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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh

'READ'

29 Sha’baan 1433 July 20, 2012

Vol. 24 No. 6-7

IslamIc concept of prophethoodmaulana sayyid abul hasan ali nadvi

Asmâ-ul-Husnâ : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributes al-Wadood the loVInG

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In This Issue... Hilal Issue ............................................2 Virtues of Ramadan ..............................4 Taraweeh ..............................................6 Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr ................... 10

Finality oF ProPhethood

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finality of prophethood—a Boon to humanity

Divine wisdom decided to termi-nate prophethood when humanity came of age. From the confined

limits of Ignorance, in which mankind had been detained for several hundred years, for reasons more than one, it was now cross-ing over to the wide, open world of knowl-edge, intellectual development and univer-sal solidarity, and was ready to plumb the secrets of nature. For the notions of family, tribe, race, colour and country were then giving place to the concepts of cosmic transcendentalism, one-ness of mankind, heavenly guidance and the benefits of joint endeavour, enlightment and edification, man could be expected to overcome all the dark, divisive forces hampering his well-being. Now, at that crucial stage, man had

had to build his life on the revelation vouch-safed to the last of prophets, pin his faith in him and follow the law promulgated by the Book which testifies, completes and guards the truth of the earlier revelations. Thence-forward advancement of humanity was to depend only on his own endeavour, think-ing and working, and, also, march forward in the light of this very Book of Books. The times past bear witness to the chaos and tumult which man had had to face in ascertaining the claims of soothsayers and false prophets who professed to possess mi-raculous powers and revelations from God. Oftentimes the whole communities were plunged in disorder and wasted their ener-gies in trying to shield themselves from the menace of these pretenders. Advent of a truthful Messenger of God was, on the other hand, not something in-significant like the appearance of a politi-cal leader, or a ruler, or a reformer, for the rejection of the latter has never meant pro-voking divine condemnation and chastise-ment. Unlike other people claiming leader-ship of a country or community whose call

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Editorial

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the hIlal IssUe cannot Be let to rest UntIl mUslIms

do themselVes rIGht We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He said, “Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?” We said, “No.” He said, “So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on that Day as you have no difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon (in a clear sky).” Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.532B Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri Like so many years past, Muslims once again will face the question, when to start fasting and when to stop. If we wish to fol-low the orders of our Nabi this question is not very hard to answer. The instructions are very clear. Abu-Hurayrah said that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Whenever you sight the crescent (of the month of Ramadan) observe fast, and when you sight it (the crescent of Shawwal) break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then observe fast for thirty days. (Sahih Muslim Hadith 2378; Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3: 133) Is it wrong to begin a month on differ-ent days in different parts of the world? The answer is no. We know from authentic ahadith that this was the practice of the best of generations. We know from our knowl-edge that most of the time, indeed all of the time, the moon is sighted in one part of the world ahead of the other part. This is not a mystery. It is an indisputable fact. Knowing that, it is certain that during the lifetime of the Prophet and all through the pre-radio generations of Muslims fasting started and stopped at different times by different groups of Muslims. This was because Allah has created the ‘monthly moon clock’ in such

a way that different parts of the world are to start and end their ibadah of fast on different days. Very much like the ‘daily sun clock’ that Allah has created in such a way that different parts of the world are to observe their daily salaats at different times. One part is pray-ing Fajr while the other part is in the middle of the night. When Connecticut prays Fajr, California is still sleeping. When California is praying Asr Connecticut has already finished Maghrib and Isha. We do not find any Muslim living in USA arguing with his cousins in Saudi Arabia about the difference in salaat timings. We do not find anyone living in Connecticut arguing with someone living in Arizona about the difference in the salaat timings. Everyone is following the orders of Allah and His mes-senger . When the time of a salaat comes at their place of residence they observe that salaat and everyone is right, 100%. That is how Allah has created the ‘daily sun-clock’. Similarly Allah has created the ‘monthly moon-clock’? It is not created that a month will begin simultaneously all over the globe on the same solar day. Let us see how it works from the example. Let us observe the global moon scan, produced by Dr. Monzur Ahmed. Everyone who has any even basic knowledge of the moon cycle agrees that Dr. Monzur’s program is quite reliable. On Thursday, July 19th, 2012, the new moon is to be born (i.e. conjunction occurs and moon, sun and earth lineup in a straight line). That very day at Maghrib time, the hilal can be seen, albeit with some difficulties, using optical instruments, in Argentina, Rio Grande area and some other parts of South America (Graph 1). It will not be seen anywhere else in the world. What do Muslims in Rio Grande do when they have seen the hilâl? They begin fasting while the rest of the Muslims, including those in Saudi Arabia, must wait. On Friday July 20th, 2012 at Maghrib time (Graph 2), Muslims in New Zealand, Australia part of Asia (includ-ing Saudi Arabia) and Africa, all of South

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is published monthly by con-necticut council of masajid, Islamic center of hamden, Islamic center of connecticut, Islamic center of new haven, faran club, United muslim masjid, Islamic society of Western connecticut, and Islamic center of new london.

http://ccm-inc.org/iqramaIlInG address:

connecticut council of masajidp.o. Box 4456, hamden, ct 06514

Tel: (203) 562-2757

edItorIal commItteeSister Aisha Sayed Alam (Cheshire)

Dr. Abdul Hamid (Hamden)Sister Bonnie Lynn Hamid (Hamden)

Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan (New York)

Layout/Website ............ Brother Nadeem Abdul Hamid

continued on page 15

continued from page �America and Central America and parts of North America (including Connecticut) will, insha Allah, see the hilâl.

(Graph 1)

(Graph 2) What do the Muslims in these areas do when they have seen the hilâl? They begin fasting. All of the Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere who did not see the hilâl on 20th must still wait and should not begin fasting. On Saturday the Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere will see the hilâl. What do the Muslims in these areas do when they have seen the hilâl? They begin fasting. This is how the ‘monthly moon-clock’ is created by our Lord. We cannot change it and if we ignore it because of any consideration of arabism, ajamism, tribalism, nationalism, jamaatism, societyism or any other ism that we have invented, we are not following the orders of Allah and His messenger . Those who are asking us to follow these isms, in direct confrontation to the orders of Allah’s messengers , must not be followed. Let us be of those who say, “that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than Allah.” Al-i’Imran, 3:64. Our Nabi , if there was any other con-sideration except to follow the moon-clock, would have been informed and indeed or-dered by Allah that hilâl has appeared, or is going to appear to the west of you in Europe

or America, or to the south of you in Africa or Australia, so you should start the fast or end the fast without yourself sighting the hilâl. He did no such thing. So why do we Muslims blatantly wish to go against the practice of our Nabi . Why do we wish to follow somebody who may or may not have seen the hilâl positively, when we are absolutely sure that we did not and cannot sight it in our area? Are we not afraid that doing so may make us resemble Bani Israel who changed the Sabbath? This is what happened to the Bani Israel, who after contravening many other orders of Allah, finally contravened even this oth-erwise seemingly not so significant order of Allah. “And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sab-bath; We said to them: “Be ye apes despised and rejected.” So We made it an example to their own time and to their posterity and a lesson to those who fear Allah.” Al-Baqara, 2:65-66 For that group of Bani Israel this trans-gression was probably the straw that broke

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Virtues of ramadhaanmoulana Ismail desai

Every long-awaited thing is valued and appreciated. By nature, man does not

appreciate and value Divine favors, be-cause they come his way without any ef-fort from his side. First and foremost, we should turn our gaze and ask Allāh Ta’ālā to grant us the opportunity to witness the great and auspicious month of Ramadān. Secondly, we should make a firm intention to reform our lives and make this Ramadān a turning point in our lives.Preparation for Ramadān The month of Sha’bān is a stepping stone to Ramadān. The Prophet H would not fast in any other month besides Ramadān as much as he would fast during Sha’bān. In order for us to prosper spiritu-ally, we need to remove the evil element of sin totally from our lives. If there is a hole at the bottom of a bucket, it will never get filled. Similarly, if we do not abandon sins from our lives, we will never reach the heights of spiritual success irrespective of the amount of good we do.The Holy Qurān The Qurān was revealed during the month of Ramadān, hence, there is a spe-cial connection between Ramadān and the Holy Qurān. We should remove our Qurāns from the shelf and start reciting the Qurān. In this way, we will connect ourselves with Allāh and develop the habit of reciting the Qurān. For every letter of the Qurān a person recites, Allāh Ta’ālā will grant him ten rewards. Imagine the reward he will re-ceive for reciting a complete Surah or a Juz of the Qurān. If we can start reciting Qurān now, it will not be difficult for us to find time to recite Qurān in Ramadān. In fact, we will be able to increase the amount we were reciting before Ramadān.sighting the moon Ramadān commences after the crescent of Ramadān is sighted. The Dua to recite when looking at the crescent is:

O Allāh! Let this new moon appear to us with prosperity, faith, safety, and Islām and with hope of success to do deeds which you would like and approve of. My lord and your lord (O moon) is Allāh. (Sunan Tirmizi, Vol.2, Pg.183, HM Saeed)Dua at the approach of Ramadān Ubādah bin Sāmit I reports that Nabi H used to teach the Sahābah M the following Dua at the approach of the blessed month of Ramadān:

O Allāh! Protect me for observing (the fast of) Ramadān, make the month of Ramadān clear for me and protect me from sins so that my acts of worship are accepted. (Kanzul Ummāl, Vol.8, Pg.584)fasting (Saum) Fasting refers to abstention from eating, drinking, and conjugal rights whilst having made the intention to fast that day. The fast-ing day commences at Subh al- Sādiq (True Dawn, which is approximately 90 minutes before sunrise) and ends at sunset. Fasting during the month of Ramadān is compulsory upon every Muslim who is sane, mature, healthy and a resident (not a traveler).purpose of fasting Almighty Allāh says: “O you who believe, Fasting has been pre-scribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you, so that you practice self-restraint.” (2:183). The very essence of fasting is to inculcate the quality of Taqwa and to suppress our de-sires. If we are able to abstain from lawful things whilst fasting, all the more easy it will be to abstain from unlawful things during and after Ramadān. Care should be taken to

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Effort should be made to sight the moon of Shawwaal after sunset on August 18th and 19th, 2012.

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protect one’s eyes, ears and speech from all types of Harām and unlawful things.Virtues of fasting Nabi H said:“Every good deed of the child of Adam is increased (in reward) from ten to 700 times. And Almighty Allāh says: ‘Except fasting, for verily it is for me and I will reward it. The fasting person ab-stains from desire and food for my sake.’” (Sunan Ibn Mājah, Pg.119, Dārul Qurān wal Hadith) Nabi H mentioned: “Whoever fasts in Ramadān with Imān and hoping for reward from Allāh, all his past sins will be forgiven” (Mishkāt, Vol.1, Pg.173, Deo-band) Nabi H mentioned: “There are two occasions of joy for a fasting person, a) pleasure at the time of breaking the fast and b) at the time when he will meet his Lord.” (Sunun Tirmizi, Vol.1, Pg.159, HM Saeed)Virtues of Ramadān Nabi H mentioned: “Whoever does any good in Ramadān, he will get the reward of doing a Fard act out of the month of Ramadān and whoever does a fard act in Ramadān, he will get the reward of doing 70 Fard acts. (Mishkāt,Vol.1, Pg.173, Deo-band) This is a privilege exclusive to the month of Ramadān. We should firstly fulfil all our fard duties and do as many voluntary acts as possible and draw maximum from the month of Ramadān. Nabi H mentioned: “It (Ramadān) is such a month, the first ten days are the days of mercy, the middle ten days are the days of forgiveness and the last ten days are the days in which many are emancipated from the fire of Jahannam.” (Mishkāt, Vol.1, Pg.173, Deoband)Tarāweeh Salāh Nabi H mentioned: “Whoever stands in Ramadān (i.e. Tarāweeh) with Imān and hoping for reward from Allāh, all his past sins will be forgiven”. (Sunan

Tirmizi, Vol.1, Pg.167, HM Saeed) It is Sunnah Muakkadah for males and females to perform 20 rakāts of Tarāweeh Salāh. A person will be sinful for omitting it.Laylatul Qadr Hazrat Salmān I narrates that during the last day of Sha’bān, Rasu-lullah H addressed the Sahabah M: “O people, an auspicious month has dawned over you. A month in which there is one night which is more superior than a thousand months, i.e. ibādat (wor-ship) in this night is superior to the ibādah rendered in a thousand months”. (Mishkāt, Vol.1, Pg.173, Deoband) It is the wisdom of Allāh, that the exact night of Laylatul Qadr is unknown. In this manner we will spend many more nights in Ibādah (worship) searching for this auspi-cious night. If the exact night was known, we would only spend one night Ibādah and there will be no hope for those who missed that night.I’tikāf Hadhrat Ali bin Husain V narrates from his father that Rasulullah H said: “He who observes the ten days of I’tikāf during Ramadān will attain the reward of two Hajj and two Umrah.” (Tabrāni) Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbaas I narrates that Rasulullah H said: “Whoever for Allāh’s sake sat for one day in I’tikāf, Allāh will keep him away from Jahannam by trenches”. (Sunan al-Bai-haqi) A person who intends sitting for Sunnah I’tikāf during the last ten days of Ramadān

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continued from page 5should enter the masjid before sunset on the 20th of Ramadān and only leave after the moon for Eid has been sighted. During I’tikāf, a person may only exit the masjid to answer to the call of nature, fard ghusl and to make wudhu. If he leaves the masjid boundaries without a valid reason, his Sun-nah I’tikāf will terminate and he will have to make-up qadha of one day’s I’tikāf (24 hours) in the state of fasting (during the day) in or after Ramadān.Ending the Month of Ramadān Indeed the value of Ramadān only comes to the fore once the month has terminated or will only be realized on the day of Qiyāmah. We should beg Allāh Ta’ālā to accept the little Ibādah we have done in Ramadān, for that act which is accepted by Allāh holds lots of merit and significance. Hadhrat Abu Umāmah I reports that Rasulullah H said: “Whosoever observes the two nights of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adhā with worship and devotion, his heart will be alive on the day of Qiyāmah.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah, Pg.128, Dārul Qurān wal Hadith)Sadaqatul Fitr Sadaqatul Fitr is Wājib (compulsory) on the following persons: a) that person upon whom Zakāt is compulsory, b) that per-son upon whom Zakāt is not wājib but has wealth equal to the nisāb of Zakāt over and above his basic needs. This is irrespective whether the wealth is for the purpose of trade or not and irrespective whether he had it in his possession for a complete year or not. This Sadaqah has to be paid on or be-fore the day of Eid. If he does not discharge his Sadaqatul Fitr, it will remain as a debt on him and will have to be discharged. Hadhrat Ibn Abbās I reports that Rasulullah H decreed the Sadaqa-tul Fitr to purify the fasts of vain talk and as a provision for the needy. Whoever dis-charges it before the Eid Salāh, it will be accepted and whoever discharges it after the Eid Salāh, it will be regarded as general

charity. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Vol.1, Pg.227, HM Saeed)six fasts of shawwal Hadhrat Abu Ayub al- Ansari I re-ports that Rasulullah H said: “Any-one who has kept the fasts of Ramadān and follows them up with six (optional) fasts of Shawwal then (he will get the reward for the fast of a whole year, but if he does that always) it is as if he fasted all his life. (Su-nan Abi Dawud, Vol.1, Pg330, HM Saeed) Hadhrat Thaubān I reportes that Rasulullah H said: “Joining six days of the fasts of Shawwal is equal to the fast of the whole year. Each good act is equal to ten such acts.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah, Pg.124, Dārul Qurān wal Hadith) The reward of each good deed is mul-tiplied at least ten times. Therefore, thirty days of fast in Ramadān equals three hun-dred days and the six fast of Shawwal equal sixty. Thus, totaling to three hundred and sixty days, which is the total amount of days in a lunar year.

(This article on Ramadhaan has been sourced from the askimam.org website and re-edited)

Taraweehproofs to show that taraweeh was 20 rakaats in the era of Umar h It is reported by Yazeed ibne Khusayfah from Saaib ibne Yazeed that he said: “They used to stand in the era of Umar h with 20 rakaats in the month of Ramadhaan (As Sunanul Kubraa, Imaam al Bayhaqi vol.2 pg.496). Ibn Iraaqi has mentioned that the sanad (chain) of the above Hadith is Sahih (Irshaadus Saari, Allamah Qastalaani vol.4 pg.578). Moulana Habibur Rahmaan Azmi r writes in his book Raka’aate Taraweeh: “Imaam Nawawi, Imaam Iraaqi and Allamah Suy-ooti have regarded the above narration to be Sahih (Tuhfatul Akhyaar pg.196, Irshaadus Saari and Masaabeeh, Suyooti pg.42).” Imaam Bayhaqi has mentioned a similar narration in his book Ma’ariftul Aathaar Was Sunan (vol.2 pg.305). This narration is also reported by Yazeed ibn Khusayfah from

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Saaib ibne Yazeed. The only difference being that the student who reports from Yazeed is Muhammad ibne Ja’far and not Ibne Ali Zi’b. The narration reads as follows: “It is reported from Saaib ibn Yazeed that he said: “We used to stand in the era of Umar h with 20 rakaats and witr.” The above narration which has been nar-rated by Imaam Bayhaqi r in his book Mari-fatus Sunan Wal Aathaar has been regarded as Sahih by Allamah Subkhi in Sharhul Min-haaj as well as Mulla Ali Qari in Sharhul Mu’atta (Taleequl Hasan pg.252). Imaam Maalik r reported from Yazeed ibne Roomaan: “The people used to stand in the era of Umar h with 23 rakaats in the month of Ramadhaan (Mu’atta Imaam Ma-lik pg.92). The above narration is also found in Sunan Kubra of Imaam Bayhaqi vol.2 pg.496 as well as in Qiyamul Layl by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Nasr Al-Murwazi pg.94. Hazrat Moulana Habibur Rahman Azmi writes in his book Raka’aate Tarwaweeh: “The objection against this narration is that Yazeed ibne Roomaan did not live in the era of Umar h, therefore the sanad is munqati i.e. a narrator is missing. The answer to this objection is that this is transmitted in the Mu’atta of Imaam Maalik r and Hazrat Shah Waliullah Dehlawi r has mentioned in Huj-jatullahul Baaligah vol.1 pg.106: “Imaam Shaafi r said: “The most authentic book af-ter the book of Allah is the Mu’atta of Maa-lik. The scholars of Hadith are unanimous that whatever is contained therein is Sahih according to the opinion of Imaam Maalik and those who agreed with him. According to others there is no Mursal (a Ta’biee narrates from Rasulullah g directly) nor any Munqati (a narrator is missing) except that its sanad is Muttasal (linked without any break) to him (Imaam Maalik) from another chain of narra-tors. In the era of Imaam Maalik many (oth-er) Mu’atta’s were written in order to extract (the authenticity) of its (i.e. Mu’atta Imaam Maalik’s) Ahadith and to establish that its Munqati are Muttasal eg. the books of Ibne Ali Zi’b, Ibne Uyayna and Ma’mar.

continued from page � continued from page 1for obedience is not backed by pleasure or displeasure of God, the prophets come as a criterion of truth and justice and the rejection of their call amounts to aligning oneself with falsehood and evil; the proph-ets constitute the determinant of divine dispensation for their peoples. The nations of the bygone times were not destroyed, as the Qur’an tells us, by their blasphemy and irreligion, or else by their moral cor-ruption and prodigality but because of their contemptuous rejection and derision of the prophets and insolent behaviour towards them. The Qur’an narrates the appalling behaviour of evil-minded people to their prophets in innumerable verses, some of which are given here. “And every nation purposed to seize their messenger and argued falsely, (thinking) there-by to refute the Truth. Then I seized them, and how (awful) was My punishment.” [Q. XL:5] “Whenever its messenger came unto a nation they denied him ; so We caused them to follow one another (to disaster) and We made them by-words. A far removal for folk who believe not:” [Q. XXIII: 44] “He said : My Lord ! Help me because they deny me. “He said: In a little while they surely will be-come repentant. “So the (Awful) Cry overtook them right-fully, and We made them like as wreckage (that a torrent hurleth). A far removal for wrongdoing folk.” [Q. XXIII: 39-41] “Messengers (of Allah) have been derided before thee, but that whereat they scoffed sur-rounded such of them as did deride.” [Q. VI: 10] “And verily messengers (of Allah) were mocked before thee, but long I bore with those who disbelieved. At length I seized them, and how (awful) was My punishment !” [Q. XIII: 32] “Not one of them but did deny the mes-sengers, therefor My doom was justified.” [Q. XXXVIII: 15] “And We destroyed no township but it had its Warners.” [Q. XXVI: 208]

to Be continued

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DAY FAJR SHURUQ ZUHR ASR———— MAGRIB ISHA DWN SUNRISE Shafi’i Hanafi SNSET NGHT

Your (real) friend can be

only Allâh; and His messenger and those who believe-- who

establish prayer and pay the

poor due and bow down (in worship). And whoso turns

(for friendship) to Allâh and

His messenger and those who believe: lo! the party of Allâh,

they are the victorious.(5:55-56)

LUNAR DATES

I f you need prayer t im-ings for your town, p lease send us a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope. Salah sched-ules are per-petual; i.e. they are good for every year.

Prayer times are for the New Haven area and are based on

18° for Fajr and Isha. Check local newspapers for your local time

difference.

July1 3:14 5:22 12:55 4:57 6:10 8:29 10:372 3:15 5:23 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:29 10:363 3:16 5:23 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:364 3:16 5:24 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:355 3:17 5:24 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:346 3:18 5:25 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:347 3:19 5:25 12:57 4:57 6:10 8:27 10:338 3:20 5:26 12:57 4:57 6:10 8:27 10:329 3:22 5:27 12:57 4:57 6:10 8:27 10:3110 3:23 5:27 12:57 4:57 6:10 8:26 10:3011 3:24 5:28 12:57 4:57 6:09 8:26 10:2912 3:25 5:29 12:57 4:57 6:09 8:25 10:2813 3:26 5:30 12:57 4:57 6:09 8:25 10:2714 3:28 5:30 12:57 4:57 6:09 8:24 10:2615 3:29 5:31 12:58 4:57 6:09 8:23 10:2516 3:30 5:32 12:58 4:57 6:08 8:23 10:2417 3:32 5:33 12:58 4:57 6:08 8:22 10:2318 3:33 5:34 12:58 4:57 6:08 8:21 10:2219 3:34 5:35 12:58 4:57 6:07 8:21 10:2020 3:36 5:35 12:58 4:57 6:07 8:20 10:1921 3:37 5:36 12:58 4:56 6:06 8:19 10:1822 3:39 5:37 12:58 4:56 6:06 8:18 10:1623 3:40 5:38 12:58 4:56 6:06 8:18 10:1524 3:42 5:39 12:58 4:56 6:05 8:17 10:1325 3:43 5:40 12:58 4:56 6:05 8:16 10:1226 3:45 5:41 12:58 4:55 6:04 8:15 10:1027 3:46 5:42 12:58 4:55 6:04 8:14 10:0928 3:48 5:43 12:58 4:55 6:03 8:13 10:0729 3:49 5:44 12:58 4:54 6:02 8:12 10:0630 3:51 5:45 12:58 4:54 6:02 8:11 10:0431 3:52 5:46 12:58 4:54 6:01 8:10 10:02

august1 3:54 5:47 12:58 4:53 6:00 8:09 10:012 3:56 5:48 12:58 4:53 6:00 8:08 9:593 3:57 5:49 12:58 4:53 5:59 8:06 9:574 3:59 5:50 12:58 4:52 5:58 8:05 9:565 4:00 5:51 12:58 4:52 5:58 8:04 9:546 4:02 5:52 12:57 4:51 5:57 8:03 9:527 4:03 5:53 12:57 4:51 5:56 8:02 9:508 4:05 5:54 12:57 4:50 5:55 8:00 9:489 4:06 5:55 12:57 4:50 5:54 7:59 9:4710 4:08 5:56 12:57 4:49 5:53 7:58 9:4511 4:09 5:57 12:57 4:49 5:53 7:56 9:4312 4:11 5:58 12:57 4:48 5:52 7:55 9:4113 4:13 5:59 12:56 4:47 5:51 7:54 9:3914 4:14 6:00 12:56 4:47 5:50 7:52 9:3715 4:16 6:01 12:56 4:46 5:49 7:51 9:3516 4:17 6:02 12:56 4:45 5:48 7:49 9:3317 4:19 6:03 12:56 4:45 5:47 7:48 9:3218 4:20 6:04 12:55 4:44 5:46 7:47 9:3019 4:22 6:05 12:55 4:43 5:45 7:45 9:28

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JUl-aUG praYer tImes, neW haVen

sha’Baan

ramadaan

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O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah

and leave off trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.Surah al-Jumu’ah (62):9

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Icfc masJId (JamIa Karam)57 Pepper St, Monroe. CT06468 (203)261-6222Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Br. Ahmed Reza (203) 746-0683

masJId al-Islam624 George St. New Haven, CT (203)777-8004Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Br. Jimmy Jones (203) 865-5805

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Visit the Connecticut Council of Masajid website:

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THE CHILDREN’S CORNERRamadan and Eid-ul-Fitr

During the holy month of Ramadan was when Allah E gave

Prophet Muhammad H (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the Holy Qur’an. One day, Muhammad g had a vision in which the angel Jibril n told him how Allah wanted people to live. Allah’s words were revealed to Muhammad g through the angel over a period of 23 years, and the words were written down to form the Qur’an. We celebrate Ramadan to remember this very special month. Ramadan is a time when we fast dur-ing the daylight hours. We go without food or drink until sundown. Instead of feeding our bodies, we pray and read the Qur’an. We also make extra effort not to say or listen to anything harmful. These things make us feel closer to Allah, and also remind us of people who may not have enough to eat. Every day during Ramadan, Muslim families wake up before the sun rises to eat a meal together. This meal is called Suhoor. It is the only thing we eat un-til the evening. After Suhoor, everyone offers the Fajr prayer together. Even young children should fast at least a few days during Ramadan. Many kids also give up eating their favorite foods and try to improve themselves by avoiding bad habits. Muslims should try to read the entire Qur’an during the month of Ramadan. It is important to know that all five daily prayers should be offered as well, or the day’s fasting has no meaning at all. When the sun sets, we break our fast by drinking water and eating dates. Then we offer the Maghrib prayer together.

Afterwards, everyone enjoys a delicious meal called Iftaar. Remember that fasting during Rama-dan is REQUIRED of Muslims once they reach the age of puberty, or between the ages of 11 and 15 (the same time that the five prayers become a requirement). Ramadan is a time when Muslims give up some of their personal comforts to become closer to Allah. It is a time to remember the important teachings that Allah c gave to our dear Prophet g. Those teachings include respecting and understanding others, and remembering those who are less fortunate.

Eid Mubarak! The month of Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. It is a time for us to celebrate the end of fasting. This holi-day is so important that many Muslims in the west take a day off from work or school to celebrate with their families. Everyone rises early for the prayer ceremony at their masjids and parks, wearing new clothes. Afterwards, fami-lies visit each other and exchange good wishes. The handshakes and hugs after the prayer are a wonderful mark of love toward others. Eid gives everyone a feel-ing of brotherliness, and all bad feelings toward fellow Muslims should be wiped clean so we can all start fresh. Children sometimes receive gifts, candy, or money. But we should also re-member that Eid is not about such gifts, it is really a time to remember Allah and to feel the joy that comes to us once we meet obligations toward Him. If you participate in the fasting, the celebration becomes even more meaningful!

Article courtesy MissionIslam

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Ramadan Crossword Puzzle

across7 When does the fast start each day?9 The month that comes after Ramadan10 When does the fast end each day?12 Which month of the Hijra calendar is Ramadan?

doWn1 Famous battle that took place in Ramadan2 Lailatul Qadr is better than 1000 of these3 When is iftaar eaten?4 What was revealed in Ramadan?5 Lailatul Qadr means “Night of ___”?6 The month that comes before Ramadan8 Nafl worship in Ramadan results in the reward of a ___?11 The celebration at the end of Ramadan

The second answer is that there is a differ-ence of opinion on the acceptance and non-acceptance of a Mursal. According to Imaam Maalik and Imaam Abu Hanifa r it is ac-cepted unconditionally. Khateeb Baghdaadi writes in Kifaayah pg.384 “Some say that Mursal is acceptable and practicing upon it is waajib when the one making Irsaal is trust-worthy and extremely just. This is the verdict of Imaam Maalik and the scholars of Madina and Imaam Abu Hanifa and the scholars of Iraq.”(Kifayah p384). Therefore according to these scholars this narration being mursal does not do any harm. Even though a mursal is not acceptable ac-cording to Imaam Shafi r he also explicitly states that when any mursal is supported by another mursal or musnad and that musnad or mursal is supported by another mursal or musnad and that is reported by a different chain of narrators then it is acceptable. Hafiz Ibne Hajar r writes in Sharah Kubra: Imaam Shafi said: “It will be accepted when it is sup-ported by it coming from another way which

is distinguished from the first, be it Musnad or Mursal (Sharah Nukhba pg.51). Sheikul Islam Zakaria Ansaari has gen-eralised this also that should the supporting narration be weak (daeef) then too the mursal will be acceptable (Haashia Sharah Nukh-ba). Now that this has been settled in the mind, understand that although the narration of Yazeed bin Roomaan is mursal, it is sup-ported by many other mursal which will soon be mentioned. Therefore it is unanimously accepted and is a proof. Leave alone the fact that our original proof is the narration of Saaib bin Yazeed and the narration of Yazeed bin Roomaan has been presented as support (pg.63,64,65, Raka’aate Taraweeh). The following is one more mursal narra-tion which supports the narration of Yazeed bin Roomaan: Yahya bin Saeed reports that Umar h commanded a man to perform 20 rakaats with them (Musannaf ibne Abi Shay-ba vol.2 pg. 165). The narrators of the above are all extremely reliable.

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continued from page 11 Despite the above narration being Mursal because Yahya bin Saeed did not live in the era of Umar h it poses no problem because it is only being used as a support for the nar-ration of Yazeed bin Roomaan. Abdul Aziz bin Rufay said: “Ubay bin Ka’b used to perform 20 rakaats and 3 witr with the people in Ramadhaan in Madina” (Musannaf ibne Abi Shayba pg.165 vol.2). Allamah Neemwi writes in Athaarus Sunan pg.253 that this narration is a strong mursal narration. Moulana Habibur Rahman Azmi writes in Raka’aate Taraweeh: “due to the fact that according to most opinions Ubay bin Ka’b passed away in the era of Umar h therefore this narration is also linked to the era of Umar h. These two mursal narrations support the narration of Yazeed bin Roomaan and render it suitable to be used as proof for the claim that Taraweeh in the era of Umar h was 20 rakaats. One should not lose sight of the fact that the original proof is the narration of Saa-ib bin Yazeed: “They used to stand in the era of Umar h with 20 rakaats in the month of Ramadhaan.” From the books of jurisprudence written over the centuries we learn that all 4 ma-zhabs, Hambali, Shafi and Maliki agree that Taraweeh is not less than 20 rakaats. The only difference being that Imaam Maalik is of the opinion of 36 rakaats. He used the proof that the people of Madina read 36 rakaats. Imaam Nawawi in his Kitabul Majmoo Sharah Mu-hazzab vol.3 pg.527 explains: “Our Ulama say its reason is that the people of Makkah used to make 1 tawaaf between every two tarweehas i.e. between every four rakaats and thereafter perform 2 rakaats and they did not make tawaaf after the fifth tarweeha. The people of Madina intended to equal them and they read four rakaats in place of every tawaaf. Hence they increased 16 rakaats and made 3 witr thus making the total 39.”

What was the practice of muslims for 12½ centuries Firstly I wish to substantiate my claim of

the practice of Muslims for 12½ centuries, listen: Imam Baihaqi r has transmitted the fol-lowing narration of Saaib bin Yazeed in his Kitabus Sunan-e-Kubra vol.2, pg.496: “That in the era of Hazrat Umar h the people used to read 20 rakaats and in the era of Uthman h due to the severity of standing, they used to recline upon sticks.” And 5 lines later Imam Baihaqi (R.A.) nar-rates that one who was amongst the compan-ions of Hazrat Ali h used to be the imam in Ramadhaan and would read 20 rakaats. Two lines later Imam Baihaqi narrates that Hazrat Ali h instructed a person to read 20 rakaats for the people. This was the condition of the era of Hazrat Umar, Usman and Ali j. The martyrdom of Hazrat Ali h occured in 40 A.H. 23 years after the death of Hazrat Ali (R.A.) in 63 A.H. the bloody incident of Harra took place. Imam Malik has explained that from before the incident of Harra till now for more than a 100 years the recurring practice in Madina has been to read 38 rakaats. The explanation of Saalih Maulat Thu’ama also lends sup-port to this. The difference in the number of rakaats shown by Imam Malik (R.A.) and Saalih is due to the difference in the number of rakaats of witr; however the common fac-tor between the two is that from before Harra, the practice in Madina has been to read more than 20 rakaats. Muaz Abu Halima h is a Sahaabi and he was martyred on the day of Harra. Ibne Ser-een has borne witness to the fact that he used to perform 41 rakaats in Ramadhaan. For the details of the above three check Tuhfatul Ah-wazee vol.7, pg.72, commentary on Tirmizi written by Ml. Mubarakpuri, a scholar of the Ahle Hadith). Naafi was the freed slave of Hazrat Ibne Umar h as well as the student of Hazrat Ai-sha i, Hazrat Abu Hurairah h and Hazrat Raafi h. He has mentioned: “I had seen and found people reading 36 rakaats taraweeh and 3 witr (Tuhfatul Ahwazee vol.2 pg.73). Naafi passed away in 117 A.H. Dawood bin Qais mentions: “I had seen

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the people of Madina reading 36 rakaats in the era of Umar bin Abdul Aziz [passed away 101 A.H.] and Abaan bin Umar (passed away 105 A.H.) [Qiyamul Layl pg. 91]. Further Umar bin Abdul Aziz r used to command the Qaris to read 36 rakaats (Qiyamul Layl pg.93). At any rate, the practice of Madina till the era of Imam Malik r [passed away 179 A.H.] was 36, 38 or 41 rakaats or it can be said that the practice was 36 and the difference in number is due to the difference of opin-ion in the number of rakaats of witr. Even after Imam Malik this continued to be the practice in Madina, therefore Imam Tirmizi r [passed away 279 A.H.) after mentioning 41 rakaats said: “This is the practice of the people of Madina.” And was not restricted to Madina. It is apparent that wherever the fol-lowers of Imam Malik were the practice was on 36 as the books of the Maaliki Mazhab testify. In Makkah till the era of Ataa bin Ali Rubaah (passed away 114 A.H.) the prac-tice was 20 (Musannaf Ibne Abi Shaibah vol.2 pg.393). Naafi bin Umar has mentioned that Ibne Abi Mulaykah used to perform 20 rakaats for us in Ramadhaan. Ibne Abi Mu-laikah passed away in 117 A.H. According to Imam Shafi as well the practice was on 20. He passed away in 204 A.H. In Tirmizi the statement of Imam Shafee reads: “I found the people of Makkah reading 20 rakaats (Tuh-fatul Ahwazee vol.2 pg.76). Due to the fact that Imam Shafee was himself of the opinion of 20 rakaats, therefore after him in Makkah as well as all other places where his follow-ers were found, the practice was on 20, just as the Shafee books of jurisprudence which were written after him and are still being written bear witness to it. Now Iraq remains (Kufa, Basra, etc.). We have already learnt that on the command of Ali h the practice was on 20 and Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood h also used to read 20 (Tuhfatul Ahwazee vol.1, pg.75). In Kufa, Awad bin Yazeed (passed away 75 A.H.) used to read 20 rakaats (Tuhfatul Ahwazee vol.2 pg.73). This should be clear

that Awad had attained the companionship of Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Muaz, Hazrat Ibne Masood, Hazrat Huzaifah, Hazrat Bilal and other senior Sahaabah j. Suwaid bin Gafalah (passed away 81 A.H.) who attained the companionship of Hazrat Ali h and Hazrat Ibne Masood h used to read 20 rakaats (Baihaqi vol.2, pg.496). Haaris A’war who was a companion of Ali h used to read 20 rakaats (Musannaf Ibne Abi Shaibah - vol.2, pg.393). Further Ali bin Rabiah who was a student of Ali h and Salmaan Farsi h also used to read 20 rakaats Taraweeh and 3 rakaats witr (Musannaf ibne Abi Shaibah vol.2, pg.393). Saeed bin Jubair who was a student of Hazrat Ibne Abbas and other Sahabah j and was a great Imaam used to read 24 and 28 rakaats (Tuhfatul Ahwazee vol.2 pg.73). His martyrdom took place in 95 A.H. The Imaam of Kufa, Sufyan Thauri r [died 161 A.H.], was of the opinion of 20 rakaats (Tuhfatul Ahwazee vol.2, pg.75). After Imam Abu Hanifa [died 150 A.H.] it is apparent that all his followers practiced upon 20 rakaats. The Ahle Hadith themselves confess to this. Allamah Mubarakpuri states that this is the opinion of the Hanafees. The books of Imam Muhammad who is a student of Imam Abu Hanifa also bears witness to this fact. In Basra Zuraara ibne Aufa who was a stu-dent of Abu Hurairah, Ibne Abbas, Imraan bin Husain, Anas and Hazrat Aisha j used to read in the first 20 days of Ramadhaan 28 rakaats and in the last ten days 34 rakaats (Tuhfatul Ahwazee - vol.2, pg.73). He passed away in 93 A.H. Abdur Rahman ibne Abi Bakrah, Saeed ibne Abil Hassan and Imaam Abdi used to read 5 tarweehas i.e. 20 rakaats in the Jaami Masjid of Basrah before 83 A.H. and in the last 10 days they added 4 rakaats (Qiyamul Layl - pg.91). In Baghdad Imam Ahmad r [died 235 A.H.] was of the opinion of 20 rakaats as written by Allamah Ibne Rushd in Bidayatul Mujtahid (vol.1, pg.192). This fact is also mentioned in the Hambali books of Fiqh. In the Hambali Kitaab Muqna vol.1, pg.183 it

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continued from page 1�states: “Taraweeh is 20 rakaats which are performed in Ramadhaan with Jamaat.” The author of Muqna himself writes about Muq-na, “This is a book in accordance to the ma-zhab of Imaam Ahmad bin Muhammad ibne Hambali.” Similarly Dawood Zaahiri (died 270 A.H.) was also of the opinion of 20 (Bidayatul Mu-jtahid - vol.1, pg.192). The followers of these personalities be they from Baghdad or out of Baghdad practiced upon 20. Abdullah bin Mubarak r [died 181 A.H.] who was from amongst the Imaams of Khurasan was of the opinion of 20. Ishaq bin Rahweh [died 238 A.H.] was of the opinion of 40 rakaats (Tirmizi). Their followers prac-ticed on more than 8. This was an overview of the opinions of the Ulama and Imaams regarding the number of rakaats of taraweeh from the era of Hazrat Umar h till almost the middle of the third century hijri. This was the practice of the Muslims of that time period in Makkah, Ma-dina, Kufa, Basra, Baghdad and Khurasan. Read it a second time and see if anyone ever sufficed on 8 rakaats and where was it ever practiced? Thereafter listen! From before the middle of the third century the four Imaams, Abu Hanifa, Maalik, Shafee and Ahmad had im-parted the knowledge of jurisprudence to their students and had departed from this world and their respective schools of thought had already commenced being propagated and practiced upon and this process contin-ues to this day and age. Today the books of jurisprudence based on the teachings of these four Imaams are available in large numbers but in none of these books is it ever taught to practice on just 8 rakaats. When we place practicing on 8 rakaats in opposition to this ancient practice of 20 or more, which was the preferred opinion of the former and latter Ulama, and we turn the pages of books, then from after the era of Umar h till the end of the 13th century hijri we do not find in the entire world of Is-lam any mention of any one place practicing on 8 rakaats. Even after expending all one’s

strength one will never be able to furnish the slightest bit of evidence nor the weakest proof that 8 rakaats was practiced upon in that lenghty period of time i.e. 12½ centuries (Rakaate Taraweeh).conclusion From this short treatise1 on Taraweeh the following facts become quite clear: * After the era of Umar h till the end of the 13th century the entire Muslim world performed 20 or more than 20 rakaats. If in this entire time period even a few people were of the opinion of less than 20 rakaats, then too there is no evidence of it being practiced in any masjid. * Taraweeh is originally the Sunnat of Rasulullah H. * Taraweeh in Jamaat in the masjid is also originally the Sunnat of Rasulullah H. Hazrat Umar h merely re-in-troduced this method on compliance to the desire of Rasulullah g. * Following the Sunnah of the rightly guided Khalifas is in accordance to the co-mand of Rasulullah g. * 20 rakaats taraweeh is clearly proven from the era of Umar h. * The books of fiqh of the 4 mazhabs written over the centuries clearly regard 20 rakaats taraweeh to be sunnah.

1 Editor’s note: abbreviated for IQRA; see note at end.continued on page 15

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Taraweeh, continued from page 14

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* Those narrations used to prove 8 rakaats either don’t refer to taraweeh or don’t comply with the standards of authen-ticity. We now leave it to you, dear reader, to decide whether you wish to practice on what the Ummah has been practicing on for the last 14 centuries and to this day is being practiced in Masjidul Haram in Makkah and Madina or take the short cut route by practicing on 8 rakaats as proposed by the Ahle Hadith sect which has only reared its head recently.

(This article has been abbreviated from Taraweeh – An Academic Research by Jamiatul Ulama (KZN), Council of Muslim Theologians,

South Africa.)

the camel’s back. Let us not be in the same revolting spot. In Connecticut this Ramadan will begin on Saturday July 21st, 2012 (after 29 days of Shaban). To begin on Friday, July 20th is against the orders of our Nabi . Practically it will have no effect on our life if we begin fasting on Friday or Saturday. Ev-eryone can choose their path as they wish. It does not really matter when we begin fasting. What really matters and will matter more on “that Day” is if we obeyed the orders given to us. And the orders are quite unambiguous:They ask you about the crescents. Tell (them) they are

for fixing time for men and the Hajj (2:198) For centuries the Muslims followed the simple rule of going out on the 29th evening and watching for the crescent. If it was seen, then well and good; if not, then the month was completed to 30 days. This was based on explicit instructions from the Messenger of Allâh g. (see Hadith 2378 from Sahih Muslim quoted at the beginning of this article.) Look at this situation in more drastic manner. The Messenger of Allah’s conversation with his companions one day is recorded thus, “We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He said, “Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?” We said, “No.” He said, “So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on that Day as you have no difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon (in a clear sky).”” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.532B Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri h) The same way Nabi told us that a month is 29 days or 30 days. What that has meant to Muslims for 1400 years is that sometimes the hilâl will be seen after 29 days but without doubt after thirty days, when the sky is clear, hilâl will be visible. The hilâl will be visible in the same town where it was seen 30 days prior. If the hilâl is not seen in the same town after thirty days, and the sky is clear then what it means is that we made a mistake in the beginning or (we seek Allah’s protection

continued from page � even to mention it) the Messenger of Allah told us something that is not always true. This year like all other years most of the Muslims will follow Allah’s Messenger’s

guidance. They will see the hilâl and they will start and they will see the hilâl and they will stop. Muslims in Rio Grande will do the right thing, although they will begin on Friday. Muslims in New Zealand, Australia, parts of Africa, South America, and Central America and even in Arizona and California, will see the hilâl on Friday and begin fasting on Saturday. They will do the right thing, although they will begin fasting on Saturday. We in Connecticut will insha Allah see the hilâl on Friday and will begin fasting on Sturday. People and organizations with nationalistic outlook who have for reasons best known to them abandoned the sunnah in favor of fake “UNITY” need to reconsider their stand. Muslims in New York and California are never going to pray their Eid salaat at the same time. When New Yorkers are in the prayer grounds the Californians are still sleeping. In New York the day of Eid will end at sunset while the Californians can rightfully observe the Eid for another three

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Important Islamic daysashUra’ (Fast on 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th of Muharram.)maUlUd-Un-naBI Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Rabiul Awwal) - death of the prophet (12 Rabiul Awwal).Isra and mIraJ (The anniversary of the Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem & his Ascension then to Heaven)(27 Rajab).nesfU shaBaan (Shub-e-Barat)(middle of the month of Shabaan)(night between 14 &15).BeGInnInG of the month of ramadân.laIla tUl Qader (NIGHT OF VALUE) A night during the last 10 days of Ramadân. eId Ul-fItr (1st. Shawwal) WaQfatU-arafat (Pilgrims assemble on Arafat Plain, Makkah)(9 Zul-Hijj).eId Ul-adha (Feast of sacrifice)(10 Zul-Hijj).

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hours. This three-hour difference will be valid if New Yorkers saw the hilal first. Otherwise this difference should be 21 hours. That is if California saw the hilal first and New York saw it the following day. No calamity will befall if the difference in Eid salaat between New York and California is three hours or twenty-one hours. Calamity will befall us if we willfully neglect the instructions of our master and leader. The statement of the Prophet “Start fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ramadhan), and stop fasting on seeing the crescent (of Shawwal)”. And Ammar said,” Whoever fasts on a doubtful day is disobeying Abu-l-Qasim”. (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 3 chapter 11). To succeed in this world and more importantly in the life after death we must believe in all proclamations of our Nabi . Then we shall indeed be honored by the sight of Allah. One of the ways that we can learn to believe our Nabi , that we shall see our Lord without any difficulty on “that Day”, is by practicing to believe him and act accordingly in those things that are all around us and are observ-able. One of those things is that we will see the moon after 30 days in the same town where we started the month after seeing the hilâl, if the sky is clear. If we do not see the hilâl after 30 days of a month then we made a mistake. If we lack belief in this otherwise ob-servable, confirmable and undebatable statement of Allah’s Messenger , then it is only Allah’s mercy that we are not “apes despised and rejected”.