depression and islam

Is depression a sign of the deterioration of iman or is it something the companions went through? Is it also considered to be a test from Allah? Or is it something you bring upon yourself from your style of living?  There are two main areas to focus on:  your iman and your lifestyle.  With iman: be sure to read Qur'an, understand Qur'an, and implement Qur'an in your life.  WIth lifestyle: the way you think of yourself and how you react to events and people around you will affect your mood.  By focusing on your iman and having the right perspective on life (focus on Allah and not on self), then your mood will improve inshAllah.

Doing sunnah (extra) acts and not fard (mandatory)

Would my fasting (voluntary) be invalid if I miss fajir (required) ??? Should I stop doing the sunnah and focus more on the fard?  Your fasting and your prayer are two separate things.  One does not affect the other.  You should fix the fard and make that a priority, while continuing with the sunnah practices (if possible).

Supporting parents

If my parents are in a different part of the world and they don't support me (financially), does it become required for me to send them money when they ask me to? If your family has a need and you have the means to assist them, then you must support them.

Hypocrisy: Encouraging others to do what I don't do

In the Name of Allah

The questions were answered by Sh Shakir Elsayed (transcribed by Br Jose Acevedo)  The answer is in red:

Is it a sin to say or encourage others to do a certain good deed if you don't do it yourself? Sometimes I find inspiring quotes or sayings on social networking sites and I like to share them but a lot of the times I don't do them myself...would I be a hypocrite if I encouraged others to do it but I don't do it? Are there signs to know if I am a hypocrite? And if I feel as though I might be of them how do I help myself attain sincerity? How do prevent myself from hypocrisy?   The best thing is to start with yourself first before sharing the advice (in order to avoid hypocrisy).  Unless, the advice you are giving is presented as giving it to yourself first and sharing that advice with others.

Prayer in a house with a dog

In the Name of Allah

The questions were answered by Sh Shakir Elsayed (transcribed by Br Jose Acevedo)  The answer is in red:

Assalam Alakium,
My sister in law owns a dog and I don't like to come over because I heard that you can not pray with a dog in a house. Is this true? If so, what do I do when it's time to pray and I'm at her house?  Pray your prayers, but make sure the area is clean.

Zakah/Sadaqah question

The questions were answered by Sh Shakir Elsayed (transcribed by Br Jose Acevedo)  The answer is in red:

I had a question regarding Zakah and Sadaqah. Can a person in debt pay Zakah or Sadaqah? Zakah is to be paid on any saved/stored money.  If you have the threshold, then must pay zakah.  Debts like car loans or mortgages are part of our budget and do not disqualify our need to pay zakah.

Also, is there a difference for the dead person (i.e. if someone who's in debt and hadn't given Zakah has died, must his family give the Zakah on his behalf first or must they first pay off his debt)?  Both instances are a debt (the debt to a person and the Zakah).  Family of the deceased should pay on the deceased's behalf.  However, some scholars believe that it is the deceased's responsibility only.

I've been confused because I heard that the peoples' right over you has to be fulfilled before Allah's Right on you, because Allah is more likely to forgive your shortcomings.  Zakah is a right that the poor have on us.  

Allahu alim

Boona Muhammad Poem about Shaytan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TolRru27HA