From: The IDEAL MUSLIMAH The True Islamic Personality of the Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur'an and Sunnah Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi Translated by Nasiruddin Al-Khattab Published by International Islamic Publishing House
Chapter 10: The Muslim Woman and Her Community/Society Introduction When it comes to Islamic duties, the Muslim woman is just like a man: she has a mission in life, and so she is required to be as effective, active and social as her particular circumstances and capabilities allow, mixing with other women as much as she can and dealing with them in accordance with the worthy Islamic attitudes and behaviour that distinguish her from other women. Wherever the Muslim woman is found, she becomes a beacon of guidance, and a positive source of correction and education, through both her words and her deeds. The Muslim woman who has been truly guided by the Qur'an and Sunnah has a refined social personality of the highest degree, which qualifies her to undertake her duty of calling other women to Islam, opening their hearts and minds to the guidance of this great religion which elevated the status of women at a remarkably early stage in their history and furnished them with a vast range of the best of characteristics which are outlined in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Islam has made the acquisition of these characteristics a religious duty for which a person will be rewarded, and will be called to account if he or she fails to attain them. These texts succeeded in making the personality of the woman who is sincere towards Allah (SWT) into a brilliant example of the decent, chaste, polite, God-fearing, refined, sociable woman. The Muslim woman who understands the teachings of Islam stands out in every women's gathering she attends, as she demonstrates the true values of her religion and the practical application of those values by her attaining of those worthy attributes. The make-up of her distinct social character represents a huge store of those Islamic values, which can be seen in her social conduct and dealings with people. From this rich, pure source, the Muslim woman draws her own customs, habits and ways of dealing with others and she cleanses her soul and forms her own Muslim, social personality from the same source. She chooses the work that suits her feminine nature Islam has spared women the burden of having to work to earn a living, and has made it obligatory on her father, brother, husband or other male relative to support her. So the Muslim woman does not seek work outside the home unless there is pressing financial need due to the lack of a relative or spouse to maintain her honourably, or her community needs her to work in a specialised area such as befits her feminine nature and will not compromise her honour or religion. Islam has made it obligatory for a man to spend on his family, and has given him the responsibility of earning the costs of living, so that his wife may devote herself being a wife and mother, creating a joyful and pleasant atmosphere in the home and organising and running its affairs. This is the Islamic view of woman and the family, and this is the Islamic philosophy of marriage and family life. The Western philosophy of women's role, the home, the family and children is based on the opposite of this. When a girl reaches a certain age - usually seventeen years old - neither her father, her brother nor any of her male relatives are obliged to support her. She has to look for work to support herself, and to save whatever she can to offer to her future husband. If she gets married, she has to help her husband with the expenses of the home and children. When she gets old, if she is still able to earn, she must continue to work to earn a living, even if her children are rich. No doubt the wise Muslim woman understands the huge difference between the position of the Muslim woman and the position of women in the West. The Muslim woman is honoured, protected, and guaranteed a decent living; the Western woman works hard and is subjected to exhaustion and humiliation, especially when she reaches old age. Since the end of the last century, Western thinkers have continually complained about the plight of Western women. They have warned their people about the impending collapse of Western civilization, due to women's going out to work, the disintegration of the family and the neglect of the children. The great Islamic da`i Dr. Mustafa al-Siba`i, may Allah have mercy on him, collected a number of comments by Western thinkers in his book Al-mar'ah bayna al-fiqh wa'l-qanun (Woman between fiqh and law). These comments reflect the severe anger and deep anguish felt by those thinkers when they see how low the position of women in the West has become. We wilook here at a few of these comments that give a vivid impression of the state of women in the West. The French economic philosopher Jules Simon said: "Women have started to work in textile factories and printing presses, etc. . .. The government is employing them in factories, where they may earn a few francs. But on the other hand, this has utterly destroyed the bases of family life. Yes, the husband may benefit from his wife's earnings, but apart from that, his earnings have decreased because now she is competing with him for work." He also commented: "There are other, higher-class women, who work as book-keepers or store-keepers, or who are employed by the government in the field of education. Many of them work for the telegraph service, the post office, the railways or the Bank of France, but these positions are taking them away from their families completely."299 "A woman must remain a woman, because with this quality she can find happiness or bring it to others. Let us reform the position of women, but let us not change them. Let us beware of turning them into men, because that would make them lose much, and we would lose everything. Nature300 has done everything perfectly, so let us study it and try to improve it, and let us beware of anything that could take us away from its laws."301 The famous English writer Anna Ward said: "It is better for our daughters to work as servants in houses or like servants at home. This is better, and less disastrous than letting them work in factories, where a girl become dirty and her life is destroyed. I wish that our country was like the lands of the Muslims, where modesty, chastity and purity are like a garment. Servants and slaves there live the best life, where they are treated like the children of the house and no-one harms their honour. Yes, it is a source of shame for England that we make our daughters examples of promiscuity by mixing so much with men. Why do we not try to pursue that which makes a girl do work that agrees with her natural temperament, by staying at home, and leaving men's work for the men, to keep her honour safe."302 The Western woman envies the Muslim woman, and wishes that she could have some of the rights, honour, protection and stability that the Muslim woman enjoys. There are many proofs of this, some of which have been quoted above (see p 86 of orig.). Another example is the comment of an Italian student of law at Oxford University, after she had heard something of the rights of women in Islam and how Islam gave women all kinds of respect by sparing her the obligation to earn a living so that she may devote herself to caring for her husband and family. This Italian girl said: "I envy the Muslim woman, and wish that I had been born in your country."303 This reality sunk into the minds of the leaders of the women's movement in the Arab world, especially those who were reasonable and fair. Salma al-Haffar al-Kazbari, who visited Europe and America more than once, commented in the Damascus newspaper al-Ayyam (September 3, 1962), in response to Professor Shafiq Jabri's remarks on the misery of the American woman in his book Ard al-sihr (The land of magic): "The well-travelled scholar noted, for example, that the Americans teach their children from a very early age to love machines and heroism in their games. He also remarked that the women have started to do men's work, in car factories and street-cleaning, and he felt sorry for the misery of the woman who spends her youth and her life doing something that does not suit her feminine nature and attitude. What Professor Jabri has to say made me feel happy, because I came back from my own trip to the United States five years ago, feeling sorry for the plight of women to which they have been drawn by the currents of blind equality. I felt sorry for their struggle to earn a living, for they have even lost their freedom, that absolute freedom for which they strived for so long. Now they have become prisoners of machines and of time. It is too difficult to go back now, and unfortunately it is true that women have lost the dearest and best things granted to them by nature, by which I mean their femininity, and their happiness. Continuous, exhausting work has caused them to lose the small paradise which is the natural refuge of men and women alike. Children cannot grow and flourish without the presence of a woman who stays at home with them. It is in the home and in the bosom of the family that the happiness of society and individuals rests; the family is the source of inspiration, goodness and genius." Throwing women into the battlefield of work, where they must compete with men to take their place or share their positions, when there is no need to do so and the interests of society as a whole do not require it, is indeed a grave mistake. It is a great loss that nations and peoples suffer from at times of decline, tribulation and error. The Muslim woman who is guided by the Qur'an and Sunnah does not accept to be thrown into that battlefield, and refuses to become some cheap commodity that is fought over by the greedy capitalists, or some gaudy doll whose company is enjoyed by immoral so-called men. She rejects, with fierce pride, that false "progress" that calls for women to come out uncovered, almost naked and adorned with make up, to work alongside men in offices. With this wise, balanced, honourable attitude, she is in fact doing a great service to her society and nation, by calling for an end to this ridiculous competition of women with men in the workplace, and the resulting corruption, neglect of the family, and waste of money. This is the best good deed a woman can do, as was reflected by the comments of the ruler of North Korea to the Women's Union conference held in his country in 1981: "We make women enter society, but the reason for that is definitely not a lack of workers. Frankly speaking, the burden borne now by the state because of women's going out is greater than any benefits that may result from women's going out to work. . . So why do we want women to go out and be active in society? Because the main aim is to make women become revolutionary, so that they will become part of the working class through their social activity. Our party encourages women to go out and be active in revolutiwomen and making them part of the working class, no matter how great a burden this places on the state." No doubt the truly-guided Muslim woman knows exactly where she stands when she realises the great difference between the laws of Islam and the laws of jahiliyyah. So she chooses the laws of Allah (SWT), and does not pay any attention to the nonsense calls of jahiliyyah that come from here and there every so often: ( Do they then seek a judgement of [the Days of] Ignorance? But who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgement than Allah?) (Qur'an 5:50) She does not imitate men The Muslim woman who is proud of her Islamic identity does not imitate men at all, because she knows that for a woman to imitate men, or a man to imitate women, is forbidden by Islam. The wisdom and eternal law of Allah (SWT) dictate that men have a character distinct from that of women, and vice versa. This distinction is essential for both sexes, because each of them has its own unique role to play in life. The distinction between the basic functions and roles of each sex is based on the differences in character between them; in other words, men and women have different characters and personalities. Islam put things in order when it defined the role in life of both men and women, and directed each to do that for which they were created. Going against this divinely-ordained definition is a rebellion against the laws of nature according to which Allah (SWT) created man, and is a distortion of the sound, original nature of man. This is surely abhorrent to both sexes, and nothing is more indicative of this than the fact that women despise those effeminate men who imitate women, and men despise those coarse, rough women who act like men. The universe cannot be cultivated and populated properly, and humanity cannot achieve true happi, unless the sexes are clearly differentiated, so that each may appreciate and enjoy the unique character of the other, and both may work together to achieve those aims. For all these reasons, Islamic teachings issue a severe and clear warning to men who imitate women and women who imitate men. Ibn `Abbas (RAA) said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) cursed the men who act like women and the women who act like men."304 In another report, Ibn `Abbas said: "The Prophet (PBUH) cursed men who act effeminate and women who act like men, and said, `Expel them from your houses.' The Prophet (PBUH) expelled So-and-so [a man], and Abu Bakr expelled So-and-so [a woman]."305 Abu Hurayrah (RAA) said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) cursed the man who dresses like a woman and the woman who dresses like a man."306 When the Muslims were in good shape, governed by the shari`ah of Allah (SWT) and guided by the light of Islam, there was no trace of this problem of men and women resembling one another. But nowadays, when the light of Islam has dimmed in our societies, we find many young girls wearing tight, body-hugging trousers and unisex shirts, with uncovered heads and arms, who look like young men; and we find effeminate men, wearing chains of gold around their necks that dangle on their bare chests, and with long flowing hair that makes them look like young women. It is very difficult to tell the difference between them. These shameful scenes, that may be seen in some Islamic countries that have been overcome by al-ghazw al-fikri (intellectual colonialism) and whose youth are spiritually defeated, are alien to the Islamic ummah and its values and customs. They have come to us from both the corrupt West and faithless East, which have been overwhelmed by waves of hippies, existentialism, frivolity and nihilism, and other deviant ideas that have misguided humanity and caused great suffering, as they have led people far away from their true, sound nature (fitrah) and distorted them, bringing the worst problems and diseases to those people as a result. We have also suffered from the fall-out of all this, which overtook the lives of men and women who deviated from the guidance of Allah (SWT) in some Muslim countries after the collapse of the khilafah and the disintegration of the ummah. Many Islamic values were lost, and these deviant men and women became alienated from the ummah, rebelling against its true, original values and distinct character. She calls people to the truth The true Muslim woman understands that mankind was not created in vain, but was created to fulfil a purpose, which is to worship Allah (SWT): ( I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.) (Qur'an 51:56) Worshipping Allah (SWT) may be done through any positive, constructive action undertaken to cultivate and populate the world, to make the word of Allah (SWT) supreme on earth, and to apply His laws in life. All of these constitute part of that truth to which Muslim men and women are required to call people. Hence the true Muslim woman is aware of her duty to call as many other women as possible to the truth in which she believes, seeking thereby the great reward which Allah (SWT) has promised those who sincerely call others to the truth, as the Prophet (PBUH) said to `Ali (RAA): "By Allah (SWT), if Allah (SWT) were to guide just one man through you it would be better for you than red camels."307 A good word which the Muslim woman says to other women who are careless about matters of religion, or to a woman who has deviated from the guidance of Allah (SWT), will have an effect on them, and will come back to the sister who calls others to Allah (SWT) with a great reward that is worth more than red camels, which were the most precious and sought-after wealth among the Arabs at that time. In addition, a reward like that of the ones who are guided at her hands will also be given to her, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever calls people to the truth will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward."308 The Muslim woman does not think little of whatever knowledge she has if she is calling other women to Allah (SWT). It is sufficient for her to convey whatever knowledge she has learned, or heard from other peoples' preaching, even if it is just one ayah from the Book of Allah (SWT). This is what the Prophet (PBUH) used to tell his Companions to do: "Convey (knowledge) from me even if it is just one ayah . . ."309 This is because whether or not a person is guided may depend on just one word of this ayah which may touch her heart and ignite the spark of faith, so that her heart and her life will be illuminated with the light of guidance. The Muslim woman who is calling others to Allah (SWT) does not spare any effort in calling other women to the truth - and how great is the need for this call in these times - seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT) and spreading awareness among those women who were not fortunate enough to receive this teaching and guidance previously, and thus proving that she likes for her sister what she likes for herself. These are the characteristics of the woman who calls others to Allah (SWT), that distinguish her from ordinary women. They are noble, worthy characteristics that were highly praised and encouraged by the Prophet (PBUH): "May Allah (SWT) make his face shine, the one who hears something from us and conveys it as he hears it, for perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed will understand it better than the one who conveyed it."310 The Muslim woman who is truly guided by the Qur'an and Sunnah is like a lighted lamp that shows travellers the way on the darkest night. She cannot conceal her light from her sisters who are stumbling in the darkness when she has seen the great reward that Allah (SWT) has prepared for true, sincere callers to the truth. She enjoins what is good and forbids what is evil The duty of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil (al-amr bi'l-ma`ruf wa'l-nahy `an al-munkar) is not confined only to men; it applies equally to men and women, as is stated in the Qur'an: ( The Believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regulprayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.) (Qur'an 9:71) Islam gave women a high social standing when it gave her this great social responsibility of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. For the first time in history, women were to be the ones issuing instructions, whereas everywhere else except in Islam they had been the ones to receive instructions In response to this responsibility, which in fact is a great honour, the Muslim woman rises up to carry out the duty of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, within the limits of what suits her feminine nature. Within the limits of her own specialised field, she confronts evil - which is no small matter in the world of women - whenever she sees it, and she opposes it with reason, deliberation, wisdom and a clever, good approach. She tries to remove it with her hand, if she is able to and if doing so will not lead to worse consequences. If she cannot remove it by her actions, then she speaks out to explain what is right, and if she is not able to do so, then she opposes it in her heart, and starts to think of ways and means of opposing and eradicating it. These are the means of opposing evil that were set out by the Prophet (PBUH): "Whoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand, and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart - and that is the weakest of faith."311 When the alert Muslim woman undertakes this duty of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, she is in effect being sincere towards her wayward or negligent Muslim sisters, for religion is sincerity (or sincere advice), as the Prophet (PBUH) explained most eloquently when he summed up Islam in one word: nasihah. If that is indeed the case, then the Muslimwoman has no option but to enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong, in order to fulfil the definition of sincerity as stated by the Prophet (PBUH): "Religion is sincerity (nasihah)." We asked, "To whom?" He said, "To Allah (SWT), to His Book, to His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk."312 The Muslim woman's speaking out to offer nasihah and to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil in women's circles will lead to the correction of many unIslamic customs, traditions and habits that are prevalent among some women. How many such practices there are among women who neglect or deviate from Islam; the Muslim woman who confronts these customs and explains the correct Islamic point of view is doing the best thing she can for her society and ummah, and she is one of the best of people: A man stood up whilst the Prophet (PBUH) was on the minbar and asked: "O Messenger of Allah, which of the people is the best?" He said, "The best of the people are those are most well-versed in Qur'an, those who are most pious, those who most enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and those who are most respectful towards their relatives."313 The alert Muslim woman is a woman with a mission. She never remains silent about falsehood or fails to uphold the truth or accepts any deviation. She always strives to benefit her sisters in the Muslim community, and save them from their own shortcomings, backwardness, ignorance and deviations. She undertakes her duty of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, in obedience to the command of Allah (SWT) and His Messenger, and to protect herself from the punishment of Allah (SWT) which befalls those societies where no voice is raised to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. When Abu Bakr (RAA) became the khalifah, he ascended the minbar, praised Allah (SWT), then said, "O people, you recite the ayah, ( `O you who believe! Guard your own souls: if you follow [right] guidance no hurt can come to you from those who stray . . .') (Qur'an 5:105) and you are misinterpreting it. Verily I heard the Prophet (PBUH) say: `Those people who see some evil and do not oppose it or seek change will shortly all be punished by Allah (SWT).'"314 The Muslim woman who is sincere in her Islam, whose faith is strong and whose mind is open to the guidance of Islam, is always active in the cause of goodness, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, offering sincere advice and reforming corrupt situations. She does not accept negativity, passiveness, negligence or vacillation in herself, and never accepts any compromise or deviance in matters of Islam and its rituals. Religion and `aqidah are serious matters; it is no joke, and it is not permitted to remain silent about any deviance or error in religious matters, otherwise we will end up like the Jews, who earned Allah's wrath when they vacillated and became careless with regard to their religion: "Among the people who came before you, the children of Israel, if any one of them did wrong, one of them would denounce him so that he could say that he had done his duty, but the next day he would sit and eat with him as if he had never seen him do anything wrong the day before. When Allah (SWT) saw this attitude of theirs, he turned the hearts of some of them against others and cursed them by the tongue of Dawud and `Isa ibn Maryam, because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses [cf. Qur'an 5:78]. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you must enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and you must stay the hand of the wrongdoer and give him a stern warning to adhere to the truth, otherwise Allah (SWT) will surely turn the hearts of some of you against others, and curse you as He has cursed them."315 She is wise and eloquent in her da`wah The Muslim woman who seeks to call others to Allah (SWT) is eloquent and clever in her da`wah, speaking wisely and without being pushy to those whom she calls, and taking into account their intellectual levels and social positions. With this wise and good preaching, she is able to reach their hearts and minds, just as the Qur'an advises: ( Invite [all] to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching . . .) (Qur'an 16:125) The sister who is calling others is careful not to be long-winded or boring, and she avoids over-burdening her audience. She does not speak for too long, or discuss matters that are difficult to understand. She introduces the idea that she wants to convey in a brief and clear fashion, using attractive and interesting methods, and presenting the information in stages, so that her audience will understand it easily and will be eager to put their new knowledge into practice. This is what the Prophet (PBUH) used to do in his own preaching, as the great Sahabi `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (RAA) tells us. He used to preach a little at a time to the people, every Thursday. A man said to him, "I wish that you would teach us every day." He said, "What prevents me from doing so is the fact that I would hate to bore you. I show consideration towards you by choosing a suitable time to teach you, just as the Prophet (PBUH) used to do with us, for fear of making us bored."316 One of the most important qualities of the wise and eloquent da`iyah is that she is gentle with the women she is calling. She is patient with the slowness or inability to understand on the part of some of them, their ignorance of many matters of religion, their repeated mistakes and their many tedious questions, following the example of the master of all those men and women who call others to the way of Allah (SWT) - the Prophet (PBUH) - who was the supreme example of patience, kindness and open-heartedness. He responded to questioners like a tolerant, caring guide and gently-correcting teacher, never frustrated by their slowness to understand, or irritated by their many questions and the need to repeat the same answers many times until they understood and left him, content with the lesson they had learned. An example of this gentle approach is the account of the Sahabi Mu`awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami (RAA), who said: "Whilst I was praying with the Prophet (PBUH), one of the men in the congsneezed, so I said, `Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on you).' The people glared at me, so I said, `May my mother be bereft of me! What are you staring at me like that for?' They began to strike their thighs with their hands, and when I realised that they were telling me to be quiet, I fell silent. The Prophet (PBUH), may my father and mother be sacrificed for him, finished the prayer, and I have never seen a better teacher than he, before or since. By Allah (SWT), he did not rebuke me or strike me or insult me. He merely said, `This prayer should contain nothing of the everyday speech of men; it is just tasbih, takbir and the recitation of Qur'an,' or words to that effect. I said, `O Messenger of Allah, I am still very close to the time of jahiliyyah (i.e., I am very new in Islam). Allah (SWT) has brought us Islam, yet there are some among us who still go to soothsayers.' He said, `Never go to them.' I said, `And there are some who are superstitious.' He said, `That is just something that they imagine; it should not stop them from going ahead with their plans.'"317 Another characteristic of the successful da`iyah, and one of the most attractive and influential methods she can use, is that she does not directly confront wrongdoers with their deeds, or those who are failing with their shortcomings. Rather she is gentle in her approach when she addresses them, hinting at their wrongdoing or shortcomings indirectly rather than stating them bluntly, and asking them, gently and wisely, to rid themselves of whatever bad deeds or failings they have. She is careful not to hurt their feelings or put them off her da`wah. This wise, gentle approach is more effective in treating social ills and moral and psychological complaints, and it is the method followed by the Prophet (PBUH), as `A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: "When the Prophet (PBUH) heard that someone had done something wrong, he did not say `What is wrong withso-and-so that he says (such-and-such)?' Rather, he would say, `What is wrong with some people that they say such-and-such?. . ."318 Another important feature of the da`iyah, that will guarantee her success, is that she speaks clearly to her audience and repeats her words without boring them until she is certain that they have understood and that her words have reached their hearts. This is what the Prophet (PBUH) used to do, as Anas (RAA) said: "The Prophet (PBUH) used to repeat things three times when he spoke, so that they would be understood. When he came to a people, he would greet them with salam three times."319 `A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: "The speech of the Prophet was very clear. Everyone who heard it understood it."320 For more similar topics please visit the following site: >http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/idealmuslimah/chapt er10.html 299. Al-mar'ah bayna al-fiqh wa'l-qanun, 176. 300. This is an atheistic Western expression, which refers to "nature" instead of Allah the Creator, after the West turned its back on religion. [Author] 301. Al-mar'ah bayna al-fiqh wa'l-qanun, 178. 302. Al-mar'ah bayna al-fiqh wa'l-qanun, 179. 303. Al-mar'ah bayna al-fiqh wa'l-qanun, 181. 304. See Fath al-Bari, 10/332, Kitab al-libas, bab al-mutashabbihin bi'l-nisa' wa'l-mutashabbihat bi'l-rijal. 305. See Fath al-Bari, 10/333, Kitab al-libas, bab ikhraj al-mutashabbihin bi'l-nisa' min al-buyut. 306. A sahih hadith narrated by Abu Dawud, 4/86, Kitab al-libas, 31; Ibn Hibban (13) 63, Kitab al-hizr wa'l-ibahah, bab al-la'n. 307. Fath al-Bari, 7/476, Kitab al-maghazi, bab ghazwah Khaybar. Sahih Muslim, 16/227, Kitab al-'ilm, bab man sanna sunnah hasanah [??] 309. Fath al-Bari, 6/496, Kitab hadith al-anbiya', bab ma dhukira 'an Bani Isra'il. 310. Reported by Tirmidhi, 5/34, in Kitab al-'ilm, 7; he said it is a hasan sahih hadith. 311. Sahih Muslim, 2/22, Kitab al-iman, bab bayan kawn al-nahy 'an al-munkar min al-iman. 312. Sahih Muslim, 2/37, Kitab al-iman, bab bayan an al-din nasihah. 313. Reported by Ahmad and al-Tabarani; the men of their isnads are thiqat. See Majma' al-Zawa'id, 7/263, Bab fi ahl al-ma'ruf wa ahl al-munkar. 314. Hayat al-Sahabah, 3/233. 315. Reported by al-Tabarani, 10/146; the men of its isnad are rijal al-sahih. 316. Bukhari and Muslim. See Riyad al-Salihin, 374, Kitab al-adab, bab fi'l-wa'z wa'l-iqtisad fihi. 317. Sahih Muslim, 5/20, Kitab al-masajid, bab tahrim al-kalam fi'l-salah. 318. Hayat al-Sahabah, 3/129. 319. Fath al-Bari, 1/188, Kitab al-'ilm, bab man a'ada al-hadith thalathan li yufham 'anhu. 320. Reported by Abu Dawud, 4/360, Kitab al-adab, 21; its isnad is sahih. This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly forbidden. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Would you Help a Child in need? It is easier than you think. Click Here to meet a Child you can help. http://us.click.yahoo.com/sTR6_D/I_qJAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/