Articles

When the Mother has a Noble Mission
Author : Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi
Date Added : 06-12-2022

 

When the Mother has a Noble Mission

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: A person came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and asked: "Who among people is most deserving of my fine treatment?" He (PBUH) said: "Your mother". He again asked: ''Who next?" "Your mother", the Prophet (PBUH) replied again. He asked: "Who next?" He (the Prophet (PBUH) said again: "Your mother." He again asked: "Then who?" Thereupon he (PBUH) said: "Then your father." [Agreed upon].

 

This is so true because the mother is the one that experiences significant stress while pregnant and comes close to death when she going into labor. She is the same person that stayed up nights looking after her children and deprived herself from food to make them full. It was narrated that Mu’awiyah Ibn Jahimah As-Sulaimi said: “I came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.’ He said: "Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Go back and honor her.’ Then I approached him from the other side and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.’ He said: ‘Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Go back and honour her.’ Then I approached him from in front and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.’ He said: ‘Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Go back and serve her, for there is Paradise." {Sunan Ibn Majah}. No matter what you do to your mother, it is nothing compared to her sacrifices for you.

The mother is responsible for upbringing her children to be righteous as herself because she recites the Quran and observes the five daily prayers. She raises her sons to be honest, trustful, and courageous. Similarly, she raises her daughters to be chaste, pure, decent, and Sharia-compliant. She is the maker of heroes because the poet Hafid Ibrahim said about her: "The mother is a school. If you prepared and educated her well, you will have prepared an entire nation."

 

The mother is the counterpart of the father and represents half of society. Rather, a mother is a whole nation, and this is why it was said (What means): "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." One example of this is Asma Bint Abi Baker {May Allah be pleased with them}. One time, her son came to her and consulted her about what to do with Al-Hajjaj who besieged him in Makkah. She said to him that if he was right then he should go ahead, but if he was wrong then he will perish. He said to her that he was afraid that Al-Hajaj will mutilated him. She replied by saying {what means} that skinning a slaughtered goat doesn`t harm it a bit. This is in addition to many other examples from the life of the righteous predecessors.

However, some parents are passive and play no role in the lives of their children. It is as if the children were orphaned at early age. This why one poet mentioned that some children are orphans not because their parents were dead but because they were totally absent as far as their duties towards their children are concerned.

Dear fathers and mothers,

 

Be mindful of Allah and know that your children are a trust with you and that Allah placed this responsibility on you, made you their guardians, and will hold you liable for that on the Day of Resurrection.

An educator is like a farmer who removes weeds and plants new seeds. Therefore, never neglect your children for this makes them an easy prey for your enemies, and a closer look at real life events is the best evidence on this.

Allah has spoken the truth when He Said (What means): "O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from God, but do (precisely) what they are commanded." {At-Tahrim/6}. We pray that Allah protects our children, forgives our fathers and mothers, protects our homeland, and makes us among those who listen to the word and follow the best of it.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

How to perform the witr prayer in terms of connection (wasl) and separation (fasl)?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Witr prayer has several forms that vary in terms of virtue:
 
The First Form: Separating every two units (rak‘ah) with a Tashahhud and a Taslim (salutation). This is superior to connecting the units, even if it is only a single rak‘ah. This is based on the Hadith of ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven units between the end of the ‘Isha prayer and dawn, performing the Taslim after every two units and performing Witr with a single unit.' (Related by al-Bukhari & Muslim).
 
The Second Form: Connecting the units with only one final Tashahhud at the very end.
 
The Third Form: Connecting with two Tashahhuds—meaning reciting the Tashahhud before the final unit without performing the Taslim, then standing to complete the final unit. This form is considered the lowest in rank so that the Witr prayer remains distinct from the obligatory Maghrib prayer, as stated in the Hadith: 'Do not make the Witr resemble the Maghrib prayer.' (Narrated by Al-Daraqutni, who stated its narrators are trustworthy).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim Sharh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah: 'It is permissible to connect [the Witr] with one Tashahhud in the final unit—which is better—or with two Tashahhuds in the last two units, as both methods are established in Sahih Muslim from the actions of the Prophet ﷺ. In the connected method, more than two Tashahhuds are prohibited. Furthermore, separating (al-Fasl) is better than connecting (al-Wasl) if the number of units is the same, because the Hadiths supporting it are more numerous and it involves more devotional actions.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

Is it permissible to give to the poor from among the People of the Book from the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon our Master the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to give to the poor among the People of the Book from a voluntary sacrifice (uḍḥiyyat taṭawwuʿ), just as it is permissible to give charity (ṣadaqah) to them. This opinion is a view (wajh) within the Shāfiʿī school, which was favored by al-Muḥibb al-Ṭabarī and Imam al-Nawawī. [See: Ḥāshiyat Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī ʿalā Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.9/P.365)]. And Allah Almighty knows best.

I have a brother who is harsh in his dealings [with me], and many problems have occurred between us, and I do not intend to reconcile with him. What is the ruling of Islamic Law on that?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to abandon or boycott his fellow Muslim brother for more than three days. This is based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "It is not lawful for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three [days], meeting each other but one turns away and the other turns away, and the better of the two is the one who initiates the greeting (salam)." (Reported by al-Bukhari.)
A Muslim must strive to end such estrangement (hajr), so as not to fall under the prohibition mentioned in the hadith. If he takes the initiative to reconcile but the other party does not respond, then there is no sin upon him. We remind [ourselves] of the saying of Allah, the Exalted: "And let them pardon and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (An-Nur/22). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling?

It is impermissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling because a person is called a traveler once he/she departs the borders of his/her country, and offering prayer that way was originally intended to exempt a traveler. And Allah Knows Best.