Aljumuah Magazine

From Family to Ummah

By Amer Haleem
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Reflection on the Muslim FamilySOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION professor Phillip E. Hammond, himself the son of three generations of Methodist ministers, made the following observation about the apparent revival of Christian tradition in the fabled "morning-in-America" Reagan days:
"Everyone can ‘affirm' family values, of course, but divorces are not likely to decrease, birthrates are not likely to increase, women's participation in more and more arenas outside of the house is not likely to be reversed, and children are not likely to find home an adequate substitute for the technical training required to live in this modern world.Traditional family values can be affirmed, therefore, but they are doomed to be elusive in reality."
Hammond's unsentimental foresight has been both obviously and devastatingly dead on. Family in America, for all the talk 20 years ago about a return to tradition-and despite the improbable political ascent of the Evangelical right-could not escape the relentless human shredder of modernity by merely applying to it more of the synthetic "isms" that oiled its whirring blades to begin with.

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written by Kevin, April 18, 2010
As-Salāmu `Alaykum السلام عليكم
Very good article that addresses some important issues - especially for Muslims in the West. We receive a mixed message from mixed media about our mixed culture - and this sometimes leaves Muslim families in an awkward position; caught between two worlds - one of materialism and one of spirituality. Insha’Allah إن
شاء اللهwe will always be guided down the straight path.
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written by Alefyah, March 02, 2009
Salam. Your article is complex. Use of vocabulary goes beyond the average reader. It took me time to read and understand one word after another. As for the matter, it is still not clear what you are trying to say? Should muslims return to 'no nurseries, no nannies, no jeans' in order to get back their family lives? I'm not sure I agree.

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Fatwa

Hajj for the Woman who Embarks on It Whose Husband Dies

Q: A woman decided to perform the obligatory pilgrimage, but when she had finished all the necessary procedures, her husband died. Should she perform the Hajj or would that not be permissible for her?

A: If a man dies, leaving his wife a widow, she must remain in her waiting period (`iddah) and in

official mourning (al-hidad) until her waiting period is over. If she is pregnant, her waiting period is until delivery, due to the following verse: "And for those who are pregnant, their waiting

period is until they deliver their pregnancy" [65:4]. This is also due to the established evidence from the Sunnah, specifically in the hadeeth of Subai`ah al-Aslamiyyah, whose husband passed away while she was pregnant and a few nights later she began post-partum bleeding and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, permitted her to get married. If she is not pregnant, then her waiting

period is four months and 10 days, as Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has said: "And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they shall wait for four months and ten days…"[2:234].

As such, it is not permissible for this woman to proceed with the acts of Hajj until this period has come to term. She may then prepare for Hajj in the coming year, by Allah's Permission. We ask Allah to grant us and her success and wisdom. And Allah knows best.

And Allah, the Most High, knows best

 
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