all about your islam

What is the ruling on offering congratulations on the occasion of the Hijri new year and saying “Kull ‘aam wa antum bi khayr” or praying for blessing, or sending a card with best wishes for blessings in the new year? Praise be to Allah   Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on congratulating people on the occasion of the Hijri new year, and how should one reply to a person who offers congratulations?  He replied:  If someone offers you congratulations, then respond to him, but do not initiate such greetings. This is the correct view concerning this matter. So if a person says to you, for example, “Happy New Year”, then you can say, “May Allaah make it a good and blessed year for you.” But you should not initiate such a greeting, because I do not know of any report that the salaf [early generations of Islam] congratulated one another on the occasion of the new year, rather the salaf did not rega...

Praise be to Allaah. The definition of the ‘awrah of children, male and female, is something for which there is no clear evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The view of most of the fuqaha’ is that when a girl reaches the age where she may be desired by those of a sound nature, then her ‘awrah is like that of an adult woman. But if she has not reached that age, then it is permissible to make concessions about her hijab until she does reach that age. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: There is no ruling on the ‘awrah of a very young girl, and she does not have to cover her face, neck, hands and feet, and a small girl should not be obliged to do that. But when a girl reaches an age when men could be attracted to her and desire her, then she should observe hijab so as to ward off fitnah and evil. This varies from one woman to another; some of them grow quickly and start looking attractive and others do not.   With regard to wearing skimpy c...

Praise be to Allaah. The best sacrifice is a camel, then a cow, then a sheep, then to have a share in a cow. This is the view of Abu Haneefah and al-Shaafa’i, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning Jumu’ah: “Whoever comes at the earliest hour, it is as if he sacrificed a camel. Whoever comes in the second hour, it is as if he sacrificed a cow.  Whoever comes in the third hour, it is as if he sacrificed a horned ram. Whoever comes in the fourth hour, it is as if he sacrificed a chicken. Whoever comes in the fifth hour, it is as if he sacrificed an egg.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 881; Muslim, 850. It is a sacrifice by means of which one draws closer to Allaah, so the best (to be offered) is a camel, as in the case of the hadiy (sacrifice offered by the pilgrim on Hajj).  A sheep is better than sharing in a camel, because the aim of the sacrifice is to shed blood. A ram is better than a sheep (ewe), because...

Praise be to Allaah. There are many types of tawaaf around the Ka’bah:  Tawaaf al-ifaadah during Hajj, which is also called tawaaf al-ziyaarah (tawaaf of visiting). It takes place after the standing in ‘Arafah, on the day of al-Adha or after it. It is one of the pillars or essential parts of the Hajj. Tawaaf al-qudoom (tawaaf of arrival) for Hajj. This is done by the pilgrim who has entered ihraam for Hajj and by the pilgrim who is doing Qiraan, i.e., joining ‘Umrah and Hajj, when he reaches the Ka’bah. It is one of the obligatory duties or Sunnahs of Hajj – there is a difference of scholarly opinion.  The tawaaf of ‘Umrah. It is one of the pillars or essential parts of ‘Umrah, which is not valid without it.  Tawaaf al-wadaa’ (the farewell tawaaf), which is done after completing the actions of Hajj and when one has decided to leave Makkah al-Mukarramah. It is obligatory, according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, for all pilgrim...

Praise be to Allaah. There are many points of etiquette to be followed by the traveller, which the scholars have compiled. One of those who compiled these rulings well was al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him), in his book  al-Majmoo’  (4/264-287), where he mentions sixty-two points of etiquette. We will mention some of them in brief, and anyone who wants to know more may consult the writings of al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him).  He said:  Chapter on the etiquette of travelling:  This is an important topic, for which there is a great need.  Our aim here is to refer to this etiquette in brief.  1 – When a person wants to travel, it is mustahabb for him to consult those whose religious commitment, experience and knowledge he trusts about travelling at that time. The one who is consulted must be sincere in offering advice and avoid being influenced by whims and desires. Allaah says (interpretation of the meani...

Is it haram or even undesireable for us to touch dogs? I have heard many Muslims say that dogs are dirty and Satan has spit on them. Also, that if we do touch a dog, we have to wash our hands several times. I haven't been able to find anything concerning this in the Qur'an, Hadith, or Islamic books. Please help. Praise be to Allaah.   The answer to this question is twofold:  1 – The ruling on keeping a dog.  It is haraam to keep a dog unless it is for the purposes for which Islam permits keeping dogs. Whoever keeps a dog – except a dog for hunting or farming – his reward will decrease each day by one or two qeeraats.  It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Whoever keeps a dog, except a dog that is trained for hunting or a dog for herding livestock, his reward will decrease each day by two qeeraats.’” (Narrated by ...

It’s Jumuah! The most blessed day of the week! So how do we make the most of it? Depending whether Friday is a day off for you or not, we’ve covered below some key activities to make most of your Jumuah which you can judge how best to fit in your life insha’Allah. The important thing to remember is that this day is truly special and you should give it due consideration. THE TIMING OF JUMUAH Many people forget that Jumuah starts from the Maghreb of Thursday, i.e. the night before and ends with maghreb of Jumuah. So as soon as the maghreb for Thursday hits, remember it’s Jumuah and you should try and fill up your hours with sending blessings upon the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), recitation of Quran, Tahajjud and extra remembrance of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). THE MORNING HOURS During the early hours of Friday, we recommend you to follow the ProductiveMuslim Morning Routine, with the only difference being that for the reading Quran part, you...