Muslim Advice

Muslim Advice

Islamic New Year - 1 Muharram: 14 October 2015
Day of Ashura - 10 Muharram: 23 October 2015
Mawlid an-Nabi - 12 Rabi al-Awwal: 23 December 2015
Laylat al Miraj - 27 Rajab: 4 May 2016
Laylat al-Baraat: 15 Shaban: 22 May 2016
First day of Ramadan : 1 Ramadan: 6 June 2016
Laylat al-Qadr - 19,21,23,25,27 or 29 Ramadan: Between 25 June - 4 July 2016
Eid al-Fitr - 1 Shawwal: 6 July 2016
Eid al-Adha- 10 Dhu al-Hijja: 11 September 2016

Things which go into the body from the pores of the skin don’t break the fast.
Thus, water that you wash yourself and a kind of moisturiser or oil applied to body doesn’t affect the fast and doesn’t break the fast. For example; eyeliner doesn’t break the fast. But if one sees the colour and the trace of it in the spit then it changes the condition and breaks the fast. But if you don’t see the trace or the colour of it in the spit, it doesn’t break the fast.

A medication, applied on an open wound and moisturized thus absorbed through the skin inside of the head or absorbed but doesn’t reach into the head and stays under the skin, doesn’t break the fast. But a medication applied on an open wound like this and which is doubtful whether it reaches inside of the head. This kind of a doubtful application, according to Imam-i Azam, breaks the fast. Because this kind of a medication penetrates inside of the body.
According to Imamayn this doesn’t break the fast.

A beautiful aspect of Allah’s power is that He chooses and selects whatever He wills. Allah ‘azza wajal says about Himself: And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses. [Quran, 28:68]. The attribute of choosing shows the perfection of His wisdom, knowledge and power.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa has chosen four months to be sacred. Did you know that we’re in one of those four months right now?
The Prophet salallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: O People! Time has gone back to how it was at the time Allah created the Heavens and the Earth. A year has twelve months, four of which are sacred, three consecutive, Dhul-Qi’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab. [Al-Bukharee]

Now the next question is: what does this mean to you? Let’s get ready to find out what you can do to benefit in the Sacred Month of Rajab! First we discover some interesting facts about this time of the year followed by some amazing spiritual productivity tips for you to apply right now insha’Allah!

Becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process. All that a person has to do is to say a sentence called the Testimony of Faith (Shahada), which is pronounced as:

I testify “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”

These Arabic words mean, “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” Once a person says the Testimony of Faith (Shahada) with conviction and understanding its meaning, then he/she has become a Muslim.

The first part, “There is no true deity but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God has neither partner nor son. The second part means that Muhammad was a true Prophet sent by God to humankind.

To be a Muslim, one should also:

- Believe that the Holy Quran is the literal word of God, revealed by Him.

- Believe that the Judgment Day (Resurrection Day) is true and will come.

These actions are not things that are obligatory for the fasting person in particular, but they are not things that go against fasting either. Rather the fasting person refrains from eating, drinking and having intercourse, which are things that invalidate the fast. He should also keep away from sins and bad things, such as backbiting and spreading slander, which reduce the reward for fasting. But with regard to cutting the nails and shaving the pubic hair, these are matters that pertain to the fitrah (natural state of man), which the Lawgiver said should not be left for more than forty days. They have nothing to do with the soundness of one’s fast.

The first day of the Christian year should be regarded as an ordinary day. We should not show any sign of celebration. Everyone should check his family and children lest they celebrate it due to the influence of a friend or a TV channel, or due to a sense of curiosity or imitation. It was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them both, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Each of you is a caretaker and each of you is responsible for those under his care. The ruler is a caretaker of people and is responsible for his subjects. The man is a caretaker of his family and is responsible for his family members. The woman is a caretaker of her husband’s house and children and is responsible for them. The servant is a caretaker of his master’s property and is responsible for it. Each of you is a caretaker and is responsible for those under his care.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

The Christmas tree is one of the symbols of the Christian festival and celebration; this is why it is named for Christmas. It is said that it was first officially used as a symbol in this manner in the sixteenth century in Germany, in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539 CE.

It is not permissible to imitate the kuffaar in any of their acts of worship, rituals or symbols, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4031; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 5/109

So it is not permissible to put up this tree in a Muslim house even if you do not celebrate Christmas, because putting up this tree comes under the heading of imitating others that is haraam, or venerating and showing respect to a religious symbol of the kuffaar.

St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) was born sometime circa 280 in Patara, Lycia, an area that is part of present-day Turkey. He lost both of his parents as a young man and reportedly used his inheritance to help the poor and sick. A devout Christian, he later served as bishop of Myra, a city that is now called Demre.

It is Mashru` (Islamically permissible) for the menstruating woman to practice whatever is permitted for others: to recite Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah), Tasbih (saying: "Subhan Allah [Glory be to Allah]"), Tahmid (saying: "Al-hamdu lillah [All praise is due to Allah]"), Tahlil (saying: "La ilaha illa Allah [There is no god except Allah]"), and Takbir (saying: "Allahu Akbar [Allah is the Greatest]"); asking Allah's for forgiveness and offering Tawbah (repentance to Allah) to Him; listening to the Qur'an and lectures; participating in knowledge gatherings, and
Qur'an recitation broadcasts.

RIYADH: Salaries, allowances and other payments to public servants will now be paid according to the Gregorian calendar in order to be aligned with the country’s fiscal year, according to a recent decision by the Council of Ministers.
On Wednesday the Cabinet agreed to switch from the Hijri calendar for payment of salaries, wages, bonuses and allowances to all civil sector employees.
The decision to switch from the lunar-based Hijri calendar to the solar-based Gregorian calendar was effective Oct. 1 and brought the government sector in line with the payment of wages in the private sector.
The government move evoked a mixed reaction.
Concerns were expressed about the banking network’s ability to cover all cash withdrawals on the first day that salaries are paid. Not only will this be an unprecedented situation in the history of the country, but it will also coincide with the date of deposit of the salaries of private sector employees.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 42 Surah Shuraa verses 49-50:
49 To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills (and plans). He bestows (children) male or female according to His Will (and Plan).
50 Or He bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He will: for He is Full of knowledge and power.

In light of the above Aayah of the Glorious Quran, it should be the belief of the believers, who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, that the allotment of children is entirely upto Allah Subhanah. He gives males to whom He pleases, He gives females to whom He pleases, He gives males and females to whom He pleases, and if He Wills, He leaves some childless (as a test from Him).

Smoking is haraam and there is no doubt that it is forbidden.

With regard to the reason why it breaks the fast, that is because the smoke contains particles that reach the stomach.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked about the fasting person smelling perfume and he said:

It is permissible to use it during the day in Ramadaan and to smell it, except for bukhoor (incense), because incense contains particles that can reach the stomach, and that is smoke.


Cigarette smoke is like incense in that they both contain particles, but they differ with regard to the basic ruling: incense is halaal and good, and smoking is haraam and bad.

It is very important to note that Islam is a complete way of life and it suffices Muslims. At the same time, we should be interactive and proactive. We should not forget our role in the society. We should be a good example to others. Islam urges us to be kind with all people without any kind of discrimination due to differences in faith or race.

Muslims have their own identity. In order to keep this identity, Muslim scholars said that Muslims must not celebrate Christmas or holidays of non-Muslims. By participation in Christmas, it is possible that slowly one may lose his or her consciousness of this basic point of difference between Islam and Christianity. Muslims must be very careful in this matter. The greatest danger is for our next generation, who may slowly lose their Islamic faith in tawhid and may start believing in Jesus as "more than a prophet and servant of Allah".

Masturbation is one of the things that invalidate the fast, and the one who does that has to make up the day that he broke his fast. He must also repent from this great sin.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:

Masturbation during the day in Ramadaan invalidates the fast if it is done deliberately and semen is emitted as a result. The person must make up the day if that was an obligatory fast, and he must repent to Allaah, because masturbation is not permissible whether one is fasting or not. It is the action which people call the “secret habit”.

Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 15/267

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

If a fasting person masturbates and ejaculates, this breaks his fast, and he has to make up the fast of the day on which he masturbated, but he does not have to offer any expiation, because the expiation is only required of one who has intercourse. And he has to repent from what he did.

Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 478

The Religious Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday that the government would welcome an expanded haj quota to end waits for the pilgrimage that last up to 39 years.
“The haj quota is the domain of Saudi Arabian government. Alhamdulillah (thank God), if it is willing to provide a bigger quota to us,” Ahda Barori, the ministry’s director of the haj domestic service, told The Jakarta Post.
Ahda made the statement following President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's request to Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman during a bilateral meeting in Hangzhou, China, to consider the possibility of Indonesia getting the unused portions of haj quotas from other countries or obtaining a larger haj quota.
The ministry's attempt to persuade the Saudi government to increase its haj quota was also a response to the arrest of 177 Indonesians in Manila for trying to use places left empty in the Philippine’s underused quota.