Difference between command and obligation:

  Oh Believing Brother, we have reached the fifth second lesson in Surat An-Nisa’a, in the seventh verse. Allah Almighty says:

﴾There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related, whether, the property be small or large - a legal share﴿

[An-Nisaa Verse: 7]

 Any command requires that someone initiates it, so who is he who has ordained it? He is Allah. Allah has set the inheritance law Himself and He did not allow any of His creatures to interfere in it, because if He had left it to any human being, there would be much injustice among people due to social relationships as well as life pressure and hypocrisy, therefore Allah has put the laws for all matters of inheritance. He did not leave room even for the Prophet PBUH, who is the master of all humans, and who loves justice, to judge in matters of inheritance; and the matter is to Allah Alone, ‘a legal share’, so the One who has set the law is Allah, there is a difference between a command and an obligation. A command comes from above, whereas an obligation originates from below. We say someone does his obligation voluntarily, whereas someone has been ordered (from someone above him).
 Dear Brother: the scholars narrate that this verse was revealed in connection with Aus bin Thabet al-Ansari; when he died, he left a wife by the name of Um Kujjah, and three daughters behind him. The cousins of the deceased who are also the guardians called Suaid and Arfajah, took all the money and did not give his wife or daughters anything, according to the inheritance rules in the Pre-Islamic days of ignorance which did not allow women to inherit.

Preventing girls from their rights is a kind of Jahelyia

 Nowadays if a rich father cheated and left his entire legacy to his sons leaving his daughters with nothing to inherit, wouldn’t that be considered an act of ignorance? Unfortunately many Muslim rich men do the same here and elsewhere, with the excuse that if the daughter inherits from her father, the money will go to her husband who is not related to the family, and this is all against the laws which Allah has set. And according to the Prophet PBUH who said:

((One of you may spend sixty years worshipping Allah with obedience, then by doing injustice with his will; he will deserve Hell-Fire))

[An athar]

 He worships Allah sixty years, and then when he is close to death, he deprives his daughters from the inheritance thus giving his sons everything with many pretenses, the sons may make their father sign papers or treasury bonds with large amounts of money, and then when they produce these bonds in court, they succeed in taking over all their father’s money. This Great God Who commanded you to worship Him, He sees all and nothing escapes Him. Some people, who avoid giving their daughters what is rightfully theirs, deserve a severe chastisement. Allah has made women equal to man when it comes to her rights and her duties, so she is equal in her responsibilities, in her duties as well as in honoring her. However, in pre-Islamic days of ignorance, they excluded women from the inheritance.
 In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance a woman did not inherit anything, nor did any young child, even if he were a male, and they would say, none but the one who is a cavalry( rides a horse to go to battle), or who can kill with a spear or fight with a sword can inherit.
 Although logically speaking a young child should have priority over the elder child in getting the money because the adult can look after himself, he has a house, a car and a wife, whereas the young one, whose father died, has nothing. This is why in some verses of the Quran, the pre-Islamic days of ignorance are referred to as: ‘the first (period) of ignorance.’ And in this there is a sign that there will be a second era of ignorance. Therefore denying the females their share of inheritance which their father left is a kind of ignorance.
 And they say: ‘do not give the inheritance except to one who fights on horseback in a battle, and one who can throw the spear, and one who uses his sword to fight and gets the booty of war. Um Kajjah mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), so he called for them and asked them. They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah: her son does not ride a horse, and he does not carry a sword nor fights an enemy’, so the Prophet (PBUH) said: ‘Leave now till I get a revelation from Allah about the matter.” Later Allah Almighty sent down the verse in reply to them:

﴾There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related, whether, the property be small or large - a legal share﴿

  Therefore to tamper the inheritance rules is like tampering with Allah’s religion. It is not your business to say: ‘this one is poor and the other is rich, and this girl’s husband is well-off so I won’t give her of the inheritance. It is not your decision rather they are rules set by the Islamic law and they are what rule our lives, our crooked logic does not dominate the Islamic law.

Heritage is a right of all children each according to the share decreed by Allah:

 Dear brother, I hope that each one of our Muslim brother is fair and careful in the distribution of his wealth (heritage) according to what Allah has decreed, and not according to his own wishes. Sometimes I hear complaints from our Muslim sisters who do not forgive their fathers at all because he has deprived them of the inheritance; the inheritance is the right of all the children according to what Allah Almighty has decreed, Allah Almighty says: “the property be small or large.” Allah has given the females a share of the inheritance and He does not specify the exact amount, for Allah Almighty says::

﴾There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related, whether, the property be small or large - a legal share﴿

 There is a very fine point to that Allah Almighty has taken the matter of distributing the wealth of the deceased Himself, not even the Prophet Mohammad PBUH has been assigned this mission, and no one on the face of this earth has the authority or freedom to change the law of inheritance. Because it is a legal share assigned by the Creator of this Universe, and He does not specify the exact amount, for Allah Almighty says:

﴾the property be small or large﴿

 The Prophet (PBUH) sent out for Suyayed and Arfajah that they should not spend any of Aus’s inheritance for Allah has set a portion to his daughters although He did not say how much the portion is. Allah Almighty says:

﴾Allâh commands you as regards your children's (inheritance); to the male, a portion equal to that of two females﴿

Allah has made the share of woman as the base of distribution:

 What is the unit which is used as a base for the distribution? It is the woman’s share. Allah Almighty did not say: the women get a portion equal to half of what a man gets, He specified the woman’s share as a base and He said:

﴾to the male, a portion equal to that of two females﴿

  so He set the woman’s share as the basis for the distribution. Look at what a woman in the days of retardation (backwardness) was, and what she has become in the days of the second period of ignorance. The real rights of the woman in Islam are her rights which are mentioned in the holy Quran and in the Hadiths of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), she has rights which no other nation on earth give their women. Who would believe that a woman in the period of pre-Islamic ignorance was part of the legacy to be inherited, she was like a piece of furniture, so if someone dies, his inheritance would be a house, bed, cupboard and a wife. When Islam ruled, she became an independent person, she inherits and she leaves behind a heritage to be inherited when she dies, and she has a right to manage her money, as long as she does not cause any problems to her family.
 One of the scholars said:

﴾a legal share﴿

 means as you would say: ‘a true promise’ or ‘a rightful matter’. Dear brother, these words invite us to hold the inheritance law in Islam so sacredly, if you have time to read the laws which some people in the previous nations have invented, you would find that the law in Islam is the most wonderful law on the face of the earth, because it is the law which the Creator of the Universe has made, and the decree of the Creator, and the creator is the expert. What does happen in reality? A man dies and leaves behind his wealth, and heirs, and around those people there are other relatives, and neighbors, and poor people. The relatives, neighbors and the poor look at all the money and how it will be distributed therefore in order to remove any spite and rancor from their hearts, and in order to be kind to them and make them pray for the deceased and to make them close to the heirs and look after them, Allah Almighty says:

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al¬Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property, and speak to them words of kindness and justice.﴿

[An-Nisaa verse: 8]

Zakah purifies the soul of the rich from meanness and the poor from rancor

 Do you see how wonderful the decree is

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al¬Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property, and speak to them words of kindness and justice.﴿

[An-Nisaa verse: 8]

 So what do you understand from this decree? Let’s say you order food from a restaurant, and the delivery boy who brings you the food is poor. Don’t you think he is tempted and would like to have a bite of that meal? If you take the meal from him and send him away empty handed, don’t you think he will hold a grudge? He’s human and he is tempted to eat. This is why when the inheritance is being distributed, any person who is present at the time, or is present when money is being distributed, or there is food, you should give them a bit of that food, of course we know that those relatives do not inherit, and the neighbors do not inherit, but they are around you and they are present when the money is being distributed and witness how it is being distributed, so what does prevent you from giving them if they are poor, or they are your neighbors or poor relatives, anything to make them better, this is the meaning of the verse which Allah Almighty says:

﴾Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allâh for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them﴿

[At-Taubah Verse: 103]

 If man pays his alms (zakat money), it will purify him from miserliness, and if the poor man takes the zakat money, he will be purified from rancor, and when the poor see the luxurious houses, vehicles, restaurants, hotels and rich food, pretty clothes, women wearing indecent clothes, while he has nowhere to live in and is deprived of food and clothing to cover him with, what will happen when the rich man parades in front of that poor man? His heart will be filled with envy, hatred and evil feelings. This is why in a Muslim society there is collaboration and mercy, the rich in a Muslim society is modest and generous while the poor are proud. When he parades before his people like Quran Allah Almighty says:

﴾So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place﴿

[Al-Qasas Verse: 81]

 We caused the earth to swallow him, therefore beware of bragging about your food, drink, your home, and beware of planting pain or envy in the hearts of sh3er, do not boast about what you are, what you drank, where you travelled, in which hotel you stayed, nor with whom you spent your evening, that is all how ignorant people talk. You should say things that bring hearts closer to hear other, rather than say things that may harm people and make them envious. Talk about Allah and you will find that people will gather around you to listen, but when you talk about yourself people will resent you, therefore get yourself used to that people in front of you are human.

The will decreed in the following verse:

 Let’s take a simple example: if someone rides a bus and next to him is a man/woman with a child. He eats nuts or fruits, and he doesn’t even think about offering the child some. This person has no feelings, and he is like a beast. The other person is craving what you eat. Another note, do not give your child anything expensive to take to school with him. Sometimes a father gives his child who is in kindergarten five hundred Syrian pounds, or he gives him meals which cost one hundred Syrian pounds each, and which he eats in front of his friend who is poor.

((Your son should not reveal what could hurt the other person’s son’s feelings and do not harm him by playing the strings on your guitar unless the other child can play on it too.))

 This is hadith by the Prophet narrated by the-Kharaeti about the morality, and bin Odaiy reported from Amro ibn Shuain, who reported from his father and him from his grandfather.
 Islam has focused on this point, a noble believer is humble, he has feelings for people around him, and he does not consume his food nor drink alone. So if you buy fruits keep them hidden and do not reveal them in front of all,

((Your son should not reveal what could hurt the other person’s son’s feelings and do not harm him by playing the strings on your guitar unless the other child can play on it too.))

 and Allah Almighty says:

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al¬Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division﴿

[An-Nisaa verse: 8]

 If a relative is not one of the heirs; the scholars have deduced from this verse the following law of inheritance. If a man who has children dies before his father, then his father died, the grandchildren do not inherit, but the verse says: ‘give them out of the property’ because the deceased is their grandfather and because their father died before their grandfather so they do not inherit legally , so this verse was revealed to declare that if these orphans are present when the inheritance is being distributed , and they are not entitled to any of it, their uncles will inherit and because their father has died while his father was alive, Allah Almighty says:

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al¬Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property﴿

[An-Nisaa verse: 8]

 There are numerous stories about this situation, therefore if anyone delivers the food which you ordered, you should feed him from it, if he gets you fruit, give him some, if he does a chore for you, you should pay him for it or give him its worth, all that so that you can put the love in his heart.

Human beings are commanded to be just and do good:

 Dear brother, we lack greatly for love; we have mosques, we have libraries, we hold conferences, yet we lack the love that existed among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), we have to establish that love.

((The poor but true believer is the most favored by Allah))

 In a Divine Hadith Allah Almighty says:

((Truly My devotion is for those who love one another for My sake, and those who gather together to supplicate Me (for My sake) and for those who visit one another for My pleasure, and those who love one another for My sake will sit on pulpits made of light, all the prophets will envy them on the Day of Judgment))

[ narrated by Ahmad thru Ubada bin Al-Samet]

 I see that it is our duty to love one another, not only by words but by action, so if you visit a brother, if you helped him, if you checked on him, gave him what he needs, gave him advice, and if you are kind to him, he will then love you. The Prophet (PBUH) has commanded us to take the necessary actions to obtain the love of sh3er, and has forbidden us to implant rancor, Allah has forbidden a Muslim to violate the wealth, honor and blood of another Muslim and Allah Almighty says in a verse:

﴾O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity﴿

[An-Nisa’a Verse: 29]

 How would I do that? I have two pockets, and if I move one thousand pounds from one pocket to another, what would I have done?

﴾ Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity ﴿

 it means: Do not rob your brother of his money, Allah called it ‘your money’ it is yours from one angle and that angle is that you are entrusted to protect it, so if you are entrusted to look after it, it would only be logical that you do not rob it. It is just as if you lent your car to someone and you tell him: pretend it’s your own car, what does that mean? Would it mean that you are telling him to take it and keep it? No it would mean: look after it as if it were your own car.

﴾O ye who believe Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity﴿

 it means that your brother’s wealth is like your own in the sense that you should look after it for him as if it were your own.

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al¬Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division﴿

  therefore the relatives who do not inherit should get a share of the distribution. By the way, Allah Almighty says:

﴾Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness﴿

[Al-Nahl Verse: 90]

 And just as you are commanded to be just and fair you are commanded to apply ‘Ihsan ‘(kindness). Justice: means to distribute the property according to the prescribed shares, and Kindness: is applying what Allah Almighty says:

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al-Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property﴿

  So Justice is obligatory where as kindness is voluntary, but you are commanded to do both.

Justice is an obligatory share but benevolence is voluntary

 Dear Brother, there are thousands of situations and cases which are not resolved by justice; however they are resolved by kindness. A brother once told me: “I bought a piece of land with shop belonging to a poor man on it. I destroyed the shop according to the law.’ so I asked him: ‘Why did you do that?’ He said: ‘I don’t owe him anything, I bought the land and the man had to give me the shop as it was on my property, and I brought it down.’ So I said: ‘This is justice and it is fine, but where is your kindness?’ He was quiet. He then took money from his Zakat money and bought the man a shop in another location and gave it to him.’ Therefore if matters are not resolved by justice, kindness can resolve them. Train yourself to act according to this verse which you read and which the imams in the mosques have been reciting for thousand years after every Friday sermon.

﴾Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness﴿

 I met someone whose step mother was divorced, she was given her full right by her step son who was really wealthy, and he has allotted a monthly salary for her which never changes since twenty years. Kindness is something that is really broad subject. All our problems could be solved by kindness. We repeat that justice is mandatory, whereas kindness if voluntary. Allah Almighty says:

﴾And when the relatives and the orphans and Al¬Masâkin (the poor) are present at the time of division, give them out of the property and tell them words of kindness﴿

Allah’s standards are different from those of people:

 Dear brother, some scholars say that people have neglected this verse, al-Hassan said: people have become miserly, but this is required form the pious, the Believers

﴾give them out of the property﴿

  it means give them a share of the inheritance, and

﴾tell them words of kindness﴿

  He said: if the inheritance money is little and it is not enough to distribute among the heirs and the one who is present during the division, so if you cannot give him any because of its insufficiency of the property, therefore:

﴾tell them words of kindness﴿

  It is as if you tell him: please forgive us as the property is not much and the heirs are poor’, the orphans whom you do not give any money you must tell them kind words, and if you do give them, you should tell them, as some scholars stated, ‘the amount is scanty, but if Allah wills in future we hope to get more,’ or ‘excuse us for the little amount’, or you could say: ‘ this is a small gift.’ There are people who give on one hand, but hurt people by saying: take this money from my Zakat money. Why this coarseness in words? You can give your Zakat money without actually telling the poor man that this is Zakat money. You can give it to him as a gift on some occasion. So you can take the advantage of some event such as the start of the school year, or Ramadan, or the Eid (feast) and you can find out what he needs in his house and get it for him without having to humiliate him and actually tell him that he is poor and this is my Zakat money. Allah Almighty says:

﴾tell them words of kindness﴿

  Some scholars said: kind words include ‘God bless you.’ And ‘I wish the amount was more.’ It is also kind that you do not shy from giving a little amount, because it is better than not giving at all. Choose kind words which are gentle to the poor one’s heart perhaps this poor man is closer to Allah than yourself, and perhaps this man’s nail is worth a hundred of your kind to Allah, because Allah has measures which are different from the measures of humans. There may be a man covered with dust and sleeping at doorsteps whom if he asks Allah and supplicates Him, Allah will answer his prayers.

The verse means that you should deal with people as you like them to deal with you

 Allah Almighty says after that:

﴾And let those fear (in their behaviour toward orphans) who if they left behind them weak offspring would be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to Allah, and speak justly.﴿

[An-Nisa’a Verse: 9]

 The origin of this verse is that you should treat people as you would like them to treat you when you die and leave this world leaving young helpless children behind you, how would like them to treat the children after your death? If you were a guardian for orphans, treat them the same way you would like people to treat your children after you die. So you should care for rights, and their property, teach them, care for them, Allah Almighty says:

﴾And let those fear (in their behavior toward orphans) who if they left behind them weak offspring would be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to Allah, and speak justly.﴿

 To the orphans who are under their (guardianship) protection and that they treat them as they would like people to treat their offspring after their death. This exact meaning of Allah Almighty’s words:

﴾So let them mind their duty to Allah, and speak justly.﴿

Advice people only with the Holy Book and Sunna:

 Dear brother, if a man tells you: ‘I shall write the house in my children’s’ names (the children from my new wife) because I love her very much. And I will deny the children from my first wife from my wealth’, do not tell him: ‘you are right in doing so.’ And do not compliment him on this. Say what is right: ‘it is not right to do so because this will lead you to Hell-Fire.’ Tell him ‘no’ and say:

﴾And let those fear (in their behavior toward orphans) who if they left behind them weak offspring would be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to Allah﴿

 to those who ask you for advice.

﴾and speak justly﴿

 remind him of the Hereafter, remind him that the girl whom you will cut off from your inheritance may stand on the Day of Judgment beneath the Throne of Allah and say: Oh Lord, I will not be admitted to Hell-Fire until my father is admitted there before me, because he has cut me off from his will.’ When you treat differently your offspring males and females then you are truly ignorant,

﴾and speak justly﴿

  Do not give advice which is not in accordance to Allah’s Words, and do not give advice that is not according to Allah’s decree; do not be courteous or butter up anyone. Al-Noman ibn al-Basheer told Mohammad, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): ‘O Messenger of Allah, will you be a witness that I have given my son a garden. He said: O Noman, do you have other sons? He said: ‘Yes’. He said: ‘Did you give them all as you gave this son?” He said: ‘No’. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘Then find someone other than me to bear witness, because I will not be a witness of and unjust transaction.’ Allah Almighty said:

﴾and speak justly﴿

﴾Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness﴿

((Religion is sound advice, we said: to whom? The Prophet said: for Allah, and HisHoly Book, His Messenger, for the Muslim Imams and public))

[narrated by Muslim thru Tamimm Al-Dari]

A story about eating up the money of orphans’ showing Allah’s Justice:

Allah Almighty then says:

﴾Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies﴿

 It means that they will eat up property which will in turn lead them to Hell-Fire.

﴾Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire!﴿

 Dear brother, the matter of eating property without right to do so is a very serious matter.

((The martyr will be forgiven for everything he has done expect for a debt which he owes and has not paid back.))

[narrated by Muslim thru Abdullah bin Amro from Qatada]

 Someone stopped me in the street one day and he had left his shop. He was in a very angry state, and said: I heard a story today which I cannot explain. I said: Please tell it to me. He said: ‘A man went to his shop in the old souk (market) in Damascus to sell fabric which he had, so that he may earn legitimate money for his children. While he was there, he heard the sound of gun shots so he put his head out to see what the shooting was all about when a bullet entered his spine and left him paralyzed.’ He continued talking saying: It wasn’t his fault. He came here to sell his merchandise so that he may earn a living in a lawful way. He opened his shop to work and work in itself is considered as an act of worship (apparently he took the story at face value) so what is the explanation of all this?” I said: ‘By Allah! I don’t know the answer. We cannot comprehend Allah’s justice in what He does and unless we have His knowledge. But I believe in Allah’s justice and His Mercy.”
 Another brother came to me after twenty days of this incident and told me a story about his neighbor who lives above him. Of course he did not know what background I had on the story. He said his neighbour's nephews were orphans and that he had taken their property, which was approximately the cost of a house. He had taken that without any right to do so. They went to one of the scholars in Damascus (He has now passed away may Allah have mercy on him) to rule among them. He tried to persuade the uncle to give back to his nephews what was rightfully theirs but he refused. The scholar turned to the children and told them: ‘This man is your uncles, therefore do not take him to court and turn to Allah for His support.” That man is the same man who got a bullet in his spine and was paralyzed as a result of that the next day at 9 o’clock. I confirmed it was the same person because when I asked the man about him, he mentioned that he had a shop in the specific market, and I asked him: When did this happen? He replied that it happened twenty days ago. Allah is great.

One should leave a big margin between himself and the orphans’ property:

 When it comes to property we have to fear Allah because if you forsake the most valuable thing you own which is your soul, and you owe someone money, you will not be able to run away from Allah’s chastisement, so how if you take an orphan’s property without legal right? When the Prophet (PBUH) was ever called to perform prayers for someone who had died, he would ask: ‘Is he in debt?” if they said: ‘Yes’ he would tell them ‘pray for him’ but he himself would not pray. So when it comes to the matter of robbing an orphan of his property the situation is:

﴾Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire!﴿

 This will lead them to Hell-Fire, therefore one should count to one million before taking anything which is not lawful and he should fear Allah Almighty, specially if it is the property of orphans... Allah Almighty says:

﴾"And come not near to the orphan's property﴿

[Al-Anaam Verse: 152]

 Leave a big gap between you and the orphan’s property. In the next lesson by Allah’s will, we will talk about the verses which cover the topic of inheritance.
All Praises are to Allah the Lord of the Worlds

Question:

 Does closing one’s eyes during prayers in order to achieve reverence, invalidate the prayers?
Answer: No, it does not invalidate it. However if you close your eyes in a place where there are snakes, scorpions, or any other danger, then your prayers will not be perfect. But if you are in the mosque and you looked at the ornaments inside the mosque, verses of the Quran written in pretty calligraphy on the walls while you were praying, or at the fan in the ceiling, then it would be best if you closed your eyes. Therefore if your eyes are opened and you are going to look around you while praying it is preferable that you close your eyes, but if you in a place where there is danger, you would be uneasy if your eyes are closed, in which case you should open your eyes.
 • Question: what is the verdict of celebrating Mother’s Day?
Answer: dear brother. We have 365 days of mother’s day, or to be precise, we have 365 -- multiplied by two - days, if we consider that your mother is close to you and you visit her morning and evening. We are not like disobedient children who visit their mother once a year, in Islam we have 365 days of Mother’s day. Therefore this day is for anyone but not us, it is for a person who waits 365 days so that her child can visit her on this day, and does not come the remaining days. A close brother informed me that when he went to Germany to visit an exhibition, he could not find a hotel with a vacant room, so he stayed at a house with a family. He said: ‘I have never seen a garden as beautiful as the one in that house, so I asked my host (the owner of the house) about the secret of such a marvelous garden. She said: ‘I take care of the garden myself, because my children visit me once a year, and I make food for them, and we sit in the garden.’ Imagine, 365 days a year and she sits waiting for them to come. At the time when he was over they called their mother to apologize for not being able to come. He said: ‘She cried so hard that I felt like dying.’ So he went shopping and bought her gifts himself. Therefore as you see, Mother’s day is not for us, it is for ungrateful people. A man once told me: ‘I came from Great Britain to live in Syria, I am wealthy.’ He owned a jaguar and had a villa etc. I told him: what made you come to live here? He said: ‘When I lived in London, an old man lived in the building next to me on the top floor. He had four children who also lived in London. In London it is very cold, and the doors and windows of the houses are closed tightly. This neighbor died and after six months, when his children came to visit him they found him dead.’ In Six months none of his children thought of visiting him. So this man wanted to come back to his country to live. Therefore this celebration day is not for us, it is for the undutiful people, whereas for us we have 365 days of Mother’s day, every day.
 • Question: what is the verdict of gazing at women?
Gazing at your wife is permissible without any restrictions or boundaries, and looking at the women whom you are not allowed marrying is permissible if they are properly dressed, however looking at women foreign to you is forbidden. Allah Almighty says:

﴾Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), ﴿

[An-Nour Verse:30]

 • Question: Most Muslims perform their religious duties and worship fully: the prayers, paying alms, fasting and sh3er. However they do not manage the reformation of their families, nor their guidance, so you find most families watching TV series and movies and listen to songs and music, as they do not receive any advice from their family, nor guidance. So are their acts of worship accepted and considered valid specially as they are unconstructive and are not influential.
They should continue with their worship to Allah, but they should try to combine it with what Allah has ordained so that they reap the fruits.
 • Question: Is it allowed to distribute the alms money (Zakat) outside the country in which it was earned?
In principle, the zakat money should be distributed in the country in which it was earned (collected), because the poor in that country are more entitled to receive the money of the wealthy people, as they were the reason for their wealth. However, where the benefit to distribute it in a different country is clear, then it is permissible so if you own a house and another man does not own a house, or if his house has been destroyed, then there is a need and general benefit, and if you can secure the money transfer, then it is alright to transfer the money from the Zakat to another country.
• Question: is it permissible to supplicate during the obligatory prayers?
The full prayers are a supplication, but you cannot ask that my Lord grants me a wife, and other details as such which will disrupt the prayers. Or that someone says: May Allah grant me wealth. Therefore it is not permissible to make any supplication which was not mentioned in the supplications of the Prophet (PBUH), because prayers are in themselves a supplication.