THE HOLY QURAN :
“Alif Lam Ra.(This is) a Book with verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning) further
explained in detail from One Who is Wise and Well-Acquainted (with all things): (It teaches) that you
should worship none but Allah. (Say:) ‘Verily I am (sent) unto you from Him to warn and to bring glad
tidings. ("And to preach thus) ‘Seek you the forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance;
that He may grant you enjoyment good (and true) for a term appointed and bestow His abounding grace
on all who abound in merit! But if you turn away then I fear for you the Penalty of a Great Day.’ ”
(11;1-3)
“But ask forgiveness of your Lord and turn unto Him (in repentance): for my Lord is indeed Full of
mercy and loving-kindness.” (11;90)
"But Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad) were amongst them, nor will He punish
them while they seek (Allah's) Forgiveness.” (8;33)
HADITH ON IMPORTANCE OF ISTIGHFAR:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone continually asks pardon, Allah will appoint for him a
way out of every distress, and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide for him from where he did
not reckon. (Abu Dawud)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is (at times) some sort of shade upon my heart, and I seek
forgiveness from Allah a hundred times a day.”(Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in
repentance more than seventy times a day."( Bukhari)
THE WAY TO DO ISTIGHFAR:
“Astaghfirullah” – “I seek Allah's forgiveness.” (Muslim),
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would say: “Astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilaik” – “I seek Your forgiveness
and return unto You." (Ahmad, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud .)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever says, on Friday morning before the salatul fajr:
‘Astaghfirullaahalladhi laa ilaaha illa huwal hayyul qayyumu wa attuubu ilaih’ – ‘I seek the forgiveness
of Allah, there is no other god except Him, the Living, the Sustaining, and I repent unto Him,’ three
times, Allah will forgive his sins even if they were as abundant as the foam on the sea."
The Prophet ( peace be upon him), said, "The best supplication for forgiveness is to say, 'Allahumma
anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu.
A'udhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya wa abu'u laka bidhanbi faghfirli innahu
la yaghfirudhdhunuba illa anta (O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You created me and
I am Your servant, and I try my best to keep my covenant (faith) with You and to live in the hope of
Your promise. I seek refuge in You from evil done by me. I acknowledge Your favors upon me and I
acknowledge my sins. So forgive me for none forgives sins but You."') The Prophet (peace be upon
him), added, "If somebody recites this during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day
before the evening, he will be one of the people of Paradise. And if somebody recites it at night with
firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be one of the people of Paradise." (Bukhari)
Showing posts with label Way of Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Way of Life. Show all posts
Monday, November 2, 2009
IDDAH (WAITING PERIOD FOR A WIDOW)
What is Iddah?
The literal meaning of Iddah is to keep count. In Islamic legal terminology, it is the period after her husband’s
demise, in which the woman has been instructed to refrain from getting married again.
The period of Iddah:
According to the directives of Allah SWT, the waiting period for widows is four months and ten days.
“And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage)
for four months and ten days.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 234
If the widow is pregnant, then the waiting period is till the birth of the child, irrespective of whether it is
before the 4 month 10 days period or several months after it.
“And for those who are pregnant, their Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay down their burden; ” (Surah
At-Talaq, Verse 4)
What is mourning:
In a hadith the Prophet (SAW) is reported as saying:
“It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day, that she should mourn a dead person for
more than three days except in the case of her husband whom she should mourn for four months and ten days.”
(Muttafiq ‘Alaih)
Mourning is:
1.To refrain from adornment
A widow observing the waiting period, should not beautify herself in any way or wear ornaments. She should
not wear attractive clothes or bright colors. All kinds of make-up including henna and kohl is forbidden; neither
can she apply perfume or wear jewellery.
Wisdom: The wisdom of this instruction to adopt simplicity is two-fold: it is done to show respect and honour
for the sanctity of the marriage bond and the time spent with her husband; also to avoid the possibility of
receiving marriage proposals.
2.To avoid going out.
During the waiting period, the widow should not leave her house except if it is for some important reason (the
necessity of which is left to her judgement based on her Taqwa- her love, respect and fear of Allah).
Livelihood Requirements:
During the waiting period, if there is no one else to do this for her, a widow is allowed to go out for absolutely
unavoidable tasks, such as going to the doctor, taking the children to school, shopping for groceries etc
Similarly, if she has no one to provide for her and no other means of income, and she needs to earn her
livelihood, then it is permissible to take up employment, resume her job in order to ensure it’s continuity, or as
is the case in villages, to work on the land and tend to the cattle. However the other conditions of Iddah must be
observed i.e. simplicity and lack of adornment and returning home before nightfall. (Allah knows best)
Abroad or During Haj:
If she has permanent residence abroad or if she is widowed during an overseas visit, where the local laws do
not allow her to stay on, then she should return to he own country. Similarly, if she is widowed during Haj, it is
naturally not possible for her to stay there, and in these situations, the instruction to spend the Iddah period
where her husband passed away does not apply. She can return to her own country to spend the waiting period
in her own home.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The Prophet (SAW) said:
“Allah does not go after your bodies and appearances, but He scans your hearts.”( Muslim)
__________________________________________________________________________________
The literal meaning of Iddah is to keep count. In Islamic legal terminology, it is the period after her husband’s
demise, in which the woman has been instructed to refrain from getting married again.
The period of Iddah:
According to the directives of Allah SWT, the waiting period for widows is four months and ten days.
“And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage)
for four months and ten days.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 234
If the widow is pregnant, then the waiting period is till the birth of the child, irrespective of whether it is
before the 4 month 10 days period or several months after it.
“And for those who are pregnant, their Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay down their burden; ” (Surah
At-Talaq, Verse 4)
What is mourning:
In a hadith the Prophet (SAW) is reported as saying:
“It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day, that she should mourn a dead person for
more than three days except in the case of her husband whom she should mourn for four months and ten days.”
(Muttafiq ‘Alaih)
Mourning is:
1.To refrain from adornment
A widow observing the waiting period, should not beautify herself in any way or wear ornaments. She should
not wear attractive clothes or bright colors. All kinds of make-up including henna and kohl is forbidden; neither
can she apply perfume or wear jewellery.
Wisdom: The wisdom of this instruction to adopt simplicity is two-fold: it is done to show respect and honour
for the sanctity of the marriage bond and the time spent with her husband; also to avoid the possibility of
receiving marriage proposals.
2.To avoid going out.
During the waiting period, the widow should not leave her house except if it is for some important reason (the
necessity of which is left to her judgement based on her Taqwa- her love, respect and fear of Allah).
Livelihood Requirements:
During the waiting period, if there is no one else to do this for her, a widow is allowed to go out for absolutely
unavoidable tasks, such as going to the doctor, taking the children to school, shopping for groceries etc
Similarly, if she has no one to provide for her and no other means of income, and she needs to earn her
livelihood, then it is permissible to take up employment, resume her job in order to ensure it’s continuity, or as
is the case in villages, to work on the land and tend to the cattle. However the other conditions of Iddah must be
observed i.e. simplicity and lack of adornment and returning home before nightfall. (Allah knows best)
Abroad or During Haj:
If she has permanent residence abroad or if she is widowed during an overseas visit, where the local laws do
not allow her to stay on, then she should return to he own country. Similarly, if she is widowed during Haj, it is
naturally not possible for her to stay there, and in these situations, the instruction to spend the Iddah period
where her husband passed away does not apply. She can return to her own country to spend the waiting period
in her own home.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The Prophet (SAW) said:
“Allah does not go after your bodies and appearances, but He scans your hearts.”( Muslim)
__________________________________________________________________________________
A Mother’s Advice To Her Daughter For Marriage
‘Abd al-Malik (RA) said: “When ‘Awf ibn Muhallim al-Shaybani, one of the most highly respected
leaders of the Arab nobility during the jahiliyyah, married his daughter Umm Iyas to al-Harith ibn
‘Amr al-Kindi, she was made ready to be taken to the groom, then her mother, Umamah came into
her, to advise her and said:
‘O my daughter, if it were deemed unnecessary to give you this advice because of good manners
and noble descent, then it would have been unnecessary for you, because you posses these
qualities, but it will serve as a reminder to those who are forgetful, and will help those who are
wise.
‘O my daughter, if a woman were able to do without a husband by virtue of her father’s wealth and
her need for her father, then you of all people would be most able to do without a husband, but
women were created for men just as men were created for them.
‘O my daughter, you are about to leave the home in which you grew up, where you first learned to
walk, to go to a place you do not know, to a companion to whom you are unfamiliar. By marrying
you, he has become a master over you, so be like a servant to him, and he will become like a
servant to you.
‘Take from me ten qualities, which will be a provision and a reminder for you.
‘The first and second of them are: be content in his company, and listen to and obey him, for
contentment brings peace of mind, and listening to and obeying one’s husband pleases Allah.
‘The third and fourth of them are: make sure that you smell good and look good; he should not
see anything ugly in you, and he should not smell anything but a pleasant smell from you. Kohl is
the best kind of beautification to be found, and water is better than the rarest perfume.
‘The fifth and sixth of them are: prepare his food on time, and keep quiet when he is asleep, for
raging hunger is like a burning flame, and disturbing his sleep will make him angry.
‘The seventh and eighth of them are: take care of his servants (or employees) and children, and
take care of his wealth, for taking care of his wealth shows that you appreciate him, and taking
care of his children and servants shows good management.
‘The ninth and tenth of them are: never disclose any of his secrets, and never disobey any of his
orders, for if you disclose any of his secrets you will never feel safe from his possible betrayal,
and if you disobey him, his heart will be filled with hatred towards you.
‘Be careful, O my daughter, of showing joy in front of him when he is upset, and do not show
sorrow in front of him when he is happy, because the former shows a lack of judgment whilst the
latter will make him unhappy.
‘Show him as much honor and respect as you can, and agree with him as much as you can, so
that he will enjoy your companionship and conversation.
‘Know, O my daughter, that you will not achieve what you would like to until you put his pleasure
before your own, and his wishes before yours, in whatever you like and dislike. And may Allah
choose what is best for you and protect you.”
Jamharah Khutah al-‘Arab, 1/145
Taken from: http://salafiummi.multiply.com
leaders of the Arab nobility during the jahiliyyah, married his daughter Umm Iyas to al-Harith ibn
‘Amr al-Kindi, she was made ready to be taken to the groom, then her mother, Umamah came into
her, to advise her and said:
‘O my daughter, if it were deemed unnecessary to give you this advice because of good manners
and noble descent, then it would have been unnecessary for you, because you posses these
qualities, but it will serve as a reminder to those who are forgetful, and will help those who are
wise.
‘O my daughter, if a woman were able to do without a husband by virtue of her father’s wealth and
her need for her father, then you of all people would be most able to do without a husband, but
women were created for men just as men were created for them.
‘O my daughter, you are about to leave the home in which you grew up, where you first learned to
walk, to go to a place you do not know, to a companion to whom you are unfamiliar. By marrying
you, he has become a master over you, so be like a servant to him, and he will become like a
servant to you.
‘Take from me ten qualities, which will be a provision and a reminder for you.
‘The first and second of them are: be content in his company, and listen to and obey him, for
contentment brings peace of mind, and listening to and obeying one’s husband pleases Allah.
‘The third and fourth of them are: make sure that you smell good and look good; he should not
see anything ugly in you, and he should not smell anything but a pleasant smell from you. Kohl is
the best kind of beautification to be found, and water is better than the rarest perfume.
‘The fifth and sixth of them are: prepare his food on time, and keep quiet when he is asleep, for
raging hunger is like a burning flame, and disturbing his sleep will make him angry.
‘The seventh and eighth of them are: take care of his servants (or employees) and children, and
take care of his wealth, for taking care of his wealth shows that you appreciate him, and taking
care of his children and servants shows good management.
‘The ninth and tenth of them are: never disclose any of his secrets, and never disobey any of his
orders, for if you disclose any of his secrets you will never feel safe from his possible betrayal,
and if you disobey him, his heart will be filled with hatred towards you.
‘Be careful, O my daughter, of showing joy in front of him when he is upset, and do not show
sorrow in front of him when he is happy, because the former shows a lack of judgment whilst the
latter will make him unhappy.
‘Show him as much honor and respect as you can, and agree with him as much as you can, so
that he will enjoy your companionship and conversation.
‘Know, O my daughter, that you will not achieve what you would like to until you put his pleasure
before your own, and his wishes before yours, in whatever you like and dislike. And may Allah
choose what is best for you and protect you.”
Jamharah Khutah al-‘Arab, 1/145
Taken from: http://salafiummi.multiply.com
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