We have a few questions we would like you to answer Insha Allah with proof from the way of the Rasul saw. 1- The prophet (SAW) has reported to have said anyone who doesn't sent Salam when he hears his name is the worst miser..........do we have to send Salam every time we hear the name of any other prophets? ...Allah has mentioned in the Qur'an we should not make any distinction between the prophets. 2: 136. 2- Why is K'abah called Masjid-al-Haram? What does Haram mean in this context? 3- Do angels have gender? 4- If a person owns a slave (female) and he cannot afford her anymore, can he sell her to someone else because in Surat An-Nur Allah is asking the believers....24: 33? Wouldn't this become the same thing if someone sells the maid? 5- Can a woman marry her step-sister's son.... the mother of both ladies being the same.....?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

1- Imams Ahmad, At-Tirmithi, Al-Haakim and others reported from ‘Ali ibn Abu Taalib that the Prophet said: “A miser is one who does not invoke blessings upon me when I am mentioned in his presence.”

Allah, The Almighty, Commands us to invoke blessings on the Prophet as in the Quran. Allah Says (what means): {Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.} [Quran 33:56]

There are many other Ahadeeth that confirm the virtues of invoking blessings on the Prophet Mohammed .

Some scholars, like Imam Ash-Shaafi’i, held the opinion that invoking blessings on the Prophet during the last Tashahhud of the prayer is an obligation and the prayer of the one who ignores invoking it is not valid; so he has to repeat it.”

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “All the Muslim scholars unanimously agree that invoking blessings on the Prophet during the prayer is recommended by the Sharee’ah. But they disagree on whether this invoking is obligatory or just desirable.”

Allah sends His Blessings to the Prophet by glorifying him and honoring him while the angels and the people send their blessings to the Prophet by invoking Allah to bless him and forgive him.

There is no objection to blessings being invoked on other Prophets; it is even desirable. But one should not invoke it during prayers.

Imam Ibn Hajar said: “No doubt that the Prophet Muhammad deserves more blessings than others. Also, there is a consensus among Muslim scholars that the tributes granted to the Prophet in the above verse are more than the merits given to him in any other verse.”

As regards the verse in which Allah Says (what means): {All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers."} [Quran 2:285]; it means that the Muslims are not like Jews and Christians who believe in some things while they refuse others.

2- The Ka’bah is also called “al-Masjid al-Haram” (Sacred Mosque) and “al-Bait al-Haram” (Sacred House).

These names are given by Allah as mentioned in the Quran; Allah Says (what means):

• {Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, standing for the people and [has sanctified] the sacred months and the sacrificial animals and the garlands [by which they are identified.} [Quran 5:97]

• {So from wherever you go out [for prayer, O Muhammad] turn your face toward al- Masjid al-Haram, and indeed, it is the truth from your Lord.} [Quran 2:149]

The designation of al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Bait al-Haram is more common than the Ka’bah. These words indicate all the boundaries of Haram besides the Ka’bah.

Allah Says (what means): {Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.} [Quran 17:1]

The Prophet was taken on the night journey from the house of Umm Haani which was situated beside the Ka’bah; he was not taken from the Ka’bah itself.

Linguistically, Haram means forbidden. Since Allah forbids fighting, harassing the one who takes refuge in this place, frightening the hunting animal and cutting trees, except the Ith-khir within the Sacred precincts of Haram, they are called Masjid al-Haram, and al-Bait al-Haram.

Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated that the Prophet said: “Allah has made Makkah a sanctuary (sacred place) and it was a sanctuary before me and will be so after me. It was made legal for me (to fight in it) for a few hours of the day. None is allowed to uproot its thorny shrubs, or to cut its trees, or to chase its game or to pick up its fallen things except by a person who announces it publicly.” On that Al-Abbas said (to the Prophet), “Except Al-Ith-khir for our goldsmiths and for our graves.” Thereupon, the Prophet said: “Except Al-Ith-khir.”

Moreover, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Except Al-Ith-khir for our graves and houses.”; while Ibn Abbas said, “For their goldsmiths and houses.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

3- Angels are slaves of Allah created from light. Imam Muslim narrated from ‘Aa’ishah and Abu Bakar, may Allaah be pleased them, that the Prophet said: “The Angels were born out of light and the Jinns were born out of the spark of fire and Adam was born as he has been defined (in the Quran) for you (i.e., he is fashioned out of clay).”

As for the essence of this light we cannot speak about it as it relates to the unseen knowledge and there is nothing describing it in the Quran or Hadeeth.

We also do not know when they were created since Allah does not make it known to us. But, in fact they are created before Adam as Allah mentioned in the Quran. Allah Says (what means):

• {And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."} [Quran 2:30]

• {And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud. And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration."} [15:28-29]

4- A person can act freely with his own slave regardless of its gender provided one owns the slave in the legal way. One can sell his slave, give him/her as a gift, etc., whether the owner is able to spend on him/her or not.

5- It is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry her step-sister's son since she is his aunt and marrying an aunt is forbidden in the Sharee’ah. Allah Says (what means): {Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 4:23]

There is no difference between the aunt who is a blood sister of the mother and the aunt who is a sister of a mother from her father's side or mother's side only.

Allah knows best.