Conversational Arabic: Meeting up (30th of December)

In the name of Allah
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Attend Conversational Arabic class by sister Islam on Sunday
9:00pm Egypt time

مُقابَلَة
Meeting up

– I’m on time today, aren’t I?
– لَقَدْ جِئْتُ في الوَقْتِ الُمناسِبْ , أَلَيْسَ كَذَلِكْ ؟

– No, you’re late. It is eight o’clock.
Look at the time!
كَلّا , أَنْتِ مُتَأخِّرَة . إِنّها السّاعَة الثّامِنَة انظْري إلى الوَقْتْ !

– Yes, you are right. My watch is
a quarter of an hour slow, I’m sorry.
نَعَمْ , أَنْتِ مُحِقَّة . إنَّ ساعتي مُتَأّخِّرَة رُبِعْ ساعَة , أنا آسفَة .

في استعلامات الفندق
At the hotel reception

– Hello/good morning/good afternoon/good evening

- مَرْحَباً/صَباحُ الخَيْرْ/مَساءُ الخَيْرْ

– Hello, Madam
مَرْحباً , سَيِّدَتي .

Do you have a room for two people?
هَلْ لَدَيْكَ غُرْفَةً لِشَخْصَيْنْ؟

Yes, Madam.
نَعَمْ, سَيِّدَتي

For how many nights?
– لِكَمْ لَيْلَة ؟

– For about a week.
حَوالَيّ أسْبوعْ



TIME CHANGE of Learning how to read Quran ( Qayidah alNuraniyyah ) by Yasmin

In the name of Allah
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
 
We would like to inform you that there is a time change in our schedule and Learning how to read Quran ( Qayidah alNuraniyyah ) by Yasmin since now will be:
Every Sunday 7:00pm Egypt time
 
Download the book used during the class:
 
Note: There is another class by teacher Asiya on Thursday 7:30pm Egypt time.
 
May Allah reward our teachers, ameen.

The Day of Judgment

In the name of Allah
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
 
Signs of the Hour
 (the Day of Judgement)
 
The Signs of the Hour are the signs that will precede Yawm al-Qiyaamah (the Day of Judgement) and indicate that it is nigh.
 The Hour (al-Saa'ah) means the time of reckoning, and is either:
1. Saa'ah sughra (the lesser hour), which is a person's death, whereupon his reckoning starts when he leaves this world and passes into the Hereafter;
2. Or Saa'ah kubraa (the greater Hour), which is when mankind will be resurrected from their graves to be judged and rewarded or punished accordingly.
 When the word al-saa'ah is used on its own in the Qur'aan, it refers to the greater reckoning (the Day of Judgement), as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "People ask you concerning
 the Hour…" [al-Ahzaab 33:63]

The Signs of the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgement) are of two types:
 
 1.    Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Sughra (Minor signs of the Hour)
These are signs that will appear a long time before the Hour approaches, such as the decline of knowledge, the spread of ignorance, drinking of wine or alcohol, competition in the construction of tall buildings, and many others. The scholars have listed almost sixty signs, some of which will accompany the major signs, or will appear afterwards.
 2.    Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Kubraa (Major Signs of the Hour)
major signs
These are major signs that will appear shortly before the Day of Judgement comes. These extraordinary events will be:
 

(1)    The appearance of the Mahdi.
At the end of time, a man from the descendents of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will appear, and Allaah will help him to make His religion prevail. He will take control of the land (or the earth) and fill it with justice just as it had previously been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Under his rule, the ummah will be blessed as it has never been blessed before.
This man's name will be like the name of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his father's namewill be like the Messenger's father's name. He will be a descendant of Faatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), through the line of al-Hasan ibn 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). He will appear from the East. A number of saheeh ahaadeeth refer to the appearance of the Mahdi, including the following:
1. Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "During the last days of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allaah will send rain for him, and the earth will bring forth its produce. He will give money sihaahan (according to one report, the Prophet was asked, "What is sihaahan?" and he said, "Equally among people." Reported by Ahmad), and livestock will increase… He will live for seven or eight" - meaning years. (Reported by al-Haakim, 4/557; he said it is saheeh according to the conditions of the two shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim]. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Shaykh al-Albaani said: its sanad is saheeh. Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 711)
 2. Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: 'The Mahdi will be of my family (according to one report: of the people of my household) [Reported by Ibn Hibbaan and by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak. He said: this hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of the two shaykhs, but they did not report it. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him] from the children of Faatimah." [Reported by Abu Dawood, 11/373 and Ibn Maajah, 2/1368. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', section 6610].
 Al-'Allaamah al-Safaareeni said: "So many reports were narrated concerning the appearance of the Mahdi that they reached the level of Tawaatur in meaning, and this became so well known among the scholars of Sunnah that it is counted as one of their basic beliefs." (Lawaami' al-Anwaar al-Bahiyyah, 2/84).
 [Tawaatur: a mutawaatir hadeeth is one that was narrated by so many people and transmitted by so many people that it is inconceivable that they could all have agreed on a lie. Translator]
Imaam al-Shawkaani said: "The mutawaatir ahaadeeth about the awaited Mahdi, which we managed to find and examine, number fifty, including saheeh, hasan and da'eef munjabir (weak ahaadeeth that are supported by corroborating evidence) reports. They are mutawaatir beyond any shadow of a doubt… The reports from the Sahaabah that speak about the Mahdi are also very many and are judged as having the status of marfoo' ahaadeeth (i.e., ahaadeeth whose isnaads go back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because this is not an issue in which they would have made ijtihaad." (For more information, see Question #1252).

(2)    Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal (The "Antichrist")

Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is a man from the sons of Aadam. He has a number of features which were mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth, including the following: he will be a young man with a ruddy complexion and curly hair, and will be one-eyed, with his right eye looking like a floating grape. Between his eyes will be written "ka' fa' ra'" (in unjoined letters) or "kaafir" (disbeliever), which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Another of his attributes will be that he is sterile, and will have no children. Among the ahaadeeth that describe him are the following:
1. Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whilst I was sleeping, (I dreamt that) I was doing Tawaaf around the House (the Ka'bah)." He mentioned that he saw 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, then he saw the Dajjaal, and he described him: "He is a well-built man, with a ruddy complexion and curly hair. He is one-eyed, with his eye looking like a floating grape. (Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in al-Fath, 6/485: i.e., it is sticking out. The word yatfaa, with no hamzah, is used to describe something that is on top of something else. It is likened to a grape which is part of the bunch but sticks out from the rest. Al-Nawawi said: the word has been narrated both with the hamzah and without the hamzah. With the hamzah it means that the light has gone out of the eye, and without the hamzah it means that it is sticking out.) They said: "This is the Dajjaal…" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 13/90, and Muslim, 2/237)
2. Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) also reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described the Dajjaal as living among people, and said: "Allaah, may He be exalted, is not one-eyed, but al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is one-eyed, and his right eye looks like a floating grape." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 13/90, and Muslim, 18/59)
 3. 'Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "Between the creation of Aadam and the onset of the Day of Judgement, there will be a creation greater than the Dajjaal." (Reported by Muslim, 18/86). [This means that] the Dajjaal will appear from the East, from Khurasaan, from among the Jews of Isfahaan, then he will travel around the world, leaving no country but he will enter it, except for Makkah and Madeenah, which he will not be able to enter because the angels are guarding them, as is reported in the hadeeth of Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him): "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the Dajjaal would appear from a land in the East called Khurasaan." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 6/495); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', section 3398).
The fitnah (trial, tribulation) of the Dajjaal will be the greatest fitnah ever, seen from the time that Allaah created Aadam until the onset of the Day of Judgement, and this will be because of the power that Allaah will permit him to have, of working great miracles that will amaze and confuse the people. There are ahaadeeth that describe how he will have a "paradise" and a "hell", but his paradise will in fact be a hell, and vice versa. He will have rivers of water and mountains of bread. He will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth its produce, and it will bring forth its produce. The treasures of the earth will follow him, and he will travel though the earth at great speed, like rain driven by the wind.
 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught his ummah how they can protect themselves from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjaal,
as is reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When any one of you pronounces the Shahaadah, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four things, and let him say: 'Allaahumma innee a'oodhu bika min 'adhaab jahannam, wa min 'adhaab al-qabr, wa min fitnati'l-mahyaa wa'l-mamaat, wa min sharri fitnati'l-maseeh al-dajjaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the tribulation of the Dajjaal)." (Reported by Muslim, 5/87).

Another way of protecting oneself is by memorizing the first aayaat of Soorat al-Kahf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined reciting the first verses of Soorat al-Kahf against the Dajjaal, by reciting the first ten verses, as was reported by al-Nawwaas ibn Sam'aan, who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever of you encounters him (the Dajjaal), let him recite the first verses of Soorat al-Kahf against him." (Reported by Muslim, 18/65). Abu'l-Dardaa' (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever memorizes ten aayaat from the beginning of Soorat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjaal." (Reported by Muslim, 6/92).
 The destruction of the will come at the hands of 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, as is indicated in the saheeh ahaadeeth. 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'The Dajjaal will emerge among my ummah… and Allaah will send 'Eesaa ibn Maryam… and he will pursue him and destroy him." (Reported by Muslim, 18/75).

(3)    The descent of 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace
 
After the Dajjaal has appeared and spread corruption throughout the earth, Allaah will send 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, who will descend to the earth, coming down to the white minaret in the East of Damascus, Syria, resting his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, drops will fall, and when he raises it, drops like large pearls will fall (these are like grains of silver in the shape of big pearls, and it means that drops of water as pure as pearls will fall. The water is described as pearls because of its purity). No kaafir will smell his breath except he will die, and his breath will reach as far as his eyes can see. He will come down to the victorious group that is fighting for the truth and has come together to fight the Dajjaal. He will descend at the time when the iqaamah for prayer is being given, and he will pray behind the leader of that group.
The reports about his descent are many, including the following:
1. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, it is nearly time for the son of Maryam to descend upon you, to judge fairly. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and put an end to war. Wealth will increase so much that no-one will accept it, and one prostration to Allaah will be worth more than the world and all that is in it." Then Abu Hurayrah said: "Recite, if you wish: 'And there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him ('Eesaa - as a human Messenger of Allaah) before his ('Eesaa's) death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he ('Eesaa) will be a witness against them." [Al-Nisaa'  3:159 - interpretation of the meaning].'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6/490, and Muslim, 2/189).
2. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "How will you be when 'Eesaa ibn Maryam descends to you and your leader is one of you?" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6/491, and Muslim, 2/193).
 Imaam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer (7/223): "Mutawaatir ahaadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) describe how 'Eesaa ibn Maryam will descend before the Day of Judgement as a just leader and fair ruler."

(4)    Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog)
 
Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are human beings, descended from Aadam and Hawwa, upon whom be peace. According to the descriptions of them given in the ahaadeeth, they belong to the Turkic Mongol race, having small eyes, small, flat noses and wide faces. Their faces look like hammered-out shields (their faces are likened to shields because they are wide and round).
 Their appearance at the end of time is one of the signs of the Hour, as indicated in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "Until, when Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are let loose (from their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every mound. And the true promise (Day of Resurrection) shall draw near (to fulfilment). Then (when mankind is resurrected from their graves, you shall see the eyes of the disbelievers fixedly stare in horror. (They will say): 'Woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this; nay, but we were zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)." [al-Anbiyaa' 21:96-97]
 In the story of Dhoo'l-Qarnayn, Allaah tells us (interpretation of the meaning): "Then he followed (another) way, until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: 'O Dhoo'l-Qarnayn! Verily! Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?' He said: 'That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) or iron,' then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said, 'Blow,' till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said, 'Bring me molten copper to pour over it.' So they [Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. (Dhoo'l-Qarnayn) said: 'This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.' And on that Day [i.e., the day Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together." [al-Kahf 18:92-99]
 Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are also mentioned in the Sunnah, in more than one hadeeth, including the following:
1. Umm Habeebah bint Abi Sufyaan reported from Zaynab bint Jahsh that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon her one day in a nervous state, saying, "La ilaaha ill-Allaah! Woe to the Arabs from the evil that has approached! Today a hole this big has appeared in the barrier of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj," and he made a circle with his thumb and forefinger. Zaynab bint Jahsh said, "O Messenger of Allaah, will we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us?" He said, "Yes, if evil becomes widespread." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6/381, Muslim, 18/2).
2. Al-Nawaas ibn Sam'aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported a long hadeeth describing several signs of the Hour. In this hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… and Allaah will send Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, swiftly swarming from every mound. They will pass the lake of Tiberias [in Palestine] and will drink everything that is in it. Then the last of them will pass by and will say, 'There used to be water here once.' The Prophet of Allaah, 'Eesaa, and his companions, will be besieged until a bull's head will be more precious to one of them than a hundred dinars are to any of you today. 'Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and Allaah will send a kind of worm (like that found in the noses of camels and sheep) on their (Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj) necks, and they will fall down dead, all at once. Then 'Eesaa and his companions will come down out of the place where they were besieged, and they will find hardly a handspan of land that is not filled with the stench (of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj), so 'Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and He will send birds like the necks of camels to carry them away and throw them wherever Allaah wills." (Reported by Muslim, 18/68).

(5)    The swallowing up of the earth
 
This means that a place is swallowed up in the earth and disappears into it, as is described in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place…" [al-Qasas 28:81]. Among the major signs of the Hour will be three such events, as described in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until you see ten signs… (including) three events where the earth swallows up, one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula." (Reported by Muslim, 18/27).
These events, like other major signs of the Hour, have not happened yet. Although other instances of places being swallowed up by the earth have occurred at various times and in various places, they did not cover so wide an area as to include both East and West. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "There have been instances of places being swallowed up by the ear, but it could be that what is meant by the three events referred to is events that are worse than anything yet seen, which could be more intense and cover a larger area." (Fath al-Baari, 13/84).

(6)    The smoke
 
Another of the major signs of the Hour will be the appearance of the smoke. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke, covering the people, this is a painful torment." [al-Dhukhaan 44:10-11]. A definition of the smoke was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas, who explained that it is one of the Signs of the Day of Judgement, as was narrated by Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi Haatim from 'Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Maleekah, who said: "I went to Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) one day, and he said: 'I did not sleep at all last night.' I asked him, 'Why not?' He said, 'They said that a star with a tail (a comet) had appeared, and I was afraid that the smoke had started, so I could not sleep at all.'"
 Imaam Ibn Katheer commented: "This is a saheeh isnaad, going back to Ibn 'Abbaas, the scholar of the ummah and the interpreter of the Qur'aan. This is also the opinion of all the Sahaabah and Taabi'een who agreed with him, in addition, there are many ahaadeeth going back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) - saheeh, hasan and others - which state the same thing. This is convincing evidence that the smoke will be one of the expected signs, as is also clear from the text of the Qur'aan." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 7/235).
 Among the ahaadeeth that describe the appearance of the smoke as one of the signs of the Hour is the following:
1. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Hasten to do good deeds before six things appear: the Dajjaal, the smoke…" (Reported by Muslim, 18/87)
 

(7)    The rising of the sun from the West
 
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "… The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith…" [al-An'aam 6:158]. Most of the mufassireen (commentators) state that one of these signs is the rising of the sun from the West. Among the reports that indicate this are:
1. The hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until the sun rises from the West, and when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, but that will be when it will do a person no good to believe, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 11/352, and Muslim, 2/194).
2. The hadeeth of 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who said: "I learned from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a hadeeth that I have never forgotten since. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: 'The first of the signs of the Hour to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West.'" (Reported by Muslim, 18/78).

(8)    The appearance of the Beast

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And when the Word (of torment) is fulfilled against them, We shall bring out from the earth a beast to them, which will speak to them because mankind believed not with certainty in our aayaat." [al-Naml 27:82]
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'There are three things which, once they happen, it will do a person no good to believe, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith: the rising of the sun from the West, the Dajjaal, and the Beast of the earth.'" (Reported by Muslim, 2/195).
Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Beast will emerge, and it will mark all the people on their noses, and this mark will last, so that if a man buys a camel, and is asked who he bought it from, he will say, 'From the man with the mark on his nose.'" (Reported by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 322).
According to some reports, when the Beast appears, it will mark the believers and the kaafirs. As for the believer, it will make his face shine brightly, as a sign of his faith, and as for the kaafir, it will mark his nose with a sign of his disbelief.
 The Qur'aan tells us that the Beast will speak to people, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And when the Word (of torment) is fulfilled against them, We shall bring out from the earth a beast to them, which will speak to them because mankind believed not with certainty in our aayaat." [al-Naml 27:82]. This kalaam may refer to actual speech, whereby the Beast will address people, which is supported by the reading of Ubayy ibn Ka'b (tunabbi'uhum, i.e., tell them), or it may convey the other meaning of the word kalaam, to wound, which is supported by the alternative reading (taklamuhum, i.e., mark them by cutting them) reported from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him).
 

(9)    The fire which will gather the people together
 
Another of the signs of the Hour is the great fire which will appear from the direction of Yemen, from the bottom of 'Aden, from the Sea of Hadramawt. Among the ahaadeeth that describe this are the following:
1. The hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd which mentions the major signs of the Hour, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… The last of them will be a fire which will emerge from Yemen, and will drive the people to their gathering place." According to another report: "… and a fire which will emerge from the bottom of 'Aden and drive the people (ahead of it)." (Reported by Muslim, 18/27).
2. The hadeeth of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) which states that when 'Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam embraced Islam, he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about a number of issues, including the first sign of the Hour. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The first sign of the Hour will be a fire which will drive the people from East to West." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6/362).
3. Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Fire will emerge from Hadramawt or from the sea of Hadramawt (according to another report: from the direction of Hadramawt or from Hadramawt - Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh) before the Day of Judgement, and it will drive the people (ahead of it).'" (Reported by Ahmad, 7/133; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 3603).
A number of saheeh ahaadeeth describe how this fire will gather the people together. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The people will be gathered in three ways, willingly or by force, two on one camel, or three or four or even ten on one camel. The rest of them will be gathered together by means of a fire, which will stay with them whenever they stop to rest or to sleep, no matter what the time of day or night." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 11/377, Muslim, 17/194).
 

Finally, it should be noted that belief in the signs of the Hour is part of our belief in the Unseen (al-ghayb), without which the belief of the Muslim is incomplete. And Allaah is the Source of Strength.


Fiqh Lesson (25th of December)

In the name of Allah
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
 
Here are the notes of Fiqh lesson (25th of December) taught by Umm Ahmad / Amirah
Join us on Tuesday 9:00 pm Egypt time.
 
May Allah accept it from our teachers, ameen.
 
Questions on Sects and Schools of Thought
Question 25: If only those who follow Muhammad will be admitted into paradise, what about the generations who lived before his advent?
Answer 25: Those who lived before the prophet’s mission fall into two groups:
A. Those who worshiped God, the One, and kept his laws as revealed through a succession prophets. They will be rewarded or punishe according to their own deeds. Ultimately, they will enter paradise.
B. Those to whom a divine scripture was not revealed. They will be tested by God on the day of reckoning. Those who, then, manifest obedience to God will enter paradise, and those who manifest disobedience will enter hell.
 
Question 26: What are the differences and similarities netween Sinnism and Shi’ism? Are there other sects that are considered belonging to the fold of Islam?
Answer 26: Both Sunnis and Shi’as believe in God, His angels, His scriptures, His prophets, the day of judgement, fate, and the pillars of Islam, generally speaking.
Sunnis and Shi’as differ in some respects which include:
1. The Shi’as believe in the inerrancy and infalliablity of the imams coming from the prophet’s family.
2. Their belief that imams are divinely inspired, but to a lesser degree than prophets.
3. Their practice of tactical dissimulation in their dealings with their adversaries, whereby they believe that they are allowed to hide their beliefs.
4. The practice of mut’a, or temporary marriages. From a sunni perspective such marriages constitute adultry. There are many hadiths condemn this practice.
Undoubtedly, many other sects claim to belong to the fold of Islam. The mainstream Islamic population considers such sects in relation to their closeness to, or distance from, the teachings of mainstream Islam.
Judaism and Christianity are not accepted as viable religions after the advent of Islam. Islam has superseded them God says: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter he will be one of the losers” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 85).
 
Question 27: Since Muslims have been allowed to build a mosque in Rome, why should not Christians be permitted to build churches in Arabia? Also, why are non-Muslims banned from entering Mecca and/or Medina, while Muslims have access to the Vatican?
Answer 27: Rome is just like any other place in the world. There is no particular sacredness attached to it. Building a mosque in Rome, therefore, should not be considered unusual. The prophet of Islam specifically proscribed the existence of two faiths in the Arabian penninsula. Hence, there are no churches in the penninsula. The Arabian penninsula is the bedrock of Islam, its nursery and the home of its sacred sites.
We can compare the Vatican and Mecca only to a certain extent. In the Qur’an, God explicitly conferred sacredness toMecca. The Vaticsn enjoys no such status even from a biblical point of view. In fact only the Cathoic denomination in Christendom attaches a special importance to the Vatican. Moreover, every country in the world has visa and entry regulations. Only those fulfilling such conditions are admitted. The only condition for entry to Mecca is to verify the Oneness of God and the belief in the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh).
 
Question 28: If Islam is viable for all times and places, why is that Muslims are the world’s most backward people today?
Answer 28: It is a fact that Islam is valid for all times and places. Islamic civilization flourished for many centuries, especially at a time when the rest of the world was steeped in ignorance and backwardness. The west learnt a great deal and benefitted from the Islamic culture. The west built upon this past at the time Muslims became materialistic and lost their spiritual and civilizational focus. The backwardness of contemporary Muslims is the fault of Muslims not of Islam. Their backwardness is due to their deviation from Islamic teachings. However, Muslims still have the potential and the ability to achieve civilizational greatness. They have the elements of strength and progress. God gave us teachings to follow, and granted us geographical, natural and human resources. If we build upon these assets, we can enter into new renaissance, provided that we adhere to the teachings of Islam. Indeed the future belongs to the God-conscious. Islam’s future is bright. And It is a known fact that the achievement of a given system can only be sustained if the right people continue to work for it.
 
Question 29: Muslims claim to love Jesus, honour him, and believe in his message. Why then do they prefer Muhammad to him? Jesus is after all not only a messenger, but also the son of God.
Answer 29: There are two parts to this Question:
A. We, as Muslims, truly believe that Jesus, son of Mary, is one of the prophets belonging to the eleveated category of ulu al’azm prophets (possessors of steadfastness). Muslims love him, honour him and do believe in his message. However, Muslims consider him to be a servant to God and not a son of Him.
B. It is up to God to establish hierarchy among his messengers based on His divine wisdom. He made prophet Muhammad (pbuh) special in certain repects. He is the seal of the prophets. His message completes and abrogates all that came before him. He was also known as God’s intimate. Also, he was sent to all of the creation.
 
Question 30: Some Christian missionaries claim that Islam is not a rvealed religion. It is a distorted derivative version of Judaism and Christianity. Please comment.
Answer 30: What these missionaries are claiming is simply a misleading conjecture. While the prophet was preaching the new faith, the Jews and the Christians were, at the same time, practising their own religions. The new faith clearly contradicted Judaism and Christianity in very fundamental issues. Islam contradicted such beliefs held by Christians and Jews such as: ascribing human qualities to God (Jews witness that Uzair is the son of God). Their claim that Jesus was an illigitimate child and that they killed him. They also ascribed major sins to the prophets. They also claimed themselves to be the chosen people of God, His children and His beloved. The Christians claimed that Jesus is the son of God; that God is one person in a trinity and their belief in Jesus’s crucifixion and death. They also believe in the original sin an the Jesus’s atonement from the sins of mankind. The prophet’ teachings strongly refuted such beliefs. And in their stead he taught radical monotheism, God’s transcendence, and that He neither had a spouse, nor an offspring.
Islam also taught that all prophets were free from committing major sins. Also, the blessed Virgin Mary was not an adultress, and her son, Jesus, was God’s servant and messenger. He was neither crucified nor killed. The doctrine of trinity is false. The atonement for sins is also false. Jews are not a chosen people, rather all humans are God’s creation and equal in His sight except for those who manifest faith and God-consciousness.
Islam also brought many new rules which contradict with those of Judaism and Christianity. How then can one hold that Islam is a distorted copy of Judaism and/or Christinaity?
 
Question 31: Christians are civilized and rational. They therefore look critically at their scriptures. Muslims, on the other hand, avoid such practice. Do not you think that this shows regressive thinking and lack of rational thought?
Answer 31: This Question calls for a multifaced Answer:
1. The claim that Christians are civilized and rationa is counter-factual. How can a progressive man believe in superstitions, obscurist dogmas? How can we account for the moral decay through which their societies are passing?
2. It is not a civilized theory, nor it is progressive to criticize God.
3. The Christian’s criticism of their scriptures is due to the fact that these books have been distorted and changed. They have been added to and removed from. As a result some of these teachings clearly contradict reason, the facts and the common sense. The critical approach towards these scriptures is therefore only normal. Nonetheless, such criticismdid not clarify the issues as much as it obscured them and made many people lose faith in God.
4. The Qur’an and the prophet’s tradition are both divinely revealed. They are authentic. They do not abuse human reason, or contradict the facts of science. No critical approach in this case is, therefore, useful or warranted. No matter how educated a man is, he/she is still a created being. Human criticism of God is therefore an irrational proportion.
Man has to receive all that is authentically revealed by God with humility and submissiveness. Man needs to practice the revelation and live his life accordingly. Following such an attitude is not putting contraints on the mind, rather, it frees the mind to explore reality within what is humanly possible.
 
Question 32: Where do Jews and Christians stand today? Do you, Muslims, consider them believers or non-believers?
Answer 32: This Question calls for a two-faced Answer:
1. Their religious doctrines include a degradation of God’s ststus, as well as what amounts to insulting Him. These doctrines imply attributing partners to God, and ascribing to Him human biological qualities such as having an offspring, procreating, getting tired, oblivion, weeping and regretting. God’s prophets are also degraded by imputing to them major moral defects. All the above in addition to other contradictory and fabricated issues exist in their books. To Muslims, whoever holds such beliefs is a disbeliever without doubt.
2. Sincet the commandment of Muhammad’s prophetic mission, it has become incumbent upon all human beings to believe in his message. Anyone who has heard the call of Muhammad to embrace Islam and refute it is a disbeliever and will dwell in hell.
 
Question 33: Is Islam ready to accord to Christians in Mulsim countries the kind of freedom that Muslims enjoy in Christians countries? Can Christians enter mosques? Can they freely express their religious views? And can they freely proselytize?
Answer 33: Islam has historically granted to Christians living in Musim countries far more rights in than the rights Muslims have enjoyed in Christian countries. These rights and freedoms include:
1. The Christians’ right to retain their faith and pay some tax (jizya) in return for their protection.
2. They are granted security in terms of their lives, their properties and their religious institutions.
3. Islam forbade alcohol for Muslims, but allowed it for non-Muslims. This ruling also applies for the consumption of pork.
4. A dimension of this tolerance is Islam’s prescription of moderation and sound reason in their dialogue with Christians and Jews. God says: “And argue not with the people of the scripture (Jews and Christians) unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words and in good manner)” (Holy Qur’an: 29: 46).
5. We call Jews and Christians living in Muslim dominions as ahl al-dhimmah (the protected people). The full designation is dhimatu al-Lah was ‘ahdihi wa ri’ayatihi (people under the protection, covenant and care of God). Muslims are forbidden from harming them. Instead they are urged to maintain good relationship with them. The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught: “Whoever verbally insults a dhimmi (a jew or a Christian living in a Mulsim country) will be flogged in the hereafter with whips from hellfire.”[1]
Can you say, then, that Muslims in Chritians countries enjoy the same privillages as accorded to Christians in Muslim countries? Even today, Muslim girls living in the west are being deprived of their right to wear their Muslim clothes at school.
As regarding admission of Christians and Jews in mosques, see Answer to Question 120.
Finally, Muslims, convinced as they are of the false nature of Jewish and Christian teachings, how can they be expected to allow the spread of such techings in Muslim communities?
 
Question 34: It was said that God created all human beings equal, in rights and responsibilities. Why there is then disparity in the religious rights of Muslims, on the one hand, and Jews and Chriastians on the other?
Answer 34: It is said:
1. Absolute equality between human beings is logically and practically groundless. Human beings are not equal. Islam simply advocates justice. God says: “Verily God enjoins justice and the doing of good…” (Holy Qur’an: 16: 90).
2. Undoubtedly a Mulsim cannot be equal to a non-Muslim, because God is pleased with those who have embraced the truth of Islam, not withstanding the prohibition of forced conversion to Islam. Muslims enjoy equal status in the sight of God: “The believers are nothing but brothers (in Islamic religion)…” (Holy Qur’an: 49: 10). Anyone who rejects this teaching cannot be deemed equal to those who embrace it.
God decrees the following: “Is he who walks prone (without seeing) on his face, more rightly guided, or he who (sees and) walks uprighly on the straight way (Islamic monotheism)?” (Holy Qur’an: 67: 22). Based on these divine revelations, it becomes inonceivable to equal Muslims and non-Muslims: “Shall We then treat the Muslims like the mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers)? What is the matter with you? How judge you? (Holy Qur’an: 68: 35-36).
 

Question 35 (A): If one of the spouses embraces Islam while the other remains Christian, is their marriage still islamically valid?

Answer 35 (A): If God guides the husband to Islam, then it is his duty to invite his family to Islam. If it is the wife who embraces Islam, while the husband remains Christian, she should invite her husband to Islam with wisdom and beautiful exhortations. Should he still refuse to become Muslim, then she is obligated to sever their marital relationship. A husband is practically the leader in any family, and it is unacceptable for a believer to be subjected to the leadership of a non-Muslim.
Question 35 (B): When the man is Muslim and the woman is a Christian, can the wife take the children to church?
Answer 35 (B): As stated above, the newly converted Muslim husband should invite his Christian spouse to the path of Islam. Should he fail to persuade her, he must not allow their children to practice any religion beside Islam.

Calamity

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Whoever is struck by POVERTY, and he goes around telling people about it, (i.e., complaining in the hope of receiving help), then his CALAMITY will NOT be relieved. (Whereas) Whoever is struck by poverty, and he COMPLAINS ( Seek Help by salah, patience and Duas ) to Allah about it, Allah will grant him relief sooner or later.”[at-Tirmidhee (2326) Classed as saheeh by al-Albanee in Saheeh al-Tirmidhee]

Strenghten Your Iman

Allah said :

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers.
3:139

There follow two pieces of advice from major scholars to strengthen one's emaan (faith) , in addition to the above, summing up what is required on your part:

1 – We advise you to read Qur’aan a great deal, listen to its recitation and ponder the meanings of what you read and listen to, as much as you can. If you find anything difficult to understand then ask the scholars in your country or write to other Sunni scholars for advice.

We also advise you to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr) with the dhikrs narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth, such as “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god except Allaah)”,“Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god except Allaah and Allaah is Most Great)”, and so on. For more information on this see al-Kalim al-Tayyib by Ibn Taymiyah; al-Waabil al-Sayyib by Ibn al-Qayyim; Riyaadh al-Saaliheen; al-Adhkaar al-Nawawiyyah by Imaam al-Nawawi, Hisnul Muslim and so on.

Remembering Allaah (dhikr) increases faith and brings peace of mind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find rest”
[al-Ra’d 13:28]

Regularly perform acts of worship such as prayer, fasting and the other pillars of Islam, whilst hoping for the mercy of Allaah and putting your trust in Him in all your affairs. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Qur’aan) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); Who perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat‑as‑ Salaah) and spend out of that We have provided them.
It is they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their Lord, and forgiveness and a generous provision (Paradise).”
 [al-Anfaal 8:2]

Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, 3/185, 186

2 – Faith is also increased by obeying Allaah, and it decreases when one disobeys Him. So adhere to doing that which Allaah has enjoined such as performing the prayers on time in congregation in the mosque, praying zakaah willingly to purify yourself of sin and show compassion towards the poor and needy, sitting with good and righteous people so that they will help you to apply sharee’ah and guide you to that which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.

 Avoid the followers of bid’ah and sinners, lest they tempt you and weaken your resolve to do good.
Do a lot of voluntary good actions, turn to Allaah, and ask Him for strength.
If you do that, Allaah will increase you in faith and you will make up for lost time, and Allaah will increase you in goodness and steadfastness in adhering to Islam.

Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, 3/187.

Learn to read Arabic Lesson 1

In the name of Allah
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
 
Here is what we learnt in Lesson 1 of Arabic reading class by teacher Iman, so join us on Monday 7:00pm Egypt time to learn more!
 


LETTER




NAME




ENGLISH SOUND/EXAMPLES




Notes On LETTERS




أ





alif




a,aa,i,u
 
apple, father, elephant,


Technically alif is less a letter than it is a vowel holder and a vowel lengthener for aa. As such, this letter can have the three sounds a, i, u when written at the beginning of a word. In the middle or end of a word, it generally sounds like aa (father).






ب ت ث

 


ب





baa




b





ت





taa




t





ث





thaa




th (thing)





ج ح خ

 


ج





jeem




j





ح





Haa




H*




This is an emphatic h. It is much heavier and forceful than a regular soft English h. It's close to the same noise one makes when one breathes onto one's sunglasses for cleaning.




خ





khaa




Kh*




This is the ch sound in German doch or Scottish loch and similar to the Spanish g in gente.




د ذ

 


د





daal




d





ذ





Dhaal




th(that)





ر ز

 


ر





raa




r





ز





Zaay




z





س ش

 


س





seen




s





ش





sheen




sh





ص ض ط ظ

 


ص





Swaad




S*





This is an emphatic s. To pronounce it, hold your tongue down in the bottom of your mouth and say psalm.




ض





Dhaad




D*





This is the emphatic d. To pronounce it, press your tongue down into the bottom of your mouth and say dock.






ط





taa




T*





In Arabic there are two letters which sound like t to the English ear. The letter Taa is an emphatic t which generally means it has a stronger, heavier pronunciation than a regular t. To pronounce it, press your tongue down in the bottom of your mouth and say talk.




ظ





THaa




TH,Z*





This is an emphatic th as in this. To pronounce it, press your tongue down into the bottom of your mouth and say the all as a single word connecting the th sound and all.






ع غ

 


ع





Ayn




a^




This sound has no equivalent in English and is known as the strangled vomit sound as it is simply the constriction of the throat muscles that one uses while vomiting. It must be heard to be mimicked, but in many cases the English ear can't even hear it.




غ





Ghayn




r(French)gh*




This sound is very close to the French r in Paris or rue, although it is generally written as gh when translated into English although this bears NO resemblance to English gh whatsoever. It is written as gh as to not confuse it with the regular r that Arabic also has.




ف ق

 


ف

 


faa




f





ق





qaaf




q*




This letter is written as q when translated into English although this has no bearing on the pronunciation of the letter itself. To make this sound, pronounce a k but generate it far back in your throat, almost as if you are going to gargle.





ك





kaaf




k





ل





laam




l





م





meem




m





ن





noon




n





ه





haa




h





و





waaw




w





ى





yaa




y



 


REMEMBER:


Arabic is read from RIGHT TO LEFT, so the order of the alphabet is alif, baa, taa, thaa, jeem, Haa, khaa, dal, thal, etc.


NO EQUIVALENT IN ENGLISH


: H, kh, S, D, T, TH, ', gh, q


NO EQIVALENT IN ARABIC


: v, p, ch
ENGLISH INTO ARABIC, v as f, p as b, ch as sh or tsh, ng as n