Messages

181

General Discussions / did every nation/country/city have a warner ?

« on: May 01, 2016, 11:25:46 PM »

I thought so until I realized 25:51 which is:

"And if We had pleased We would certainly have raised a warner in every town."

182

General Discussions / Re: question about 24:58 (lam yablughoo alhuluma) ?

« on: April 30, 2016, 09:52:35 AM »

Salam Hassan A,

Yes, I read brother Joseph's article. I also read several articles about "lam / lamma" generally based on 65:4. However when i read 24:58, for the children that have "not yet" hit puberty, i got confused when i saw "lam" in the ayat. So i really need some grammatical clarification on the issue.

How would it change the meaning if it was "lamma yablughoo alhuluma" instead of "lam yablughoo alhuluma" ? What would the reader understand ?

183

General Discussions / question about 24:58 (lam yablughoo alhuluma) ?

« on: April 30, 2016, 01:54:07 AM »

Assalamu alaikum folks,

This question is basically about "lam" and "lamma" prepositions. We have "lam" in 65:4 (lam yahidna), not "lamma". It makes sense when you think of it with 65:4 and the women who don't menstruate.

But in 24:58, I expected "lamma" for the children who haven't "yet" hit the puberty. But the preposition in that ayat is also "lam" not "lamma".

Why is it "lam" and not "lamma" there in 24:58 ?

Can someone please inform me about this grammatical situation we have here ?

184

General Discussions / Re: copyright questions ???

« on: April 26, 2016, 08:52:02 AM »

Salam nura,

Alhamdulillah such a nice explanation. Thanks. However i just couldn't get this one, you said:

"Watching movies by streaming them online is not illegal, hence can be done. So far streaming a movie has not been classified as a criminal offence. But hosting one on your website without permission from creator is copyright infringement, and is illegal. The websites which host these videos are doing the illegal part but streaming and watching them is still not illegal."

While those websites are doing an illegal action by hosting those videos, how is watching them not illegal ? I'm asking this because sometimes i want to watch tv series that are not aired in my country. So i search for them online but i am generally not comfortable about it being illegal or not. So I wanted to learn your opinion.

185

General Discussions / copyright questions ???

« on: April 22, 2016, 07:07:14 AM »

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters,

What do you think about the copyrighted materials on the internet ? Is it "always" stealing ? or are there any exceptions ?

For example:

-downloading content from torrent sites ?

-reading or downloading scanned papers or books to study (if we have no idea that the author gave his/her consent) ?

-watching movies or tv series on some websites online ?

-downloading or listening to music online ?

etc...


 

186

Islamic Duties / Re: a question about the "middle prayer"

« on: April 16, 2016, 03:36:38 AM »

Salam Wakas

Thank you for your recommendation. I came across this idea of "wusta prayer" in a website (not in English). I found it reasonable but i wanted to have your opinions on this too. I'm a learner here, I'm not saying "this is the ultimate truth". ALLAH knows best

1) If we take sunrise as the beginning of the day, then no it doesn't. We pray fajr before sunrise at the final edge of the night. Again this is an assumption as to when the day begins.

2)I think this is about the meaning of the word "zulafan". I thought the final edge of the night as a "zulfa" here.

According to 11:114 what can you say about "noon" prayer then ? When is the noon prayer besides asr and fajr, if you take "fajr" as one "edge" of the day /morning time ? (Unless you think there are 3 daily prayers...)

3)This is what i thought when i read the article on that website. "When the call is made on Friday (Jumu'ah)....leave off trading...." So the call is made when people are often busy trading / shopping...This can't be the time before "fajr". On the day of Jumu'ah we hear the call for "noon prayer" first, while we are usually engaged in many activities. So if we consider the noon prayer as the first prayer of "the day", "maghrib" becomes "wusta prayer" (if you take the word with its literal meaning of course)

4)I'm not referring to any verses. This is "my opinion" on the issue. We pray maghrib from the sunset to "ghasaq-al-layl" and this period of time can be really short (just like fajr) so it should be taken seriously.

Because of the reasons i mentioned in my 3rd and 4th answers, I thought "maghrib prayer" can be considered as "the middle prayer". Again these are my opinions and may ALLAH swt guide me (and of course all of us) if i'm / we're wrong.

187

General Discussions / Re: seven skies in 71:15... how could old people know ?

« on: April 09, 2016, 04:10:29 AM »

Alhamdulillah. Thanks a lot. May ALLAH reward you good

188

General Discussions / seven skies in 71:15... how could old people know ?

« on: April 08, 2016, 08:33:40 PM »

assalamu alaikum folks,

According to 71:15, how could the people of old times, the people of Prophet Nuh (pbuh), think about seven skies ? How did they know about the layers of the atmosphere or seven layers of the universe ? Didn't they just see "a sky" over them ? How did they understand this ayah ?

189

General Discussions / Re: why god given protection promise for only quran but not for the bible and torah

« on: April 04, 2016, 06:22:24 PM »

assalamu alaikum

maybe an alternative explanation here can make you think with a different perspective. May Allah guide us to His path.

http://www.quranqanda.com/3414/why-are-there-3-major-holy-books

In the end, Allah's words are protected. He revealed in the Quran what they concealed in the previous books. He certainly has a purpose for letting them change the previous scripture in their time. Maybe it was their test and they have failed. Eventually, He showed them that they couldn't alter the message indeed. The message is protected by the will of Allah in the Quran. SubhanAllah.

190

General Discussions / Re: i need help understanding 4:75 and ISIS connection !

« on: April 01, 2016, 06:03:21 PM »

assalamu alaikum, i'm sorry that you misunderstood me Relearning. I'm just trying get your opinion on this because i felt like a coward, running away from action, i wanted to know what you guys think. I am not trying to label my brothers and sisters ! May Allah protect me from acting that way. It seems you got me wrong from my question you've quoted. I will not even mention your comparison with my logic and ISIS ideology. I'm just a panicked brother of yours trying to understand these ayats correctly. If i couldn't explain myself enough, that's my fault for sure. Again, thanks for your answers folks. Alhamdulillah.

191

General Discussions / Re: i need help understanding 4:75 and ISIS connection !

« on: April 01, 2016, 01:17:18 AM »

Alhamdulillah. Thanks for your nice answers guys. Personally, i don't really think Quran is time and space bound. Some events are obviously related to those times, but their essence, their main idea is universal for sure. That is another thing which can be discussed seperately
I generally agree with what you guys said about the things we must do to teach people what Islam really is, to put our efforts in these kind of actions that will benefit us and the people around. But those actions may need mental spiritual, and if necessary, physical effort. That need sincere devotion to the deen of Allah. But they all are under the category of "jihad", meaning "struggle".

What i talk and what 4:75 tells us is "qitaal" which is physical fighting, battle. A subcategory of jihad if you will. 4.75-77 are about jihad. My question is basically about this case. Allah says fight for those who are oppressed, in need of help, in desperation. He doesn't just say "work hard" for those people ! Look at 4:77 again:

"Have you not seen those who were told, "Restrain your hands [from fighting] and establish prayer and give zakah"? But then when fighting was ordained for them, at once a party of them feared men as they fear Allah or with [even] greater fear. They said, "Our Lord, why have You decreed upon us fighting? If only You had postponed [it for] us for a short time." Say, The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who fears Allah . And injustice will not be done to you, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed]." (4:77)

Or look at 2:216,

"Fighting (al qitaal) has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not."

So are we guilty, are we sinner, for not doing this, while our Muslim brothers and sisters suffer terribly ? I'm really depressed by these thoughts !

192

Islamic Duties / Re: a question about the "middle prayer"

« on: March 30, 2016, 09:54:37 PM »

well i'm not an expert of Quran. though we don't know the exact reason for those kind of "not clear enough" statements, i think they are meant to be this way. for example you say in your post:

"For example it would be so easy for millions of people considering many are uneducated to give simple a command O you believers Pray in the morning before sun then at noon and after noon beofore sun set then after sun set and before you go to sleep when stars are brightly visible. Then there will be no mixed thought or suspicions about the exact order of pray times."

As soon as i've read this, i thought about polar circles. there are people who can't see the sun for a quite long time in a year, or the opposite, they are under darkness for such a long time. if prayer times were mentioned like you said, they would be useless for those people up there. but i personally think those prayer times indicate specific portions of a day, so that everyone can understand them. for example isha prayer is for "the last part" of the day, before we go to sleep to rest, it's a night prayer (or "the last part of the day" prayer for people who don't experience dark nights), noon prayer is for the middle part of the day when we are all busy working, studying, in the middle of our daily actions and that can also be determined by the people who don't see the sun in winter. asr prayer is for the time we are now prepared for the "evening" part, we are close to the "sunset", we are getting ready to go home etc... and so on....

So all the people on Earth could determine these portions of the day in such a manner that is common and widely accepted. But again it's just my personel opinion. May Allah guide us to the right path if we are wrong.

Sorry for my English by the way, I apologize if i couldn't explain my thoughts clear enough.

193

General Discussions / Re: i need help understanding 4:75 and ISIS connection !

« on: March 30, 2016, 09:19:12 PM »

Thanks for your good answer Anjum, Alhamdulillah. However i can't stop thinking of myself as one of the cowards that escape from fighting in the way of Allah. He says "fight those who oppress the weak people, fight for those who ask Allah's help". There are lots of people in that situation, waiting for help from outside, from their brothers and sisters. But we are here not there ! Is this a sin ? Because it just feels like it! On the day of judgment if Allah asks me "Why didn't you go and fight for them ? Were you scared of the enemy?" How will i respond to Him.

"Have you not seen those who were told, "Restrain your hands [from fighting] and establish prayer and give zakah"? But then when fighting was ordained for them, at once a party of them feared men as they fear Allah or with [even] greater fear. They said, "Our Lord, why have You decreed upon us fighting? If only You had postponed [it for] us for a short time." Say, The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who fears Allah . And injustice will not be done to you, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed]." (4:77)

This ayat, especially the underlined part, makes me wanna beat myself to death !

194

General Discussions / i need help understanding 4:75 and ISIS connection !

« on: March 30, 2016, 12:42:42 AM »

Assalamu alaikum folks,

When we talk about war (qital) between us and disbelievers etc, we are always reminded of "the borders" of fighting against these group of people, and that is in Surah Mumtahanah ayats 60:8 and 60:9. However, 4:75 is usually "not mentioned" in these kind of statements. Why is that ?

Last night i watched a video, showing dead bodies of innocent childen, men and women in Muslim countries, bombs blowing up the streets houses and civil folk. When i remembered 4:75 after watching it, i felt like a "hyprocrite", doing nothing but worrying about "my" future, "my" school, "my" family... We just do nothing! Then for a moment i thought about ISIS and such groups. What if those terrorist organizations recruit new volunteers to their groups in this way ? Honestly, what is there to say against their word, if they talk about 4:75 ? How can "we" claim that "we" are doing the right thing, when 4:75 is considered ?  What should we say to those young people who wants to join them to defend the weak and the needy, mentioned in 4:75 ?

I'm personally deeply worried about myself when i think of this ayat, sitting here and doing nothing! Allah talks about hypocrites and those who run away from fighting (qital) in the way of Allah in the fourth surah and their punishment ! May Allah protect us from being in the same category with those sinners.

Can you guys make a comment on this ? I need your opinion urgently.

195

General Discussions / "athab" and "iqab" difference

« on: March 28, 2016, 04:35:39 AM »

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters

In 6:165 ALLAH tells us that He is "saree-al-iqab". What is the normal translation of the word "iqab". I've read many translations where it's translated as"punishment". I guess they are mistaken because, there are lots of ayats about ALLAH being, Al-Halim, He delays the punishment, He doesn't punish right away... So does this "iqab" mean the same as "athab (or adhab)" ?