Apr 9, 2013
If you know a friend and you would like to talk to them about Islam, this little precious gem is the first start.
This book is specifically written for non-Muslims to help them better understand Islam. Some of the topics in this book are: – Evidence that Islam is a true religion. – Proofs that the Qur’an is the literal word of God. – Scientific miracles in the Qur’an with scientific illustrations. – Why Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God? – Some benefits of Islam. – General information on Islam. – Pillars of faith. – Correction of some misconceptions about Islam. – The status of women in Islam. – What Islam says about terrorism.
We have copies at the Masjid in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. You are welcome to pass by and pick one at your convenience. We can arrange to mail it to people out of Montreal. If you would like to support this activity, you can donate at this link. Each copy costs $1.
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Apr 8, 2013
Marriage in Islam is highly factorized in Islam and it complements the religion of both spouses.
And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect. Quran 30:21
both parties have to agree to marry one another and they can not be forced to marry one another . The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi was sallam) said, “A woman whom has been previously married has more right concerning herself than her guardian, and a virgin’s consent must be asked about herself…” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The man has permission to see her face before agreeing to marry as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi was sallam) said, “Go and look at her (the woman you are considering marrying) because this will help your time together to be strengthened. ” ( Ahmad )
After a man and woman have agreed to marry, they have to remember that the man is still not her mahram (men prohibited to her, including her father, brothers, sons, maternal and paternal uncles, and nephews). This means they can not still deal with one another as partners in any way (such as shaking hands, gazing at one another, being alone together, going out together, etc.), or go out with one another as we see people in the west doing. Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi was sallam) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not have a private audience with a woman without her mahram. ” ( Ahmad )
If a Muslim is getting married in Canada, s/he may have:
- a religious ceremony
- a civil registration
- Both.
We do not advise a religious marriage only because it has no legal foundation in Canada. Unless the marriage is registered with the Civil Register of Quebec, it has no effect. Also, some people might abuse this concept for various reasons.
We do not advise a civil registration only as well because it does not give the spouses enough insights about the Islamic settings of a marriage and will not give them heads up about the virtues of building an Islamic family.
The best option is to have an Islamic marriage with a register “Minister of Religion” then register this marriage contract (ASAP) with the government of Quebec. If you are planning to get engaged, ask the officiant about the various details of Islamic marriage and make make sure the marriage contract will be legally recognized in Quebec and will be registered by the officer himself. Proxy registration is not reliable. Ask the officer if he has the Quebec license under his name.
Requirements
- Birth certificates or passports for both spouses
- Proof of residency for non-citizens
- Proof of divorce (for previously married people)
- Proof of address
- In some cases, written consent, SIN or other supporting documents
Instructions
- Make the intention that you are marrying for the sake of Allah and to build an Islamic pious family.
- Read about families duties and rights. Both spouses have rights and obligations under the Islamic rules of Marriage. The Marriage Act in Quebec (or in your province) has its own requirements that should be met also.
- Avoid mixing marriage and immigration issues. False marriages are not acceptable in Islam and will have terrible consequences on the incumbent family.
- Both spouses (or their parents) need to agree on the dowry, dwellings, and timeline of ceremonies. KEEP IT SIMPLE
- The bridegroom need to offer a gift to his bride. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man, “Marry, even with (a Mahr equal to) an iron ring.” (Bukhari 7-62-80)
- Find an authorized officer at a nearby masjid (Masjid As-Salam offers marriage registration service. Contact us at info@salam-mosque.org for further information). If you are away of the masjid, we can refer you to a center close to you. A good way to find Muslim officiants is to contact mosques around where you will have your ceremony.
- an Islamic marriage is concluded without specification of mazhab (Islamic legal school). Marriage officiant mike like to add their mazhab but avoid the specification of the mazhab to avoid complications in the future.
- Ask the marriage officiant to apply for a marriage license for you and your spouse. The marriage license is given by the provincial government in which your getting married.
- Both the bride and the groom are asked to give their verbal agreement to the marriage in front of the Wali (usually the father of the bride) and two other witnesses.
- The marriage officiant shall give a short sermon advising the new couple and wishing them prosperous life.
- Once the marriage is declared, the bride and the groom are declared official spouses.
- The officiant will send the marriage certificate application to the provincial government to register the marriage and you will get the official Marriage Certificate in about 2-5 weeks.
This article did not cover all the aspects of marriage, but it is hoped it was beneficial. Anything good in this article is from Allah and anything incorrect is from myself.
Please let us know if this is helpful or how to improve it.
Dec 10, 2011
These four months, according to the authentic traditions (Prophetic narrations), are Thul-Qi’dah, Thul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. All the commentators of the Noble Quran are unanimous on this point, because the Noble Prophet declared in his sermon on the occasion of his last Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah): “One year consists of twelve months, of which four are sanctified months, three of them are in sequence; Thul-Qi’dah, Thul-Hijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab.”Muharram is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar (Hegira) Calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months about which the Holy Quran Says (what means):{Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred…}[Quran 9: 36]
The specific mention of these four months does not mean that any other month has no sanctity, because the month of Ramadhaan is admittedly the most sanctified month in the year. But these four months were specifically termed as sanctified months for the simple reason that even the pagans of Makkah accepted their sanctity.
The sanctity of these four months was established right from the day Allaah created the universe. Since the Pagans of Makkah attributed themselves to Ibraaheem (Abraham)
who observed the sanctity of these months, they also observed the sanctity of these four months and despite their frequent tribal battles, they held it unlawful to fight in these months.
In Islam, the sanctity of these months was upheld and the Holy Quran referred to them as the “sanctified months”. Muharram has certain other characteristics special to it, which are stated below:
Fasting during the month:
The Noble Prophet
said: ‘The best fasts after the fasts of Ramadhaan are those of the month of Muharram.”
Although the fasts of the month of Muharram are not obligatory, yet one who fasts in these days out of his own will is entitled to a great reward by Allaah Almighty. The Hadeeth cited above signifies that the fasts of the month of Muharram are most rewardable ones among the voluntary fasts. It does not mean that the award promised for fasts of Muharram can be achieved only by fasting for the whole month. On the contrary, each fast during this month has merit. Therefore, one should avail of this opportunity as much as he can.
The day of ‘Aashooraa’:
Although Muharram is a sanctified month as a whole, yet, the 10th day of Muharram is the most sacred among all its days. The day is named ‘Aashooraa’. According to Ibn ‘Abbaas
the Prophet
when he migrated to Madeenah, found that the Jews of Madeenah used to fast on the 10th day of Muharram. They said that it was the day on which Prophet Moosa (Moses)
and his followers crossed the Red Sea miraculously and the Pharaoh was drowned in its waters. On hearing this from the Jews, the Prophet
said, “We are worthier of Moosa than you,” and directed the Muslims to fast on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. [Abu Daawood]
It is also reported in a number of authentic traditions that in the beginning, fasting on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ was obligatory for the Muslims. It was later that the fasts of Ramadhaan were made obligatory and the fast on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ was made optional. ‘Aa’ishah
said: “When the Prophet
came to Madeenah, he fasted on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ and directed the people to do likewise. But when the fasts of Ramadhaan were made obligatory, the obligation of fasting was confined to Ramadhaan and the obligatory nature of the fast of ‘Aashooraa’ was abandoned. Whoever so desires should fast on it and any other who so likes can avoid fasting on it.” [Abu Daawood]
However, the Prophet
used to fast on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ even after the fasting in Ramadhaan was made obligatory. Abdullaah Ibn Moosa
reports that the Prophet
preferred the fast of ‘Aashooraa’ on the fasts of other days and preferred the fasts of Ramadhaan on the fast of ‘Aashooraa’. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Misconceptions and Innovations:
However, there are some legends and misconceptions with regard to ‘Aashooraa’ that have managed to find their way into the minds of the unlearned, but have no support of authentic Islamic sources, some very common of them are these:
- This is the day on which Aadam was created.
- This is the day when Ibraaheem was born.
- This is the day when Allaah accepted the repentance of Aadam .
- This is the day when Doomsday will take place. Whoever takes a bath on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will never get ill.
All these and other similar whims and fancies are totally baseless and the traditions referred to in this respect are not worthy of any credit. Some people take it as Sunnah (established recommended practice) to prepare a particular type of meal on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. This practice, too, has no basis in the authentic Islamic sources.
Some other people attribute the sanctity of ‘Aashooraa’ to the martyrdom of Al-Hussayn
. No doubt, the martyrdom of Al-Hussayn
is one of the most tragic episodes of our history. Yet, the sanctity of ‘Aashooraa’ cannot be ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sanctity of ‘Aashooraa’ was established during the days of the Prophet
much earlier than the birth of Al-Hussayn
. On the contrary, it is one of the merits of Al-Hussayn
that his martyrdom took place on this blessed day.
Another misconception about the month of Muharram is that it is an evil or unlucky month, for Al-Hussayn was killed in it. It is for this misconception that some people avoid holding marriage ceremonies in the month of Muharram. This is again a baseless concept, which is contrary to the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition). If the death of an eminent person on a particular day renders that day unlucky for all times to come, one can hardly find a day of the year free from this bad luck because every day is associated with the demise of some eminent person. The Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet
have liberated us from such superstitious beliefs.
Lamentations and mourning:
Another wrong practice related to this month is to hold the lamentation and mourning ceremonies in the memory of martyrdom of Al-Hussayn
.
As mentioned earlier, the event of Karbalaa’ is one of the most tragic events of our history, but the Prophet
has forbidden us from holding the mourning ceremonies on the death of any person. The people of Pre-Islamic ignorance era used to mourn over their deceased through loud lamentations, by tearing their clothes and by beating their cheeks and chests. The Prophet
prevented the Muslims from doing all this and directed them to observe patience by saying “Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon” (To Allaah We belong, and to Him is our return). A number of authentic narrations are available on the subject. To quote only one of them: “He is not from us who slaps his checks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic ignorance)”. [Al-Bukhaari]
All the prominent jurists are unanimous on the point that the mourning of this type is impermissible. Even Al-Hussayn
shortly before his demise, had advised his beloved sister Zaynab
not to mourn over his death in this manner. He
said, “My dear sister! I swear upon you that in case I die you shall not tear your clothes, nor scratch your face, nor curse anyone for me or pray for your death.” (Al-Kaamil, Ibn Katheer vol. 4 pg. 24)
It is evident from this advice, that this type of mourning is condemned even by the blessed person for the memory of whom these mourning ceremonies are held. Every Muslim should avoid this practice and abide by the teachings of the Prophet
.
