Prophet Sulayman, jinns and magic (4-4)

Prophet Sulayman, jinns and magic (3-4)

Prophet Sulayman, jinns and magic (2-4)

Prophet Sulayman, jinns and magic (1-4)

In Islam the marriage of a man and a woman..

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother in Islam, thank you very much for having confidence in us and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah’s Sake, meet your expectations.


First of all, we’d like to state that in Islam the marriage of a man and a woman is not just a financial and physical arrangement of living together but a sacred contract, a gift of God, to lead a happy, enjoyable life and continue the lineage. The main goal of marriage in Islam is the realization of tranquility and compassions between the spouses. For the attainment of this supreme goal, Islam defined certain duties and rights for the husband and wife.

For a detailed account of these mutual duties and rights, we’d like to cite the following:

“Piety is the basis of choosing the life partner. Many are the statements of the Qur'an and the Sunnah that prescribe kindness and equity, compassion and love, sympathy and consideration, patience and good will. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says, "The best Muslim is the one who is best to his family." Also, he says, "… and the most blessed joy in life is a good, righteous wife." (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

The role of the husband evolves around the moral principle that it is his solemn duty to Allah to treat his wife with kindness, honor, and patience; to keep her honorably or free her from the marital bond honorably; and to cause her no harm or grief. Allah Almighty says: "…consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein Allah hath placed much good." (An-Nisa': 19)

The role of the wife is summarized in the verse that women have rights even as they have duties, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree over them. Allah Almighty says, "And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above them. Allah is Mighty, Wise." (Al-Baqaraqh: 228)

This degree is usually interpreted by Muslim scholars in conjunction with another passage which states, among other things, that men are trustees, guardians, and protectors of women because Allah has made some of them excel others and because men expend of their means. Allah Almighty says: "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath men the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High Exalted, Great." (An-Nisa': 34)

A-The Wife's Rights; The Husband's Obligations:

Because the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, have commanded kindness to women, it is the husband's duty to:

1- Consort with his wife in an equitable and kind manner. Allah Almighty says, "… and consort with them in kindness." (An-Nisa': 19)

2- Have responsibility for the full maintenance of the wife, a duty which he must discharge cheerfully, without reproach, injury, or condescendence. Allah Almighty says: "Let him who hath abundance spend of his abundance, and he whose provision is measured, let him spend of that which Allah hath given him. Allah asketh naught of any soul save that which He hath given it. Allah will vouchsafe, after hardship, ease.‏" (At-Talaq: 7)

Components of Maintenance:

Maintenance entails the wife's incontestable right to lodging, clothing, nourishing, and general care and well-being.

1-The wife's residence must be adequate so as to provide her with the reasonable level of privacy, comfort, and independence. The welfare of the wife and the stability of the marriage should be the ultimate goal.

2-What is true of the residence is true of clothing, food, and general care. The wife has the right to be clothed, fed, and cared for by the husband, in accordance with his means and her style of life. These rights are to be exercised without extravagance or miserliness.

Non-Material Rights:

A husband is commanded by the law of God to:

1- Treat his wife with equity.

2- Respect her feelings, and to show her kindness and consideration.

3- Not to show his wife any aversion or to subject her to suspense or uncertainty.

4- Not to keep his wife with the intention of inflicting harm on her or hindering her freedom.

5- Let her demand freedom from the marital bond, if he has no love or sympathy for her.

B. The Wife's Obligations; The Husband's Rights:

The main obligation of the wife as a partner in a marital relationship is to contribute to the success and blissfulness of the marriage as much as possible. She must be attentive to the comfort and well-being of her mate. She may neither offend him nor hurt his feelings. Perhaps nothing can illustrate the point better than the Qur'anic statement which describes the righteous people as those who pray saying: "Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the joy and the comfort of our eyes, and guide us to be models of righteousness.” (Al-Furqan: 74)

This is the basis on which all the wife's obligations rest and from which they flow. To fulfill this basic obligation:

1- The wife must be faithful, trustworthy, and honest.

2- She must not deceive her mate by deliberately avoiding conception lest it deprive him of legitimate progeny.

3- She must not allow any other person to have access to that which is exclusively the husband's right, i.e. sexual intimacy.

4-She must not receive anyone in his home whom the husband does not like.

5-She may not accept their gifts without his approval. This is probably meant to avoid jealousy, suspicion, gossip, etc., and also to maintain the integrity of all parties concerned.

6- The husband's possessions are her trust. If she has access to any portion thereof, or if she is entrusted with any fund, she must discharge her duty wisely and thriftily. She may not lend or dispose of any of his belongings without his permission.

7- With respect to intimacy, the wife is to make herself desirable; to be attractive, responsive, and cooperative.

8- A wife may not deny herself to her husband, for the Qur'an speaks of them as a comfort to each other. Due consideration is, of course, given to health and decency.

9- Moreover, the wife is not permitted to do anything that may render her companionship less desirable or less gratifying. If she neglects herself, the husband has the right to interfere with her freedom to rectify the situation and insure maximum self-fulfillment for both partners. She is not permitted to do anything on his part that may impede her gratification.”

Based on Hammudah `Abd al-`Ati’s Islam in Focus, with some modifications.
courtesy: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544152

Marriage Between Shi'ites & Sunnis

http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.aspx?type=question&qid=3470

Title:
Marriage Between Shi'ites & Sunnis

Question:

I have a question and this infact pertains to me I am a sunni muslim and in love with a muslim girl but she belongs to a different sub sect namely shiite well its not only a one sided feeling as she also is in love with me and has also professed her feelings but what is holding us back is the fact that she is a shia muslim is marriage between a shia and a sunni halal or is it null and void as my Parents say it is null and void is it neccessary for the girl to convert to the sunni subsect or she can continue being a Shia Also pls tell me what are the major differences beteween the two schools If Possible give me a detailed overview on thier practices as i would like to also have knowledge on the above subject cause my decision should not only be emotional but also Practical and on the lines of islam and Awaiting your early reply"

Answer:

Shia and Sunni are both Muslims and therefore from a purely religious point of view there is absolutely no problem for them to be married. The answer, however, might be totally different when it comes to cultural or relationship point of view. For many it is difficult enough to accept that their spouse has different opinion, let alone having a fundamentally different understanding of religion. Problems may arise when it comes to religious ceremonies and practices, relationships with members of the different religious community, raising kids, etc... The other difficulty is that not only do the two persons need to be open-minded and be tolerant enough to accept their differences, they also need to be brave and strong against possible reactions from the members of the two communities who may have extreme sectarian feelings and beliefs. Your parent's belief that the marriage is void is only an example.

I have never understood the meaning of expressions like "is it necessary for him/her to convert to ..." Either a person realises that a belief is true and he/she naturally accepts it or a person does not realise it and therefore does not accept it. There is no value in accepting something that one is not firmly convinced of. If the lady you are referring to is so casual about her faith that she is happy to give it up for the sake of marriage then perhaps the whole issue of two different beliefs is not as serious as it sounds. Note that even if the girl converts to what you call 'Sunni' it does not clear up the potential problem. She still has relatives and a community who she cannot disassociate herself from and her conversion may bring even more problems to both of you.

So to make it brief, from the Islamic perspective there is nothing wrong with marriage between a Shia Muslim and a Sunni Muslim. However, there are certain - often wrong - social and cultural issues that should be carefully thought of and be prepared for, before such marriages take place.

There are different sub-sects among these two main sects of Muslims. However the major differences between typical Shia Muslims and Mainstream Muslims are as follows:

• While mainstream Muslims believe that after the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the door for any new divine guidance has been closed for ever, Shia Muslims believe that divine guidance continued after the Prophet by 12 divinely appointed Imams who were infallible (like the Prophet) and had advantage of accessing unseen knowledge where necessary.
• Shia Muslims believe that the position of Imamah is higher than the position of Prophethood and therefore Imams have a higher position than ordinary Prophets. They believe Prophet Muhammad was himself an Imam so his position was higher, as for prophets like Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (pbut), they have differences of opinion but the prominent view is that their position is lower than the position of Shia Imams.
• Following from the above, while mainstream Muslims believe that the appointment of Khalifa should be by Shura (consultation) after the demise of the Prophet (pbuh), Shia Muslims believe that Ali (ra) was the divinely appointed Imam after the Prophet (pbuh) and that those who took his place have intentionally suppressed him and Ahl Albayt of the Prophet by not letting them have their right and that most of the rest of the companions did not remain loyal to the directives of the Prophet (pbuh) in that they did not support Ali (ra) to become the first Khalifa.
• Following from the first point, Shia Muslims believe that the last Imam was the Mahdi that was predicted by the Prophet (pbuh), that he was born in 255 A.H and went into occultation later and he is still alive and will return before the day of judgement to bring justice on the face of Earth.
• Following from the first point, Shia Muslims do not rely on Ahadith that reached us through the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), instead they mostly rely on sayings of their Imams (mostly the 6th Imam, Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq who is also very much respected by the mainstream scholars) that have reached them through the companions of Imams.

All the above leads to some differences in religious practices among Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims. While the main practices like prayer, Zakah, fasting and Hajj are in principal the same, there is a strong emphasis on Tawassul (seeking intercession) of Imams and calling them, visiting Imam's shrines, loving them as a means to salvation, grieving for Imams and reading prayers that are narrated from their Imams.

author: Abdullah Rahim

Why the Veil Liberates Women !

Good article by Omer Iqbal
Last month, newspapers all over the world broke the story of Faiza Silmi, a Muslim woman who was denied French citizenship on grounds of her ‘radical’ practice of Islam. On top of that, French minister for urban affairs, Fadela Amara – herself a Muslim – called Ms. Silmi’s face veil “a prison” and a “straitjacket.” This is despite the fact that Ms. Silmi wears it out of choice.

The concept of veil is quite misunderstood both in the West as well as amongst some Muslims. Sydney Morning Herald published a great article by Naomi Wolf exploring the motivation of wearing a veil among Muslim women – the article is a very good one and worth a read for anyone trying to understand the issue. The author recognized that Muslims differentiate between private and public life when it comes to sexuality. Modesty is a cherished value for both men and women in public. In an Islamic society, partners exclusively belong to each other. Explaining the concept, Ms. Wolf writes:

The West interprets veiling as repression of women and suppression of their sexuality. But when I travelled in Muslim countries and was invited to join a discussion in women-only settings within Muslim homes, I learned that Muslim attitudes toward women's appearance and sexuality are not rooted in repression, but in a strong sense of public versus private, of what is due to God and what is due to one's husband. It is not that Islam suppresses sexuality, but that it embodies a strongly developed sense of its appropriate channelling - toward marriage, the bonds that sustain family life, and the attachment that secures a home.

A family forms the foundation of a society, and it ought to be preserved. Modesty is one of the means, and perhaps the most important means, of achieving that goal. And headscarf is one of the many components of that modesty. However, it is not only headscarf that is the focus of Islamic teachings - it is in fact modesty. For this reason, in its order, Quran first addresses males and tells them to "lower their gaze and guard their modesty" and then moves to address women. Exploring the headscarf, the author narrates:

Many women said something like this: "When I wear Western clothes, men stare at me, objectify me, or I am always measuring myself against the standards of models in magazines, which are hard to live up to - and even harder as you get older, not to mention how tiring it can be to be on display all the time. When I wear my headscarf or chador, people relate to me as an individual, not an object; I feel respected." This may not be expressed in a traditional Western feminist set of images, but it is a recognisably Western feminist set of feelings.

The author also recounted her experiment of trying out a headscarf in shalwar kameez, dress worn by men and women in eastern countries. Her experience and learning are worth a read as they shed light on the feelings of a western non-Muslim woman in veil for the first time.

http://blogs.omeriqbal.com/news#128