Islām’s Prohibition of Taking Lives Unjustly and Causing Fear in the Earth

As-Salamu Alaikum / Greetings dear reader,

After recent events in Woolwich,  Birmingham, UK and elsewhere in the world, I came across the following piece of true Islamic knowledge which will benefit anyone muslim and non muslim to read, In sha Allah / God willing.
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Islām’s Prohibition of Taking Lives Unjustly and Causing Fear in the Earth
From the Tafsīr of al-Allāmah ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir al-Sa’dī
Translated by Abū al-Ḥasan Mālik Ādam al-Akhḍar

Relating the story of the Prophet Mūsā (alaihissalam), Allāh (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) says in His Noble Book:

“And he entered the city at a time of inattention by its people and found therein two men fighting: one from his faction and one from among his enemy. And the one from his faction called for help to him against the one from his enemy, so Mūsā struck him and [unintentionally] killed him. [Mūsā] said, ‘This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy.’He said, ‘My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’” [al-Qaṣaṣ 28:15-16]

Until the verse:

“And when he wanted to strike the one who was an enemy to both of them, he said, ‘O Mūsā, do you intend to kill me as you killed someone yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of the amenders.’” [al-Qaṣaṣ 28:19]

In his Tafsīr [commentary] of these verses, al-Allāmah ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir al-Sa’dī (rahimahullaah) says:

“And from them (i.e. the benefits of these verses): The killing of a non-Muslim who has a compact [of security] by treaty or customary law is impermissible,[1] for indeed Mūsā(alaihissalam) considered his killing of the disbelieving Copt a sin, and he sought Allāh’s (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) Forgiveness for it.

Also from them: Whoever takes a life unjustly is considered from the oppressors, those who cause corruption in the earth.

And from them: Whoever takes a life unjustly and claims that he desires to rectify the land and to cause fear in the people of sin, then he is indeed a liar in this [claim] and is instead one who causes corruption, just as Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) has related in the Copt’s statement (You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of the amenders) by way of affirmation, not negation.”[2]

References:

[1] This has also been explicitly stated by the Messenger of Allāh (sallallaahu alaihi wa sa in the ḥadīth collected by Imām al-Bukhārī in his Ṣaḥiḥ (no. 2929 and 6524) on the authority of ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Amr (radhi Allaahu anhu) who related that Allāh’s Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi assalam) said: “Whoever killed a Mu’ahid (a non-Muslim who is under the pledge of protection by the Muslims) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise though its fragrance can be smelled at a distance of forty years (of traveling).”
[2] Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān (pg. 678)

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Copied and pasted above article from: http://salaf-us-saalih.com/2013/05/24/islams-prohibition-of-taking-lives-unjustly-and-causing-fear-in-the-earth-imaam-as-sadee/

Food For Thought Friday - O Messenger of Allaah! We eat, but do not become satisfied.

As-Salam Alaykum,

Let us revive the sunnah of eating collectively from one plate in sha Allah
Especially with our children that are fussy and messy eaters most of the time. Have patience because as stated below there are numerous blessings in eating together.

* This is a reminder for myself first and foremost and i hope you as a reader will benefit with me.

March 28, 2013 by AbdurRahman.org
Al-Wahshiyyi ibn Harb radiallaahu ‘anhu related that some of the Companions of Allaah’s Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

O Messenger of Allaah! We eat, but do not become satisfied.

So he said to them: “Perhaps you eat separately?”

So they replied: Yes.

So he said: “Eat your food collectively, mention the Name of Allaah upon it, then there will be blessings for you in it.”[1]

Shaykh Ibn al-’Uthaymeen said:

“This indicates that it is essential to eat collectively from a single plate. So if there are five or ten people, they should eat collectively from a single dish, depending upon the situation. Indeed, doing so is a cause for barakah (blessings) to descend, whilst eating separately is a cause for barakah to depart.”[2]

[1] Hasan: Related by Abu Daawood (no.3764). It was authenticated by al-Haafidh al-’lraaqee in his Takhreejul-lhyaa (214).
[2] Sharh Riyaadhus-Saaliheen (7/231) of Ibn al-’Uthaymeen.

http://salaf-us-saalih.com/2011/06/07/eating-collectively-from-a-single-plate/

Food For Thought Friday: Fatawa - Throwing Away Food

As-Salamu Alaykum Sisters, Greetings Readers,

I know it's been a while since i did a food for thought friday post, hope i can make it more of a regular thing.

We all throw food away it's an everyday thing in most homes especially if the food is not to ones liking or you cooked too much and don't refrigerate/freeze straightaway.

Today I'd like to share with you a couple of fatwa / Islamic rulings on this topic.

The first is from AlBaseerah.org and the second is from Alifta

Question: Is it permissible to throw away food in some instances like if it has gone bad or if it was burnt or it is not to your liking and you don't know anyone who will eat it. What about if too much was cooked and you don't know anyone to take to the excessive food?

Answer: The Shaykh حفظه الله said if a person has too much food and is unable to finish it, then it is permissible for him to put it in a pure plate, not in an impure plate in order for animals to eat from it or insects or birds. It is not incumbent upon him to eat everything as onions were presented to the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم and he did not eat from them and he permitted others to eat from the onions. A lizard as well was presented to the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم to eat from and he refrained from eating from it but he صلى الله عليه و سلم allowed others to eat from it. What is not permissible is that you put food that could be made use of, in an impure plate. Rather one should put the food in a purified plate in order for insects, animals, or birds, to eat from it

Answered by: Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan Al-Ajlaan

Ruling on throwing leftover food in the garbage and spreading newspapers to eat on

Q 1: Is it permissible to spread newspapers and put food on them. If it is not allowed, what should we do after reading them?

Q 2: As for leftover food, some people put it in boxes, etc., and then put it out on the street for animals to eat; however, trash collectors put it in garbage cans with other trash. The question is: Is it permissible to throw out the food with other trash?

A 1:It is not allowed to spread the newspapers and eat on them or wrap things in them or humiliating them by any means if they contain some Ayahs (Qur'anic verse) or any mention of Allah (Exalted be He). If the case is as mentioned, then it is obligatory to keep them in a proper place, burn them, or bury them in clean earth.

 

A 2:If there are poor people who are in need of this food, then one must give it to them; otherwise, it should be put in a place far away from abuse so that animals can eat it. If this is not possible, then it should be kept in boxes or plastic bags or other containers and the municipalities should obligate the trash collectors to put it in clean places so that animals will eat it or some people will take it for their animals. This is done in order to keep the food away from being abused and wasted.

Source: Fatwas of Ibn Baz



 

A Bakers Dozen (13): Chocolate Lemon Cupcakes

Asalam Alaykum,

Ever heard the term 'Baker's dozen'? Well a Baker's dozen in England = 13 why? you may ask, i know i have, when all bun tins i've ever seen are even numbered i.e. 6, 12....

Here's the answer courtesy of Wikipedia

A baker's dozen, devil's dozen, long dozen, or long measure is 13, one more than a standard dozen. The oldest known source for the expression "baker's dozen" dates to the 13th century in one of the earliest English statutes, instituted during the reign of Henry III (1216–72), called the Assize of Bread and Ale. Bakers who were found to have shortchanged customers (some variations say that they would sell hollow bread) could be subject to severe punishment including judicial amputation of a hand. To guard against losing a hand to an axe, a baker would give 13 for the price of 12 in order to be certain of not being known as a cheat. Specifically, the practice of baking 13 items for an intended dozen was insurance against "short measure", on the basis that one of the 13 could be lost, eaten, burnt, or ruined in some way, leaving the baker with the original legal dozen. The practice can be seen in the guild codes of the Worshipful Company of Bakers in London. 

Masha'Allah the above reminded me of the following verses in the Qur'an regarding the matter of giving/receiving an accurate measure and weight in transactions.

*note the following is the english translation of the meaning of the arabic verses.

11:84. And to the Madyan people (We sent) their brother Shu`ayb. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no other god but Him, and give not short measure or weight. I see you in prosperity and verily, I fear for you the torment of a Day encompassing.''
11:85. And O my people! Give full measure and weight in justice and reduce not the things that are due to the people, and do not commit mischief in the land, causing corruption.

How many of you have been short changed in some form before? whether it's the description of the product or the number of items/money etc. By accident or on purpose, the feeling of being cheated out of something is not pleasant at all.

Then on the other hand you have the example of  how bakers would give away 1 extra for every 12(dozen) to prove they weren't unjust infact they were being generous! Does the bakers dozen still exist in bakeries today?

Well in my home Bakery lol it does, so on to my 13 Chocolate Lemon Cupcakes, i made a few changes including switching around the name from Lemon Chocolate Cupcakes

I changed the name to reflect the flavour, instead of having too much of a sour lemon taste they had before, now they have a nice balance between rich deep chocolate and zesty citrus.

I increased the amount of cocoa in the cupcake whilst removing it totally from the Icing which gave a nice contrast in colour and flavour.

I swapped the Icing from a chocolate buttercream to a lemon cream cheese icing, i made a slight boo boo with the icing, it became too runny to pipe hence the pool instead of a thick swirl. This led to using less icing than original anticipated :) which meant i had some leftover for eating straight out of the bowl!

Later, i discovered from the daring kitchen i wasn't the only one to have ever experienced this problem with runny cream cheese icing, what a relief! So from my limited research i discovered what could have gone wrong:-

The order of making my icing, i creamed the cream cheese and butter together first and then added the icing sugar.

I should have mixed the butter and icing sugar together and then added the cream cheese, i must try this next time in sha Allah but all in all i'm happy because the cupcakes looked ok and tasted great, so go on the next time your up for trying something new, give this odd but yummy flavour combination cupcakes a try!

By the way, i didn't purposely set out to make 13 cupcakes but in order not to waste the batter leftover in bowl, i filled a cupcake case, stuck it on a baking tray and off it went into the oven to bake and it didn't collapse like i thought it would having no support from a bun tin.

Chocolate Lemon Cupcakes

Makes: 13

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

165 grams Unsalted Butter (you can use margarine), at room temperature

165 grams Caster Sugar / vanilla sugar

3 eggs

115 grams Self raising Flour

50 grams Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Icing:

I halved the recipe from Lizzy

 

1/4 cup Butter, softened

4oz. Cream Cheese, softened

Zest of 1 Lemon

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/2 - 2 cup icing sugar, as needed

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160C Fan/180C and line a bun tin with cases (don't forget you will have enough batter to make 13 so either bake 12 first and then 1 seperately or use a 24 hole bun tin if you have, alternatively fill the odd case and place on baking tray and bake on oven shelf underneath your 12 like i did)
2. In a bowl mix whisk together cocoa and flour, set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together your butter, sugar, lemon zest until light in colour and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 by 1 ensuring each egg is fully combined before adding the next.
3. Add cocoa/flour and your lemon juice and mix/fold in just until you have no traces of flour/butter left.
4. Bake on the rack just 1 lower than the middle for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make cream cheese icing by mixing butter, zest, juice and icing sugar together and then add the cream cheese and mix until homogenous.
6. Spread or pipe icing onto cupcakes and top with your favourite sprinkles/decorations. 

Book Review: The Story of Muhammad ṣall Allāhu ʿalay-hi wa-sallam In Makkah

Salam Alaykum,

All of us are in need of reading the story of our beloved prophet Muhammad ṣall Allāhu ʿalay-hi wa-sallam and this book i recommend for the new Muslim, the born Muslim, the young, the old and also the non Muslim, yes it is for you too!

You could say it's generally aimed at children as it's beautifully illustrated ma shaa Allah

 but don't let that stop you buying if you don't have children!

The font style, size is very appealing too but most of all it's the actual story, not just any story but a true story that is captivating and makes you want to pick the book up and read over and over again.

I'm looking forward to purchasing and reading the concluding book The Story of Muhammad ṣall Allāhu ʿalay-hi wa-sallam  In Madinah in shaa Allah but also as the name at the top of the book suggests 'Stories of the Prophets' there are other books in the series that are available too.

I purchased this book from Salafi Book Store the store gave me free of charge dawah leaflets too, may Allah reward them.

One thing to note is although the book is good quality considering the price, if you are reading or should i say trying to read it to a near 2 year old that won't keep her hands to herself, be careful because the pages are easily pulled out! failing that save it until she/he is older.

Warning: Some Pre Made Pastry contains Ethanol/Alcohol!

Source

Salam Alaikum,

This warning comes from first hand experience of being too lazy / i have better things to do than learn how to make puff pastry right now. SHOCKING i know coming from a baker dedicated to her craft / sweet tooth lol

I wanted to make the creamy delight that is a vanilla slice pictured above, although mine would have been single decker slice(s), never mind some other time inshaAllah for now i can indulge in the thought.

The story goes a little something like this:-

While doing my online grocery shopping one cold winter evening, the thought came into my head that pre made pastry would be the way to go in order for me to save time in making my most favourite bakery item.
So as i usually do, i checked the ingredients list displayed here thinking that it was the all above board i.e. the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth but to my dismay here is the whole truth, the complete ingredients list

Ethanol = Alcohol = Haram / Forbidden
By that time it was too late i already had the product in my house so i binned it and that was that, the end of my easy pastry dreams.

So next time i or you think about cutting corners in order to make life easier, think twice and always read the label (of course alot easier if you have the product and packaging in the palm of your hand and not on a screen like i did)

The Origin of the "Crossaint" | Abu Hakeem Bilal Davis

Asalamu Alaykum,

I had no idea, did you?

 

Knowledge is Power: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) cannot by defended by oppression and misguidance

Salam alaikum sisters & hello to my non Muslim readers

Please take a few minutes from your day to read the following article, inshAllah (God willing)


Knowledge is Power: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) cannot by defended by oppression and misguidance