Questions ? - Page 5

Friend · 06-04-2005, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mason

I have a better question...

Quote:
The Misbaha is an instrument designed to facilitate the remembrance of Allah Most High. Beyond being simply a means of keeping count of invocations, the use of the misbaha is the application of the age-old technique of using the hand to teach the heart. Physical, rhythmic and repetitive motion, coupled with the verbal remembrance, Dhikr has a deep, transformative resonance in the spirit.

I read this on a site thats sells prayer-beads:How important are these Beads, and what is their connection to Islam...?

Salaam
It is not from the origin of Islam , some Muslims influenced by eastern culture like Hindu , specially the Sufisem movements people and starting to use it to do verbal remembrance and to make Dhikr without muddling.

Mason · 06-04-2005, 10:07 PM

Ok, thanks Friend

I guess i'll read abit about that Dhikr then. ^_^

Mason · 06-05-2005, 04:57 PM

I still don't feel very clear about some things that may be affecting me soon, in some ways... I have asked a question that is similar to this one before.

What would respectful muslims think of Non-nude/clothed sculptures, maybe a woman with her head & arms uncovered? Would they consider viewing this to be sinful, as no (in western terms) private parts are revealed?

thipps · 06-05-2005, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mason

I have another question. This even seems a little silly to me but i really want to know, so here goes...

I am wondering what a muslim i supposed to do if it is time for afternoon prayer for instance and they are on an airliner,... as in they are in a cramped, un-private place and want to pray... how would they do it?

I will understand if i don't get an answer, maybe none of you have been on a plane. ^_^

Thanks

h| Mason,
Well, remember one thing that there is a time slot for each prayer... for some it is longer, for some it is short. For example, here.. for the afternoon prayer (called 'Asr), there are almost 3 hours to perform this prayer. Anyway, in general, the matter is as follows:
Praying in cars, planes, trains or other means of conveyance, where one cannot face the qiblah or pray standing, is not permissible in the case of obligatory prayers unless two conditions are met:

1 – There should be the fear that the time for the obligatory prayer will end before reaching your destination. But if you will reach your destination before the time for prayer is over, you should wait until you get there to pray.

2 – It should not be possible to get off and pray on the ground. If it is possible to do so then you must do that.

If these two conditions are met, then it is permissible to pray in the vehicle. The evidence for it being permissible to pray in this case is the general meaning of the verses in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [Qur'an, 2:286]

“So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can” [Qur'an, 64:16]

“and [Allaah] has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” [Qur'an, 22:78]

If it is said, If I am allowed to pray in these vehicles, should I face the qiblah and should I pray sitting even though I am able to stand? The answer is:

If you are able to face the qiblah throughout the prayer, then you must do that, because it is a condition of an obligatory prayer being valid whether one is travelling or not.
If it is not possible to face the qiblah throughout the prayer, then fear Allaah as much as you can and do your best, because of the evidence narrated above. This has to do with obligatory prayers.
With regard to supererogatory (naafil) prayers, the matter is more relaxed; it is permissible for the Muslim to pray in the vehicles mentioned no matter what direction they are facing, even if he could get down on the ground at some times, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray naafil prayers on his mount no matter what direction it was facing. Jaabir narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) “used to pray voluntary prayers when he was riding without facing the qiblah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1094). But it is better to face the qiblah when starting to pray a naafil prayer, if that is possible when travelling. [See Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 8/124]
With regard to offering obligatory prayers sitting down when one is able to stand, that is not permissible because of the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And stand before Allaah with obedience” [Qur'an, 2:238]

and because of the hadeeth of ‘Imraan ibn Husayn, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot then lying on your side.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1117).

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

[Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 8/126]
Hope this answered your question.

Mason · 06-05-2005, 06:16 PM

^_^ Yes, it does answer my question, well. Though it leaves me with more...

You said:

Quote:

If you are able to face the qiblah throughout the prayer, then you must do that, because it is a condition of an obligatory prayer being valid whether one is travelling or not.
If it is not possible to face the qiblah throughout the prayer, then fear Allaah as much as you can and do your best, because of the evidence narrated above. This has to do with obligatory prayers.

The part that i have made 'bold',... What does this mean? Does it mean that Allah will punish someone who does not, even if it was not possible to face qiblah? It is worse to miss the prayer, i presume...?

I got this from an Islamic dictionary or something like that. >
Qiblah is the direction that Muslims face when they do their salat. It is in the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca.

So qiblah is what muslims call this direction?

thipps · 06-05-2005, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mason

I have a better question...
I read this on a site thats sells prayer-beads:How important are these Beads, and what is their connection to Islam...?

H| Mason,
To make the matter short, Shiekh Saleh al-Munajjid said that:

Praise be to Allaah.
Some scholars say that it is permissible to use the masbahah, but they say that it is preferable to do tasbeeh on one’s fingers; others say that it is bid’ah (reprehensible innovation).
--------------------
Bottom line is that the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) was to do it with the fingers. The Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught that tasbeeh with the fingers is better, as he said, ‘Count with the fingertips, for they will be made to speak.’
What is more important is to have sincerity while remembering Allah the Almighty.
One of the most known examples of Dhikr (remembering Allah) is the following:
saying “Subhan Allah” (Glory to Allah) 33 times, “Al-Hamdulillah” (Praise to Allah) 33 times, “Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Greatest) 33 times, and saying “La illaha illa Allah” (There is no god but Allah), which completes the hundred words of Allah’s remembrance. This is the act a Muslim is urged to do right after prayer.
Hope this helped.
And Allah knows best.

thipps · 06-05-2005, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mason

^_^ Yes, it does answer my question, well. Though it leaves me with more...

You said:
The part that i have made 'bold',... What does this mean? Does it mean that Allah will punish someone who does not, even if it was not possible to face qiblah? It is worse to miss the prayer, i presume...?

I got this from an Islamic dictionary or something like that. >
Qiblah is the direction that Muslims face when they do their salat. It is in the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca.

So qiblah is what muslims call this direction?

h|,
You have misunderstood.
The part you made bold is, as far as i can tell, a reference to the verse quoted above it i.e. 64:16. Yusuf Ali mentioned in his commentary that
"Fear Allah" combined with "as much as you can" obviously means: "lead lives of self-restraint and righteousness": the usual meaning of Taqwa.
Imam Ibn Katheer (May Allah be pleased with him) said regarding this verse:
(So have Taqwa of Allah as much as you can;) meaning, as much as you are able and can bear or endure.The Two Sahihs recorded that Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
When I command you to do something, do as much as you can of it, and whatever I forbid for you, then avoid it.
------------------------
The arabic word used is a form of the word Taqwa in that verse. The meaning is quite wide and is often translated simply as fear, which is only a part of it and i find that most westerners misunderstand this, which is not really thier fault. It is simply not knowing the langauge. The word has in it the meanings of righteousness, God-consciousness and piety. Another definition you can find here:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/referenc...erm.TAQWA.html
Bottom line is one does what one can... which is what was just explained now and what the Shiekh explained before in my previous reply. Remember the other verse quoted:
“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [Qur'an, 2:286]
Imam Ibn Katheer (May Allah be pleased with him) said regarding this verse that: Allah does not ask a soul what is beyond its ability. This only demonstrates Allah's kindness, compassion and generosity towards His creation.
Yusuf Ali's Commentary says regarding this verse that:
Allah will accept from each soul just such duty as it has the ability to offer, we pray further on for the fulfillment of that promise.
-----------------
Dont forget that God is never unjust, not in the least bit.
So, be sincere & do what you are able to do.

yes, the definition of the Qiblah is correct. Yes, its what we call this direction.
Hope this helped.
And Allah knows best.

thipps · 06-05-2005, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mason

I still don't feel very clear about some things that may be affecting me soon, in some ways... I have asked a question that is similar to this one before.

What would respectful muslims think of Non-nude/clothed sculptures, maybe a woman with her head & arms uncovered? Would they consider viewing this to be sinful, as no (in western terms) private parts are revealed?

h| Mason,
Dont know the exact answer to your question but i know that it is forbidden to make statues (whether the statue is of a Muslim or a kaafir).
It is also known that we should lower our gaze when it comes to non-mahram women (i.e. women whom we are allowed to marry).
Can't find a ruling on this exact question. Now, since im no scholar... i cant give you one. Dont know for sure if its a sin or not but knowing those two things that i just mentioned & if someone offered to show me what you described, I would not consider viewing these statues... to be on the safe side cause its like a combination of two forbidden things, which is obviously worse than one forbidden thing.
Sorry, cant help more on this one.
And Allah knows best.

Mason · 06-05-2005, 09:21 PM

Oh thats funny, i was considering being a sculptor and to take farther art studies this year... If there's the possibility that i want to become a muslim, i guess i can't do that... |T_T| how saddening.

So, what is a kaafir?

And may i point out in post #67, that this:

Quote:

"Fear Allah" combined with "as much as you can" obviously means: "lead lives of self-restraint and righteousness"

wasn't obvious to me, i still don't see how it is.

Gnostradamus · 06-05-2005, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thipps

h| Mason,
Dont know the exact answer to your question but i know that it is forbidden to make statues (whether the statue is of a Muslim or a kaafir).
It is also known that we should lower our gaze when it comes to non-mahram women (i.e. women whom we are allowed to marry).
Can't find a ruling on this exact question. Now, since im no scholar... i cant give you one. Dont know for sure if its a sin or not but knowing those two things that i just mentioned & if someone offered to show me what you described, I would not consider viewing these statues... to be on the safe side cause its like a combination of two forbidden things, which is obviously worse than one forbidden thing.
Sorry, cant help more on this one.
And Allah knows best.

A Kaafir is a non-muslim right?

The word Kaafir coming from the word kufr, which means to cover up.

A kaafr is someone who covers up the truth, am I right?

I'm interested in the statues ruling...

Why exactly is it forbidden to make sculptures?

thipps · 06-06-2005, 03:44 PM

h| mason,

In the context of what was said, kaafir is a non-muslim. What was intended was that it doesnt matter who the statue/sculpture reperesents, its not allowed. See the following link for a definition of kaafir:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/referenc...erm.KAFIR.html

Fine, the meaning of having fear of Allah is not obvious to you. Knowledggable people have explained it as to what it means. Please read again what was explained and give it time to sink in. I can only restate what was said:
"O you who believe! Fear Allaah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islaam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allaah." (Qur'an, 3:102)

So, do your best to do all that Allaah has ordered and abstain from all that He has forbidden.
Regarding your specific question of looking at statues & the example of the woman as you described her, i asked a learned person and he said that if these have the ability to excite the desire of the person looking at them, then it becomes unlawful for that person to view them.
Hope its clear now.
And Allaah knows best.

thipps · 06-06-2005, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnostradamus

I'm interested in the statues ruling...
Why exactly is it forbidden to make sculptures?

H|,
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid gave the following details of the prohibition on the making of images and statues:
I. The prohibition on statues is not just the matter of fiqh [islamic jurisprudence]; it goes beyond that to the matter of ‘aqeedah [beliefs], because Allaah is the Only One Who has the power of giving shape to His creation and creating them in the best image. Making images implies that one is trying to match the creation of Allaah. The matter also has to do with ‘aqeedah when these images are taken as idols which are worshipped instead of Allaah.

Among the daleel (evidence) that image-making is the exclusive preserve of Allaah are the following:

1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills” [Qur‘an, 3:6]

“And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being); then We told the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam’” [Qur‘an,7:11]

“He is Allaah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise” [Qur‘an, 59:24]

“O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous? Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion. In whatever form He willed, He put you together.” [Qur‘an, 82:6-8]

These aayaat [verses] clearly state the belief that creating and giving form to creation is the preserve of their Lord, Creator and Fashioner, so it is not permissible for anyone to encroach on that and to try to match the creation of Allaah.

2. It was reported from ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen that Umm Habeebah and Umm Salamah mentioned a church which they had seen in Ethiopia, in which there were images. They told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about it, and he said: “Those people, if there was a righteous man among them and he died, they would build a place of worship over his grave and put images in it. These will be the most evil of creation before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection.” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 417; Muslim, 528)

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: This hadeeth indicates that making images is haraam [forbidden]. (Fath al-Baari, 1/525).

Al-Nawawi said:
Our companions and other scholars said: making images of animate beings is extremely haraam and is a major sin, because severe warnings have been issued against it in the ahaadeeth. Whether the image is made to be used in a disrespectful fashion or for other purposes, it is haraam to make it in all cases, because it implies that one is trying to match the creation of Allaah, whether the image is to appear on a garment, carpet, coin, vessel, wall or whatever. With regard to pictures of trees, camel saddles, and other pictures in which no animate beings appear, these are not haraam. This is the ruling on making images. (Sharh Muslim, 14/81).

3. Sa’eed ibn Abi’l-Hasan said: I was with Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) when a man came to him and said, O Abu ‘Abbaas, I am a man who lives by what his hands make, and I make these images. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: I will only tell you what I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say. I heard him say: “Whoever makes an image, Allaah will punish him until he breathes life into it, and he will never be able to do that.” The man became very upset and his face turned pale, so [Ibn ‘Abbaas] said to him, Woe to you! If you insist on making images, then make images of these trees and everything that does not have a soul. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2112; Muslim, 2110).

4. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: The people who will be the most severely punished before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image makers. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5606; Muslim, 2109).

5. It was reported from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Those who make these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection. It will be said to them, Give life to that which you have created! (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5607; Muslim, 2108).

6. It was reported that Abu Hurayrah entered a house in Madeenah and saw somebody making images in it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: [Allaah says:] Who does greater wrong than one who goes and creates something like My creation? Let them create a seed or a small ant! (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5609; Muslim, 2111).

Al-Nawawi said:
Concerning the words of Allaah. “Let them create a small ant or a seed or a grain of barley!” means, let them create a small ant which has a soul and moves by itself, like this small ant which was created by Allaah. Or let them create a grain of wheat or barley, i.e., let them create a grain which is eaten as food or which can be planted so it will grow and which has the characteristics of a grain of wheat or barley or other seeds which were created by Allaah. This is impossible, as stated above. (Sharh Muslim, 14/90). None can bring forth living vegetation out of nothing except Allaah, may He be glorified.

7. Abu Juhayfah said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog and the price of blood, and he forbade tattooing and asking to be tattooed, and the consumption or paying of ribaa, and he cursed those who make images. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1980).

II. Islam prescribes that idols should be destroyed and smashed, not made and repaired. Among the evidence for this is the following:

1. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered Makkah [at the Conquest], there were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka’bah. He started hitting them with his stick and saying, “Truth has come and Baatil (falsehood) has vanished. Surely, Baatil is ever bound to vanish” [al-Israa’ 17:81 – interpretation of the meaning]. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2346; Muslim, 1781).

2. Abu’l-Hiyaaj al-Asadi said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said to me: Shall I not send you on the same basis as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any statue without destroying it, and do not leave any built-up grave without razing it to the ground. (According to one report: and do not leave any picture without erasing it). (narrated by Muslim, 969).

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Tamaatheel is the plural of Timthaal (statue), which refers to a representative image.

Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) said: The command is to destroy two types of images: images which represent the deceased person, and images which are placed on top of graves – because Shirk[1] may come about from both types. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa, 17/462).
(al-Fawaa’id, p. 196).

III.The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against bringing images into the house, and said that this is a sin and deprives a person of good. Among the evidence for that is the following:

1. Abu Talhah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or statues.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3053; Muslim, 2106).

2. ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) said that she bought a pillow on which there were images. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw it, he stood at the door and did not enter. She saw on his face that he was upset, and said: O Messenger of Allaah, I repent to Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). What is my sin? The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: What is this pillow? She said, I bought it for you so that you could sit on it and recline on it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection, the makers of these images will be punished and it will be said to them, Give life to that which you have created. And he said: The angels do not enter a house in which there are images.(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1999; Muslim, 2107).

IV. Making images is a way of falling into Shirk, because Shirk starts with the veneration of those who are depicted in the images, especially when people have little or no knowledge. The evidence for this is:

Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The idols of the people of Nooh were known among the Arabs later on. Wadd belonged to (the tribe of) Kalb in Dawmat al-Jandal. Suwaa’ belonged to Hudhayl. Yaghooth belonged to Muraad, then to Bani Ghutayf in al-Jawf, near Sabaa’. Ya’ooq belonged to Hamadaan. Nasar belonged to Humayr of Aal Dhi’l-Kalaa’. These were names of righteous men from the people of Nooh. When they died, the Shaytaan [Satan] inspired their people to set up idols in the places where they had used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. They did that but they did not worship them, but after those people died and knowledge had been forgotten, then they started to worship them. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4636).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The reason why al-Laat [2] was worshipped was the veneration of the grave of a righteous man which was there.(Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 2/333).

And he said: This problem – i.e., veneration – which is why Islam forbids (images), is the reason why so many of nations have fallen into committing Shirk to a greater or lesser degree.(al-Iqtidaa’, 2/334).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, describing how the Shaytaan plays with the Christians:

He plays with them with regard to the images which they have in their churches and which they worship. You cannot find any church which is free of these images of Maryam (Mary), the Messiah, George, Peter and others of their saints and martyrs. Most of them bow to these images and pray to them instead of to Allaah. The Patriarch of Alexandria even wrote a letter to the ruler of Rome supporting the idea of bowing to these images: (he said) Allaah commanded Moosa to make images of cherubim in the Tabernacle; and when Sulayman the son of Dawood built the Temple, he made images of cherubim and put them inside the Temple. Then he said in his letter: this is like when a king sends a letter to one of his governors and the governor takes the letter and kisses it then touches it to his forehead [a sign of respect], and stands up to receive it. He does not do this to venerate the paper and ink, but to venerate the king. In the same way, when one bows to an image, it is to venerate the person represented by the image, not to venerate the paints and colours.

This is exactly the same as the example given to justify idol worship. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 2/292).

And he said: In most cases, the reason why nations fall into Shirk is because of images and graves.” (Zaad al-Ma’aad, 3/458).

V. The aayaat and ahaadeeth quoted above indicate that the prohibition of images is for the following reasons:

The first is: because it implies that one is trying to match the creation of Allaah.

The second is: because it is an imitation of the kuffaar.
The third is: because it is a means of veneration and falling into Shirk.

From the above it is clear that it is forbidden to make statues, whether the statue is of a Muslim or a kaafir. Whoever does that is trying to match the creation of Allaah and thus deserves to be cursed. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound, and to guide us. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

[1] http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/referenc...erm.SHIRK.html
[2] An idol worshipped in pre-islamic times by the Arabs
----------------
Hope this clears it up.
And Allah knows best.

thipps · 06-06-2005, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mason

Oh thats funny, i was considering being a sculptor and to take farther art studies this year... If there's the possibility that i want to become a muslim, i guess i can't do that... |T_T| how saddening.

Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better. We ask Allaah to make you strong and grant you a good life in this world and in the Hereafter

Friend · 06-06-2005, 07:50 PM

Hi
Mason,
Do you see Islamic Art in Al Andalus ( Spaene)??

Do you heard about this Arabic Art ( Arabesque ) ???

http://www.answers.com/topic/arabesque

These are sites about Art you can see them .
http://www.oweis.com/art.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_art_history

http://www.lacma.org/islamic_art/thu...hmbnail_LI.htm

Gnostradamus · 06-06-2005, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thipps

The first is: because it implies that one is trying to match the creation of Allaah.

The second is: because it is an imitation of the kuffaar.
The third is: because it is a means of veneration and falling into Shirk.

Personally I don't believe that God would be so vain as to worry about a lowly human being able to sculpt a piece of rock into something that looks good.

I fail to see why God would give us an artistic ability if he didn't want us to use it, and we all know that no human could ever match God's creative power.

The second reason about imitating the kuffaar is a comical reason in my honest opinion. Did you know that the kuffaar get married, the kuffaar pray, the kuffaar fast, the kuffaar wash, the kuffaar study, etc. Would you avoid any of these things so as not to imitate us?

The last reason is the one that makes the most sense, but other religions have done just fine by allowing statues but prohibiting the worship of them.

What do you think?

Do I have a point or am I just being an ignorant kaafir?