A witness for or against us in our direst moment of truth, yet so neglected! 7 Reasons to Read the Glorious Quran By: Shabir Ali (edited) (1) Intimate: It dares you to disprove it. How? It says that humans can not write a book like this even if they pooled all their resources together and got help also from the Jinns. The Quran said this fourteen hundreds years ago and yet no one has been able to disprove it. Billions of books have been written - but not another one like the Quran. (2) Incorruptible: It is the only religious sacred writing which has been in circulation for such a long time and yet remains as pure as it was in the beginning. The Quran was kept intact. Nothing was added to it; nothing was changed in it; and nothing was taken away from it ever since it was completely revealed 1400 years ago. (3) Unsurpassable: The Quran is God's final revelation to humankind. God revealed the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus, and finally the Quran to Muhammad SALLI ALLAHI ALAIHI WA SALLAM . Peace be upon all of them. No other book will come from God to surpass his final revelation. (4) Indisputable: The Quran withstands the test of time and scrutiny. No one can dispute the truth of this book. It speaks about past history and turns out right. It speaks about the future in prophecies and it turns out right. It mentions details of physical phenomena which were not known to people at the time; yet later scientific discoveries confirm that the Quran was right all along. Every other book needs to be revised to accord with modern knowledge. The Quran alone is never contradicted by a modern discovery. (5) Your Roadmap for Life and Afterlife: The Quran is the best guidebook on how to structure your life. No other book presents such a comprehensive system involving all aspects of human life and endeavour. The Quran also points out the way to secure everlasting happiness in the afterlife. It is your roadmap showing how to get to paradise. (6) God's Gift of Guidance: God has not left you alone. You were made for a reason. God tells you why he made you, what he demands from you, and what he has in store for you. If you operate a machine contrary to it's manufacture specification you will ruin that machine. What about you? Do you have an owner's manual for you? The Quran is from your function for success lest you fail to function. It is a healing mercy from God. It satisfies the soul, and cleans the heart. It removes doubts and brings peace. (7) Your Calling Card to Communicate with God: Humans are social creatures. We love to communicate with other intelligent lifes. The Quran tells us how to communicate with the source of all intelligence and the source of all life- the One God. The Quran tells us who God is, by what name we should address God, and the way in which to communicate with God. Are these not seven sufficient reasons for reading the Quran*? *at least a Juz a day (according to the Sunnah) ( the best of actions is the one done regularly). The goal is not only to read it but to ponder on its meaning and abide by it patiently, hence why learning Arabic is so crucial while attending Tafsir classes is one of the most profitable way to spend one's time...

Yusuf Hamied, generic drugs boss says he could save millions from death if the western giants would waive their patent rights and more governments would buy his drugs (The Guardian) The drug barons consider him a pirate and a thief. Yusuf Hamied, a Cambridge-educated multi-millionaire who lives for the summer months in what used to be Lady Shirley Porter's London apartment, believes he is doing Ghandi's bidding. He manufactures perfect copies of many of the world's best and most important medicines and sells them at a snip. Dr Hamied and his family are certainly very rich but many poor people owe him their health, without which they would be destitute indeed. The question of Dr Hamied's motivation is absorbing but at the end of the day irrelevant. What matters is that he exists. He single-handedly broke the cartel of the big drug companies by offering to supply Aids drugs at less than a tenth of their prices. That audacious offer at a big European Commission meeting on Aids in September 2000 ("you could hear the breath being sucked out of the room" said Bill Haddad, former New York Post investigative journalist turned US generics boss) made everything possible. The assumption that Aids drugs were not for the poor - that they could not afford them and therefore that there was no point even thinking about ways to get people treated - was blown out of the water. Now, in the post-Hamied era, the genie will not go back in the bottle. The big drug companies have been forced to drop their prices for these new and powerful drugs and offer them to a market they had no interest in developing - the impoverished African states where a whole generation of parents, teachers and workers are dying. Dr Hamied's prices are still lower - his Bombay-based company, Cipla, offers a three drug cocktail for around $304 per year which used to sell for around $12,000 and would now cost $727 from the brand-name companies. And yet his sales are few in countries where the need is desperate. Fewer than 50,000 people are being treated out of nearly 30 million infected with the lethal HIV virus in Africa, and - although Malawi is buying them - most of those are not getting Cipla's drugs. Part of the reason is money - $304 is still impossible in countries with a per capita income of under $200 a year. But another part of it is a fight-back by the US and Europe based big-name pharmaceutical industry, which has long wanted to wipe the buccaneering generics companies off the face of the planet. Their long-term strategy to do that, through a World Trade Organisation agreement called Trips (trade related intellectual property rights) - which will sign up every nation to protect patents on new drugs for 20 years - is now in jeopardy because of the Aids crisis and Cipla's affordable medicines. The drug giants have dropped their prices and argue that there is no need for generic piracy. But many of those who are concerned about the damage being wreaked on the economies of poor nations by a single virus have come to believe that it is not safe for the world to rely on voluntary price reductions by generous drug barons for desperately needed medicines to keep poor people alive and nations stable. Campaigners in the US and Europe, as well as governments in developing countries, now see generics - or the threat of them - as the only way to get affordable medicines for all sorts of diseases that afflict the population of poor countries and damage their economies. Just over a year ago, they secured an exemption clause to Trips, called the Doha Declaration, which allows developing countries to ignore patents and buy generics in a health crisis. Now the fight is on to decide in which countries and for which diseases poor people should be allowed cheap medicines - the US government, which champions the industry, wants to rule out such illnesses as asthma, diabetes and cancer and restrict the concession to the very poorest nations. The crucial issue is whether the generics companies of India, Brazil and Thailand will be allowed to export to countries that cannot make their own cheap copies after the Trips patent rules bite in 2005. Unless they can, new drugs invented for Aids or other diseases will be untouchable and unaffordable in Africa for 20 years. Cipla was set up as an Indian solution to India's health problems by Dr Hamied's father in 1935 when war stopped medicines arriving from Europe. Its website features a picture of Ghandi expressing his delight at visiting "this Indian enterprise". In 1972, India passed a law which permitted medicines to be copied even if they were under international patent, as long as the process was not the same. There are now hundreds of generic companies in India - many of them tiny. Cipla is one of the biggest, with a market capitalisation, said Dr Hamied, of about $1.4bn. "I don't want to make money on Aids drugs," he says. "I make enough money on other things. On this particular issue, can't we all pool our resources? I make 800 drugs. If I don't make money on six, why should I worry?" Dr Hamied runs a free cancer hospital in India. There are reasons to believe in his altruism. "I'm not going to take it with me, so I have to leave it here," he says. But there's no doubt he stands to win all ways round. His public stand has given Cipla excellent publicity. The World Health Organisation has endorsed the quality of his generic Aids drugs and approved his factories. And the fight over the Trips agreement could bring him a lot more business not only from the poorest countries but - and this is why the research-based companies are fighting so hard - also the massive developing markets of China and South America. Dr Hamied, though, is frustrated. He is disappointed with the governments of Aids-hit nations, who are not placing orders for his drugs. "It is a joke," he says. "I should have the demand. Demand creates the incentive to produce, but with only 50,000 in the whole of Africa, where is the demand?" If demand grew as fast as the spread of the virus, he could not keep pace. He would like see countries set up their own generics factories, and he has offered to show them how produce Aids drugs for free. The Global Fund should put up the money, he says. None of this happening. Cipla sells a three-drug cocktail in one pill, called Triomune, to be taken twice day, which makes treatment much easier in poor countries. Malawi buys it for the couple thousand patients who can afford to pay $28 month, but its $196m from the Global Fund will only buy treatment for 50,000 more. Dr Hamied will shortly launch the world's first once-a-day, three-drug treatment, called Odivir. It's clearly well suited to poor countries and it will be affordable, he says, but there's reason to suppose it will be taken up where other drugs have not been. "India has four million cases and I'm breaking my head to make my government take a more active role," he says. "I offered totally free nevirapine (to prevent babies being infected by their mothers birth) and nobody takes it. It is up to the various governments to avail [themselves] of the opportunities offered. What has really saddened me is, firstly, the governments and, secondly, I have been totally disillusioned by the UN who talk, talk, talk and do nothing at all." What, apart from lack of money in the poorest, is stopping the governments biting Cipla's hand off? The research-based pharmaceutical industry would say the political will is not there. But patents have been an issue. In Ghana, for instance, says Dr Hamied, it was GlaxoSmithKline that challenged the decision to import generic versions of drugs which were under patent there. But there are countries where Aids drugs are not patented. According to Bill Haddad, who has voluntarily taken up Cipla's cause in the US, "the governments are too scared of the US government to buy generics". The US trade representative bats for the giant pharmaceutical companies. Whatever the WTO trade rules say about allowing countries to buy generics a health crisis, he suggests, there are those would rather not risk the wrath and possible sanctions of the US.

As ironic as it may sound, trying to make profit where there is none to be made is absurd and common sense tell us that this should not even be tried, let alone taken into consideration when such overwhelming issue of human welfare as medecines affordability is at stake. But then again to what extent our great "Democracies & Models of Civilization and Moral Values", influenced as issual by their corporate lobbies, would go when they see few millions more (out of hundreds of billions) under an imaginary threat? .................................................. ....................... Poor people are needlessly dying because drug companies and the governments of rich countries are blocking the developing world from obtaining affordable medicines, a report says today. (The Guardian) Five years to the day after the Doha declaration - a groundbreaking deal to give poor countries access to cheap drugs - was signed at the World Trade Organisation, Oxfam says things are worse. The charity accuses the US, which champions the interests of its giant pharmaceutical companies, of bullying developing countries into not using the measures in the Doha declaration and the EU of standing by and doing nothing. Doha technically allows poor countries to buy cheap copies of desperately needed drugs but the US is accused of trying to prevent countries such as Thailand and India, which have manufacturing capacity, making and selling cheap generic versions so as to preserve the monopolies of the drug giants. "Rich countries have broken the spirit of the Doha declaration," said Celine Charveriat, head of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. "The declaration said the right things but needed political action to work and that hasn't happened. In fact, we've actually gone backwards. Many people are dying or suffering needlessly." The Indian generics firms make most of the cheap drug cocktails that are now being rolled out to people with HIV in Africa and are keeping more than a million people alive. They brought the price of a basic three-drug cocktail down from $10,000 (£5,250) a year to less than $150 (£79). But new Aids drugs will soon be needed because the virus will become resistant to the basic ones now in use - as has happened in the EU and the US. Those newer Aids drugs, together with drugs for cancer and diabetes, are under patent. The Oxfam report points out that 4 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005 and cancer and diabetes are expanding faster in developing countries than in the richer world. The report says that, since the signing of the Doha declaration on November 14 2001, "rich countries have failed to honour their promises. Their record ranges from apathy and inaction to dogged determination to undermine the declaration's spirit and intent. The US, at the behest of the pharmaceutical industry, is uniqely guilty of seeking ever higher levels of intellectual property protection in developing countries." The US has pursued its own free trade agreements with developing countries, tying them into much tighter observance of patent rights than anticipated at Doha. "The USA has also pressured countries for greater patent protection through threats of trade sanctions," the report says. The drugs firms are also fighting to have patents observed. Pfizer is challenging the Philippines government in a bid to extend its monopoly on Norvasc, a drug pressure drug. Novartis is engaged in litigation in India to enforce a patent for Glivec, a cancer drug, which could save many lives if it were available at generic prices. The Stop Aids campaign, a coalition of 90 NGOs of which Oxfam is a member, is calling for the government to champion the issue at the G8 summit next year. Three-quarters of HIV drugs are still under monopoly and unaffordable in poor countries, it said. More than 75% of those who need HIV treatment urgently are still not getting it. Only 8% of children with HIV are on drugs, which cost four times more than those for adults. "Sadly, promising words have not translated into life-saving treatments and five years is too long to wait when the stakes are so high," said Steve Cockburn, campaign coordinator. Case study Premavati, a 60-year-old widow living in Delhi who is suffering from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, has spent around $900 (£470) on medicines. "My husband died two years ago," says Premavati. "We have absolutely no savings. Of my two sons one is a casual labourer, the other has no job. My daughter is 30, has two children and is also a widow." She is one of 1.42 billion people in India who cannot afford the drugs they need to save their lives. Their country is the leading producer of inexpensive generic drugs but about 67% of the output is exported, and it is under pressure to stop copying new patented drugs. The future looks bleak for Premavati. "How will I raise the money for my treatment?" she says, "Already, I've spent what we had. If nobody helps I will just go back to my daughter and will have to die without medicines."

Protocol akhi, the key here too is motivation, one must endeavor to pray Salats on times in Jamaacah at the Masjid; the rest will come naturally when one substitute authentically Muslims brothers to his uncommitted inner circle of friends and acquaintances (Learning Essential of Tawhid & aqeedah, Salat and everyday Fiqh, Arabic, Tafsir, Adkaars, Ahaadiths and Seerah)...

It is always harder to convince people when they do not scrutinize regularly the primary sources for themselves (wether Qur'aan/Ahaadiths or clinical studies), but to give only one advise about prevention: Forget all the "experts", ads or cliches (2 fruits a week are enough and naturally filling fats are healthier than the typical alternative consumption of flour or beans, let alone sugars), the only way so far "proven" to optimize one's health, apart from "spirituality" (or truly Islamic lifestyle) and activity incorporated into daily routine (forget gym but walk and be naturally active), is to avoid manufactured food, especially when they claim to be "healthy" and restrict yourself to thoroughly natural, unprocessed milk, butter, cereals, honey etc, without the slightest additive and cooked at home ("light spreads" and commercial honeys, which are even worse than pure sugar, are nefarious and hardly beneficial while UHT Milk is the worst type, let alone powder milk). Noteworthy, what you eat directly influence too the probability of your offspring suffering from modern epidemies, just like our grandparents diets influenced us; thus a typical Western diet, especially during pregancy and around puberty, is translated into a significant risk increase of all sorts of pathologies for the coming generations. For instance, type 1 diabete, which hit children, is exploding dramaticall in Finland while both types of diabetes are rapidly becoming a worldwide epidemy, to take but one example (chronic conditions such as obesity and associated arthritis or cancers are also expected to become major burdens, almost eclipsing infectious diseases already prevalent in the rest of the World) PS: Even more practically, a poor boy in the Miyi, even though he may face significant deficit in terms of calorie intake, is much more likely to have a healthier lineage and our mothers forcing overfed children to finish their Chiken & Chips, Pasta or Pancakes are seriously harming them (not least because 30-40% less than required calories has resulted in much healthier mammals in laboratory, let alone when this apply to our typical junk diet)...

TRICK AND TREAT — how 'healthy eating' is making us ill (BMJ Top 20 Bestsellers) Click for larger image Due October 2008 By Barry Groves 512 pages £12.99 (Paperback) ISBN: 978-1-950140-22-0 "A great book that shatters so many of the nutritional fantasies and fads of the last twenty years. Read it and prolong your life." Clarissa Dickson Wright. TRICK AND TREAT. It's a play on words based on the US children's Hallowe'en practice of extortion with menaces game called trick or treat. But where trick or treat gives you a choice, the way the 'health industry' works does not. TRICK AND TREAT details the way the health industry's strategy TRICKs us into making ourselves unwell, so that they can then TREAT us for the illnesses their advice has caused. This is why health costs are rising so rapidly, and why we seem to get little in the way of better services for the money — the health industry is one of the world's most corrupt industries. The health industry is ruled by the multinational pharmaceutical companies and big food companies. It is they who control what health professionals are taught, making doctors, nutritionists and dieticians into unwitting mouthpieces and drug pushers. But TRICK AND TREAT shows that there is a way out: while the 'health industry' tries to make everyone into 'patients', we don't have to comply, and we don't have to get ill. Live the right lifestyle and they cannot force us to take their drugs and unnatural 'foods' if we don't want to. You may have noticed that, over the past few years, what we have been taught about 'healthy eating' has changed — subtly but significantly. This is because it is becoming all too obvious to consumers that what we have been told about 'healthy eating' is wrong, wrong, wrong. In this controversial, evidence-based account of how and why the health-care establishment has got the concept of ‘healthy eating’ so wrong, Barry Groves shows us how to take charge of our own health and lives, in contravention of what the health-care industry would have us believe and do. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Trick and Treat is available for preorder on line in several countries: the UK, from Amazon, Country Bookshop, and W H Smith's and from Amazon in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword by Dr Howel Buckland Jones MB, BS (London) Introduction PART ONE THE MISAPPROPRIATION OF HEALTH 11 Part One shows that the 'health industry' has a vested — financial — interest in us being ill. Looking at evidence for 'healthy eating' it details the unhealthy misinformation we are given Chap. 1: Trick to Treat 19 Medical care is one of the world's largest industries. This chapter sets the scene by detailing widespread corruption, fraud and mismanagement, largely for the benefit of the pharmaceutical industry. Heavily influenced by the drug companies, doctors' training is seriously biased towards prescribing; medical research and publications are rarely independent. There is more interest in wealth than health. Chap. 2: What's behind the screens? 37 Screening for disease is promoted as a preventive measure. It is not: if a disease is found it hasn't been prevented. With considerable evidence of adverse effects, medical screening seems merely a pretext to increase the 'patient base' and identify a market for increased drug sales, with precious little evidence of benefit to the 'patients'. Chap. 3: How we got to where we are 56 Since we were introduced to 'healthy eating' our health has deteriorated dramatically. How on earth did this sorry state of affairs come about? We look at how the battle against cholesterol and development of the 'diet/ heart' hypothesis radically changed dietary recommendations for the worse. The roles of cholesterol are explained. Chap. 4: Learning from history 77 If we are to right the health of western societies, we could do worse than look at the way populations we call primitive manage to stay entirely healthy, despite (or because) they have none of our advanced scientific knowledge. The story of pemmican tells how nutritionists, even a century ago, consistently undermined traditional healthy dietary practices. Chap. 5: Fats: from tonic to toxic 89 For the sake of our hearts, we are told to replace traditional 'saturated' fats with processed, polyunsaturated vegetable oils. There are three ways in which a substance can increase the risk of cancer: it can cause body cells to become cancerous; it can promote a cancer's growth; it can suppress the immune system. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils have been shown to do all three. Chap. 6: The seeds of ill health 108 Base meals on starches, we are told. Eat bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals. Indeed we eat more cereals than any other foodstuff. But all cereal grains pose significant health risks to humans. Wheat, on which we depend the most, is probably the worst of them all. And legumes (beans) are almost as bad. Chap. 7: Climb off the bran wagon 118 With cereals comes bran (cereal fibre). We have been urged for generations to eat fibre to prevent and cure many bowel and other health conditions. However, research shows that, while vegetable fibre may be relatively harmless, bran increases the risk of many of the conditions it is promoted to prevent and cure — and a lot more as well. Chap. 8: Why '5 portions'? 129 The mantra that everyone will know is 'eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day'. Yet it has no evidential basis; there is little evidence of benefit over about two portions a week; and eating as much as five a day could have serious adverse effects on health. Why growing them is also a wasteful use of land. Chap. 9: The phoney war on salt 144 Salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid with it. Today, salt is the subject of the latest health scare. However, if the evidence against the 'diet/heart' hypothesis is flimsy, the evidence against salt is practically non-existent. While salt has been shown to increase blood pressure in a small proportion of people, in others it lowers blood pressure and in most it makes not the slightest difference. Current strictures against salt are increasing health problems Chap. 10: Soy, fluoride and the thyroid 156 The thyroid gland controls many functions within the body, including the rate at which we use energy. When its action is suppressed, weight gain is an inevitable result. Soya and fluoride, widely promoted as 'healthy', both have such an effect. Chap. 11: Our irrational fear of sunlight 167 Keep out of the midday sun, cover up and wear a sunscreen, we are told. But the sun is nature's great healer. Sunlight is our only reliable source of vitamin D. It is increasingly recognised that people who sunbathe have less cancer. Sun creams increase the risk of cancer. Chap. 12: Exercise care 185 Touted as a cure for obesity, heart disease and myriad other conditions, we are all told to exercise more. All that does is burn energy, necessitating increased consumption — of the wrong foods. While exercise may increase fitness, it seems to have little benefit for health. Types of exercise generally promoted can do harm. Chap. 13: Homo carnivorous 196 Having shown that the health regimes we are exhorted to undertake have little or no evidential support, that leaves the question of what constitutes a truly healthy diet for us as a species. This chapter looks at our evolutionary history to show that we really should eat a very different diet from that advocated today. It also looks at the basis for our 'love affair with fat'. Chap. 14: The metabolic syndrome and the glycaemic index 211 Since we began to eat 'healthy' carbohydrate-rich foods, a constellation of serious degenerative diseases emerged. Scientists defined the 'metabolic syndrome', or syndrome X. This chapter looks at the causes and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome and of insulin resistance, and at the development and limited usefulness of the Glycaemic Index (GI). Chap. 15: Unhealthy dogma means unhealthy food 228 Food manufacturers jump on the lucrative 'healthy' bandwagon, making foods that are lacking in important nutrients such as the many 'low-fat' dairy products. These have been shown to raise the risk of some cancers. 'Improving' foods has not only made them more hazardous for us to eat, but has also compromised the health of food animals'. Chap. 16: So what should we eat? 236 We have seen that the healthiest diet for us is one low in carbohydrates, but there is little agreement on what we should eat instead. This chapter looks at proteins, fats and carbohydrates, their uses in the body and the amounts we need to each. The overwhelming conclusion is we should eat real, fresh food and avoid what is processed and artificial. Chap. 17: Why low-carb diets must be high-fat, not high-protein 252 If we reduce the carbohydrate content of our diet, we either go hungry or replace the carbs lost with something else. There is currently a great deal of debate about what this should be. This chapter explains why carbs should be replaced with fats — and which fats they should be. Chap. 18: Prevention is better 258 Prevention is better than cure, but this means starting with a healthy baby. This chapter looks at how to prepare in advance for healthy children, including eating the right things before conception and through pregnancy. It also looks at what constitutes a truly healthy diet for children up to the age of about seven years. PART TWO NEW DIET: NEW EPIDEMICS 271 Part Two looks at the wide range of diseases that are caused or exacerbated by our unhealthy 'healthy' diet Chap. 19: 'Healthy eating' is fattening 273 Since the introduction in the 1980s of 'healthy eating', with its emphasis on low-fat, carbohydrate-rich foods, the number of overweight and obese people has risen exponentially. This chapter demonstrates that this is not a coincidence but a prime example of cause and effect and looks at why conventional advice on weight loss is totally at variance with both real life studies and clinical trials. Chap. 20: Diabetes deceit 288 Because diabetics are more prone to heart disease, they too are advised to eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. But this is what caused their condition in the first place. This chapter looks at how conventional dietary treatment makes diabetes worse and suggests an alternative diet that both helps and prevents diabetes. Chap. 21: Diseases of the heart and blood vessels 302 Most cardiovascular diseases are attributed to dietary fats and cholesterol. This chapter looks at alternative, evidence-based possibilities and finds the case for carbohydrates and consequent high blood insulin levels being to blame more persuasive. Chap. 22: The dangers of low blood cholesterol 314 We are told incessantly that high cholesterol is bad for us. But low cho-lesterol is far more serious. Cholesterol is an essential compound in our bodies. Low levels of cholesterol are associated with increased total mor-tality, cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, antisocial behaviour, depression, suicide, increased susceptibility to infections and other conditions. Chap. 23: Cancer: disease of civilization 330 Populations eating traditional diets are remarkably free of cancer, but they soon succumb when they eat our diet. Numbers of cases of cancer have tripled since 'healthy eating' was introduced. This could be because cancers rely on a ready supply of glucose. And that comes from dietary carbohydrates. Chap. 24: Gut reaction 345 Being in the front line, the gastrointestinal tract is exposed to the greatest danger if the diet we eat is not suited to us. This chapter looks at how our 'healthy diet' can be harmful and the health problems it can cause. Chap. 25: Deficiency diseases 362 I have suggested that reducing our intake of carbs is advantageous. But might cutting out carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, pasta, breakfast cereals and rice and reducing our intake of other plant foods might put you at risk of deficiency diseases? The evidence suggests that the opposite could be true. Chap. 26: Diet and the brain 371 The food we eat has a wide range of effects on our body systems. As the brain uses one fifth of all the energy used by the body, it seems logical to suppose that it could be affected by incorrect diet. This chapter looks at the deleterious effects of 'healthy eating' on many brain functions and at the mental health problems that can result. Chap. 27: Multiple sclerosis 388 This chapter looks exclusively at one of the most distressing conditions to afflict us. Although the causes of MS are unknown, we discuss compelling evidence that our 'healthy' lifestyle may be a major contributory factor. Chap. 28: The signs of 'healthy eating' 399 There are many other signs of 'healthy eating', including acne, bad teeth and short sight. This chapter looks at this wide range of conditions, many of which are clearly visible as they affect the face, and gives evidence for 'healthy eating' being the culprit. Chap. 29: And, finally . . . 416 Changes have already been made within medical schools to break the shackles of the pharmaceutical industry on health. It is time we took a stand against the misinformation that is making us ill by taking responsibility for our own health. REFERENCES 429 This book is fully supported by over 1,100 references from peer-reviewed medical journals and learned works GLOSSARY 483 Explaining acronyms and technical words used in the book APPENDIX: RESOURCES 489 How to check references; useful books, websites and other sources of further information INDEX 491 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 498 Brief history; Barry Groves' other books

You ask: "How big of a deal is cultural compatibility?" Answer: Its a big deal indeed. Marriage introduces many trials and incompatibilities of its own, adding cultural diversity, its one more hurdle that can be overcome if there is an extra effort from both parties. The problem is that when things go wrong between a cultural diverse couple, they immediately seek counsel from their respective cultural families whose advice is almost always negative, its difficult to say the least, the risks outweigh the benefits but it can be worked out. Jazakumullah khayran, Concerning the cultural compatibilty issue, again this is a relative concept from what I've witnessed among our community: While a Faraax from the same clan or sub-sub-clan is considered "compatible" as can be (even if they grew up in different countries), this suddenly becomes an issue when the only difference among the potential partners could be in terms of clans geography such as South or North (granted this could have practical hurdles such as distance between the two larger families). Of course, cultural differences may add to trials but this is to be considered alongside Shariah prescriptions, not least the potential partners levels of Eemaan (similarity in terms of socio-economic background or physical attractiveness is also desirable from a Shariah point of view). While inter-racial marriages may face that cultural gap, is "cultural compatibility" still relevant among Somalis, in the case of let's say Buuxo from Borama and Bashir from Baardheere?

Noteworthy, the featured father was right on the money when emphasising that a girl freely mixing with men or "in love" would not be trusted by anyone, and that the society would prefer death than witnessing a relative with such reputation! Mixing between sexes is prohibited and Shariah laid out strict conditions. However, I was referring to that father who was keen to protect his daughters from temptations, on the model of his co-citizens; this proves wrong the utter nonsense that women are oppressed there, when in fact the exact opposite is the truth (prevention is better than cure). While our society is further away from our deen, there is obviously nothing wrong for a sister to propose to any authentically Muslim brother whose piety is confirmed, as did Khadidja with our prophet: Ruling on Muslim women working as nurses and doctors My wife is studing to become a nurse at a University, is it lawful to: -examine patients(male or female) and give them baths which are apart of the class projects. -examine men as a nurse in non-emergency situations at a non-muslim hospital. -work at a home for the mentally ill where the co-workers are male and the patients are also. Praise be to Allaah. If a woman finds that she has to work because of necessity, she is permitted to work outside the home, as is indicated by the fact that the two daughters of Shu’ayb used to water the sheep, and the story of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr working outside the home. If a woman is widowed with children, and has no breadwinner and is receiving no money from the Bayt al-Maal (treasury), it is permissible for her to earn a living. Although we say that a woman is permitted to work outside the home when it is necessary, she should nevertheless do only the work she needs to do in order to meet her needs. If a woman has professional skills which not every woman possesses, and which are needed by other woman and society as a whole, then it is permissible for her to practice her profession outside the home, so long as she adheres to the conditions prescribed by sharee’ah and has the permission of her legal (shar’i) guardian. The evidence that it is permissible for the woman to work outside the home in a field where there is a need for her work, as long as she adheres to the conditions prescribed by sharee’ah, is to be seen in the fact that at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), midwives used to attend women in labour, and skilled women used to practice circumcision, and he did not condemn them for doing so. It is also known that Rufaydah al-Ansaariyyah used to treat the wounded in her tent, which had been set up in the mosque for that purpose. She was very skilled in treating the sick, and her work was done with the knowledge and express permission of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh was transferred to her tent for treatment. This indicates that it is permissible for a woman to practice her profession outside the home, and by analogy we may deduce that it is permissible for a female doctor to open a clinic outside her home for the treatment of women and children. By doing this, she is fulfilling the duty of fard kifaayah (a duty falling on the entire community – if some people fulfil it, responsibility is lifted from the rest, otherwise all will be held accountable. Translator). Such clinics make it easy for sick women to come to a female doctor, hence they no longer have to uncover their ‘awrah before a male doctor when they need treatment. But this permission is given on the condition that this work does not affect her duties towards her own home, husband and children, and that she has her husband’s permission, because these duties are her individual duties (fard ‘ayn), which take precedence over her responsibilities towards the community (fard kifaayah). When there is any conflict, her individual duties must come first. (Al-Mufassal by ‘Abd al-Kareem, 4/272). Another hadeeth which describes Muslim women at the beginning of Islam practising a profession was narrated by Hafsah, concerning a woman who used to treat the wounded. Al-Bukhaari, may Allaah have mercy on him, reported in his Saheeh that Hafsah said: “A woman came and stayed at the fort of Bani Khalaf, and told us about her sister. Her sister’s husband used to go out on military campaigns with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He had been on twelve campaigns, and she (his wife) had accompanied him on six. She said, ‘We used to treat the wounded and take care of the sick…’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 313). But a woman’s work as a nurse or doctor is regulated by the rules indicated in other Islamic texts. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, commenting on the above hadeeth, mentioned some of these conditions: “What we learn from this hadeeth is that a woman is allowed to offer medical treatment to a non-mahram man (one to whom she is not related), so long as this takes the form of bringing medicine to him, for example, or other forms of indirect treatment (i.e. with no touching or direct contact involved) – except in cases where it is necessary and there is no fear of temptation (such as in an emergency situation or in the event of a disaster).” If a woman works in complete hijaab, without touching a male patient, or being alone with him in any way, and as long as there is no fear that she may be the cause of temptation or be tempted herself, and she is not neglecting a more essential duty such as taking care of her husband or children, and she has the permission of her guardian, then it is permissible for her to work. In principle, men should be treated by male doctors and nurses, and women by female doctors and nurses. There should be no mixing of the sexes in medical treatment, except when it is necessary and as long as there is no fear of temptation. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

I've just seen it unexpectedly as I don't watch or own TV, and it was indeed more reasonable than the usual superficial propaganda. The prince was both articulated and brilliant, recognising their need to catch up the West scientifically, yet without losing their soul to the sweeping materialism in doing so. Another crucial point all too often overlooked: the Saudis (and by extension Arabs or other Muslims) form a deeply conservative society, within which social pressures are much more pervasive than the State's reach. Had the royal family entertained imposing "change", this would have violently backfired, as he cited the Iranian precedent when Westernising reforms led even embassies to offer alcohol, paving the way for the historical popular uprising of 79. In other words, he was conscious of the technological challenge and adamant to build up their Human Capital as a more sustainable foundation than oil while rightly pointing out that even Western citizens were frustrated by their "model", if any! Faced with the recurrent cliche of "Women right", he replied that half of our Shariah was transmitted by Aisha (through authentic ahadiths that constitute the bedrock of our Fiqh), while they were entitled to their Allah given rights such as property, inheritance or transactions...as we did not wait for the Nicean Council to recognise that our mothers or sisters were human beings with souls! Nevertheless, it seems there is some room for deabate on whether ever-increasing costs to social, security or health services a la Western were necessarily enviable; while alcohol related violence or traffic accidents are a drain and constant logistical nightmare for the UK NHS (to the extent of stationing paramedics in night clubs!) and sexual violence or harassment a constant societal dilemma, it has long been acknowledged that the single most penalising socio-economic factor in communities was the breakdown of nuclear families, epitomised in the rate of 60% single parent among Blacks households (in other words, more Blacks now grow up without fathers than with a paternal model at home with endless repercussions of all sorts)! In fact, while addictions and the associated prostitution are directly linked to those other fundamental flaws, even widespread gun possesion and the ruinous burden of the obesity epidemy as well as other chronic diseases are their other consequences (lack of self-esteem & consciousness and above all self-discipline hardly help in mitigating the sky-rocketing cost of debilitating yet preventable pathologies such as Aids or diabetes, CHD and Cancers to a large extent)! Noteworthy, the featured father was right on the money when emphasising that a girl freely mixing with men or "in love" would not be trusted by anyone, and that the society would prefer death than witnessing a relative with such reputation! Probably, it is also the case that dowry payments would led husbands to think twice when faced with modern conjugual challenges...

do you think the enemy of SL will come to "reason" and accept it by logic, you people are wasting your time, this world does not work by logic reasoning but by self intrest, in other words it is not in the intrest of these people for SL to succeed, so no amount of logic and reasoning will bring them around Brother, you are postulating the existence of an "Illogical, Unreasonable Ennemy whose Self-interest is characterized by Somaliland not to succeed". Who is that "ennemy", in the first place, and where do they hail from? Are they thus illogical" because their "self-interest" is harmed by our "success"? But what is their "self-interest", is it different from ours? What are your yardsticks for "success" and how mine or yours could harm them? son freedom and self determination is not given but its won by the barrel of the gun and kept by the power of the brain. Could you explicit more your conception of "freedom & self-determination" (from what or who?)? Are we "free" now? We shall deal later on wether "we" have more gunpowder as well as brain power than "them"...

Because as Muslims, we have no alternative but to unite and struggle together for our common mission, worshipping Allah. Ironically enough for someone reared by those usually associated with hard core secessionism (not without some exaggeration given the ambivalence of most Somalis), since I was captivated by Somali History and pondered upon our common struggle from my childhood, I was even considering "Somali Unity" just a "Diplomatic" step towards a more viable "Islamic East Africa". More urgently, secession has built resentment and is rejected by most communities of Woqooyi Galbeed (even those from Hargeysa are passionately split). While "Security Expenses" divert scarces resources from our dying children in hospitals or badly needed irrigation schemes, a prolonged stalemate means even more suicidal consequences. Even if, through a miracle, all clans agreed to secede (which imply the most improbable separation of whole communities), why should those advocating for basic Islamic principles, as well as common sense, be silenced?

Was not that smart brother one of the interviewees speaking at the BBC after UN envoy Ould Abdallah came at the end of June to SOAS, University of London? Alhamdulillah, at least the youth is busier with more uniting themes than these anachronistic and short-sighted sub-clanic "shir beeleed". Just like much sacrifices were consented for Djibouti's or Somali Galbeed's Liberation from the other side of the "frontier", likewise, many from Woqooyi Galbeed or Bari continue to shed their blood, whether it be those from the diaspora or the locals...

Actually, Kings College Lecturers come to teach every three weeks at the Medical School of Hargeysa University, they design as well as mark the examinations and co-sign the awards. A relative of mine who owns a pharmacy there was telling me that local physicians in the private sector charge around 10 $ and there is such a shortage that one could start working locally straight after graduating (some may be associates with local pharmacies). In fact, with the explosion of Diabetes, Hypertension and other Chronic Diseases ("Western Diet", Khat sessions etc), the local drugs market became so lucrative that it attracted one key Kenyan Pharmaceutical firm, whose agent accompanied my relative all the way from Djibouti...

There are now both a public and private medical schools in Hargeysa (as well as that of Amoud, Borama), while recent medical graduates were accepted into postgraduate training at Kings College London, a partner of local health institutions. In theory, those successful at the US tests or EU citizens may train as specialists, respectively in the USA or UK, provided their application is accepted by an employer/hospital (or via sponsorship, as in the case of Kings College and some Somaliland medical graduates). Are there interested Solers or others with more information, especially alumnis?

Foreword As a former minister and elder of the Christian church, it has become incumbent upon me to enlighten those that continue to walk in darkness. After embracing Islam I felt a dire need to help those who have not yet been blessed to experience the light of Islam. I thank Almighty God, Allah, for having mercy upon me, causing me to come to know the beauty of Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad and his rightly guided followers. It is only by the mercy of Allah that we receive true guidance and the ability to follow the straight path, which leads to success in this life and the Hereafter. Praise be to Allah for the kindness shown to me by Shaykh 'Abdullah bin 'Abdul-'Azeez bin Baz upon my embracing Islam. I cherish and will pass on the knowledge gained from each meeting with him. There are many others who have helped me by means of encouragement and knowledge, but for fear of missing anyone, I will refrain from attempting to list them. Sufficient it is to say that I thank Almighty God, Allah, for each and every brother and sister that He has allowed to play a role in my growth and development as a Muslim. I pray that this short work will be of benefit to all. I hope that Christians will find that there is yet i hope for the wayward conditions that prevail over the bulk of Christendom. The answers to Christian problems are not to be found with the Christians themselves, for they are, in most instances, the root of their own problems. Rather, Islam is the solution to the problems plaguing the world of Christianity,as well as the problems facing the so-called worldof religion as a whole. May Allah guide us all and reward us according to the very best of our deeds and intentions. Abdullah Muhammad al-Faruque at-Ta'if, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Beginnings As a young boy I was raised with a deep fear of God. Having been partially raised by a grandmother who was a Pentecostal fundamentalist, the church became an integral part of my life at a very early age. By the time I had reached the age of six, I knew all too well the benefits awaiting me in Heaven for being a good little boy and the punishment awaiting in Hell for little boys who are naughty. I was taught by my grandmother that all liars were doomed to go to the Hellfire, where they would burn forever and ever. My mother worked two full-time jobs and continued to remind me of the teachings given to me by her mother. My younger brother and older sister did not seem to take our grandmother's warnings of the Hereafter as seriously as I did. I recall seeing the full moon when it would take on a deep reddish hue, and I would begin to weep because I was taught that one of the signs of the end of the world would be that the moon would become red like blood. As an eight year old child I began to develop such a fear at what I thought were signs in the heavens and on earth of Doomsday that I actually had nightmares of what the Day of Judgement would be like. Our house was close to a set of railroad tracks, and trains passed by on a frequent basis. I can remember being awakened out of sleep by the horrendous sound of the locomotive's horn and thinking that I had died and was being resurrected after hearing the sound of the trumpet. These teachings were ingrained in my young mind through a combination of oral teachings and the reading of a set of children's books known as the Bible Story. Every Sunday we would go to church dressed in all of our finery. My grandfather was our means of transportation. Church would last for what seemed to me like hours. We would arrive at around eleven in the morning and not leave until sometimes three in the afternoon. I remember falling asleep in my grandmother's lap on many occasions. For a time my brother and I were permitted to leave church in between the conclusion of Sunday school and morning worship service to sit with our grandfather at the railway yard and watch the trains pass. He was not a churchgoer, but he saw to it that my Eamily made it there every Sunday. Sometime later he suffered a stroke, which left him partiallyparalyzed, and as a result, we were unable to attend church on a regular basis. This period of time would be one of the most crucial stages of my development. Rededication I was relieved, in a sense, at no longer being able to attend church, but I would feel the urge to go on my own every now and then. At age sixteen I began attending the church of a friend whose father was the pastor. It was a small storefront building with only my friend's family, myself, and another schoolmate as members. This went on for only several months before the church closed down. After graduating from high school and entering the university I rediscovered my religious commitment and became fully immersed in Pentecostal teachings. I was baptized and "filled with the Holy Ghost," as the experience was then called. As a college student, I quickly became the pride of the church. Everyone had high hopes for me, and I was happy to once again be "on the road to salvation". I attended church every time its doors would open. I studied the Bible for days and weeks at a time. I attended lectures given by the Christian scholars of my day, and I acknowledged my call to the ministry at the age of 20. I began preaching and became well known very quickly. I was extremely dogmatic and believed that no one could receive salvation unless they were of my church group. I categorically condemned everyone who had not come to know God the way I had cometo knowHim. I was taught that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and God Almighty were one and the samething. I was taught that our church did not believe in the trinity but that Jesus (peace be upon him) was indeed the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I tried to make myself understand it even though I had to admit that I really did not fully understand it. As far as I was concerned, it was the only doctrine that made sense to me. I admired the holy dress of the women and the pious behavior of the men. I enjoyed practicing a doctrine where women were required to dress in garments covering themselves completely, not painting their faces with makeup, and carrying themselves as true ambassadors of Christ. I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I had finally found the true path to eternal bliss. I would debate with anyone from a different church with different beliefs and would totally silence them with my knowledge of the Bible. I memorized hundreds of Biblical passages, and this became a trademark of my preaching. Yet, even though I felt assured of being on the right path, a part of me was still searching. I felt that there was an even higher truth to be attained. I would meditate while alone and pray to God to lead me to the correct religion and to forgive me if what I was doing was wrong. I had never had any contact with Muslims. The only people I knew that claimed Islam as their religion were the followers of Elijah Muhammad, who were referred to by many as the "Black Muslims" or the "Lost-Found Nation." It was during this period in the late seventies that Minister Louis Farrakhan was well into rebuilding what was called "The Nation of Islam." I went to hear Minister Farrakhan speak at the invitation of a coworker and found it to be an experience that would change my life dramatically. I had never in my life heard another black man speak the way that he spoke. I immediately wanted to arrange a meeting with him to try to convert him to my religion. I enjoyed evangelizing, hoping to find lost souls to save from the Hellfire - no matter who they were. After graduating from college I began to work on a full-time basis. As I was reaching the pinnacle of my ministry, the followers of Elijah Muhammad became more visible, and I appreciated their efforts in attempting to rid the black community of the evils that were destroying it from within. I began to support them, in a sense, by buying their literature and even meeting with them for dialogue. I attended their study circles to find out exactly what they believed. As sincere as I knew many of them were, I could not buy the idea of God being a black man. I disagreed with their use of the Bible to support their position on certain issues. Here was a book that I knew very well, and I was deeply disturbed at what I deemed was their misinterpretation of it. I had attended locally supported Bible schools and had become quite knowledgeable in various fields of Bible study. After about six years I moved to Texas and became affiliated with two churches. The first church was led by a young pastor who was inexperienced and not very learned. My knowledge of the Christian scriptures had by this time developed into something abnormal. I was obsessed with Biblical teachings. I began to look deeper into the scriptures and realized that I knew more than the present leader. As a show of respect, I left and joined another church in a different city where I felt that I could learn more. The pastor of this particular church was very scholarly. He was an excellent teacher but had some ideas that were not the norm in our church organization. He held somewhat liberal views, but I still enjoyed his indoctrination. I was soon to learn the most valuable lesson of my Christian life, which was "all that glitters is not gold." Despite its outward appearance,there were evils taking place that I never thought were possible in the Church. These evils caused me to reflect deeply, and I began questioning the teaching to which I was so dedicated. Welcome to the Real Church World I soon discovered that there was a great deal of jealousy prevalent in the ministerial hierarchy. Things had changed from that to which I was accustomed. Women wore clothing that I thought was shameful. People dressed in order to attract attention, usually from the opposite sex. I discovered just how great a part money and greed play in the operation of church activities. There were many small churches struggling, and they called upon us to hold meetings to help raise money for them. I was told that if a church did not have a certain number of members, then I was not to waste my time preaching there because I would not receive ample financial compensation. I then explained that I was not in it for the money and that I would preach even if there was only one member present... and I'd do it for free! This caused a disturbance. I started questioning those whom I thought had wisdom, only to find that they had been putting on a show. I learned that money, power and position were more important than teaching the truth about the Bible. As a Bible student, I knew full well that there were mistakes, contradictions and fabrications. I thought that people should be exposed to the truth about the Bible. The idea of exposing the people to such aspects of the Bible was a thought supposedly attributable to Satan. But I began to publicly ask my teachers questions during Bible classes, which none of them could answer. Not a single one could explain how Jesus was supposedly God, and how, at the same time, he was supposedly the Father, Son and Holy Ghost wrapped up into one and yet was not a part of the trinity. Several preachers finally had to concede that they did not understand it but that we were simply required to believe it. Cases of adultery and fornication went unpunished. Some preachers were hooked on drugs and had destroyed their lives and the lives of their families. Leaders of some churches were found to be homosexuals. There were pastors even guilty of committing adultery with the young daughters of other church members. All of this coupled with a failure to receive answers to what I thought were valid questions was enough to make me seek a change. That change came when I accepted a job in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A New Beginning It was not long after arriving in Saudi Arabia that I saw an immediate difference in the lifestyle of the Muslim people. They were different from the followers of Elijah Muhammad and Minister Louis Farrakhan in that they were of all nationalities, colors and languages. I immediately expressed a desire to learn more about this peculiar brand of religion. I was amazed with the life of Prophet Muhammad and wanted to know more. I requested books from one of the brothers who was active in calling people to Islam. I was supplied with all of the books that I could possibly want. I read each and every one. I was then given the Noble Qur'an and read it completely several times within four months. I asked question after question and received satisfactory answers. What appealed to me was that the brothers were not keen on impressing me with their knowledge. If a brother did not know how to answer a question, he would tell me that he simply did not know and would have to check with someone who did. The next day he would always bring the answer. I noticed how humility played such a great role in the lives of these mysterious people of the Middle East. I was amazed to see the women covering themselves from face to foot. I did not see any religious hierarchy. No one was competing for any religious position. All of this was wonderful, but how could I entertain the thought of abandoning a teaching that had followed me since childhood? What about the Bible? I knew that there is some truth in it even though it had been changed and revised countless numbers of times. I was then given a video cassette of a debate between Shaykh Ahmed Deedat and Reverend Jimmy Swaggart. After seeing the debate I immediately became a Muslim. I was taken to the office of Shaykh 'Abdullah bin 'Abdul-'Azeez bin Baz to officially declare my acceptance of Islam. It was there that I was given sound advice on how to prepare myself for the long journey ahead. It was truly a birth from darkness into light. I wondered what my peers from the Church would think when they heard that I had embraced Islam. It was not long before I found out. I went back to the United States for vacation and was severely criticized for my "lack of faith." I was stamped with many labels - from renegade to reprobate. People were told by so-called church leaders not to even remember me in prayer. As strange as it may seem, I was not bothered in the least. I was so happy that Almighty God, Allah, had chosen to guide me aright that nothing else mattered. Now I only wanted to become as dedicated a Muslim as I was a Christian. This, of course, meant study. I realized that a person could grow as much as they wanted to in Islam. There is no monopoly of knowledge - it is free to all who wish to avail themselves of the opportunities to learn. I was given a set of Saheeh Muslim as a gift from my Qur'an teacher. It was then that I realized the need to learn about the life, sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad . I read and studied as many of the hadlth collections available in English as possible. I realized that my knowledge of the Bible was an asset that is now quite useful in dealing with those of Christian backgrounds. Life for me has taken on an entirely new meaning. One of the most profound attitude changes is a result of knowing that this life must actually be spent in preparation for life in the Hereafter. It was also a new experience to know that we are rewarded even for our intentions. If you intend to do good, then you are rewarded. Itwas quite different in the Church. The attitude was that "the path to Hell is paved with good intentions." There was no way to win. If you sinned,then you had to confess to the pastor, especially if the sin was a great sin, such as adultery. You were judged strictly by your actions. The Present and Future After an interview by the Al-Madinah newspaper I was asked about my present-day activities and plans for the future. At present, my goal is to learn Arabic and continue studying to gain greater knowledge about Islam. I am presently engaged in the field of da'wah and am called upon to lecture to non-Muslims who come from Christian backgrounds. If Allah, Almighty, spares my life, I hope to write more on the subject of comparative religion. It is the duty of Muslims throughout the world to work to spread the knowledge of Islam. As one who has spent such a long time as a Bible teacher, I feel a special sense of duty in educating people about the errors, contradictions and fabricated tales of a book believed in by millions of people. One of the greatest joys is knowing that I do not have to engage in a great deal of dispute with Christians, because I was a teacher who taught most of the dispute techniques used by them. I also learned how to argue using the Bible to defend Christianity. And at the same time I know the counter arguments for each argument which we, as ministers, were forbidden by our leaders to discuss or divulge. It is my prayer that Allah will forgive us all of our ignorance and guide us to the path leading to Paradise. All praise is due to Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His last messenger, Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and those following true guidance. Source: High Commission for the Development of Riyadh (http://www.arriyadh.com) Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 April 2006 )

Examples of good deeds we can do every day to increase our hasanaat Praise be to Allaah. If Allaah helps him to do righteous deeds, the Muslim can earn a great deal of reward. There are many different kinds of righteous deeds that can be done by rich and poor, old and young, male and female, depending on each person’s circumstances, ambition and energy, after the help of Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” [al-Nahl 16:97] It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Hasten to do good deeds before there come tribulations like pieces of a dark night, when a man will be a believer in the morning and a kaafir by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a kaafir by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.” Narrated by Muslim, 118. The kinds of good deeds that a person can do every day include the following: 1 – Praying in congregation in the mosque It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning and evening, Allaah will prepare for him an honourable place in Paradise every time he goes and comes.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631; Muslim, 669. 2 – Attending funerals and offering the funeral prayer It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qiraats.” It was said: “What are the two qiraats?” He said: “Like two great mountains.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1261; Muslim, 945 3 – Saying “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, to Him be all praise, and He is able to do all things)” one hundred times each day. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer one hundred times in a day, it will be as if he freed ten slaves, and one hundred hasanaat (good deeds) will be recorded for him, and one hundred sayi’aat (bad deeds) will be erased from him, and it will be a protection for him against the Shaytaan all that day until evening comes. No one can do anything better than that except one who does more.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3119; Muslim, 2691. 4 – Upholding the ties of kinship It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever would like his provision to be increased and his lifespan extended, let him uphold his ties of kinship.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5639; Muslim, 2557. 5 – Observing voluntary fasts*, visiting the sick and giving charity. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Who among you is fasting today?” Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I am.” He said: “Who among you has attended a funeral today?” Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I have.” He said: “Who among you has fed a poor person today?’ Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I have.” He said: “Who among you has visited a sick person today?” Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I have.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “These (traits) are not combined in a person but he will enter Paradise.” Narrated by Muslim, 1028. 6 – Saying Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih (Praise and glory be to Allaah) one hundred times. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever says Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih (Praise and glory be to Allaah) one hundred times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam of the sea.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6042; Muslim, 2691. 7 – Tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer, and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and praying Duha. It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For every bone of the son of Adam a charity must be given each day. Every tasbeehah [saying Subhaan Allaah (Glory be to Allaah)] is a charity, every tahmeedah [saying al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to Allaah)] is a charity, every tahleelah [saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (There is no god but Allaah)] is a charity, every takbeerah [saying Allaahu akbar [Allaah is Most Great]) is a charity, enjoining what is good is a charity, forbidding what is evil is a charity, and two rak’ahs offered in the mid-morning (Duha) is sufficient.” Narrated by Muslim, 720. 8 – Reading Qur’aan. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever reads a letter of the Book of Allaah will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that Alif-Laam-Meem is a letter, rather alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2910; he said it is hasan saheeh. Also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. And there are many other good deeds. The Muslim should seek the help of his Lord to do good deeds, and do his best to do them. He should persist in doing these good deeds even if they are little, for that is better than doing a lot of good deeds then stopping. It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, you should do whatever good deeds you can, for Allaah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of good deeds to Allaah is that in which a person persists, even if it is little. If the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to do something, they would persist in it.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 43; Muslim, 782. ............................................................................. *: Fasting on alternate days is one independent type of worship; it is a kind of voluntary fast, and it is the best kind. Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is another independent type of worship. It cannot be imagined that it is possible to combine the two on an ongoing basis. The better kind should be given preference, but a person should take his own situation and strength into account, so he should not start something that he will not be able to continue – in the case of naafil deeds – because the most beloved of deeds to Allaah is that which is continuous, even if it is little. And Allaah is the source of strength (Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid). And Allah knows best, Islam Q&A

Examples of good deeds we can do every day to increase our hasanaat Praise be to Allaah. If Allaah helps him to do righteous deeds, the Muslim can earn a great deal of reward. There are many different kinds of righteous deeds that can be done by rich and poor, old and young, male and female, depending on each person’s circumstances, ambition and energy, after the help of Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” [al-Nahl 16:97] It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Hasten to do good deeds before there come tribulations like pieces of a dark night, when a man will be a believer in the morning and a kaafir by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a kaafir by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.” Narrated by Muslim, 118. The kinds of good deeds that a person can do every day include the following: 1 – Praying in congregation in the mosque It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning and evening, Allaah will prepare for him an honourable place in Paradise every time he goes and comes.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631; Muslim, 669. 2 – Attending funerals and offering the funeral prayer It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qiraats.” It was said: “What are the two qiraats?” He said: “Like two great mountains.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1261; Muslim, 945 3 – Saying “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, to Him be all praise, and He is able to do all things)” one hundred times each day. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer one hundred times in a day, it will be as if he freed ten slaves, and one hundred hasanaat (good deeds) will be recorded for him, and one hundred sayi’aat (bad deeds) will be erased from him, and it will be a protection for him against the Shaytaan all that day until evening comes. No one can do anything better than that except one who does more.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3119; Muslim, 2691. 4 – Upholding the ties of kinship It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever would like his provision to be increased and his lifespan extended, let him uphold his ties of kinship.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5639; Muslim, 2557. 5 – Observing voluntary fasts*, visiting the sick and giving charity. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Who among you is fasting today?” Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I am.” He said: “Who among you has attended a funeral today?” Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I have.” He said: “Who among you has fed a poor person today?’ Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I have.” He said: “Who among you has visited a sick person today?” Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I have.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “These (traits) are not combined in a person but he will enter Paradise.” Narrated by Muslim, 1028. 6 – Saying Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih (Praise and glory be to Allaah) one hundred times. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever says Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih (Praise and glory be to Allaah) one hundred times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam of the sea.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6042; Muslim, 2691. 7 – Tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer, and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and praying Duha. It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For every bone of the son of Adam a charity must be given each day. Every tasbeehah [saying Subhaan Allaah (Glory be to Allaah)] is a charity, every tahmeedah [saying al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to Allaah)] is a charity, every tahleelah [saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (There is no god but Allaah)] is a charity, every takbeerah [saying Allaahu akbar [Allaah is Most Great]) is a charity, enjoining what is good is a charity, forbidding what is evil is a charity, and two rak’ahs offered in the mid-morning (Duha) is sufficient.” Narrated by Muslim, 720. 8 – Reading Qur’aan. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever reads a letter of the Book of Allaah will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that Alif-Laam-Meem is a letter, rather alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2910; he said it is hasan saheeh. Also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. And there are many other good deeds. The Muslim should seek the help of his Lord to do good deeds, and do his best to do them. He should persist in doing these good deeds even if they are little, for that is better than doing a lot of good deeds then stopping. It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, you should do whatever good deeds you can, for Allaah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of good deeds to Allaah is that in which a person persists, even if it is little. If the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to do something, they would persist in it.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 43; Muslim, 782. ............................................................................. *: Fasting on alternate days is one independent type of worship; it is a kind of voluntary fast, and it is the best kind. Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is another independent type of worship. It cannot be imagined that it is possible to combine the two on an ongoing basis. The better kind should be given preference, but a person should take his own situation and strength into account, so he should not start something that he will not be able to continue – in the case of naafil deeds – because the most beloved of deeds to Allaah is that which is continuous, even if it is little. And Allaah is the source of strength (Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid). And Allah knows best, Islam Q&A

alhamdulillah, all is well for hooyo at least...

Inshallah, let's add him in our prayers.

Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet said, "The strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the sake of Allah and opposition for His sake, love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (3) Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said, "Whoever loves for the sake of Allah, and hates for the sake of Allah, and whoever seals a friendship for His sake, or declares an enmity for His sake, will receive, because of this, the protection of Allah. No one may taste true faith except by this, even if his prayers and fasts are many. People have come to build their relationships around the concerns of the world, but it will not benefit them in any way." (4) Shaykh Sulaiman ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab explained the words of Ibn Abbas by saying that the meaning of 'to seal a friendship for the sake of Allah' indicates the obligation of establishing relationships of love and trust for His sake; this is friendship for the sake of Allah. It also indicates that simple affection is not enough here; indeed what is meant is a love based upon alliance. This entails assistance, honour, and respect. It means being with those whom you love both in word and deed. Quite Fundamental a concept, a Timely reminder, Jazakallah Khayran akhi. PS: pseudo "little-things" always managed to turn into bigger ones throughout Human History, but then again how foolish is to judge Allah's wisdom and prescribed means according to our twisted scales when those very acts neglected as "insignificant" may attract us his Tawfiq for the bigger ones and ultimately our own salvations?

Ruling on covering the face, with detailed evidence I would like to know those verses in quran which talk about the covering of face by women as i need to show it few persons who want to know whether covering of face by women is compulsory or optional. Praise be to Allaah. You should note that women’s observing hijab in front of non-mahram men and covering their faces is something that is obligatory as is indicated by the Book of your Lord and the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and by rational examination and analogy. 1 – Evidence from the Qur’aan (i) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful” [al-Noor 24:31] The evidence from this verse that hijab is obligatory for women is as follows: (a) Allaah commands the believing women to guard their chastity, and the command to guard their chastity also a command to follow all the means of doing that. No rational person would doubt that one of the means of doing so is covering the face, because uncovering it causes people to look at it and enjoy its beauty, and thence to initiate contact. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The eyes commit zina and their zina is by looking…” then he said, “… and the private part confirms that or denies it.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6612; Muslim, 2657. If covering the face is one of the means of guarding one’s chastity, then it is enjoined, because the means come under the same ruling as the ends. (b) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) …”. The jayb (pl. juyoob) is the neck opening of a garment and the khimaar (veil) is that with which a woman covers her head. If a woman is commanded to draw her veil over the neck opening of her garment then she is commanded to cover her face, either because that is implied or by analogy. If it is obligatory to cover the throat and chest, then it is more appropriate to cover the face because it is the site of beauty and attraction. © Allaah has forbidden showing all adornment except that which is apparent, which is that which one cannot help showing, such as the outside of one's garment. Hence Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…except only that which is apparent …” and He did not say, except that which they show of it. Some of the salaf, such as Ibn Mas’ood, al-Hasan, Ibn Sireen and others interpreted the phrase “except only that which is apparent” as meaning the outer garment and clothes, and what shows from beneath the outer garment (i.e., the hem of one’s dress etc.). Then He again forbids showing one’s adornment except to those for whom He makes an exception. This indicates that the second adornment mentioned is something other than the first adornment. The first adornment is the external adornment which appears to everyone and cannot be hidden. The second adornment is the inward adornment (including the face). If it were permissible for this adornment to be seen by everyone, there would be no point to the general wording in the first instance and this exception made in the second. (d) Allaah grants a concession allowing a woman to show her inward adornments to “old male servants who lack vigour”, i.e. servants who are men who have no desire, and to small children who have not reached the age of desire and have not seen the ‘awrahs of women. This indicates two things: 1 – That showing inward adornments to non-mahrams is not permissible except to these two types of people. 2 – That the reason for this ruling is the fear that men may be tempted by the woman and fall in love with her. Undoubtedly the face is the site of beauty and attraction, so concealing it is obligatory lest men who do feel desire be attracted and tempted by her. (e) The words (interpretation of the meaning): “And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment” mean that a woman should not stamp her feet so as to make known hidden adornments such as anklets and the like. If a woman is forbidden to stamp her feet lest men be tempted by what they hear of the sound of her anklets etc., then what about uncovering the face? Which is the greater source of temptation – a man hearing the anklets of a woman whom he does not know who she is or whether she is beautiful, or whether she is young or old, or ugly or pretty? Or his looking at a beautiful youthful face that attracts him and invites him to look at it? Every man who has any desire for women will know which of the two temptations is greater and which deserves to be hidden and concealed. (ii) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment. But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them. And Allaah is All‑Hearer, All‑Knower” [al-Noor 24:60] The evidence from this verse is that Allaah states that there is no sin on old women who have no hope of marriage because men have no desire for them, due to their old age (if they discard their outer clothing), subject to the condition that their intention in doing so is not to make a wanton display of themselves. The fact that this ruling applies only to old women indicates that the ruling is different for young women who still hope to get married. If the ruling on discarding the outer clothing applied to all, there would be no point in singling out old women here. The phrase “in such a way as not to show their adornment” offers further proof that hijab is obligatory for young women who hope to marry, because usually when they uncover their faces the intention is to make a wanton display (tabarruj) and to show off their beauty and make men look at them and admire them etc. Those who do otherwise are rare, and the ruling does not apply to rare cases. (iii) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59] Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Allaah commanded the believing women, if they go out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from the top of their heads with their jilbaabs, and to leave one eye showing.” The tafseer of the Sahaabah is evidence, indeed some of the scholars said that it comes under the same ruling as marfoo’ reports that go back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The comment “and leave one eye showing” is a concession because of the need to see the way; if there is no need for that then the eye should not be uncovered. The jilbaab is the upper garment that comes above the khimaar; it is like the abaya. (iv) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “It is no sin on them (the Prophet’s wives, if they appear unveiled) before their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their brother’s sons, or the sons of their sisters, or their own (believing) women, or their (female) slaves. And (O ladies), fear (keep your duty to) Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Ever All‑Witness over everything” [al-Ahzaab 33:55] Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: When Allaah commanded the women to observe hijab in front of non-mahram men, he explained that they did not have to observe hijab in front of these relatives, as He explained that they are exempted in Soorat al-Noor where He said (interpretation of the meaning): “and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands…” 2 – Evidence from the Sunnah that it is obligatory to cover the face (i) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you proposes marriage to a woman, there is no sin on him if he looks at her, rather he should look at her for the purpose of proposing marriage even if she is unaware.” Narrated by Ahmad. The author of Majma’ al-Zawaa’id said: its men are the men of saheeh. The evidence here is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said there is no sin on the man who is proposing marriage, subject to the condition that his looking be for the purpose of proposing marriage. This indicates that the one who is not proposing marriage is sinning if he looks at a non-mahram woman in ordinary circumstances, as is the one who is proposing marriage if he looks for any purpose other than proposing marriage, such as for the purpose of enjoyment etc. If it is said that the hadeeth does not clearly state what is being looked at, and it may mean looking at the chest etc, the response is that the man who is proposing marriage looks at the face because it is the focus for the one who is seeking beauty, without a doubt. (ii) When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that women should be brought out to the Eid prayer place, they said, “O Messenger of Allaah, some of us do not have jilbaabs.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Let her sister give her one of her jilbaabs to wear.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. This hadeeth indicates that the usual practice among the women of the Sahaabah was that a woman would not go out without a jilbaab, and that if she did not have a jilbaab she would not go out. The command to wear a jilbaab indicates that it is essential to cover. And Allaah knows best. (iii) It was narrated in al-Saheehayn that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Fajr and the believing women would attend the prayer with him, wrapped in their veils, then they would go back to their homes and no one would recognize them because of the darkness. She said: If the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw from the women what we have seen, he would have prevented them from coming to the mosques as the Children of Israel prevented their women. A similar report was also narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him). The evidence from this hadeeth covers two issues: 1 – Hijaab and covering were the practice of the women of the Sahaabah who were the best of generations and the most honourable before Allaah. 2 – ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who were both known as scholars with deep insight, said that if the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had seen from women what they had seen, he would have prevented them from coming to the mosques. This was during the best generations, so what about nowadays?! (iv) It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever lets his garment drag out of pride, Allaah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.” Umm Salamah said, “What should women do with their hems?” He said, “Let it hang down a handspan.” She said, “What if that shows her feet?” He said, “Let it hang down a cubit, but no more than that.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. This hadeeth indicates that it is obligatory for women to cover their feet, and that this was something that was well known among the women of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). The feet are undoubtedly a lesser source of temptation than the face and hands, so a warning concerning something that is less serious is a warning about something that is more serious and to which the ruling applies more. The wisdom of sharee’ah means that it would not enjoin covering something that is a lesser source of temptation and allow uncovering something that is a greater source of temptation. This is an impossible contradiction that cannot be attributed to the wisdom and laws of Allaah. (v) It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: The riders used to pass by us when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in ihraam. When they came near us we would lower our jilbaabs from our heads over our faces, and when they had passed by we would uncover our faces. Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1562. The words “When they came near us we would lower our jilbaabs from our heads over our faces” indicate that it is obligatory to cover the face, because what is prescribed in ihraam is to uncover it. If there was no strong reason to prevent uncovering it, it would be obligatory to leave it uncovered even when the riders were passing by. In other words, women are obliged to uncover their faces during ihraam according to the majority of scholars, and nothing can override something that is obligatory except something else that is also obligatory. If it were not obligatory to observe hijab and cover the face in the presence of non-mahram men, there would be no reason not to uncover it in ihraam. It was proven in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere that a woman in ihraam is forbidden to wear the niqaab (face veil) and gloves. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: This is one of the things which indicate that the niqaab and gloves were known among women who were not in ihraam, which implies that they covered their faces and hands. These are nine points of evidence from the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The tenth is: Rational examination and analogy which form the basis of this perfect sharee’ah, which aims to help people achieve what is in their best interests and encourages the means that lead to that, and to denounce evil and block the means that lead to it. If we think about unveiling and women showing their faces to non-mahram men, we will see that it involves many bad consequences. Even if we assume that there are some benefits in it, they are very few in comparison with its negative consequences. Those negative consequences include: 1 – Fitnah (temptation). By unveiling her face, a woman may be tempted to do things to make her face look more beautiful. This is one of the greatest causes of evil and corruption. 2 – Taking away haya’ (modesty, shyness) from women, which is part of faith and of a woman’s nature (fitrah). Women are examples of modesty, as it was said, “more shy than a virgin in her seclusion.” Taking away a woman’s modesty detracts from her faith and the natural inclination with which she was created. 3 – Men may be tempted by her, especially if she is beautiful and she flirts, laughs and jokes, as happens in the case of many of those who are unveiled. The Shaytaan flows through the son of Adam like blood. 4 – Mixing of men and women. If a woman thinks that she is equal with men in uncovering her face and going around unveiled, she will not be modest and will not feel too shy to mix with men. This leads to a great deal of fitnah (temptation) and widespread corruption. Al-Tirmidhi narrated (5272) from Hamzah ibn Abi Usayd from his father that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, when he was coming out of the mosque and he saw men mingling with women in the street; the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to the women, “Draw back, and do not walk in the middle of the road; keep to the sides of the road.” Then the women used to keep so close to the walls that their garments would catch on the walls because they kept so close to them. Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 929 Adapted from the words of Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Risaalat al-Hijaab. And Allaah knows best. http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/11774/types%20of%20hijab

Actually, margarine may be unhealthy (basically, just like anything not naturally digested by the body), especially if it refers to Transfats or Hydrogenated Fats (already present in many so-called "light spread"). In fact, overuse of pure butter may even be significantly less risky than hydrogenated fats (sometimes called fat acids etc), similar to the material used in candles, and already banned in some countries (Tesco and other Stores promised to ban it "soon" but are yet to release the ingredients used in their bakeries, eg croissants, breads, cookies etc). Why would manufacturers bother about issues irrelevant to their core business of making "profit" anyway, let alone replace a material with so long a shelf life, hence widely used... PS: always keep your distances with un-natural or processed food may be a most helpful rule, not matter the marketing of new "alternatives" to a previously denunced substance (or any other not time-tested manufactured item for that matter one could avoid)!

Correct Hijaab, by Islam Questions and Answers, islam-qa.com I wanted to know about a matter consurning the RIGHT hijaab What is the proper hijaab? I mean so many different hijaabs are to choose from, And I have this friend from Denmark and she converted to Islam for a while now, and she's pleased ( ALhamduli_Allah) and she want to wear the right Hijaab. Could you please tell us wear it says that the hijaab SHOULD be LONG (JILBAAB) over the cheas! she really needs this! thank you Praise be to Allaah. Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The conditions of hijaab: Firstly: (It should cover all the body apart from whatever has been exempted). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” This aayah clearly states that it is obligatory to cover all of a woman’s beauty and adornments and not to display any part of that before non-mahram men (“strangers”) except for whatever appears unintentionally, in which case there will be no sin on them if they hasten to cover it up. Al-Haafiz ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer: This means that they should not display any part of their adornment to non-mahrams, apart from that which it is impossible to conceal. Ibn Mas’ood said: such as the cloak and robe, i.e., what the women of the Arabs used to wear, an outer garment which covered whatever the woman was wearing, except for whatever appeared from beneath the outer garment. There is no sin on a woman with regard to this because it is impossible to conceal it. Secondly (it should not be an adornment in and of itself). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and not to show off their adornment…” [al-Noor 24:31]. The general meaning of this phrase includes the outer garment, because if it is decorated it will attract men’s attention to her. This is supported by the aayah in Soorat al-Ahzaab (interpretation of the meaning): “And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance” [al-Ahzaab 33:33]. It is also supported by the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three, do not ask me about them: a man who leaves the jamaa’ah, disobeys his leader and dies disobedient; a female or male slave who runs away then dies; and a woman whose husband is absent and left her with everything she needs, and after he left she made a wanton display of herself. Do not ask about them.” (Narrated by al-Haakim, 1/119; Ahmad, 6/19; from the hadeeth of Faddaalah bint ‘Ubayd. Its isnaad is saheeh and it is in al-Adab al-Mufrad). Thirdly: (It should be thick and not transparent or “see-thru”) - because it cannot cover properly otherwise. Transparent or see-thru clothing makes a woman more tempting and beautiful. Concerning this the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “During the last days of my ummah there will be women who are clothed but naked, with something on their heads like the humps of camels. Curse them, for they are cursed.” Another hadeeth adds: “They will not enter Paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such and such a distance.” (Narrated by Muslim from the report of Abu Hurayrah). Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant was women who wear clothes made of light fabric which describes and does not cover. They are clothed in name but naked in reality. Transmitted by al-Suyooti in Tanweer al-Hawaalik, 3/103. Fourthly: (It should be loose, not tight so that it describes any part of the body). The purpose of clothing is to prevent fitnah (temptation), and this can only be achieved if clothes are wide and loose. Tight clothes, even if they conceal the colour of the skin, still describe the size and shape of the body or part of it, and create a vivid image in the minds of men. The corruption or invitation to corruption that is inherent in that is quite obvious. So the clothes must be wide. Usaamah ibn Zayd said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave me a thick Egyptian garment that was one of the gifts given to him by Duhyat al-Kalbi, and I gave it to my wife to wear. He said, ‘Why do I not see you wearing that Egyptian garment?’ I said, ‘I gave it to my wife to wear.’ He said, ‘Tell her to wear a gown underneath it, for I am afraid that it may describe the size of her bones.’” (Narrated by al-Diyaa’ al-Maqdisi in al-Ahaadeeth al-Mukhtaarah, 1/442, and by Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi, with a hasan isnaad). Fifthly: (It should not be perfumed with bakhoor or fragrance) There are many ahaadeeth which forbid women to wear perfume when they go out of their houses. We will quote here some of those which have saheeh isnaads: Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Any woman who puts on perfume then passes by people so that they can smell her fragrance, is an adulteress.” Zaynab al-Thaqafiyyah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If any one of you (women) goes out to the mosque, let her not touch any perfume.” Abu Hurayrah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Any woman who has scented herself with bakhoor (incense), let her not attend ‘Ishaa’ prayers with us.” Moosa ibn Yassaar said that a woman passed by Abu Hurayrah and her scent was overpowering. He said, “O female slave of al-Jabbaar, are you going to the mosque?” She said, “Yes,” He said, “And have you put on perfume because of that?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “Go back and wash yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘If a woman comes out to the mosque and her fragrance is overpowering, Allaah will not accept any prayer from her until she goes home and washes herself.’” These ahaadeeth are general in implication. Just as the prohibition covers perfume applied to the body, it also covers perfume applied to the clothes, especially in the third hadeeth, where bakhoor (incense) is mentioned, because incense is used specifically to perfume the clothes. The reason for this prohibition is quite clear, which is that women’s fragrance may cause undue provocation of desires. The scholars also included other things under this heading of things to be avoided by women who want to go to the mosque, such as beautiful clothes, jewellery that can be seen, excessive adornments and mingling with men. See Fath al-Baari, 2/279. Ibn Daqeeq al-‘Eed said: This indicates that it is forbidden for a woman who wants to go to the mosque to wear perfume, because this causes provocation of men’s desires. This was reported by al-Manaawi in Fayd al-Qadeer, in the commentary on the first hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah quoted above. Sixthly: (It should not resemble the clothing of men) It was reported in the saheeh ahaadeeth that a woman who imitates men in dress or in other ways is cursed. There follow some of the ahaadeeth that we know: Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the man who wears women’s clothes, and the woman who wears men’s clothes.” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘They are not part of us, the women who imitate men and the men who imitate women.’” Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed effeminate men and masculine women. He said, ‘Throw them out of your houses.’” He said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) expelled So and so, and ‘Umar expelled So and so.” According to another version: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘There are three who will not enter Paradise and Allaah will not even look at them on the Day of Resurrection: one who disobeys his parents, a woman who imitates men, and the duyooth (cuckold, weak man who feels no jealousy over his womenfolk).” Ibn Abi Maleekah – whose name was ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah – said: “It was said to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), ‘What if a woman wears (men’s) sandals?’ She said: ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed women who act like men.’” These ahaadeeth clearly indicate that it is forbidden for women to imitate men and vice versa, This usually includes dress and other matters, apart from the first hadeeth quoted above, which refers to dress only. Abu Dawood said, in Masaa’il al-Imaam Ahmad (p. 261): “I heard Ahmad being asked about a man who dresses his slave woman in a tunic. He said, ‘Do not clothe her in men’s garments, do not make her look like a man.” Abu Dawood said: “I said to Ahmad, Can he give her bachelor sandals to wear? He said, No, unless she wears them to do wudoo’. I said, What about for beauty? He said, No. I said, Can he cut her hair short? He said, No.” Seventhly: (It should not resemble the dress of kaafir women). It is stated in sharee’ah that Muslims, men and women alike, should not resemble or imitate the kuffaar with regard to worship, festivals or clothing that is specific to them. This is an important Islamic principle which nowadays, unfortunately, is neglected by many Muslims, even those who care about religion and calling others to Islam. This is due either to ignorance of their religion, or because they are following their own whims and desires, or because of deviation, combined with modern customs and imitation of kaafir Europe. This was one of the causes of the Muslims’ decline and weakness, which enabled the foreigners to overwhelm and colonize them. “…Verily, Allaah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves …” [al-Ra’d 13:11 – interpretation of the meaning]. If only they knew. It should be known that there is a great deal of saheeh evidence for these important rules in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and that the evidence in the Qur’aan is elaborated upon in the Sunnah, as is always the case. Eighthly: (It should not be a garment of fame and vanity). Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever wears a garment of fame and vanity in this world, Allaah will clothe him in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then He will cause Fire to flame up around him.’” (Hijaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, p. 54-67). And Allaah knows best.

Verses and Hadeeth about Hijab, by Islam Questions and Answers, islam-qa.com Could u please supply me with some qoutes from the Hadith and Quran on the impotance of hijab for women. Praise be to Allaah. Verses that have to do with hijab: 1 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful” [al-Noor 24:31] 2 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment. But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them. And Allaah is All‑Hearer, All‑Knower” [al-Noor 24:60] “Women past childbearing” are those who no longer menstruate, so they can no longer get pregnant or bear children. We shall see below the words of Hafsah bint Sireen and the way in which she interpreted this verse. 3 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59] 4 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Enter not the Prophet’s houses, unless permission is given to you for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation. But when you are invited, enter, and when you have taken your meal, disperse without sitting for a talk. Verily, such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet, and he is shy of (asking) you (to go); but Allaah is not shy of (telling you) the truth. And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not (right) for you that you should annoy Allaah’s Messenger, nor that you should ever marry his wives after him (his death). Verily, with Allaah that shall be an enormity” [al-Ahzaab 33:53] With regard to the Ahaadeeth: 1 – It was narrated from Safiyyah bint Shaybah that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to say: When these words were revealed – “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” – they took their izaars (a kind of garment) and tore them from the edges and covered their faces with them. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4481. The following version was narrated by Abu Dawood (4102): May Allaah have mercy on the Muhaajir women. When Allaah revealed the words “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)”, they tore the thickest of their aprons (a kind of garment) and covered their faces with them. Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth clearly states that what the Sahaabi women mentioned here understood from this verse – “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” – was that they were to cover their faces, and that they tore their garments and covered their faces with them, in obedience to the command of Allaah in the verse where He said “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” which meant covering their faces. Thus the fair-minded person will understand that woman’s observing hijab and covering her face in front of men is established in the saheeh Sunnah that explains the Book of Allaah. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) praised those women for hastening to follow the command of Allaah given in His Book. It is known that their understanding of the words “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” as meaning covering the face came from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he was there and they asked him about everything that they did not understand about their religion. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’aan)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought” [al-Nahl 16:44] Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari: There is a report of Ibn Abi Haatim via ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Uthmaan ibn Khaytham from Safiyyah that explains that. This report says: We mentioned the women of Quraysh and their virtues in the presence of ‘Aa’ishah and she said: “The women of Quraysh are good, but by Allaah I have never seen any better than the women of the Ansaar, or any who believed the Book of Allaah more strongly or had more faith in the Revelation. When Soorat al-Noor was revealed – “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” – their menfolk came to them and recited to them what had been revealed, and there was not one woman among them who did not go to her apron, and the following morning they prayed wrapped up as if there were crows on their heads. It was also narrated clearly in the report of al-Bukhaari narrated above, where we see ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who was so knowledgeable and pious, praising them in this manner and stating that she had never seen any women who believed the Book of Allaah more strongly or had more faith in the Revelation. This clearly indicates that they understood from this verse – “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” – that it was obligatory to cover their faces and that this stemmed from their belief in the Book of Allaah and their faith in the Revelation. It also indicates that women’s observing hijab in front of men and covering their faces is an act of belief in the Book of Allaah and faith in the Revelation. It is very strange indeed that some of those who claim to have knowledge say that there is nothing in the Qur’aan or Sunnah that says that women have to cover their faces in front of non-mahram men, even though the Sahaabi women did that in obedience to the command of Allaah in His Book, out of faith in the Revelation, and that this meaning is also firmly entrenched in the Sunnah, as in the report from al-Bukhaari quoted above. This is among the strongest evidence that all Muslim women are obliged to observe hijab. Adwa’ al-Bayaan, 6/594-595. 2 – It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to go out at night to al-Manaasi’ (well known places in the direction of al-Baqee’) to relieve themselves and ‘Umar used to say to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Let your wives be veiled.” But the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do that. Then one night Sawdah bint Zam’ah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), went out at ‘Isha’ time and she was a tall woman. ‘Umar called out to her: “We have recognized you, O Sawdah!” hoping that hijab would be revealed, then Allaah revealed the verse of hijab. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 146; Muslim, 2170. 3 – It was narrated from Ibn Shihaab that Anas said: I am the most knowledgeable of people about hijab. Ubayy ibn Ka’b used to ask me about it. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married Zaynab bint Jahsh, whom he married in Madeenah, he invited the people to a meal after the sun had risen. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat down and some men sat around him after the people had left, until the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up and walked a while, and I walked with him, until he reached the door of ‘Aa’ishah’s apartment. Then he thought that they had left so he went back and I went back with him, and they were still sitting there. He went back again, and I went with him, until he reached the door of ‘Aa’ishah’s apartment, then he came back and I came back with him, and they had left. Then he drew a curtain between me and him, and the verse of hijab was revealed. Al-Bukhaari, 5149; Muslim, 1428. 4 – It was narrated from ‘Urwah that ‘Aa’ishah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Fajr and the believing women would attend (the prayer) with him, wrapped in their aprons, then they would go back to their houses and no one would recognize them. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 365; Muslim, 645. 5 – It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The riders used to pass by us when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (S) in ihraam, and when they drew near to us we would lower our jilbabs from our heads over our faces, then when they had passed we would uncover them again. Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1833; Ibn Maajah, 2935; classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah (4,203) and by al-Albaani in Kitaab Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah. 6 – It was narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr said: We used to cover our faces in front of men. Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah, 4/203; al-Haakim, 1/624. He classed it as saheeh and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah. 7 – It was narrated that ‘Aasim al-Ahwaal said: We used to enter upon Hafsah bint Sireen who had put her jilbab thus and covered her face with it, and we would say to her: May Allaah have mercy on you. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment” [al-Noor 24:60]. And she would say to us: What comes after that? We would say: “But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them”. And she would say: That is confirming the idea of hijab. Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 7/93.

Clear evidence of unrestrained superstitions, such unislamic structures ought to be removed as diligently as possible (Shirk is the gravest, unpardonable sin). Building a Masjid or praying over graves is exactely the kind of practice Sh Abdulwahaab fought around 200 years and denunced in his "Kitaab At-Tawhid"; how sad it is still current in our land and we yet expect allah to rescue us from violence, corruption and other environmental degradations...