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Tasks for this week & Next
Kashif
11/15/00 at 17:15:57
assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah Dear all, The task set for this week is to memorise: a) Ayat ul-kursee [Qur'an 2:255] - this is the greatest ayah in the Qur'an & its recitation is sunnah after the fard units of every prayer, and before going to sleep. b) The last two ayaat of Surah al-Baqara - these two ayaat will suffice the one who recites them once each night, before going to sleep. [color=red]The deadline is midnight on Sunday your local time[/color] Imam Ahmad used to say that the zakaah of your knowledge is that you put it into practice. So i hope in Allah and encourage you all that once you've memorised these ayaat that you recite them at the sunnah times as i've outlined above. *   *   * Ramadan warmer Our favourite month is just round the corner, and for those who don't fast regularly perhaps it would be of benefit to get into the swing of fasting a few days before Ramadan starts. Fasting is an action that is solely for Allah, and which He will reward on its own merit. So my proposal is that next week, the jannah.org brothers & sisters fast on Monday & Thursday. Who would be interested? Kashif Wa Salaam

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Arsalan
11/16/00 at 11:47:11
Assalamu alaikum, Let's call the people who're doing the verses in Baqarah and Mulk (in Ramadan) the A track, and the people doing Jumu'ah and Munafiqun the B track. For B track: We will start memorizing Surah al-Jumu'ah at the beginning of Ramadan insha Allah, when the A track begins Surah al-Mulk.  Until then, revise Ayat ul-Kursi and the last 2 ayaat of Surah al-Baqarah. Kashif, I'm in for the fasting, insha Allah. Wassalamu alaikum. [color=green][This Message was modified by Arsalan on 11/16/00][/color]

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Asim
11/16/00 at 03:28:49
Assalaamu alaikum, Inshallah, I am in for the fasting. And I will give track B a shot (4 verses of surat al Jum'ah). Wasalaam.

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Kathy
11/16/00 at 08:37:49
slm Count me in. I'll fast- just read in this forum that mondays and thursdays are good days to fast!

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
ki
11/16/00 at 09:39:33
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu im in me too.....(4 the fasting that is) ki

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
proudtobemuslim
11/16/00 at 10:46:34
Assalam-u-Alaikum, Insha-Allah I'm in for the fast ... it'll gimme the practice of waking up so early as well as the other benefits that come with supererogatory fasts of course. Insha-Allah I'll do my best to get Surah Al-Mulk and Surah Al-Munafiqun memorized. I have heard, from reliable sources, that the recitation of Surah Al-Kahf is Sunnah on Friday and during times of distress.  Could somebody please post the ahadith regarding that please.  If you don't think of me as a pain, could somebody also get the ahadith regarding recitation of Ayat ul-Kursi, and the last two ayahs of Surah Al-Baqara before sleeping and after salah for the former and before sleeping for the latter?  I'm not supposed to take any knowledge from anybody unless he has the proper daleel (no matter how reliable) so don't think i don't trust you guys or anything... Is it sunnah to recite Surah Al Mulk before one goes to bed? Jazzak-Allahu Khair Wassalam-u-Alaikum Uzer

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Malika
11/16/00 at 11:19:40
Assalaam Alaikum Fasting is a good one.  I'm in :-) Now is the a track and b track ever going to pull in the same station? Br. Kashif, Surah Al Mulk is during Ramadan right? I am glad to hear the deadline is Sunday and not Friday.  InshaAllah I will be ready.  I am just about there. Br, Arshad how is the memorization going? Is there any particuliar Hadith concerning the recitation for the 10 ayats of Surah Al-Kahf?

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Arsalan
11/16/00 at 11:46:08
Assalamu alaikum, There is a change in plans for Track B, upon Br. Kashif's suggestion.  Please see my modified post above. Wassalam.

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
humble_muslim
11/16/00 at 13:37:41
Kashif, At our halaqa the other day, our Imam said that if you did not fast ine the first 15 days of Shaban, you should not start fasting in the last fifteen days.  We're in the last fifteen days now.

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
widad
11/16/00 at 14:24:30
slm ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allaah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’baan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1833; Muslim, no. 1956). According to a report narrated by Muslim (no. 1957), “He used to fast all of Sha’baan, he used to fast all but a little of Sha’baan.” A group of scholars, including Ibn al-Mubaarak and others, thought that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast all of Sha’baan, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report in Saheeh Muslim (no. 1954) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “I never knew of him – meaning the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadaan.” According to another report also narrated by Muslim (no. 1955), ‘Aa’ishah said: “I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madeenah, apart from Ramadaan.” It was reported in al-Saheehayn that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1971, and Muslim, no. 1157). Ibn ‘Abbaas regarded it as makrooh to fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan. Ibn Hajar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “He observed more voluntary fasts in Sha’baan than in any other month, and he used to fast most of Sha’baan.” Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha’baan.’ He said, ‘That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.’” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, page 425). According to a report narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 2076) she said: “The most beloved of months for the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast in was Sha’baan, and his fasting in Sha’baan was continuous with his fasting in Ramadaan.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, see Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 2/461). Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Fasting in Sha’baan is better than fasting in the Sacred Months, and the best of voluntary fasts are those that are (observed in the months) closest to Ramadaan, before or after. The status of these fasts is like that of al-Sunan al-Rawaatib which are done before and after fard (prayers) and which make up for any shortfall in the number of obliagtory prayers. The same applies to fasts observed before and after Ramadaan. Just as al-Sunan al-Rawaatib are better than other kinds of voluntary prayers, so fasts observed (in the months) before and after Ramadaan are better than fasts at other times. The phrase “Sha’baan is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan” indicates that because it comes between two important months, the Sacred Month of Rajab and the month of fasting, people are preoccupied with those two months and they do not pay attention to Sha’baan. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in Sha’baan, because Rajab is one of the Sacred Months, but this is not the case. In the hadeeth quoted above there is an indication that even though certain times, places and people may be commonly thought to posses a particular virtue, there may be others that are better than them. It also indicates that it is mustahabb to make good use of the times when people tend to be negligent, by doing acts of worship. A group of the Salaf used to fill the time between Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with prayer, saying that it was a time when many people were negligent. Another example is the remembrance of Allaah (dhikr) in the marketplace, because this means one is remembering Him in a place where people tend to be negligent and among people who are negligent. There are a number of benefits that come from making good use of times when people are often negligent, and using these times for worship, including the following: It is more concealing of one's good works, and hiding and concealing naafil actions is better, especially fasting, because it is a secret between a slave and his Lord. Hence it was said that there is no element of showing off in fasting. One of the Salaf used to fast for years without anybody knowing about it; he would go from his home to the marketplace carrying two loaves of bread, which he would give away in charity, and he would fast. His family thought that he ate the bread, whilst the people in the marketplace thought that he had eaten at home. The Salaf thought it was mustahabb for a person who was fasting to do things that would conceal the fact that he was fasting. It was reported that Ibn Mas’ood said: “When you get up in the morning and you are fasting, then apply perfume.” Qutaadah said: “It is mustahabb for the [man] who is fasting to apply perfume so that there will be no sign that he is fasting.” By the same token, doing righteous deeds at times when people are distracted and negligent is more difficult. One of the indications of how virtuous a deed is, is how difficult it is: if everyone is doing a certain action, it is easy, but if most people are negligent, this makes it more difficult for those who do remember Allaah. Muslim (no. 2984) narrated from the hadeeth of Ma’qil ibn Yassaar: “[The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:] ‘Worship at times of tribulation (fitnah) is like Hijrah to me.’” (The phrase “worship at times of tribulation” refers to times of upheavals and trials, when people follow their own desires, and those who adhere to Islam are doing something difficult.) The scholars differed as to the reasons why the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted so much in Sha’baan. Their various opinions were as follows: That he had been unable to fast three days out of every month because he was travelling or for some other reason, so he made them all up together in Sha’baan. When the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) began to do some naafil action, he would persist in it, and if he missed it, he would make it up later. It was said that his wives used to make up the days that they missed of Ramadaan in Sha’baan, so he used to fast because of that. This is the opposite of what was reported from ‘Aa’ishah, that she used to delay making up days that she had missed in Ramadaan until Sha’baan because she was too busy with the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast. It was said that it was because this is a month which people do not pay attention to. This is the most correct view, because of the hadeeth of Usaamah quoted above, in which it says: “That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan.” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, p. 425) When Sha’baan began, if the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) still had some voluntary fasts outstanding that he had not fasted, he would make them up during Sha’baan so that his naafil fasts would be complete before Ramadaan came. Similarly, if he had missed some Sunnah prayers or he had missed Qiyaam al-Layl, he would make it up. ‘Aa’ishah used to make the most of this opportunity to make up any obligatory Ramadaan fasts that she had missed because of menstruation; during other months she was too busy with the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast. We should also note here that anyone who has any missed fasts to make up has to make them up before the next Ramadaan comes. It is not permissible to delay it until after the following Ramadaan except in cases of necessity (such as a valid excuse that continues between the two Ramadaans). Whoever is able to make them up before the (second) Ramadaan and does not do so, has to make them up after the (second) Ramadaan and in addition to that, he has to repent and to feed one poor person for each day that he missed. This is the view of Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad. Another benefit of fasting in Sha’baan is that it is a kind of training for the Ramadaan fast, in case a person finds it difficult to fast when Ramadaan starts; if he fasts in Sha’baan he will have gotten used to fasting and he will feel strong and energetic when Ramadaan comes. Sha’baan is like an introduction to Ramadaan and it has some things in common with Ramadaan, such as fasting, reciting Qur’aan and giving in charity. Salamah ibn Suhayl used to say: “The month of Sha’baan is the month of reciters (of the Qur’aan).” Habeeb ibn Abi Thaabit used to say, when Sha’baan came, “This is the month of reciters (of the Qur’aan).” When Sha’baan came, ‘Amr ibj Qays al-Malaa’i used to close his store and devote his time to reading the Qur’aan. -------------------------------------------------- Fasting at the end of Sha’baan It was reported in al-Saheehayn from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to a man, “Have you fasted anything of the sirar of this month?” He said, “No.” He said: “If you have not fasted, then fast two days.” According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari: I think he meant Ramadaan. According to a report narrated by Muslim, (the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) said: “Have you fasted anything of the sirar of Sha’baan?” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4/2000; Muslim, no. 1161). There was some dispute as to the meaning of the word siraar. The most well known view is that it refers to the end of the month. The end of the month is called siraar because the moon is hidden (istisraar) at that time. Someone may raise the point that it was reported in al-Saheehayn from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not pre-empt Ramadaan by one or two days, except for those who have the habit of fasting regularly, in which case they may fast.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no 1983; Muslim, no. 1082). How can we reconcile the hadeeth which encourages fasting at this time with the hadeeth which says not to fast at this time? The answer is: many of the scholars and most of those who commented on this hadeeth said: this man to whom the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed this question was known to have the habit of fasting regularly, or else he had made a vow, so the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded him to make up his fast. There are also other points of view on this issue. In brief we may say that there are three scenarios for fasting at the end of Sha’baan. -------------------------------------------------- The first scenario is when a person fasts at the end of Sha’baan with the intention of being on the safe side and not missing the first day of Ramadaan. This is forbidden. The second scenario is when a person fasts with the intention of fulfilling a vow or of making up a day of Ramadaan that he missed or as an act of expiation (kafaarah), etc. This is permissible according to the majority. The third scenario is when this is purely a voluntary fast. This is regarded as makrooh by those who said that we should differentiate between Sha’baan and Ramadaan by not fasting for a while. Among those who said this was al-Hasan. If it happens to coincide with a day when a person habitually fasts, Maalik and those who agreed with him permitted this, but al-Shaafa’i, al-‘Oozaa’i, Ahmad and others made a distinction between cases where it is a fast which a person habitually observes or otherwise. In conclusion, the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah quoted above is what we should follow according to the majority of scholars. It is makrooh to observe a voluntary fast one or two days before Ramadaan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have not previously fasted until the end of Sha’baan. It may be asked: why is it makrooh to fast just before Ramadaan (for those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there are a number of reasons why this is so, such as: Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadaan that are not part of it. Fasting on the day of Eid is prohibited for the same reason, lest we fall into the same trap as the People of the Book with regard to fasting, as they added to their fasts because of their own whims and desires. For the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the “day of doubt”. ‘Ammaar said: whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abu’l-Qaasim  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). -------------------------------------------------- The “day of doubt” is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadaan or not, when news of the sighting of the crescent moon comes from one whose word cannot be accepted. As for a cloudy day, some of the ‘ulamaa’ said that this was also a ‘day of doubt’ and said that fasting was not allowed on this day. This is the view of the majority. Secondly: to make a distinction between fard (obligatory) fasts and naafil (supererogatory) fasts, because making a clear distinction between fard actions and naafil actions is prescribed in Islam. Hence it is haraam to fast on the day of Eid, and the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with another prayer unless they are separated by saying salaam or speaking, especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr. It is prescribed to make a clear separation between this prayer and the obligatory prayer. Hence it is prescribed to pray it at home and to lie down afterwards. When the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man praying at the time when the iqaamah had been given for Fajr, he said to him: “Al-Subh is four rak’ahs.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 663). Some ignorant people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before Ramadaan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting. This is an ignorant mistake on the part of those who think this. And Allaah knows best.
NS

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
h_m_r00
11/16/00 at 14:31:35
Salaam I am in for all of them..I mean fasting, tracks A and B.I have a lot of free time(can't you tell?) so I want to get some ajr . Malika: I know that there is a hadeeth concerning reading all of surat Al Kahf on Friday. The purpose of that is that there are 10 ayats (we do not know which 10)from Surat Alkahf that erase our thonoobe between two Fridays,so in order to have that, we have to read it all. I will get you the hadeeth Insha' Allah. And Kashif: who is your Imam? I want to ask him some questions concerning that...                                  Hiyam

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Malika
11/16/00 at 15:42:12
wlm Jazak Allah Khairen Br. Hiyam

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Arsalan
11/16/00 at 16:25:14
Assalamu alaikum, widad - Jazak Allahu khairan for that article.  Hmm, Kashif, you wanna reconsider that fasting idea?

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
destined
11/16/00 at 17:25:14
Hadrath Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported the Prophet as saying "if anyone recites Surah al-Kahf on Friday, light will shine brightly on him till the next Friday. [Mishkat] The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There is a surah of the Book which only has thirty ayats which will intercede for a man on the Day of Rising and will bring him out of the Fire and make him enter the Garden. It is Surat Tabarak (meaning al-Mulk)."

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Kashif
11/16/00 at 17:27:33
assalaamu alaikum Since we're not fasting on the day of doubt, or really anywhere near it, i can't see why we shouldn't fast. But if there is a hadith that says that one who didn't fast in the first half of sha'ban shouldn't fast in the second half, then we won't fast. Kashif Wa Salaam
NS

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Kashif
11/16/00 at 19:24:06
assalaamu alaikum I'm not sure - it doesn't seem *clear* that we shouldn't fast, as Monday isn't near the day of doubt that is forbidden to fast upon. If someone fears that a fast on Monday will affect their fasting in Ramadan, please do NOT fast.. otherwise... we can go ahead? Kashif Wa Salaam

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
tq
11/16/00 at 17:48:49
Assalamo elikum I read an article on other list(i will try to find it )in which it was stated that if we fear that by fasting after 15 of Shaban or near the end of Shaban, we will not be able to fast the whole month of ramazan (due to weakness or something )then we shouldnt becuase fasting of ramazan is more important than shaban otherwise it is Ok. NOw this is my personal opnion that we should fast as much as we can during shaban because Prophet(PBUH) used fast max during this month unless ofcourse it might effect our health in way that we wont be able to fast in ramazan   Wasalam tq

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
proudtobemuslim
11/17/00 at 08:45:05
Assalam-u-Alaikum, Jazzak-Allahu Khair destined... that was very nice of you. What do you mean by bayah?  Also should we recite the the prescribed ayahs and surahs while lting down with our right hand under our cheek, or should we recite while sitting and then lye down?  I am asking this thinking about whether its respectful enough to Qur'an to recite while lying down. Jazzak-Allahu Khair again Wassalam-u-Alaikum Uzer

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Arsalan
11/17/00 at 09:40:28
Assalamu alaikum, We should remember Allah all the time.  Standing, sitting, reclining (isn't there an ayah that goes something like this?).  Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to remember Him at all times.  And what better way of remembrance than the recitation of His Word?  (of course, the only exception is when you're relieving yourself) In my humble opinion, respecting the Qur'an means to recite it often and to follow its orders, not whether you have your back or front towards it, or whether you recite it in a particular position.   Wallahu a'lam. Arsalan

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
se7en
11/17/00 at 18:07:40
[quote] We should remember Allah all the time.  Standing, sitting, reclining (isn't there an ayah that goes something like this?).  [/quote] "Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting and on their sides, and contemplate the wonders of creation in the heavens and the earth, with the thought, 'Our Lord, not for naught hast Thou created all this.  Glory to thee!  Give us salvation from the penalty of the fire...'" surah ali'imran, ayah 191

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Arsalan
11/17/00 at 19:25:15
Yup.  That's it!  Jazak Allahu khairan se7en. Wassalamu alaikum.

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
proudtobemuslim
11/20/00 at 04:26:45
Assalam-u-Alaikum, Jazzak-Allahu Khair bro. Arsalan and sis. se7en for clearing up the doubt. Wassalam-u-Alaikum Uzer

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
h_m_r00
11/22/00 at 11:17:50
Salaam Sis Malika...I happen to be a sis;)                                  Hiyam

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Malika
11/22/00 at 13:25:59
slm ooooohhh! I am so sorry.  Saleema did that to me. I even think I knew that!  my apoligies!

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Saleema
11/22/00 at 14:19:45
Assalamoalykum, What did I do????? :( wassalam

Re: Tasks for this week & Next
Malika
11/27/00 at 14:09:34
slm Sis Saleema if it is spelled wrong its your fault ;)  You have that rub off effect!
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