Zakat [alms giving]

                                THE OBLIGATION OF ZAKAT IN ISLAM

As an obligation upon Muslims, zakah is one of the essential requirements of Islam. If somebody
disputed its obligation, he would be outside of Islam, and could legally be killed for his unbelief unless
he was a new Muslim and could be excused for his ignorance.
As for the one who refrains from paying it without denying its obligation, he would be guilty of
committing a sin. Yet, this act does not place him outside of Islam. It is the ruler’s duty to take zakah
from the defaulter by force and rebuke him, provided he does not collect more than the stipulated
amount. However, in the views of Ahmad and ash-Shaf’i (in his earlier opinion) the ruler could take half
of the defaulter’s money, in addition to the calculated amount of zakah, as a punishment. This view is
based on what Ahmad, anNasa’i, Abu Dawud, al-Hakim, and al-Baihaqi have recorded from Bahz ibn
Hakim all the way back to his grandfather who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be
peace, say: ‘Whether the camels of the zakah payer are grown or baby camels, it makes no difference
in his reward if he gave them willingly. (However,) if someone refrains from paying it, it will be taken
from him along with half his property, for it is a right of our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, not a
right of the house of Muhammad.'”
Asked about its chain, Ahmad ruled it good (hassan). Of Bahz, al-Hakim says: “His traditions are
authentic.” Ash-Shaf’i, as alBaihaqi says, did not include it for fiqhi consideration because . . . “this
hadith is not confirmed by the scholars of hadith.”
If some people refrain from paying zakah knowing that it is due and that they can afford to pay, they
should be fought until they yield and pay. Al-Bukhari and Muslim report that Ibn ‘Umar heard the
Prophet say: “I have been ordered to fight people until they say that none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger, and they uphold the prayers, and pay the
zakah. If they do this, their lives and properties will be safe, except for what is due to Islam, and their
accounts are with Allah.”
Abu Hurairah is reported to have said: “When Allah’s Messenger, upon whom be peace, died and Abu
Bakr succeeded him as caliph, some Arabs apostasized, causing Abu Bakr to declare war upon them.
‘Umar said to him: ‘Why must you fight these men?’, especially when there is a ruling of the Prophet,
upon whom be peace: ‘I have been called to fight men until they say that none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah, and whoever said it has saved his life and property from me except when a right
is due in them, and his account will be with Allah.’ Abu Bakr replied: ‘By Allah! I will fight those who
differentiate between salah and zakah because zakah is the due on property. By Allah! If they withheld
even a young she-goat ( ‘anaq) that they used to pay at the time of Allah’s Messenger, upon whom be
peace, I would fight them.’ Then ‘Umar said: ‘By Allah! It was He who gave Abu Bakr the true
knowledge to fight, and later I came to know that he was right.’ ”
The same hadith narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, and atTirmizhi has the following variant: “If they
witheld the ‘iqal, the rope of the camel,” instead of “‘anaq, young she-goat.

Bismillah

Bismillah
Rabbi Zidnee Ilman
“My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”

Ramadan is a month not only when Muslims keep away from food, but everything we do during this month causes us to develop taqwa (piety). The Holy month of Ramadan is where we recharge our Imaan (faith) for the entire year. In this article I will attempt to list out 10 things which we can all do to make our Ramadan this year more spiritual and hopefully some of these things would develop into habits which we carry on with us for the year ahead. You could also print out this article and keep it handy for the month of Ramadan to act as a reminder.

1. Read Quran daily
You will be rewarded 10 rewards for every letter you read.  This prize basically illustrates the weight of the Quran in terms of where it should be in your life.
Ramadan is the perfect opportunity for us to develop a routine, so why not make reading the Holy Quran part of our daily lifestyle choices and why not start in this month?If you read one juz (part) of Quran each day, by the end of the month, you would have completed the entire Quran!
I find it most peaceful to do these recitations after Fajir Salaat in the morning. It is also common to recite Quran between Asr and Maghrib Salaat. Find what works for you, and stick to it.
Reading Quran is more effective in Ramadan because as we fast, we strengthen our consciousness of Allah which allows us to better internalise the teachings of the Quran and align our behavior to these teachings.

2. Pray Sunnah Salaat before and/or after Salaat

“Allah will build house in Jannah for whoever is diligent in observing 12 sunnah rakat (as follows) 4 rakat before and 2 after Dhur, 2 after the Maghrib, 2 after Ishaa, and 2 before Fajr.”
[Tirmidhi]

During this month, there are so many extra blessings we can attain and praying our voluntary prayers before and/or after our obligatory salaat is an easy way to gain these. If we give ourselves the time to pray these extra salaat for this month, then during the rest of months, it would become like second nature to us. Make this a habit, and you would soon feel incomplete in your salaat without your voluntary prayers, and feel so much more spiritual when you complete them; not to mention, your blessings would be increasing and you would feel more accomplished.

3. Increase your remembrance of Allah

“O You who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance”
{Surat Al-‘Aĥzāb33: Verse 41}

This could be as simple as doing dikhr (rememberance) while you’re in the car going to work, or in the check-out line at the grocery. Any and all free time could be the vehicle you use to develop your dikhr of Allah.

A few common things you can say are:
–         SubhanAllah or SubhanAllahwabihamdihi (“I praise Allah (or All praise if to Allah) above all attributes that do not suit His Majesty.”)
It is recorded that the reward for saying this is that a tree will be planted for you in Paradise. Another hadith records that whoever says this 100 times a day, his/her sins will be forgiven even if they were as much as the foam of the sea [Bukhari].
–         Alhamdulillah (“All praise is for Allah.”)
The stated reward for this one is that your scales will be tipped in your favour on the Day of Judgment.
–         La hawlawa la quwwataillabillah (“There is no power or might except (by) Allah.”)
You will enter through a special door in Paradise if you oft use this remembrance.
–          SubhanAllah (x33), Alhamdulillah (x33), Allahuakbar (x34) “I praise Allah (or All praise if to Allah) above all attributes that do not suit His Majesty.  All praise is to Allah.  Allah is Great.”)
This is commonly said after all salaat and before you go to sleep.

4. Give extra charity
In addition to your Zakaat (obligatory charity) you should find a way every day to give extra charity. Feed a hungry child or family; give away some of your clothes to needy people; or even help an elderly person cross the road. The possibilities for charity are limitless. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad salallahualeyhiwasallam, has said that even a smile is charity. The little things would add up and would be a great source of your blessings. Further, the satisfaction you will get from being kind and charitable to others would be a fulfilling experience.

5. Do not engage in unnecessary talk
It has been reported that if someone approaches you and engages in nonconstructive talk, then you say  ‘I am fasting, I am fasting’ and stop it in its tracks. This is a good way to cleanse your thoughts as well. Think positively and talk positively.

6. Visiting a sick Muslim

“There is no Muslim who visits a sick Muslim early in the morning but 70 thousand angles send blessings upon him until evening comes, and if he visits him in the evening, 70 thousand angles send blessings upon him until morning comes, and he will have a garden in paradise.”
[Tirmidhi] 

7. Providing food for breaking the fast

“Whoever provides food for breaking of the fast for a fasting person receives the reward of the fasting person, without the reward of the fasting person being reduced in any way.”
[Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah]

This is an easy way to receive more blessings during this month, while increasing our spirituality.

8. Standing in prayer on Laylatul Qadr

“LaylatulQadr is better than a thousand months.”
{Surat Al-Qadr 97: Verse 3}

The rewards from prayers of this night is equivalent to a thousand months. This is a great opportunity to get closer to Allah and build up your spirituality.

9. Asking Allah to forgive ALL Muslims

“Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing woman, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.”
[Tabarani]

This is a powerful way to make the best out of our Ramadan.

10. Attend lectures and events in the Masjid

“Whoever goes to the mosque not desiring except to learn or teach what is good has the reward of a pilgrim who completed his Hajj”.
[Tabarani]

I hope that these 10 things inspire you to make the utmost best of your Ramadan. Remember that the little things add up and every little bit you do counts. Rome was not built in a day, so don’t expect your Imaan to either. Patience and consistency will get you where you want to go.

Authored by RHAli 
Edited by Noorain Fathima

 posted by alpakistani bambam

7 Habits Highly Effective Muslims

                                            7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MUSLIM
                                             DO YOU POSSESS THESE SEVEN HABITS?
This talk was based on the following Hadiths, from the prophet Muahammd (s.a.w) “there are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade; a just ruler , a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah , the Mighty and Majestic ; AMan whose heart is attached to the Mosque, Two men who love each other for Allah’s sake ,meet for that and  panting upon that; A  Man who is called by  a woman of  beauty and position ( for illegal intercourse ) , but he says ;” I fear Allah” ; A Man who gives in charity and hides it, such right hand gives; A Man who remembered Allah and so his eyes shed tears.    [BUKHARI AND MUSLIM]
With this spirit, I will like to list some of the great habits you will find I highly effective Muslims. Those are not necessary religious duties parse. But you will found in the best Muslims with encouragement from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
                                           THEY REMEMBER THEIR SINS
Some people fall into the habits of judging others by their sins while forgetting their own, they may not even think the sins they’ve committed are all that bad. This is a sign of a weak Muslim.
            Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) says “A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which he is afraid may fall on him,whereas the wicked person considered his sins as flies passing on his nose and he just drive them away like this.
[Related by Bukhari]
         Of course if you see some doing wrong you should advise him or her to change their behaviors. BUT don’t become arrogant or prideful fact, you should reflect on the sins you have committed and turn to Allah for repentance who knows? Perhaps that person is doing something else’s that Allah loves. And perhaps you are doing some things else that Allah hates.
           By constantly remembering Allah and being mind full of the sins you have commit, you will be more in chirred to repent, change your behavior, and do good deeds to make up for them, insha Allah.
                                             THEY MIND THEIR BUSINESS.
       People like to think that only women engage in gossip. I can tell you from experience that is not true; Muslims men can be some of the worse gossipers and backbiters around. And this is unfortunates given how many warnings there are of such horrible behavior. How do people fall into gossip and Backbiting? By not minding their own Business .Those people hear a rumor or a tale,and before the next prayer comes in,they’ve spread it to dozen other people and then those turn around and do the same thing. If only we would remember what Allah says in His Book; “And do not obey every worthless habitual Swearer (And) Scorner going about with malicious gossip. And preventer of good, transgressing and sinful” Q.68v10-12
Those are strong words coming from our Lord condemning this behavior so, rather than mind other folk s’ business, and spreading rumors tales and gossip, how about we just turn to our own affairs.
                                                   THEY SAY WHAT IS GOOD
This goes hand in hand with the previous habits. Whereas habits #2 was just to mind your own business and not to say evil, #3 is encouragement to say well.The prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said that “Anyone who believes in Allah and the last Day should speak well or keep quiet” [related by Bukhari]
      There you have it .Advise directly from the prophet of Allah (s.a.w) telling us to say something good or shut up. I don’t mean to put it so bluntly but that’s the gist of it. The advice doesn’t just mean speaking well of people; it means to speak good about everything. Here are some examples;-
[A] Rather than complain, he grateful and promise Allah for what you have.
[B] Rather than be boastful, onceagain, be grateful and praise Allah for what He has given you
[c] Rather than criticize, advice and compliment on the good someone does.
Have you ever noticed how a negative person,who always bring a negative feeling with them? They are always complaining nagging, and criticizing .Don’t be like that person. When you think about difficult, When you’re about to say something bad or negative, try to think of something good (orat least neutral) to say, and if you can’t just shut up.
                                                      THEY KEEP A GOOD COMPANY
If you want to fulfill the previous threehabits, you should be around people who want the same. You’ll find yourself very in effective, if you’re always surrounded by people who minding other people’s business, and cannot says good. So if you’re serious about becoming an effective Muslim. You should take a close look at the people you spend time with. You can convince them to change their way. Thatis best, but if not maybe it’s time to find new friends. Consider the following Hadith.
A good friend and bad friend are like a perfume seller and blacksmith; the perfume seller might give you some perfume as a gift,or you might buy from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might since your cloths and at the very least you will breath in the forms of the furnace [related by Bukhari]
Once again, the messenger of Allah (saw) is giving it to us in clear and beautiful manner. If you hang around good people that goodness will rub off on you .If you hang around negative people that same negativity will rub off on you, and may eventually leadyouastray. So if you don’t want to get burnt, find some good friends.
                                                          THEY DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.
I’m going to have come clear her I am very off a bring procrastinator and the funny thingis, whenever I procrastinate, thing s turn to worse than if I had done it immediately in the first place.
       Though I sometimes put off doing things that are important in my daily life, I rarely put off religious duties,however, this I as problems that many Muslims have. Howmany people owe days of fastening from the last Ramadan but put them off for months? Some people have to rush to get these days in just weeks or even days before the next Ramadan begins.
However, people have money and health to make hajj but wait years and years tosome people waits, until they reach old age and have to do visit the Kaaba with Multitude illness and difficulties.
However people routinely procrastinate in making their daily prayers? The best of these procrastinations rush to get their prayer before time is out. Theworse completely miss the prayers due solely to procrastination.
   Procrastinating in your daily duties is bad enough .please don’t procrastinate with the orders of Allah.
                                          THEY PUT THEIR TRUST IN ALLAH.
There are many verses in the Qur’an instructing us to put our trust in Allah. But I’m going to only quotes one of them Allah the Exalted said “And (Allah) will provide for him from where he does not expect. And puts their trust in Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a (decreed) measure .Q 65 V3
Will, there you putit, straight from the Creator .if you put your trust in Allah, and then He is all your need. We often fall into the trap of putting our trust in the Creation we ask help from people who cannot help us. We complain to people who have no authority. Instead we should seek help and complain to Allah almighty. Ofcourse,if you do need assistance and you know of someone who has ability to help you it is okay to ask them for help. But understand that whateverhelps them all, even that person may let you down. But if you put your trust in Allah He will never let you down.
                                              THEY REMAIN MINDFULLY OF ALLAH.
This is the most important habits of them all.
[A] If you do not remember Allah, you will not think of your own sins and seek repentance for them.
[b] If you do not remember Allah, your will not try to avoid His punishment by minding your own business without falli98ng into backbiting and slander.
[C] If do not remember Allah, you will not try to seek His favor by saying what is good.
[d] If you do not remember Allah, you will not seek out good company who are also focused on remembering Allah.
[e] If you do not remember Allah you will never be able to put trust in Him and will always look for help from those who can do you no good.
       These are not the only things we can do to become effective Muslims. I ‘m sure you can think of many more habits that will bring you closer to Allah and improve your daily life. But those seven habits of highly effective Muslims is a great please to start. May Allah make it easy for you and me to implement these habits every day of our life,Ameen.
Compiled
                                                             Abdullahi Baba Umar.
A.B.U FIRST CLASS CYBER CAFÉ BAMBAM GOMBE STATE.
DATE: THURSDAY-24-04-2018   WICH IS EQUEVELENT TO 7TH SHA’BAN-1440.