Either pay zakat or buy a diamond?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,

All praise is due to Allah, All wise,

If I say something wrong, it is from my ego, but If I am correct, it is from Allah.

On Last Sunday, I was given a scolding that times have changed and we should re-examine the rulings of Islam according to new times, and disallow women from entering masjid, although it goes against a direct command of Allah. However, when trying to learn about Zakat, I came across a ruling. Same folks would allow hiding wealth in diamonds because Quran did not list Diamond with gold and silver. So, their logical mind goes to sleep when it comes to going against the status quo.

Oh Come on people! Do you think you can fool Allah by hiding your wealth in Diamonds, so you don't have to pay Zakat. What an absurd ruling. Lets look at this hypocritical ruling from the current scholars.

"And those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend them in the way of God, announce unto them a painful punishment. One day that (treasure) will be heated up in the fire of hell and their foreheads, their sides, and their backs will be branded with it: “This is the treasure that you hoarded up for yourselves. Now taste what you used to hoard up". (Quran 9:34)

Many scholars quote this verse as part of the evidence that there is zakah on gold and silver. But it seems clear that here gold and silver are mentioned merely as age-old symbols and forms of wealth. If at any time wealth could be possessed in other forms, the obligation to spend out of it in the way of God would still apply. Today wealth can be possessed in the form of paper money and diamonds, so believers are duty bound to spend out of this wealth in the way of God. It would be a very superficial interpretation of the verse to say that if we have gold or silver worth $2000 we should spend out of it in the way of God but if we have a million dollars in paper money or an equivalent amount in diamonds, then we have no obligation to spend out of it anything in the way of God.

To interpret the verse (9:34) by restricting it entirely to gold and silver would be like insisting that we should always use horses to build our armed forces, since God says:

And make ready for them whatever you can of (military) force, including steeds of war, to deter the enemy of God and your enemy, and others whom you may not know but God knows. (Quran 8:60)

Here God has mentioned horses because in the time of the Holy Prophet they greatly enhanced the fighting power of an army. Today, of course, horses would not deter any of the numerous enemies of Islam and Muslims, armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction. Most scholars would agree that today the commandment in 8:60 requires us to acquire weapons like tanks, war planes, missiles, and nuclear weapons[2]. Similarly, 9:34 should be interpreted to mean that we should spend in the way of God out of whatever wealth we possess, be it gold or silver or some other form of wealth.

Today wealth clearly includes diamonds, for, wealth may be defined as what we possess of money or of items that are bought and sold often enough to acquire a market value. Today diamonds and many other precious stones are clearly items that have a determinable market value.

Thus the letter and the spirit of the Qur`an suggests that in our age diamonds are subject to zakah.

Turning now to the Sunnah/Hadith, we note that there is no authentic hadith stating that precious stones are not subject to zakah. Fiqh al-Sunnah does not mention any such hadith. Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, however, quotes the hadith:

(“There is no zakah on a stone”).

But he mentions no source for it and does not say whether the hadith is sahih or not. The fact is that this hadith is absent from almost all the books of ahadith, including such sahih collections as Bukhari and Muslim. In view of this, the probability is very high that it has been falsely attributed to the Holy Prophet.

[I extracted this argument from this source http://www.islamicperspectives.com/zakah-diamonds.htm it seems well written and to the point]

I would like to appeal to you to think for a second that if diamonds have a resale value today, and people transfer their wealth from gold into diamonds, does that mean that we have found a loop hole in Allah's wisdom? After all people have been forced to pay zakat in the past, but if the precious stone were exempt from the Zakat, Qaroon would have done that, and Abu Bakar (RA) would have been looking at the piles of diamonds instead of a war for zakat.

Please do not be fooled into not paying zakat on items that are not a neccessity and worth above Nisab. If anyone can provide the source of the above hadith, may be we can reconsider the exception, but until then pay your zakat on precious stones.

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

A reasonable person.

AbuArman Jumani

Last Straw...

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,

All praise is due to Allah, who sent us deen of Islam,

Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "Allow women to go to the Mosques at night." (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 13, Number 22)

Ibn 'Umar reported: Grant permission to women for going to the mosque in the night. His son who was called Waqid said: Then they would make mischief. He (the narrator) said: He thumped his (son's) chest and said: I am narrating to you the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and you say: No! (Sahih Muslim Book 004, Number 0890)

Last night, after the tafseer, I asked to the Imam, "Wives of Muhammad ibn Abdullah (PBUH) used to come for i'tkaf, why do you stop women in Jamah Masjid?". Answer was that this is the age of fitnah, so we should stop women from coming to masjid. No kidding. Fitnah is here alright, but not sure if it is the women, or men, or both. May be we should prohibit people without beard from coming to the masjid, or lets check their background to see if they are commiting any sins. Allah told the Prophet (PBUH) that you are not their manager, and he understood. I guess Allah have made these scholars, the manager of Fitnah, and allowed them to overturn his order by their opinion.

If we look at the hadith above, ibn Umar (RA) who was the best emulating companion of the sunnah thumping his own son, and his son is presenting the same argument. Now, we don't have Ibn Umar who can stand up and thump the chest of this Imam, and say "Are you above the last prophet? Do you have authority to overturn the command of the one who Allah has asked us to obey?"  I tried to thump the chest of Imam yesterday, but I have no support. Everyone is a coward or scared to loose their club membership in this private organization. I don't blame them, because this world seems to be all that matters to them, and I don't mind being outcasted at the expense of following Ibn Umar. I only wish to see him and meet him, so i can kiss his hands for him having the courage to thump his son.

For me this was the last straw. I overlooked all the faults in the leadership of our community, but a direct disobedience of the command of the Prophet (PBUH) is the last straw on my back. That is it! That is it! That is it! I know they will not listen to me or anyone who brings the signs of Allah to them. The traditions of their forefather are more dearer to them then the command of the prophet and the companions.

When I came home, I thought may be it is not so bad in the small cage upstairs for women, so I ask my wife, and she attested that, she can't even see Imam or ask him any question, or challenge him. She told me further that she has been trying to reach Imam to discuss my son's progress, for days now but everytime she comes close to the door of the masjid, some men will block her and point to the corner leading to the prison for women. I wish I was there. How dare these men prohibit women from entering the house of Allah? Don't women have right to Allah's house?

Interestingly, the same Imam wonders why our societies are going down the drain. Well, brother, if you imprison the teachers of the Ummah (women), and discourage them from coming to Masjid, who will teach the young generation. Men are too busy, making tea and serving biryani in the masjid. They don't go home and train the women, so if anything, changing time ask us to encorouge women to come to Masjid to reduce the fitnah.

So, if the fitnah is the motive to overturn Islamic rulings, why not stop the iftar dinners, where people gossip and women come in large numbers without hijab. I certainly will not host Iftar in this masjid this year. Probably look for a more deserving Masjid, where women have at least some rights.

Or, how about prohibiting women on Eid, because there is more fitnah on Eid day in Islamic Center of Orlando then any other street on USA. Flirting and invitations are flying for men to look at the young ladies standing 20 feet away from jamat of men. Even women are ashamed looking at this scene on Eid day.

Then, I asked the second Imam of the masjid about my suggestion that trustee asked a while ago and I provided. He told me that Shura is already established. I was surprised. So was he, since Imams were not part of the selection. I did not receive any reponse. The trustee didn't even told him, just posted on the board. There was no announcement. There was no public meeting. So, I guess Islamic center of Orlando is not a muslim jamaat, but a business entity who is owned by four trustees. You know what. That is fine. I will consider it as a private charity organization from now, and pray to Allah to remove the status of the masjid from that building and take away the blessings a masjid should have. It is not a masjid, it is a meeting place for some men who happen to be born to Muslims.

My back is borken now. Anywhere, my wife and mother is not welcome, and the Prophet is insulted, I don't want anything to do with it. I love them too much to see this everyday. I will have to find a masjid where Islam is practiced, and not where traditions are worshiped. I am sure that they are not interested in any suggestion or opinions from me, because they have already figured out the deen, and they are on the right path, so anytime I bring up a question, a man in white beard will wave me off. I rest my case from here and moving on to more important tasks at hand of increasing my taqwa, and speading the word of Islam. Pray for my guidance.

If I am wrong on this, May Allah punish me for it, but if I am right, May Allah take away all the blessings from this Masjid, and dry up the resources like water is missing from desert. 

JazakAllah Khairin

A follower of Ibn Umar, 
AbuArman Jumani

That Cancers that are Impeding Al-Islam.

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the most high.

If I make a mistake, it is from my ego, if I am correct, it is from Allah.

"Invite to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided." (Quran 16:125) 

In the last six month, I visited Makkah, and then visited Iriga City, Philippines. I received shock in both places. In Makkah, I saw the stubborn Saudis, and in Iriga, I saw people who have gone stray. These two extremes has shocked my physically and spiritually. My back was hurt in Iriga, but soul was uplifted, and my soul was damaged in Jeddah, but my body was cleansed. I don't know which was worst. Arrogant Muslims who have narrowed their religion to a few handful twisted strict rules, or ignorant catholics, who are slipping towards complete idolatry as we speak.

However, I knew these two extremes existed and survived them, but I couldn't survive the shock of looking through an open wound on Islam's body and discovering a few cancers spreading silently under the skin. It left me numb, and I still can't shake the horror of what I perceive the last gasps of the body of Al-Islam trying to fight these cancers. These cancers are what is impeding the growth and health of Al-Islam.

Each cell in this body have to multiply to regain life in the body, and it multiplies by absorbing oxygen (worship) and nutrients (practical application). More importantly, the cells are normal (interacting with non-Muslims) and well controlled (follow Islamic Sharia). Sometimes cells mutate and alter their purpose to just grow and not be controlled, which is called a cancer.

If we look back, Early conquered lands did not convert, because Muslims impose it on them, but they accepted Islam with open hearts.They saw a system in action that can provide a complete life-style free of sins. Also, it happened due to the example they saw in these sincere fellow humans who have no interest in worldly wealth, but rather every motivation initiates from Allah's order. When they traded, they did because of Allah's order, when they mated, they did because of Allah's order, when they loved they did because of Allah's order. All non-Muslims saw in them was the natural harmony in early Muslim's life, and whoever could fight their ego they became Muslims.

Today, Islam is not spreading like it did, but why? Has Islam become outdated? Or, is the message lost? No. In my observation, following are the major factors impeding the spread, and it will not resume until we remove these cancer.

• Asabiyah/Firqa (divisions)
• Round Robin Jamaat
• In-human terrorism
• Vanila Muslims

Asabiyah/Firqa:
When everyone you speak to labels every masjid with a race, then you know that Asabiyah (divisions) has spread like a cancer. One person approached me while I was busy, and he asked me a bold question "Are you from Rawalpindi?" I smiled and said "No". When I told him that I am from Karachi, I could see the changing color, and told him that this should be the last thing in our mind when we see each other. Another time, a dear brother of mine start classifying the masajid in Orlando as Hanafi, Shafi, Salafi.... I am sure his research is accurate, but that's the point. We are divided, and the cancer is too strong.

So, how is this impeding Islam. As always, an example. I was sitting in Manila airport waiting for my flight. There was a non-Muslim sitting on my side, and we started chatting. Of course, I wanted him to hear the message of Muhammad (PBUH). As I started to invited him, he told me that he worked in Saudi, and have been learning about Islam there. He asked me why are there so many different sects in Islam, and which one is true. I tried to explain that all of them are wrong, except who follow the Quran and Sunnah. I could see how confused he was, and I realized that non-Muslims are ready to accept Islam, but which Islam "Hanafi", "Maliki", "Salafi", "Ahl-e-Hadith", "Devband" etc. I mean there are more sects in Islam then clothes in my closet, and probably more colorful. So, unless we drop this notion of making Imams God, and rejecting Sunnah over what Imam Muhammad said (i do not exaggerate this), this cancer will not leave. We can kill it by listening to Imam Abu Hanifa, as he said that look at the source of the opinion and not the opinion. Cure is in this sentence.

Messenger of Allah (saw) said, narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud, "There are indeed people who boast of their dead ancestors; but in the sight of Allah they are more contemptible than the black beetle that rolls a piece of dung with its nose.

Round Robin Jamaat:

It has many names such just "Jamaat" or "Tableeghi Jamaat". This I found to be the # 2 in the list that is Impeding Islam. What happens is that once someone becomes one of them, they get cut off from the learning, inviting non-Muslims, Quran, Sunnah, and Family. 

I will present an example. I visited the masjid in Iriga city, which is in the dark valley of shirk and very hard to find. I was so happy to see it and couldn't control my excitement. Then, I visited the library of Iriga city. I was surprised to see that there was no Quran in the library. I asked brother Abdu*****, why not? He looked at me like I have asked the secret pin for his ATM card. Instead, he started telling me that there is a jamaat of four brothers came from Pakistan and I miss them. Don't these 4 people find enough in Pakistan to reform that they are visiting far away. I told him that I am going to donate some books, and if he has a Quran in Tagalog that I can have. He looked around and said no. I said alright brother do u want to go for dawah and present some English Quran to the priest of the main church, where my wife used to study. He said he was busy. So, bottom line is that the dawah these cancer cells are interested in is just to Muslims, and that is only to make them a dead bead. I have listed reform for this Jamat many times here, so I am not going to repeat it.

Narrated Anas bin Malik: "A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet asking how the Prophet worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, "Where are we from the Prophet as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever." The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever." Allah's Apostle came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers)." (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 1)

In human Terrorism:
This should be an easy one, but can catch you right off-guard. Islam has been associated with Muslims who are ready to react on everything with uneducated, and ignorant hatred. They have harmed the image of Islam so much that, even my mother asked me to shave my beard, because I looked like a terrorist. Of course, I smiled, and explained to her that it is fardh upon every men, and shaving it is Fisq.

Once, my brother in law visited, who is a non-Muslim, and I started to talk to him about Islam, and he liked what he heard. Out of nowhere, he asked me "What about these terrorist?" why do they not follow this peaceful message? I explained to him that they are following their sects and leaders and if these Imams contradict Quran and Sunnah, these people will not challenge them, so hence they follow this twisted ideology, but he was not convinced because who to say that they are following the true Islam and I am telling him the fantasy tales. This cancer is very painful, and it will not stop by itself, and we will have to fight it. I suggest to make a negative opinion in our heart of these terrorist acts and then talk against it, then try to stop it if possible.

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not do aggression, for Allah loves not the aggressors. Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors." (Quran 2:190)

Vanilla Muslims:
This is a term I think best describe these Muslims, who were born in a Muslim family, but never truly accepted Islam. They are not concerned about Halal and Haram. World has taken a special place in their heart, and the highest priority for them will be improving their life in this world.

If a non-Muslim look at them, they will not recognize them as Muslims. Men most likely shave, and women follow Paris Hilton's fashion, so the Hijab does not fit in. They will skip Jumaa if there is an important meeting. So, Islam for them is a part time hobby that happens on Eid, Maghrib on Sundays. I was one of them, so I understand the thinking. In most cases, their thinking has a curtain, which keeps them in the state of intoxication for this world. Of course, there will be no motivation to spread Islam. It is like a foreign tissue cancer, which just sit there. Reminding of death, and reminding Allah is the cure for it.

Thauban reported that the messenger of Allah said: "It is near that the nations will call one another against you just as the eaters call one another to their dishes." Somebody asked: "Is this because we will be few in numbers that day?" He said: "Nay, but that day you shall be numerous, but you will be like the foam of the sea, and Allah will take the fear of you away from your enemies and will place weakness into your hearts." Somebody asked: "What is this weakness?" He said: "The love of the world and the dislike of death." (Abu Daud)

There is one hope in Orlando, and it is a gathering on Sundays at 11 AM at MAGO school. These four cancers are not present there in big force, and there is an opportunity to fight back these cancers, if Allah wills.

JazakAllah Khairin
A cancer fighting cell

AbuArman Jumani

Jumaa: A running Joke!

In the Name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficient.

All praise is due to Allah, the focus of all true worship.

If I say something wrong, it is from my ego, and if I say something good, it is from Allah.

عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص أن النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم نهى عن التحلّق قبل الصلاة يوم الجمعة


صحيح أبي داود 991، صحيح الجامع 6885


From Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade making circles [for knowledge or remembrance] before prayer on Friday. (Saheeh Abu Dawud #991, Saheeh al-Jami’ #6885)

I walk in the Islamic Center of Orlando on fridays, and it breaks my heart to see Imam speaking before the khutbah. It is a direct violation of the command of the Prophet (PBUH) above. After the english speech, Imam will sit down, thinking that a good message has been delivered, but the true message that was delivered is that it is more important for us to follow the culture then follow the Prophet (PBUH).

The whole day of Jumaa has become a joke which repeats like an old comedy film. Some come for Biryani that is sold outside. Some come to meet friends. Some come to add their name to the list of 1 billion Muslims. Some come to just hang out. Some come because other Muslims won't call them names. Some come to increase business contacts. Some come in a box, and have no say in it. Some come through a back door in a closed room thinking why are they second grade citizens. Some Come to remember how it was in their childhood to go to masjid once a week...

Even Angels are confused. Allah told them to write the names of every person who enters before Imam stands up. So, Angels are sitting outside writing the names, and all of a sudden they hear the Imam stood up and start making Zikr of Allah (speaking good). At that moment, they closed the books and came inside to listen the zikr. As they enter, they see only a few people in, and some are reclining to past time. Angels thought that it must be a tough town. After 20 minutes people streaming in, but everyone starts sitting at the back like women or like scared of coming close to Allah that may be he will ask about their deeds today.

Finally, Imam ends the zikr (english speech), and sits down, and the maudhin gives the adhan. After a few minutes, instead of starting the salah, Imam stands up and starts the Arabic zikr. At that moment Angels are completed caught off-gaurd, and rush to their books and start writing peole's names who are already in the masjid. They don't know what to do. What is happening? They don't know who should be counted as on time and who should be absent from the list. They sit down once agains for the zikr of Allah.

One thing for sure, they will ask for a re-assignment to another masjid where it is less confusing. However, they don't realize that this forbidden format has been adopted by many masajid, and now part of the culture.

After the Jumaa, people streaming out like christians stream out of church on Sundays. One thing for sure that most of them will not come back to the masjid until next Jumaa, and that is if there is no meeting conflict. Of course, they can see the boss so can't make the boss angry, but Allah is unseen, so "out of sight, out of mind" method is employed.

On Fridays, there are more than 600 people, but at Asar only a handful return. May be we need a permanent Biryani stall outside? Just a thought.

On top of all this, some are rude to the non-muslim cops who are helping with parking. One woman cursed the policeman and this grown man cried because of that. So much ignorance. So much pride. So much disobedience. If I didn't know that Islam is truth, I would have left Islam in a heartbeat.

Wallah! We deserve the leaders we got who opress us, and press us, and kill us, and then rape us, and then plunder our wealth. All the duas at the end is useless, because the inside of us have died. Jumaa is nothing but a tradition now, and in the next generations, these kids are learning from us will not know how the companions felt when Prophet (PBUH) would mount the pulpit once on Jumaa with the purpose of mentioning Allah's name and teaching people. How many of us can feel the tears during the khutbah, or start shaking, or so ashamed that heads touch the ground. This is Jumaa. Have the soul absorb the knowledge and blessing and ready for the whole week. Rust is removed for a week. This is how the companions felt. I am sorry but between an early english speech and same Arabic Khutbah, it is very hard to feel this way.

There is no hope until we have the courage to go against the traditions that defy Allah and his messenger.

I pray to Allah to destroy me if I am wrong, or destroy this tradition that branches out away from the Sirat ul Mustaqeem.

JazakAllah Khairin

An observer to the demise of Muslims
Abu Arman

Family with two fathers

In the Name of Allah.

All praise is due to Allah, who is the owner of the day of judgement.

"O believers enter into Islam completely ..." (Quran 2:208)
I have been asked many times what I beleived to be the cause of the disunity in muslim Ummah today. We can articulate many reasons, but one reason is the root of this current situation. For example, muslims complain about western media comparing muslim countries to western countries in treatment of women. Their argument is that the media should compare Quran with Bible instead. I disagree, because the abuse of women is happening in real life and not in a book, so the accusation of western media is correct and we should accept the truth and deal with it, instead of denying it. We should put up (establish such community) or shut up (stop complaining).

Islam was established in Medina the first time as a system, where there was a single leader who was the secular authority as well as religous authority, and the qualification to become a leader included complete grasp on Islamic Sharia. Somewhere along the lines, muslim Ummah has degraded to a level where the political leaders have been chosen without any consideration of their Taqwa or Islamic knowledge. Also, the "religous" leaders like Mawlvis or Imams have accpeted this situation, and are enjoying their authority by avoiding secular issues. Some even claim that no one follows Islam in their life anymore, so it is impossible to show an example of a community to compare with US treatment of women.

If it is true, then the movement started with Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH) has died, and Islam is no more. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) never made that differentiation in his life nor did his companion. I do not recall any instance where any of them said that Islamic laws don't apply to a certain aspect of our life and we need a secular law to govern it. On the contrary, this was the mian argument that non-beleivers could not accept. They were willing to worship Allah every other year, as long as they can keep the laws of ignorance intact. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) refused to accept Islam as a ritual and insisted on applying it globally in every part of our lives. For this, he was rejected by the political leaders in Makkah, who did not want their authority to slip away.

I am not sure when this thinking seeped into Muslim Ummah, but muslims now see a separation of religion and state, and like to have a religious leader, and a secular leader. In essence, muslims want two fathers for themselves. One father will take them to masjid and teach them about Islam, and the other father will take them to school and play sports with them. Even in our local masjid, Imams avoid every political issue, and defer to Shura and Trustees who are uneducated in Quran and Sunnah. How can a person with no knowledge in Quran and Sunnah lead us politically? I say that no family can afford two fathers, and it is absurd to have two head of the family, and each pulling in the different direction.

In the battle of Yarmuk, Khalid bin Walid was the Ameer, and was fighting with Roman Army. Romans sent their bishop (religious leader) to give a proposals to muslims. Bishop came to the frontline, and asked to see his religous counterpart in muslim Army. Khalid came forward to meet bishop. Bishop asked to speak to religous leader instead like a Mawli or Maulana or Imam. Khalid told him that there is only one Ameer of muslims here, and it is him. Bishop had hard time understanding this new concept of one Ameer leading muslims militarily and spritually.

If Pope makes the same request today, I can assure you that political leaders will step aside and someone with white beard and white turban will go out to mee him. What a shame? Muslim Ummah is in disunity due to the separation of religious and secular laws. Quran is not a book to be read like a novel, and memorized like a poetry. It is to be followed. If we follow it, then there is no place for a separate law in Islam. Hence, any law that governs human life is comparable to Islam, and vice versa.

We should blame ourselves for the treatment of women under muslim authority, and not the western media, who is doing their job in identifying the faults in Muslims. If there is not a single community that is following Quran as it is to be followed, which we can put forth to Sean Hannity, then Quran is nothing but a pipe dream, but I know that is not be true.

If someone to be blamed for this, it is the scholars who are holding monoply on Islamic Sharia, and who does not allow open debate because of their Taqleed of four Imams even if their rulings are against the will of Allah and will of Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH).

Let us compare our practice of Islam to the implementation of US constitution, and see if Quran has any say whatsoover in our lives. If the women have more rights in USA then the most sacred city, Makkah, I don't see how Sean Hannity has to be blamed, rather we should hide our faces due to shame until death reaches us.

Oh Allah! provide us leaders who implements Quran and Sunnah as law, and protect us from the fitnah of two fathers who split laws in secular and religous parts.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person with one father
Abu Arman

Wudu: Do we need to wash the feet?

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the one whose hands is my life.

If I make a mistake, it is from my ego, and if I say something good it is from Allah.

After my last blog, I receive the following question. I will try to answer it with my limited knowledge. I know there are many readers who are more learned than I, so please correct me with evidence.

"Can you also read the aya of quran about the method of wudu and guide me if the word "wamsahu" is used for both feet and head, then why do we wash our feet. (please dont mention the bracket interpretation of the translator who have added the washing later. Please read the actual arabic language. I think whenever and for whatever reason hadeeth and quran conflict we have to go by quran. As authencity of quran is guaranteed by Allah but hadeets could be changed later by humans."

First, Quran has reached us through ahadith, so Quran is nothing but a hadith itself, because no one but Prophet (PBUH) received, and he conveyed. So, authentic ahadith that we have no doubt over it, are at the same level as Quran, except when there is a direct contradiction, which is very rare. If Allah wanted to provide just a 300 pages book to us, it was very easy to do without the trouble Prophet (PBUH) had to go through. In short, we cannot understand Quran without the explanation in the ahadith. It is true that some ahadith are weak or fabricated, which we should try to avoid, but an authentic hadith has the same binding on us as the Quran does.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَڪُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِ‌ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمۡ جُنُبً۬ا فَٱطَّهَّرُواْ‌ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرۡضَىٰٓ أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوۡ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ۬ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡغَآٮِٕطِ أَوۡ لَـٰمَسۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمۡ تَجِدُواْ مَآءً۬ فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدً۬ا طَيِّبً۬ا فَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِڪُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيكُم مِّنۡهُ‌ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجۡعَلَ عَلَيۡڪُم مِّنۡ حَرَجٍ۬ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَهُ ۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

 O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks.

I think the following explanation from Muhammad ibn Sâlih al-'Uthaymîn is the best

There are two correct ways of reciting the saying of Allaah (wa Arjulikum) ‘and your feet’ having reached us from the Messenger of Allaah (SAW):

1. Reciting it as ‘wa Arjulakum’ with a fatha on the laam, hence linking it in meaning to ‘wa wujoohakum’ (and your faces), i.e. wash the feet.
2. Reciting it as ‘wa Arjulikum’ with a kasra on the laam, hence linking it in meaning to ‘bi ru’oosikum’ (your heads), i.e. wipe the feet.

And that which explains when one should wipe the feet and when one should wash them is the sunnah, for the Messenger (SAW) used to wash his feet when they were uncovered, and wipe over them when they were covered by khuffs.

Quran was not revealed or written down with  "fatha" or "kasra", and Uthman ibn Affan added these harakat to help non-Arabs to read properly. Similar to modern dictionary have pronunciation helpers. So, the fatha was selected for this word, and it attaches the feet to washing. If kasra would have been selected, it would have reflected the other meaning. We should accept the translation of "wash" and not wipe.

However, it does not make a big difference whether it was wiping or washing, because both are acceptable.  What people consider washing nowadays is bathing the feet with running water. If the word "Faghsilu" means pouring running water over that body part, then please try doing that to your face at any wudu place. "Faghsilu" here menas clean thoroughly. In the following hadith companions were wiping/washing their feet.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:

Once the Prophet remained behind us in a journey. He joined us while we were performing ablution for the prayer which was over-due. We were just passing wet hands over our feet (and not washing them properly) so the Prophet addressed us in a loud voice and said twice or thrice: "Save your heels from the fire."  (Bukhari Vol 1, 3:57) 

Prophet (PBUH) did not say "wash your feet" or "save your foot from the fire". He said "save your HEELS from the fire", which means that companions were not wiping over heels and just wiping in the front of the foot in a hurry. What would make the wudu invalid is leaving any part dry on the foot up to the ankle.

Quran does not go into details of implementation of the rules, rather Prophet (PBUH) was charged with that task, and he clarified by his tongue and his action. Taking water in the hand and wiping the feet with water is enough, as long as there is no dry portion of the feet up to and including the ankle. Bathing the feet under running water is the best way to clean them, but not fardh.

Arabs didn't have enough water to bath the feet in running water like us, so we can't take washing the feet in that meaning. If there is someone who believes that Prophet (PBUH) used running water on his feet regularly for wudu, please contact me with evidences.

Moreover, face is washed by taking water in our palms and rubbing the surface, and not by spraying water on our face. It is hard to believe that the Prophet (PBUH)  "washed" the feet with running water, because it would have been waste of water to try to bath the feet.

So, if one has running water, it is better to bath the feet in it, but it is not fardh to bath the feet. It is however fardh to make sure the feet is free of dirt and filth and everything is wet below ankle, and that could be easily done with taking water in the palm and rubbing vigorously over the feet all over.

I have stopped using sink for a while now, because it does not suite a civilized person to put their feet in the sink, unless it is below waist height. My feet are clean when I am done "washing" them (taking water in my hand and rubbing all over).

One brother got hurt recently washing his feet in the sink, and another had issue with his private parts for stretching the leg for years to wash in the sink.

If you think, it is necessary to bath the feet with running water, please go ahead and do it, and Allah will judge you for your intentions, but there is no Sunnah where Prophet (PBUH) bath his feet in running water.

Please do not make things difficult for yourself. Purity is the intention of the wudu and not water wash, because wudu is even allowed with dirt, if water is not available. So, if running water is not available at a lower height, do your best to clean your feet.

It is acceptable to wipe the feet with water, but it is forbidden to leave any portion of the feet dry. So, if one can remove the filth (not dirt) from the feet with several wipes, then washing is not necessary. However, if washing is not possible, why not wash (bath) the feet?

Narrated Humran

(The slave of 'Uthman) I saw 'Uthman bin 'Affan asking for a tumbler of water (and when it was brought) he poured water over his hands and washed them thrice and then put his right hand in the water container and rinsed his mouth, washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out. Then he washed his face and forearms up to the elbows thrice, passed his wet hands over his head and washed his feet up to the ankles thrice. Then he said, "Allah's Apostle said 'If anyone Performs ablution like that of mine and offers a two-rak'at prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not related to the present prayer) then his past sins will be forgiven.' " (Bukhari 1:161)

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person who clean the feet with any means necessary.

Abu Arman

Wudu: Wiping over cotton socks.

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the one whose hands is my life.

If I make a mistake, it is from my ego, and if I say something good it is from Allah.

A few days ago, a good friend of mine was making wudu with me, and pointed out that I was wiping over the cotton socks, which were not leather. I told him that it is permissible. He quoted me his Imam that only leather socks are allowed for this purpose. I would like to present the supporting evidence for what I said.

'God desires to lighten things for you, for the human being has been created weak' (Quran 94:28).

First, Prophet (PBUH) has asked us to make Islam easy for others, and we should always keep this command in mind, when analyzing any ruling.


Narrated Ja'far bin 'Amr:  My father said, "I saw the Prophet passing wet hands over his turban      and Khuffs (leather socks)." (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 204)

Ibn Mughira narrated it from his father: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) wiped over his socks and over his forehead and over his turban.  (Muslim Book 002, Number 0532)


There are many ahadith like above, which clearly permits wiping over the socks during wudu, but some scholars will put a condition that the socks have to be leather and any other material would not be acceptable.

One reason given is that Prophet (PBUH) wore only leather socks. Of course, there were no cotton socks, because it was a desert, and they needed better protection. Another reason is given that leather doesn't allow dirt to pass, but cotton sock does. Why would dirt touching our feet would be an issue, since wudu is not affected by dirt?

There is no evidence for disallowing cotton socks for this permissibility. On the contrary, the evidence is for general permissibility, because there is no mention of a reason from the Prophet (PBUH).

In fact, he wiped over his turban in the hadith above, which was not made of leather, and that gives clear evidence that we are allowed to wipe over the cloth as well as leather in this case.

Narrated 'Urwa bin Al-Mughira: My father said, "Once I was in the company of the Prophet on a journey     and I dashed to take off his Khuffs. He ordered me to leave them as he had put them after performing ablution. So he passed wet hands or them. (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 205)

From, the above hadith, there is one condition that need to be met is that we were in the state of wudu when the socks were put on. Also, if we enter an state of major impurity, then we have to wash our feet.

Here is an ideal case. A Muslim man gets up and makes wudu, then put on cloths socks, and shoes, then visits the Masjid for Fajr, then put on the shoes and goes to work. He goes to the washroom at work to make wudu for Duhar salah, and remove feet from the shoe and wipe over it. It will be acceptable, because he had wudu before putting on the covering. On top of that, he was wearing shoe all the time, so the oppotunity for feet to get filth is almost none.

Now, I would like to bring attention to a tradition that I think is dangerous. Many muslims buy leather socks from the Islamic store and wear them to masjid with the sole intention to avoid washing their feet. Leather socks are not used in normal circumstances anymore, and this act of buying leather socks to create an artificial scenario where one can wipe instead of wash, is very strange. I would just leave at that.

So, Islam has been placed upside down in this ruling by the scholar, where practicing muslim men, who are working, are being discouraged from praying salah at work, but artificially dressed men are being encouraged to buy more leather socks, which no one uses in real life, to avoid washing their feet.

I urge every muslim with a little fear of Allah and a little common sense to re-evaluate this, and follow the correct path. If you are bound by the chains of slavery of Taqleed, there is no hope. Otherwise, please make wudu before putting on cotton socks, and wipe over them at work, so we don't repel non-muslims, if they see us washing our dirty feet in the sink.

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person with no fake socks. Alhamdulilah!
Abu Arman