hz. Muhammed ve İslamiyet, 4137; Tabaqat, 8: 222.)

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 19

FATIMA BINT KHATTAB (radhiallahu anha)

It was when the call to Islam was done secretly. The number of Companions who believed was 10. One of them was Hz. Umar’s sister Fatima. Hz. Fatima was married to Said bin Zayd. Her husband was also a believer. They worshipped together and learned the Quran together. Hz. Said became one of the 10 Companions who were given the glad tiding of being people of Paradise while they were alive.

Hz. Fatima and her husband were ready to sacrifice their lives for Allah and His messenger but her brother Umar was a ferocious enemy of Islam.

He was a supporter of the polytheists. He did not know that his sister and brother-in-law had become Muslims.

The number of Muslims increased despite all tortures and oppression infuriated the polytheists.

They believed that they had to find a solution. The solution they found was to kill the Prophet. They made a plan quickly. Umar was there too. He undertook the task of killing the Prophet. The polytheists were relieved because Umar was a strong person and he would fulfill any task he undertook. They assumed that this task was over.

Khattab’s son Umar girded on his sword immediately.

He set off to fulfill the task he undertook. On the way, he met Nuaym bin Abdullah, one of his relatives. Abdullah was also a Muslim but he did not know about it. When Nuaym found out that Umar’s aim was to kill the Messenger of Allah, he tried to dissuade him but it was in vain. Finally, in order to gain time, he said,

“Your sister and your brother-in-law have also become Muslims. Go to them first.”

Umar got very furious when he learned this unexpected news. He changed his way immediately and hurried on to the house of his sister.

Unaware of anything, Hz. Fatima and Umar’s brother-in-law were learning the Quran from Hz. Habbab bin Arat.

When they saw that Umar was at the door, they panicked. They hid the pages of the Quran and Habbab. Then, they opened the door. However, Umar had heard the Quran. As soon as he entered the house, he asked,

“What was the sound that I heard?”

He was furious. When he realized that they were hiding it, he said,

“I was told that both of you entered the religion of Muhammad.”

Hz. Said could not hide it any longer. He said,

“O Umar! Have you not understood yet that the real religion is different from what you believe?”

These unexpected words enraged Umar. He saw red. He walked toward his brother-in-law; he grabbed him by his collar and threw him down on the floor. Umar started to hit him. Fatima tried to save her husband but Umar slapped her, too. Fatima, whose face was bleeding was ready to die. She regarded dying in the way of Allah and His messenger as great happiness. Could there have been happiness greater than this for a Muslim? She shouted,

“Are you not ashamed of hitting a woman? Yes, we have become Muslims and believed in Allah and His messenger. We believe that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s messenger. Do whatever you can do to us.”

When Umar looked at his sister, he saw that her face was in blood. He regretted hitting her. His heart softened. He said,

“Give me the thing that you were reading. I want to look at it.”

However, Hz. Fatima feared that her brother would insult the Quran. She said,

“We fear that you would insult it.”

Umar told them not to fear. He swore that he would give it back after reading it. This situation filled Hz. Fatima with hope. She hoped that her brother would be a Muslim. She said,

“My brother. You are not considered to be clean because you associate partners with Allah. Only those who are clean can touch what we were reading. Rise and wash.”

Thereupon, Umar made ghusl. Fatima gave him the pages of the Quran, Some verses of the chapter of Taha were written on them. Umar read them and contemplated them. Lights of guidance started to appear on his face. He said,

“What an honorable and soft speech! There cannot be anything more beautiful than this.”

Feeling that Umar calmed down, Hz. Habbab came out of the place he was hiding. Then, they went to the Prophet together. Umar uttered kalima ash-shahada and became a Muslim.

Hz. Fatima regarded herself very lucky since she caused someone like Hz. Umar to embrace Islam.

Fatima (r.anha) migrated to Madinah with her husband. She led a virtuous life up to the end of her life. She experienced the happiness of seeing that Hz. Umar became the caliph of all Muslims and ruled the Islamic land with justice. She died during the caliphate of her brother.

May Allah be pleased with her! (Sirah, 1: 366-371; Tabaqat, 3: 267, 268.)

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 18

HALIMA (radhiallahu anha)

The climate of Makkah was not good for newborn babies. It prevented them from growing up healthily and robustly. Therefore, some families who wanted their babies to grow up healthily gave them to wet-nurses who lived in the desert for a certain period. For, the desert had nice air and freshwater. Besides, the children who grew up there spoke Arabic better.

The wet-nurses came to Makkah twice a year and took the babies to their homeland. Immediately after the birth of the Prophet, the women of the tribe of Banu Sa’d come to Makkah with their husbands. One of them was Hz. Halima. Halima lagged behind because the animal she was riding was weak and lame. When she arrived in Makkah, each woman had found a baby to nurse and started to return.

Abdulmutallİb also wanted to give his grandson to a wet-nurse but no woman accepted him because he was a fatherless boy. Nobody could imagine the abundance they would get for the sake of this boy. While the grandfather of the Messenger of Allah was wandering hopelessly, he met Halima, who was sad because she had not been able to find a baby to nurse. He asked Halima, “What tribe are you from?” Hz. Halima said, “From Banu Sa’d.” Abdulmuttalib asked her what her name was. When he found out that it was Halima, he smiled and said, “Very Good! Sa’d and him are two characteristics on which the goodness of the world and the honor of the hereafter depend. O Halima! I have a fatherless child with me. The other women did not want to accept him saying, ‘We want to benefit from the fathers of the children we accept; what shall we do with a fatherless child?’ I hope you will accept him. You may attain happiness thanks to him.” Halima asked permission from him to consult her husband who was standing over there. Her husband said, “You may accept him. We may attain abundance thanks to him.” Halima went over to the grandfather of the Prophet feeling happy that she was able to find a baby. She said she wanted to take the child. Abdulmuttalib became very happy. He took her to Hz. Amina. Amina welcomed Halima. They went to the room where the Messenger of Allah was sleeping.

The Prophet was enwrapped in white swaddling clothes. There was a piece of green fabric under him. He was sleeping soundly on his back, emitting a nice scent.

When Hz. Halima saw the Prophet, she was fascinated by his beauty and cuteness.

She became glad that she had accepted to take him. She held him in her arms. The Messenger of Allah smiled at his wet-nurse. Halima kissed him. She was happy but Hz. Amina was sad. She was with her baby only for a few days. How was she going to put up with his absence? However, she consoled herself thinking that she had to do it for the sake of her baby.

Hz. Halima went over to her husband holding the Prophet in her arms. Then, she gave her right tit to the Prophet and her left tit to her own son. They sucked milk and slept. From then on, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sucked from the right tit; he never sucked from the left tit.

Hz. Halima had very little milk.

Before he accepted the Prophet, it was not enough even for her own son; her son used to cry because of hunger. When they saw that both of them were full, they became happy. When they also saw that the udders of their she-camel, which had very little milk, were full of milk, their happiness doubled. Halima’s husband said,

“O Halima! Know that you got a very blessed and lucky baby.”

Indeed, this family and the tribe of Banu Sa’d got rid of drought and attained abundance after that.

After getting ready, Hz. Halima and her husband set off.

They noticed that there was a big change in their animals. The donkey that had lagged behind on the way to Makkah overtook all of the animals of the caravan one the way back home. The other women were surprised to see it. They expressed their surprise by saying,

“O Halima! May mercy come upon you! Is this not the same donkey you rode on our trip here? Wait for us!”

After a tiring journey, the caravan reached their homeland.

The drought was dominant in the land of Banu Sa’d that year.

There was no land where the animals could graze. Therefore, the sheep that were sent to graze returned home hungry in the evening. The animals became very weak. However, Hz. Halima attained abundance. Unlike the others, her sheep came back satiated and with their udders full of milk. This situation drew the attention of the people of her tribe. They reprimanded their shepherds saying,

“Woe on you! Why do you not graze our sheep where Halima’s shepherd grazes them?”

Halima and her husband knew that they attained this abundance and wellbeing thanks to this child, whom nobody wanted to accept because he was fatherless; they thanked Allah for it. Days passed like that.

As days passed, the Prophet flourished.

His childhood did not resemble that of the other children. He started to talk and listen to talks when he was eight months old. He started to speak properly when he was nine months old. When he was 10 months old, he started to shoot arrows. He became a robust boy when he was two years old. He gave up sucking then. When he gave up sucking, Hz. Halima and her husband became very sad. They wanted him to stay with them longer since they attained wellbeing and abundance thanks to him. However, it was not appropriate for them to keep him any longer; they had to return him to his mother. They took him to Makkah to his mother. When Hz. Amina saw her beloved child, she got very excited. He had matured so fast. She became very happy since he was going to stay with her after that. However, Hz. Halima said to her,

“You had better leave your son with us until he grows up. I fear that he will catch Makkan plague.”

Hz. Amina did not even want to imagine her son being ill.

She agreed to be away from him lest he should become ill. Therefore, she accepted Hz. Halima’s offer. Thus, the Prophet left Makkah again in order to stay in the land of Banu Sa’d for some more time.

The Prophet became old enough to graze sheep with his foster brother Abdullah.

Once, he was with him at the back of the house where newborn lambs were. Two people came. They made him lie on the ground. They split open Muhammad’s chest, took out his heart, removed a blood clot and said,

“This was something in you that belonged to Satan.”

When Abdullah, the foster brother of the Messenger of Allah, saw what these two strangers did to his brother, he was scared. He rushed to the house and said to his parents,

“Come quickly! My Qurayshi brother was killed!”

Upon his call, they rushed out and ran to the place where the Messenger of Allah was. The Prophet was standing. His face was pale but he was smiling. They asked,

“What happened to you?”

The Prophet said,

“Two men in white clothing came to me, laid me down, and looked for something I do not know in my abdomen."

Hz. Halima and her husband were frightened. They were worried that the Messenger of Allah would be harmed. Harith said to his wife Halima,

“Halima! I fear that something bad will happen to this child. Take him back to his family before anything happens to him.”

Halima took the Prophet to Makkah without losing time.

However, she lost him in Makkah. She became very sad. She could not find him no matter how long she looked for him. She went to Abdulmuttalib and told him that the Prophet was lost. He went out to look for him with a few people. Finally, they found the Prophet.

Hz. Amina became very happy when she saw her son but she could not understand why they brought him back so soon. She asked Halima,

“Why did you bring the child back? You had insisted so much keeping it with you.”

Halima said,

“Allah raised this child. I have fulfilled my duty. I fear that something bad will happen to him. I wanted to bring him to you and deliver him to you safe and sound.”

Many years passed. The Prophet’s mother and grandmother passed away.

The Prophet grew up and got married. He saw Hz. Halima from time to time. Whenever he saw her, he showed her respect saying,

“Mummy! Mummy!”

He would take off the extra garment on him and lay it on the ground so that she would sit on it. He would meet her needs if she had any. Once, Halima came to visit him. She said there was a drought in the land of Banu Sa’d and that the animals started to die due to illness. The Prophet did not have much to give her but Hz. Khadija did not want the wet-nurse of her husband to leave empty-handed. She gave Halima 40 sheep and one camel. Hz. Halima expressed her gratitude to Hz. Khadija and returned home happily.

Hz. Halima, who became a Muslim in the years that followed, was buried in the Cemetery of Baqi.

May Allah be pleased with her! (Tabaqat, 1: 110; Usdu'l-Ghaba, 5: 427)

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 17

HAMNA BINT JAHSH (radhiallahu anha)

Hz. Hamna was the daughter of Umayma bint Abdulmuttalib, the paternal aunt of the Prophet. She was also the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh, one of the wives of the Prophet. Thus, she was the sister-in-law of the Prophet. She became a Muslim in the first years of Islam. She was loyal to the Prophet with her heart. She was married to Mus’ab bin Umayr, one of the great Companions. They led a happy life.

Hz. Mus’ab took part in the battle of Uhud and fought heroically.

The Muslims were about to gain a big victory but when the archers located by the Messenger of Allah left their places, the course of the battle changed. The Muslims were defeated. It was also rumored that the Messenger of Allah was martyred.

When the female Companions who were in Madinah heard this, they ran to the battlefront. Hamna bint Jahsh, the wife of Mus’ab bin Umayr, was also among them. When they heard that the Messenger of Allah was alive, they became very happy.

However, Hz. Mus’ab was martyred. In addition, Hz. Hamna’s brother Abdullah bin Jahsh and her maternal uncle Hz. Hamza was also martyred. The Prophet wanted to give this news to Hamna himself. When Hamna came over to him, he said,

“O Hamna! Show patience and seek reward from Allah!”

Hamna said,

“O Messenger of Allah! For whom shall I show patience?”

The Prophet said,

“For your maternal uncle Hamza.”

Hz. Hamna was a woman who believed in qadar. She said,

“We are slaves of Allah and we will return to Him. May Allah show him mercy and forgive him! May Allah give him glad tidings and rejoice him with the reward of martyrdom!”

The Prophet said,

“O Hamna! Show patience and seek reward from Allah!”

Hamna said,

“O Messenger of Allah! For whom shall I show patience?”

The Prophet said,

“For your brother.”

Hz. Hamna said in patience and resoluteness,

“We are slaves of Allah and we will return to Him. May Allah show him mercy and forgive him! May Allah give him glad tidings and rejoice him with the reward of martyrdom!”

The Prophet said,

"O Hamna! Show patience and seek reward from Allah!”

Hamna said in suspense,

“O Messenger of Allah! For whom shall I show patience?”

The Prophet said,

“For Mus’ab bin Umayr.”

Hz. Hamna, who had not lost her patience and resoluteness up to that time, changed suddenly. She thought about her children and started to cry by saying,

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“There is no doubt that a man has a different place in the eye of his wife. Hamna showed patience and resoluteness when she heard about the death of her maternal uncle and brother but she could not maintain her resoluteness when she heard the death of her husband.”( Sirah, 3: 104. )

Hz. Hamna could not show the same patience for her husband but she did not oppose qadar. She calmed down with the prayer and consolation of the Messenger of Allah.

Hamnah later married Talha bin Ubaydullah, one of the ten Companions who were given the good news that they would go to Paradise. They led a happy life. They had two children called Muhammad and Imran.

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 16

HIND BINT UTBA (radhiallahu anha)

When the Islamic army conquered Makkah, small street fights took place. After that, the Kaaba was cleaned from idols. The vast compassion and tolerance of the Messenger of Allah were in action again; those who left their swords and took refuge in the Kaaba were forgiven.

The hard-hearted people softened when they saw the grandeur of the Islamic army and the tolerance of the Messenger of Allah; many people among whom were some notables of the polytheists saw the truth and started to become Muslims one by one. The Messenger of Allah accepted their allegiance one by one and allowed them to enter Islam as if there had been no enmity between him and them. For, Islam did not ask about the past after sincere repentance and regret.

The Muslims filled the Kaaba at night on the same day as Makkah was conquered in order to fulfill their longing that lasted for years for worshipping in the Kaaba and in order to thank their Lord, who enabled them to conquer Makkah after troubled and painful days. Some of them worshipped alone while others worshipped in the congregation. Some of them were bowing down while others were prostrating or standing. The Kaaba was full of people. It was like the Gathering Place. The sounds of “Labbayk” and, “Allahuakbar” filled the earth and the sky. The prayers coming from hearts were expressed by the tongues; they became clear and reached their Lord through the hands that were opened.

There was somebody who was watching this scene from a high place. This scene increased the excitement of this observer and caused spiritual revolutions in her inner world. This observer was Hind bint Utba, the wife of Abu Sufyan, who had just become a Muslim. Hind had made Wahshi kill Hz. Hamza, the hero of Islam, during the Battle of Uhud. The holy scene in the Kaaba softened the heart of Hind and eliminated polytheism. Hind told her husband Abu Sufyan about her decision at about midnight:

“I want to pay allegiance to Muhammad.”

Astonished by this statement of his wife, Abu Sufyan said,

“But you deny Islam.”

Hind answered her husband as follows:

“Yes, I used to deny Islam but now I definitely believe that Allah was not worshipped truly in this mosque (the Kaaba) before tonight. I swear that the Muslims spent the whole night by performing prayers, standing, bowing down and prostrating.”

When Abu Sufyan saw that his wife was determined, he said to her,

“Take one of your relatives and go to Muhammad.”

The next day, Hind, her brother Abu Hudhayfa and her sister Fatima went to the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah told them about Islam and said that he would accept their allegiance based on some conditions. While Hind was about to pay allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, she said,

“I cannot pay allegiance to you promising that I will not steal. For, you know that Abu Sufyan is very stingy. I steal from his things because he does not give me enough things and food.”

The Messenger of Allah told her to go to Abu Sufyan and ask forgiveness from him and added that he would not accept her allegiance otherwise. Hind went to Abu Sufyan and told him about the conversation between him and the Messenger of Allah. Abu Sufyan forgave her. Hind went to the Messenger of Allah joyfully. This time, she was different. She covered her body. The Messenger of Allah accepted her allegiance. Then, Hind expressed her feelings as follows:

“O Messenger of Allah! Beforehand, I did not feel hatred for any tent here more than your tent. I did not want any tent to be plundered more than your tent. However, I swear by Allah that I ask Allah to improve and bless your tent today.”

The Messenger of Allah addressed her as follows:

“I swear by Allah that you will not be regarded to have believed truly unless you love me more than your children, mother, and father.”

When Hind returned home, the first thing she did was to break the idol at home into pieces. With every blow she gave to the idol, she said,

“I was deceived by you.”

She also attained the endless bliss of Islam. (Isaba, 4: 425.)

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basicsofislam · 10 days

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 15

SAFIYYA BINT ABDULMUTTALIB (radhiallahu anha)

During the Era of Bliss, there were some women who did not drop the torch of Islam from their hands, who struggled to sacrifice their lives so that Islam would conquer hearts and who did not fall behind their husbands and sons. One of those Companions who would live in hearts as long as the world existed was Hz. Safiyya, the paternal aunt of the Prophet.

Hz. Safiyya took care of her nephew, the Prophet, with the compassion of a mother, when she was very young and did not hesitate to make sacrifices so as not to make him feel that he was motherless.

She loved her nephew very much. She guessed that she would have a high rank among people in the future and looked forward to seeing those days.

Years passed and her beloved nephew was given the duty of prophethood.

He called people to Islam. Hz. Safiyya did not hesitate to believe; she became one of the first Muslims. After that, she increased her material and spiritual support for him. She worked very hard to spread Islam.

However, it is irony of fate that her brother, Abu Lahab, was one of the leaders of the enemies of her beloved nephew.

Abu Lahab took pleasure in torturing and agonizing the Muslims, primarily the Prophet. Hz. Safiyya was very sorry for this unfair treatment of her brother; she could not bear it.

Once, she heard that Abu Lahab hurt the Messenger of Allah. She went to Abu Lahab and warned him harshly:

“Does it fit you to leave your nephew and his religion helpless? The scholars of the People of the Book say that a prophet will come from the descendants of Abdulmuttalib. That prophet is our nephew Muhammad.”

However, Abu Lahab did not have the eyes that could see what was right and true. His heart was occupied by fury and hatred. He answered the warning of her sister with the following sentence reflecting the state of women in the Era of Ignorance:

“The words of women are a hindrance for men.”

Realizing that it was impossible to persuade Abu Lahab, Hz. Safiyya left his house sadly.

Hz. Safiyya could not persuade her brother to help the Messenger of Allah but she did her best to bring up her son Zubayr as a mujahid for the Messenger of Allah. She was a disciplined mother. She sometimes beat her son slightly. When she was asked why she beat him, she said,

“I am beating him to train him because he will command armies in the future.”

Indeed, Hz. Zubayr, who was brought up and trained by his mother, became a heroic mujahid. The Prophet praised him by saying,

“Every prophet has a disciple and assistant. My assistant is Zubayr.”

He also gave the glad tiding that Zubayr was a person of Paradise.

Thus, Hz. Safiyya was honored to be the mother of one of the 10 Companions who were given the glad tiding while they were alive that they would be in Paradise.

When the Prophet migrated from Makkah to Madinah, his beloved aunt did not leave him alone.

She migrated to Madinah with her son Zubayr. Thus, she also had the privilege of migrating in the way of Allah.

Hz. Safiyya did not hesitate to risk her life for the sake of Allah and His messenger.

She became the first Muslim woman to kill an unbeliever in the history of Islam. The incident took place during the Battle of Uhud.

When the Prophet left for the Battle of Uhud, he placed the women, girls, and boys in the house of Hz. Hassan. The Prophet did not take Hz. Hassan to Uhud because he was too old and ill; so, he stayed at home.

While the mujahids were fighting at Uhud with their swords, a Jewish man wanted to make use of this situation and approached the house that was full of women and children slyly. His aim was to martyr defenseless people and to become a hero. Hz. Safiyya narrates the incident as follows:

“We had no contact with the Messenger of Allah. Besides, the Messenger of Allah and the Companions were not in a position to come to help us. When I saw that a Jew was walking around the house, I went over to Hassan and told him about the situation. I asked him to kill the Jew. Hz. Hassan was both old and ill. He said, ‘O daughter of Abdulmuttalib! May Allah be pleased with you! You know that I am not strong enough to do it.’ Then, it was my duty to do it. I did not have a weapon. I took a big piece of wood. I went out slowly. I hit the man with the wood on his back. He fell down. Then, I hit him until he died.”

After preventing such a big danger, Hz. Safiyya went up to a high place and started to watch the battlefield. She felt worried. She was scared that the ferocious Muslims would harm her beloved nephew. Meanwhile, the news that “the Muslims were defeated” came as a shock. Hz. Safiyya could not wait any longer. She went to Uhud with some women. She asked the first mujahid she saw about the health of the Messenger of Allah. She found out that the Messenger of Allah was alive but that her brother Hamza was martyred. She wanted to see the dead body of Hz. Hamza. When the Prophet (pbuh) saw that she was coming, he told her son Zubayr, “Tell your mother to go back. She should not see the dead body of her brother.” Hz. Zubayr met her mother and asked her to go back. He said the Messenger of Allah wanted her to do so. However, Hz. Safiyya wanted to see the dead body of her brother. She said to her son showing reliance on Allah and patience,

“If you want me to go back lest I should see what was done to my brother, I know that my brother was mutilated. My brother was killed and mutilated in the way of Allah. Is there a greater rank than this? We are ready to suffer more in the way of Allah. I am determined to show patience. I hope to get the reward of it only from Allah.”

Hz. Zubayr was astonished when he saw the resoluteness of his mother, whom he had feared that would faint when she saw the death of her brother. He thanked Allah Almighty for being the son of such a mother. Then, he went to the Messenger of Allah and told him what his mother had said. The Prophet believed that his paternal aunt was sincere. He said, “Then, let her see him.” Then, he put his hand on her chest and prayed for her.

Hz. Safiyya then went to the dead body of Hamza. His body was in pieces. Some of the organs were cut off. Hz. Safiyya was quite calm at this terrifying sight. She did not have any signs of the complaint. Besides, it was impossible for a person like that to oppose qadar. After all, it would be of no use. Then, the only thing she could do was to pray to Allah to elevate his rank. He prayed as follows:

“O, Allah! We are all Your slaves and will return to You. Forgive my brother’s mistakes if he had any!”

This patience and resoluteness of hers rejoiced the Prophet very much. He gave her the following glad tiding, which would strengthen her patience:

“Jibril came to me. He told me that Hamza was written as ‘Hamza is the lion of Allah and His Messenger’ at the abode of angels.”

This news was really pleasing. She wiped her tears with her hand and left.

Hz. Safiyya took care of the Prophet with the compassion of a mother until he died.

She did her best so as not to make him feel that he was motherless. However, it was time for the Messenger of Allah to leave this ephemeral world and to rejoin his Lord. Hz. Safiyya was standing next to the Prophet and crying. The Prophet warned her and her beloved daughter as follows:

“O Fatima bint Muhammad! O Safiyya, the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah! Do good deeds that will be accepted by Allah. Do not depend on me because I cannot save you from Allah’s punishment.”

A little while after these words, the Prophet passed away.

Along with her resoluteness and heroism, Hz. Safiyya was also known for her poetry. After the death of the Messenger of Allah, she wrote the following poem:

“O Messenger of Allah! You became our source of hope,/ You did us favors; you did not agonize us./ You protected, guided and taught us,/ Anyone can cry for you today./ O Messenger of Allah! May my mother, maternal aunt, paternal uncle, my maternal uncle and my own self be sacrificed for you!/ If the Lord of people had allowed the Prophet to live with us more,/ we would have been happy but the order of Allah is valid./ Peace and greetings from Allah be upon you./ May Allah be pleased with you and put you in the gardens of Adn (Eden)!”

Hz. Safiyya, who lived 10 years more after the death of the Prophet, died during the caliphate of Hz. Umar in the 20th year of the Migration. She was buried in the Cemetery of Baqi in Madinah.

May Allah be pleased with her! (Tabaqat, 3: 101-103; 8: 41; Usdu'l-Ghaba, 5: 493.)

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basicsofislam · 11 days

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THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 14

SUMAYRA BINT QAYS (radhiallahu anha)

When the rumor that the Muslims were defeated and that the Messenger of Allah was martyred during the Battle of Uhud reached Madinah, one of the women that ran to the battlefront was Sumayra bint Qays (r.anha).

Hz. Sumayra’s father, husband, brother and son also took part in the Battle of Uhud. However, she was wondering about the Messenger of Allah more than her family.

When she arrived at Uhud, she saw the dead bodies of her father, husband, brother, and son in pieces. All of them had been martyred. The Companions gave Hz. Sumayra their condolences and asked her to be patient. However, Sumayra asked about the Messenger of Allah insistently,

“How is the Messenger of Allah? What is he doing?”

They said,

“Thank Allah, he is fine.”

However, she did not believe them. She wanted to see the Prophet. They told her where he was. Sumayra ran toward there. When she saw that the Messenger of Allah was alive, she said, patiently and in reliance to Allah,

“O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you! All misfortunes are all right for me since you are alive.”

Yes, Hz. Sumayra believed that she would be able to see her father, brother, and husband in the hereafter. For, they gained a high rank by becoming martyrs in the way of Allah. There was no need to feel sorry for them. In fact, she would also have seen the Messenger of Allah in the hereafter if he had been martyred but she wanted to see him again in the world and learn more things from him.

On the other hand, Islam would have continued to illuminate hearts. Others would have replaced them. However, if the Messenger of Allah had been harmed, what would have happened to the Muslims? That was why she wondered about the health of the Messenger of Allah. They liked the Messenger of Allah like that. This was the secret that elevated them and made them too high to reach. ( Hilya, 2: 71. )

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basicsofislam · 12 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: Laylat al-Qadr

This night is the year’s most virtuous night. God says: We revealed it (the Qur’an) on the Night of Power [Laylat al-Qadr]. What will tell you what the Night of Power is? It is better than a thousand months. (97:1-3) For example, any action therein (e.g., reciting the Qur’an, remembering God, performing prayer, coming together to study an Islamic subject, giving charity, etc.) brings as much reward as would doing the same action for 1,000 months that do not contain this night. It is preferred to seek this night during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, as the Prophet, upon whom be peace, strove his best to seek it during that time. For example, he would stay up during the last 10 nights, wake his wives, and then stay apart from them in order to worship. However, according to Abu Hanifa, any night during the year may be the Night of Power (Canan, ibid., 1:260), and so Muslims should keep vigils for some time every night in order to catch it. Such night vigils have a special importance. Al-Bukhari records from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger, upon whom be peace, said: “Whoever prays during the Night of Power with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his or her previous sins forgiven.” (Bukhari, “Fadl Laylat al-Qadr”)

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basicsofislam · 14 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: What breaks and what does not break the fast

PERMITED ACTS :

Pouring water over oneself and submerging oneself in water.

Applying kohl, eye-drops, or anything else to the eyes.

Kissing, provided that one has self-control.

Rinsing the mouth and nose, without swallowing any water.

Tasting a liquid, food, or something else that one wants to buy. However, anything edible must not be swallowed.

Chewing gum (unlike something that has no sweetness or fragrance) is disliked but does not invalidate the fast.

Eating, drinking, or having sexual intercourse during the night until dawn.

If one eats due to forgetfulness, the day does not have to be made up later or expiated.

Performing ghusl before dawn is not required, but it is advisable to be pure before fasting.

If a woman’s menstrual or post-childbirth bleeding stops during the night, she can delay ghusl until the morning and still fasts. However, she must perform ghusl before the dawn prayer.

Those who are fasting can use a tooth stick or a brush to clean their teeth. It does not matter if this is done at the beginning or at the end of the day.

Smelling perfumes.

Swallowing anything wet with saliva remaining in the mouth after rising.

Swallowing only a few drops of tears and sweat, the taste of which one does not feel.

Eating anything edible remaining between teeth and which is smaller than a chickpea.

Anything that is inedible and enters the mouth without intention (e.g., smoke, dust, and the taste of medicine put on teeth) does not invalidate the fast.

Kissing, touching, and stroking the opposite sex, provided that no ejaculation occurs, as well as any sexual activity that does not result in ejaculation. Any ejaculation that is the result of looking and thinking does not invalidate the fast.

Having a wet dream during the day or any ejaculation of seminal fluid.

FORBIDDEN ACTS REQUIRING A MAKE-UP DAY

Eating due to a mistake or coercion.

Swallowing the blood more than the saliva with which it is mixed and the taste of which one feels.

Swallowing more than a few drops of tears and sweat the taste of which one feels.

Removing from the mouth anything edible that remains between the teeth and which is greater than a chickpea, and then eating it.

Vomiting a mouthful. Anything less and which goes back into the stomach does not invalidate the fast. However, if one intentionally takes it back, the fast is broken.

Ejaculation that occurs with pleasure by kissing, touching, and masturbation.

Menses and post-childbirth bleeding, even if either begins just before sunset.

If one eats, drinks, or has intercourse, thinking that the sun has set or that fajr has not occurred.

Any injections, whether for feeding or for medicinal purposes. It does not matter if the injection was intravenous or underneath the skin, or whether what was injected reaches the stomach.

Any drink or medicine that passes through throat or nose. However, water that passes through the ears is allowed.

Any fluid going into body through the rectum.

ACTS THAT INVALIDATE THE FAST AND REQUIRE A MAKE-UP DAY AND EXPIATION

Intentional eating, drinking, and having sexual intercourse during the day require making up the day and an expiation. Expiation is defined as freeing a slave if one can do so; if the person has no slaves or cannot free one for a valid reason, he or she must fast for 60 consecutive days; if one cannot do so, he or she must feed a poor person for 60 days or 60 poor people for one day with meals that are similar to what one would eat at home.

Most scholars say that both men and women have to perform acts of expiation if they intentionally have sexual intercourse during the day even if they had intended to fast on that day. If they engaged in it out of forgetfulness, coercion, or having no intention to fast, they do not have to perform any act of expiation. If the woman was raped or coerced by the man, only the man has to make an act of expiation.

All scholars agree that people who intentionally broke the fast and made expiation, and then broke it again in a way that requires another expiation, they must perform another act of expiation. Similarly, they all agree that if people break the fast twice during a day, before performing the expiation for the first act, they need to perform only one act of expiation. If people break their fast and then repeat it during the same Ramadan without expiation, they only have to make expiation one time. The reason for this is because there is a punishment for acts that are repeated, and if the expiation or punishment is not carried out, all of these acts are combined into one.

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basicsofislam · 15 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: Important points.Part2

THE PREDAWN MEAL AND BREAKING THE FAST

Having a predawn meal between the middle of the night and dawn is sunna (recommended). It is considered best to delay it so that it will be eaten as close to dawn as possible. Those who are fasting should hasten to break the fast when the sun has set and, just before eating, make the following supplication (highly recommended):

“O God, I have fasted for You, believed in You, placed my trust in You, and break my fast with Your provisions.”

THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF FASTING

Making the proper intention to fast the month of Ramadan is required. Preferably, this intention should be made before dawn and during every night of Ramadan. However, it is valid if made during any part of the night and can even be made as late as noon if one forgot to make it before dawn. It does not have to be spoken out loud, for it is, in reality, an act of the heart that does not involve the tongue. In addition, it is fulfilled by one’s intention to fast out of obedience to God and to seek His pleasure. According to many jurists, the intention for a voluntary fast can be made until noon.

During the fasting hours, one cannot eat, drink, or engage in marital sexual relations. Before the Qur’an’s revelation, married couples could not engage in sexual intercourse during the fasting period. This rule was alleviated by 2:187, which allows sexual intercourse between married couples during the nights of Ramadan:

It is made lawful for you to go in to your wives on the night of the Fast; (there is such an inalienable intimacy between you that) they are a garment for you (enfolding you to protect you against illicit relations and beautifying you,) and you are a garment (of the same sort) for them. (2:187)

However, it is still forbidden during the fasting hours.

AVOIDING UNBEFITTING ACTIONS

Fasting, a type of worship for drawing closer to God, was ordered to purify the soul and train it in good deeds. Those who are fasting must guard against any act that might cancel the benefits of their fast. Thus, their fast will increase their personal God-consciousness and piety. Fasting is more than not eating and drinking; it also means to avoid everything else that God has forbidden. The Messenger said:

“Fasting is not (abstaining) from eating and drinking only, but also from vain speech and foul language. If one of you is being cursed or annoyed, he should say: ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.‘”

BEING GENEROUS AND DOING OTHER MERITORIOUS ACTS

Being generous, studying the Qur’an, and supplicating to God are recommended at all times, but are especially stressed during Ramadan. During the last 10 days of Ramadan, God’s Messenger would wake his wives during the night and then, remaining apart from them, engage in acts of worship. He would exert himself in worshipping his Lord during this time more than he would at any other time. (Bukhari, “Sawm,” 2:9; Muslim, “Siyam,” 164)

PLACES WITH VERY LONG DAYS AND VERY SHORT NIGHTS

Muslims who are in such areas (e.g., close to the polar regions) should follow the norms of the areas in which the Islamic legislation took place (e.g., Makka or Madina) or follow the schedule of the closest area that has “normal” days and nights.

OATHS

Making an oath means to swear by God that one will not do something. In Islam, one can swear only by God. People who make such an oath must do their best to fulfill it, and so should not make one carelessly.

People who make false statements by mistake or unknowingly, and then swear to them by God, are not held responsible for them and do not have make any expiation. However, consciously lying and then swearing by God or declaring God as a witness to the lie is an extremely grave sin that many times has resulted in misfortune descending upon the liar. Such people must perform an act of expiation, earnestly seek God’s forgiveness, and repair any damage caused by the lie.

If people swear by God not to do something in the future and then do that very act, they must seek God’s forgiveness and make an expiation. In this case, this involves emancipating a slave. If this is not possible, the oath-breaker must feed a poor person for 10 days with meals that are similar to what his family eats. If this is not possible, he or she must fast for 10 consecutive days.

VOWS

A vow is a solemn promise to do, in God’s name, something that resembles an act of worship and make obligatory upon oneself that which is not obligatory. A vow is considered “Islamic” only if it is made in God’s name and involves an obligatory or necessary act of worship (e.g., to fast or help the poor). Therefore, one can vow to perform two rak’ats of prayer or fast, but not to make a prostration of recitation or perform ablution, for these latter two acts are not obligatory acts of worship in themselves but rather are the means to such acts. Also, vows can be made concerning only that which can be fulfilled.

There are two kinds of vows: appointed and unappointed. An appointed vow can be, for example, vowing to fast on a certain day if one’s desire for something religiously lawful is met. If the desired thing happens, the vow must be fulfilled. An unappointed vow can be, for example, a vow to fast for one day or to give charity to the poor if one’s desire for something religiously lawful is met. If the desired thing happens, the vow must be fulfilled.

If one vows to do something resembling an act of worship if something does not occur, he or she must either fulfill the vow or make an expiation. For example, if one addicted to lying vows to fast for a week if he or she does not lie again, but then does so, he or she either has to fulfill the vow or make an expiation like that made for broken oaths.

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basicsofislam · 16 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: Important points.Part1

FASTING IN THE MONTH OF RAMADAN

The fourth pillar of Islam is the Ramadan fast, during which Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual relations or satisfaction from dawn until sunset. Concerning the order to fast, the Qur’an declares:

The month of Ramadan, in which the Qur’an (began to be) sent down as a pure source of guidance for people, and, (when practiced,) as clear signs of guidance and the Criterion (between truth and falsehood). Therefore, whoever of you is present at this month must fast it, and he who is so ill that he cannot fast or is on a journey must fast the same number of other days. God desires ease for you, and desires not hardship for you, so that you can complete the number of the days required, exalt God for that He has guided you, and it is hoped that you may give thanks (due to Him). (2:185)

TYPES OF FASTING

There are two types of fasting:

Obligatory/Voluntary

Obligatory fasts can be further subdivided into:

The fast of Ramadan,The fast of expiation and the fast of fulfilling a vow.

DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

Most scholars say that it does not matter if the new moon has been seen elsewhere. In other words, after the new moon is seen anywhere in the world, all Muslims must begin fasting.

THE END OF RAMADAN

The Ramadan fast ends when the new moon (Shawwal) is seen. Most jurists state that the new moon must have been reported by at least two just witnesses.

THE HOURS DECREED FOR FASTING

According to the Qur’an, the fasting hours are as follows:

You can eat and drink until you can discern the white streak (of dawn) against the black streak (of night); then complete the Fast until night sets in (2:187).

Thus, the fast should start at the first thread of light at dawn (between 1.5 and 2 hours before sunrise, depending on the time of year), and maintained until sunset (the beginning of night).

WHO MUST FAST

All scholars agree that fasting is obligatory upon every sane, adult, healthy Muslim male who is not traveling or fighting on a battlefield at that time. As for women, those who are menstruating or having post-childbirth bleeding cannot fast.

In addition, the following groups of people do not have to fast: those who are insane, minors, or travelers; pregnant women who fear that their unborn child might be harmed; the old and sick who think that fasting might harm them; and those who work in harsh circumstances or suffer such hunger or thirst that they fear fasting might result in death.

MAKING UP THE MISSED DAYS

Those who are too old to fast, as well as the chronically ill, are permitted to break their fast, for fasting would place too much hardship on them. However, they must feed one poor person for each day that they did not fast. If those who were traveling or had another excuse die before making up the missed days, no recompense has to be paid. If they requested their heirs to pay such a recompense, however, the money should be taken out of the deceased’s estate. If those who died without making up the missed days, even though they had enough time to do so, must request their heirs to pay the necessary recompense.

DAYS WHEN FASTING IS FORBIDDEN

All scholars agree that fasting on the two ‘Iyds (‘Iyd al-Fitr and ‘Iyd al-Adha) is forbidden. It does not matter if the fast is obligatory or voluntary. Fasting voluntarily on Friday exclusively is disliked. If one fasts on the day before or after it, if it is a day on which one customarily fasts (e.g., the 13th, 14th, or 15th of the month), or if it is the day of ‘Ashura (Muharram 10), then it is not disliked to fast on such a Friday. The same rule applies to Saturday. Fasting on the “day of doubt,” when one is not sure if it is the last day of Sha’ban or the first day of Ramadan, is also disliked, as is fasting on consecutive days without eating at all (al-wisal).

VOLUNTARY FASTS

The Messenger exhorted Muslims to fast on the following days: six days of Shawwal; Muharram 10 (‘Ashura) and the days immediately preceding and following it; most of Sha’ban (the month preceding Ramadan); every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the sacred months (Dhu’l-Qa’da, Dhu’l-Hijja, Muharram, Rajab); every Monday and Thursday; and the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of each month. He also permitted those who can fast every other day, which is called sawm Dawud (the fast of Prophet David), to do so.

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basicsofislam · 17 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: The meaning and principles of I'tikaf

I’tikaf literally means to stick to something, whether good or bad, and to block out everything else. As a term, it denotes devoting oneself, especially during the last 10 days of Ramadan, to praying in a mosque. God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, performed i’tikaf for 10 days every Ramadan. In the year that he died, he performed it for 20 days. I’tikaf is not acceptable from an unbeliever, a non-discerning child, a person requiring major purification because of (sexual) defilement, and a menstruating woman and a woman with post-childbirth bleeding. I’tikaf will be fulfilled if a person stays in the mosque with the intention of becoming closer to God. If these conditions are not met, it is not i’tikaf. If an individual intends to perform a voluntary i’tikaf but ends it before the 10-day period has ended, he or she must make up the remaining days later.

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basicsofislam · 19 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: When does Ramadan start and end?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

A lunar month is approximately 29.5 days, which is the time it takes for the moon to orbit Earth. Since a lunar month is, on average, one day shorter than a solar month, a lunar year is 10 to 12 days shorter than a solar year. Therefore, Ramadan comes 10 to 12 days earlier each year and so moves through the seasons, providing equal conditions for people living in different lands.

A new lunar month begins when, during the moon’s orbit around Earth, the moon is in conjunction with the sun and the sun’s light hits the side of the moon that is turned away from Earth.

In this position, the moon is said to be a “new moon,” with its dark side turned toward Earth. By definition, a new moon is not visible from Earth, as the sun’s light shines only on the side facing Earth. As the moon continues to orbit around Earth, it starts to form a crescent. This will be minutes after the new moon forms, even though the crescent will not be visible for several hours.

In some traditional Islamic countries, Muslims do not start fasting until they see the actual crescent. This event is confirmed by sighting the new moon, even if it is seen by only one person, or by the passage of 30 days in the immediately preceding month of Sha’ban.

However, according to some modern scholars, God has given us scientific knowledge to determine exactly when a lunar month will begin and end. Therefore, any observatory or other astronomy-related center should have this information for the area in which we live.

Fasting starts on the first dawn of the new month. During the few hours between the new moon and the following dawn, Muslims can eat and drink, and then start fasting when the first thread of light is observed in the sky.

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basicsofislam · 20 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: On the Month of Ramadan.Part4

Eight Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in Ramadan from the point of view of man’s personal life is as follows:

It is a healing physical and spiritual diet of the most important kind. When man’s instinctual soul eats and drinks just as it pleases, it is both harmful for man’s physical life from the medical point of view, and when it hurls itself on everything it encounters whether licit or illicit, it quite simply poisons his spiritual life. Further, it is difficult for such a soul to obey the heart and the spirit; it willfully takes the reins into its own hands and then man cannot ride it, it rather rides man.

But by means of fasting in Ramadan, it becomes accustomed to a sort of diet. It tries to discipline itself and learns to listen to commands.

Furthermore, it will not invite illness to that miserable, weak stomach by cramming it with food before the previous consignment has been digested. And by abandoning even licit actions as it is commanded, it will acquire the ability to listen to the commands of the Shari‘a and the reason, and so to avoid illicit actions. It will try not to destroy his spiritual life.

Moreover, the great majority of mankind frequently suffer from hunger. Man, therefore, needs hunger and discipline, which train him to be patient and forbearing. Fasting in Ramadan is patient endurance of a period of hunger that continues for fifteen hours, or for twenty-four if the pre-dawn meal is not eaten, and it is a discipline and training.

That is to say, fasting is also a cure for impatience and lack of endurance, which double man’s afflictions.

Furthermore, the factory of the stomach has many workers, and many of the human organs are connected to it. If the instinctual soul does not take a rest from activity during the day for a month, it makes the factory’s workers and those organs forget their particular duties; it busies them with itself so that they remain under its tyranny. Also, it confuses the rest of the organs in the human body with the clangor and steam of the factory’s machinery. It continuously attracts their attention to itself, making them temporarily forget their exalted duties. It is because of this that for centuries those closest to God have accustomed themselves to discipline and to eating and drinking little in order to be perfected.

Through fasting in Ramadan the factory’s workers understand that they were not created for the factory only. While the rest of the organs, instead of delighting in the lowly amusements of the factory, take pleasure in angelic and spiritual amusements, and fix their gazes on them. It is for this reason that in Ramadan the believers experience enlightenment, fruitfulness, and spiritual joys which differ according to their degrees. Their subtle faculties, such as the heart, spirit, and intellect, make great progress and advancement in that blessed month through fasting. They laugh with innocent joy in spite of the stomach’s weeping.

Subtle faculties, such as the heart, spirit, and intellect make great progress.

Ninth Point

One of the instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with regard to shattering the instinctual soul’s imaginary dominicality and making known its worship through pointing out its impotence is as follows:

The instinctual soul does not want to recognize its Sustainer; it wants its own lordship, like Pharaoh.

However much torment it suffers, it retains that vein. Hunger, however, destroys it. Hence, fasting in Ramadan strikes direct blows at the soul’s pharaoh-like front, shattering it. It demonstrates its impotence, weakness, and want. It makes it realize that it is a slave.

Among the narrations of Hadith is the following:

“God Almighty said to the instinctual soul: ‘What am I and what are you?’ The soul replied: ‘I am myself and You are Yourself.’ So He punished it and cast it into Hell, then asked it again. Again it replied: ‘I am myself and You are Yourself.’ However He punished it, it did not give up its egoism. Finally He punished it with hunger; that is, He made it go hungry. Then again He asked it: ‘Who am I and who are you?’ And the soul replied: ‘You are my Compassionate Sustainer and I am your impotent slave!’”

Your instinctual soul is trained by hunger.

Recognize its Sustainer.

O God! Grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad that will be pleasing to You and fulfilment of his truth to the number of the merits of the words of the Qur’an in the month of Ramadan, and to his Family and Companions, and grant them peace.

Limitless in His glory is your Sustainer, the Lord of Almightiness, [exalted] above anything that men may devise by way of definition!

And peace be upon all His message-bearers.

And all praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of All the Worlds! (37:180-2)

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basicsofislam · 20 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: On the Month of Ramadan.Part3

Sixth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of the revelation of the All-Wise Qur’an, and the month of Ramadan being the most important time in its revelation, is as follows:

Since the All-Wise Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, to shun the lower demands of the soul and trivialities and to resemble the angelic state by abstaining from food and drink in order to greet that heavenly address in the best manner, is to attain to a holy state. And to read and listen to the Qur’an as though it were just revealed, to listen to the divine address in it as if it were being revealed that very instant, to listen to that address as though hearing it from God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), indeed, from the Angel Gabriel, or from the Pre-Eternal Speaker Himself, is to attain to that same holy state. To act in this way is to act as an interpreter and to cause others to listen to it and in some degree to demonstrate the wisdom in the Qur’an’s revelation.

Indeed, it is as if the world of Islam becomes a mosque during the month of Ramadan in every corner of which millions of those who know the whole Qur’an by heart make the dwellers on the earth hear the heavenly address. Each Ramadan proclaims in luminous shining manner the verse

“It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was bestowed from on high;”

it proves that Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. Some of the members of the vast congregation listen to the reciters with reverence, while others read it themselves.

Following the appetites of the base instinctual soul while in that sacred mosque, and quitting that luminous condition through eating and drinking is truly loathsome and makes such a person the target of the aversion and disgust of the congregation in the mosque. People who oppose those fasting during Ramadan are to the same extent the target of the aversion and disgust of the whole world of Islam.

All-Wise Qur’an was revealed in Ramadan.

Read or listen to the reciters with reverence.

Seventh Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in the fast of Ramadan with respect to man’s gain and profit, who comes to this world to cultivate and trade for the hereafter, is as follows:

The reward for actions in the month of Ramadan is a thousand fold. According to Hadith, each word of the All-Wise Qur’an has ten merits; each is counted as ten merits and will yield ten fruits in Paradise.

While during Ramadan, each word bears not ten fruits but a thousand, and verses like Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) thousands for each word, and on Fridays in Ramadan it is even more. And on the Night of Power, each word is counted as thirty thousand merits.

Indeed, the All-Wise Qur’an, each of whose words yield thirty thousand eternal fruits, is like a luminous Tree of Tuba that gains for believers in Ramadan millions of those eternal fruits. So, come and look at this sacred, eternal profitable trade, then consider it and understand the infinite loss of those who do not appreciate the value of its words.

To put it simply, the month of Ramadan is an extremely profitable display and market for the trade of the hereafter. It is an extremely fertile piece of land for the crops of the next world. For the growth and flourishing of actions it is like April showers in the spring. It is a brilliant holy festival for the parade of mankind’s worship in the face of the sovereignty of divine dominicality. Since it is thus, mankind has been charged with fasting in order not to heedlessly indulge the animal needs of the instinctual soul like eating and drinking, nor to indulge the appetites lustfully and in trivialities. For, by temporarily rising above animality and quitting the calls of this world man approaches the angelic state and enters upon the trade of the hereafter. By fasting, he approaches the state of the hereafter and that of a spirit appearing in bodily form. It is as if man then becomes a sort of mirror reflecting the Eternally Besought One. Indeed, the month of Ramadan comprises and gains a permanent, eternal life in this fleeting world and brief transient life. Certainly, a single Ramadan can produce fruits equal to that of a lifetime of eighty years. The Qur’an stating that the Night of Power is more auspicious than a thousand months is a decisive proof of this.

For example, a monarch may declare certain days to be festivals during his reign, or perhaps once a year, either on his accession to the throne or on some other days that reflect a glittering manifestation of his sovereignty. On those occasions he favors his subjects, not within the compass of his laws generally but with his special bounties and favors through his unveiled presence and his wondrous activities. He favors with his especial regard and attention those of his nation who are completely loyal and worthy.

In the same way, the All-Glorious Monarch of eighteen thousand worlds, who is the Sovereign of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, revealed in Ramadan the illustrious decree of the All-Wise Qur’an, which looks to the eighteen thousand worlds. It is a requirement of wisdom, then, that Ramadan should be like special divine festival, a dominical display, and a spiritual gathering. Since Ramadan is such festival, God has commanded man to fast, in order to disengage him to a degree from base, animal activities.

The most excellent fasting is to make the human senses and organs, such as the eyes, ears, heart, and thoughts, fast together with the stomach. That is, to withdraw them from unlawful things and from trivia, and to urge each of them to their particular worship.

For example, to ban the tongue from lying, back-biting, and obscene language and to make it fast; and to busy it with such activities as reciting the Qur’an, praying, glorifying God’s Names, asking for God’s blessings for the Prophet Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and seeking forgiveness for sins; and for example, to prevent the eyes looking at members of the opposite sex outside the stipulated degrees of kinship, and the ears from hearing harmful things, and to use the eyes to take lessons and the ears to listen to the truth and to the Qur’an, is to make other organs fast too. As a matter of fact, since the stomach is the largest factory, when it has an enforced holiday from work through fasting, the other small workshops are made to follow it easily.

Senses such as eyes, ears, and tongs refrain from unlawful things/trivia and worship.

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basicsofislam · 22 days

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BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: On the Month of Ramadan.Part2

Third Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting from the point of view of man’s social life is as follows:

Human beings have been created differently with regard to their livelihoods. In consequence of this, God Almighty invites the rich to assist the poor, so that through the hunger experienced in fasting, they can truly understand the pains and hunger which the poor suffer. If there were no fasting, many self-indulgent rich would be unable to perceive just how grievous are hunger and poverty and how needy of compassion are those who suffer them.

Compassion for one’s fellow men is an essential part of true thankfulness.

Whoever a person is, there will always be someone poorer than himself in some respect. He is enjoined to be compassionate towards such a person. If he were not himself compelled to suffer hunger, he would be unable give the person – through compassion – the help and assistance he is obliged to offer. And even if he were able, it would be deficient, for he would not have truly experienced hunger himself.

Truly experience hunger yourself.

Become more compassionate towards others.

Fourth Point

One instance of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with respect to training the instinctual soul is as follows:

The instinctual soul wants to be free and independent, and considers itself to be thus. According to the dictates of its nature, it even desires an imaginary dominicality and to act as it pleases. It does not want to admit that it is being sustained and trained through innumerable bounties. Especially if it possesses worldly wealth and power, and if heedlessness also encourages it, it will devour God’s bounties like a usurping, thieving animal.

Thus, in the month of Ramadan, the instinctual soul of everyone, from the richest to the poorest, may understand that it does not own itself but is totally owned; that it is not free, but is a slave.

It understands that if it receives no command, it may not do the simplest and easiest thing; it cannot even stretch out its hand for water. Its imaginary dominicality is therefore shattered; it performs its worship and begins to offer thanks, its true duty.

Train your soul.

Offer worship and thanks.

Fifth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of improving the conduct of the instinctual soul and giving up its rebellious habits is as follows:

Due to its heedlessness the human soul forgets itself; it cannot see its utter powerlessness, want, and deficiency and it does not wish to see them. It does not think of just how weak it is, and how subject to transience and to disasters, nor of the fact that it consists merely of flesh and bones, which quickly decay and fall apart.

Simply, it assaults the world as though it possessed a body made of steel and imagined itself to be undying and eternal. It hurls itself on the world with intense greed and voracity, and passionate attachment and love. It is captivated by anything that gives it pleasure or that profits it. Moreover, it forgets its Creator, who sustains it with perfect compassion, and does not think of the consequences of its life and its life in the hereafter. Indeed, it wallows in dissipation and misconduct.

However, fasting in the month of Ramadan awakens even the most heedless and obstinate to their weakness, impotence, and want.

Hunger makes them think of their stomachs and they understand the need therein. They realize how unsound are their weak bodies, and perceive how needy they are for kindness and compassion. So they abandon the soul’s pharaoh-like despotism and recognizing their utter impotence and want, perceive a desire to take refuge at the divine court. They prepare themselves to knock at the door of mercy with the hands of thankfulness – so long as heedlessness has not destroyed their hearts, that is.

Recognize your utter impotence.

Knock at the door of mercy with the hands of thankfulness.

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