Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu


                          AHAD - FAQ
                       ============

Here is the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for the AHAD
(A Hadith A Day) mailing list.  It is sent out once a month.
It not only contains questions but also definitions of
commonly used Islamic/Arabic terms.  Both of these will be
updated as and when required.

If you have any questions that you can't find below, mail them to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

This FAQ is mailed to the entire AHAD list once every
month. An HTML version of this FAQ shall appear on the
up-comming AHAD web site.

FAQ Maintainer Azeem Pirani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
FAQ Last Updated on  1st Ramadan 1422 (17 November 2001)


- What is AHAD

AHAD is an automated electronic mailing list that sends out an
authenticated Hadith (in english) everyday.


- Ok, AHAD stands for A Hadith A Day. Is AHAD an Arabic word
as well?

Yes, it means 'Only'. Al-Ahad (ie. the only) is also one of
the names, and attributes,  of Allah.


- What are Ahadith (plural of Hadith)

Ahadith are the words and deeds of the Holy Prophet Muhammad,
sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam (peace and Allah's blessings be
upon him).


- Who can subscribe to AHAD

AHAD is open to both Muslims and Non-Muslims who wish to learn
more about Islam.


- Are the Ahadith authentic

The Ahadith used will Insha'Allah (Allah willing) all be
authentic and will usually be taken from Saheeh Bukhari or
Saheeh Muslim. These are two of the most authentic sources
of Ahadith. Other sources may also be used.  Either way the
source will always be mentioned at the end of the Hadith.
An authentic Hadith is one which can be correctly attributed
to the prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam).


- How can I subscribe, or unsubscribe from the list

Just send a message to the following address
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the subject have the following
subscribe        [when subscribing]
or
unsubscribe      [when unsubscribing]
If you're having problems in doing so yourself, as a last
resort, you can ask the list owner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> to
do so for you.


- Who translates these Ahadith

These Ahadith are taken directly from the English translations
of these collections (ie the collections of Bukhari and Muslim).
If we do happen to take a Hadith which is not from one of these
two then we will make sure the translation is done by people
learned in the Arabic language.


- Can I mail to AHAD

AHAD is a *one* way list. Subscribers can't mail to the list
and hence it is not a discussion list.


- I want my friend/cousin/brother to receive AHAD; what can
     I do?

Just send them a copy of the FAQ, ask them to write to us
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) asking to be added to the list, or visit
our website:   http://list.ahad.org/


- Will it cost me anything

No. Subscription to the list is free. AHAD is a not-for-profit
mailing list. We do not advertise anything on our list nor do
we provide the addresses of our subscribers to advertisers. We
believe that everyone should receive what he or she wishes to.
The list is funded by a few brothers in Pakistan (may Allah
reward them - Aameen).


- What is the size of each mail

There is only one mail from AHAD each day. The size of the
daily message is at most 3 kilobytes but if the Hadith
is long, this may vary. Also, there may be some
Special AHAD Issues, or notices, occasionally.


- I have been receiving some of the Ahadith twice; why?

Usually when you receive a Hadith which looks like something
you have seen before it usually is one which has the same
content but is narrated by different individuals.  You can
check the reference number at the end of the Hadith to verify
this.  On occasion we may mail out a Hadith which has been
sent before as it may pertain to a topic which needs to be
discussed at that point in time.


- I will be going on vacation / my email account will be
     temporarily shut down; what do I do?

To help us out so that we do not have to deal with 'gone
on vacation' notices and bounced messages, please
unsubscribe from the list when anything like this will be
happening.  You can always resubscribe when you return /
get your account back.


- I used to receive the ahadith fine but they suddenly
stopped; why?

This is usually because we may have received a bounced
message from your address and thus we would have removed
it from the list.  When it happens that you have nor
received and messages from AHAD in a few days then please
just subscribe yourself to the list again.


- When will the daily Hadith be mailed

We try to send out the daily Hadith by 2300 hrs Pakistan
Standard Time (i.e.1800 hrs GMT).


- What is the date stated before the Gregorian one

That is the date according to the Islamic calendar (see below).
This is called the Hijriah calendar as it began with the
migration of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
from Makkah to Madinah.  This journey is known as the Hijrah and
took place in year 622 of the Gregorian calendar.  This date may
vary from place to place as it depends on the actual sighting of
the moon.


- I don't understand something, who can I ask

None of us here are scholars.  What we can do for you is that
if you would send us the question you have then we can forward
it to the people of knowledge.  We can not guarantee anything.
Just send the query to the following address
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


- I want to send you a secure message. How do I do that

Use our PGP public key (given below) to send us your message.
For more information on PGP, visit the PGP international
home page at http//www.ifi.uio.no/~staalesc/PGP/
Our public PGP key is

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Version PGPfreeware 6.0 for non-commercial use <http//www.pgp.com>

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- How many people receive AHAD

The last time we checked, it was 7497


- Are the AHAD Ahadith archived

Not just yet. We hope to do so soon.


- How can I help AHAD

You can help AHAD by
         - putting information about AHAD on your home page
           (send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and we will
           send it to you).
         - sending out information about AHAD on mailing lists
           local to your area.
         - Telling your friends about AHAD and how to subscribe
           to it.
         - Posting the individual ahadith to different
           newsgroups.
         - Unsubscribing from the list when you will be away, so
           that we do not have to deal with unnecessary bounced
           messages.

- Does AHAD have a web site

Yes.  AHAD now has its own website.  This is located at the
following URL

http//list.AHAD.org/

Here you can find basic information about the mailing list as
well as an archive of previous messages.


- So what are the months of the Islamic calendar

The Hijriah Calender
The current year is 1422. The Hijriah calender is
about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calender. The
months change according the the sighting of the moon. An
Islamic month may be as short as 29 days or as long as 30
days (depending on the sighting of the moon) and thus
different areas may have different dates at a given time.

           The months are (in order)
           1 Muharram
           2 Safar
           3 Rabi-ul-Awwal
           4 Rabi-ath-Thani
           5 Jumada-ul-Awwal
           6 Jumada-ath-Thani
           7 Rajab
           8 Sha'ban
           9 Ramadan
           10 Shawwal
           11 Dhul-Qa'da
           12 Dhul-Hijja


- What does this Arabic term mean

Many times you will find that the words used will be in Arabic.
This may occur both in the text of the Hadith or in any of our
messages.  The Quran and Sunnah are both in Arabic.  Thus to
truly understand them we must read them in their original
language. Unfortunately as that is not possible at the present
time we will have to use the translation.  The point is that
the translation will never truly equal the original.  The
benefit of the supplications and other recitations will be
derived when they are recited in Arabic.  As the purpose of
this list is to give people not only access to the authentic
knowledge of Islam but also to what it means, thus we will
provide the translation whenever necessary.  Those terms and
phrases which are used very frequently will be defined in this
FAQ.


Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
       'In the name of Allah and all praise is for Allah and
       blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah'.

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
      'Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy, and his blessings.'

Allah
       This term has no English equivalent.  It is usually
       translated as God.

Rasulillah
       Messenger of Allah.  Used for the Prophet Muhammad
       (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam).

Sahabah
       Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alaihi
       wasallam).

Subhana wa Ta'ala
       'Glorified and most high'.  This is usually said after
       saying Allah's name.

sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam
       'Peace and Allah's blessings be upon him'. This is a
       benediction used for the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu
       'alaihi wasallam). This must be said.

Radhiallaho anha/anho/anhuma/anhum
       'Allah is pleased with her/him/them (two persons)/
       them (many people).  This is mentioned after
       mentioning the names of the Sahabah.

Insha'Allah
       'If Allah wills'.

Subhan Allah
       To honor Allah from all what (unsuitable things) is
       ascribed to him.

Hadith
       A saying, action, or approval of the Prophet Muhammad
       (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam). Plural is Ahadith.

Sunnah
       The way of life of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu
       'alaihi wasallam), consisting of his sayings, actions, and
       silent approvals.  The Sunnah is contained in the various
       narrations of Ahadith.

Jannah
      'Paradise'

Rabb
       'Lord'. Used to refer to Allah.

Dua'a
       'Supplication'

Sawm
       Fasting

Tarawih
       Optional prayers offered after the Isha prayers on the
       nights of Ramadan.

I'tikaf
       Seclusion in a mosque for the purpose of worshipping
       Allah only.  The one in this state is not permitted to
       have sexual relations with his wife and is not allowed
       to leave the mosque except for a very short period and
       that is only for very urgent necessity, e.g. to answer
       the call of nature.

Hajj
       Pilgrimage to Makkah

Jana'iz
       Funerals

At-Taqsir
       The abridged or shortened prayers

Al-Maghazi
       Plural of Maghza, i.e. holy battle; or the location
       where the battle took place; or the deeds and virtues
       of Ghazi (fighters in Allah's cause).

Dhi-Mahram
       A male whom she cannot marry at all due to the close
       relationship (e.g. her brother, father, grandfather,
       etc.), or her own husband.

Muhrim
       One who assumes the state of Ihram for the purpose of
       performing the Hajj or Umra.

Ansar
       Plural of Ansari.  Anyone of the companions of the
       Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) from the
       inhabitants of Madinah who embraced and supported
       Islam and who received and entertained the Muslim
       emigrants who had emigrated from Makkah, and other
       places.

Tafseer
       An explanation of the meanings of the Quranic verses.

Khumus
       One-fifth of the war booty to be given in Allah's cause
       to be distributed according to orders in the Qur'an.

Nikah
       Marriage (wedlock) according to Islamic law.

Tawheed
       The purely unitarian concept of God, found only in
       Islaam, in which Allah is considered as being uniquely one
       in his essence, qualities and actions.

Adab
       Good Manners

Siwak
       A piece of a root of a tree called Al-Arak.  It is used as
       a toothbrush.

Haya
       This term covers a large number of concepts. It may mean
       "modesty", "self-respect", "bashfulness" or "scruple" etc.

Kuniya
       Calling a man, 'O father of so and so!' or calling a woman
       'O mother of so and so!' This is a custom of the Arabs.  

Musalla
       A praying place.

Tashmit
      'Yar-hamuka-l-lah' (May Allah bestow his Mercy on you).

Adhan
      The call to prayer.

Qadr
      Divine foreordainment

Riqa'iq
      Softening of hearts.

Uhud
      A well known mountain in Al-Madina.  One of the great battles
      of Islamic history took place at its foot.

Mudd
      A measure of approximately two-thirds of a kilogram.

Sutra
      An object like a pillar, wall, stick, spear, etc. the height
      of which should not be less than a foot and must be in front
      of a praying person to act as a symbolic barrier between him
      and others.

Janaba
      A state of sexual impurity.

Junub
      Being in a state of sexual impurity (Janaba).

Ghazawat
      Plural of Ghazwah.  A holy battle or fighting in the cause
      of Allah consisting of a large army unit with the Prophet
      (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) himself leading the army.

Fahish
      One who talks evil.

Mutafahhish
      A person who conveys evil talk.

Sabbaba
      A person who abuses others.

Burd
      A garment.

Qattat
      a person who conveys information from someone to another
      with the intention of causing harm and enmity between them.

Libas
      Dress.

'Anza
      A small spear.

Rida
      A sheet covering the upper part of the body.

Izzar
      A sheet covering the lower part of the body.

Sham
      A cloak.

Yakhsifan
      An Eclipse.

Ghuraf
      Special abodes.

Al-Luqata
      A lost fallen purse or a thing picked up by somebody.

Khamisa
     Square garment.

Ghuraf
     Special abodes.

Mufassal
     The collection of suras from sura Qaf (sura number 50) till
     sura Nas (sura number 114).

Nawafil
     Optional practice of worship.

Night of Qadr
     One of the last ten odd nights of the month of Ramadan.
     Allah describes it as better than one thousand ordinary
     nights and the one who worships Allah in it by praying
     optional prayers and reciting the Holy Quran will receive
     great rewards.

Mazalim
     Oppression

Ilm
     Knowledge

Adahi
     Sacrifices.  Animals sacrificed on Eid-ul-Adha.

Sadaqa
     A charitable gift

Anbiya
     Prophets

Salh
     Peacemaking or Reconciliation

Luqata
     Lost things picked up

Hadya:
    Gifts

Sharout:
    Conditions

Wasaya:
    Wills and Testaments

Fusuq:
    An evil-doing

Kufr:
    Disbelief

Dibaj:
    A type of pure thick silk cloth

Sundus:
    A type of silk cloth

Mayathir:
    Silk carpets or cushions used on saddles

Isti'zan:
    Asking permission

Jizyah:
    A tax paid by non-Muslims living in a Muslim State.
    Since the non-Muslims are exempt from military service
    and taxes imposed on Muslims, they must pay this tax
    to compensate.  It guarentees them security and
    protection.  If the State cannot protect those who
    paid jizyah, then the amount they paid is returned to
    them.

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