Best Hadith Ever!
On the authority of Tamim Al-Dari that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:
“Religion is nasihah.” We said: “To whom?” The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said: “To Allah and His Book, and His messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.” [Muslim]
Background
The word “nasihah” cannot be accurately translated to English because it is a broad concept which cannot be traced in the English language. Some use the term “sincerity” but this is only part of the concept – to negate deception/cheating. According to Imam Ibnu al-Salah, nasihah is “truly seeking the best, in terms of intention and action, for the one whom he is making nasihah to”.
This hadith is a profound statement as Sheikh Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo says that in this one brief statement the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, described the essence of Islam. Nasihah hence forms the bulk and the most important pillar of Islam since it encompasses Islam, Iman and Ihsan.
LESSONS
Nasihah to Allah
The nasihah should be to Allah first. This includes the fulfillment of the obligations in the best way possible (Ihsan).This should be the goal for every Muslim. This also includes striving to get as close to Allah as possible by doing not only the obligations but also the preferable good deeds, by forbidding the forbidden and avoiding the disliked acts.
Nasihah to Allah also involves:
* believing in Allah and denying any partners with Him.
* believing in His attributes.
* obeying Him.
* fulfilling His commands and abstaining from what He has forbidden.
* doing what is best to remember Him, under all circumstances.
* loving whatever He loves and hating whatever He hates, be it objects, persons, actions, sayings, etc.
* recognising the blessings He has bestowed upon us and properly thanking Him for these blessings.
To do nasihah to Allah one should have the correct intention in one’s heart to fulfill the rights of Allah, even when one is excused and it is beyond one’s ability to perform these obligations. Sometimes a person may not be able to perform an obligation but at least he has good intentions in his heart to fulfill it in the first place.
The actions of the heart (i.e. to have hope in Allah’s mercy, to trust Him, to fear Him and to seek refuge in Him), and the actions of the limbs (prayers, Zakah, etc.) also fall under nasihah to Allah.
Honesty is also another aspect of this great concept. In whatever we do we should always be honest with Allah, similarly with ikhlas (sincerity). In fact ikhlas should be the first thing that a Muslim should attain when we talk about nasihah to Allah.
Nasihah to His Book
This includes:-
* Believing that the Qur’an is from Allah, that it is the Word of Allah and that it is not like the word of man.
* According to one’s ability, to read and recite the Qur’an and to practice it.
* To study it’s admonitions, lessons and parables.
* Calling others to believe in the Qur’an.
* To defend and protect it from any kind of distortion or misinterpretation.
* Defending the Qur’an against false claims made against it.
* Having proper respect and treating the Qur’an in a proper manner – e.g. to be careful not to throw away a piece of paper which has an ayat printed on it (magazine article, etc.) as it may be stepped on – we should also be aware if we see such a piece of paper on the ground to pick it up and keep it away safely or destroy it by burning it so that it is not subject to disrespect.
Nasihah to His Messenger
This includes:-
* Believing the Prophet’s, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, message.
* Believing in all that he brought as being divinely inspired.
* Loving him more than we love ourselves and our families – it is the second level of love after the love of Allah.
* Our love for him should lead to other obligations like obeying him.
* Helping him and defending him (for those who were alive during his time) – defending his honour and respecting his status.
* For the people who came after the Prophet’s, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, life, we should respect and love his Sunnah which is an implication of loving him.
* To say “sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam” whenever his name is mentioned.
* To accept his Sunnah as a scale by which we judge things, actions and sayings.
* To accept him as the true leader and only human’s final word with respect to the religion – he is the only true human authority and everyone else’s statements/opinions come after his.
* To love those who love him and hate those who hate him.
* Reviving his Sunnah by learning, understanding, teaching and spreading it. However, when we call people to the Sunnah – as advised by Imam Ahmad – we should do it in a nice and proper way and not to end up fighting about it. One problem today is that many Muslims are unaware of the Sunnah and the status of the Sunnah – so one of the things we should do is to make these people love the Sunnah, and we should not do so in an aggressive or confrontational way as this might lead to the people being confused, offensive and rejecting the Sunnah.
There are so many bid’ah being practiced today and the way to remove bid’ah amongst the people is to revive the Sunnah (The Salaf said: “Bid’ah only arises when the Sunnan is not known or practiced.”). To revive the Sunnah, we should not start with the condemnation of bid’ah but rather with the introduction/presentation of the Sunnah. We have to set good role models of those who love, and follow the Sunnah and we should teach others in a nice, proper way so that others too can understand, love and appreciate the Sunnah. Then they will use the Sunnah as a scale to judge things. Slowly, insha Allah, bid’ah will be reduced and minimized.
When we try to educate people about the Sunnah, we should be careful not to confuse them by focussing on minor issues. Sunnan can be broken into different levels and we should start from the highest level. We should not teach people about the lower levels (details) when they haven’t been taught the higher levels (basic concepts). We should let the people understand and love the higher level Sunnan first before we go step by step into the lower levels, slowly covering more details. This, insha Allah, will lead to the revival of the Sunnah.
* To love both his family and his companions. Most Islamic sects love one or the other and not both. There are some deviated Islamic sects who are propagating their false beliefs by creating doubts about the Sahabahs (Companions) with the intention of making people hate them. This will lead to the rejection of the Sunnah. Some sects only believe the Sunnah that comes through their imams, e.g. the Shi’ah. We should be aware of the sources of narrations about the Sahabah as some of these narrations are false and may create doubts.
* To love those who follow, defend and strive to revive the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam.
Nasihah to the Muslim Leaders
The word ‘leader’ stands for both ‘ulama and those in authority (at all levels). Nasihah should be given to all leaders, no matter how high or what the ranking is. No one is above the law in Islam and no one is above needing advice. Nasihah is for the benefit of anyone who is in authority. This means that a ruler, leader or scholar should be the first to accept sincere advice.
Making nasihah to Muslim leaders should include:-
* Helping them in whatever is good or beneficial.
* Obeying them in what is right.
* Reminding them if they should err or forget.
* Being patient with them if they do things which we dislike – we try to do the nasihah and at the same time we tolerate the leader because otherwise it may lead to instability in the Muslim community.
* Making jihad with them and not revolting against their proper authority.
* One should pray for their guidance and piety.
* Choosing the right way, manner and channel in advising them. The Scholars say giving nasihah to leaders should be done according to certain rules:
1. One must have good intentions (ikhlas).
2. It should be done mildly, calling on them with respect.
3. Avoiding harshness and not to embarrass them – our aim is to advise and correct them and not to show off.
4. Not to divulge or inform others about their wrong-doings as this may lead to more problems in the society.
5. Give the nasihah privately and not publicly.
* If one is asked by the leader to do a maksiah or something which contradicts with Shariah, one shouldn’t obey. However, we should disobey in a nice/assertive manner and not in an aggressive way because our aim is to remind them that this is wrong so that they will change and not ask us to do the maksiah.
* For the Scholars, our nasihah is seeking knowledge from them.
* We obey them if their opinion is based on sound proof and evidence.
* Not to seek or point out their mistakes. There are some people who search for the mistakes of Scholars – we shouldn’t do this because Scholars are pious people and this act may cause Allah to be displeased with us. It may also create chaos in the community.
* Not to follow them blindly.
* Not to hollow them.
Nasihah to the Common Folk of the Muslims
This includes:-
* To observe the rights of other Muslims – fulfilling our obligations towards other Muslims. These obligations differ depending on the group of Muslims (e.g. our parents, children, relatives, neighbours, etc.) – e.g. greeting them, visiting them when they are sick, making du’a for them, giving advice if they ask for it, praying solat ul janazah for the one who dies, etc.
* To observe the concept of wala’ which means:
1. to love every Muslim.
2. to care for all Muslims.
3. to help other Muslims.
4. to defend/protect other Muslims
.
If you do not love, you will not care. If you do not care, you will not help. If you do not help, you will not protect.
The reason why so many Muslims today do not care or help others is because there is something wrong with the wala’ aspect of love. We should have love for other Muslims, especially those who are suffering, so we will care and help them. The Scholars say one way to help and the least we can do is to make du’a (pray for them).
There is a counter concept to al-wala’ which is al-bara or disassociation with (for the purpose of leading others from doing evil). However we should not do it:
1. for our own interest.
2. if it will not lead the other person to change his ways – we should not start with disassociation, we should start with giving advice and educating.
We should show love and concern and give nasihah in the proper way. If all else fails, then we can use the concept of disassociation (if it will lead to the person changing).
* The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said that “he is a real Muslim if he is the one who the other Muslims are saved from his tongue and his hand” – the true Muslim is one who will not harm others verbally or physically, in any way or by any means.
* Having mercy for the young and showing respect to the elders – it is part of glorifying Allah that we respect the elder Muslims.
* Sacrificing one’s time, effort, money, etc. for the betterment of the Muslim community.
* If we are the ones in authority, then we should act sincerely towards the rest of the Muslims and do whatever is in their best interest. We should give nasihah to the people by, e.g. doing what is best for the ummah, defending the community, putting the right and qualified people in the right position and job. Any kind of leadership or authority, whatever the level or rank, is responsible for the people being lead – e.g. supervisors, managers, teachers, principles, etc.
CONCLUSION
From exploring all the obligations mentioned above, we can see that nasihah encompasses everything in Islam, Iman and Ihsan.
For Muslims, the Islamic New Year begins on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. Last year that was on the 18th December 2009.
The first year was the year during which the Hijra, i.e. the emigration of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from Mecca to Medina, occurred. This was a very significant event for the Muslims since it was on that day Muslims began to organise their society in Medina upon Islamic law (shariah) for the very first time.
Dates for the next few years of Islamic New Year:
# 1431 AH: 18 December 2009
# 1432 AH: 7 December 2010
# 1433 AH: 26 November 2011
# 1434 AH: 15 November 2012
# 1435 AH: 4 November 2013
Tags: hijra
Some thoughts on how Muslims must utilise the internet and the Web to spread Islam:
1. Howard Rheingold is a writer, teacher and commentator on modern communications technologies, such as the web, and originator of the term ‘virtual community’, comments:
‘In fact the person you make a connection with might be on the other side of the world, and while that’s not true of everybody, certainly for me, and I bet its true for you (the interviewer), there are very few places in the world where I can go and not get at least one and maybe 15 people to show up for lunch, or, or dinner, and they’re, the conversation starts immediately because we know that we share some things in common. So does it matter that your Slovenian, and I’m American, what matters is that we have this shared interest.’
Spread the message. Use Facebook, Youtube, Twitter…
2. Lee Siegel is an author and a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Reviews and Criticism. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Daily Beast. He commented:
‘…the media of radio was used by the BBC to empower people in occupied countries during the Second World War. At the same time, without radio, hundreds of thousands of people would not have been killed so quickly in Rwanda.
The web is pleasure, relaxation, thrill, annoyance, oppression, exhilaration of the web, like any piece of technology is an amplification of human nature, every aspect of human nature.’
Let’s use the web to dispel all the myths about Islam.
3. Peter Thiel is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist and co-founder of PayPal, comments:
‘And I think it would be very strange if the number of countries in the year 2050 would be exactly 192. I think its likely to me more or less. And what I’m willing to predict is that if it’s more you will have a world with greater individual freedom, there may be greater security problems, may be other problems associated with it. If you have fewer you’ll end up with a world of more government power and less individual freedom.
And technology will decide the question of the number of countries that exist in the world in 2050 more than anything else.’
Will there be a united Muslim world in the future? A reduction of 50 disparate countries into one?
4. Vint Cerf is Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist of Google, and is often referred to as ‘the father of the internet’. He comments:
‘Some people might worry that there is too much freedom, to individuals using the internet, that somehow governments will disappear because people will be able to do whatever they want to. I don’t think that’s a likely outcome frankly the internet exists in the real world. It exists in a society that we all inhabit and a multiple societies, multiple cultures.
It’s absolutely essential to understand that the internet and the notion of cyber space is not divorced from the real world. We live in the real world the internet lives in the real world, our direction is with each other, we’re not in some fictitious strange planet somewhere else, they are a part of the world we live in. It’s essential that we live in a world of love because anarchy is not a good path for civilisation to pursue. I don’t think the internet will contribute to anarchy I think it will contribute to collaborative development of our civilisation.’
Frankly, the only guarantee for a safer world is Islam as only Islam transcends religion, race, gender, language and nationality.
Please submit your views.
Allah T’ala says in the Holy Quran:
O you who have believed, avoid much suspicion, for some suspicions are sins. Do not spy, nor should any one backbite the other. Is there any among you who would like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?’ Nay, you yourselves abhor it. Fear Allah, for Allah is Acceptor of repentance and All-Merciful. (49:12)
Gheebat (back-biting) has been defined thus: “It is saying on the back of a person something which would hurt him if he came to know of it. ” This definition has been reported from the Holy Prophet himself. According to a tradition which Muslim, Abu Da’ud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and others have related on the authority of Hadrat Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet defined Gheebat as follows:
“It is talking of your brother in a way irksome to him.” It was asked: “What, if the defect being talked of is present in my brother ?” The Holy Prophet replied: “If it is present in him, it would be Gheebat; if it is not there, it would be slandering him.”
In another tradition which Imam Malik has related in Mu’watta, on the authority of Hadrat Muttalib bin `Abdullah, “A person asked the Holy Prophet: What is Gheebat? The Holy Prophet replied: It is talking of your brother in a way irksome to him. He asked: Even if it is true, O Messenger of Allah? He replied: If what you said was false, it would then be a calumny.”
These traditions make it plain that uttering a false accusation against a person in his absence is calumny and describing a real defect in him Gheebat; whether this is done in express words or by reference and allusion, in every case it is forbidden. Likewise, whether this is done in the lifetime of a person, or after his death, it is forbidden in both cases.
According to Abu Da’ud, when Ma`iz bin Malik Aslami had been stoned to death for committing adultery, the Holy Prophet on his way back heard a man saying to his companion: “Look at this man: Allah had concealed his secret, but he did not leave himself alone till he was killed like a dog!” A little further on the way there was the dead body of a donkey lying rotting. The Holy Prophet stopped, called the two men and said: “Come down and eat this dead donkey.” They submitted: “Who will eat it, O Messenger of Allah?” The Holy Prophet said: “A little before this you were attacking the honor of your brother: that was much worse than eating this dead donkey.”
The only exceptions to this prohibition are the cases in which there may be a genuine need of speaking in of a person on his back, or after his death, and this may not be fulfilled without resort to backbiting, and if it was not resorted to, a greater evil might result than backbiting itself. The Holy Prophet has described this exception as a principle, thus: “The worst excess is to attack the honour of a Muslim unjustly.” (Abu Da’ud).
In this saying the condition of “unjustly” points out that doing so “with justice” is permissible. Then, in the practice of the Holy Prophet himself we find some precedents which show what is implied by “justice” and in what conditions and cases backbiting may be lawful to the extent as necessary.
Once a desert Arab came and offered his Prayer under the leadership of the Holy Prophet, and as soon as the Prayer was concluded, walked away saying: “O God, have mercy on me and on Muhammad, and make no one else a partner in this mercy beside the two of us.” The Holy Prophet said to the Companions: `What do you say: who is more ignorant: this person or his camel? Didn’t you hear what he said?” (Abu Da`ud). The Holy Prophet had to say this in his absence, for he had left soon after the Prayer was over. Since he had uttered a wrong thing in the presence of the Holy Prophet, his remaining quiet at it could cause the misunderstanding that saying such a thing might in some degree be lawful; therefore, it was necessary that he should contradict it.
Two of the Companions, Hadrat Mu`awiyah and Hadrat Abu Jahm, sent the proposal of marriage to a lady, Fatimah bint Qais. She came to the Holy Prophet and asked for his advice. He said: “Mu`awiyah is a poor man and Abu Jahm beats his wives much.” (Bukhari, Muslim). In this case, as there was the question of the lady’s future and she had consulted the Holy Prophet for his advice, he deemed it necessary to inform her of the two men’s weaknesses.
One day when the Holy Prophet was present in the apartment of Hadrat ‘A’ishah, a man came and sought permission to see him. The Holy Prophet remarked that he was a very bad man of his tribe. Then he went out and talked to him politely. When he came back into the house, Hadrat `A’ishah asked: “You have talked to him politely, whereas when you went out you said something different about him. ” The Holy Prophet said, “On the day of Resurrection the worst abode in the sight of Allah will be of the person whom the people start avoiding because of his abusive language.” (Bukhari, Muslim). A study of this incident will show that the Holy Prophet in spite of having a bad opinion about the person talked to him politely because that was the demand of his morals; but he had the apprehension lest the people of his house should consider the person to be his friend when they would see him treating him kindly, and then the person might use this impression to his own advantage later. Therefore, the Holy Prophet warned Hadrat `A’ishah telling her that he was a bad man of his tribe.
Once Hind bint ‘Utbah, wife of Hadrat Abu Sufyan, came to the Holy Prophet and said: “Abu Sufyan is a miserly person: he does not provide enough for me and my children’s needs. ” (Bukhari, Muslim). Although this complaint from the wife in the absence of the husband was backbiting, the Holy Prophet pemitted it, for the oppressed has a right that he or she may take the complaint of injustice to a person who has the power to get it removed.
From these precedents of the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, the jurists and traditionists have deduced this principle: ‘Gheebat (backbiting) is permissible only in case it is needed for a real and genuine (genuine from the Shari’ah point of view) necessity and the necessity may not be satisfied without having resort to it”. Then on the basis of the same principle the scholars have declared that Gheebat is permissible in the following cases:
(1) Complaining by an oppressed person against the oppressor before every such person who he thinks can do something to save him from the injustice.
(2) To make mention of the evils of a person (or persons) with the intention of reform before those who can do expected to help remove the evils.
(3) To state the facts of a case before a legal expert for the purpose of seeking a religious or legal ruling regarding an unlawful act committed by a person.
(4) To warn the people of the mischiefs of a person (or persons) so that they may ward off the evil, e g. it is not only permissible but obligatory to mention the weaknesses of the reporters, witnesses and writers, for without it, it is not possible to safeguard the Shariah against the propagation of false reports, the courts against injustices and the common people or the students against errors and misunderstandings. Or, for instance, if a person wants to have the relationship of marriage with somebody, or wishes to rent a house in the neighborhood of somebody, or wants to give something into the custody of somebody, and consults another person, it is obligatory for him to apprise him of all aspects so that he is not deceived because of ignorance.
(5) To raise voice against and criticise the evils of the people who may be spreading sin and immorality and error, or corrupting the people’s faith and persecuting them.
(6) To use nicknames for the people who may have become well known by those names, but this should be done for the purpose of their recognition and not with a view to condemn them. (For details, see Fat-h al-Bari, vol. X, p. 362; Sharah Muslim by An-Nawawi; Riyad us-Salihin; al-Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur an; Ruh al-Maani commentary on verse wa a yaghtab ba ‘dukum ba ‘dan).
Apart from these exceptions it is absolutely forbidden to speak ill of a person behind his back. If what is spoken is true, it is Gheebat; if it is false, it is calumny; and if it is meant to make two persons quarrel, it is slander. The Shari’ah has declared all these as forbidden. In the Islamic society it is incumbent on every Muslim to refute a false charge made against a person in his presence and not to listen to it quietly, and to tell those who are speaking ill of somebody, without a genuine religious need, to fear God and desist from the sin. The Holy Prophet has said: If a person does not support and help a Muslim when he is being disgraced and his honour being attacked, Allah also does not support and help him when he stands in need of His help; and if a person helps and supports a Muslim when his honour is being attacked and he is being disgraced, Allah Almighty also helps him when he wants that AIlah should help him. (Abu Da’ud).
As for the backbiter, as soon as he realizes that he is committing this sin, or has committed it, his first duty is to offer repentance before Allah and restrain himself from this forbidden act. His second duty is that he should compensate for it as far as possible. If he has backbitten a dead person, he should ask Allah’s forgiveness for the person as often as he can. If he has backbitten a living person, and what he said was also false, he should refute it before the people before whom he had made the calumny. And if what he said was true, he should never speak ill of him in future, and should ask pardon of the person whom he had backbitten. A section of the scholars has expressed the opinion that pardon should be asked only in case the other person has come to know of it; otherwise one should only offer repentance, for if the person concerned is unaware and the backbiter in order to ask pardon goes and tells him that he had backbitten him, he would certainly feel hurt.
In the verse, Allah by likening backbiting to eating a dead brother’s flesh has given the idea of its being an abomination. Eating the dead flesh is by itself abhorrent; and when the flesh is not of an animal, but of a man, and that too of one’s own dead brother, abomination would be added to abomination. Then, by presenting the simile in the interrogative tone it has been made all the more impressive, so that every person may ask his own conscience and decide whether he would like to eat the flesh of his dead brother. If he would not, and he abhors it by nature, how he would like that he should attack the honour of his brother-in-faith in his absence, when he cannot defend himself and when he is wholly unaware that he is being disgraced. This shows that the basic reason of forbidding backbiting is not that the person being backbitten is being hurt but speaking ill of a person in his absence is by itself unlawful and forbidden whether he is aware of it, or not, and whether he feels hurt by it or not. Obviously, eating the flesh of a dead man is not forbidden because it hurts the dead man; the dead person is wholly unaware that somebody is eating of his body, but because this act by itself is an abomination. Likewise, if the person who is backbitten also does not come to know of it through any means, he will remain unaware throughout his life that somebody had attacked his honour at a particular time before some particular people and on that account he had stood disgraced in the eyes of those people. Because of this unawareness he will not feel at all hurt by this backbiting, but his honour would in any case be sullied. Therefore, this act in its nature is not any different from eating the flesh of a dead brother.
Tags: Backbiting, Ghiba, Slandering
Nasiha Corner:
Topic: What measures have any of us put in place so that we can one day ‘die as Muslims’?
Please think, what will keep us going until we reach our graves? And what will protect us from the whispers of shaitan and the love of the dunya (money/ business/ job / family …)?
Every one of us must have a life plan. A sincere one.
Why not make the qur’an the direct source of our inspiration, motivation, ideas and styles of dawah, and an arbitrator for solving our life’s other minor problems.
Putting aside time to do ‘that which is necessary to fulfill the waajib, is waajib in itself’.
Watch this, this should motivate us to understand what’s in the Qur’an:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnQuranicArabic#p/a/f/0/yfflgF_H0kY (really good orator)
Found an excellent learning aid for learning qur’anic arabic. This teacher goes through lesson by lesson from the world renowned Medinan book series very thoroughly (2.5 hours of video covering each lesson!). (Please post here if any of you know of other good resources.)
http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnQuranicArabic#p/c/0EFEA5844E727CCF
You can buy the Medinan Book Series from the internet. Let me know if you need help and ideas on getting started.
May Allah (swt) keep us on the straight path until we reach our graves. Ameen
Truthfulness and Keeping to One’s Word, What is the Islamic Hukm on this?
“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds).” [al-Tawbah 9:119]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (2/414): “It means: be truthful and adhere to truthfulness, and you will be among its people and will be saved from calamity, and this will make a way out for you from your problems.”
There might be brothers and sisters who are not fully aware of the Islamic hukm about saying something like ‘I will do this for you’ and then change their mind without telling the person that they have changed their mind.
Some of us are of the impression that it is ‘halal’. After all, doesn’t someone have the right to change their mind! Ofcourse we can change our mind, but we must follow the Islamic method of doing so. We must tell that person we’ve changed our mind, or we’re still thinking about it, otherwise this is considered ‘lying’.
Hakeem ibn Hizaam (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Two parties to a deal have the option of changing their minds until they part; if they are open and honest, their deal will be blessed, and if they conceal and tell lies, the blessing of their deal will be diminished.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4/275 and Muslim, 1532.)
If you tell a brother (or sister) that you will meet him at a certain time and place, and then change your mind, would you think this is fine? No, this is haram. You’ve got to try your best to meet the brother at that time and place even though you haven’t made a promise to Allah, because You’ve given your word. Doesn’t our word mean anything? Of course we can call that brother and re-arrange, but you are obliged to call.
My advice is: Don’t give your word if you’re still deciding or if you’re bound to change your mind. If you say anything like ‘I will..(do so and so etc)’ with or without nsha’allah, then you have given your word and Allah is your witness.
If you make a promise to Allah (swt) to do so and so and you deliberately don’t do it then that’s worse, you must do kaffara (expiate) for it.
Kaffara is done in the following order, either:
1) You free a slave (something not possible in most parts of the world)
2) You a) feed 10 poor people or b) clothe 10 poor people (go to Islamic Relief or Muslim Aid website and pay)
3) Fast three consecutive days (only if you can’t afford the above)
So, that’s how serious it is when you break a promise. Please don’t take it lightly. Because even if you do kaffara Allah (swt) has to accept it otherwise we will be deserving of his Wrath!
I pray to Allah (swt) that we try our utmost to endow ourselves with truthfulness and honesty. Indeed, the foundation of belief itself is truthfulness. Without truthfulness and honesty how would one know whether someone is Muslim!
So, please beware of Allah (swt) whenever we give anyone our word or make a promise in Allah’s name.
Magic is an old human practice. It is sometimes defined as deception by showing something to an audience, which is contrary to reality. In Islam this is part of magic, which is, however, defined as seeking the help of demons to perform something harmful against somebody.
In the light of the above definition, Islam considers magic to be an act of blasphemy. Thus, the Holy Quran say:
“Suleiman (Solomon) did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved teaching men magic” (2:102)
In an authentic saying, the Prophet of Islam p.b.u.h. said: Whoever goes to a fortune teller (a soothe sayer) or a diviner and believes him, has, in fact, disbelieved in what has been revealed to Muhammad.
Thus Islam condemns magic- even what is called the horoscope or luck or reading one’s palm to foretell the future is also prohibited in Islam. This is based on the belief that no one knows the future or the unseen except God almighty.
That is why the Quran asserts that even Muhammad does not know the unseen. Concerning this, it says:
“If I had the knowledge of the unseen, I should have secured abundance for myself, and no evil would have touched me” (7:188).
Again, God is described in the Quran as the knower of the unseen and the manifest (6:73) and as the holder of the keys of the unseen (6:59).
In another tradition, Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. says: “Avoid the seven deadly acts which are: ascribing partners to God, magic, killing the human self which Allah prohibited except with right, eating usury, devouring the orphan’s wealth, defecting from the battle-field (without a justified reason) and slandering chaste, unwary believing women. Thus Islam has closed the door for practicing magic, simply because it is against its teachings, and it is deceptive and harmful.
Let us now review some of the verses of the Holy Quran that refer to magic: In Chapter two verse 101-102, the Quran says:
“And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the scripture threw away the book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know. And they followed what the devils gave out falsely of magic of the reign of Solomon; for Solomon did not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angles) taught anyone (such things) until they had said: we are only for trial, so don’t disbelieve. And from them (magicians) people learn that through which they would cause separation between a person and his spouse, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s leave; and they learn that which harms them rather than profits them. And indeed they knew that its practitioner would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their own selves if they but knew” (2:101-2).
Although Solomon was the Prophet and Messenger of God, he was accused by some of his opponents to be practicing magic. Those who claimed this could not distinguish between magic and miracles. Almost all messengers of God were granted miracles as a proof of their authenticity. To name only a few: Moses was granted the staff by which he could divide the sea and make water gush from rocks. Abraham was flung in the middle of a huge raging fire, which Allah made cool and peaceful to him. Jesus Christ could heal the blind and the leper and bring back the dead to life.
If we contemplate these acts we find that miracles are totally different from magic. While magic is always harmful, miracles are useful. Magic is from devils while miracles are from God. When these divine miracles are rejected other miracles are imposed to inflict severe punishments on rejecters. On the other hand, miracles are real while magic is sometimes deceptive.
It may be said that the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. was himself exposed to the effect of magic. How could you explain this? This is true; but God saved him from the spell of magic through the repeated remembrance of God and the recitation of some chapters and verses of the Holy Quran. This took place to confirm the humility of Muhammad p.b.u.h. who was a human like other humans. This made it easier for his followers to imitate him. Two questions are pertinent in context: How to protect one’s self from magic? And how to treat a person under the spell of magic?
Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. provided us with the recipe through which we can protect ourselves from magic. We shall be immune from magic if we recite – after the five daily prayers – the last three chapters of the Holy Quran which are number 112, 113 and 114 And here is their translation:
(112) Unity
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the eternally besought of all! He begets not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.
(113) Daybreak
In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say I seek refuge in the in the Lord of daybreak From the evil of that which he created; From the evil of the darkness when it is intense, and from the evil of malignant witchcraft, And from the evil of the envious when he envies.
(114) Mankind
In the name of Allah the beneficent, the Merciful
Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The King of mankind, The God of mankind, From the evil of the sneaking whisper, Who whispers in the hearts of mankind, Of the jinn and of mankind.
These chapters are also recommended to be recited three times after the dawn prayer and three times after the sunset prayer. Secondly Prophet Mohammed p.b.u.h. encouraged us to recite the greatest verse in the Quran called the verse of the Throne, translated as follows:
“Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, and the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. Unto Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedes with Him save by His leave? He knows that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His chair encompasses the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the sublime, the Tremendous” (2:225).
This verse should be recited after each and every one of the five daily prayers and before going to bed.
The Prophet p.b.u.h. also encouraged us Muslims to recite the last two verses of Chapter two at the beginning of every night whose translation is as follows:
“The Messenger believes in that which has been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah and His angles and His scriptures and His messengers and they say: We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Your forgiveness, our Lord. Unto you is the journeying” (2:285).
“Allah tasks not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it has earned, and against it (only) that which it has deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as you did lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us. You are our Patron; so grant us victory over the disbelieving folk” (2:286).
Prophet Mohammed p.b.u.h. said: (whoever recites the last two verses of the chapter called the Cow, they will suffice him). This means that they will protect him from every evil. Again seeking refuge in Allah and remembering his name is an effective protection against all evils including magic. Two main supplications are recommended in this respect.
They are:
1. I seek refuge in the complete words of Allah from the evils of what He created;
2. In the name of Allah through whose name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause any harm.
If these two prayers are recited three times in the beginning of the day and in the beginning of the night, then no harm or evil will approach the reciter by the grace of Allah (S.W.T).
It remains to mention how we can treat a person under the spell of magic. It is possible, on the one hand, to learn magic so that one can use the same tactics. All in all, the best cure is to recite the Quran and seek God’s help.
Tags: Islam and Magic
• Ahmad Rashād – Emmy award-winning sports caster (mostly with NBC Sports) and former American football wide receiver
• Akhenaton – French rapper and producer of French hip hop.
• Alexander Litvinenko – former Russian spy converted to Islam on his deathbed.
• Art Blakey – American Jazz musician
• Anthony Mundine – former Australian rugby league player for the St George Illawarra Dragons and now a boxer
• Bernard Hopkins – American boxer
• Betty Shabazz – wife of Malcolm X; former Methodist.
• Chris Eubank – British boxer
• Danny Williams – British boxer
• Dave Chappelle – comedian and television star
• Éric Abidal (changed his name to Bilal) – French football player, currently playing for FC Barcelona, converted to Islam after marriage.
• Everlast – Rapper from the Irish-American hip-hop group House of Pain, converted From Catholicism
• Franck Ribéry- a French football player. His name after he converted to Islam is Bilal
• Gabriele Torsello – Italian freelance photojournalist based in London who was abducted in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
• Jermaine Jackson (Muhammad Abdul Aziz) – former member of The Jackson 5.
• Jimmy Cliff – Jamaican reggae musician.
• Joe Tex – soul singer and recording artist.
• John Whitehead – an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.
• Dolores “LaLa” Brooks – American musician.
• Loon – American hip hop and rap artist
• Lee Hughes – professional association football player, currently playing for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson) – retired basketball player
• Malcolm X – American, from Christianity to Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam, African-American civil rights leader.
• Matthew Saad Muhammad (formerly Matthew Franklin) – former boxer, converted From Catholicism.
• Mike Tyson – Is an American boxer to Sunni
• Mohammad Yousuf – Pakistani cricketer. Known for holding the world record for the most Test runs in a single calendar year, converted From
• Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay), from Baptist to The Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam. famous boxer.
• Nicolas Anelka – French football player
• Pierre Vogel – German Islamic preacher and former professional Boxer.
• Richard Thompson – British musician, best known for his guitar playing and songwriting.
• Robert D. Crane is the former adviser to the late President Richard Nixon, and is former Deputy Director (for Planning) of the U.S. National Security Council.
• Rustie Lee – British television chef and celebrity.
• Ryan Harris- football player for the Denver Broncos
• RZA – Is an American rapper to Nation of Gods and Earths
• Brad Terrence Jordan (“Scarface”) – American rapper
• Sheikh Sharifuddin Khalifa, Born to a catholic family, a young Sheikh who at the Age of 5, converted 1000 people to Islam and met the leader of Libya
• T. B. Irving – An American scholar, author and translator
• Tariq Abdul-Wahad (Olivier Saint-Jean) – originally from France, former basketball player for the Mavericks and Kings
• Tawana Brawley (changed her name to Maryam Muhammad) – African American woman noted for claiming to have been raped by several white men, a claim determined to be a fabrication by a grand jury. Later in life she converted to Islam.
• Tekuder – Mongol leader of the Ilkhan empire who was formerly a Nestorian Christian.
• Thomas J. Abercrombie – photographer
• Timothy Winter – prominent British Islamic thinker and scholar, and a lecturer in Islamic studies in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge
• Top Topham – rock guitarist from England.
• Torquato Cardilli – Italian ambassador, converted From Catholicism.
• T-pain – American R’N'B artist
• Vincenzo Luvineri – American rapper and the lyricist behind the Philadelphia underground hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, converted From
• Wadih el-Hage born to a Maronite Christian family in Sidon, Lebanon, a former al-Qaeda member
• William Abdullah Quilliam – 19th century British poet, ambassador and journalist.
• Willie Brigitte – French convert to Islam who associated with al-Qaeda in Pakistan and was possibly involved in a plot to conduct a terrorist operation in Australia
• Yusuf Estes – Former preacher and federal prison chaplain, converted from Protestantism.
• Yvonne Ridley – British journalist, from Anglicanism. She converted after being kidnapped and released by the Taliban.
• Abdullah ibn Salam – 7th century sahabi said to have been a rabbi of aristocratic stock.
• Hibat Allah Abu’l-Barakat al-Baghdaadi – influential physicist, philosopher, and scientist who wrote a critique of Aristotelian philosophy and Aristotelian physics.
• Ibn Yahyā al-Maghribī al-Samaw’al was an Arab Muslim mathematician and astronomer of Jewish descent.His father was a Jewish Rabbi from Morocco, but al-Samawʾal converted to Islam.
• Jacob Querido – 17th century successor of the self-proclaimed Jewish Messiah Sabbatai Zevi.
• Jemima Goldsmith daughter of the billionaire Sir James, who was married to Imran Khan
• Leila Mourad – Egyptian singer and actress who rose to fame in the 1940s and 1950s.
• Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss) – Viennese journalist who visited the Hijaz in the 1930s. Later, after WWII, he became Pakistani ambassador to the United Nations. Also translated the Qur’an into English and wrote several books on Islam. His son Talal Asad is an anthropologist at the City University of New York
• Rashid al-Din – 13th century Persian physician
• Suleyman Ahmad an American journalist and author
• Sultan Rafi Sharif Bey (Yale Singer) – a pioneer in the development of Islamic culture in the United States
• Yaqub ibn Killis – 10th century Egyptian vizier under the Fatimids.
• The Barmakid family – originally the guardians of the great Buddhist shrine near Balkh, upon conversion they became “the greatest family” in the early Abbasid caliphate.
• Mahmud Ghazan – seventh ruler of the Ilkhanate.
• Muhammad Khodabandeh – eighth Ilkhaid dynasty ruler in Iran from 1304 to 1316.
• Mubarak Shah – head of the ulus of the Chagatai Khanate (1252–1260, March-September 1266)
• Tarmashirin – Khan of the Chagatai Khanate following Duwa Timur
• Hussein Ye – An Islamic scholar of Chinese descent whose lectures are frequently aired on Peace TV.
• Parameswara – Malay prince of Palembang Hindu descent from Srivijaya that founded the Sultanate of Malacca around 1402.
• Harilal Gandhi – Oldest son of Mohandas K. Gandhi, later reverted back to Hinduism.
• Sumita Devi – Bengali actress and filmmaker.
• Vilayil Fazila – popular Mappila songs singer from Kerala.[citation needed]
• Murshid Quli Khan – the Mughal governor of Bengal.
• Malik Kafur – Indian military general.
• Abdul Wahid Pedersen – Danish cleric
• Cheraman Perumal – The first Indian king to accept Islam
• Sahaj Ram Sapru – the grandfather of the British-Indian Muslim Philosopher, Sir Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, who was an official in Kashmir during the administration of the Afghan Governor Azim Khan.
• Kamala Suraiyya (formerly Kamala Das) – Anglo-Malayalam writer
• Sharmila Tagore (Begum Ayesha Sultana) – Bollywood film actress
• Kabir Suman- Modern Bengali singer & songwriter officially converted to Islam from Hinduism in 2000.
• Tansen – Notable musician and poet
• A.R. Rahman (stands for Allah Rakha Rahman) – Modern South Indian singer ,songwriter & Oscar winner officially converted to Islam from Hinduism.
• Steven Vikash Chand – Arrested in the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests
• Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa – author and translator of Kalīla wa Dimna from Middle Persian.
• Naubakht – Pahlavi translator of the Abassid court.
• Fadl ibn Sahl – Persian vizier of the Abassid era.
• Rattanbai Petit – second wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan
• Saman Khuda – founder of the Samanid dynasty, one of the first native Persian dynasties in the Middle East and Central Asia after the collapse of the Sassanids.
• A. R. Rahman (Initially raised Hindu, but was atheist as a teenager until conversion to Islam) – famous Indian music composer
• Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) – British musician and singer (had a nominally Christian upbringing, but never was a believer)
• Mos Def – American rapper and actor.
• Nur al-Anwar al-Jerrahi (born Lex Hixon) – syncretist, Sufi convert, and co-founder of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in the United States
• Thomas J. Abercrombie -Famous photographer and writer for National Geographic Magazine http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/06/AR2006040602187.html
• Edoardo Agnelli – eldest son of Gianni Agnelli, the industrialist patriarch of Fiat.
• Abd al Malik – birth name Régis Fayette-Mikano – French rapper of Congolese origins.
• Mumia Abu-Jamal – journalist, Black Panther, political activist, and although widely disputed, a convicted murderer.
• B.G. Knocc Out – American west coast rapper
• Hasan Akbar (born Mark Fidel Kools) – American sentenced to death for the murder of two fellow soldiers during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
• Maurice Béjart – French choreographer.
• Robert “Kool” Bell – musician.
• Ronald Bell – musician.
• Mohammed Knut Bernström – Swedish ambassador.
• Khaled Edward Blair – British barrister, later married Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan.
• Charles Brooks, Jr. – converted while serving a sentence for murder; first person to be executed by lethal injection in the United States.
• H. Rap Brown – civil rights activisit.
• Titus Burckhardt – Swiss writer and scholar.
• Amir Butler- author, engineer and Islamic activist.
• Walt Hazzard – former NBA player.
• Craig Hodges – former NBA player.
• Abdullah Ibrahim – South African Jazz musician.
• Tiara Jacquelina – Malaysian actress.
• Ahmad Jamal – Jazz pianist.
• Larry Johnson – retired American professional basketball player.
• Ghostface Killah – member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
• Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan – born Yvette Blanche Labrousse, Miss France 1930, wife of Aga Khan III.
• Yusef Lateef – American Jazz musician.
• Johann von Leers – advisor to Muhammad Naguib known for his anti-Semitic polemics.
• MC Ren – American rapper and hip-hop producer.
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad – member of A Tribe Called Quest.
• Idris Muhammad – American jazz musician.
• John Allen Muhammad – convicted serial killer, known as the Beltway Sniper.
• Anthony Mundine – Australian Boxer.
• Charles John Pelham (Abdul Mateen), 8th Earl of Yarborough.
• Q-Tip – North American hip-hop emcee, actor, and hip hop producer who was the leader of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest.
• Dwight Muhammad Qawi – former boxing world heavyweight champion.
• Jack Roche – convicted of involvement in an al-Qaeda plot to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
• Ilich Ramírez Sánchez – aka “Carlos the Jackal”, convicted murderer and terrorist, currently in prison in France.
• Ibrahim Savant – one of the suspects arrested in the UK in connection to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot in the United Kingdom.
• Frithjof Schuon – metaphysician, poet, painter, philosopher (in the original and Platonic sense of this term), and a leading figure of the perennialist school.
• Stephen Schwartz – American journalist, columnist, and author.
• Derrick Shareef- charged in a plot to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans 22 December at the CherryVale Mall in Rockford, Illinois during the Christmas rush.
• Sahib Shihab – jazz saxophonist and flautist.
• Divine Styler – American hip-hop musician.
• Nahshid Sulaiman – alternative hip hop artist.
• Apisai Tora – Fijian politician.
• Mike Tyson (Malik Abdul Aziz) – former heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Converted while in prison after being convicted of rape.
• Abdul Waheed (Don Stewart-Whyte) – accused of participating in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. Jason Walters – of the Netherlands, member of the Hofstad Network, convicted on charges of terrorism.
• John Ward – (changed name to Yusuf Reis) British corsair and pirate.
• Rakan Ben Williams – suspected member of Al-Qaeda terrorist.
• Michael Wolfe – American poet, author, and the President and Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation.
• Michael X – civil rights activist in the United Kingdom
• Yusuf Chambers – U.K. based Da’ee of international fame. Yusuf Chambers is a young preacher from London, has greatly involved himself in many organizations in U.K. and outside like Peace TV, Islam Channel, Al-Jumuah magazine, Unity TV etc
Tags: Famous Converts
Name Meaning Name Meaning
Abeer Fragrance Ablaa Perfectly formed
Aadab Hope and need Adeela Equal
Afaf Chastity Afraa White
Afrah Happiness Ahlam Witty; one who has pleasant dreams; imaginative
Ahd Pledge; Knowledge Aida Visiting; Returning
Aisha Living; Prosperous; Wife of Prophet Muhammad Aalia Exalted; Highest social standing
Alia Exalted; Highest social standing Almas Diamond
Aamaal Hopes; Aspirations Amal Hope; Aspiration
Amani Wishes; Aspirations Amatullah Female servant of Allah
Ameena Trustworthy; Faithful Ameera Leader; Princess
Anaan Clouds Anbar Perfume; Ambergris
Aneesa Friendly; of good company Anwaar Rays of light
Areebah Witty and smart Areej Pleasant smell
Aroob (Woman) Loving to her husband Arwa Female mountain goat
Asiya One who tends to the weak and heals them Asah Plant known for its greenness
Asalah Purity Aseelah One belonging to a great heritage and family
Asma Daughter of Abu Bakr Aasmaa Excellent; Precious
Ayeh Sign; distinct Azhaar Flowers; Blossoms
Azeeza Esteemed; Precious; Cherished Azza Young female gazelle
Badriya Resembling full moon Baheera Dazzling; Brilliant
Bahiyaa Beautiful; Radiant Balqis The name of the Queen of Sheba
Banan Finger tips Baraa’a Excelling
Baasima Smiling Baseema Smiling
Basheera Bringer of good tidings Basma A smile
Batool Ascetic virgin Bushra Good omen
Buthayna Of beautiful and tender body Dhuha Forenoon
Faiza Victorious; Winner Fadheela Virtue
Fadwa Name derived from self-sacrifice Falak Star
Fareeda Unique Fareeha Happy; Joyful
Firyal Name Fatima Name of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter (Literally: accustom)
Faatin Captivating Faatina Captivating
Fawziya Successful; Victorious Firdoos Paradise
Ghaada Beautiful Ghaaliya Fragrant
Ghaydaa Young and delicate Ghusoon Branches (tree)
Haadiya Guide to righteousness Hadiya Gift
Hameeda Praiseworthy Hana Happiness
Hanan Mercy Haala Aureole
Haleema Gentle; Patient Haneefa True believer
Haniya Pleased; Happy Hasna Beautiful
Hayaam Deliriously in love Hayat Life
Haifa Slender; of beautiful body Hessa Destiny
Hind Proper name Huda Right guidance
Huma A bird which lives in a quiet area and whenever it flies to the city it fills the people with joy Hooriya Angel
Husn Beauty Ibtihaaj Joy
Ikraam Honor; Hospitality; Generosity Ilhaam Intuition
Iman Faith; Belief Imtithal (Polite) Obedience
Inaam Act of kindness; Benefaction; Bestowal Inas Sociability
Inaya Concern; Solicitude Intisaar Triumph
Izdihaar Flourishing; Blossoming Jala Clarity; Elucidation
Jameela Beautiful Janaan Heart or soul
Jumaana Silver pearl Kaamla Perfect
Kameela Most perfect Kareema Generous; Noble
Kawkab Satellite Kawthar River in Paradise
Khadeeja Name of Prophet Muhammad’s wife Khalida Immortal
Khawlah Proper name Khairiya Charitable; Good
Khulood Immortality Kouther River in Jannah (paradise)
Kulthoom Daughter of the prophet Mohammed peace be upon him Lamees Soft to the touch
Lamya Dark-lipped Lateefa Gentle; Kind
Leena Tender Lubaaba The innermost essence
Lama Darkness of lips Madeeha Praiseworthy
Maha Gazelle Maisa Walking with proud swinging gait
Majida Glorious Majeeda Glorious
Makaarim Of good and honorable character Malak Angel
Manaar Guiding light (lighthouse) Maraam Aspiration
Maryam Name of Mother of Jesus Manaal Attainment; Achievement
Mawiya Old Arabic name May Old Arabic name
Maimoona Auspicious; Blessed Maysaa To walk with a swinging gait
Maysoon Of beautiful face and body Mayyada To walk with a swinging gait
Mufeeda Useful Muhja Heart’s blood; Soul
Muna Wish; Desire Muneera Illuminating; Shedding light
Musheera Giving counsel Nabeeha Intelligent
Nabeela Noble Nada Generosity; Dew
Nadia The begining, first Nadira Rare, Precious
Nadeeda Equal (to another person); Rival Nadwa Council
Nafeesa Precious thing Naila Acquirer; Obtainer
Naeema Living a soft, enjoyable life Najaah Success
Najeeba Of noble birth Najiya Safe
Najat Safety Najwa Confidential talk; Secret conversation
Najla Of wide eyes Najya Victorious
Nashida Student Nashita Energetic and full of life
Nasiha One who gives valuable advice Nasira Victorious, helper
Nawal Gift Nawar Flower
Nazaaha Purity; Righteousness; Honesty Nazeeha Honest
Nazeeya Optimistic and full of hope Nazeera Like; Equal; Matching
Nibaal Arrows Naeema Blessing; Loan
Nesayem Flower Nida Call
Nimaat Blessings; Loans Nudhar Gold
Nuha Intelligence; Mind Nahla A drink (of water)
Noor Light Nouf Highest point on a mountain
Nusayba Proper name Nuzha Pleasure trip; Excursion spot
Rabab White cloud Rabeea Garden
Radhiyaa Content; Satisfied Radhwa Name of mountain in Medina
Raghd Pleasant Raaida Leader
Raja Hope Rana To gaze; Look
Rafa Happiness; Prosperity Rand Tree of good scent
Raniya Gazing Rasha Young gazelle
Rasheeda Wise; Mature Rawdha Garden
Raawiya Transmitter (of ancient Arabic poetry) Raya Sated with drink
Reem Gazelle Reema White antelope
Rukan Steady; Confident Ruqaya Name of the Prophet’s daughter
Ruwayda Walking gently Saabira Patient
Safa Clarity; Purity; Serenity Safiya Untroubled; Serene; Pure; Best friend
Sahar Dawn Sahla Smooth; Soft (ground); Fluent; Flowing (style)
Sakeena God-inspired peace of mind; Tranquility Saaliha Good; Useful
Saleema Safe; Healthy Saalima Safe; Healthy
Salma Peaceful Salwa Quail; Solace
Samaah Generosity Samar Evening conversations
Sameeha Generous Sameera Entertaining companion (woman)
Saamiya Elevated; Lofty Sana Resplendence; Brilliance
Sawda Proper name Sawsan Lily of the valley
Shatha Aromatic Shaadiya Singer
Shareefa Noble Sihaam Arrows
Suha Name of a star Suhayla Smooth; Soft (ground); Fluent; Flowing (style)
Suhayma Small arrow Suhair Proper name
Sumaiyaa Proper name Taahira Pure; Chaste
Taroob Merry Thanaa Thankfulness
Tharaa Wealth Thuraya Star
Tamadhur Proper name Wafa Faithfulness
Wafeeqa Successful Wafiya Loyal; Faithful
Wajeeha Eminent; Distinguished Warda Rose
Widad Love; Friendship Wijdan Ecstasy; Sentiment
Wisaal Communion in love Yasmeen Jasmine
Yasirah Lenient Yafiah High
Yakootah Emerald Yamha Dove
Yumn Good fortune; Success Yusraa Proper name
Zaafira Victorious; Successful Zahira Shining; Luminous
Zahraa White Zahrah Flower; Beauty; Star
Zakiyaa Pure Zainab Name of Prophet’s daughter
Zaina Beautiful
My intent of this article is to give a brief outline of pregnancy, and related issues, in the Quran rather than a detailed explanation of embryology in the Qur’an. At this point I will not discuss ahadith literature at this point, which is an extremely large task in its own right. And I will attempt to spread light on the Quranic explanation of lineage. This being important in the discussion of medically assisted reproduction.
SPERM
Nutfa literally means a drop of fluid, it has two distinct meanings in the Qur’an.
1. the sperm
2. the sperm and egg intermingled (nuftatul amshaj)
Mani, which means sperm, was used in the Qur’an on three occasions, twice in conjunction with nutfa.
Was he not a sperm drop cast forth (ejaculated)? 75:37
from a drop of sperm, when it was cast forth (ejaculated) 53:46
Here Allah clearly establishes the ejaculated sperm as a component in creating a child. We also learn that it is a drop of sperm that implants into the egg (53:46). About 0.5 sperm constitute the total amount in semen ejaculated. It is not all of the fluid that is used to make a baby, clearly pointed out in this verse. We also see this in the following aya:
Than He made his progeny from a quintessence of despised liquid 32:8
We also learn that it is the sperm in which determines the gender of a child.
Allah fashioned both male and female form a drop of sperm, when it was cast forth (ejaculated) 53:46
The X and the Y chromosomes are held in the sperm, the egg carries only the X chromosome. If the sperm carrying an X chromosome fertilizes the egg one will have a female child, while a Y chromosome will bring forth a male child.
EGGS
The Qur’an never specifically mentions the eggs, what is addressed is the mixed nutfah of the male and female known as nuftatul amshaj
Verily, We have created man from mixed nutfah (nutfatul amshaj) in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer. 76:2
WOMB
The word used for womb is Rahim, which comes from the same root as Raheem. It is referred to in the Qur’an on several occasions.
As a form of binding lineage:
Neither your womb relations nor your children shall profit you 60:3
Those who are bound by the womb are nearer to one another in the book 33:6 and 8:75
And break your bonds of the womb 47:22
This is very important when addressing medically assisted reproduction. The bonds of the womb are also seen as a binding lineage that must be honored. On this basis one can see why surrogate mothers are not permissible in Islam, for if we are to ignore this line of lineage we are to ignore what is clearly laid down by Allah.
Cycles of the womb:
Allah knows what any female bears. He knows well to what extent the wombs may increase and to what extent they may increase. To Him everything is well measured and balanced 13:8
A woman’s womb goes through several changes that make it increase and decrease during the month. At the beginning of a cycle the woman’s uterine lining is about 0.5 mm thick. During the month due to estrogen the endometrium grows and proliferates, which causes the uterus to increase. Than under the effect of progesterone there is an increase growth and coiling of arteries for the increased blood supply needed for implantation. The thickness of the endometrium reaches 7mm thick at the end of this stage. Unless pregnancy occurs the uterine lining will shed and the process will start all over again.
If there is implantation during a normal pregnancy the uterus will grow to be about 400 more times than what how started. Normally a uterus is about 50 gm during pregnancy it can grow to 100 gm and this is not including multiples. After delivery the uterus changes to the normal size in about six weeks.
Lodging:
The womb is also the place of lodging for the growing fetus. There are several interesting factors mentioned in the Qur’an about this lodging.
Thereafter We made him as a Nutfah in a qaraar makeyn 23:13
Qaraar in this instance indicates a lodging, fixed place, receptacle. Makeyn indicates sure, firm, secure. So we can understand this as a secure fixed place, or a secure lodging. This is mentioned before the following aya
Then We made the Nutfah into a ‘alaqah, then We made the ‘alaqah into a modgha, then We made the modgha into bones with flesh and then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators 23:14
From this we learn that the Nutfah, which can be understood from the verses as the mixed male and female fluids, is placed into a secure fixed place and than further developed. During the early stages of pregnancy the fetus is in a position of the womb which it is secure and protected. I found this out when I took a fall in the early weeks of my pregnancy. When I called my doctor out of concern for the baby he said not to worry the place in which the baby is at such an early point it would take a huge blow in order to do any damage.
Three Veils of darkness:
Allah Created you in the womb of your mothers, one act of creation after another, in three veils of darkness 39:6
The three veils of darkness are understood as the abdominal wall, the uterine wall, and the membranes in which the uterus is enclosed. Interestingly enough each layer is itself made up of three layers. The abdominal wall is made up of three muscle layers, the external oblique sheet, the internal obblique muscle, and the transversus muscle. The uterus is made up of the epimetrium (which covers the womb) the myometerium (the muscle layer of the womb) and the endometerium (the inner layer). The embryonic sac is made up of three membranes, the amnion, the chorion and the decidua.
EMBRYONIC STAGES
There are several embryonic stages which are mentioned in the Qur’an.
Then We made the Nutfah into a ‘alaqah, then We made the ‘alaqah into a modgha, then We made the modgha into bones with flesh and then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators 23:14
We have created you from dust then from a nutfah, then from a ‘alaqah, then a modgha, some formed and some unformed that We may make it clear to you. 22:5
‘alaqah literally means something that clings or attaches to something else. It can also be used to describe a leech that clings to the skin and sucks the blood. As well as a blood clot, or congealed blood. This last definition has been given in most translations but is a poor choice of words.
In the stage of the ‘alaqah the fetus clings and attaches itself to the uterine wall. It has a leech like quality that has been explained by many in these Qur’an ayat.
Modgha means a chewed lump, something that has been masticated which is an amazing way to describe this stage of formation. This is what the fetus tends to look at in the early stages of pregnancy.
In the above verse we see that some of the Modgha do not become formed, this is in reference to miscarriage. Many women can actually be pregnant in these early weeks and not know they miscarried, just notice a heavier flow of blood at their menstrual cycle time.
Forming bones than clothing them with flesh is another stage that a fetus goes through which is described in Qur’an. Than the formation into another creation, this has been understood by many scholars to be the time in which the soul is inspired.
The gestation period, according to the Qur’an can be six months.
And We have enjoined on Man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship and she brings him forth with hardship, and the bearing of him, and weaning of him is thirty months 46:15
We know from another aya in the Qur’an that the breast feeding continues for up to two years
Mothers shall suckle their children two years completely 2:233
At this point in medical abilities on average the earliest a child can be born and live is in the six month period. Before the sixth month period it is extremely rare that a baby is born and survives, even with all of the medical advancement. For the child is just not capable of living outside of the womb.
BURDEN OF PREGNANCY
In the Qur’an a pregnant woman is literally referred to as one with a burden, dhat haml.
and every pregnant woman (dhat haml) will drop her burden 22:2
And for those who have a burden (pregnant) their term is when they bring forth their burden 65:4
If they have a burden (pregnant) then spend on them until they bring forth their burden 65:6
Yes, pregnancy is a beautiful thing. The bringing of forth life in ones womb is both spiritual and emotional. A mother having such a connection with their unborn is a fascinating event. But let us face it, this is also a time of frequent urination, backache, leg cramps, bleeding gums, hair loss, hormonal overloads, not so nice kicking from the inside out, tender breasts, groin pain, and a slew of everyday complaints.
Pregnancy is also a risk to the health of the mother, ranging from high blood pleasure, low blood pressure, gestational diabetes, forms of cancer, potential blood clotting problems and a slew of other real medical dangers. Pregnancy itself is a burden for the woman, not to mention the burdens of delivery.
These associated risks of pregnancy should be taken into consideration when we deal with the issue of child spacing. If the mother has not had enough time to allow her body to heal, get back in shape and prepare for another pregnancy it can be devastating to both mother and child. While there is no set limit on when to have a child after giving birth, we must use common sense. And we must also not ignore the issue that majority of Muslim women do not have proper diets, access to adequate medical care, or proper health to begin with in order to have pregnancy after pregnancy with no break in-between. So when we address issues related to family planning we must move past our personal experiences and think on the level of Muslim society as a whole.
BREASTFEEDING
The mothers shall suckle their children for two years completely for those who desire to complete the term of suckling, but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mothers food and clothing on a reasonable basis… if they both decide on weaning by mutual consent there is no sin on them. And if you decide on a foster mother to suckle your children there is no sin on you provided you pay what you agreed on a reasonable basis 2:233
There are many benefits for both mother and child when a woman breast-feeds. Breast milk is perfectly designed for infants in both nutrients as well as digestion. Breast fed babies have fewer colds, ear infections, and less allergic reactions than formula fed infants. The mother benefits with weight loss, bringing the uterus back in shape, lower risk of breast cancer and may aid in non-ovulation, not to mention the economic benefits.
In Islam the maximum allowed time for breast-feeding is two full years. After this a baby should be weaned and left to feed as other children. The father shall bear the burden of supporting the breast-feeding mother, but if they so choose to wean there is no harm in doing so. One can also decide to have a wet nurse but this is not always practical today. The next best choice would be formula.
Milk banks have been under discussion ofMuslim scholars for quite some time and there tends to be no agreement. It would be up to the couple to choose what they understand to be Islamically and medically best for their child.
The setting up of banks of mixed human milk is to be discouraged. If medical need calls for them, banks of human milk may be set up for premature babies. A group of participants believe, on the basis of the opinion of the majority of fiqh scholars, that the collection of milk should be . done in a way that guarantees the identification of each donor and each baby receiver. The nursing should be written down in records that are kept, and everyone involved should be notified to avoid the marriage of persons who have a milk relationship entailing the prohibition of their marriage. Others, however, believe there is no need to identify the donors and, receivers, on the basis of the opinion of AI-Laith Ibn Sa’d and the scholars of AI-Zhahiriyah School and their followers, who believe that milk relationships result only when a baby sucks the breast of a milk mother .
While many assume that breast-feeding is one of the easiest most natural things to do, it does comes with it’s own difficulties for both mother and child. One issue that some infertile couples will face is the lack of milk supply. Try as a woman might she just might not produce enough milk. While many try to downplay the instances of this happening it is a very real event. Many women who don’t produce enough milk, any milk, or suddenly stop lactating are made to feel insecure, crazy, or incompetent in some way. All the while ignoring that infertile women may just endure more problems due to hormonal fluctuations that other women may just not face, such as low thyroid levels.
There are some things that can help aid in milk production. One is to feed more, or express milk in-between feedings. Since lactation is generally a supply and demand issue, it is hoped that the more of a demand the more milk produced. This can be done by hand expressing milk or by pumping the milk. But make sure you use proper storage methods if you’re going to save the milk.
Fenugreek is an herbal remedy that many women take which helps increase milk production usually within 72 hours. Be for warned that you have to take high doses and it leaves you smelling like Sunday morning pancakes. Yes one major draw back is the maple syrup odor that emits from your body. The herb will also increase other fluids in your body, like sweat so that fresh scent of maple syrup will linger in your clothes and anywhere you sit.
Other herbs such as Blessed Thistle, Fennel Seed, and Brewers Yeast are also thought to help in milk production.
Taking care of yourself is also very important. Proper nutrition, enough water as well as keeping the stress level down. Yes your stress level can interfere with the hormone prolactin that aids in milk production.
Domperidone is a drug that is used for disorders in the gastrointestinal tract one of the side affects is the increase of the hormone prolactin, which is a component in milk production. It is not suggested to try this method first, in fact other ways should be tried before resorting to this medication. The drug is taken four times a day, generally for about two weeks. Many women notice an increase in supply within a few days. But if there is no increase within two weeks the drug is generally discontinued.
If nothing works, and yes that happens sometimes, and you still have a low milk supply don’t give up nursing altogether. Suckling the baby with the little that you have can be beneficial to both mother and child, there is no way to replace that bonding time. And many children find most comfort at the breast of their mothers. So even if it is just an ounce that the baby is getting from the mother each time he/she suckles is better than nothing.
Polygyny: An Option For Infertile Couples
There comes a time in the process of curing infertility when a couple decides that they have availed all options and they must move on with their lives. Many husbands see divorce and then remarriage as the only alternative to have children. Islamically though he has an option that could be far more beneficial to his first wife, himself, and his marriage to follow. The option of polygyny is one that is looked down upon in western society, but one that is permissible and in some cases encouraged in Islam.
Allah(swt) says (what could be translated as):
“And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan-girls, then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the captives and the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice.” (An-Nisa 4:3)
From this ayat it is clear that Islam has allowed men to marry up to four wives. He does not need any specific reason to have multiple wives, but he can do so for whatever reason he may wish as long as he is just with them. Most wives though would detest the idea of sharing their husband with another wife. What is said in Islamic sources about marrying for reasons of fertility?
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
“Marry the loving and the fertile because through you, I will compete with the nations for superiority in numbers.” (Abu Dawud and others)
The Prophet of Allah has encouraged Muslim men in this hadith to marry those who are fertile, he did NOT say not to marry the infertile amongst you. If for some reason the first wife is infertile then the option to avail the choice of polygyny is one that is encouraged islamically.
It is important to note that only two wives of the Prophet Muhammad(saw) gave birth to his children. Ayesha(rad), one of his most beloved wives, never had any children. Although others of his wives never conceived he treated all his wives justly and in a kind manner. He never raised the status of a fertile wife over an infertile one. His(saw) example is the best example. Men who wish to take on more then one wife should study his(saw) seerah and try to implement his(saw) treatment towards his(saw) wives in their own lives.
What are the benefits for the first wife, wives to follow, and any children from those wives? Oftentimes women who cannot conceive wish more then anything to rear a child or help in rearing a child. They often envy women who have children and wish that for even a day they could take care of a child as their own. I have seen several instance where a brother has taken on another wife as a result of his first wife being infertile. The first wife has almost always been extremely happy to be able to help the second wife in rearing her children. This creates an ideal situation for everyone in the household. The first wife is happy to be able to get a chance to raise children. The second wife receives extra help from the first wife and this strengthens the bond and relationship between the wives. The children have the attention of “two mothers.” I am not saying that this happy-go-lucky relationship exists in every polyganous household, but rather I am suggesting that this may be a positive alternative for a husband who would like to have children.
There could also be problems as well. Jealousy is a common problem that arises amongst wives. Infertile women often feel that they were not good enough for their husbands and this was the reason for their remarriage. Husbands usually do not feel this way towards their wives. In fact if they are willing to keep their first wife then obviously the love and honor they feel towards them is what is keeping them together. Husbands should take this into account and make the change as painless as possible for their first wives.
The situation of every couple is different. Each couple knows how much they can take, and what options are best for them. As a couple it is important to sit down and discuss the pros and cons of going into a polygynous relationship.
May Allah make it easy on everyone and relieve our hardships (Ameen).
“…Our Lord! Condemn us not
If we forget or fall
Into error; our Lord!
Lay not on us a burden
Like that which Thou
Didst lay on those before us;
Our Lord! lay not on us
A burden greater than we
Have strength to bear.
Blot out our sins,
And grant us forgiveness.
Have mercy on us.
Thou art our Protector…”
-The Meaning of the Qur’an (2:286)
Tags: Pregnancy in the Qur'an