Nisaab levels and quesions

For many of us, Ramadan is the time to pay Zakat. Given the current record high prices of gold and silver, below are the Nisab levels:

* Nisab for Gold = £2,825 (£2,168 last year)

* Nisab for Silver = £459 (£233 last year)

Nisab is the minimum amount of savings and assets that a Muslim has to possess in order for them to be obliged to give Zakat. According to the Shari'ah the nisab for gold is 84.7 grams while the nisab for silver is 592.9 grams. Gold and silver nisab levels quoted above are based on spot prices on 10th August 2011, and are subject to change.

Reliance of the Traveller is a classical manual of Islamic law by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri (rh) which states that the nisab for silver should be used for monetary balances. Since this results in a lower nisab level more Zakat is payable, which is better for the poor. 

Only Allah knows best and from Him alone is success.

So Im confused.. say you have £1000 in savings and 100g of gold... what zakat should you pay? Seeing as the level for money is stated above and the level for gold is 84.7g.. so you add the two together? how can you add a weight and a price? Please help....

Memorising

As you know Im trying to learn a new surah.. it isnt going well because I just cant get the push to start but that isnt why Im posting. Im wondering how you all learn your surahs (for the non arabic speakers) and if you do learn the english, how do you keep it in your head.. Ive found that I dont really remember much of the English that I originally learnt and feel guilty for this.. but do I continue? Or go back to relearn the English.

Isnt it important that I should know what Im saying five times every day?? Feedback welcomed

Dressing up

After 7 years of not dressing up for anyone, just slightly when I would meet friends but never OTT.. Im finally married and full of a person to dress up for.. but guess what, I dont have the clothes for it and I definately dont do the make up for it either. So what do I do?? Did you find it so easy to step back into that dressing up for your husband? I wonder if its harder for converts or born muslims or they both find this hard. Or am I just slipping back into my tomboy roots?? Any comments welcome

Decisions

Ive decided hubby needs a nickname on here... A is boring me now, not the person! the letter! I read other peoples blogs all the time (as you all know) and there are some cool 'other half' nicknames out there 'the boss' 'Mr Brown' 'Bear' and many more. Some people use their partners names, others use the first letter, some say my husband... while others dont mention them or its just obvious who they are talking about without actually addressing them.
Names are interesting in our set up, my husband was born with a different name (his brother too) and his parents decided to change them both when they were still very young. I dont even think my husband was 1 at the time, he doesnt remember any of it and I forget the name they originally gave him. As for me.. well half of my family call me Ammena, the other half something else ;)
So Im trying to come up with an interesting catch nickname for hubby on my blog. Any suggestions?? Maybe Ill make a poll.. *off to think hard*
peace and salams Ammena

Blogger question

Is there a way, once a post is made on one blog, of reposting that on another post?? Instead of copying and pasting and then re-adding any photos.

Anyone??

Polls

So over the next few weeks I might randomly be putting up a few polls to get your opinions on certain things for my wedding. Obviously you wont be making the final decision ;) that will be down to me and hubby, but your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Poll 1, cake! please vote.

Praying sunnah

So I was at the mosque today for dhuhr and just thought I would ask... seeing as the time for dhuhr has actually gone what with mosques usually praying at 1 when the time starts around 1215... can I go in and pray my 4 sunnah before fard salah?

More reward???

salam again peeps, lil me with another question.. this time its about hubby.. I was wondered (and looking for links to hadith) where is the more reward for a husband is congregational salah... is it with the men at the mosque or at home with his family?? just thought about it today...
shukran
Ammena

Quel est la différence ?

There are 2 duaa Im talking about.. the duaa for starting a journey and the duaa for leaving the house. Surely if youre leaving the house youre starting a journey?? Or is there different kinds of journies? like it actually means travelling a certain distance from your house. Or would it be proper to recite the duaa of leaving the house upon leaving... then the duaa for starting a journey when you're outside? Just something that came to mind the other day.. thanks for listening to my ramblings ;)

Back to work today :( until 8pm.. not looking forward to it, especially with no texts to me name, blah!!
Peace and salams, Ammena

Late for salah?

Question: this has been mentioned to me a few times now but I've never heard it so thought I would ask if anyone has any information on this.
If two people are late to say their prayers by a long time. Say it's time for asr and they haven't prayed dhuhr. Are they allowed to pray in congregation or not?

I thank you in advance for any knowledge anyone can give me on the matter insha'Allah
Peace and salams
Ammena
using BlogPress on her pretty cute iPhone

Bricks in paradise

Salam, so now Im looking for fatwas and such...

I came across a hadith awhile ago about the praying of the 12 daily sunnah rakats (2 before fajr, 4 before and 2 after dhuhr, 2 after maghrib and 2 after isha) and about how good it was to pray them. I heard somewhere about how with each sunnah prayer you would be building your house in paradise, I dont know why but I had it in my head that each salah would add to my house insha'Allah until I came across these ahadith

The Prophet (saws) said: "Allâh will build a house in Paradise for whoever is diligent in observing twelve Sunnah raka’at (as follows): 4 raka’at before and 2 after the Dhuhr (Midday) Prayer, 2 after the Maghrib (Sunset Prayer), 2 after the ‘Ishaa’ (Evening) Prayer and 2 before the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer." [Sunan Tirmidhi, 379 and others; classed Saheeh in al Jâmi’, 6183]

 ‘Anbasah ibn Abi Sufyan (ra) quoted Umm Habibah (ra) as saying "Allâh’s Messenger (saws) said: "A house will be built in Paradise for one who prays twelve raka’at in a day and evening as follows: 4 raka’at before and 2 after the Dhuhr Prayer, 2 after the Maghrib Prayer, 2 after the ‘Ishaa’ Prayer and 2 before the Fajr Prayer." [Sunan Tirmidhi, 380; he classed it as Hasan and Saheeh (See Saheeh al Jâmi’, 6362)]

In another similar narration, the Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever consistently prays twelve raka'at throughout the day and night, a palace will be built for him in Paradise." [Saheeh Sunan Abi Da’wud, no. 1250] 

  My question to you all out there is this... I started doing these extra salah during Ramadhan and masha'Allah was able to keep them up until the clocks changed and dhuhr is now so early. I dont pray the 4 before dhuhr but still try to keep up with the rest, however am I not gaining the full reward and building my house because I am not completing all 12?? Should I still carry on with what Im doing rather than take the 'well Im not getting the reward so whats the point in doing them all' approach. Currently I have been able to do more than what I was doing before Ramadhan, so I do the 2 after isha always now which has become a regular thing in our house since hubby asked me how many I do after isha masha'Allah. Its just the 4 before as I try to do the 2 after dhuhr but because the prayer room is quite far from my area I tend to not have much time to eat in my lunch break (30 mins) any suggestions? links? knowledge?
JazakAllah khair
Peace and salams,
Ammena

My minor moral dilemma

So this is my latest facebook status says Ammena K is having a minor moral dilemma and a few girls seemed pretty concerned so Im going to explain. Like I said... minor... it goes like this

Yesterday I picked up a brochure at the SnS event (details to follow later) and there was an advert in there for the emel subscription which I have been debating about for a few months now. There is usually a free gift that goes with the subscription and the book they normally mention is supposed to be a good book. However, in the magazine it says a different book which is actually a copy of the most amazing Quran I have ever owned!! I have it in Canada and have been trying to figure out how Im going to get it back here, anyways thats another story. So this Quran has the english, arabic, transliteration, footnotes and notes on every chapter aswell as background information and is beautifully presented.
The dilemma is that it is for students and obviously Im not a student :( they ask for the university and course you are attending... soooo what to do??

Question

Now, Im not looking for cut and pastes, nor lectures of any kind.. Im just wondering if anyone has a link or knowledge than me insha'allah
If you miss a salah, any salah.. then you pray it as soon as you realise and you generally pray a sunnah salah with it... do you still pray the sunnah? Or figure that you have gone past gaining the reward so is there a point in praying it.

At work

so today at work someone came to pick up some bits for an outside part of the hospital that we clean for. I had only been in that area for 2 hours and wasnt expecting him, so nothing was bagged up and there was pieces of paper everywhere to be sorted. Eventually I got everything together for him and as I was closing the boxes he asked me,
'do you always have to wear that hood?' I nodded.. he goes,
'Oh its your religion right?' I smiled and nodded again then it came out... God only knows where from, but he definately said,
'I thought you didnt have to wear that at home' I smiled and tried to leave it at that.. but this came out,
'Yes, but Im not at home am I!?' too much? It was just so obvious to me.. does he think I live in my department? seriously??

Randomness

I got told yesterday in work after a conversation about hijab and some other general islamic bits 'such a waste' I was confused, a waste of what? my hair? or is it just because you cant overcome the curiosity? How do I answer comments like that?
This Ramadhan has brought back something that had been dormant since quite awhile ago actually so I thought maybe you peeps could enlighten me somehow. Its about prayer mats, not whether they are allowed.. but I get bugged by flipping the corners over.. actually I dont get bugged by the action but by the reason Im given for it. 'because otherwise Shaitan prayers on your mat while you arent there' am I being stupid? naive? dumb? shouldnt we want shaitan to pray while we arent there? wouldnt that maybe make 'him' better in some way? please enlighten insha'allah :D
Tonight my Canadian homie Nashwa is coming over for iftar, I found a vegetarian restaurant in my city... granted it probably wont be as good as Zen gardens, but Im willing to try it out with her. Maybe we will grab a film afterwards too insha'allah. Then tomorrow I might be getting my iphone MIGHT.. A's bro was supposed to get here today from Germany, but he missed the train so will be here tomorrow morning insha'allah. Then we are going to the science museum (you know how I all love this museum being the nerd that I am!) so something to look forward to, and I get to grill him about A's family life and past heehee :D im sure hes reading this thinking hmm lol
As for anything else.. well insha'allah iftar at Mina's place tomorrow which Im looking forward to as I havent seen her since before Ramadhan started, and with her moving so soon and all that jazz. Im still looking for a jacket to go with my dress and realised that I should also be looking for an open abaya to go with it too.. was going to wear an abaya that I already have but in 2 minds about that now... guess I can ask opinions tonight and saturday night when I have another sister stay over... Im happy to be having friends stay over, its something I truley missed this year.
Well thats it for now my friends, insha'allah you use the last few days of Ramadhan wisely, cant believe how quickly its gone this year. Insha'allah we will all be around to reap the benefits and make up for things we didnt get done this year, next year.
Fi amenallah, peace and salams

Feet and salah (esp in Jummah)

Assalamalikum girls, so I was going through old 360 blogs and came across this.. I know Ive read opinions on Chasing Jannah and Beautiful muslimah, but I thought I would post this again to see everyones opinion. So heres the old blog
"Im not gonna get all preachy dont worry. I went for Taraweeh last night alhamdulillah, and this subject was addressed (not in talking, I mean in me) I personally cover my feet during salah, either with socks or my prayer dress, and I try to at the majority of the times except during summer when its sometimes just too uncomfortable for socks & shoes (I cant wear shoes without socks!) So anyways.... when in ruku I look at the space where my head will go in prostration but sometimes I catch the woman infront of me. And I have to admit, I hate feet... they make me feel sick, especially dry cracked heels and funny toes, alhamdulillah we have them but i feel uncomfortable around uncovered ones. So when I was just looking around I noticed the number of women in bare feet and how nasty their feet were, it was just soo distracting that I came to the conclusion that I would never like someone to feel as uncomfortable as I did then while I am praying in the masjid, so I will always cover my feet insha'allah. I just wanted to tell you all to look after your feet and be aware of others around you."

Algerian mosques breeding ground for matchmaking??

Is it right to use a mosque for a matchmaking purpose during taraweeh? esp when some men are looking at the women although saying its ok... isnt there a hadith that says the second look at the opposite sex is from shaitan?? Let me know what you think about the article

Wedding shower

Assalamalikum girls... ok, I have a dilemma... Ive been invited to a friends bridal shower.. we dont really do these in UK as muslims anyways (i know they have hen nights) shes a good friend masha'allah, knowledgeable and pious masha'allah and its a good friend of mine whos organising it, also pious and knowledgeable masha'allah... so what do I do?? do I go?? Do i make excuses and say I cant make it? or do I tell them, I dont feel comfortable about it in my deen? To be honest, I dont feel comfortable about it being part of Islam I cant really see the wives of the prophet (saws) getting all dolled up and having a party for the other wives :P I am going to her wedding.. isnt that enough? I suppose I already have the answer, I just want to hear your opinions... JazakAllah khair.