Risala Al Targheeb: Issue #13

Be Dutiful & Good to Parents

"And [recall] ]when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, [enjoining upon them], "Do not worship except Allah; and to parents do good and to relatives, orphans, and the needy. And speak to people good [words] and establish prayer and give zakah." Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you were refusing(14:24)

As mentioned in the verse, “We took the pledge that we do not worship anyone but Allah; and be good to our parents. This particular subject matter would be dealt under the following headings:

1.      Meaning of Birr
2.      Who is intended by Al Walidayn
3.      Regulations concerning being good to parents
4.      Meaning of obedience to the parents
5.      Difference between obedience to the father and the obedience to the mother

The advice also addresses some of the facts of that obedience in our lives.

1. Meaning of Birr: Birr is a very comprehensive word, holding in itself the expression and meaning for all types of goodness; goodness pertaining to one’s speech and one’s actions. So it is something that a person does through his words, deeds and even with his wealth. It also includes keeping away harm from his parents.

2. As for who is intended by Al Walidayn, this includes the father, mother, grandfathers and grandmothers even if they are distant (immediate and those who are further up).

3. Regulations pertaining to being kind to parents are that it is compulsory and there is no distinction between father and mother whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. So what is intended is that being kind and good to parents is of those things that are compulsory on the child.

Evidences pertaining to the regulation (order) are abundant in the Quran and in the Sunnah.

Means objections but it literally means parenthesis with an interruption that comes up diverting the reader to clarification of any doubt or reasoning which may seem out of context, but yet very relevant.

In other words a clarification is issued or the topic is diverted from one topic to another topic in order to reflect on the reasons for its inclusion, and the theme resumes again without losing the content or context of the subject matter of the Surah. Read More...

Path Finder

Pathfinder is a compilation of words that have encouraging quotes from the Quran, Hadeeth, statements from, Scholars .

Knowledge	"How many dedicated (students of knowledge) there are, seeking to gather it and desirous of obtaining it, yet they do not gain benefit from it nor do they give benefit out to others." Imam Al-Awzaa'ee rahimahullah
Salah	'When you stand in prayer, stand in due obedience as Allaah has ordered you, beware of negligence and looking (here and there),beware that Allaah be looking at you while you are looking at something else, asking Allaah for Paradise and taking refuge with Him from the Fire, yet your heart is heedless, not knowing what the tongue is saying.(The Humility in Prayer, Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbalee)
Faith & Good Works	Faith and good works are frequently mentioned together in the Quran. It is not sufficient to believe in God. Belief has to be supported and confirmed by righteous actions. No one lives in a vacuum. Either one does good deeds or remains idle and lazy or does wrong and evil deeds. (Ref. Access to Quranic Arabic AbdulWahid Hamid)
Virtue & Sin	The Prophet (saw) said: "Virtue is goodness of character, and sin is what you devise in your self and hate for people to find out about it."

Islamic Glossary

Ifraad	A pilgrim wears Ihram for Hajj only. When he reaches Makkah, he performs Tawaf for his arrival and Sa'yi for Hajj. He doesn't shave or clip- his hair as he doesn't disengage from Ihram. Instead, he remains in Ihram till after he stones Jamrah Al-Aqaba on the Eid day. It is permissible for him to postpone his Sa'yi for Hajj until after his Tawaf for Hajj.
Qiran	A pilgrim wears Ihram for both Umrah and Hajj or he wears Ihram first for Umrah, then makes intentions for Hajj before his Tawaf for Hajj. The obligations on one performing Ifraad are the same as those on one performing Qiran, except that the latter must slaughter whereas the former is not obligated to do so. The best of the three forms is Tamattu'. It is the form that the prophet-may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him encouraged his followers to perform.
Tamattu'	A pilgrim wears Ihram for Umrah only during the months of Hajj, which means when a pilgrim reaches Makkah, he/she makes Tawaf and Sa'yi for Umrah. Then shaves or clips the hair. On the day of Tarwiya, which is the eighth of Dhul-Hijja, a pilgrim puts on his Ihram for Hajj only and carries out all of its requirements.
At-Takbeer al-Mutlaq	the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar) which is unrestricted to specific times or any specific form.
At-Takbeer al-Muqayyad	The Takbeer which is done at a particular time and in a specific manner.