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Salamu Alaikum everyone,

It looks like I haven't been on in 7 years. Going through some struggles I became discontented from my faith and found it hard to reconnect. I feel I am making a turn for the better being more secluded lately.

How is everyone doing? What is new here?

There is a very old cemetery in the town I live in that I've walked through since I was kid. A lot of history there, plus I see it as a reminder of how life inevitably ends. My wife told me today that it is wrong per the Quran to walk through the cemetery unless you are visiting a loved one. She read (in arabic) what she said was a verse from the Quran that she said translated to something like, when visiting the cemetery to visit a loved one do so with respect. I do not remember this being a part of the Quran and feel she may have been quoting a hadith mistakenly. Has anyone heard this "verse". Also, if so, I would not see this as forbidding entry to a cemetery, though she said because it specifically mentions "visiting" it does. Any insight?

Very entertaining Fox News segment: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zaki-hasan/reza-aslan-and-the-fox-ne_b_3671667.html

According to the host you shouldn't write about religions that aren't your own as you will be biased in your opinion, even on an academic/scholarly level. I really hope they convey this message to Robert Spencer or any of the other non-muslim/anti-muslim "scholars" they have on.

I just started reading Zealot (on chapter 4) anyone else picked it up yet?

[repents, believes and does good work]

I've always read on Fatwa sites that if you miss any salat (prayers) that you have to make them ALL up. Even if it is years of missed prayers. For example (from the traditional perspective of 5 daily prayers) if you haven't prayed in 10 years you would have to make up about 18,250 prayers. I recently came across this in the Qur'an which made me think about this:

19:59 Then generations came after them who lost the prayer, and followed desires. They will find their consequences.
19:60 Except for whoever repents and believes and does good work; they will be admitted to Paradise, and they will not be wronged in the least.

So in the first ayat it talks about people who stopped praying, followed their own desires and thus will face the consequences of their actions. The second ayat says except whoever repents, believes and does good work. So wouldn't that mean if you stopped praying and you repented, increased your faith and started doing good works you would be forgiven by God? Am I missing something here? 

Just saw Zero Dark Thirty, can't comment on it's historical accuracy but as I a film I found it entertaining. Did anyone else see it? Any thoughts?

The most confusing part of "traditional" Islam for me has always been zakat. I have never been able to figure it out. When calculating cash some say use gold for a nisab others say silver. I've heard the wealth needs to be with you for a full year and that it's the amount in hand on the calendar date (thus if you hit the jackpot the day before you need to pay zakat on that). Seriously when ever I try to figure it out I have to stop because I get a headache.

Being that the Qur'an does not give details on zakat my questions are:

Where did the modern version of zakat come from? (yes I know from Hadith but is there any historical insight?).

Is it the same for Shia as for Sunni? (Like how they break fast at different times and combine salat)

Is there a progression as we get latter and latter in the sources? (i.e. Al-Muwatta to Bukhari to Muslim to Dawood)

Are there any sources that show a different interpretation? (I asked this about salat and wakas had some good links)

Has anyone else ever gotten a headache trying to figure zakat out? (figurative counts)

Thanks for the help!

I saw someone post this story on facebook today as an example of the importance and power of dua. (To my surprise) I have actually never heard this story before today so I just thought I would share.

I found this version of the narration at: http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/imam_bukhari.htm

Im?m al-muhaddith?n Hadrat Im?m Ab? `Abdull?h Muhammad ibn Ism?`?l al-Bukh?r? was born on the 13th of the Isl?mic month of Shaww?l, 194AH, in the famous city of Bukhara, of the land "beyond the canal" - present day Uzbekistan -. The father of Im?m Bukh?r?, Ism?`?l ibn Ibr?h?m ibn Mugh?rah al-Ja`f?, was a great muhaddith and ascetic from whom he inherited his characteristics of literary zeal and excellence. During infancy his father passed away and his mother took on the entire responsibility of bringing him up. Im?m Bukh?r? became blind at a young age. He had recourse to many famous and skilled doctors of his time but their treatments made no difference. His mother was a pious worshipper and a righteous woman. She cried out for help in the court of All?h the Almighty, for her child and begged for the restoration of his eyesight. At last, "the river of mercy flowed over her," and Almighty All?h accepted her invocation. One night, she visited Ibr?h?m `alayhis-sal?m in a dream and was told, "All?h has restored the sight of your son because of your intense and beautiful invocations." In the morning, as Im?m Bukh?r? got up from his bed, glimmers of light reached out into his eyes.

I am reading "Islam without Extremes" by Mustafa Akyol and came across this passage:

"The most famed and authoritative scholar to emerge from this school was Abu Hanifa, the sympathizer of the Postponers school. His thinking was based firmly on the Qur'an and human reason and a little less the "example" of the Prophet...Abu Hanifa relied on his threefold cord of (Qur'an), qiyas, and Ra'i (reason) with occasional use of istihsan, and scarcely any for Hadith."

Abu Hanifa died in 767 and Bukhari was born in 810. Thus Abu Hanifa had no access to the Sahih Bukhari which is an essential part of Sunni jurisprudence. The thousands of hadith rejected by Bukhari as fabrications would seemingly have been in play during the lifetime of Abu Hanifa. Though the modern Hanifi School of thought does still claim 'reason' as a contributing factor, the collections of sahih hadith collections play a significant role. Same is true for the Maliki School which would seemingly rely less on hadith (as seen with the significantly smaller Al-Muwatta) as the custom of Imam Malik (died 795) but in it's modern form appears follow the same formula as the other schools.

Another point that comes to mind is I remember reading that Abu Hanifa believed small, non-intoxicating amounts of certain types of alcohol was permissible, however this opinion does not exist in the Hanifi School of thought. Which brings me back to my question, are the various schools of thought created by the people they are named after or just based off their ideas and practices and solidified later?

I look forward to your opinions and may God forgive me for anything I have written in error.

As intoxicants which would cover drugs and alcohol is generally considered forbidden, what is the stance on narcotic painkillers? I use a narcotic pain killer which was prescribed by doctor for chronic tension headaches. What is your view and (if you are aware of such a judgement) what is the "traditional" view?

I was watching TV last night a came across a lot of programs on "real" ghost stories and ghost hunting and wanted to open up a dialogue on this board about the Islamic perspective on ghosts and actually ghost hunting. Also curious to see if any one has any stories they've experienced with ghost, the paranormal or Jinn.

Just curious if there were any opinions of the 2012 Presidential Election. This year I am going third party and voting for Gary Johnson the Libertarian candidate.

I saw three books on Amazon Kindle store by a Dr. Md. Anisur Rahman, one titled "Why Quran Alone?" I am curious if anyone is familiar with these books or the author?

[AAashiyyi]

38:31 When, close to dusk, well trained horses were displayed before him.
38:32 He then said: "I have enjoyed materialism more than I enjoyed the remembrance of my Lord; now it has become totally dark!"

38:31 Ith AAurida AAalayhi bialAAashiyyi alssafinatu aljiyadu

Does this verse show that the time for Salat al-Isha is what is traditionally known as Salat al-Maghrib?

Is verse 31 properly translated as "dusk"?

I came across an article or post once advocating 3 prayers (Being what would traditionally be called Fajr, Maghrib and Isha) I am have trouble finding it again. Any help?

First I want to preface this by saying I am not trying to sell an opinion, just looking for answers.

Imam Malik was born in Madina in 93 AH. He is the earliest of the major hadith collectors. A lot of things argued as inovations by the non-hadith followers can be found in his collection Al-Muwatta, which is said to have been approved by the elders of Madina (Prayer times, how to pray, how to pay zakat, etc.)

My question is how was there so much inovation in the city founded by the Prophet (pbuh) in such a short period of time? Wouldn't there be (is there) record of people saying "no this is bidah."?

Again, not trying to make a point, just something I was thinking about and wanted to hear some views.