Dress and Dietary Requirements

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

In Islam, clothing has two purposes; to cover the body and to modestly beautify one's appearance. Men are to dress modestly, not imitating women. Women's clothing must cover all of the body including the head, and should not be tight or transparent.

For a Muslim, there are two types of food and drink; Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful).
Unlawful, forbidden (Haram) food and drink includes:

1- Meat from dead animals that died naturally through accidents [except fish], or by strangling, falling, beating, or being killed by wild animals.
2-Flesh of swine, such as bacon or pork, including all products and by-products (lard, pepsin, gelatin, etc.) prepared from swine. Only vegetable oil is used for frying and in the preparation of bread, salad dressing, desserts, muffins, other bakery products, etc. Blood that has poured forth (as distinguished from the blood adhering to flesh or organs).
3-Food upon which any other name has been invoked, besides that of God.
4- Intoxicants, including all types and varieties of alcohol and intoxicating drugs. The Islamic method of slaughtering an animal or bird follows these steps: First, the Muslim mentions God's name as a reminder that God has command over the life of all creatures. Taking life from an animal or a bird is done by God's permission for the sole purpose of obtaining food.

Hadith of the day:
"He is not a true believer who eats his fill while his neighbour is hungry"

Verse of the day:
“… This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…” [al-Maa’idah 5:3]

Ethics and Morality

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances. To achieve these rights, Islam provides not only legal safeguards, but also a very effective moral system. Thus, whatever leads to the welfare of the individual or the society is morally good in Islam and whatever is injurious is morally bad. Islam attaches so much importance to the love of God and love of man that it warns against too much formalism. We read in the Qur'an:

It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the freeing of captives; to be steadfast in prayers, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which you made; and to be firm and patient in pain and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-conscious. (2:177)

We are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God-conscious man in these verses. He should obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God and the love of his fellow-men.
We are given four directions:
a) Our faith should be true and sincere,
b) We must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellow-men,
c) We must be good citizens, supporting social organizations, and
d) Our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances.

This is the standard by which a particular mode of conduct is judged and classified as good or bad. This standard of dudgement provides the nucleus around which the whole moral conduct should revolve. Before laying down any moral injunctions, Islam seeks to firmly implant in man's heart the conviction that his dealings are with God, who sees him at all times and in all places; that he may hide himself form the whole world, but not from Him; that he may deceive everyone but cannot deceive God; that he can flee from the clutches of anyone else, but not from God's.

Thus, by setting god's pleasure as the objective of man's life, Islam has furnished the highest possible standard of morality. This is bound to provide limitless avenues for the moral evolution of humanity. By making Divine revelations as the primary source of knowledge, it gives permanence and stability to the moral standards which afford reasonable scope for genuine adjustments, adaptations and innovations though not for perversions, wild variation, atomistic relativism or moral fluidity. It provides a sanction to morality in the love and fear of God, which will impel man to obey the moral law even without any external pressure. Though belief in God and the Day of Judgement, it furnishes a force which enables a person to adopt the moral conduct with earnestness and sincerity, with all the devotion of heart and soul.

It stipulates for man a system of life that is based on all good and is free from all evil. It encourages the people, not only to practice virtue, but also to establish virtue and eradicate vice, to bid good and to forbid wring. It wants that their verdict of conscience should prevail and virtue must be subdued to play second fiddle to evil. Those who not respond to this call are gathered together into a community and given the name Muslim. And the singular object underlying the formation of this community (Ummah) is that it should make an organized effort to establish and enforce goodness and suppress and eradicate evil.

May Allah help us understand our religion, and may He guide us to the staright path. Ameen.

Night of Mairaj

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Extracted from Sahi Bukhari(Book # 8, Hadith # 345)

On the 'Night of Mairaaj', Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihi Wasallam) was called upon Heaven by Allah to meet Him. Angel Gabriel came to take the Prophet with him. The Prophet described the happening in the following words:Narrated Abu Dhar: Allah's Apostle said, "While I was at Mecca the roof of my house was opened and Gabriel descended, opened my chest, and washed it with Zam-zam water. Then he brought a golden tray full of wisdom and faith and having poured its contents into my chest, he closed it. Then he took my hand and ascended with me to the nearest heaven, when I reached the nearest heaven, Gabriel said to the gatekeeper of the heaven, 'Open (the gate).'

The gatekeeper asked, 'Who is it?'
Gabriel answered: 'Gabriel.'
He asked, 'Is there anyone with you?'
Gabriel replied, 'Yes, Muhammad I is with me.'
He asked, 'Has he been called?'
Gabriel said, 'Yes.'

So the gate was opened and we went over the nearest heaven and there we saw a man sitting with some people on his right and some on his left. When he looked towards his right, he laughed and when he looked toward his left he wept.
Then he said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.'
I asked Gabriel, 'Who is he?'
He replied, 'He is Adam and the people on his right and left are the souls of his offspring. Those on his right are the people of Paradise and those on his left are the people of Hell and when he looks towards his right he laughs and when he looks towards his left he weeps.'

Then he ascended with me till he reached the second heaven and he (Gabriel) said to its gatekeeper, 'Open (the gate).'
The gatekeeper said to him the same as the gatekeeper of the first heaven had said and he opened the gate.

Anas said: "Abu Dhar added that the Prophet met Adam, Idris, Moses, jesus and Abraham, he (Abu Dhar) did not mention on which heaven they were but he mentioned that he (the Prophet ) met Adarn on the nearest heaven and Abraham on the sixth heaven.

Anas said, "When Gabriel along with the Prophet passed by Idris, the latter said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious brother.'
The Prophet asked, 'Who is he?'
Gabriel replied, 'He is Idris."
The Prophet added, "I passed by Moses and he said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious brother.'
I asked Gabriel, 'Who is he?'
Gabriel replied, 'He is Moses.'
Then I passed by jesus and he said,'Welcome! O pious brother and pious Prophet.'
I asked, 'Who is he?'
Gabriel replied, 'He is jesus.
Then I passed by Abraham and he said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.'
I asked Gabriel, 'Who is he?'

The gatekeeper asked, 'Who is it?'
Gabriel answered: 'Gabriel.'
He asked, 'Is there anyone with you?'
Gabriel replied, 'Yes, Muhammad is with me.'
He asked, 'Has he been called?' Gabriel said, 'Yes.'
So the gate was opened and we went over the nearest heaven and there we saw a man sitting with some people on his right and some on his left. When he looked towards his right, he laughed and when he looked toward his left he wept. Then he said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.' I asked Gabriel, 'Who is he?' He replied, 'He is Adam and the people on his right and left are the souls of his offspring. Those on his right are the people of Paradise and those on his left are the people of Hell and when he looks towards his right he laughs and when he looks towards his left he weeps.' Then he ascended with me till he reached the second heaven and he (Gabriel) said to its gatekeeper, 'Open (the gate).' The gatekeeper said to him the same as the gatekeeper of the first heaven had said and he opened the gate.

Anas said: "Abu Dhar added that the Prophet met Adam, Idris, Moses, jesus and Abraham, he (Abu Dhar) did not mention on which heaven they were but he mentioned that he (the Prophet ) met Adarn on the nearest heaven and Abraham on the sixth heaven.
Anas said, "When Gabriel along with the Prophet passed by Idris, the latter said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious brother.'
The Prophet asked, 'Who is he?'
Gabriel replied, 'He is Idris." The Prophet added, "I passed by Moses and he said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious brother.' I asked Gabriel, 'Who is he?'Gabriel replied, 'He is Moses.' Then I passed by jesus and he said, 'Welcome! O pious brother and pious Prophet.' I asked, 'Who is he?' Gabriel replied, 'He is jesus. Then I passed by Abraham and he said, 'Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.' I asked Gabriel, 'Who is he?'
Gabriel replied, 'He is Abraham.
The Prophet added, 'Then Gabriel ascended with me to a place where I heard the creaking of the pens."
Ibn Hazm and Anas bin Malik said: The Prophet said, "Then Allah enjoined fifty prayers on my followers when I returned with this order of Allah, I passed by Moses who asked me, 'What has Allah enjoined on your followers?'
I replied, 'He has enjoined fifty prayers on them.'
Moses said, 'Go back to your Lord (and appeal for reduction) for your followers will not be able to bear it.' (So I went back to Allah and requested for reduction) and He reduced it to half. When I passed by Moses again and informed him about it, he said,\'Go back to your Lord as your followers will not be able to bear it. So I returned to Allah and requested for further reduction and half of it was reduced. I again passed by Moses and he said to me: 'Return to your Lord, for your followers will not be able to bear it.
So I returned to Allah and He said, 'These are five prayers and they are all (equal to) fifty (in reward) for My Word does not change.'
I returned to Moses and he told me to go back once again.
I replied, 'Now I feel shy of asking my Lord again.'
Then Gabriel took me till we reached 'Sidrat-il-Muntaha' (Lote tree of; the utmost boundry) which was shrouded in colors, indescribable. Then I was admitted into Paradise where I found small (tents or) walls (made) of pearls and its earth was of musk."

Gabriel replied, 'He is Abraham. The Prophet added, 'Then Gabriel ascended with me to a place where I heard the creaking of the pens." Ibn Hazm and Anas bin Malik said: The Prophet said, "Then Allah enjoined fifty prayers on my followers when I returned with this order of Allah, I passed by Moses who asked me, 'What has Allah enjoined on your followers?' I replied, 'He has enjoined fifty prayers on them.' Moses said, 'Go back to your Lord (and appeal for reduction) for your followers will not be able to bear it.' (So I went back to Allah and requested for reduction) and He reduced it to half. When I passed by Moses again and informed him about it, he said, 'Go back to your Lord as your followers will not be able to bear it.' So I returned to Allah and requested for further reduction and half of it was reduced. I again passed by Moses and he said to me: 'Return to your Lord, for your followers will not be able to bear it. So I returned to Allah and He said, 'These are five prayers and they are all (equal to) fifty (in reward) for My Word does not change.' I returned to Moses and he told me to go back once again. I replied, 'Now I feel shy of asking my Lord again.' Then Gabriel took me till we reached 'Sidrat-il-Muntaha' (Lote tree of; the utmost boundry) which was shrouded in colors, indescribable. Then I was admitted into Paradise where I found small (tents or) walls (made) of pearls and its earth was of musk."