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sayyid muhammad husayn jalali in the name of god, the compassionate, the merciful ". . . . turn your face [ in prayer ] toward sacred mosque." the qur'an 2:144 "ka'ba", the cubical house is mecca , is honored since it was built by prophet abraham and his son ismael as the house of worship of god. qur'an describes ka'ba as al-bayt ( the house[of worship]),3-97; al bayt al atique (the ancient house), 22:29; al- bayt-haram ( the sacred house ),5-97; and as the first house of worship ever dedicated to almighty god. the qur'an reads: " indeed, the first house [of worship] ever set up for mankind was that which is at bakka [ mecca ] blessed and [source of] guidance for all the worlds. it has the clear signs, the place whereupon abraham stood up and whoever enters it is in peace. the qur'an, 3:96 & 97 this verse clearly indicates the reason that islam considers ka'ba ( in mecca) the symbol of abraham's message; the oneness of god and continuation of this symbol of islam. the qur'an reads : " we made the house [ of worship ] the destination of people and sanctuary. treat the place abraham stood upon as place of prayer." the qur'an, 2-125 declaration of qibla jews and christians used pray toward jerusalem some reports state that prophet muhammad (p.) used to pray toward the ka'ba as qibla-as direction of prayer ( see tafsir-al-tabari,d.310, vol 2.p.4,ed. cairo, 1323). the prophet, however, announced the ka'ba, instead of jerusalem, as qibla on 17th rajab, second year of hijra. most mosques in islamic countries have niche or recess, inner place to indicate the direction of qibla called "mihrab". muslims ever since are united by one direction of prayer-qibla. finding qibla at distance places from mecca, qibla can be determined in many ways. probably the easiest is to use a compass. in using the compass, however, it is important to distinguish between the true north pole and magnet pole. " the distance between the two is more than 1,000 miles south of geographical north pole, i.e., 73 degrees latitude and 100 degrees longitude of greenwich." ( see qibla nama by h . razmara, p.5, tehran, 1332 sh=1953 ). likewise, it is important to avoid using the flat maps to determine the qibla. one should consider the global earth. the oval shape of the earth and the flatness of the map makes a difference in degrees. in 1372h=1952, mr. h. razmara invented a new compass to determine the qibla and ever since it has been accepted by religious scholars of the different islamic thoughts and countries. though it disregards the annual change of magnetic compass which is not more than a few seconds a year. this compass, however , shows the qibla as most accurate as possible. the qibla in north america in north america, compasses differ on the direction of qibla; the difference are due to the following: 1. the global earth should be considered and not a flat map. 2. the calculation of any compass should be based on the true north pole and not on the magnetic pole. the deviation between the two varies in degrees. considering the above- mentioned facts, the qibla in north america would be northeast ( or in some places, the north ). however, if these two points are neglected, the compass would show the southeast as the direction of qibla. in 1952, mr. hossein ali razmara invented a compass based on the mentioned facts. since the hadith says " ta'ammad al qibla jahdak," which means try hard to find the qibla as much as possible, the razmara compass offers this service and should be followed unless it proves wrong. for details see : ghebleg nama by hossein ali razmara, tehran : dar al- kutub al islamiyyah, 1344, pp.3-5. direction of prayer ( qibla ) : 1. find the north pole on any map ( the top side usually pointed as north); 2. adjust the compass with the arrow pointing to the north; 3. the line parallel to the name of the city on this compass points the qibla ( the center of the compass). wa assalam alaykum
q#18 the islamic tax ( khums )
by sayyid muhammad husayn jalali in the name of allah, the merciful, the compassionate " and know that of whatever you acquire, one-fifth of it belongs to god, his messenger, the near of kin, the orphans, the needy and the wayfarer." the qur'an, 8:41 " khums ", literally means in arabic, one fifth is an islamic tax revenue for certain income in order to fulfil the needs of islamic community. prophet muhammad (p.) placed khums in the third place of islamic beliefs. bukhari reports that prophet muhammad (p.) said, " i command you four things- first to belief in god, bear witness that there is no god but allah; second to perform prayers; third to pay zakat; and fourth to pay khums of whatever you gain. ( bukhari, v. 4. p.99. cairo) ahl-ul-bayt hadith says : khums is an obligation on whoever benefits-in small or large amounts. the reason for the emphasis of qur'an and hadith on khums obviously lies behind the need of the community for an assured tax revenue. basically, all muslims jurists agree that khums is an obligatory islamic tax, but they differ in conditions of this tax. the different views are based on the meaning of "ghanama" in the mentioned qur'anic verse. the arabic lexicons gave the meaning of the word " ghanama" as to gain booty of the war, to obtain something, to gain something, to bestow, to grant, and to seize. the word "ghanama" was used in all these meanings. it is even used in abstract meaning, such as proverbs, e.g.,ightunimu al -furas (take opportunities, do not loose them) on these basis , ahl-ul-bayt school of thoughts believes that " ghanama" means whatever an individual gains, whether as booty of war or as source of income, it applies to this islamic tax. therefore khums applies to any of the following categories: booty of war, mineral, khol, oil, treasure hidden in earth or net income, these all would be considered as " gained profit". net income among these categories the most common is the net income gained by the lawful means, such as trade, professional incomes, or any other work related incomes. after deducting expenses, the net income is subject to khums. all of the expenses are tax-exempted from khums tax. the khums applies only if the net income remained one year without any use. thus if it is used within a year after the date if profit or income, the khums does not apply. also if the khums of the particular object has been paid, the object would be tax exempted as long as it remains. but if it is used in business and some profits are made in it, then the khums tax applies only on the profit. one can pay the khums tax immediately after gaining the profit. it does not become obligatory before passing one year without use. one the basis, one is always on safe side to record the daily income and expenses. this could be managed by an annual schedule showing the capital, the expenses, the net income, the khums paid and the khums due, etc. distribution for khums the khums is divided as follows: the first 10 percent of khums is called ( sahm-al- imam ) used to serve the needs of islamic faith which fulfills the need of the islamic community worldwide. since imam recognizes this need more than any one else, it should be given to him or his representative, the highest authority-mujtahid or ask his view in this regard. the second 10 percent should be given to a poor sayyid who can not earn his living for a year, but he should not use it in any unlawful ways. example-khums tax schedule ________________________________________ month capital net income khums paid ________________________________________ sayyid / sahm-i-imam ________________________________________ 1 1,000 15.00 2.50 ________________________________________ 2 100.00 10.00 ________________________________________ 3 50.00 ________________________________________ 4 ________________________________________ 5 100.00 10.00 ________________________________________ 6 ________________________________________ 7 50.00 15.00 ________________________________________ 8 100.00 _______________________________________ 9 50.00 10.00 ________________________________________ 10 50.00 10.00 ________________________________________ 11 2.50 ________________________________________ 12 ________________________________________ total 1,000 500.00 37.50 37.50 ________________________________________ net income-------------------------------------500.00 khums obligation( 500.00@20% )-------100.00 less khums paid ( 37.50 + 37.50 )-------- 75.00 -------- khums due------------------------------------ 25.00 ===== wa assalam alaykum
q#19 the islamic calendar
by sayyid muhammad husayn jalali in the name of god, most gracious, most merciful " indeed god desires to put away from you people of the house[of prophet(p.). [all] filth and purify you..." the qur'an, 33 :33 the islamic calendar rabi 'al awwal: 1st ( hijra *) the migration of the prophet (p.) from mecca to madina. 12th(260 a.h.): martyrdom of imam hassan al-askari (a.) 17th (52 b.h.) : birthday of prophet muhammad (p.) 17th (83 a.h.) : birthday of imam jaf'ar al-sidaq (a.) rabi 'al-thani: 8th (232 a.h.) : birthday of imam hassan al-askari (a.) jamada al-ula: 5th ( 5 a.h.) : birthday of zainab al-kubra (a.) 13th (11th a.h.) : martyrdom of fatima al-zahra (a.) jamada al-thaniyyha: 20th (8 b.h.) : birthday of fatima al zahra (a.) rajab: 1st (57 a.h.): birthday of imam muhammad al-baqir (a.) 3rd (254 a.h.) : martyrdom of imam ali al-hadi al-naqi (a.) 10th (195 a.h): birthday of imam muhammad al-jawad (a.) 13th (23 b.h.): birthday of imam ali ibn ali talib (a.) 14th (62 a.h.): death of zainab al kubra (a.) 27th (62 a.h.):mi'raj, the midnight ascension of prophet muhammad (p.) to heaven. shaban: 3rd (4 a.h.) : birthday of imam al-hussain (a.) 5th (38 a.h.): birthday of imam zayn al-abidin (a.) 15th (225 a.h.): birthday of imam al-medhi (a.) ramadan: 15th(3 a.h.): birthday of imam hassan al-mujtaba (a.) 21st ( 40 a.h.): martyrdom of imam ali (a.) 19, 21 & 23 : the nights of qadr shawwal: id al-fitr, celebration of the first day after ramadan 25th (148 a.h.) :death of imam jafar al-sadiq (a.) dhul qidah : 11th (148 a.h.): birthday of imam al-rida (a.) 29(216a.h.): martyrdom of imam muhammadal-jawad(a.) dhul-hijjah: 7th (114 a.h.): martyrdom of imam mohammad al-baqir(a.) 10th: id al-adah, the day of sacrifice on the occasion of haj (piligrimage) 15th: ( 212 a.h.): birthday of imam al-hadi al-naqi(a.) 18th: id gahdir khum, celebration of imam ali (a.) succession day. muharram: 9th : tasu'a, ninth of muharram. 10th ( 61 a.h.): ashura-martyrdom of imam al hussain (a.) 25th (94 a.h.) : martyrdom of imam zayn al-abidin al-sajjad (a.) safar: 7th (128 a.h.): birthday of imam musa al-kadim(a.) 20th : day arba'in, 40th day after imam husayn's (a.) martrydom at kerbala, iraq. 28th ( 11 a.h.): death of the prophet muhammad(p.) 29th : martyrdom of imam al-rida (a.) wa assalamu alaykum
q#20 funeral regulations
by sayyid muhammad husayn jalali in the name of god, most gracious, most merciful " every soul shall taste death ". the qur'an, 3:184 islam as a way of life, has legislated many rules in order to honor humans from birth to death. among these rules are funeral regulations. the holy qur'an reads: " every soul shall taste death, at the end, to us shall be you be returned back. but those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, to them shall we give chambers of paradise underneath which, rivers flow, therein dwelling forever. an excellent is the wage of those who ( do goods deeds)". the qur'an 29:57&58. these regulations start from death bed until burial. the three main obligatory (wajib) regulations are as follows: 1. washing ( ghusl). to wash the body of the deceased. 2. shrouded ( kafan). the deceased should be wrapped in three simple sheets of cloth. 3. special prayer (salat-al-mayyit). this prayer is part of funeral service. then the deceased is buried in a grave which is dug parallel to face kaa'ba, mecca. in addition, there are many recommendations (mustahab), which are recommended but are not obligatory. this, in brief, presents the main obligatory ( wajib) rules of islamic funeral regulations. at death bed: when it becomes obvious to whomever is present at the death bed of a muslim, it is obligatory to turn him/her towards qiblah (mecca).this can be done by being laid down on back while the feet stretched towards qiblah. it is recommend to recite the holy qur'an at his/her presence, especially chapter 2, verse 254; chapter 33,36 and 37. the recitation should not be done in a loud voice in order to avoid disturbance to person on the death bed. however , he/she should not be left unattended. after death: it is recommended to bury the deceased person as soon as possible. prophet muhammad (p.) said, "honor the deceased person by hurrying the burial procedure". it is forbidden to embalm the body. note: there is no legal requirement to embalm if the body is buried within 24 hours. i. washing ( ghusl-al-mayyit) it is obligatory to wash the deceased after the cloth have been removed. the private parts of the body of the deceased shall never be viewed. before washing ( ghusl), the body should be clean from impure objects, such as blood etc. the washing ( ghusl-al-mayyit) begins with intention (niyat), then you may begin washing. first, wash the head and neck. second, wash the right side of body ( shoulder to toes ). third, wash the left side of the body ( shoulder to toes ). this ghusl-al-mayyit should be performed on the deceased three times. first, with water mixed some powder of lotus leaves. second, with water mixed with some camphor. third, with pure clean water only. if lotus leaves or camphor are not available, then pure water can be used as substitution, and in addition it is also necessary to perform tayammum on the deceased. note: 1. anyone who washes the deceased must do ghusl-al-mass for himself; that is to take shower for touching the corpse. this ghusl-al-mass is obligatory for touching the dead body after the body becoming cold and before being washed. 2. if the deceased is less than three years old, either man or woman can wash the body. 3. hunut is obligatory, that is, to rub with camphor seven parts of the body which are placed on the ground during daily prayers. (1-forehead, 2-3 palms, 4-5 knees, and 6-7 toes.) ii. the shroud ( kafan ) after washing ( ghusl) has been completed it is obligatory to shroud the deceased in three separate sheets. the first sheet should, atleast, cover the area navel to the knees. the second sheet should cover, atleast, part of upper body from shoulder to the upper body, from shoulders to the upper half of legs. the third sheet should cover the whole body. the deceased should be completely wrapped in it. please note, it is forbidden to use unclean sheets or anything made of silk. it is recommended that, (1) the garment be made of cotton and be white; (2) to have turban for men and hair cover for a women; (3) covering the private parts areas with cotton; and (4) to write some especial prayer ( du'a ) on the shroud. iii. the prayer the prayer of funeral service differs from the regular daily prayers. this prayer should be offered for any deceased muslim who is six years of age and older. during the time of prayer, the deceased must be laid on his/her back, and the head should be to the right of the person(s) who is offering the prayers. the person(s) offering this prayer must face qibla ( mecca). how to pray? this prayer should be offered in a standing position close enough t the deceased body. the person(s) who is offering this prayer must face qibla (mecca), raises his hands to ears saying "allah-u-akber" ( god is great) and recite the following prayers in between: (allah-u-akber. ashhad-un-la ilaha illallah wahdhu la shrika lah. wa ashhaddu anna muhammadan abdduhu wa rasuluh. arsallahu bil haqqi bashir an wa nadiran bayn-a-yaday assa'a.) 1. translation: god is great - i bear witness that there is no god but god. he has no associate, and that muhammad is his servant and messenger. he sent him with true warning and good news until the day of judgement. ( allah-u-akber. allahummal! salle ala' muhammad. warham muhammadan wa ale muhammad. ka afdale ma salliyta wa barkata wa tarahhamta ala ibrahim wa ale ibrahim. innaka hamidun majid. wa salle ala jamie ibadallah al salehin ). 2. translation : god is great.- oh lord, bless muhammad and the house of m muhammad and grant your blessings for muhammad and the house of muhammad, just as you granted you blessing for abraham and the house of abraham. you are the praised, the glorious bless all prophets, messengers, martyrs, righteous and all good servants of you. ( allah-u-akber. allahumma! ighfirlil mumineena wal muminat, wal muslamina wal muslimat, al ahyae. munhum wal amwat. tabi allahumma baynana wa bayanahum bil khayrat. innaka mujib ul daawat. innaka ala kulle shain qadir).
