“Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success, and remembers (glorifies) the name of his Lord and prays” Quran 87:14-15

Zakat-UL-FITR is part of the fast of Ramadan and is characterized by the following elements:

* It consists of approximately 5.5 pounds of rice, wheat, dates, or similar food items.
* It is not recommended to give the Zakat ul-Fitr in the form of money, clothes, or any other non-food items. However, the Hanafi School of Thought  allowes to give the Zakat ul-Fitr in monetary form (if one wishes to do so.)
* It must be given on the day of Eid, which is known as Eid ul-Fitr and signifies the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. It can also be paid one or two days before Eid ul-Fitr.
* It cannot be given after the Eid prayer, unless one has a valid reason for such a delay.
* It should be given on behalf of every Muslim, whether male or female, adult or minor.

Five times a day I retreat from life, pause and renew my intention for living. It’s not just kids and work, fun and problems. There’s more, much more …..

Lying just beneath the surface of our everyday thoughts. If we dare to peer within, we’ll find it, the home of peace; of truth ; an acute awareness of what is wrong and right, of what is worthwhile and what is wasted.
I stand still and concentrate on the spot on the carpet where my forehead will soon rest, casting aside all worries, fears and hopes, and focusing on the only One Who can help, Who can forgive, Who is Well-Aware of everything. Quietly, so only myself can hear, I recite the verses of Qu’ran that remind us, in every prayer, of the One Who showers Mercy of those who deserve it and those who don’t. The One to whom, all Judgment lies and Whom we are all to return to, at an appointed time. I remember that no one can help me, no one can waylay my fears, no one can turn the tide of events, except the One to Whom all help is sought.

When anger strikes my heart, I recite the verses that remind us of mercy, tolerance and forgiveness; raising the consciousness to see through the empty words that people speak, to the meaning that may have been intended. So I forgive.

When worries cloud my mind and I’m busy planning what I should do, I recite those verses telling of good deeds and trust in the Lord of all. The best of planners, the Subduer of evil and the Exalter of Whom He pleases. So , I try my best, ask for help and leave the rest to Allah s.w.t.

When I feel sad and lost, I recite the verses promising victory to those who strive to uphold piety, that place of rest and peace that lies not so far ahead and the Source of all Peace Whose help is always near. So, I wipe away my tears and keep on trying, never giving up.

My prayer, is a way of life. It comes five times a day but the rest of the time is in preparation for the next, awareness of the passing time, remembering my duty to my Creator and my responsibility to my own soul. So whatever I’m doing, I stop and put it aside, wash and stand in prayer, trying to look within, at the faults that follow me around in my life, of the evil my hands have sent forth, and seek guidance, forgiveness and escape from the evil consequences of what I may have done.

I think of the marvels of the universe, how infinately beautiful and amazing as they are. The wonders of my own self, the physical human body and the wonders it contains. The depth and breadth of the mind, that few of us can compass and then I look to the trivial pleasures of life, the transient nature of our existence and I feel an urge to do more, to try harder, to be better than I was the day before.

And so I bow before my Creator, acknowledging the fact that only He deserves my sincerity, my obedience and my love. All else in life, is secondary to the fact that if He hadn’t chosen to create me, I would never have existed. Here I am! Here’s my duty. Worship is not only prayer and fasting but the way we live, the way we speak, the way we treat people and the way we solve problems. Knowing that we weren’t only Created and left to discern truth for ourselves, I adhere to the guidance given to me , to steady me on the path that leads to success in this life and the next.

I continue in my prayer, whether well or ill, tired or wakeful, sad or hopeful, I continue, knowing that success doesn’t lie in the amount of money, weapons or strenth one thinks one has, but in ones morality.

By: Velma Cook

Question:

Is there any particular reason why zakaah is prescribed?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

It should be noted that Allah does not prescribe anything that is not for the best reasons and does not achieve the best interests. Allah is the All-Knowing, Who encompasses all things by His knowledge, and He is the All-Wise Who does not prescribe anything except for a reason.

Secondly:

With regard to the reason behind the prescription of zakaah, the scholars have mentioned many reasons for it, including the following:

1 – To complete and perfect a person’s Islam, because it is one of the pillars of Islam. If a person fulfils it, his Islam is complete. Undoubtedly this is an important aim for every Muslim, and every believing Muslim will strive to perfect his faith.

2 – It is indicative of a person’s sincerity of faith, because wealth is dear to people, and something that is loved will not be given up except for something that is equally or more loved, or rather for something that is more loved. Hence it is called sadaqah, because it is indicative of the sincerity (sidq) of a person’s desire to please Allah, may He be exalted.

3 – It cleanses the character of the one who gives it, so that he is saved from being a miser and is included among the generous, because if he accustoms himself to giving, whether it is giving knowledge or giving wealth or using his position to help others, that giving will become a characteristic for him and will be part of his nature, until he gets upset if there is a day when he does not give. Like the hunter who gets used to hunting, if one day he does not hunt, you will find him feeling anxious. Similarly the one who has gotten used to being generous will feel anxious if he does not give some of his wealth or use his position to help others one day.

4 – It gladdens the heart. If a person gives something, especially wealth, he feels a sense of joy. This is something that is tried and tested, but it is subject to the condition that he gives gladly and willingly, not grudgingly.

Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma’aad that giving and generosity are means of gladdening the heart, but no one benefits from that except the one who gives gladly and willingly, and gives the wealth from his heart before he gives it from his hand. As for the one who gives from his hand but his heart is still attached to the wealth, his heart, he will never benefit from that giving.

5 – It joins a person to the ranks of the true believers. “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” Just as you love to be given money with which you can meet your needs, you should also love to give it to your brother, thereby you will perfect your faith.

6 – It is one of the means of entering Paradise, because Paradise is for the one who “speaks good words, spreads (the greeting of) salaam, feeds the hungry and prays at night when the people are asleep.” And all of us are striving to enter Paradise.

7 – It makes the Muslim society like a single family, in which those who have the means show compassion to those who do not have the means, and the rich to those who are in hardship. Thus a person feels that he has brothers to whom he must do good as Allah has been good to him. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and do good as Allah has been good to you”

[al-Qasas 28:77]

So the Muslim ummah becomes like a single family. This is what is known nowadays as “social security”, but zakaah is better than that, because a person is paying it as an obligatory duty and benefitting his brothers thereby.

8 – It extinguishes the flames of revolution among the poor, for a poor man may be provoked by finding a man who can ride whatever kind of vehicle he wants, and live in whatever kind of palace he wants, and eat whatever kind of food he wants, whereas he has no means of transportation but his own two feet, and can sleep only on the ground, and so on, so undoubtedly he will feel some kind of resentment in his heart.

But if the rich are generous to the poor, they will prevent rebellion and soothe their anger and they will say: we have brothers who acknowledge us at times of hardship, so they will feel love towards the rich.

9 – It prevents financial crimes such as robbery and stealing and the like, because the poor will get enough to meet their needs, and they will excuse the rich because they are giving them some of their wealth, and they will see that they are treating them well, so they will not transgress against them.

10 – Salvation from the heat of the Day of Resurrection. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Every man will be in the shade of his charity on the Day of Resurrection.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ (4510). And he listed among those whom Allah will shade with His shade on the Day when there will be no shade but His: “… a man who gives charity and conceals it so much that his left hand does not know what his right hand is doing.” Agreed upon.

11 – It leads a man to learn about the laws of Allah, because he can never pay his zakaah until he has learned the rulings on zakaah, the kinds of wealth that are subject to zakaah and those who are entitled to receive it, and other information that he needs.

12 – It purifies wealth, so that the wealth will grow literally and metaphorically. If a person gives charity from his wealth, that this will protect him from problems, and Allah may increase his provision because of his giving charity. Hence it says in the hadeeth: “Wealth never decreases because of charity.” Narrated by Muslim, 2588. This is something that is tried and tested, because a miser’s wealth may be overtaken by something that destroys it or most of it, such as fire, and great losses, or sickness that forces him to seek treatment which takes up much of his wealth.

13 – It is a means of bringing down blessings. In the hadeeth it says: “No people ever withhold the zakaah of their wealth but rain is withheld from the sky.”

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5204.

14 – “Charity given in secret extinguishes the wrath of the Lord,” as was narrated from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3759.

15 – It wards off a bad death.

16 – It wrestles with the calamity that comes down from heaven and prevents it reaching earth.

17 – It expiates for sins. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5136.

Are you one of those people who rarely touches the Qur’an? Or do you read daily, but don’t find it is having the impact on you that it should? Whatever the case may be, these are some simple tips that can help you connect with the Qur’an.

1. Before you touch it, check your heart. The key to really benefiting from the Qur’an is to check your heart first, before you even touch Allah’s book. Ask yourself, honestly, why you are reading it. Is it to just get some information and to let it drift away from you later? Remember that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was described by his wife as a “walking Qur’an”: in other words, he didn’t just read and recite the Qur’an, he lived it.

2. Do your Wudu (ablution). Doing your Wudu is good physical and mental preparation to remind you you’re not reading just another book. You are about to interact with God, so being clean should be a priority when communicating with Him.

3. Read only 5 minutes everyday. Too often, we think we should read Qur’an for at least one whole hour. If you aren’t in the habit of reading regularly, this is too much. Start off with just five minutes daily. If you took care of step one, Insha Allah (God willing), you will notice that those five minutes will become ten, then half an hour, then an hour, and maybe even more!

4. Make sure you understand what you’ve read. Five minutes of reading the Qur’an in Arabic is good, but you need to understand what you’re reading. Make sure you have a good translation of the Qur’an in the language you understand best. Always try to read the translation of what you’ve read that day.

5. Remember, the Qur’an is more interactive than a CD. In an age of “interactive” CD-Roms and computer programs, a number of people think books are passive and boring. But the Qur’an is not like that. Remember that when you read Qur’an,you are interacting with Allah. He is talking to you, so pay attention.

6. Don’t just read, listen too. There are now many audio cassettes and CDs of the Qur’an, a number of them with translations as well. This is great to put on your walkman or your car’s CD or stereo as you drive to and from work. Use this in addition to your daily Qur’an reading, not as a replacement for it.

7. Make Dua (supplication). Ask Allah to guide you when you read the Qur’an. Your aim is to sincerely, for the love of Allah, interact with Him by reading, understanding and applying His blessed words. Making Dua to Allah for help and guidance will be your best tool for doing this.

عنْ أبي هُريْرة رضي اللَّه عَنْهُ أنَّ رسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم قَالَ : « إذا تَشَهَّد أَحدُكُمْ فَليسْتَعِذ بِاللَّه مِنْ أرْبَع ، يقولُ : اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عذَابِ جهَنَّمَ ، وَمِنْ عَذَابِ القَبرِ، وَمِنْ فِتْنةِ المحْيَا والمَماتِ ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ المَسِيح الدَّجَّالِ » . رواه مسلم .
وعنْ عَلِيٍّ رضي اللَّه عنْهُ قال : كانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إذا قام إلى الصَّلاةِ يكونُ مِنْ آخِر ما يقولُ بينَ التَّشَهُّدِ والتَّسْلِيم : « اللَّهمَّ اغفِرْ لي ما قَدَّمتُ وما أَخَّرْتُ ، وما أَسْرَرْتُ ومَا أعْلَنْتُ ، وما أَسْرفْتُ ، وما أَنتَ أَعْلمُ بِهِ مِنِّي ، أنْتَ المُقَدِّمُ ، وَأنْتَ المُؤَخِّرُ ، لا إله إلاَّ أنْتَ » رواه مسلم

أذكار السجود:
قال عليه الصلاة والسلام : ( وأما السجود فاجتهدوا في الدعاء فقمن – أي حري وجدير – أن يستجاب لكم) مسلم وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم )أقرب مايكون العبد من ربه وهو ساجد ،فأكثروا الدعاء فيه} مسلم
فما عند الله من خير ورزق أخروي ودنيوي وفضل ورحمة… يطلب بالعمل الصالح وبالدعاء
قال تعالى{إنا كنا من قبل ندعوه إنه هو البر الرحيم }الطور28
ومن السُنًّة الإكثار في السجود من الدعاء.
وتقول في السجود ( سبحان ربي الأعلى ) ثلاثاُ أو تكررها كثيراً أو( سبحان ربي الأعلى وبحمده –ثلاثاُ-) أو تكررها كثيرا
( سبّوح قُدوس رب الملائكة والروح)
(اللهم لك سجدت وبك آمنت، ولك أسلمت، وأنت ربي سجد وجهي للذي خلقه وصوره، فأحسن صوره، وشق سمعه وبصره فتبارك الله أحسن الخالقين) {اللهم أغفر لي ذنبي كله، دقه وجله،وأوله وآخره وعلانيته وسره.)
(سبحان الله ذي الجبروت والملكوت والكبرياء والعظمة.) (سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك لا إله إلا أنت)
( اللهم أجعل في قلبي نوراً، واجعل في لساني نوراً، واجعل في سمعي نوراً،واجعل في بصري نوراً، واجعل من تحتي نوراً، واجعل من فوقي نوراً، وعن يميني نوراً، وعن يساري نوراً واجعل أمامي نوراً، واجعل خلفي نوراً، واجعل في نفسي نوراً، وأعظم لي نورا)
ويقال الدعاء السابق في السجود كذلك و تارة بعد الصلاة
(سبحانك اللهم ربنا وبحمدك، اللهم اغفر لي) .
(اللهم إني أعوذ برضاك من سخطك،وأعوذ بمعافاتك من عقوبتك، وأعوذ بك منك، لا أحصى ثناء عليك أنت كما أثنيت على نفسك.)
أذكار الجلسة بين السجدتين:
(ربي أغفر لي.. رب أغفر لي… رب أغفر لي.) (اللهم - أو رب- اغفر لي وارحمني وأجبرني وارفعني وأهدني وعافني وارزقني) و يستحب قول(سبحان الملك القدوس) ثلاثاً ترفع بها صوتك بعد الوتر