Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Role of the Wife in Islam

The Role of the Wife in Islam

The blessed Prophet (saw) said, "The whole world is a provision, and the best object of provision in this world is the pious woman."

In Islam, the wife plays a pivotal role in married life and her role necessitates that she possess certain qualities, thus making her a good wife. Her thoughts, speech, actions and inclinations are all for the sake of gaining the pleasure of Allah (swt), The Lord of the Universe. When a wife seeks to please her husband, ultimately it is the pleasure of Allah (swt) that she wishes to seek. The qualities that a wife should possess, which are liked by her Creator have been outlined in Soorah al-Ahzaab. The Muslim woman is a true woman, humble, patient, constant, guards her modesty in her husband's absence, maintains integrity in times of adversity and prosperity and engages much in the praise of Allah (swt).

When a Muslim wife marries she must understand that she has certain roles and responsibilities in Islaam, which are unique by her Creator. Allah (swt) has made women different to men as mentioned in the Noble Qura'an "And wish not for the things which Allah (swt) has made some of you excel others and for men there is reward for what they have earned and likewise for women there is reward for what they have earned, ask Allah of His bounty, surely, Allah is ever All-Knower of everything." (4:32).

We can see from this aayah that Allah (swt) has made clear distinction between a man and a woman's role and it is not lawful for a man or woman to question the defined roles as Allah (swt) says, "It is not lawful for a man or woman when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should have a say over it." (33:36)

Hence the Muslim wife being the true servant of Allah (swt) will serve her husband according to the principles of the Sharee'ah (Islamic law), and in return the husband has certain duties he must fulfil towards his wife.

Among other rights, the wife has the right to Nafaqah, which is food, clothing and shelter, from her husband. He is obliged to spend from his wealth for it even if she possesses her own wealth. The Messenger Muhammad (saw) said, "Your wives have a right on you that you provide them with food, clothing and shelter in a fitting manner." (Muslim)

It is important to note that when the wife carries out her duties towards her husband, she does it as an act of submission to her Creator; hence her reward is from her Creator. The Prophet (saw) loved his wives for their piety. 'Aa'ishah (ra) once narrated the fine qualities of Zaynab (ra), the seventh wife of the Prophet (saw): "Zaynab was the one who was somewhat equal in rank with me in the eyes of Allah's Messenger and I have never seen a woman more advanced in piety than Zaynab, more god-conscious, more truthful, more alive to the ties of blood, more generous and having more sense of self sacrifice in practical life and having more charitable disposition and thus more closer to Allah."

Such great Muslim women are examples for us, worthy of emulation, from which a Muslim woman can learn purity, strength of character, soundness of belief and wisdom. For emulation of the Mothers of Paradise can only lead us to the bounty of Paradise (inshallaah).

Abu Nu'aym narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "When a woman observes the five times of prayer, fasts during Ramadan, preserves her chastity and obeys her husband, she may enter Paradise by any of the gates she wishes." (Al-Bukhaari, al-Muwatta' and Musnad of Imaam Ahmad).


Its better to be hated for what you are and loved for what you not.Pay no mind for those who talk behind your back it simply means that your two steps ahead.Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind. The measure of love is when you love without measure.....

Failure...

Failure doesn't mean you are a failure it just means you haven't succeeded yet
Robert H. Schuller

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Muslim Marriages Bill

Muslim Marriages Bill to be adopted soon

Published in: Legalbrief Today
Date: Tue 24 March 2009
Category: Legislation
Issue No: 2281

Justice bosses are rushing through laws that will stop Muslim women from being treated as second-class citizens - only weeks after their failure to pass such laws saw legal action being launched against President Kgalema Motlanthe, says a Cape Times report.

The Department of Justice said yesterday that a Muslim Marriages Bill - which recognises marriages concluded according to Islamic rites - should be submitted to the Cabinet for approval this week. The Women's Legal Centre launched a Constitutional Court application against Motlanthe and justice and parliamentary heads last month, claiming they had failed to fulfil their 'obligations in relation to equality of women' by not passing legislation recognising marriages under Islamic rites. According to Women's Legal Centre chair, Shaamela Cassiem, the failure of government left women married under Islamic rites vulnerable because the status and custody of the children born from their marriages, their divorces and maintenance, fall outside SA law. The report notes that the centre argues that the state's failure to recognise marriages concluded in accordance with Islamic rites discriminates against Muslim women on the grounds of gender and religion.

Friday, March 06, 2009

Salaah

Here are practical ways we can improve and enjoy our Salaah as it was meant to be! Today we have indeed come to treat the Prayer (Salaah) as something insignificant in our lives. Very often we hear our elders say,
"I will start praying when the time comes." Others, especially the younger Muslims, do not find much comfort, and joy in their Prayers. Due to our treatment of Prayer as a burden, our love and passion for the Prayer has vanished.

Our hearts have become hardened, and we have become a depressed and defeated people. As a result, many are searching for 'cures and remedies' to the distress in our lives, through any means available, but
are unable to find any because they have ignored the greatest medicine - Salaah!

If we look deep into our daily lives and diagnose the causes of our spiritual, social and psychological illnesses, we will realize that probably something as uplifting, as evolutionary, and empowering as Salaah is missing. If we, the youth, realize the potential role of Prayer in changing our lives and as a constant source of hope, we would regret missing even a single Salaah.

*The Role of Salaah in Changing our Lives*

The whole purpose of Salaah is to be ever conscious of Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Salaah is indeed, one of the most comprehensive forms of Dhikr (Remembrance). No wonder, Allah states in a Hadith qudsi: "Out of all the ways through which my servant gets closer to Me, Salaah is the dearest to Me." (Bukhari)

It is unfortunate, therefore, that we do not always take full advantage of this gift. We may compare the obligatory Salaah to bathing five times a day. If after such frequent bathing, your body still remains dirty,
then we may question the usefulness and efficacy of such bathing. Similarly, if after regular observance of Prayer your heart remains unmoved and your morals remain corrupt, we may question the usefulness
of your Prayer. If you enter into Salaah and come out of it the same person, then you have missed something great. How can you improve the quality of your Salaah?

Remember, first and foremost, that as soon as you commence your Salaah, Shaytan makes it his duty to fill your mind with anything and everything, but thoughts of Allah. He tries ceaselessly to disengage
your mind and heart from such remembrance. It is this state of absentmindedness that destroys the quality of your Prayer.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said: "Allah does not accept the Prayers of an individual until his heart achieves in it what his body has achieved." [Al- Ghazali in Ihya-Uloom ad-Deen] The ability to concentrate in Prayer may be improved by undertaking adequate psychological, mental and physical preparation before the prayer and by utilizing certain techniques during the Prayer.

*Ways to Improve Salaah*

v Avoid praying in a state in which you are mentally and physically fatigued. Keep your mind free of worldly worries, evil thoughts, and ideas.
Plan what verses/Dua'as you are going to recite.

v If you do not understand Arabic, learn the meaning of what you recite in your Prayer.
Remind yourself that engaging in Prayer offers you an opportunity to release yourself from the tensions of this world. The Prophet (saw) has said that in Prayer was placed the comfort of his eyes. Therefore cherish the opportunity to remove the burdens of this world from your shoulders.

v Use your Prayer to remain focused on your mission in life, which is to bring your entire being to serve only Allah.

v Use your Prayer as a source of strength, inspiration and enthusiasm for your life and activities.

v Fulfill all your personal needs before you commence your Prayer, for e.g. thirst, hunger and calls of nature.

v Pray in a pure physical state. Perform your wudhu with care and perfection. Although the whole earth is a masjid or a place of worship, choose a place that is clean.
Pray in an environment free of noise and one where there is no distraction. Adorn yourself with clean and respectable clothes.

v Assess your mental readiness for Prayer before its commencement, during the various postures, after each raka'ah and ultimately at the end.

v Pray with humility both in your mental state and in your physical manner.

v Pray with hope and awe.

v Remind yourself continually that you are talking to the most important 'One' in your life - your Creator and Sustainer. He is in front of you. You are facing Him and you are involved in a dialogue with Him.

v Commence your Prayer by seeking Allah's help and protection from the influences of Shaytan.

v Lower your gaze while praying and do not allow the physical environment to distract you.

v On each occasion that you recite the Sifat or attributes of Allah in Ruku and Sajdah, consider how indebted you are and how grateful you should be to Allah and express your true emotions.

v Utilize the occasion of Sajdah to make additional Dua'a to Allah. The Prophet said: "A servant is nearest to his Lord when he is in Sajdah, so increase

The are many other ways to improve and enjoy your Salaah - refer to OTHER sources - by enjoying Salaah your live with become easy in this world as well as the year after...TRY IT..

*Sadly, religion has become a weekend thing for most Muslims where offering Friday prayers means immunity from everything that is required of a Muslim.*

Jummah Mubarak


Every prayer must be performed as if it’s one's last prayer in this world

Wonderful things are

Carefully created by ALLAH

Wonderful moments are

Carefully planned by ALLAH

People like you are

Carefully chosen by ALLAH!

WE belong to the Deen of Islam

How WONDERFUL is that…

May ALLAH give us the strength on this day,

May ALLAH forgive us for all our sins on this day,

May ALLAH protect us from evil on this day,

May ALLAH give us health on this day,

May ALLAH keep us save to our distension on this day,

May ALLAH accept all our DU'AH's on this day,

AND LASTLY

Let us make SHUKR to ALLAH for everything he has done for us “TAKBEER” Allahu Akbar

Jummah Mubarak

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

IslamicGoogle: a search engine for information about Islam, Muslims

New Delhi: A new search engine exclusive for information about Islam and Muslims has been launched. Powered by Google the IslamicGoogle search engine will use "safe search" technology and produces results from all over the internet with more preference to famous Islamic websites.

“Islamic search engine powered by Google striving to provide an easy to use resource to anyone wanting to learn more about Islam and provide a good way for Muslims to surf the web safely,” says the search engine.

“IslamicGoogle is powered by Google using "safe search" technology, it produces results from all over the internet with more weighting to given to famous Islamic websites and eliminates the vast majority of unsavoury content, such as pornography, it apply strict filtering for both explicit text and explicit images.” The website, however, is not associated with the search giant Google.com.

“The site is not associated or affiliated with Google.com, we work closely with Google to help ensure that the results are not objectionable in nature, however, some of the results and adverts that are displayed may not be in line with Islam and we do not endorse any of the results or adverts displayed on Islamic Google.”

http://www.islamicgoogle.com/

France star and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery performing Umrah

France star and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery performing Umrah


Laylatul Ilham "Night of Inspiration"

Islamic Helpline hosts a fundraising event Laylatul Ilham "Night of Inspiration" an evening of plays & entertainment (for ladies only).

VENUE: Baitun Noor Centre, Ext 5, Lenasia

DATE: Friday - 6 March 2009

TIME: 6.45pm for 7pm.

Tickets Cost: R100

(ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS BUILDING FUND)

Call: 011 852 1930 or 011 852 7242