The Majlis Vol 20 No 05

PART 3 In the current era the plot of the orientalist – the plot to undermine and destroy Islam – has been taken over by the 'Islamic Studies' faculties of the various kuffaar universities. Juhala (Ignoramuses) – so-called professors – posing as Muslims, are the most successful accomplishment realized by the western orientalists. Some decades ago, the conspiracy was directly manipulated and given effect by non-Muslim professors. Today, this dirty and destructive work has been handed over to the 'Muslim' professors who have been schooled, indoctrinated and brainwashed with kufr by the orientalist enemies of Islam. Dr. Ahmad Ghorab who was a professor at several western universities, the last being the University of Riyadh from where he was expelled when he commenced to expose the elaborate orientalist plot in which Saudi Arabia too is a big cog with its finance, in his book, SUBVERTING ISLAM – THE ROLE OF THE ORIENTALIST CENTRES, reveals the bare facts and the names of the actors of these centres of conspiracy. Among the Muslim clerics employed by the plotters to give legitimacy to the Plot, is YUSUF QARDAWI, the Ghabi, who had recently attempted to give Islamic credibility to women's 'liberation' in South Africa by propagating the baatil idea of the permissibility of female influx into the Musaajid. This article is the third instalment reproduced from his book. Many of the students who study languages at Columbia do so either to train for the Israeli Mossad or the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). American students with mediocre grades, but who desire such careers, get scholarships to continue studying in places like the American University in Cairo or Robert College in Turkey. MELAC (Middle East Languages and Cultures) students also include Muslims training to serve American officialdom. One Jordanian-American Muslim student admitted he was mastering Arabic so he could pass a US State department examination. Politically motivated language study disguised as 'cultural' studies gives this department its legitimacy, and guarantees a continuous line of funding. MELAC offers more than language courses. Saliba deals with Islamic sciences, ascribing to Hans Kung's school of thought and assigning books like John Burton's Collection of the Quran which attacks the validity of the Qur'an as the word of God. Dabashi is a disgruntled Iranian. Like other professors, he teaches Islamic literature and philosophy through the prism of western tradition, as noted by Dr Ghorab: 1) denying the validity of revelation; 2) ignoring the reliability of Islamic sources; 3) refusing to promote Islam as anything other than an object of academic study; 4) avoiding any personal commitment to Islam. At Columbia (University), political studies of Islam are the task of the Middle East Institute, a part of the University's school of International and Public Affairs, which is a recruiting front for the CIA. The Institute houses orientalist historians like Richard Bulliet, as well as a number of zionists. It has a siege mentality toward the Islamic movement. Its past directors include Linda S Wal-bridge, an American Baha'i scholar specializing in Muslims of the US, and whose husband, also a scholar of 'Islamic Studies,' is currently editing the encyclopedia of Baha'ism. One expects to find this in departments whose stated goals are to study Islam and the Middle East. However, other departments at Columbia are also staffed with like-minded people. For example, the Division of Ethnomusicology in the Department of Music is headed by Dieter Christensen, who has a long and questionable history of studying the Islamic world, including work in Iran under the despised Shah. He now has a magic carpet to Oman, invited by Sultan Qaboos annually since 1985. Qaboos hires western scholars to advise him on Muslim cultural policy, and Christensen runs the Centre for Traditional Music in Muscat. In his seminars at Columbia, Christensen-who doesn't know a word of Arabic-presents Islam as a hindrance for academic study, often complaining about 'extremist' Omani Muslims who take too many breaks for prayers, or how Ramadhan disrupts his research schedule. At the same time, he gleefully boasts of swilling beer with 'modern' Omanis. He also edits the Yearbook for Traditional Music, which zionist and anti-Muslim scholars use to attack Islam and curate Muslim cultures. Christensen probably has links to American, German and Israeli Intelligence agencies, and has a record of advising graduate students whose research in the Muslim works and elsewhere is linked to missionary activities. The Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Columbia reflects 'Islamic Studies' in practice. During the early 1990s, its president was a Jewish convert to Islam (who has reportedly now changed his mind). A model 'moderate' Muslim, he was a student in the Department of Religion, which projects Islam as a violent antithesis to Buddhism, the preferred religion for this department's faculty. During his reign as MSA chief, it seemed that the campus rabbi had more power in the MSA than Muslims. For example, when the regular room for Jum'ah was double-booked one Friday -despite advance requests by the MSA-some Muslims suggested praying on the sidewalk in protest, since this had occurred in the past as well whenever another group needed space. After consulting his rabbi, the MSA chief intervened and arranged for Muslims to pray in the dungeon-like basement of the campus church! Like most other MSA chapters, the one at Columbia also answers to the Saudis. In 1992 when Saudi ambassador Bandar bin Sultan offered to join hands with a group of zionists to commemorate the expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Spain, MSA-central in Indiana quickly called for implementation of this plan on its satellite campuses. When some Muslim students at Columbia suggested inviting Dr T B Irving, a Muslim scholar of Islamic Spain, the Jewish students protested, claiming that he was an 'extremist' and an 'anti-Semite,' the latter a zionist euphemism for anyone who questions Israeli supremacy. The programme was subsequently cancelled, after the Saudis and the zionists could not secure a 'moderate' speaker. These and other stories need to be heard and often. Dr Ghorab has correctly identified many of the allegiances and dynamics found within 'Islamic Studies' programmes. In fact, similar 'Islamic Studies' agendas can be found in many different organizations outside academia. Given all this, it seems incumbent upon concerned Muslims who are affiliated with any of these institutions or organizations to take Dr Ghorab's initiative and help expose the programmes in their own areas. Much work along these lines needs to be done in the US, the base of what Syed Qutb called 'American Islam.' In the US, people like Esposito are revered as Islamic scholars by several Muslim organizations. As Dr Ghorab points out, Esposito was invited by the Saudis as far back as 1983, when he suggested establishing an institute for 'Islamic Studies' in the US. Since then, Shaykh Esposito has had stints on the advisory boards of American Muslim organizations, most recently the American Muslim Council, sharing the latter distinction with other 'Islamic Studies' mainstays, including Hassan Hathout and Ali Mazrui. The ubiquitous Ja'afar Sheikh Idris also appears at AMC functions. The American Muslim Council (AMC) needs to be investigated for ties to the Saudis and official Islam in places like Egypt, as well as for its connections with US government agencies and corporations. Its debut was in June 1990, only two months after board member Hathout attended a Saudi-sponsored conference in Riyadh, according to Dr Ghorab. The first AMC newsletter came out in the fall of 1990, at a time when the Saudis were building Muslim support for the murderous American oil war against Iraq. One of the stated policy goals of the AMC is to entangle Muslims with American party politics, which is also a US government policy goal recommended by CIA analysts and the RAND Corporation in a special report prepared for the US department of Defence in 1990. Founding AMC member Robert Crane, whose long history of US government service includes an appointment as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates by US president Reagan, is one of the AMC ideologues. He fits Dr Ghorab's description as someone who is seeking to "revise" expediency. The AMC also appears to be playing a role in dividing Muslims between 'moderates' and 'extremists', fulfilling another agenda item for 'Islamic Studies', as is evidenced by public statements on Steve Emerson's zionist jihad' against Muslims or on the rigged 'trial' of Shaikh Omar Abdel Rahman and other Muslims in New York. Dr Ghorab lays the methodological foundation for systematically identifying and exposing 'Islamic Studies' programmes in western and Muslim institutions. He has linked them to the ongoing western crusade against the Islamic movement, showing that such programmes operate in the service of taghut. Concerned Muslims can and should find ways to continue his efforts and help prevent 'American Islam' from gaining any further ground, Insha'Allah. Toronto, August 1, 1996" To be continued, Insha'Allah. "Dr. Ghorab lays the methodical foundation for systematically identifying and exposing ' Islam- ic Studies' programmes in western and Muslim institutions. He has linked them to the on-going western crusade against the Islamic movement, showing that such programmes operate in the service of Taghut. Concerned Muslims can and should find ways to continue his efforts and help prevent 'America Islam' from gaining any further ground, Insha'Allah." (Rahhalah Haqq) THE CRAVE FOR NAME AND FAME In a deplorable haraam move, the NO NAME BRAND JAMIAT OF FORDSBURG (NNB Jamiat), has dragged the Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa (JUSA) to the kuffaar court to achieve the insidious objective of aggrandizement – name and fame. The NNB Jamiat's representative, Reverend Abraham Bham, has instituted legal action in the Kuffaar Court in a dastardly bid to prevent JUSA registering its name. The facts pertaining to this new haraam saga created by the NNB Jamiat are as follows: (1) The Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa (JUSA) was established forty years ago in 1970. The senior Ulama of that era, viz., Mufti Ebrahim Sanjalvi, Maulana Abdul Haq Omarjee, Maulana Qaasim Sema and Shaikh Abu Bakr Najaar, were instrumental in the formation of JUSA at the time when the Port Elizabeth Municipality had expropriated a Musjid and was on the verge of demolishing it. On that occasion, the Jamiatul Ulama of Eastern Cape convened a national conference of Ulama in Port Elizabeth where all the Ulama organizations of the country were represented. (2) Since 2007 the NNB Jamiat displayed a depraved eagerness to be known as the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa despite its full awareness that the Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa (JUSA) has existed for many years. JUSA had also warned the NNB Jamiat to desist from its nafsaani shenanigans. (3) When JUSA observed this immoral focus on its name by the NNB Jamiat, it (JUSA) deemed it appropriate to have its name registered. (4) The NNB Jamiat's craving for self-aggrandizement and publicity for ill-conceived objectives, constrained it to cast overboard reason, reality and the Shariah, that it is immoral to usurp the name of an organization which has a four-decade prior existence; which is operating; which has a banking account; which has fixed property, and which has many affiliate organizations. (5) Apart from what has been mentioned in No. 4 above, even if it be assumed that JUSA is a small, insignificant body, this does not entitle anyone, least of all the NNB Jamiat, to usurp its good name which it has borne for decades. (6) The NNB Jamiat has embarked on a disgusting, unjust, haraam act, in its dastardly attempt to prevent JUSA from registering its name. The NNB Jamiat is behaving like a hooligan who is trying to push out from the queue the person who is standing in front of him. Those who plot haraam and usurpation, should be rest assured that their own baatil will destroy them. Hadhrat Junaid Baghdaadi (rahmatullah alayh) said: "He who seeks honour with baatil, Allah will disgrace him with the Haqq." The spokesman for the Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa voiced its relief for not being the entity which has initiated the haraam legal proceedings in the secular court. The initiator of the zulm is the NNB Jamiat led by Reverend Abraham Bham. Among the holy sites destroyed by the Saudi regime are: ∗ The Musjid of Faatimah Zahra ∗ The Musjid of Manaratain ∗ Four Musjids at the site of the Battle of Khandaq (Trench) ∗ The Musjid of Salmaan Farsi in Madinah ∗ The house where Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was born ∗ The house of Hadhrat Khadijah (radhiyallahu anha) ∗ The house in Madinah where Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) lived ∗ Daarul Arqam where Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaabah performed Salaat in secret, and where he taught Islam to the Sahaabah during the Makkah era. In contrast, museums have been constructed to preserve silly relics of the Saudi monarchs. Even the spectacles and slippers of a Saudi king are preserved in a museum and put up for public display while absolute disdain and disrespect are shown for the holy relics of Islam so dear to the hearts of the Ummah. Look at the eternal list of poisons and filth in your carrion burgers acquired from these haraam fast food outlets: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin. "There is only one species on planet Earth that's stupid enough to think a McDonald's hamburger is food. This species is suffering from skyrocketing rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and obesity. This species claims to be the most intelligent species on the planet, and yet it behaves in such a moronic way that it feeds its own children poisonous chemicals and such atrocious non-foods that even fungi won't eat it (and fungi will eat cow manure). Care to guess which species I'm talking about?" (Mike Adams, The Health Ranger) The stupid species to which Mr. Mike Adams refers is the human being – those humans who consume the rotten filth and diseased carrion which the illegitimate, haraam 'halaal' certificate vendors peddle for haraam riba boodle. Those who halaalize this filth are cunning and plotting devils, and those who devour the haraam carrion filth are the most stupid species on earth. They devour what even dogs will not eat. Q. Some huffaaz who shave their beards, begin to grow beards a short while before Ramadhaan in anticipation of being given the opportunity to lead the Taraaweeh Salaat. But on the Day of Eid they again shave their beards. Is it permissible to perform Taraaweeh behind such huffaaz? A. It is haraam to allow such vile fussaaq to lead the Salaat. They are like those 'who sin in front of Allah Ta'ala on the Day of Qiyaamah". Q. What should I do if the trustees appoint a faasiq haafiz to lead the Taraaweeh Salaat? A. Find someone even if it is your wife, sister or daughter, and perform Taraaweeh at home reciting the short Surahs. It is infinitely superior to performing Taraaweeh behind a foul and shameless violater of Allah's law. Q. I have bought fixed property for investment, that is, to gain rent income. Is such property a Zakaat-taxable asset? If later I decide to sell this property will it be Zakaatable? A. If a property is purchased with the intention of gaining income by renting it out, then there is no Zakaat on the property itself. Only if the property is bought with the intention to sell it for profit, will it be Zakaatable. Zakaat will not be payable on the property even if you will sell it at a later date. Zakaat will be payable on the money you obtain for the property. Q. When giving someone Zakaat, is it necessary to inform them that the money/goods are Zakaat? A. It is not necessary to inform people that you are giving them Zakaat money. Your Zakaat will be discharged even if the poor persons are not told that the money is Zakaat. At the time of making a Zakaat payment, it is necessary to have the niyyat (intention) of Zakaat. Q. What value should be taken when calculating Zakaat on merchandise (stock-in-trade)? A. When calculating your Zakaat on stock-in-trade, take into account the price which you will currently pay for the stock if you have to buy it. Q. A worker was hired without fixing his wage. When it was time to pay him, a dispute developed. According to the Shariah how is this dispute to be resolved? A. It is haraam to hire a person without stipulating his salary. The work contract should be renewed with the salary specified. In this instance the worker has to be paid the market-related wage for that kind of work for the period that the salary was left unknown. When the salary has not been fixed, then the market-related wage has to be paid. Also, Taubah should be made for the sin. Q. If there is a gap in the front Saff, is it compulsory to fill the gap? Who should fill the gap? A. It is necessary/waajib to fill a gap in the saff in front of you during Salaat. The musalli – any one – alongside the gap should take a single step sideways to fill the gap. In other words, all the musallis in the saff will have to move to fill the gap. This is the best. However, if the musallis standing next to the gap are ignorant and refrain from filling the gap, then the musalli standing in the row behind directly in line with the gap should move forward to fill the space. If the gap is not right in front of you, and it will entail much walking to fill the gap, then you should not walk to the gap. The one who is in front of the gap is guilty of sinning for leaving the gap. Q. When moving ahead to fill a gap in the saff should the hands remain folded? A. Yes, the hands should remain folded when moving to fill the gap. Don't walk normally with a few steps. Take one wide step forward. Q. Is eating on the floor compulsory or optional – Sunnat or Mustahab? A. It appears that you are ignorant of the meaning of Sunnat and Mustahab. Sunnat and Mustahab do not mean 'not compulsory' for practical purposes. Eating on the floor is compulsory. It is haraam to emulate the futile and specific styles of the kuffaar – styles which displace the Sunnah style. Q. We intend setting up a clinic for very poor Muslims. Is it permissible to use Zakaat funds to run the clinic? Some of the patients will also be non-Muslims. Can we contribute Zakaat to such a clinic? A. The fundamental requisite for the discharge of Zakaat is that a poor Muslim must be made the owner of the Zakaat. As long as the poor have not been made the owners, the Zakaat will remain undischarged. If Zakaat is given to a clinic and the medicines bought with Zakaat funds is used also for non-Muslims, then the Zakaat obligation will not be discharged. If the Zakaat-medicine is used for such Muslims who are not entitled to accept Zakaat, then too, the Zakaat will not be discharged. As long as the medicine bought with Zakaat funds remains unused, the Zakaat will not be discharged. It is not permissible to pay wages with the Zakaat funds nor is it permissible to use any portion of the Zakaat for the running expenses of the clinic. The medicine purchased with Zakaat funds should be stored separately. Medicine acquired with Lillaah funds should be used for non-Muslims. Running expenses must be borne by the Lillaah fund. The system should be meticulous. If the clinic complies with all these Islamic rules, it will be permissible to give them Zakaat otherwise not. Q. If one vomits a mouthful or more, does the fast break? A. The fast does not break even if the vomit is more than one mouthful as long as the vomiting is not induced. Q. Is it permissible to use Zakaat money to buy groceries to give to the poor? Is it permissible to pay with Zakaat the rent of a poor person? A. It is permissible to use Zakaat money to buy groceries, etc. for the poor. It is also permissible to pay the rent with Zakaat, but with the knowledge and consent of the poor person. Q. When bank interest is given to a poor person, may he/she use the money for any need? A. The bank interest may be given to a poor Muslim who may use the money for any of his/her needs. Q. In the town Musjid where the daily Salaat takes place with Jamaa't as well as Jumuah Salaat, no one sat for I'tikaaf. The business people while having their shops in town, all live in the residential area. However, there are many Muslims living in town in the neighbourhood of the Musjid. Whose obligation is it to sit for I'tikaaf in this Musjid – the business people or the residents? A. The sin for not observing I'tikaaf in the town Musjid descends on the whole community of the town – on those who reside there. Those who do not live in the town are not liable. Q. A Maulana claims on the basis of a Hadith that in Sajdah the heels should be joined together. What is the correct view? A. There is no Shar'i basis for the contention of the Maulana Sahib on the issue of keeping the heels together. Even if we have to assume that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) did adjoin his heels and the reason given is what the Maulana says, then too, the contention that it is today Sunnat for us to adopt this method, is incorrect because the official and most authoritative view and fatwa of our Fuqaha and Akaabireen is on Tajaafi (keeping the feet apart). A practice may not be elevated to Sunnat on the basis of a logical ground regardless of how convincing the reason may be. The fundamental error of the Maulana Sahib is that he has conducted himself like a Mujtahid. But he is not a Mujtahid, hence he has no entitlement to resort to Istimbaat (Deduction of Masaa-il) directly from Ahaadith and Qur'aan. The age of that type of Ijtihaad has terminated with the ending of Khairul Quroon. The Maulana Sahib is a Muqallid and it is therefore incumbent on him to conduct himself like a Muqallid. He has to compulsorily follow the official Fatwa. It is highly inappropriate to attempt an abrogation of the authoritative and Jamhoor view with narrations of which the Aimmah Mujtahideen and the Fuqaha had been fully aware. The solitary Hadith which the Maulana had presented was not hidden from the illustrious Fuqaha. Despite their awareness, they did not make amal on it. And, they had their solid Shar'i arguments which no Maulana/ Allaamah of this age can even hope to challenge. Q. I have read your article about the fires sweeping and ravaging Russia. Are the floods in Pakistan also Allah's punishment? A. Floods and all forms of natural disasters are the Athaab (punishment) of Allah Ta'ala. The floods in Pakistan are also Allah's Athaab. May Allah Ta'ala save us all from His chastisement, and may He have mercy on the victims of the flood. Q. If the Shaafi' slaughterer intentionally abstains from reciting Tasmiyah, will it be permissible for Hanafis to consume the meat? A. If a Shaafi' intentionally omits Tasmiyah when slaughtering, the animal will be haraam for Hanafis regardless of the Shaafi' viewpoint. And, if the slaughterer neglects the Tasmiyah because he regards it to be insignificant or he habitually neglects the Tasmiyah, then even in the Shaafi Math-hab it will not be permissible to eat the meat. Q. A learned man says that Zakaat may be given to non-Muslims as well. A. The view that Zakaat may be given to non-Muslims is incorrect. There is consensus of our Fuqaha on this prohibition. Q. Is it permissible to eat sitting at tables? A. Eating from tables is the custom of the kuffaar. It is in conflict with the Sunnah. Common-sense is sufficient to guide you on this issue. Consult your heart with sincerity, and you will understand that it is not permissible to sit and eat at tables. The style of Muslims is the tareeqah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaabah. Q. If one remembers in Ruku' that one did not recite a Surah after Surah Faatihah, should one get up and recite a Surah? What is the procedure in this case? A. When a Surah is not recited after Surah Faatihah, you have to make Sajdah Sahw. When you remember in Ruku' that you had forgotten to recite a Surah, then continue with the Salaat. Don't emerge from the Ruku' to recite a Surah. Proceed with the Salaat as usual, and make Sujoodus Sahw. Q. If one or two aayats of Surah Faatihah were not recited, should Sajdah Sahw be made? A. When one or two aayats of Surah Faatihah are omitted by mistake/ forgetfully, then it was necessary to make Sajdah Sahw. Q. Whose duty is it to look after aged parents? All the sons and daughters are married and live away from their parents. The sons and the daughters are disputing among themselves on this issue. A. It is the Waajib (compulsory) duty of the sons to take care of their parents and to maintain them financially if they (the parents) are in need. If there are no sons or if the sons fail in their obligation, then the daughters should care for their parents with the permission of their husbands. The husband has a greater right over his wife than her parents. If the sons commit the great sin of refusing to look after their parents, then the sons-in-law should allow their wives to attend to their parents. If they refuse permission to their wives to take care of their parents, then the daughters have to attend to their parents even without the permission of their husbands. But this will be permissible only if the parents are truly in need of aid and the sons miserably fail in their obligation. The sons who refuse to take care of their parents come under the wrath and curse of Allah Ta'ala. Even their Salaat is not accepted. It is not permissible for a daughter -in-law to prevent her husband from tending to his parents. Although it is not compulsory on the daughter-in-law to take care of her husband's mother, nevertheless, it is her moral duty to make it easy for her husband and to assist him in caring for his parents. She will gain immense reward for this service. It is haraam for the daughter-in-law to try to prevent her husband from taking care of his parents. Parents-in-law are in the category of one's parents. Q. My brother has been very unjust to his wife. She is a good woman who takes care of our mother who is very difficult. Although my brother is a Haafiz, he is not a faithful husband. He does not respect his wife. He gave her Talaaq. He said that he made Istikhaarah before issuing Talaaq. Is it proper to make Istikhaarah for Talaaq? A. While Istikhaarah is valid for deciding whether to issue Talaaq or not, it does not mitigate your brother's unfaithfulness and not fulfilling the rights of his wife. He will be held responsible for his injustice and oppression by Allah Ta'ala. Q. When should a later-comer who has missed a few raka'ts of Taraaweeh perform these raka'ts? A. The missed Taraaweeh raka'ts should be performed after completing the Witr Salaat. Q. I live many miles from the nearest Musjid. Can I perform Salaat at home? A. It is permissible for you to perform Salaat at home. Q. Is masah valid on the new synthetic socks worn by divers? A. Yes, masah is valid. However we advise that masah should not be made on these socks in public. The resemblance with ordinary socks is stark. Anyone seeing you making masah on these socks may assume that you have become a Salafi. Q. My work entails me to work with superglue on a daily basis. It is extremely difficult to remove it from the fingers before a Salaat. How do I offer my Salaat? A. Wudhu will just not be valid with the glue on your fingers. You have to remove it even if the delay causes qadha of your Salaat. You should wear some kind of gloves. If there is just no way to avoid this calamity, then abandon your job. Find work elsewhere. Allah Ta'ala is The Raaziq, not your job. Q. Is it permissible to charge a higher price when selling goods on laybye? A. It is permissible. It is essential to state the price with clarity at the time of the sale. You may not add an amount after the sale. Fix the price and leave the customer in no doubt. Q. A well-known Muslim cricketer performs his Salaat on time even while playing; fasts in Ramadhaan and does not wear the haraam logo of sponsors. Please comment. A. His good deeds do not save him from FISQ classification. He remains a FAASIQ for his flagrant indulgence in HARAAM kuffaar sports. He dwells in a valley of massive deception if he believes that his good deeds are a licence for flagrant commission of zina, fisq and fujoor. Q. Can I pay my rates and taxes with interest? A. Rates and taxes may be paid with the haraam interest you receive from the bank. Q. I purchased a gold coin in 2003. What is the value today? A. If it is a one ounce gold coin, the approximate price today is R10,000. Q. What if there is nobody to sit in I'tikaaf in the Musjid? A. The wrath of Allah Ta'ala and the sin of having abandoned this Sunnah settle on the entire community. Q. Is it necessary to make ghusl after swimming in a pool? A. Your question is ambiguous. If by pool you mean a public pool where all and sundry swim, then firstly it is not permissible to swim in such a filthy najaasat-filled pool. Such a diseased pool is polluted with both physical and spiritual najaasat. In addition to it being forbidden to swim in filth, ghusl is necessary. If by pool you mean your house swimming pool, then there are different cases. * If the pool is small, i.e. it is less than the Dahdardah size (10 x 10 cubits), and you are in the state of janaabat, the water is rendered impure with your first plunge. Ghusl is Waajib and all the water has to be drained. * If the pool is Dahdardah size and you are not in the state of janaabat, there is no need for ghusl afterwards. * If the pool is a large one, i.e. Dahdardah or more, and you are in the state of janaabat, the swim will substitute for the ghusl. Water has to be applied into the nose, and the mouth must be rinsed since this too is Fardh. Dahdardah is approximately 25 square metres. Q. The Imaam mistakenly went into Ruku' in Witr Salaat after Taraaweeh. Then he came back up. Is Sajdah Sahw necessary? A. If the Imaam had forgotten to recite Dua Qunoot, then it was improper for him to reverse back into Qiyaam. Sajdah Sahw is Waajib in both instances, whether he came back to the Qiyaam position or not. Q. Whilst sitting on a chair performing Salaat, should the hands be placed at the sides after Ruku' or should the hands be on the lap or ahead in the air as some people do while making Sajdah? A. The hands should not be suspended in the air nor placed at the sides. The hands should rest on the lap in line with the knees, but not overhanging on to the knees. Q. Is it permissible to have a salon as a tenant? A. By 'salon' we have understood a hairdresser who cuts haraam kuffaar hair styles and even the hair of prostitutes and the like. If our understanding is correct, then it is haraam to hire one's premises for such a haraam trade. The money earned is haraam. Q. Humzah did not pay Zakaat this year on his usual Zakaat due date because he did not have the Zakaat Nisaab. However, the very next day he received money more than Nisaab. What should he do? A. If he is sure regarding his Zakaat due date, that is the expiry of 12 months, then he is not liable to pay Zakaat the next day. Zakaat will be due 12 months hence. If he is not sure regarding the expiry of his 12 month period, then it is best that he pays Zakaat the next day when he became the owner of the Nisaab amount. Q. Please explain fully the proper Masnoon way of making ghusl. A. This is a tall and an inconsiderate order. How do you expect us to fill a whole page explaining an act which is explained in a number of elementary kitaabs which are readily and cheaply available? Kitaabut Tahaarat, Ta'leemul Islam, Ta'leemul Haq, Baheshti Zewer and several other similar kitaabs are easily available in English. Provide your postal address. We shall forward Kitaabut Tahaarat to you, Insha'Allah. Q. Why are the ladies not allowed in the Musjid while at the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) ladies were allowed? A. When a person lacks expert knowledge of the Deen, then it is his duty to follow the rulings of the Shariah without voicing any misgivings. 'Why' is a never-ending meandering route which has even distinguished the Imaan of many unfortunate persons. But if you are so interested to have an answer for your 'why', then provide your postal address. Several books answering more than adequate your 'why' shall be forwarded to you, Insha'Allah. Q. Some Musjids have ladies facilities. What should I do if I happen to pass by such a Musjid and it is time for Salaat? A. Perform your Salaat and get out as quickly as possible before you get caught up in the drove of shameless women who will come out parading themselves. Q. I bought a gold coin at a discounted price. Should I pay Zakaat on the value of the coin or the lesser price that I paid? A. On what amount would you have paid Zakaat if the coin was a free gift to you? You have to pay Zakaat on the current value of the coin. Q. I don't think that the public should be blamed if they copy the Ulema, e.g. drinking coke, eating doubtful things, carrion chickens, etc., etc. Is there any harm when they follow the Ulema? A. The public is not as dumb as you portray. They will go to Jahannum with the ulama-e-soo' they had copied and followed, and in Jahannum according to the Qur'aan Majeed, they will blame one another for their predicament. Allah Ta'ala holds the public responsible for their perpetration of haraam, fisq and fujoor. The argument which you have presented will hold no water and will not mitigate the public's plight in Qiyaamah. Categorically rejecting your argument, the Qur'aan Majeed states: "They (the public of Bani Israaeel) take their Ulama and their Mashaaikh as gods besides Allah…" This aayat is a severe rebuke and a warning for the public to beware of following the ulama-e-soo'. Allah Ta'ala has endowed every Mu'min sufficient intelligence to be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood, vice and virtue. Haraam and doubtful issues are not intricate, academic masaa-il which require only expert brains for comprehension. These are not juridical issues which need intellectual expertise for understanding. Reflect on the Qur'aanic aayat. Why did Allah Ta'ala castigate the Bani Israaeel public for following the baatil of their ulama-e-soo'? The public is extremely shrewd, like foxes. They are adept in the art of constructing smokescreens for their nafsaani indulgence. While they do not follow even the ulama-e-soo', they will quickly cite these ulama to justify their indulgence in haraam and perpetration of fisq and fujoor. Q. Why do our Muslim leaders need female bodyguards. What are they afraid of? A. Gaddafi is the person you are referring to. This person is not a Muslim leader by any stretch of reasoning or imagination. He is a murtad – one who has reneged from Islam. He also appears to be mentally deranged and according to some is a hermaphrodite. Q. Women working: This practice due to it being so common has become acceptable. It is not regarded as a munkar (evil). Even Deeni conscious people who are particular with regards haraam and halaal issues fail in this aspect. Also, doctors and dentists, etc. mingle with their ghair mahareem nurses and female secretaries and staff. In the kutub of Ahaadith it is recorded that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "That of the signs of the Hour is that businesses will be expanded so much that the wife will assist her husband in the business." IN another Hadith it is mentioned: "Men and women will do business together." Please comment on this lamentable situation. A. Brother, by the fadhl of Allah Ta'ala, we do comment from time to time on all the evils dominating the Ummah. Rasulullah's predictions are materializing in front of our eyes. Even the 'Deeni' conscious Ulama have extremely far-fetched and corrupt interpretations with which they neutralize the unambiguous statements of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the commands and prohibitions of the Shariah. We are living in times about which Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Islam started off ghareeb (forlorn, weak and friendless). Soon will it return to that state of forlornness. Therefore congratulations for the ghuraba (i.e. for those 'mad' upholders and proponents of the Sunnah and the Haqq)." It is common knowledge that all those who have female staff are involved in zina of varying degrees. Every argument they fabricate for justifying their haraam acts and for employing female staff is baseless in terms of the Shariah. So many homes have broken up, so many 'pious' men have ruined their piety, so many men bring misery into their relationship with their wives because of zina involvement with their female staff, and so many supposedly good and pious ulama have become zindeeqs with their kufr interpretations to justify mingling with female staff. All their haraam attention is focussed on their female staff, leaving hardly any halaal attention for their wives. Brother, the situation is not going to get better. It will degenerate to the abominable level where the 'leader' of the Muslims will commit zina in public in the Mihraab of the Jaami' Musjid in Damascus. The Aalim of Haqq who will raise his voice in protest will be slain. May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on us and may He keep us firm on the Haqq until the very last breath of life. Q. Umrah Craze: This has become annual 'holy holidays'. They go to the Holy Cities but return without any moral and spiritual change. In fact, many come back worse than what they were before going. They continue with all their haraam dealings. Of what benefit is this Umrah craze? A. They don't go for Umrah. They have a lot of haraam and mushtabah money to waste, hence they don't acquire the taufeeq to spend adequately in the Path of Allah Ta'ala to secure their Aakhirat. They commit self-deception, duping themselves with their 'umrah' holiday tours. The fact that there is no improvement in their Deeni life is loud evidence for the rejection of their Umrah. This 'umrah craze' is also one of the signs of Qiyaamah. Q. What is the significance of burning lobaan when supplicating to Allah Ta'ala? A. There is no significance in burning lobaan (incense) relative to supplicating to Allah Ta'ala. Lobaan is good for eliminating harmful germs. But it has no relationship with ibaadat or dua. Q. I am attending an Arabic language class where the teacher is a female. Is it permissible for males to be taught by females? There is no separating screen. A. It is not permissible for you to learn from a female teacher. This relationship is fraught with moral danger. Search for a male teacher. Q. I purchased a gold coin several years ago. On what value should I pay Zakaat? A. Pay Zakaat on the current value of the gold coin. Q. How should Zakaat be calculated on salary? A. You don't pay Zakaat on salary. When your Zakaat year ends, then you have to pay Zakaat on whatever cash, gold, silver and stock-in-trade you have. What you have used up from your salary is not taxable by Zakaat. Q. My husband refuses to perform Salaat regularly. He goes for Jumuah and occasionally performs Salaat, sometimes once a day and sometimes twice a day. He sits for hours watching television. Does the Shariah allow me to adopt measures to compel him to perform Salaat? If yes, what can I do in an attempt to make my husband understand the importance of Salaat? A. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "The dividing line between Imaan and kufr is neglect of Salaat." In the endeavour to save your husband from losing his Imaan or from courting the Wrath of Allah Azza Wa Jal, you may institute the following measures: * Refuse speaking to him * Don't cook food for him * Deny conjugal relations * Make much dua for his hidaayat (guidance). Q. Before adopting Ihraam menses begins. What should the woman do? A. The menstruating woman has to enter the state of Ihraam. She should make niyyat and recite the Talbiyah. However, she will execute the rites of Umrah/Hajj only after attaining purity. Q. What should a woman do if haidh begins after she is in Ihraam? What if she and her mahram are in a group? A. If haidh begins after entering Ihraam, she only has to desist from entering the Musjid for Tawaaf. She has to remain in Ihraam until purity is attained. She and her mahram will just have to break from the group, delay their departure until she attains purity to enable her to complete the rites of Umrah/Hajj and then be released from Ihraam. While this may entail a financial burden, she will have to arrange a delay until attaining purity. Q. Haidh begins during the state of Ihraam. This woman travelling with a group accompanies them to Madinah for Ziyaarat while she is in Ihraam. On the return to Makkah should she adopt Ihraam again at the Meeqaat? A. When going out of the Meeqaat in the state of Ihraam, the Ihraam is not nullified. She will have to return from Madinah to complete her Umrah. Her Ihraam is still valid. When she crosses the Meeqaat again, she will be in Ihraam. She does not have to enter into a second Ihraam. Q. A person in I'tikaaf breaks his wudhu. Can he leave the Musjid to make wudhu although it is not his intention to perform Salaat or recite Qur'aan at that time? A. If the Mu'takif's (the one who is in I'tikaaf) wudhu has broken, then he has to leave the Musjid to make wudhu because it is not permissible to be inside the Musjid without wudhu even if he will not be reciting Qur'aan or performing Salaat. However, the Mu'takif who makes wudhu and does not perform Tahyatul Wudhu is most unfortunate. Q. Is it permissible for the Mu'takif to perform the Sunnat ghusl of Jumuah? A. It is not permissible for the Mu'takif to leave the Musjid to perform even the Masnoon ghusl for Jumuah. Q. I was told that after paying Zakaat on a sum of money, e.g. R100,000, Zakaat will not be payable on this money again. Minus the Zakaat of R2,500, the balance of R97,500 is no more Zakaatable. Is this correct? A. It is Fardh to pay Zakaat on all Zakaat assets every year, not only once. You have been grievously misinformed. Q. My brother is divorced and living with my mother in the family home. Does he have to pay rent to us? A. If he can afford to contribute towards the house expenses, then it is his duty to do so. If he is unemployed and lacks the means, then obviously he will not be in position to pay. The family should then accommodate him happily. Q. In a chain letter doing its rounds, a dua called Dua Nur is mentioned. It is said that if copies are not made and circulated, a calamity will befall one, and one will be deprived of Rasulullah's shafa'at (intercession) on the Day of Qiyaamah. Please comment. How authentic is this Dua? A. As long as there is no authentic reference for duas, etc., one should not follow and adopt it. Anyone can compile duas, etc. The claim that those who do not distribute 'this dua' will be deprived of Rasulullah's shafa'at is utterly baseless. It is a lie uttered in the name of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The intercession of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) will be for all those who practise the Sunnah. Instead of reciting this unsubstantiated dua, recite Durood Shareef in abundance, and make Tilaawat of the Qur'aan Majeed. Those who shun the Sunnah, will be deprived of Rasulullah's intercession. One should not disseminate unauthenticated material. Ignore all these chain letters. Q. Will a man's Nikah be valid to more than one wife if he knows that he cannot support them? A. It is permissible for a man to marry four wives. It is compulsory for him to provide equal financial expenses and equal nights to all his wives. A husband who discriminates between his wives with regard to these two aspects (support and nights) will rise on the Day of Qiyaamah with half of his body paralyzed. This is only one form of punishment. If he is unable to maintain more than one wife, then he should not marry again. However, the Nikah will be valid even if he knows that he is unable to maintain more than one wife. The effects and consequences of marriage come into existence only after Nikah. If a man gets married to a woman for the first time, i.e. she is his first wife, then too it is Waajib (compulsory) on him to support her and spend the nights with her. Just as it is compulsory to fulfil the rights of one wife, so too is it compulsory to fulfil the rights of the other wives. If a man believes that he will be unable to fulfil the rights of a second, third and fourth wife, then he should not get married to more women. However, the Nikah will be valid in the same way as the Nikah is valid with the first wife. For example, when a man married his first wife, he was fully aware at the time that he will be unable to support her financially nor afford to provide her a home. In this case too, he should not marry until such time that he can fulfil the rights of a wife. Nevertheless, if he does get married, the marriage will be valid. The same rationale applies when he marries a second wife. The Nikah will be valid. Failing to observe the rights of the wives is a separate sin. Q. Is it correct that a man has to treat his wives equally both financially and emotionally? A. Equality applies to financial support and night times. It does not apply to the emotional aspect. It is impossible to treat wives equally in terms of emotion. The Qur'aan makes it clear that a man is not blameworthy or sinful if there is no emotional equality. It is just natural to love one wife more than the other for a variety of reasons. However, he is not permitted to display his emotional inequality to the other wives. It is not permissible for the husband to discriminate between his wives and curtail any of their rights because he may love one wife more. Q. Does the first wife have a say in her husband's second marriage? Does the husband have to get her permission? A. The husband does not require the consent of the first wife for marrying a second wife. No wife will grant permission. A subsequent marriage is not reliant on the consent of the existing wife. Q. Is it permissible for a man to marry a second and third wife only for the sake of fulfilling his sexual desires? A. It is permissible for a man to marry another wife even if it is only for the sake of his sexual desires just as it is permissible to get married to one woman for the sake of sexual desire. All men marry primarily for this reason. The other aspects, e.g. procreation, caring for the women, etc., are by-products. Despite their fundamental importance, it is furthest from the minds of men when they marry. Only those with exceptionally high Taqwa have the other factors of altruism in mind. Q. If on the Day of Eid a person misses the two Sunnat raka'ts of Fajr, can he perform it after sunrise? A. On the Day of Eid, the two raka'ts Sunnat of Fajr which were missed should not be performed before the Eid Salaat. Perform it after the Eid Salaat. Q. In my country, Ghana, generally the people do not perform the two raka'ts Sunnat after the Fardh of Isha'. We follow the Maaliki Math-hab. What is the ruling of the Maaliki Math-hab regarding these two Sunnat raka'ts? A. Those who do not perform the Sunnat Muakkadah after the Fardh of Isha are in grievous error. It is not permissible to completely abandon this Sunnat Salaat. The two raka'ts Sunnat after the Fardh of Isha are Sunnat Muakkadah according to all four Math-habs. Q. Is it permissible to use in soft drinks carbon dioxide obtained from a brewery? Is such carbon dioxide halaal? A. All soft drinks are haraam in view of the alcohol content. Adding a substance acquired from a haraam brewery aggravates the prohibition. While the CO2 gas is halaal, it is not permissible to acquire it from a liquor brewery. Q. A Muslim woman is a lesbian. Does she remain a Muslim while she ascribes to lesbianism? A. A person remains a Muslim regardless of his/her sins. As long as the sinner believes that his/her sins are haraam, he/she remains a Muslim. However, if the lesbian believes that there is nothing wrong with lesbianism and that it is not sinful, then she is a kaafir. Q. A 'Muslim' lesbian was buried in a Christian cemetery. Is it permissible to visit her grave and make dua for her? A. In the case mentioned by you, it is not permissible to visit the Christian graveyard. Dua should also not be made. If the person had indeed died with Imaan, Allah Ta'ala is sufficient to take care of her. The signs are that she died without Imaan. And Allah knows best. May He save us from our own evil and keep us all steadfast on Imaan until the very last moment. Q. Is jelly halaal? Is it permissible to eat honey comb? A. All forms of jelly contain gelatine, hence haraam. It is permissible to eat the honey comb in honey. Q. Is it proper for the trustees of a Musjid to allow people to charge their cell phones in the Musjid? A. If anyone charges his phone in the Musjid he has to pay a fee which should be used for the Musjid. The committee members/trustees have no right to allow people to use the Musjid's electricity for private purposes without paying a fee. Q. Is it permissible to make Qur'baani of a bull which is one or two weeks under two years? The bull is healthy and fat. It can easily pass for a bull of two years and more. A. Qur'baani of a bull under two years is not valid even if it is just a day or two under the requisite two year stipulation of the Shariah. Q. Is it permissible to have two Aqeeqah shares in a Qur'baani bull? A. It is permissible. Q. I did not make my Waajib Qur'baani for about ten years. I intend to make qadha of the past years. Will one bull suffice for qadha Qur'baani of seven years? A. No, it will not suffice. If a bull is made Qadha Qur'baani, it will suffice for only one year. Q. Is it compulsory for those who are performing Hajj to make their Qur'baani in Makkah or can they do it anywhere else? A. The usual Qur'baani which is made every year may be made anywhere in the world. The animal which is sacrificed as a ritual of Hajj has to be incumbently made in the Haram. Q. Is it permissible to make Qur'baani of sheep without tails. Some Ulama say that it is permissible. A. Qur'baani of animals whose tails have been cut, including sheep, is not valid. Q. Fasting on the Day of Arafaat is Sunnat. What if the Day of Arafaat is one day earlier than the date in our country? A. We follow our local dates which are determined by our local sighting of the moon. We have to fast on 9th Zil Hajj, that is, when it is the 9th in our country, not the 9th in Saudi Arabia. Q. What is the ruling if a person performs Maghrib Salaat in Arafaat and Isha' in Muzdalifah? A. He has to compulsorily repeat Maghrib Salaat in Muzdalifah. Q. A man gave his wife one Talaaq, then took her back. After some time he gave her another Talaaq. Then before expiry of her iddat he took her back. A Mufti said that he should have waited for her iddat to end. Thereafter perform Nikah. He would then again have the right of three Talaaqs. Is this correct? A. The respected Mufti Sahib has made a grievous error in understanding the mas'alah. Even if Nikah was again performed after expiry of the iddat, the first two Talaaqs remain suspended. The expiry of the iddat and the nikah do not nullify the first two Talaaqs. Marriage to another man nullifies existing Talaaqs. The husband will have the right of only one Talaaq regardless of expiry of iddat and performance of nikah. Q. A shampoo contains a horse-tail. Is it permissible to use this shampoo? A. Since the horses are killed in un-Islamic ways, their meat products, fat, etc. are haraam. This ingredient in shampoo makes it haraam. Besides horse tail, these shampoos contain other haraam ingredients as well such as alcohol. Q. SANHA has announced that Parmalat yoghurt contains haraam gelatine. Please comment. A. What is there for commenting. When even halaalizers of Maitah (Carrion) says that a product is haraam, what doubt could anyone entertain? Although we do not believe that SANHA's announcement was motivated by sincerity, we nevertheless, agree that animal gelatine is haraam, and all products containing such gelatine is likewise haraam. Q. A person has braces in his mouth and a plastic palate. Is his ghusl valid? A. Ghusl will be valid for the person who has braces and a plastic palate. Since these cannot be removed while the treatment is continuing, ghusl will be valid. Q. Is ghusl valid if there is cement filled in one's teeth? A. Since the tooth cement becomes a permanent part of the teeth, ghusl will be valid. Q. A person while at home began the fast during the month of Ramadhaan. Then he went on a journey and along the journey he broke the fast. What is the penalty for this or was it permissible to break the fast? A. It was not permissible to have broken the fast without valid reason. He was required to have completed the fast even whilst travelling. Kaffaarah is not Waajib for having broken the fast on the journey. He has to make qadha of that day. Q. A woman did not pay Zakaat for a number of years. She is unable to recall what her financial status was each year. How should she compensate for the past unpaid Zakaat? A. The person who cannot determine her Zakaat position for the past years, should make Taharri (reflect) and seek a fatwa from the heart. Whatever her heart says, she should act accordingly. She should sincerely try to figure out whether she had to pay Zakaat or not. Q. What should a son do when his parents invite him and his wife for meals? His parents consume SANHA certified chickens, and the son believes that such chickens are haraam. A. The son should not eat their haraam food. He should inform them of the reason why he is abstaining from their food. He should not disrespect them or speak harshly with them, but at the same time he has to inform them that the chickens are diseased, haraam carrion. It is not permissible to obey the haraam wishes of parents. Q. Is it correct that if nothing is recited in the third and fourth raka't of Fardh Salaat, the Salaat is valid. One only has to stand for the duration of three Subhanallaah tasbeeh? A. In the third and fourth raka't of a Fardh Salaat, the Salaat will be valid even if nothing is recited. However, one should recite Surah Faatihah if one is a munfarid (that is, performing alone). But the Salaat will be valid even if the munfarid does not recite anything. Q. Can Ishraaq Salaat be performed with Jamaa't? How many raka'ts in Ishraaq? A. It is not permissible to perform Ishraaq Salaat with Jamaa't. It is bid'ah to perform it in Jamaa't. Ishraaq Salaat begins about 15 minutes after sunrise. Two, and preferably four raka'ts should be performed. Q. What advice can one give to a man who wants to commit suicide? He is overwhelmed by financial problems. A. Suicide, far from relieving a person of his problems, only leads to more problems. The purpose for suicide is to put an end to the grief/ problems. But this baseless idea will be logical for atheists who have no conception of what awaits after the soul leaves this material body. If a Muslim also thinks of suicide, then it is almost certain that he has no Imaan. After Maut, a person wakes up to the true reality. The man who commits suicide will have to repeat his act of suicide perpetually until the Day of Qiyaamah. In Barzakh he will suffer the agony of killing himself over and over again. It will be a never -ending process of self-immolation without death ever arriving. So when a man commits suicide, he does not in reality die. He only appears dead to the people of the world. The torment begins from the time of suicide until Qiyaamah and beyond Qiyaamah until as along as he will remain in Jahannum. Thus, the idea of gaining escape from worldly worries and problems by committing suicide is the effect of disbelief (kufr). There is no escape from the problems. Problems are meant for surmounting. The Muslim focuses his gaze on Allah Ta'ala, and he believes that every atom moves only with the command and direct intervention of Allah Azza Wa Jal. Not a leaf falls from a tree but with Allah's command. This world is the abode of trial and tribulation. It is not a place of comfort and happiness. A Muslim is always brave and he understands that these afflictions are Allah's decrees, hence, he accepts and resigns himself to the Pleasure of his Rabb (Creator and Sustainer). Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "It is of the good fortune of a man that he remains pleased with the decree of Allah." Therefore, the one who contemplates the cowardly act of suicide, should worry about his Imaan. Does he want to perish with kufr and assign himself everlastingly to perdition in Jahannum? Q. During his lifetime a man made a gift of a house to one of his wives. The house was transferred into her names as well while he was alive. The husband has passed away. He has left one other house. Does the wife who was given a house inherit in this house? A. Yes, she will inherit jointly with the other wife in all the assets left by the deceased husband. Whatever belonged to the husband on the day of his death will be inherited by the heirs. The two wives will jointly inherit one eighth of the assets of the deceased. They will share this one eighth equally. If the husband had unjustly favoured her with the house during his life time, he will answer for the injustice by Allah Ta'ala. But, his injustice does not affect her right of inheritance. Q. Is it permissible to visit darghas? A. Going to the dargahs (the mausolea and graves of the Auliya) is not permissible on account of the abundance of shirk and kufr and acts of grave-worship which are perpetrated there. FITNAH? Q. What is the meaning of 'fitnah' when it is related to females? What is meant by women being a 'fitnah' for men? A. Fitnah has many different meanings. In the context of intermingling of sexes it means sexual desire and lust. The Qur'aan describes this malady of lust also with the word, "maradh (a disease) in the heart". According to the Qur'aan, this malady exists in the hearts of all human beings regardless of their piety and status. Thus, the aayat commanding the erection of a screen between men and women if there is a need to speak, is in the first instance directed to the Holy Wives of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaabah. When it is said that a woman constitutes a 'fitnah' for men, it simply means that men will be sexually attracted to her. Hence Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said to the Sahaabah: "I have not left after me a greater fitnah for you than women." To block this fitnah, the Shariah has instituted very stringent restrictions which are Waajib to observe. This word is not always utilized in this context. The Qur'aan Majeed says: "Some of your wives and children are a fitnah." On this aayat it means a 'trial'. When wives and children divert a man from the Deen, then they are a fitnah for him. DREAMS Q. What are dreams? Please give some explanation. Do dreams influence a person's actions? A. There are different categories of dreams. Some dreams are true while others are false. Some dreams are the machinations of shaitaan, and some dreams are caused by even an upset stomach, especially when eating late at night. This kind of dream is drivel. Good dreams are from Allah Ta'ala, and they cause happiness, peace, and sometimes they act as warnings which make a person conscious of his moral life, and urge him to improve his Deeni life. Such dreams are usually seen just before Subh Saadiq (before Fajr Salaat time begins). Fearful dreams are mostly from shaitaan. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that when seeing a fearful dream and you wake up in the night, then recite Walahoula wala quw wata il laa bil laahil azeem; then spit on your left side; then turn around and sleep on the other side. Never narrate a bad/fearful dream to just anyone or to an ignoramus. Sometimes if a person blurts out a wrong interpretation, it happens accordingly. Therefore, if you narrate a dream, narrate it to a person of the Deen who is a man of wisdom. Dreams do not influence, and events do not happen because of dreams. What happens is that sometimes one sees a dream about something which is decreed to happen. It does not happen because of the dream. The dream is merely a sort of a notification of the event. Q. A Hanafi Mufti propagates the view that it is permissible to combine Zuhr and Asr in the tents on the Day of Arafaat. Is he correct? We have always understood that this is not permissible. A. The mufti can't be a Hanafi. Maybe he was born in a Hanafi home, but he will not be a proper or a staunch follower of the Hanafi Math-hab in view of his personal opinion presented as a 'fatwa' of the Shariah. Combining Zuhr and Asr in the camps/ tents in Arafaat is not valid, hence not permissible. If anyone commits this sinful deed, he should, in addition to performing the Asr Salaat over, make Taubah. The combination is valid only if these two Salaat are performed behind the Imaam in Musjid Namirah. No Math-hab teaches what this Mufti Sahib propagates. According to the Hanafi Math-hab, performing behind the Imaam of the Musjid in Arafaat on the Day of Arafaat is a shart (incumbent condition) for the validity of the combination. This is also the view of the Maaliki Math-hab. According to the Shaafi' and Hambali Math-habs, the combination is valid for only Musaafirs (Shar'i travellers) even on the Day of Arafaat. Thus, combination of the two Salaat on the Day of Arafaat according to these two Math-habs is the usual practice for Musaafirs. Those who perform Zuhr and Asr together in their tents, must perform Asr in its time. If anyone has combined the two Salaat erroneously in this manner, they should make Qadha of the Asr Salaat which was not valid. The view which the mufti had presented is in conflict of the 14 century Ijma' of the Hanafi Math-hab. http:// yupfarming.blogspot.com/2010/09/ warning-to-parents-vaccination.html by Jeremy Lasko It's now clear that the information the government has been giving out on vaccination is misleading at best. They are in fact urging parents to expose their children to risks they c o u l d e a s i l y a v o i d while unconstitutionally trying to stop parents from knowing about safe means of keeping their families well. In addition, the FDA, with its own scientists have warned about its corruption, is now arguing in court that people have no fundamental right to their health. In one thoughtful, thorough article by a mother trying to decide what to do for her own children, parents (and everyone else) have a chance to rethink the reality of vaccines. Excerpts: An unpublished study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on a "measles susceptible" (malnourished) group of children showed that the group who hadn't been vaccinated contracted measles at the normal contract rate of 2.4%. Of the group who had received the measles vaccine (MMR), 33.5% contracted measles. (i) In 1975 Japan raised the minimum age for infant vaccinations to 2 years. As a result, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or, crib death) and infant convulsions virtually disappeared. In the 80's, Japan lowered the minimum age back down to 3 months and the rate of SIDS returned to previous levels. (ii) In an Australian study, a group of recruits were immunized for Rubella, and all produced the expected antibodies. When later exposed to the disease, 80% of the recruits contracted it. (iii) ... Massachusetts in 1961 experienced a 'type II' polio outbreak and "there were more paralytic cases in the triple vaccinates than in the unvaccinated" (vii) In 1976, Dr. G.T. Stewart reported in the British Medical Journal that, "of 8,092 cases of whooping cough, 2,940 (36%) were fully immunized, while only 2,424 (30%) were definitely not immunized. (viii) Professor George Dick, speaking at an environmental conference in Brussels in 1973, admitted that in recent decades, 75% of British people who contracted smallpox had been vaccinated. This, combined with the fact that only 40% of children (and a maximum of 10% of adults) had been vaccinated, clearly shows that vaccinated people have a much higher tendency to contract the disease. (ix) Why has no one gotten this necessary scientific information? Warnings on the corruption of medical science and its impact at every level of medicine now appearing everywhere, related to psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry, to Harvard Medical School and the pharmaceutical industry, to local doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, to governments at national and international levels and the pharmaceutical industry. Because of corruption the swine flu pandemic itself was a corrupt scheme between the pharmaceutical industry's advisors and the WHO which announced the pandemic. The CEO's of the pharmaceutical industry even voted for that their own untested vaccines be made mandatory worldwide. Even the corrupt WHO has issued a warning about corruption at all levels of medicine by the pharmaceutical industry. Vaccines present the most severe danger because what they contain is unknown and untested, the pharmaceutical industry has been working with states and the national government to make them mandatory. The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for at least 100,000 people dying every year from properly prescribed prescription drugs - the fourth leading cause of death in the US (and that number does not include deaths from over the counter drugs or from illegal prescription drugs. They are responsible for pushing S 510 and S 3767 (plus 3 other bills this year alone) to remove h u m a n a c c e s s t o safe, crucial nutritional supplements, which would ensure deaths in the millions. But what they are doing with vaccines goes beyond even that for the pharmaceutical industry is attempting to get around the Nuremberg Code, put in place specifically to stop the forced medical experiments these companies conducted at Auschwitz where they killed people with unknown, untested vaccines. John Le Carre, the author of spy books, comments that "Compared to the reality of the drug industry, my book reads like a vacation post card." These companies were involved openly in genocide during WWII and have been committing covert genocide on an even greater scale since through the WHO's mandatory vaccination campaigns which have been sterilizing women without their knowing. This is why the CDC's behavior around the swine flu is relevant. The CDC grossly exaggerated swine flu cases and blocked an investigation into the data and there are concerns now that the CDC may be falsifying data on the thousands of miscarriages from last year's H1N1 vaccine. (What is an accurate count of the death toll from the H1N1 vaccines?). The CDC already knows this year's vaccines are causing narcolepsy and many times the "normal" number of febrile seizures but are now urging them on everyone over 6 months of age. They contain nanoparticles which makes them experimental, while the government said they were typical flu vaccines, as their means to skip testing them. This year they have mixed seasonal flu vaccines with H1N1 though a Canadian study last year showed those who'd had the flu vaccine and then got the H1N1 had a greater risk of becoming ill (as the article above shows, vaccination increases risk of disease, not lowers it). And now the FDA has a dangerous new rule allowing manufacturers to change or add any ingredient such as squalene with the approval of only one person at the FDA and no testing. The last "pandemic" was proven phony by the EU parliament and the WHO itself has been exposed by the BMJ. A health minister in Europe raised large warnings about the vaccines themselves. So, why is the US nonsensically still under the pandemic here (until 2012!). Why does a flu come with military and with pandemic laws in each state put in place in advance by Bush which include making vaccines mandatory if an "emergency" is declared? What does that mean when a pandemic emergency was already falsely declared? How does one ignore that these companies once experimented on and killed people with vaccines at Auschwitz? Or that their scientists were brought to the US by the Bushes who then undermined the science agencies here? Or that they lie about their products, and have received the largest criminal charges in history? Or that Bush's "terrorism" laws were put in place to be able to mandate their vaccines with no exemptions? The H1N1 vaccines are already transparently dangerous. On top of that, though, the FDA is removing controls over the manufacturers and all safeguards for the public despite what Baxter did last year that could have killed millions. Meanwhile HHS is asking media to censor information about vaccines and Frontline put out a distorted story on vaccines, leaving off medical concerns about them. None of this is good medicine and all of it is the opposite of protecting health. But parents only need to focus on one thing: vaccination increases the risk of their children contracting diseases. "In a Hadith-e-Qudsi, Allah Ta'ala said: "Man is my secret and I am his secret. Ilm-e-Baatin (spiritual knowledge – wisdom which is not attainable from the texts of books) is from My secrets. I inspire the heart of My pious servants with this knowledge. No one knows his inner state other than Me." Some people during their lifetime make a gift of their homes to their wives. After the death of the husband the wife discovers that the gift was not valid according to the Shariah, hence it forms part of the estate of her deceased husband. A gift (hibah) is valid only if it is denuded of the possessions of the giver (waahib). If a husband makes a gift of his house to his wife whilst his assets are still inside the house, the gift will not be valid notwithstanding any document and signatures of the parties and of witnesses. There are several ways of validating the gift of a house: 1) The husband has to remove all his possessions from the house and hand over the emptied house to his wife. Thereafter with her permission he may return his possessions. 2) He may make a gift of the house and of all its contents to his wife simultaneously. That is, the gift of the house and the contents is made in one transaction. If he makes a gift of the house first whilst his possessions are in the house, then follows it up by making a gift of contents, the gift will be valid only in the contents, not in the house. 3) If he has made a gift of the contents to his wife, then afterwards he may make a gift of the house to her. The first gift transaction pertaining to the house is not valid. It is therefore best to make a simultaneous gift of the house and the contents. It is essential to understand that when a husband makes a gift of the house and its contents to his wife, the gift is real, valid and the ownership of the wife is established. She will have the right to dispose of the house although in terms of Islam's moral code it is improper for the wife to make momentous decisions pertaining to even her own wealth and assets without consulting her husband. "Basically the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve – bones, eyes, guts, and all. Its crawling with bacteria. It will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it. Then because it tastes gross, it will be artificially reflavoured. Then because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial colour." This then is the haraam carrion filth and muck which carrion addicts devour. MIX-UP CASES * In 1999, in New York, a 40- year old white woman who underwent invitro treatment, gave birth to one black and one white child. After it was determined that she was implanted with the wrong embryo, she agreed to hand over the black child to his biological parents. * In 1993 a Dutch woman after invitro treatment, gave birth to twins – one was very dark-skinned. DNA tests established that the hospital had mistakenly mixed sperm from the woman's husband with that of a Black man. * Deriver, 37, who had six years of invitro treatment and who also gave birth to twins, said that she had dreaded such a mistake taking place during her own treatment. "It's always there in the back of your mind – what if they're not mine?" she said. "What if they put them on the wrong shelf?" (The New York Times) (RAHMATULLAH ALAYH) "Loneliness in isolation you will have to experience (one day in the grave). When Maut overtakes you, every close friend will sever ties with you, and every relative will be separated from you. Therefore, sever ties from them now before the time comes when they will desert you. Then the Qabr (Grave) will be the pathway to Allah Azza Wa Jal. It is the threshold to Allah Ta'ala. Therefore die before your Maut (as Rasulullah – sallallahu alayhi wasallam – said). Be dead to yourself and to others, for then you will be alive by Him…….. As for the Ahkaam (of the Shariah), they must be adhered to and preserved. Subhaanallaah! He has cloaked you with the protection of the Ahkaam and has removed the veils from your vision (Baatini vision) with Ilm of the Deen. You may be dressed in the garb of the Saaliheen (the Pious Auliya), while in our eyes you are a kaafir. Remember Maut often and what lies beyond. Reflect on the pleasures and torments of the Aakhirah. Contemplate on Allah Ta'ala and detach yourself from this world by purifying your heart and struggling against your nafs, and with war against the shayaateen (devils). Free yourself (from the dunya) and devote yourself to Allah Ta'ala." COMMENT: "Severing ties" in the context of Hadhrat Sayyid Abdul Qaadir Jilaani's naseehat is not to be construed to mean abandonment. It is not permissible to neglect rights and obligations imposed by the Shariah. The meaning of severing ties is: (1) Not to join relatives and friends in their misdeeds and acts which are in conflict with the Shariah. (2) Not to attach your heart to anyone. Only Allah Azza Wa Jal has a claim on the heart of man. Thus, rights and obligations will be faithfully discharged for the Sake of Allah Ta'ala since all impositions of the Shariah are the Ahkaam of Allah Azza Wa Jal. (3) To expel love of the world from the heart. "Kaafir in the garb of Saaliheen" refers to the Ahl-e-Bid'ah who worship graves and modernist, liberal sheikhs and molvis who legalize the prohibitions of Allah Azza Wa Jal. They are the ilk of the MPL clique and those who call for the reinterpretation of the Qur'aan and the debunking of the Ahaadith. "Let others eat to satisfaction, whilst you remain hungry. Let others covet respect whilst you aspire for humility. Let others become rich whilst you choose poverty. It is only for these objectives that I (i.e. Sayyid Abdul Qaadir Jilaani) train and teach you (the mureedeen). Today I am absolutely convinced that you can neither benefit me in anyway nor harm me in any way. You can neither add an atom to my Rizq nor take an atom from it. I acquired this truth while I was wandering in the deserts and the wildernesses. Indulgence in the gratification of nafsaani appetites will harden the heart, stunt the Sirr (the innermost spiritual recess of the spiritual heart), and blight the intelligence. It causes drowsiness and lethargy, thus intensifying indolence, greed and long distant hopes (toolul amal)." "The walls of the Deen of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) have been demolished. The Deen is crying for help – for someone to rebuild its walls. The Deen's river has run dry. Allah is no longer being worshipped. If he is worshipped at all, it is an outward display of hypocrisy. Who will lend a hand to reconstruct the walls of the Deen and to get the river running, and to smash the masters of nifaaq (hypocrisy)?" COMMENT: Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "The Deen started off forlorn (friendless and with no helper). Soon will it return to that state of forlornness. Therefore give glad tidings to the forlorn ones (the supporters of the Deen)." With regard to the hypocritical Salaat of show and ostentation, Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (radhiyallahu anhu) narrated the following Hadith: "There will dawn an age over the people when they will assemble in the Musaajid and perform Salaat whilst not a single one will be a Mu'min." "The Masters of Hypocrisy" in the current age are the so-called 'Muslim' professors and 'Doctors' giving effect to the orientalist plot to destroy Islam via the avenue of the 'Islamic Studies' faculties of the kuffaar universities. "O Prisoner of passion! O Slave of the world! O you who are ignorant of the ultimate consequences of your affairs! O you who are ignorant of creation and the Creator, Allah Azza Wa Jal! O you who are ignorant of what you owe and what is owed to you. If you fail to understand, then at least have the sense to remember Maut (Death). Remembrance of Death is the key of all goodness and of najaat (salvation in the Hereafter). If you remember Maut, you will not perpetrate all these excesses (transgressions and indulgence in nafsaani appetites). Every step you take, is a step towards the grave. You are on a journey to the grave." Q. I have recently been given an article on Muslim Personal Law written by Mufti Taqi Usmani a few years ago. It appears to me that Mufti Taqi has stated his views in a very unbiased and logical manner. While he points out the pitfalls of MPL, he is nevertheless supportive of the Bill, and he has presented logical grounds for his preference to participate in the MPL programme. I am sending the article to you in the hope that you will study it carefully and let us have your comments. A. The arguments presented by Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Uthmaani Sahib appear logical to you due to your lack of understanding what exactly the MPL bill is. We have perused the article and are surprised at the naivety of Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib. And, even more surprising is the naivety, to say the least and to put it very mildly, of Maulana Abbaas Ali Jeena who was a member of the Project Committee appointed to structure the Bill of Kufr. When even Maulana Jeena who is supposed to be a member of the Old Guard Ulama Fraternity, and when even the vast majority of South Africa's Ulama, and the vast majority of Muslim secular lawyers, even Judge Navsa, have miserably failed to understand the contents of the MPL bill in terms of the Shariah, then it is not so surprising to note the profound naivety displayed by Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib who admits in the article: "I was also asked to comment on the draft Bill at some stage. I did not at that stage have the necessary time to devote for a proper analysis of the Bill in order to express a properly considered opinion. I had however furnished my preliminary comments based on a superficial study of the Bill." (Emphasis ours – The Majlis) ……..Because the draft Bill underwent on going amendments, I could not keep in touch." Neither has Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib studied the Bill in depth nor has his 'superficial study' enabled him to understand the stark kufr of the MPL bill. If he had subsequently studied it –we believe that he did – then his silence on the kufr contents is indeed ominous. He had acted unjustly and unprofessionally by commenting on such a controversial issue as the MPL bill without having made a proper study of it. Furthermore, Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib is blissfully unaware of the vast latitude of judicial interpretation which the constitution empowers the country's courts. He lacks awareness of the striking down of provisions of statutes by the constitutional court. He has failed to understand that the courts in South Africa are not similar to the courts which functioned under the British colonial Raj of India 70/80 years ago when political expediency was the determinant. Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib has failed to understand that South African courts are not obliged to submit to laws which they interpret to be in conflict with the constitution. On the contrary they strike down such laws. In fact, Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib's ominous silence regarding the substantive issues of kufr of the MPL bill borders on complicity which we shall mildly ascribe to an acquired liberal attitude. Be that as it may, he did make the following averments which the MPL molvi-sheikh clique of the paper body UUCSA, the so-called 'United Ulama Council of South Africa, deemed expedient to conceal: "I had indicated that the draft Bill be given final form in consultation with local jurists (i.e. the Ulama of the country). ….. Because I am not conversant with South Africa's legal and constitutional system, I suggested that these issues be resolved jointly by the local Ulama and legal scholars. …..At the same time, I had indicated that the Bill should be prepared in consultation with, and through the concurrence of the local jurists. If, Allah forbid, fundamental changes are sought to be made, then consideration should be given to withdrawing the Bill from the legislative process." (Emphasis ours – The Majlis) None of these advices of Mufti Taqi Sahib was implemented by the MPL clique hell -bent on getting their kufr scrap bill accepted by the government. A fundamental discrepancy in Hadhrat Mufti Taqi's opinion is the ventilation of his theory in the mirror of MPL as it was administered 70 years ago by the British colonial Raj which had colonized the Indian subcontinent. This is a very brief response to your notion of Mufti Taqi's opinion on MPL for South Africa. If Allah Ta'ala bestows to us the taufeeq, we shall, Insha'Allah, publish a detailed response to every comment made by Hadhrat Mufti Taqi. His article is cluttered with discrepancies and red herrings. Hadhrat Hasan Basri (rahmatullah alayhi) said: "If the scholar (Aalim of the Deen) is not a Zaahid (a sincere abstainer from the love of the world), he will be a torment for the people of his age." This is the condition of the ulama-e-soo' of our era. They don't torture only chickens and they don't only produce carrion meat and chicken, they torment Muslims by torturing their Imaan with haraam food and haraam practices which they halaalize in the name of Islam. They convert the Imaan and Akhlaaq of Muslims into spiritual carrion by rendering halaal what Allah Ta'ala has made haraam. They are the wolves in sheep's skin and they are the devils in human bodies as said by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Tasawwuf or Sufi'ism is an integral constituent of Islam. Tasawwuf which has been erroneously described as 'mysticism', is the product of the Qur'aan and Sunnah. Tasawwuf is completely subservient to the Shariah. Any brand of sufi'ism/tasawwuf which is in conflict with the Shariah is Satanism. Elaborating this subject, Hadhrat Sayyid Abdul Qaadir Jilaani (rahmatullah alayh) classified these Satanists into several classes. 1) Hulooliyyah or the Incarnationists: They believe that it is lawful to stare at a woman or a man whether they happen to be wives or husbands, daughters or sisters, etc. They intermingle and dance together. 2) Haaliyyah: They claim to be in ecstasy. They are entranced by singing, jumping, shouting and clapping hands. They believe that their sheikhs are above the laws of the Shariah 3) Auliya-iyyah: They claim to have achieved divine proximity of the loftiest stage, hence all the injunctions of the Shariah are not applicable to them. They also claim that a wali has a higher status than a Nabi. They believe that while knowledge came to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) via Jibraeel (alayhis salaam), it comes to the wali directly from Allah Ta'ala. 4) Shamuraaniyyah: These heretics believe that the world is eternal. It never had a beginning nor will it ever end. They consider themselves above the ahkaam of the Shariah which they believe do not apply to them. There is nothing such as haraam and halaal in their belief concept. Musical instruments are used in their so-called religious rituals. They do not differentiate between man and woman regarding them to be the same. 5) Hubbiyah: They believe that when a person attains the stage of 'love', they are freed from the obligations of the Shariah. They also believe in nudism. They expose their private parts. 6) Huriyyah: They seek to gain ecstatic experiences by means of shouting, singing and clapping hands. They claim to having sexual relations with the houris of Jannat. 7) Mutakaasiliyyah: Laziness is a cardinal article of their faith. They beg from door to door for their sustenance. While they rot in their laziness they claim that this is renunciation of the world. 8) Mutajaahiliyyah: They deliberately feign ignorance, dress immodestly and emulate non-believers (They resemble the modernists of our age. – The Majlis) 9) Waafiqiyyah: They claim that no one can understand and know Allah Ta'ala, hence they deliberately abandon the Shariah on the basis of this corrupt assumption. 10) Ilhaamiyyah: They believe in ilhaam (inspiration). Thus they abandon knowledge and forbid its acquisition. They believe that the Qur'aan is a barrier for them. Poetry and music are their Qur'aan. (On the occasion when Allah Ta'ala expelled Iblees from the heavens, he supplicated for a 'qur'aan'. Granting his supplication, Allah Ta'ala informed him that his 'qur'aan will be poetry and singing. This group of Satanists follow him in this aspect. They receive their 'ilhaam' (inspiration) from shaitaan. – The Majlis) Besides these sects of Satanists, there were many others as well such as the Qalandaris (wandering beggars), Haydaris (those who pretend to be heroes) and Adhamis (those who fraudulently pretend to follow Hadhrat Ibraahim Adham's path of renunciation. He had abandoned the throne of Balkh). A very prominent sect of Satanists in our era is the Qabar Pujaari sect. They worship the graves of dead saints and claim to ascend to lofty spiritual stages via the avenue of ecstasy while in reality their 'ecstasy' is nothing but pure hallucination, the product of smoking dagga (hashish) and opium. Their headquarters are always located at the graves of Auliya which they have converted into haunts of shirk and kufr. Hadhrat Abdul Qaadir Jilaani (rahmatullah alayh) states in his kitaab, Sirrul Asraar that there are two signs of the people of Truth who follow the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). One sign is zaahir (external). They follow the ahkaam of the Shariah meticulously. They are firmly fettered to the Shariah. The other sign is baatin (internal –spiritual). They follow the Akhlaaq-e-Hasanah (Beautiful Moral Character) of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Thus, they are firmly anchored to the Shariah and the Sunnah. And, this is the Naaji group – the only group of the 73 sects, which will attain salvation in the Aakhirah. Warning Muslims of the Satanist trap of deception, Hadhrat Sayyid Abdul Qaadir Jilaani (rahmatullah alayh) says in his kitaab: "Beware, O Traveller in search of the Truth! Beware of the blind leading the blind. Your sight should become so fine to enable you to distinguish between the slightest particle of good and evil." The diseased artificial eggs produced most cruelly by the egg industry have exploded the toleration of even the American kuffaar. Animal Voice, in its September 2010 issue writes: "As the American egg industry reels from the recall of half-a-billion eggs for possible salmonella infection, the Humane Society of the United States is asking consumers to remember that the egg industry's cruel confinement of hens in tiny cages is not only inhumane, but potentially hazardous to our health too. Says, the HSUS: "An abundance of science shows that forcing hens to suffer inside cramped cages increases salmonella risk." The society then asks people to sign an online pledge to avoid eggs from caged hens. Please do the same here in South Africa by signing the Ethical Eggs petition at www.activist.co.za/ethicaleggs Over 2000 South Africans have signed the petition so far, and when it reaches 5000 it will be presented formally to retailers. Also visit www.activist.co.za/ feedback Just as diseased as the halaalized carrion chickens are the artificial eggs produced under exceptionally cruel conditions to which the hens are subjected. It is indeed a horror tale. It is incumbent on Muslims to abstain from these diseased eggs. When the U.S.A. has recalled half-a-billion eggs for dumping, it speaks volumes for the disease which these eggs of cruelty cause. CHICKS GROUND ALIVE "Washington – Animal rights ac- tivists have released a film that shows thousands of discard- ed male chicks being ground up alive – cruel treatment which they said is typical right across the poultry industry. by Hy-Line, which has Launched an 'immediate' probe. Mercy said 150,000 male chicks are separated from females and, unable to produce eggs, dropped into a grinding machine. Over 30 million male chicks meet their fate this way each Year at this facility." (The Herald) 30,000,000 chicks ground up alive every year! This is the product of halaalized brutality only at one chicken brutality facility. Tens of millions more chicks are ground up alive every year by other similar satanic facilities. The same brutal satanism is practised in South Africa by the chicken industry. This is the haraam brutality which the halaal certificate vendors promote. Muslims should not labour under any misconception regarding the effects of this shaitaani brutality on their hearts. The consequences of this brutality on the hearts of those who devour Rainbow, Early Bird, County Fair, Rocklands chickens and the chickens of the other myriad of chicken torturers including the restaurant outlets which sell this diseased haraam 'halaalized' filth, is morally and spiritually disastrous. IT IS THE WAAJIB OBLIGATION OF EVERY MUSLIM TO KICK THE CARRION ADDICTION – TO GIVE UP DEVOURING DISEASED, HARAAM CARRION CHICKENS, THE PRODUCTS OF BRUTALITY. IT DOES NOT BEHOVE MEN AND WOMEN OF IMAAN WHO PERFORM SALAAT AND FAST TO DEVOUR ROTTEN CARRION LIKE VULTURES. REMEMBER MEAT AND CHICKENS WHICH THE SHARIAH BRANDS 'MAITAH' IS ROTTEN, DISEASED HARAAM MEAT UNFIT FOR EVEN DOGS. Q. I wanted to know the halaal position of Nandos chickens, and I spoke to a colleague of mine who spoke to Maulana Yunus Patel who said that in order to combat the doubt it was causing, he (Maulana Patel) and 14 other Ulema went to the Rainbow farms in order to investigate. To the best of his knowledge the chickens are halaal. Please comment. A. All those ulema who after having visited the Rainbow chicken-killing plant, claim that the carrion is 'halaal' and that there is not even a doubt in this diseased rot, can convey their opinions to the baboons in the Drakensberg mountain rage. We are positive that even the baboons will reject the notoriety which these ulema are blabbing in the name of the Deen. A molvi who says that there is not even a doubt in the horrifically murdered chickens, killed by the system of shaitaan should understand that he has conclusively joined the fraternity of ulema-e-soo'. Ask Mufti Afzal Elias Hoosen Sahib. He too was one of the 14 who had visited the Rainbow halaalized carrion plant. His verdict is that the carrion is emphatically HARAAM. It is utterly scandalous and slanderous for ulema to make these haraam claims which they do on account of animosity for the Majlis and for retaining their haraam friendship with the SANHA clique of carrion halaalizers. They support each other is sin and transgression in stark violation of the Qur'aanic command. These notorious ulema who find nothing wrong with SANHA's wholehearted adoption and halaalizing of the brutal kuffaar killing system and with the complete displacement of the Waajib system of the Shariah, have hearts of stone. Nay! Their hearts are harder than stone. About these corrupt and desensitized hearts who do not believe that tomorrow when they perish they will have to face Allah Ta'ala to answer for their condonation and promotion of one of the worst kinds of torture and cruelty to Allah's creatures, the Qur'aan Majeed says: "Then their hearts became hard after this. Their hearts are like stone or harder than stone, for verily, from stone most certainly rivers gush. And Verily, some stones (rocks) split open and water gush out. And, verily, some from them (stones) roll (from high ground) out of fear for Allah. Allah is not oblivious of what you are perpetrating." These ulema who halaalize brutality, cruelty and carrion should take stock of the condition of their corrupt hardened hearts. Their self-imposed function is nowadays restricted to supporting carrion halaalizers, modernists and a medley of enemies of the Deen in a variety of spheres. Never be deceived by their haraam 'halaal' announcements. There exists a deluge of evidence to conclusively prove that these SANHA and MJC halaalized chickens are absolutely haraam – rotten, diseased carrion which gives you cancer. If you wish to take a chance with cancer, then gobble the carrion like vultures. The gluttonous addiction to carrion chickens ruins Imaan and utterly destroys akhlaaq (moral character). If you are concerned with your physical and spiritual health, then abstain from the diseased haraam carrion which the purveyors of confounded 'halaal' certificates promote at the peril of extinguishing their Imaan. It is not that these haraam pedlars are unaware of the status of their halaalized carrion chickens. They are fully aware. For years they and the molvis and sheikhs in cahoots with them for the sake of gaining a share of the haraam riba boodle have tried, but in vain, to conceal the mass and the mountain of evidence which has damned them into Hell where they shall hang upside down just like they are brutalizing and torturing billions of chickens to death. Their brains and their hearts are all upside down. Their Imaan is upside down. They view all things hanging upside down hence they believe that right is left and vice versa, and black is white, night is day, and haraam is halaal. MAULANA YUNUS PATEL SAHIB Furthermore, your colleague has misinformed you with regard to the alleged inspection by Maulana Yunus Patel Sahib. Maulana Yunus denies having gone to Rainbow for an inspection. The following is the text of his letter dated 24 October 2010: "I did not go to Rainbow with the 14 Ulama or Muftis. I have maintained my standard reply that the Mujlisul Ulama declares Rainbow Haraam. Sanha's Muftis and Ulama give 100% assurance that it is Halaal. The person should follow whomsoever he has confidence in." In the question you explicitly state: "A colleague of mine spoke to ML Yunus Patel (from Mallinson) and said that in order to combat the doubt that it was causing, he (Patel) and 14 other Ulema went to the Rainbow farms in order to investigate, and to the best of his knowledge it is halaal. My colleague also mentioned that ML.Yunus Patel is also part of the Jamiatul Ulama. He said if you have any questions you can contact him on 088 11 44 726. Ask for Mufti Shafik Jakura." Brother, these are your words, including the word, 'Patel', in brackets, and including the brackets. We make specific reference to your word in brackets, viz., 'Patel', lest we be accused of having divested and denuded the honourable Maulana Sahib of his august title. Your colleague has falsely claimed that Maulana Yunus Patel Sahib said that Rainbow is Halaal. Now who has spoken a brazen lie? Your colleague or the honourable Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb with regard to the inspection. We believe that your colleague has attributed a blatant lie to Maulana Patel Sahib. The other angle to this issue is that the honourable Maulana Patel Sahib's answer as stated in his own letter is incorrect. He states the view of the Mujlisul Ulama and the view of the Carrion Halaalizer (SANHA). Both views are diametric opposites. Then diverging from the command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to abstain from Mushtabah (the Doubtful), the honourable Maulana Yunus Patel Sahib very surprisingly says: "The person should follow whomsoever he has confidence in." This advice is highly erroneous in view of its clash with the command of Nabi-e-Kareem (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Whenever the conflict is between Haraam and Halaal, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) ordered ABSTENTION. A conflict between Halaal and Haraam clearly assigns the issue into the realm of Mushtabah although the evidence does not permit assigning SANHA's carrion into the Mushtabah zone. Nevertheless, an Aalim who is unaware of the facts and reality, but has in front of him two diametrically opposite views on the same issue, has no option but to advise people to abstain in view of the confirmed Mushtabah status in terms of his inability to discount either of the views. Thus, the only option open to the honourable Maulana Patel Sahib is to advise his followers to abstain from SANHA certified rotten, diseased carrion even if he does not accept the carrion chickens to be carrion. The 'standard' reply offered by the honourable Maulana Yunus Patel Sahib does not offer Shar'i guidance to anyone. You should request the Maulana Sahib to state his view. Surely he must be advising his mureeds and close relatives. Ask him if he and his close mureeds consume SANHA carrion or not, or is he acting on Rasulullah's command of abstention from Mushtabah? If according to the honourable Maulana Sahib, SANHA's carrion chickens are not haraam and not halaal, then what are they? You can respectfully request the honourable Maulana Yunus Sahib to unravel this conundrum for you. The underlying tafseer of this mystery is not too intricate to unravel. But we shall desist from elaboration. Supplicate to Allah Ta'ala to save you from the vile tentacles of the agents of shaitaan. IVF (in vitro fertilisation), - the test-tube baby technique - is an unnatural medical technique to impregnate infertile females. The fertilization process is executed in the laboratory, and the resultant embryo is then introduced into the woman's womb. In this unnatural method the sperm of the husband is acquired by him having to masturbate. This is the first haraam and mal-oon (accursed) abomination which has to be committed. The process is initiated with a major act of immorality. The elements required for this process, which are obtained from the husband and the wife, are then stored. The embryo developed outside the human is later introduced into the womb. Some Muftis when answering questions, adopt an extremely lackadaisical attitude. They lack wisdom and fail to understand the gravity of the office of Ifta' (issuing fatwas). A Mufti has to have wisdom and an in depth understanding of the people and environment. He should be able to comprehend the far reaching consequences of his fatwa. It is despicable for a Mufti to blurt out and dole fatwas as if he is answering some type of amusement quiz such as the shaitaaniyyat which pollutes the Shaitaani radio stations. For example, a Mufti answering the question: 'Is IVF permissible?', blurts out without thinking and without being aware of the entire procedure involved in this technique. It is imperative for the Mufti to have adequate awareness of the procedure from beginning to ending. If he lacks this information, then it is Waajib for him to inform the questioner that he does not know and that the question should be referred to another Mufti. However, nowadays, Muftis suffering from the malady of pride, deem it below their dignity to say: 'I don't know.' Hence, they will issue perfunctory 'fatwas' which mislead people and which involve them in haraam acts. The Mufti who summarily says that IVF is permissible, acquits himself unprofessionally notwithstanding him suspending the permissibility on the fact that the sperm must be that of the husband. It is a display of gross ignorance by the Mufti to say IVF is permissible if (and this is an extremely big if) the sperm is that of the husband. This is not the whole issue. This Mufti fails to take into account the following factors: • That the haraam act of masturbation has to be committed for the acquisition of something which is not commanded by the Shariah. That there is absolutely no guarantee that the sperm of the husband is utilized in the fertilization process. This condition on which a Mufti basis his fatwa of permissibility is practically non-existent. He is unaware of the many mix-ups which have happened. The sperm of other men is used and introduced into his wife. He is ignorant of the fact that the entire process is executed by fussaaq and kuffaar physicians who are the supervisors and the controllers. There is no 100% pious Muslim supervision from the time the sperm has been acquired in the haraam manner until the time of introduction into the woman. When the Shariah stipulates 100% Muslim supervision and a 100% Halaal Chain for even meat to remain halaal, then the importance of a Halaal Chain of supervision regarding such a delicate issue as IVF can be fully understood and appreciated. The supervision and control have necessarily to be 100% perfect. Far – extremely far from perfection is the supervision and control in the IVF process. In fact there is absolutely no Shar'i supervision to ensure without the slightest vestige of doubt that the matter introduced into the wife is that of her husband. Some reports on 'mix-ups' are reproduced here to give an idea of the gross neglect and total lack of Shar'i supervision. Should it momentarily be assumed that both the aforementioned corrupt and haraam elements are eliminated and no Shar'i violation is committed regarding the acquisition of the husband's sperm and the storage process, then too this technique is not permissible. Allah Ta'ala states in the Qur'aan Majeed: "The sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. He creates whatever He wishes. He bestows females to whomever He wishes, and He bestows males to whomever He wishes. And to whomever He wishes He bestows male and female. And, He creates barren whomever He wishes." There are similar Qur'aanic verses pertaining to the same subject. Allah Ta'ala decrees creation. A soul will be born only by the will and command of Allah Azza Wa Jal. No technique can thwart the Divine Ordinance. This issue is like the pursuit of Rizq commanded by Allah Ta'ala. While it is incumbent to seek Rizq (sustenance), the quest has to be confined to halaal methods. This world is the abode of test and trial. He who is unsatisfied and desires to procure his rizq in just any way will obtain it even by plodding the path of haraam. Similarly, he who desires to gratify his carnal lust will acquire offspring in a haraam manner with all its miserable consequences. In this earthly life we are commanded to adopt a measure of abstinence within the strict confines of the Shariah. What is haraam, doubtful, unnatural and in conflict with even the moral spirit of Islam must necessarily be shunned. Thus, couples who appear to be barren, should repose their trust in Allah Ta'ala. While they may resort to medical treatment, it is not permissible to pursue the treatment beyond the confines of the Shariah. It is imperative to conduct oneself within even the moral limits of Islam. Tawakkul (Trust in Allah), Qanaa-at (to be contented with Allah's decrees), Ridha (to be pleased with Allah's Decree), Dua (supplication) and Tafweedh (assigning one's affairs to Allah Ta'ala), are all imperative requisites, the pursuit of which is Waajib. These noble attributes of moral excellence so necessary for the acquisition of spiritual elevation are not hobbies nor voluntary options. They are Imaani imperatives, the cultivation of which is Waajib. These are among the objectives of worldly life. Apart from the Shar'i prohibition, IVF also violently conflicts with the moral concepts of Islam. Islam is a combination of the Zaahir and the Baatin (the physical and the spiritual – the esoteric and the exoteric – the inward and the outward). It is haraam to dispense with any one of these two vital complements. Minus one wing, the Bird cannot fly. It will be a ready victim for any predator. We advise and admonish the Muftis to exercise circumspect and responsibility when answering questions, and to profess their inability to answer without hesitation if they lack knowledge, awareness or adequate information germane to the question. Was-salaam. People always ask for alternatives. If investing in Riba banks is haraam, what is the alternative they retort? Whether there is an alternative or not, is immaterial. Abstention from haraam and from the Wrath of Allah Azza Wa Jal, and from the punishment of Jahannum does not require alternatives. If something is haraam, abstention is Waajib whether there exists an alternative to the haraam or not. The ahkaam (laws –the commands and prohibitions) are not reliant on the existence of alternatives. Thus, if there is no halaal chicken – if there is only SANHA and MJC halaalized carrion chicken – it is gross ignorance and satanism (shaitaaniyat) to argue that as long as halaal chicken is not available, we shall continue to devour the haraam carrion chicken and carrion meat which are haraam for even dogs. Similarly, it is total obliviousness of the commands of Allah Ta'ala bordering on disbelief to argue that as long as there is no halaal monetary investment, indulgence in Albaraka's and Oasis' haraam riba deals should continue. Anyhow, there is a very lucrative monetary investment, and that is gold coins. In 2001 the price of a one ounce krugerrand was R1,725. In 2007 it was R4550. Today it is in excess of R10,000. Those who had acquired these gold coins in 2001 have made a profit of approximately 600%. Those who have bought in 2007 have profited about 120%. No riba bank can ever hope to pay such dividends. People should withdraw their savings from the riba banks and invest in gold coins. If there are safety concerns in keeping the gold treasure at home, it could be saved in boxes held in the vaults of banks. In this case the lesser of the evils will be to hire lockers in non-Muslim banks. It is not permissible to deal with Muslim-owned banks who deal in riba and disguise their haraam products with Shar'i terminology. The price of gold has continuously risen. Gold and silver are the only original currencies recognized by Islam. 'Food' which does not decompose after six months and even years is not food. Even rats bypass such diseased 'food'. The junk 'food which Muslims devour with relish at the variety of haraam carrion restaurants is not food. The following article discusses this poisonous, carrion filth and diseased so-called 'food'. WON'T DECOMPOSE THIS IS A GENERAL WARNING WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID EATING ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT By Mike Adams, The Health Ranger, Editor of Natural News The latest "new" discovery by the mainstream media is that McDonald's Happy Meal hamburgers and fries won't decompose, even if you leave them out for six months. This story has been picked up by CNN, the Washington Post and many other MSM outlets which appear startled that junk food from fast food chains won't decompose. Why don't McDonald's hamburgers decompose? So why don't fast food burgers and fries decompose in the first place? The knee-jerk answer is often thought to be, "Well they must be made with so many chemicals that even mold won't eat them." While that's part of the answer, it's not the whole story. The truth is many processed foods don't decompose and won't be eaten by molds, insects or even rodents. Try leaving a tub of margarine outside in your yard and see if anything bothers to eat it. You'll find that the margarine stays immortal, too! Potato chips can last for decades. Frozen pizzas are remarkably resistant to decomposition. And you know those processed Christmas sausages and meats sold around the holiday season? You can keep them for years and they'll never rot. With meats, the primary reason why they don't decompose is their high sodium content. Salt is a great preservative, as early humans have known for thousands of years. McDonald's meat patties are absolutely loaded with sodium -- so much so that they qualify as "preserved" meat, not even counting the chemicals you might find in the meat. To me, there's not much mystery about the meat not decomposing. The real question in my mind is why don't the buns mold? That's the really scary part, since healthy bread begins to mold within days. What could possibly be in McDonald's hamburger buns that would ward off microscopic life for more than two decades? As it turns out, unless you're a chemist you probably can't even read the ingredients list out loud. Here's what McDonald's own website says you'll find in their buns: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin. Great stuff, huh? You gotta especially love the HFCS (diabetes, anyone?), partially-hydrogenated soybean oil (anybody want heart disease?) and the long list of chemicals such as ammonium sulfate and sodium proprionate. Yum. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Now here's the truly shocking part about all this: In my estimation, the reason nothing will eat a McDonald's hamburger bun (except a human) is because it's not food! No normal animal will perceive a McDonald's hamburger bun as food, and as it turns out, neither will bacteria or fungi. To their senses, it's just not edible stuff. That's why these bionic burger buns just won't decompose. That's the real story here. It's not that McDonald's hamburgers won't decompose; it's that people are stupid enough to eat them. But you won't find CNN reporting that story any time soon. "IVF BABY GIVEN TO WRONG WOMAN - This was front-page in one of the U.K. papers that I read coming back from The Netherlands. Coincidentally, I briefly saw an in-vitro fertilization lab in The Netherlands last week. Part of our discussion was around process proofing and the need to avoid giving the wrong embryo to the wrong couple. So, the timing was interesting to see that this exact type of error occurred in England. A couple's last embryo had been given to the wrong couple, ruining their chances at a sibling to their only child….. The error was made by an overworked trainee doctor who failed to carry out strict checks that require all fertility procedures to be witnessed and verified. I know what happens when people are "overworked" – they are under time pressure and they end up often cutting corners – and this is when errors occur. …..I wonder how long these conditions were in place before an error actually occurred (or was actually detected)? …..An urgent HFEA investigation into the incident found that vital safety checks were not being carried out at the clinic and that overworked staff were being placed under too much pressure to clear a backlog of cases. But there are now fresh questions over the HFEA's effectiveness as a watchdog as it had previously been told of two other 'near-misses' at the clinic – also understood to involve failures in ensuring procedures were properly witnessed by other staff – just months before the latest incident. So this had been going on for some time. …..A few more details emerged, including: the embryo was also taken from an incubator that was carrying embryos for other patients, which goes against good-practice guidelines because of the possibility of making an error. It is understood that staff at the clinic - based in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff – had been under enormous pressure because of an increased workload as the clinic accepted a higher volume of cases." "No generic tests are carried out to ensure that the right embryos are implanted into the right woman, so fertility clinics rely on a complex set of checks to avoid mistakes. In this case, The SUN reported, it is unclear whether the Black couple's fertilized egg was mistakenly implanted in the white woman, or whether the black man's sperm had been used to fertilize the white woman's egg. Apart from being a tragedy for the parents involved, it is also a major embarrassment for the National Health Service ……………………… The big problem now is, who are the real parents of the twins?" (The New York Times) LONDON, July 8 — A white couple have become the parents of black twins after a mistake by a fertility clinic during in-vitro fertilization in what appears to be the first case of its kind in Britain. The mix-up was first reported by the newspaper The Sun. In response, the High Court issued an injunction forbidding the publication or broadcasting of details of the case. The case also involves a black couple who sought treatment at the same clinic but did not have any children afterward. A court case this fall will address the question of who the legal parents are. (The New York Times) In this case, despite the black couple having undergone the in-vitro treatment, they did not beget children. There are many similar cases where the technique has failed to yield the desired results. Allah Ta'ala is the Sole Creator. The technique works only if the appearance of the soul has been decreed by Allah Ta'ala. SINGAPORE A SINGAPORE private medical centre apologised for a sperm mix-up in an in vitro fertilisation treatment that resulted in the baby having DNA different to that of the putative father. "We fully empathise with the couple and are very sorry and distressed about what has happened," said Cheng Li Chang, medical director of the Thomson Fertility Centre. A DNA test in a Hong Kong laboratory at the parents' request showed that the baby, who was born on October 1, had the mother's DNA but not the official father's, their lawyer said; — AFP The Times, 5 Nov 2010 (Sept. 21) — In a few short weeks, Carolyn Savage will give birth after going through a vitro fertilization. But she and her husband will be forced to say hello and goodbye in just a few moments before they give the baby up — because the baby she's carrying belongs to someone else. Savage was implanted with another couple's embryos at an Ohio fertility clinic in February. "They delivered the worst news of our life," her husband, Sean Savage, told Meredith Vieira on NBC'S 'Today' show Monday. He received the call from the clinic that his wife was pregnant, but with another couple's child. They were told they could either terminate the pregnancy, which wasn't something they wanted to do because of their religious beliefs, or carry the foetus to term and then give him to his biological parents." (AOL NEWS) The known cases of invitro-mix -ups merely represent the tip of the iceberg. Whilst the physicians involved in this technique will defend the system, saying that the mix-up danger is "a one in a million chance", the facts and figures belie them. And, for Muslims in a matter of this nature, even a "one in a million chance" is too much of a chance. Men who consume liquor and devour pork and carrion will most certainly be the victims of neglect and carelessness. This is aggravated by the near-impossibility of discovery. Mix-up discoveries are the rare exceptions. This technique in terms of Islam is an immoral system. A Muslim husband who is able to tolerate his wife being submitted to the gross indignity of nudity in the custody of kuffaar and fussaaq physicians who handle and mishandle her, must be an extraordinary, or better, an abominable dayyooth (immoral cuckold), bereft of honour and shame. When the human being is discontented with Allah's decree, he degenerates to sub-animal levels. All shame and honour are sacrificed at the altar of carnal gratification.