Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-Nisa' (4)- Lesson (5)- Verses [7-10]: Inheritance and orphans money

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1 Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-Nisa' (4)- Lesson (5)- Verses [7-10]: Inheritance and orphans money Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. Difference between command and obligation: Oh Believing Brothers, w e have reached the fifth second lesson in Surat An-Nisa a, in the seventh verse. Allah Almighty says: There is a share for men and a share for w omen from w hat is left by parents and those nearest related, w hether, the property be small or large - a legal share [An-Nisaa Verse: 7] Any command requires that someone initiates it, so w ho is he w ho has ordained it? He is Allah. Allah has set the inheritance law Himself and He did not allow any of His creatures to interfere in it, because if He had left it to any human being, there w ould be much injustice among people due to social relationships as w ell as life pressure and hypocrisy, therefore Allah has put the law s for all matters of inheritance. He did not leave room even for the Prophet PBUH, w ho is the master of all humans, and w ho loves justice, to judge in matters of inheritance; and the matter is to Allah Alone, a legal share, so the One w ho has set the law is Allah, there is a difference betw een a command and an obligation. A command comes from above, w hereas an obligation originates from below. We say someone does his obligation voluntarily, w hereas someone has been ordered (from someone above him). Dear Brothers: the scholars narrate that this verse w as revealed in connection w ith Aus bin Thabet al-ansari; w hen he died, he left a w ife by the name of Um Kujjah, and three daughters behind him. The cousins of the deceased w ho are also the guardians called Suaid and Arfajah, took all the money and did not give his w ife or daughters anything, according to the inheritance rules in the Pre-Islamic days of ignorance w hich did not allow w omen to inherit. Preventing girls from their rights is a kind of Jahelyia Now adays if a rich father cheated and left his entire legacy to his sons leaving his daughters w ith nothing to inherit, w ouldn t that be considered an act of ignorance? Unfortunately many Muslim rich men do the same here and elsew here, w ith the excuse that if the daughter inherits from her father, the money w ill go to her husband w ho is not related to the family, and this is all against the law s w hich Allah has set. And according to the Prophet PBUH w ho said: ((One of you m ay spend sixty years w orshipping Allah w ith obedience, then by doing injustice w ith his w ill; he w ill deserve Hell-Fire))

2 [An athar] He w orships Allah sixty years, and then w hen he is close to death, he deprives his daughters from the inheritance thus giving his sons everything w ith many pretenses, the sons may make their father sign papers or treasury bonds w ith large amounts of money, and then w hen they produce these bonds in court, they succeed in taking over all their father s money. This Great God Who commanded you to w orship Him, He sees all and nothing escapes Him. Some people, w ho avoid giving their daughters w hat is rightfully theirs, deserve a severe chastisement. Allah has made w omen equal to man w hen it comes to her rights and her duties, so she is equal in her responsibilities, in her duties as w ell as in honoring her. How ever, in pre-islamic days of ignorance, they excluded w omen from the inheritance. In the pre-islamic days of ignorance a w oman did not inherit anything, nor did any young child, even if he w ere a male, and they w ould say, none but the one w ho is a cavalry( rides a horse to go to battle), or w ho can kill w ith a spear or fight w ith a sw ord can inherit. Although logically speaking a young child should have priority over the elder child in getting the money because the adult can look after himself, he has a house, a car and a w ife, w hereas the young one, w hose father died, has nothing. This is w hy in some verses of the Quran, the pre-islamic days of ignorance are referred to as: the first (period) of ignorance. And in this there is a sign that there w ill be a second era of ignorance. Therefore denying the females their share of inheritance w hich their father left is a kind of ignorance. And they say: do not give the inheritance except to one w ho fights on horseback in a battle, and one w ho can throw the spear, and one w ho uses his sw ord to fight and gets the booty of w ar. Um Kajjah mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), so he called for them and asked them. They said: O Messenger of Allah: her son does not ride a horse, and he does not carry a sw ord nor fights an enemy, so the Prophet (PBUH) said: Leave now till I get a revelation from Allah about the matter. Later Allah Almighty sent dow n the verse in reply to them: There is a share for men and a share for w omen from w hat is left by parents and those nearest related, w hether, the property be small or large - a legal share Therefore to tamper the inheritance rules is like tampering w ith Allah s religion. It is not your business to say: this one is poor and the other is rich, and this girl s husband is w ell-off so I w on t give her of the inheritance. It is not your decision rather they are rules set by the Islamic law and they are w hat rule our lives, our crooked logic does not dominate the Islamic law. Heritage is a right of all children each according to the share decreed by Allah: Dear brothers, I hope that each one of our Muslim brothers is fair and careful in the distribution of his w ealth (heritage) according to w hat Allah has decreed, and not according to his ow n w ishes. Sometimes I hear complaints from our Muslim sisters w ho do not forgive their fathers at all because he has deprived them of the inheritance; the inheritance is the right of all the children according to w hat Allah Almighty has decreed, Allah Almighty says: the property be small or large. Allah has given the females a share of the inheritance and He does not specify the exact amount, for Allah Almighty says:: There is a share for men and a share for w omen from w hat is left by parents and those nearest related, w hether, the property be small or large - a legal share There is a very fine point to that Allah Almighty has taken the matter of distributing the w ealth of the deceased Himself, not even the Prophet Mohammad PBUH has been assigned this mission, and no one on the face of this earth has the authority or freedom to change the law of inheritance. Because it is a legal share assigned by the Creator of this Universe, and He does not specify the exact amount, for Allah Almighty says:

3 the property be sm all or large The Prophet (PBUH) sent out for Suyayed and Arfajah that they should not spend any of Aus s inheritance for Allah has set a portion to his daughters although He did not say how much the portion is. Allah Almighty says: Allâh commands you as regards your children's (inheritance); to the male, a portion equal to that of tw o females Allah has made the share of woman as the base of distribution: What is the unit w hich is used as a base for the distribution? It is the w oman s share. Allah Almighty did not say: the w omen get a portion equal to half of w hat a man gets, He specified the w oman s share as a base and He said: to the male, a portion equal to that of tw o females so He set the w oman s share as the basis for the distribution. Look at w hat a w oman in the days of retardation (backw ardness) w as, and w hat she has become in the days of the second period of ignorance. The real rights of the w oman in Islam are her rights w hich are mentioned in the holy Quran and in the Hadiths of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), she has rights w hich no other nation on earth give their w omen. Who w ould believe that a w oman in the period of pre-islamic ignorance w as part of the legacy to be inherited, she w as like a piece of furniture, so if someone dies, his inheritance w ould be a house, bed, cupboard and a w ife. When Islam ruled, she became an independent person, she inherits and she leaves behind a heritage to be inherited w hen she dies, and she has a right to manage her money, as long as she does not cause any problems to her family. One of the scholars said: a legal share means as you w ould say: a true promise or a rightful matter. Dear brothers, these w ords invite us to hold the inheritance law in Islam so sacredly, if you have time to read the law s w hich some people in the previous nations have invented, you w ould find that the law in Islam is the most w onderful law on the face of the earth, because it is the law w hich the Creator of the Universe has made, and the decree of the Creator, and the creator is the expert. What does happen in reality? A man dies and leaves behind his w ealth, and heirs, and around those people there are other relatives, and neighbors, and poor people. The relatives, neighbors and the poor look at all the money and how it w ill be distributed therefore in order to remove any spite and rancor from their hearts, and in order to be kind to them and make them pray for the deceased and to make them close to the heirs and look after them, Allah Almighty says: And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property, and speak to them w ords of kindness and justice. [An-Nisaa verse: 8] Zakah purifies the soul of the rich from meanness and the poor from rancor Do you see how w onderful the decree is

4 And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property, and speak to them w ords of kindness and justice. [An-Nisaa verse: 8] So w hat do you understand from this decree? Let s say you order food from a restaurant, and the delivery boy w ho brings you the food is poor. Don t you think he is tempted and w ould like to have a bite of that meal? If you take the meal from him and send him aw ay empty handed, don t you think he w ill hold a grudge? He s human and he is tempted to eat. This is w hy w hen the inheritance is being distributed, any person w ho is present at the time, or is present w hen money is being distributed, or there is food, you should give them a bit of that food, of course w e know that those relatives do not inherit, and the neighbors do not inherit, but they are around you and they are present w hen the money is being distributed and w itness how it is being distributed, so w hat does prevent you from giving them if they are poor, or they are your neighbors or poor relatives, anything to make them better, this is the meaning of the verse w hich Allah Almighty says: Take Sadaqah (alms) from their w ealth in order to purify them and sanctify them w ith it, and invoke Allâh for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them [At-Taubah Verse: 103] If man pays his alms (zakat money), it w ill purify him from miserliness, and if the poor man takes the zakat money, he w ill be purified from rancor, and w hen the poor see the luxurious houses, vehicles, restaurants, hotels and rich food, pretty clothes, w omen w earing indecent clothes, w hile he has now here to live in and is deprived of food and clothing to cover him w ith, w hat w ill happen w hen the rich man parades in front of that poor man? His heart w ill be filled w ith envy, hatred and evil feelings. This is w hy in a Muslim society there is collaboration and mercy, the rich in a Muslim society is modest and generous w hile the poor are proud. When he parades before his people like Quran Allah Almighty says: So We caused the earth to sw allow him and his dw elling place [Al-Qasas Verse: 81] We caused the earth to sw allow him, therefore bew are of bragging about your food, drink, your home, and bew are of planting pain or envy in the hearts of others, do not boast about w hat you are, w hat you drank, w here you travelled, in w hich hotel you stayed, nor w ith w hom you spent your evening, that is all how ignorant people talk. You should say things that bring hearts closer to hear other, rather than say things that may harm people and make them envious. Talk about Allah and you w ill find that people w ill gather around you to listen, but w hen you talk about yourself people w ill resent you, therefore get yourself used to that people in front of you are human. The will decreed in the following verse: Let s take a simple example: if someone rides a bus and next to him is a man/w oman w ith a child. He eats nuts or fruits, and he doesn t even think about offering the child some. This person has no feelings, and he is like a beast. The other person is craving w hat you eat. Another note, do not give your child anything expensive to take to school w ith him. Sometimes a father gives his child w ho is in kindergarten five hundred Syrian pounds, or he gives him meals w hich cost one hundred Syrian pounds each, and w hich he eats in front of his friend w ho is poor. ((Your son should not reveal w hat could hurt the other person s son s feelings and do not harm him by playing the strings on your guitar unless the other child can play on it too.))

5 This is hadith by the Prophet narrated by the-kharaeti about the morality, and bin Odaiy reported from Amro ibn Shuain, w ho reported from his father and him from his grandfather. Islam has focused on this point, a noble believer is humble, he has feelings for people around him, and he does not consume his food nor drink alone. So if you buy fruits keep them hidden and do not reveal them in front of all, ((Your son should not reveal w hat could hurt the other person s son s feelings and do not harm him by playing the strings on your guitar unless the other child can play on it too.)) and Allah Almighty says: And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division [An-Nisaa verse: 8] If a relative is not one of the heirs; the scholars have deduced from this verse the follow ing law of inheritance. If a man w ho has children dies before his father, then his father died, the grandchildren do not inherit, but the verse says: give them out of the property because the deceased is their grandfather and because their father died before their grandfather so they do not inherit legally, so this verse w as revealed to declare that if these orphans are present w hen the inheritance is being distributed, and they are not entitled to any of it, their uncles w ill inherit and because their father has died w hile his father w as alive, Allah Almighty says: And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property [An-Nisaa verse: 8] There are numerous stories about this situation, therefore if anyone delivers the food w hich you ordered, you should feed him from it, if he gets you fruit, give him some, if he does a chore for you, you should pay him for it or give him its w orth, all that so that you can put the love in his heart. Human beings are commanded to be just and do good: Dear brothers, w e lack greatly for love; w e have mosques, w e have libraries, w e hold conferences, yet w e lack the love that existed among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), w e have to establish that love. In a Divine Hadith Allah Almighty says: ((The poor but true believer is the most favored by Allah)) ((Truly My devotion is for those w ho love one another for My sake, and those w ho gather together to supplicate Me (for My sake) and for those w ho visit one another for My pleasure, and those w ho love one another for My sake w ill sit on pulpits m ade of light, all the prophets w ill envy them on the Day of Judgment)) [ narrated by Ahmad thru Ubada bin Al-Samet] I see that it is our duty to love one another, not only by w ords but by action, so if you visit a brother, if you helped him, if you checked on him, gave him w hat he needs, gave him advice, and if you are kind to him, he w ill then love you. The Prophet (PBUH) has commanded us to take the necessary actions to obtain the love of

6 others, and has forbidden us to implant rancor, Allah has forbidden a Muslim to violate the w ealth, honor and blood of another Muslim and Allah Almighty says in a verse: O ye w ho believe! Squander not your w ealth among yourselves in vanity [An-Nisa a Verse: 29] How w ould I do that? I have tw o pockets, and if I move one thousand pounds from one pocket to another, w hat w ould I have done? Squander not your w ealth among yourselves in vanity it means: Do not rob your brother of his money, Allah called it your money it is yours from one angle and that angle is that you are entrusted to protect it, so if you are entrusted to look after it, it w ould only be logical that you do not rob it. It is just as if you lent your car to someone and you tell him: pretend it s your ow n car, w hat does that mean? Would it mean that you are telling him to take it and keep it? No it w ould mean: look after it as if it w ere your ow n car. O ye w ho believe Squander not your w ealth among yourselves in vanity it means that your brother s w ealth is like your ow n in the sense that you should look after it for him as if it w ere your ow n. And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division therefore the relatives w ho do not inherit should get a share of the distribution. By the w ay, Allah Almighty says: Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness [Al-Nahl Verse: 90] And just as you are commanded to be just and fair you are commanded to apply Ihsan (kindness). Justice: means to distribute the property according to the prescribed shares, and Kindness: is applying w hat Allah Almighty says: And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al-Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property So Justice is obligatory w here as kindness is voluntary, but you are commanded to do both. Justice is an obligatory share but benevolence is voluntary Dear Brothers, there are thousands of situations and cases w hich are not resolved by justice; how ever they are resolved by kindness. A brother once told me: I bought a piece of land w ith shop belonging to a poor man on it. I destroyed the shop according to the law. so I asked him: Why did you do that? He said: I don t ow e him anything, I bought the land and the man had to give me the shop as it w as on my property, and I brought it dow n. So I said: This is justice and it is fine, but w here is your kindness? He w as quiet. He then took money from his Zakat money and bought the man a shop in another location and gave it to him. Therefore if matters are not resolved by justice, kindness can resolve them. Train yourself to act according to this verse w hich you read and w hich the imams in the mosques have been reciting for thousand years after every Friday sermon.

7 Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness I met someone w hose step mother w as divorced, she w as given her full right by her step son w ho w as really w ealthy, and he has allotted a monthly salary for her w hich never changes since tw enty years. Kindness is something that is really broad subject. All our problems could be solved by kindness. We repeat that justice is mandatory, w hereas kindness if voluntary. Allah Almighty says: And w hen the relatives and the orphans and Al Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property and tell them w ords of kindness Allah s standards are different from those of people: Dear brothers, some scholars say that people have neglected this verse, al-hassan said: people have become miserly, but this is required form the pious, the Believers it means give them a share of the inheritance, and give them out of the property tell them w ords of kindness He said: if the inheritance money is little and it is not enough to distribute among the heirs and the one w ho is present during the division, so if you cannot give him any because of its insufficiency of the property, therefore: tell them w ords of kindness It is as if you tell him: please forgive us as the property is not much and the heirs are poor, the orphans w hom you do not give any money you must tell them kind w ords, and if you do give them, you should tell them, as some scholars stated, the amount is scanty, but if Allah w ills in future w e hope to get more, or excuse us for the little amount, or you could say: this is a small gift. There are people w ho give on one hand, but hurt people by saying: take this money from my Zakat money. Why this coarseness in w ords? You can give your Zakat money w ithout actually telling the poor man that this is Zakat money. You can give it to him as a gift on some occasion. So you can take the advantage of some event such as the start of the school year, or Ramadan, or the Eid (feast) and you can find out w hat he needs in his house and get it for him w ithout having to humiliate him and actually tell him that he is poor and this is my Zakat money. Allah Almighty says: tell them w ords of kindness Some scholars said: kind w ords include God bless you. And I w ish the amount w as more. It is also kind that you do not shy from giving a little amount, because it is better than not giving at all. Choose kind w ords w hich are gentle to the poor one s heart perhaps this poor man is closer to Allah than yourself, and perhaps this man s nail is w orth a hundred of your kind to Allah, because Allah has measures w hich are different from the measures of humans. There may be a man covered w ith dust and sleeping at doorsteps w hom if he asks Allah and supplicates Him, Allah w ill answ er his prayers. The verse means that you should deal with people as you like them to deal with you Allah Almighty says after that:

8 And let those fear (in their behaviour tow ard orphans) w ho if they left behind them w eak offspring w ould be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to Allah, and speak justly. [An-Nisa a Verse: 9] The origin of this verse is that you should treat people as you w ould like them to treat you w hen you die and leave this w orld leaving young helpless children behind you, how w ould like them to treat the children after your death? If you w ere a guardian for orphans, treat them the same w ay you w ould like people to treat your children after you die. So you should care for rights, and their property, teach them, care for them, Allah Almighty says: And let those fear (in their behavior tow ard orphans) w ho if they left behind them w eak offspring w ould be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to Allah, and speak justly. To the orphans w ho are under their (guardianship) protection and that they treat them as they w ould like people to treat their offspring after their death. This exact meaning of Allah Almighty s w ords: So let them mind their duty to Allah, and speak justly. Advice people only with the Holy Book and Sunna: Dear brothers, if a man tells you: I shall w rite the house in my children s names (the children from my new w ife) because I love her very much. And I w ill deny the children from my first w ife from my w ealth, do not tell him: you are right in doing so. And do not compliment him on this. Say w hat is right: it is not right to do so because this w ill lead you to Hell-Fire. Tell him no and say: And let those fear (in their behavior tow ard orphans) w ho if they left behind them w eak offspring w ould be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to Allah to those w ho ask you for advice. and speak justly remind him of the Hereafter, remind him that the girl w hom you w ill cut off from your inheritance may stand on the Day of Judgment beneath the Throne of Allah and say: Oh Lord, I w ill not be admitted to Hell-Fire until my father is admitted there before me, because he has cut me off from his w ill. When you treat differently your offspring males and females then you are truly ignorant, and speak justly Do not give advice w hich is not in accordance to Allah s Words, and do not give advice that is not according to Allah s decree; do not be courteous or butter up anyone. Al-Noman ibn al-basheer told Mohammad, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): O Messenger of Allah, w ill you be a w itness that I have given my son a garden. He said: O Noman, do you have other sons? He said: Yes. He said: Did you give them all as you gave this son? He said: No. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Then find someone other than me to bear w itness, because I w ill not be a w itness of and unjust transaction. Allah Almighty said: and speak justly Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness ((Religion is sound advice, w e said: to w hom? The Prophet said: for Allah, and HisHoly Book, His

9 Messenger, for the Muslim Imams and public)) [narrated by Muslim thru Tamimm Al-Dari] A story about eating up the money of orphans showing Allah s Justice: Allah Almighty then says: Verily, those w ho unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies It means that they w ill eat up property w hich w ill in turn lead them to Hell-Fire. Verily, those w ho unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they w ill be burnt in the blazing Fire! Dear brothers, the matter of eating property w ithout right to do so is a very serious matter. ((The martyr w ill be forgiven for everything he has done expect for a debt w hich he ow es and has not paid back.)) [narrated by Muslim thru Abdullah bin Amro from Qatada] Someone stopped me in the street one day and he had left his shop. He w as in a very angry state, and said: I heard a story today w hich I cannot explain. I said: Please tell it to me. He said: A man w ent to his shop in the old souk (market) in Damascus to sell fabric w hich he had, so that he may earn legitimate money for his children. While he w as there, he heard the sound of gun shots so he put his head out to see w hat the shooting w as all about w hen a bullet entered his spine and left him paralyzed. He continued talking saying: It w asn t his fault. He came here to sell his merchandise so that he may earn a living in a law ful w ay. He opened his shop to w ork and w ork in itself is considered as an act of w orship (apparently he took the story at face value) so w hat is the explanation of all this? I said: By Allah! I don t know the answ er. We cannot comprehend Allah s justice in w hat He does and unless w e have His know ledge. But I believe in Allah s justice and His Mercy. Another brother came to me after tw enty days of this incident and told me a story about his neighbor w ho lives above him. Of course he did not know w hat background I had on the story. He said his neighbour's nephew s w ere orphans and that he had taken their property, w hich w as approximately the cost of a house. He had taken that w ithout any right to do so. They w ent to one of the scholars in Damascus (He has now passed aw ay may Allah have mercy on him) to rule among them. He tried to persuade the uncle to give back to his nephew s w hat w as rightfully theirs but he refused. The scholar turned to the children and told them: This man is your uncles, therefore do not take him to court and turn to Allah for His support. That man is the same man w ho got a bullet in his spine and w as paralyzed as a result of that the next day at 9 o clock. I confirmed it w as the same person because w hen I asked the man about him, he mentioned that he had a shop in the specific market, and I asked him: When did this happen? He replied that it happened tw enty days ago. Allah is great. One should leave a big margin between himself and the orphans property: When it comes to property w e have to fear Allah because if you forsake the most valuable thing you ow n w hich is your soul, and you ow e someone money, you w ill not be able to run aw ay from Allah s chastisement, so how if you take an orphan s property w ithout legal right? When the Prophet (PBUH) w as ever called to

10 perform prayers for someone w ho had died, he w ould ask: Is he in debt? if they said: Yes he w ould tell them pray for him but he himself w ould not pray. So w hen it comes to the matter of robbing an orphan of his property the situation is: Verily, those w ho unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they w ill be burnt in the blazing Fire! This w ill lead them to Hell-Fire, therefore one should count to one million before taking anything w hich is not law ful and he should fear Allah Almighty, specially if it is the property of orphans... Allah Almighty says: "And come not near to the orphan's property [Al-Anaam Verse: 152] Leave a big gap betw een you and the orphan s property. In the next lesson by Allah s w ill, w e w ill talk about the verses w hich cover the topic of inheritance. All Praises are to Allah the Lord of the Worlds Question: Does closing one s eyes during prayers in order to achieve reverence, invalidate the prayers? Answ er: No, it does not invalidate it. How ever if you close your eyes in a place w here there are snakes, scorpions, or any other danger, then your prayers w ill not be perfect. But if you are in the mosque and you looked at the ornaments inside the mosque, verses of the Quran w ritten in pretty calligraphy on the w alls w hile you w ere praying, or at the fan in the ceiling, then it w ould be best if you closed your eyes. Therefore if your eyes are opened and you are going to look around you w hile praying it is preferable that you close your eyes, but if you in a place w here there is danger, you w ould be uneasy if your eyes are closed, in w hich case you should open your eyes. Question: w hat is the verdict of celebrating Mother s Day? Answ er: dear brothers. We have 365 days of mother s day, or to be precise, w e have multiplied by tw o - days, if w e consider that your mother is close to you and you visit her morning and evening. We are not like disobedient children w ho visit their mother once a year, in Islam w e have 365 days of Mother s day. Therefore this day is for anyone but not us, it is for a person w ho w aits 365 days so that her child can visit her on this day, and does not come the remaining days. A close brother informed me that w hen he w ent to Germany to visit an exhibition, he could not find a hotel w ith a vacant room, so he stayed at a house w ith a family. He said: I have never seen a garden as beautiful as the one in that house, so I asked my host (the ow ner of the house) about the secret of such a marvelous garden. She said: I take care of the garden myself, because my children visit me once a year, and I make food for them, and w e sit in the garden. Imagine, 365 days a year and she sits w aiting for them to come. At the time w hen he w as over they called their mother to apologize for not being able to come. He said: She cried so hard that I felt like dying. So he w ent shopping and bought her gifts himself. Therefore as you see, Mother s day is not for us, it is for ungrateful people. A man once told me: I came from Great Britain to live in Syria, I am w ealthy. He ow ned a jaguar and had a villa etc. I told him: w hat made you come to live here? He said: When I lived in London, an old man lived in the building next to me on the top floor. He had four children w ho also lived in London. In London it is very cold, and the doors and w indow s of the houses are closed tightly. This neighbor died and after six months, w hen his children came to visit him they found him dead. In Six months none of his children thought of visiting him. So this man w anted to come back to his country to live. Therefore this celebration day is not for us, it is for the undutiful people, w hereas for us w e have 365 days of Mother s day, every day. Question: w hat is the verdict of gazing at w omen? Gazing at your w ife is permissible w ithout any restrictions or boundaries, and looking at the w omen w hom you

11 are not allow ed marrying is permissible if they are properly dressed, how ever looking at w omen foreign to you is forbidden. Allah Almighty says: Tell the believing men to low er their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), [An-Nour Verse:30] Question: Most Muslims perform their religious duties and w orship fully: the prayers, paying alms, fasting and others. How ever they do not manage the reformation of their families, nor their guidance, so you find most families w atching TV series and movies and listen to songs and music, as they do not receive any advice from their family, nor guidance. So are their acts of w orship accepted and considered valid specially as they are unconstructive and are not influential. They should continue w ith their w orship to Allah, but they should try to combine it w ith w hat Allah has ordained so that they reap the fruits. Question: Is it allow ed to distribute the alms money (Zakat) outside the country in w hich it w as earned? In principle, the zakat money should be distributed in the country in w hich it w as earned (collected), because the poor in that country are more entitled to receive the money of the w ealthy people, as they w ere the reason for their w ealth. How ever, w here the benefit to distribute it in a different country is clear, then it is permissible so if you ow n a house and another man does not ow n a house, or if his house has been destroyed, then there is a need and general benefit, and if you can secure the money transfer, then it is alright to transfer the money from the Zakat to another country. Question: is it permissible to supplicate during the obligatory prayers? The full prayers are a supplication, but you cannot ask that my Lord grants me a w ife, and other details as such w hich w ill disrupt the prayers. Or that someone says: May Allah grant me w ealth. Therefore it is not permissible to make any supplication w hich w as not mentioned in the supplications of the Prophet (PBUH), because prayers are in themselves a supplication. Translation : Iman Nashar Auditing : Zena El-Abaza