Some resources for the Last Ten Days and Eid
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yes, they’re almost upon us – the best nights of the year.
No more napping. We need to take some action.
This Ramadan, I haven’t posted many resources because I did that last year.
I thought I would just link to the useful ones:
[All of these link to the post which contains the resource.]
Last Ten Days, Laylatul Qadr, Itikaf, Zakaatul Fitr and Eid
Articles / Books
1) When is Laylatul Qadr? [Don’t forget to read this one!]
2) The Excellence of the Night of Qadr
3) The Last Ten Days of Ramadan
4) A Guide to the Last Ten Days
5) Why have the Muslims forsaken Itikaaf?
6) Resources for Itikaf – Umm Muawiyah’s very own guide as to what you REALLY need for itikaf.
7) “There is no Itikaf except in the three Masjids”
[Note: It seems that some people get confused between Zakaah and Zakaatul Fitr. They are two totally different things.]
10) Some more Resources for Eid
Lectures
1) Making the Most of the End of Ramadan
2) Focusing on Laylatul Qadr and Itikaaf
3) Rulings and Virtues of Itikaf
4) Zakaatul Fitr – Is it money or food?
Is this the last post for this Ramadan, you ask?
I wish but no. A few more to go, insha-Allah…
Ramadan: The Month of… – Part 3
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
The Month of Righteous Deeds (which are done to earn Allah’s Pleasure)
رب صائم ليس له من صيامه إلا الجوع ورب قائم ليس له من قيامه إلا السهر
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) that the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadeeth No. 1690. Graded “hasan sahih” by Al-Albani in Sahih Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadeeth No. 1690.]
I’m packing it in for the rest of Ramadan…
Assalamu Alaikum.
I had intended to stop 4 days ago but I hadn’t finished uploading all the resources. Now that I have, alhamdulillah, I’ll stop blogging for the next week so that I can focus on my ibaadah.
Did I upload everything I possibly could about Ramadan? No. There’s still quite a bit left. We can leave that for next Ramadan, insha-Allah.
[Note: Please don’t forgot to verify everything that you read on this blog. I’m a human therefore I will make mistakes.]
My apologies for not continuing with the Teensie-Weensie Reminders. I still have to finish the last part of the tennis analogy. I’ll post that after Ramadan, insha-Allah, because: 1) I’ve been trying to finish that but I haven’t had time 2) Half of it pertains to post Ramadan anyway.
Is that the end of this blog? Of course not.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ll put up stuff about what we’re supposed to be doing post Ramadan. There will be regular “Remember Ramadan Reminders” as well, insha-Allah.
If you’re the forgetful kind, you might want to subscribe to the blog via email. While I personally find it tacky to actually go around and encourage readers to subscribe to one’s own blog, I fear that Shaytaan might make some of you forget about the whole “post Ramadan” business. If you don’t want to subscribe, that’s fine. Just be sure to find a way to remind yourself about Ramadan once it’s over.
I hope that the resources were of some benefit, insha-Allah.
May Allah accept our Ramadan. Ameen.
See you all after Ramadan, insha-Allah.
Resources for Itikaf
Assalamu Alaikum.
The first night that one should do itikaf (if they can) is the 21st (which was yesterday night for most of us). [My apologies for not posting this yesterday.]
1) Where do you do itkaf?
In the masjid.
– What about for women?
The majority opinion is that they are allowed to do it only in the masjid and NOT at home. And this is what the evidence shows.
– What if the women live in a country where there is no women’s section in masjids? Can they do it at home?
Huh? Don’t you think that this is a bit like asking “I can’t afford to go for Umrah. Can I do it at home?”
2) How and when do you do itikaf?
Lots of itikaf fatwas can be found here:
http://www.islamqa.com/en/cat/469
http://www.fatwa-online.com/worship/fasting/fas013/index.htm
A short article about Itikaf: Concerning the Itikaf by Shaikh Al-Albani (rahimahullah)
4) What do you need to take with you?
– Lots of Patience
Other things:
[Please note: it all depends on how long you’re staying in the masjid. If you’re going for one night, you obviously won’t take so much. If you’re going for seven days, then you need to really make sure you don’t miss anything.]
“There is no Itikaf except in the three Masjids”
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yes, there is an authentic hadeeth that states this.
So, is itikaf only allowed in the three masjids (i.e. Masjid Al-Haraam, Masjid An-Nabawi, and Masjid Al-Aqsa)?
Firstly, here is a treatise which shows that this is an authentic hadeeth: Clarifying the Evidence in Referencing and Verifying the Hadeeth “There is no Itikaf except in the three Masjids” by Shaikh Muhammad Al-Wasaabee.
[It’s a bit hard core.]
Secondly, this is not how most of the scholars understood it. The following article explains the issue:
_____________________________________________________________
I heard a hadeeth which says that i’tikaaf is only valid in al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah), al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Madeenah) and al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem). Is this hadeeth saheeh?
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The hadeeth to which the questioner is referring was narrated by al-Bayhaqi (4/315) from Hudhayfah, who said to ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him): I saw some people who were observing i’tikaaf between your house and the house of Abu Moosa (i.e., in the mosque) and I know that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no i’tikaaf except in the three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haraam…” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: Perhaps you forgot and they remembered, or you made a mistake and they were correct.
This was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah (2876). Secondly: With regard to the ruling on this matter, the majority of scholars are of the view that it is not essential for i’tikaaf to be observed in one of the three mosques. They quoted as evidence for that the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [al-Baqarah 2:187] The word masaajid in this verse includes all mosques, except those of which the evidence states that i’tikaaf is not valid therein, such as mosques in which prayers are not held in congregation, if the person who is observing i’tikaaf is one of those on whom prayer in congregation is obligatory. See question no. ( 48985 ) Imam al-Bukhaari referred to the general meaning of the verse. He said:
Lecture: Ramadan Issues
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yes, it might be a bit late for this but better late than never.
[According to this lecture’s youtube page, the issues discussed include:
Intentions – are they mandatory & should they be uttered?
Innovations in the calendar! Fast begins at Fajar not 10 minutes prior.
Backbiting – *eating* the flesh of your brothers/sisters.
Avoid: TV, Internet, Social Networks, Time killers
Condition of those who only abstain from food/drink
Condition of those who fast & don’t establish prayers
Brush teeth while fasting? Can we swallow spit?.
Smelling perfume & tasting food?
Continue to fast upon waking up as a junoob – in state of janabah?]
Ramadan Issues by Abu Usamah Adh-Dhahabi
Article: The Last Ten Days of Ramadan
Assalamu Alaikum.
As I said in an earlier post, Ramadan isn’t over yet.
The most important days of Ramadan are ahead of us. So for those of us whose first 20 days weren’t anything to write home about, we can still make this a good Ramadan.
How? By going on an ibaadah binge for the next 12 days.
And by maintaining most of that binge (if not all) beyond Ramadan. That’s the whole point of Ramadan after all. It’s the time of year where we train ourselves to become better slaves of Allah.
Here’s an article on the last 10 days of Ramadan. It’s simple and to the point but full of benefits.
The Last 10 Days of Ramadan by Shaikh Abdullah ibn Saalih Al-Fawzan
Lecture: Focusing on Laylatul Qadr and Itikaaf
Assalamu Alaikum.
Well, the last ten nights are right around the corner, so I’ll be putting up lots of resources on this topic.
Here’s the first one:
Focusing on Laylatul Qadr and Itikaaf
Teensie-Weensie Reminder (Day 10): Time to assess our Ramadan…- Part 3
Assalamu Alaikum.
[For those of you who haven’t read the first two parts, here you go: Part 1 and Part 2.]
[Just a note: An anonymous person wrote a comment criticizing something that I said in Part 2. I had no problem with that. All comments are welcome.
However, this individual used MY email address when typing in the comment. (You cannot submit a comment without typing in a valid email address.)
That REALLY annoyed me. I don’t mind being criticized but I hate lies and cowardice, especially considering the fact that this is Ramadan.
Why am I telling you all this? Simple. If you wish to write a comment in the future, then please don’t make the mistake of using my email address, just because you want to remain anonymous. You can either create a new email address for this purpose or else please refrain from commenting. If I see that anybody has used my email address for writing a comment, I’ll delete the comment then and there. I don’t like dealing with liars and cowards.]
Okay, so now that I’ve said what I had to say (I always say what I have to say, don’t I?), let’s continue with our checklist:
18) The Month of Integrity
Ah. Integrity.
What integrity is NOT: using the blog owner’s email address to write an anonymous comment.
What integrity IS: using your OWN email address to air your comments. And if you happen to behave in a manner other than that, then you should be willing to apologize. [Yes, this individual really did annoy me. May Allah forgive her.]
In the last 10 days, did our integrity improve? Were we honest in our dealings?
Do you know how Islam spread to places like Indonesia and Malaysia? Through honest Muslim traders. The people of those lands were totally amazed at how honest these individuals were with their business dealings.
I’ll tell you two stories that happened to me:
1) Many years ago, paid parking was introduced in our parking lot. So, in the beginning (before we all got the parking cards), I used to rush down every hour to get the ticket. Sometimes, I would put in AED 5 for two hours. (AED = Arab Emirate Dirhams.)
One day, I didn’t have any change so I went to the light shop under my house to get change for AED 5. There was an old south Indian Hindu man there. I knew him well because he had worked there for years and I had basically grown up in that building. So I asked him for change. He only had AED 4.75 so I gave him the AED 5 bill and took the change.
That was that, right? I mean, who would care about 25 fils? A quarter of a dirham? He did.
He come up to me a few days later and gave me the 25 fils. I was shocked and told him not to worry about it. He insisted that I take it because he couldn’t keep it. Subhan Allah.
I was so sad that this kind of integrity came from a non-Muslim and not a Muslim. We’re usually too ashamed to even return such a small amount in case the other person laughs at us.
[He left for India a few years ago. If I had to choose one person in the entire world that I would want Allah to guide to Islam, it would be him. I ask Allah by His Beautiful Names that He guide this man to Islam for this act that he did. Ameen.] Read more 
The Greatest Month 