Q & A Corner

We call him Yusuf ibn Yaqoob. That does make more sense in wanting to know our views on Joseph the Husband of Mary.

Here are some Children's Flash stories Based on the Qur'an.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...idetheWell.swf

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...tianLadies.swf

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...struedream.swf

Here are the opening Ayyats of Surah Yusuf

12: 1. A.L.R. These are the symbols (or Verses) of the perspicuous Book. S P C
12: 2. We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an, in order that ye may learn wisdom. S P C
12: 3. We do relate unto thee the most beautiful of stories, in that We reveal to thee this (portion of the) Qur'an: before this, thou too was among those who knew it not. S P C

12: 4. Behold! Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!" S P C
12: 5. Said (the father): "My (dear) little son! relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against thee: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy! S P C
12: 6. "Thus will thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of stories (and events) and perfect His favour to thee and to the posterity of Jacob - even as He perfected it to thy fathers Abraham and Isaac aforetime! for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom." S P

12: 7. Verily in Joseph and his brethren are signs (or symbols) for seekers (after Truth). S P C
12: 8. They said: "Truly Joseph and his brother are loved more by our father than we: But we are a goodly body! really our father is obviously wandering (in his mind)! S P C
12: 9. "Slay ye Joseph or cast him out to some (unknown) land, that so the favour of your father may be given to you alone: (there will be time enough) for you to be righteous after that!" S P C

12:10. Said one of them: "Slay not Joseph, but if ye must do something, throw him down to the bottom of the well: he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers." S P C
12:11. They said: "O our father! why dost thou not trust us with Joseph,- seeing we are indeed his sincere well-wishers? S P C
12:12. "Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and we shall take every care of him." S P C

12:13. (Jacob) said: "Really it saddens me that ye should take him away: I fear lest the wolf should devour him while ye attend not to him." S P C
12:14. They said: "If the wolf were to devour him while we are (so large) a party, then should we indeed (first) have perished ourselves!" S P C
12:15. So they did take him away, and they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well: and We put into his heart (this Message): 'Of a surety thou shalt (one day) tell them the truth of this their affair while they know (thee) not' S P C

12:16. Then they came to their father in the early part of the night, weeping. S P C
12:17. They said: "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Joseph with our things; and the wolf devoured him.... But thou wilt never believe us even though we tell the truth." S P C
12:18. They stained his shirt with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you, (for me) patience is most fitting: Against that which ye assert, it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought".. S P C

12:19. Then there came a caravan of travellers: they sent their water-carrier (for water), and he let down his bucket (into the well)...He said: "Ah there! Good news! Here is a (fine) young man!" So they concealed him as a treasure! But Allah knoweth well all that they do! S P C
12:20. The (Brethren) sold him for a miserable price, for a few dirhams counted out: in such low estimation did they hold him! S P C

12:21. The man in Egypt who bought him, said to his wife: "Make his stay (among us) honourable: may be he will bring us much good, or we shall adopt him as a son." Thus did We establish Joseph in the land, that We might teach him the interpretation of stories (and events). And Allah hath full power and control over His affairs; but most among mankind know it not. S P C
12:22. When Joseph attained His full manhood, We gave him power and knowledge: thus do We reward those who do right. S P C

12:23. But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: "Now come, thou (dear one)!" He said: "Allah forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!" S P C
12:24. And (with passion) did she desire him, and he would have desired her, but that he saw the evidence of his Lord: thus (did We order) that We might turn away from him (all) evil and shameful deeds: for he was one of Our servants, sincere and purified. S P C

12:25. So they both raced each other to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back: they both found her lord near the door. She said: "What is the (fitting) punishment for one who formed an evil design against thy wife, but prison or a grievous chastisement?" S P C
12:26. He said: "It was she that sought to seduce me - from my (true) self." And one of her household saw (this) and bore witness, (thus):- "If it be that his shirt is rent from the front, then is her tale true, and he is a liar! S P C

12:27. "But if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then is she the liar, and he is telling the truth!" S P C
12:28. So when he saw his shirt,- that it was torn at the back,- (her husband) said: "Behold! It is a snare of you women! truly, mighty is your snare! S P C
12:29. "O Joseph, pass this over! (O wife), ask forgiveness for thy sin, for truly thou hast been at fault!" S P C

12:30. Ladies said in the City: "The wife of the (great) 'Aziz is seeking to seduce her slave from his (true) self: Truly hath he inspired her with violent love: we see she is evidently going astray." S P C
12:31. When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them: she gave each of them a knife: and she said (to Joseph), "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said, "Allah preserve us! no mortal is this! this is none other than a noble angel!" S P C

12:32. She said: "There before you is the man about whom ye did blame me! I did seek to seduce him from his (true) self but he did firmly save himself guiltless!....and now, if he doth not my bidding, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and (what is more) be of the company of the vilest!" S P C
12:33. He said: "O my Lord! the prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant." S P C

Yusuf Ali's Quran Translation

It is a very long Surah, with 111 Ayyats.

Here is a link to the Entire Surah in English

http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/quran/012.htm

format_quote Originally Posted by Fr0mHim

Thanks man. that is insteresting I want to keep reading it. But, do you guys know Jacob by the name Isreal? and also one more question for now: do you believe that Allah ordains everything that happens in life?

we do have mention of Israel in Surah Baqerah However, my impression is it refers to the people and not to any individual as named such. I will look deeper and see what else I can find. I am still very new to Islam.

Yes we believe everything is the will of Allah(swt) and that he knows all that will happen. It is a little different that any concepts of predestination, as we do believe all we do is from our own free choice.

Question:

Is it true that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade travelling alone?.



Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Yes, it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade that in several ahaadeeth, including the following:

1-

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If people knew what I know about being alone, no rider would travel at night by himself.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2998).

Imam Ahmad narrated this hadeeth in al-Musnad (2/91) with some additional material in which it says:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade being alone, for a man to spend the night alone or travel alone.

But this report is regarded as shadhdh (odd), and it is superseded by the report of al-Bukhaari for two reasons:

(a) The report of al-Bukhaari was narrated by nine of the companions of ‘Aasim ibn Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar from his father from Ibn ‘Umar, all of whom mention travelling only and not spending the night. Only one of the students of ‘Aasim ibn Muhammad, namely ‘Abd al-Waahid ibn Waasil, mentioned the prohibition on spending the night alone. Although he was thiqah (trustworthy), the report narrated by many thiqaat supersedes his report .

(b) This is indicated by a similar report from Ahmad, although the narrator does not mention the specific wording of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), unlike the report of the majority.

Hence the editors of Musnad Ahmad (9/467), and Shaykh Muqbil al-Waadi’i in Ahadeeth Mu’allah (249), ruled that the report of ‘Abd al-Waahid is shaadh (odd), unlike Shaykh al-Albaani who ruled that it is saheeh, as stated in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (60).

The prohibition on spending the night alone was narrated in a mursal report from ‘Ata’, as was narrated by Abu Dawood in Kitaab al-Maraaseel (380) and Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (7/726).

Al-Tabaraani narrated in al-Awsat (2079) via Muhammad ibn al-Qaasim al-Asadi from Zuhayr ibn Mu’aawiyah from Abu’l-Zubayr from Jaabir that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If people knew what I know about being alone, no rider would travel at night by himself and no man would sleep in a house by himself.”

But this report is to be rejected because of Muhammad ibn al-Qaasim al-Asadi, because he was accused of lying.

The prohibition on spending the night alone was also narrated in some saheeh reports. It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: No man should travel alone or sleep in a house on his own.” End quote.

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (1/130).

Imam Ahmad was asked about a man spending the night alone. He said: I prefer him to avoid that. Quoted from al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah (1/428).

2-

It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The (lone) rider is a devil, two riders are two devils and three are a travelling party.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1674), who said it is a hasan hadeeth. It was also classed as hasan by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari (6/53) and by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (62).

These ahaadeeth indicate that it is makrooh to be alone in situations where a man fears for himself because of weakness, severe exhaustion or hardship, or when he fears that the shaytaan may tempt him and mislead him. The benefit of being with righteous companions is not limited to help and support, rather the most important thing is that it helps him to remain steadfast and pious, for the shaytaan is further away from two.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (6/53):

Ibn Khuzaymah reported it under the heading; “the prohibition on two travelling and that less than three are sinners,” because what is meant by “devil” is a sinner. Al-Tabari said: This is a rebuke aimed at disciplining and guiding because of the fear of loneliness for one, but it is not haraam. The one who travels alone in the wilderness and the one who stays alone in a house has no guarantee that he will not feel lonely, especially if he had bad thoughts and is weak in faith.

In fact people differ with regard to that and the prohibition concerning that is a measure of protection, but if there is need for that, it should be fine. It was said, commenting on the words “the (lone) rider is a devil” that his travelling alone is suggested to him by the shaytaan, or he is likened to the shaytaan in his actions. And it was said that it is disliked because if the person who is travelling alone dies on the journey, there will be no one who can take care of him; similarly, if two are travelling and both or one die, there will be no one to help, unlike three, because in most cases that fear will not be present. End quote.

The apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that the prohibition applies to the one who travels alone via empty and remote routes. As for well-travelled routes, and those in which there is no risk of being lost, and where there are likely to be helpers and companions, there is no report that it is makrooh or prohibited. The same applies to travelling nowadays on planes, ships and buses, because those who are in them are all regarded as traveling companions, so the one who travels by these means is not alone in the sense that is forbidden.