Beslan

With the 1 year anniversary of Beslan coming up the BBC just aired a documentary, told by the children that survived.

One part that I found particularly moving was one boys account of what he was thinking when the shooting started.

I wished Harry Potter would come, I remember he had a cloak that made him invisible and he would hold it around me and we would escape.

Periods

For the women that suffer periods and the men that suffer listening to women suffering periods, spare a thought for muslim women who seem to suffer the most.

Q: Is it permissible to eat from the hand of a menstruating woman? (Please) advise us (and may Allaah) reward you.

A: There is no harm in eating from the hand of a menstruating woman, whether she has cooked (the food) or she (hand) feeds you or that which is similar – so all of this is permissible, as the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said to the menstruating woman 'Your menses is not in your hands'
So that which she does with her hands or passes to you by her hand, there is no harm in that because (the issue of) her menses is not in her hands, and Allaah knows best.

So yes, she can still cook your f**king dinner.


Q: I notice that sometimes after making ghusl due to my monthly menses, after having had my period for a normal amount of time, five days, I have a very small amount of drops coming out. This occurs right after I make ghusl. After that, nothing else comes out. I do not know what to do. Should I follow my normal five-day period and simply ignore what occurs after that and continue to pray and fast? Or should I consider that day also part of my period and not pray or fast during it? Note that such does not always occur to me but only occurs every two or three, or so, monthly cycles. I hope you will benefit me on this matter.

A: If what comes out after your washing is either yellow or brown, it is not to be taken into consideration [as menses] and it takes the same ruling as urine. However, if it is clearly blood, it will then be considered part of the menses and you must repeat the ghusl due to what is confirmed from Umm 'Atiyyah, one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam), who said, "We would not consider yellowish or brownish discharge as anything after we had been purified [from menses].

ewwww


Q: When I am menstruating, I do not clean myself from urine with water because I fear that the water may harm me. What is the ruling concerning that?

A: It suffices, in place of water, to clean yourself with clean tissue paper or any other pure solid object that will remove the impure substance, such as a rock, piece of wood or similar substances. This wiping should be done three times or more, until the impure substance is removed. This ruling is not just for you or anyone in a case like yours. However, it is for all Muslim men and women. This is based on what has been confirmed from ‘Aa.ishah that the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) said, "When one of you goes to relieve himself, he should clean himself with three stones and that will be sufficient for him." This was recorded by Ahmad, an-Nasaa.ee and Abu Daawood, as well as ad-Daaraqutnee who said its chain is Saheeh hasan. It is also confirmed from Salmaan al-Faarsee that it was said to him, "Your Prophet teaches you everything, even how to go to the bathroom." Salmaan said, "Certainly! He prohibited us from facing the qibla while defecating or urinating, from cleaning our genitals with our right hand, from cleaning ourselves with less than three stones and from cleaning ourselves with dung or bone." This was recorded by Muslim, Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhee.

A Rock?!?.....but only if there's no broken glass available


Q: Is it allowed for a menstruating woman to read a book of supplications on the Day of 'Arafah, given the fact that the book contains Qur.aanic verses?

A: There is no harm in a menstruating or post-partum bleeding woman reading the books of supplications that are written for the rites of the pilgrimage. In fact, there is nothing wrong with her reciting the Qur.aan according to the correct opinion. There is no authentic, clear text prohibiting a menstruating or post-partum bleeding woman from reciting the Qur.aan. The thing that is narrated is concerned with the sexually defiled person only, as such should not recite the Qur.aan while she is sexually defiled. This is based on the hadeeth of 'Alee.

'While she is sexually defiled'...and they say romance is dead.

Ansar al-Sunnah

Ansar al-Sunnah, in nine communiqués, claims responsibility for assassinations of Iraqi National Guard members, including a chief, Ali Baha’a Al Dean Kalleal, whose photo IDs the group provides, Iraqi police officers, Badr members, and American forces.

What I find interesting is the inclusion of the Badr members.
Lets hope the Bahr Brigade start fighting back using tactics that the Allied forces are not allowed to use.

Abu Islam

The U.S. military said it had killed an al Qaeda militant named Abu Islam and a number of other fighters in air strikes on Karabila close to Qaim on the Syrian border.

"Intelligence leads Coalition forces to believe that Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed in the air strike," a spokeswoman said in Baghdad.

Earlier Arab television station Al Jazeera quoted doctors as saying at least 40 people were killed in an air strike near Qaim.

Al Jazeera said the U.S. forces had struck Qaim at 2:00 a.m. (2200 GMT on Monday). The U.S. spokeswoman said U.S.-led forces had "destroyed another terrorist safe haven" at 8:20 am.

"Two 500 pound precision-guided munitions were expended on each terrorist safe house," she said, adding that the military had "confirmatory information" that Abu Islam was dead. She said she had no precise information on casualties.

Abu Islam is an alias used by several known Islamist militants.

Qaim lies in the Euphrates valley, which U.S. forces say serves as a route into Iraq from Syria for foreign Islamist fighters.

U.S. marines have launched several ground offensives against insurgents in the area in the past four months but residents and local officials say Islamist insurgents remain a significant force in several towns along the river.

Reuters

Just a few weeks ago Al-Qaeda in Iraq released audio messages, one spoken by Abu Islam, titled: “Loyalty and Innocence First,” denouncing an Iraqi constitution and concluding that those who support “Allah’s enemies” are infidels and will be struck by the mujahideen.