The 10 Days Of Dhul Hijjah (startes 7th November 2010)

Making The Most Of The Blessed Days Of Dhul-Hijjah and its Virtues

As-salaamu alaykum wa’rahmatullahi wa’barakatuh

Dhul-Hijjah will start from 28 October 2011, Let us hasten to make the most of these great days, before the negligent regrets what he did, and before he asks to go back and receives no response.

Virtues of the Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah
The first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah:

Days of virtue and righteous deeds

Praise be to Allaah Who has created Time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a mercy towards His slaves. This encourages them to do more righteous deeds and makes them more eager to worship Him, so that the Muslim renews his efforts to gain a greater share of reward, prepare himself for death and supply himself in readiness for the Day of Judgement.

This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity to correct one’s faults and make up for any shortcomings or anything that one might have missed. Every one of these special occasions involves some kind of worship through which the slaves may draw closer to Allaah, and some kind of blessing though which Allaah bestows His favour and mercy upon whomsoever He will. The happy person is the one who makes the most of these special months, days and hours and draws nearer to his Lord during these times through acts of worship; he will most likely be touched by the blessing of Allaah and will feel the joy of knowing that he is safe from the flames of Hell. (Ibn Rajab, al-Lataa’if, p.8)

The Muslim must understand the value of his life, increase his worship of Allaah and persist in doing good deeds until the moment of death. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty." [al-Hijr 15:99] The mufassireen (commentators) said: "‘The certainty’ means death."

Among the special seasons of worship are the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which Allaah has preferred over all the other days of the year. Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/457).

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no deed more precious in the sight of Allaah, nor greater in reward, than a good deed done during the ten days of Sacrifice." He was asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (Reported by al-Daarimi, 1/357; its isnaad is hasan as stated in al-Irwaa’, 3/398).

These texts and others indicate that these ten days are better than all the other days of the year, with no exceptions, not even the last ten days of Ramadaan. But the last ten nights of Ramadaan are better, because they include Laylat al-Qadr ("the Night of Power"), which is better than a thousand months. Thus the various reports may be reconciled. (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 5/412).

You should know, my brothers in Islaam, that the virtue of these ten days is based on many things:

Allaah swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "By the dawn; by the ten nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujaahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Ibn Katheer said: "This is the correct opinion." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) testified that these are the best days of this world, as we have already quoted above from Saheeh ahaadeeth.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged people to do righteous deeds because of the virtue of this season for people throughout the world, and also because of the virtue of the place - for the Hujjaaj (pilgrims) to the Sacred House of Allaah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to recite a lot of Tasbeeh ("Subhan-Allaah"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah") and Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar") during this time. ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are no days greater in the sight of Allaah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel ("La ilaaha ill-Allaah"), Takbeer and Tahmeed." (Reported by Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated that it is saheeh).

These ten days include Yawm ‘Arafaah (the Day of ‘Arafaah), on which Allaah perfected His Religion. Fasting on this day will expiate for the sins of two years. These days also include Yawm al-Nahar (the Day of Sacrifice), the greatest day of the entire year and the greatest day of Hajj, which combines acts of worship in a way unlike any other day.

These ten days include the days of sacrifice and of Hajj.

Question: What must the Muslim avoid during these ten days if he wants to offer a sacrifice?

The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must stop cutting his hair and nails and removing anything from his skin, from the beginning of the ten days until after he has offered his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has offered his sacrifice." According to another report he said: "He should not remove (literally, touch) anything from his hair or skin." (reported by Muslim with four isnaads, 13/146)
The Prophet’s instruction here makes one thing obligatory and his prohibition makes another haraam, according to the soundest opinion, because these commands and prohibitions are unconditional and unavoidable. However, if a person does any of these things deliberately, he must seek Allaah’s forgiveness but is not required to offer (an extra) sacrifice in expiation; his sacrifice will be acceptable. Whoever needs to remove some hair, nails, etc. because it is harming him, such as having a broken nail or a wound in a site where there is hair, should do so, and there is nothing wrong with that. The state of ihraam is so important that it is permitted to cut one’s hair if leaving it will cause harm. There is nothing wrong with men or women washing their heads during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only forbade cutting the hair, not washing it.
The wisdom behind this prohibition of the one who wants to offer a sacrifice from cutting his hair etc., is so that he may resemble those in ihraam in some aspects of the rituals performed, and so that he may draw closer to Allaah by offering the sacrifice. So he leaves his hair and nails alone until the time when he has offered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allaah will save him in his entirety from the Fire. And Allaah knows best.
If a person has cut his hair or nails during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah because he was not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides later, during the ten days, to offer a sacrifice, then he must refrain from cutting his hair and nails from the moment he makes this decision.
Some women may delegate their brothers or sons to make the sacrifice on their behalf, then cut their hair during these ten days. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, whether or not he (or she) delegates someone else to carry out the actual deed. The prohibition does not apply to the person delegated, only to the person who is making the sacrifice, as is indicated in the hadeeth. The person who is sacrificing on behalf of someone else, for whatever reason, does not have to adhere to this prohibition.
This prohibition appears to apply only to the one who is offering the sacrifice, not to his wife and children, unless any of them is offering a sacrifice in his or her own right, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice "on behalf of the family of Muhammad," but there are no reports that say he forbade them to cut their hair or nails at that time.
If a person was planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to go and perform Hajj, he should not cut his hair or nails if he wants to enter ihraam, because the Sunnah is only to cut hair and nails when necessary. But if he is performing Tamattu’ [whereby he performs ‘Umrah, comes out of ihraam and enters ihraam anew for Hajj], he should trim his hair at the end of his ‘Umrah because this is part of the ritual.
The things that are described above as being prohibited for the person who is planning to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above; the person is not forbidden to wear perfume, have marital relations, wear sewn garments, etc.
Concerning the types of worship to be performed during these ten days: one must understand that these days are a great blessing from Allaah to His slave, which is appreciated properly by the actively righteous. It is the Muslim’s duty to appreciate this blessing and make the most of the opportunity, by devoting these ten days to paying more attention to striving hard in worship. Among His blessings to His slaves, Allaah has given us many ways in which to do good and worship Him, so that the Muslim may be constantly active and consistent in his worship of his Lord.

Among the good deeds which the Muslim should strive to do during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah are:

1) Fasting:

It is Sunnah to fast on the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to do good deeds during this time, and fasting is one of the best of deeds. Allaah has chosen fasting for Himself, as is stated in the hadeeth qudsi: "Allaah says: ‘All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except for fasting, which is for Me and I am the One Who will reward him for it.’" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1805).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the ninth of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Hunaydah ibn Khaalid reported from his wife that some of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the ninth of Dhu’l-Hijjah, on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, on three days of each month, and on the first two Mondays and Thursdays of each month." (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, 4/205 and by Abu Dawud; classified by al-Albaani as saheeh in Saheeh Abi Dawud, 2/462).

2) Reciting Tahmeed, Tahleel and Takbeer a great deal:

It is Sunnah to say Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah"), Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allaah") and Tasbeeh("Subhaan Allaah") during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and to say it loudly in the mosque, the home, the street and every place where it is permitted to remember Allaah and mention His name out loud, as an act of worship and as a proclamation of the greatness of Allaah, may He be exalted.

Men should recite these phrases out loud, and women should recite them quietly.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"That they might witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e., reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the name of Allaah on appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice)..." [al-Hajj 22:28]

The majority of scholars agree that the "appointed days" are the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because of the words of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father): "The ‘appointed days’ are the first ten days (of Dhu’l-Hijjah)."

The Takbeer may include the words "Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, la ilaaha ill-Allaah; wa Allaahu akbar wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, there is no god but Allaah; Allaah is Most Great and to Allaah be praise)," as well as other phrases.

Takbeer at this time is an aspect of the Sunnah that has been forgotten, especially during the early part of this period, so much so that one hardly ever hears Takbeer, except from a few people. This Takbeer should be pronounced loudly, in order to revive the Sunnah and as a reminder to the negligent. There is sound evidence that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer when they heard them. The idea behind reminding the people to recite Takbeer is that each one should recite it individually, not in unison, as there is no basis in Sharee’ah for doing this.

Reviving aspects of the Sunnah that have been virtually forgotten is a deed that will bring an immense reward, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a hasan hadeeth because of corroborating asaaneed).

3) Performing Hajj and ‘Umrah.

One of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days is to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allaah. The one whom Allaah helps to go on Hajj to His House and to perform all the rituals properly is included in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "An accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise."

Doing more good deeds in general, because good deeds are beloved by Allaah and will bring a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj should occupy himself at this blessed time by worshipping Allaah, praying (salaat), reading Qur’an, remembering Allaah, making supplication (du’aa’), giving charity, honouring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of worship.

4) Udhiyah (Sacrifice)

One of the good deeds that will bring a person closer to Allaah during these ten days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality animal and fattening it, spending money for the sake of Allaah. (more information to follow, in sha Allaah).

6) Sincere Repentance

One of the most important things to do during these ten days is to repent sincerely to Allaah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin. Repentance means coming back to Allaah and foregoing all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it up immediately and being determined never to return to it, but to adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allaah loves.
If a Muslim commits a sin, he must hasten to repent at once, without delay, firstly because he does not know when he will die, and secondly because one evil deed leads to another.

Repentance at special times is very important because in most cases people’s thoughts turn towards worship at these times, and they are keen to do good, which leads to them recognizing their sins and feeling regret for the past. Repentance is obligatory at all times, but when the Muslim combines sincere repentance with good deeds during the days of most virtue, this is a sign of success, in sha Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "But as for him who repented, believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are successful." [al-Qasas 28:67]

The Muslim should make sure that he does not miss any of these important occasion, because time is passing quickly. Let him prepare himself by doing good deeds which will bring him reward when he is most in need of it, for no matter how much reward he earns, he will find it is less than he needs; the time of departure is at hand, the journey is frightening, delusions are widespread, and the road is long, but Allaah is ever watchful, and to Him will we return and render account. As the Qur’aan says (interpretation of the meaning):

"So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it,

And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it."

[al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]

There is much to be gained, so make the most of the opportunity afforded by these invaluable and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good works, before death strikes, before one can regret one’s negligence and failure to act, before one is asked to return to a place where no prayers will be answered, before death intervenes between the hopeful one and the things he hopes for, before you are trapped with your deeds in the grave.

O you whose hard heart is as dark as the night, is it not time that your heart was filled with light and became soft? Expose yourself to the gentle breeze of your Lord’s mercy during these ten days, for Allaah will cause this breeze to touch whomever He wills, and whoever is touched by it will be happy on the Day of Judgement. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his Family and Companions.

Let us hasten to make the most of these great days, before the negligent regrets what he did, and before he asks to go back and receives no response.



- The Virtues of Dhul Hijjah

By Bilal Dannoun. Ibn Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: There are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days; meaning the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. They inquired: Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah? He said: Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah, unless one goes out for Jihad sacrificing both his life and property and returning with neither. (Al-Bukhaari)

Returning to The Quran

The relationship between us and the Quran is undoubtedly of great importance; therefore, it is strange that it is this relationship which we often neglect. I have a theory as to why we tend not to focus on the Quran: we are drawn towards controversy. The Quran and its sciences have no such divisive opinions. Human beings love controversy. I believe the reason we tend to argue back and forth regarding the same issues such as moon-sighting or eating dhabiha (slaughtered animal) is because these issues allow us to take a little bit of textbook knowledge and preside over people. It gives our lower self a sense of satisfaction to ‘beat’ our opponent in arguments. The Quran, however, has no such arguments, because in reality who can argue over the minutiae of the prestigious science of tajweed (the art of reciting the Quran)? Or the qira’at (styles of Quranic recitation)? God says in the Quran that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) will have a complaint against his nation–meaning a complaint against us. This complaint will not be that the community prayed 20 rak`as (a unit of a prayer) instead of 8, or 8 instead of 10, it will be that the community missed the foundation of everything in the first place–the Quran. {And the Messenger has said: ‘O my Lord, indeed my people took this Qur’an as [a thing] abandoned.’} (Al-Furqan 25: 30) Let us think about this for a second. What is our relationship with the Quran? Have we decorated its covers and placed it on the highest shelf in our house, yet we haven’t placed it on the highest shelf in our hearts? Do we pick it up every Ramadan, only to put it back down until the next one? Do we recite the Quran without giving its letters their due right through mispronunciation and errors? Do we read it and seek to understand it, yet we feel it has no significance in our spiritual or daily life? Going back to the first point–that we love controversy–why is it that most of what we argue over, if considered when looking at big picture, is really just one small piece of the puzzle? When parts of our community are arguing over some issue that isn’t from the fundamentals of our religion, why don’t we turn back to the Quran for guidance and remind ourselves of the fundamental principles? God says: {And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.} (Al-Imran 3:103) Of the famous interpretations of this verse is that the "rope of Allah" is the Quran itself. The Quran consistently reminds us of the big picture: the Day of Judgment. Why? Because the goal is not how many rak`as we pray taraweeh, it is the quality of thoserak`as. It’s not whether the Mosque did `Eid on Thursday or Friday, it is the quality of the worship that was done in the previous month. It is the spiritual connection that we have with God, the Quran, and the Prophet that matters. Of course, this isn’t to say that we go to the opposite extreme and abandon the obligations in the Quran–we must strike a balance based upon sound understanding. Once this balance is reached, the natural result is that the arguments themselves will fail to become a divisive factor in our communities. Much of what we differ over is not from the fundamental aspects of our religion or way of life, nor is it our job to argue over it. Though those issues may be important at some level, they are not a reason for us to neglect the fundamentals–unity and brotherhood–in order to be correct on the secondary issues. The Quran’s Role in Spiritual Development "If our hearts were truly pure, we would never get enough of the Words of our Lord, and I hate that one day passes with me not looking in the Quran" Argumentation and controversy over small issues is a problem that plagues our communities, but it’s not the problem per se. It is a symptom of a deeper, more serious issue within the self. The root is a lack of spirituality and spiritual purity within the self. When an individual argues, especially in issues of faith, there is an underlying disease within the heart that is fueling the argumentation–the desire to prove the opponent wrong, to satisfy the ego and to prove one’s worth by belittling another. This is further beautified for the people by Satan when he convinces them that they are arguing for the truth because clearly the other person is on a false path—he’s just trying to ‘guide’ the other person. This attitude cultivates indifference towards others, and leads to contempt and discord between people. The irony is that this is far from the Quranic directive. I believe that of the reasons this occurs is because there is a lack of spiritual connection with the Quran and the Divine message embedded therein–an abandonment of the Quranic message. God says: {O mankind, there has come to you instruction from your Lord [this Qur’an], and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.} (Yunus 10:57) This is why not abandoning the Quran is so critical for our spiritual development–the Quran grounds us by reminding us constantly of God, of the temporal nature of the life of this world, of death, of the Resurrection, of Judgment Day, of Paradise and of Hell. It puts everything into perspective. Something that is mercy for the believers cannot become, by its very nature, something that is opposite of that. This is why the Caliph ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan said: “If our hearts were truly pure, we would never get enough of the Words of our Lord, and I hate that one day passes with me not looking in the Quran.” We should preoccupy ourselves with the Quran, and not distract ourselves by arguing over issues that do not benefit us. The Quran is truly ‘soul food’–it is the food for our souls, the healing for our hearts and our conversation with the Divine. Our bodies were created from this Earth and God placed sustenance for our body in the Earth as well. Everything we eat eventually originates from the Earth. Our spirit, however, is from God; as such, its sustenance must also come from its place of origin–God. This is why the heart, when engaged with the Quran, feels tranquility and peace, and when it’s away from the Quran it slowly hardens up until it dies. Ibn Qayyim, the Muslim scholar, notes that: “The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Quran, being humble before Allah in secret, and leaving sins.” When a person turns away from the Quran, the heart starts to starve just as the body starves when it is not fed; as a result, life itself becomes depressing and incomplete, as the individual preoccupies themselves in other matters, seeking to fill that void within. Thus, argumentation and controversy becomes an avenue to satisfy the self. Abandoning the Quran can range from not listening to it to not acting upon it to not referring to it as a source of guidance to not reflecting upon it and seeking it as a cure for our spiritual problems and diseases of the heart. All of this falls, as explained by Ibn Qayyim, under the explanation of the verse: {And the Messenger has said: “O My Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur’an as [a thing] abandoned.}(Al-Furqan 25:30) When we inspect the Quran and the verses where it commands us and forbids us, we always find it coupled with a reminder to have taqwa (awareness) of God or to reflect on Him or a reminder of Paradise and Hell. The point is not doing the action correctly; rather there are spiritual dimensions such as sincerity are necessary. Their absence voids the good deed itself. All this is part of the Quranic development which builds the spiritual connection a person has with God through those commandments and prohibitions. It allows a person to see the underlying goal of the directives–worshipping God and having a relationship with the Creator and functioning as a community based upon brotherhood. So when a person engages in argumentation, he forgets this additional role the Quran plays in terms of the inner aspects of worship. The Quran makes us focus on the important issues and ties us all together based upon our common goal–which is getting to Paradise and avoiding Hell. Our fiqh and minor `aqeedah differences remain important, but they are not central to our relationship with each other. How Can We Actualize the Role of the Quran in Our Lives? ... we (should) give the Quran precedence when it comes to seeking knowledge and make it our first priority to learn it The root of our communal problems can be traced to an incorrect approach to knowledge. The point I’d like to highlight here briefly is that knowledge has a methodology by which a student seeks it. A student does not jump to the top of the ladder; he climbs up step by step, and the first step of the ladder is engaging the Quran. A medical student who aims to specialize in heart surgery does not begin by reading a textbook on surgery; rather he goes through the process of pre-med, medical school and specialization. We need to apply the same standard with our religious sciences and focus on developing our fundamentals. Imam Nawawi says regarding the student of knowledge: “So the first thing he should begin with is memorization of the Quran, which is the most important branch of knowledge. And the Salaf did not use to teach Hadith or Fiqh, except to one who memorized the Qur‘aan. So when he has memorized it, then let him beware of pre-occupying himself from it with Hadith, Fiqh or other things, to the extent that it leads him to forget anything of the Qur‘an, or makes that likely.” (Introduction to al-Majmoo’ Sharh ul-Muhadhhab (1/38)) This is the method that the best scholars and students of knowledge followed–they gave the Quran precedence before engaging in learning Hadith or fiqh, much less advanced `aqeedah issues, while we tend to do the opposite. The point is not that we abandon seeking knowledge altogether; rather we should prioritize correctly the role of the different sciences of our religion so that we have a balance between what we seek to learn out of desire and what we need to learn as part of the essence of our religion; meaning, that we give the Quran precedence when it comes to seeking knowledge and make it our first priority to learn it. The Prophet said: “Do not seek knowledge to compete with the scholars, nor to argue with the foolish people, nor to gain control of gatherings; for whoever does that – the Fire, the Fire!” (Ibn Majah) The Quran is the foundation of everything in Islam. It is the Book that built the Companions and shaped their personalities and molded them into individuals that caused God to call them the best of nations for mankind. It was their relationship with the Quran, their reciting it at night and reflecting on it during the day, their understanding of its universals and application of it that allowed them to become who they were. The Prophet raised them to be attached to the Quran and have a relationship with it that went beyond just reciting it–it was something that humbled them and made them the best of the best. Just like them, we can begin by focusing on the Quran–memorizing it, reciting it, listening to it and seeking to understand it. We live in a time where this type of knowledge is easily accessible requiring minimal effort on the part of the student to learn. Yet, in the midst of the vast knowledge that is available to us at our fingertips, courtesy of the internet, we cannot lose sight of the true role that knowledge is supposed to play in our lives–it is meant to be a source of good for the individual, his family, his social sphere and the community at large. {Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish – That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Appreciative.} (Fatir 35:29-30)