Friday 23 November 2012

Fasting on 9th and 10th Muharram Ashura

Muharram is the first month of Islamic year. its one of the month of Respect among four in which fighting is not allowed. As the best month for Fasting is Ramadan but according to Ahadees of Rasool Allah saw after Ramadan best month for fasting is Muharram.

Holy Prophet Saw Said in Sahih Muslim: The best month for fasting after Ramadan is fasting in Allah’s month of Muharram.  In Arabic the word Ashura means 10th and Fasting on this day is even more Important according to ahadees. In Hadees regarding the Fasting on day of Ashura Holy Prophet Saw said It atones for the sins of the preceding year. Sahih Muslim.

Regarding Fasting on 9th and 10th Muharram or 10th and 11th Muharram instead of only on 10th Muharram: When the Prophet Saw fasted on the day of Ashura commanded that it should be observed as a fast his companions said to him: Messenger of Allah, it is a day which the Jews and Christians hold in high Esteem. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said:  Next Year Allah willing we would observe fast on the 9th Muharram as well But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) died before the advent of the next year.

10th Muharram in History:
Rasool Allah Saw migrated from Makkah to Madina on this day.
Farone was drowned in water on this day.
Nation of Prophet Moses got freedom on this day.
Hadrat Ali R.a Killed Marhab this day.

Monday 5 November 2012

A Cure For Every Disease, Pain and Ailment - What is cupping (hijama)?

What is cupping (hijama)?

Cupping (hijama) is the best remedy recommended and used by the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam). The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Indeed the best of remedies you have is cupping (hijama)…" [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5371)]. He (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) also said that on the night of Israa (his ascension to the heavens) he (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) did not pass by an angel except that it said to him, "Oh Muhammad, order your Ummah (nation) with cupping (hijama)." [Saheeh Sunan Tirmidhee (3479)]. This shows the importance and greatness of this Sunnah!

'Hijama' in arabic is derived from 'hajm' which means 'sucking'. Cupping (hijama) is the process of applying cups to various points on the body by removing the air inside the cups to form a vacuum.

Different Types Of Cupping (Hijama):

Dry cupping (hijama) - This is the process of using a vacuum on different areas of the body in order to gather the blood in that area without incisions (small, light scratches using a sterile surgical blade or disinfected razor).

Dry massage cupping (hijama) – This is similar to dry cupping (hijama) but olive oil is applied to the skin (before applying the cups) in order to allow easy movement of the cups.

70% of diseases, pains and ailments are due to the blood being unable to reach certain parts of the body. Dry cupping (hijama) and dry massaging cupping (hijama) allow the blood to reach these places.

Dry and massage cupping (hijama) may be self-administered in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Each cupping (hijama) box is accompanied by an instruction booklet. We have also provided further instructions on our 'How To Cup' page.

Dry and massage cupping (hijama) may be administered any time of the day, any day of the week or month. There are no restrictions.

Although dry and massage cupping (hijama) are very beneficial, they are not from the Sunnah. However, they fall under the general hadeeth:

The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "For every disease there is a cure so if the medicine comes upon the disease it cures it by the will of Allaah, the Most High." [Saheeh Muslim (2204)].

Wet cupping (hijama) - This is the process of using a vacuum at different points on the body but with incisions in order to remove 'harmful' blood which lies just beneath the surface of the skin. (It is recommended that wet cupping (hijama) is only administered by a cupping therapist).

Wet cupping (hijama) is best administered at certain times of the day and days of the week. Wet cupping (hijama) is from the Sunnah. To obtain maximum benefit from cupping (hijama), it is recommended that all three methods of cupping are used.

Is cupping (hijama) really a cure for every disease?

Cupping (hijama) is a cure for every disease if performed in its correct time. The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Indeed in cupping (hijama) there is a cure." [Saheeh Muslim (5706)]. The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever performs cupping (hijama) on the 17th, 19th or 21st day (of the Islamic, lunar month) then it is a cure for every disease." [Saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3861)].

Is cupping (hijama) from the Sunnah?

Above are just some of the authentic narrations which show that cupping (hijama) is from the Sunnah of the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam).  The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever revives a Sunnah from my Sunnah and the people practise it, s/he will have the same reward of those who practise it without their reward diminishing…" [Sunan ibn Maajah (209)].

Have you had cupping (hijama) treatment before? Or know someone that has? Share your experiences with others and help revive this forgotten Sunnah. 

Monday 29 October 2012

Tropical Hurricane Storms in Islam : Sandy, Katrina, Mitch, Fifi and many more...

Mankind faces misery and suffering through natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, floods, etc.  People of faith believe that these are a consequence of God's wrath or anger at humans who committed sins. Sometimes this type of reasoning is not valid because many times innocent and pious people also get killed or suffer. Only God (Allah) knows the true reason.     

HURRICANES IN THE QURAN
In Surah 77 (Mursalat) of the Qur'an we read:
1.  By the (Winds) Sent Forth (5863) one after another (to man's profit); (5864) 
2.  Which then blow violently in tempestuous Gusts (5865)  
3.  And scatter (things) far and wide;
4.  Then separate them one from another
5.  Then spread abroad a Message (5866)   

Abdullah Yusuf Ali believes this is a' highly mystical Surah. In note 5864 he writes, "Understanding the reference to Winds, we can see that they are powerful factors in the government of the physical world. 

(1)       They come gently as harbingers of the blessings of rain and fertility; but
(2)       they can come as violent tornadoes, uprooting and destroying;
(3)       they can scatter seeds far and wide, and
(4)       they can separate chaff from grain, or clear the air from epidemics; and
(5)       They literally carry sound, and therefore Messages, and metaphorically they are instrumental in making God's Revelation accessible to hearers, whether by way of justification or repentance for the Penitent, or warning for unrepentant Sinners. All these things point to the power and goodness of God, and we are asked to believe that His promise of Mercy and Justice in the Hereafter is indeed true."      

In another verse Surah Ar-Rum:46, the Qur'an says:
And among His Signs is this, that He sends the winds as glad tidings, giving you a taste of His Mercy (i.e. rain), and that the ships may sail at His Command, and that you may seek of His Bounty, in order that you may be thankful.

Yusuf Ali explains, "In the physical world, the winds 'not only cool and purify the air, and bring the blessings of rain, which fertilize the soil, but they help international commerce and intercourse among men through seaways and now by air-ways. Those who know how to take advantage of these blessings of God prosper and rejoice, while those who ignore or fail to understand these Signs perish in storms.  So in spiritual world: heralds of glad tidings were sent by God in the shape of apostles: those who profited by their Message prospered in spiritual gain and those who ignored or opposed the clear Signs perished spiritually."

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION 
A hurricane is an area of low pressure that forms over oceans in tropical regions in either the North Atlantic Ocean or eastern North Pacific Ocean. When such a storm is developed in the western Pacific Ocean, then it is called a typhoon. The Indian subcontinent is devastated by storms developed in the Indian Ocean, which are known as cyclones. 

North Americans are familiar with hurricanes. Hurricane is a powerful, whirling storm that measures 320 to 480 kilometers (km) or 200 to 300 miles in diameter. The winds near the center of a hurricane blow at speeds of 119-km or 74 miles per hour or more. North Americans have witnessed widespread death and destruction caused by many hurricanes
Hurricanes develop from easterly waves. These long, narrow regions of low pressure occur in ocean winds called trade winds. Easterly waves wilt be converted into a tropical depression, with winds up to 50 km per hour or 31 miles per hour: then into a tropical storm, with winds of up to 119 km per hour or 74 miles per hour; and finally, into a hurricane. The center of the hurricane is called an eve which is a calm area.  Hurricane winds swirl around the eve. The eye of a hurricane measures about 32 km or 20 miles in diameter and has few winds or clouds. Storm clouds called wall clouds surround the eye. The strongest winds and heaviest rain of a hurricane occur within its wall clouds. 

HURRICANE SANDY 2012
We now face another hurricane, "Hurricane Sandy" which is just hours away...

In New York City, thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes and evacuation shelters have been set up in 76 schools.
Public transport has been halted and the New York Stock Exchange closed.
Forecasters fear Sandy will become a super-storm when it collides with cold weather fronts from the west and north.
Sandy has already killed 60 people after sweeping through the Caribbean in the past week.


Hurricane map
Source: BBC 

Dua / Invocations when experiencing strong winds...

Allaahumma 'innee 'as'aluka khayrahaa, wa 'a'oothu bika min sharrihaa.
O Allah , I ask You for the good of it and seek refuge in You against its evil.
Reference: Abu Dawud 4/326, Ibn Majah 2/1228. See also Al-Albani, Sahih Ibn Mjjah2/305 


Allaahumma 'innee 'as'aluka kthayrahaa, wa khayra maa feehaa, wa khayra maa 'ursilat bihi wa a'oothu bika min sharrihaa, wa sharri maa feehaa, wa sharri maa 'ursilat bihi.
O Allah, I ask You for the good of it, for the good of what it contains , and for the good of what is sent with it . I seek refuge in You from the evil of it , from the evil of what it contains, and from the evil that is sent with it.
Reference: Muslim 2/616, Al-Bukhari 4/76.

Dua / Invocation for when it thunders 

Subhaanal-lathee yusabbihur-ra'du bihamdihi walmalaa'ikatu min kheefatihi.
Glory is to Him Whom thunder and angels glorify due to fear of Him.
Reference: Whenever Abdullah bin Zubair (RA) would hear thunder, he would abandon all conversation and say this supplication. See Al-Muwatta' 2/992. It was graded authentic by Al-Albani as a statement of Abdullah bin Zubayr only.


Source(s):

http://www.islamawareness.net/Dua/Fortress/

May Allah (God Almighty) protect all people there from Hurricane Sandy.... Please share your experiences here...

Medina: Saudis take a bulldozer to Islam's history


Authorities are building a mosque so big it will hold 1.6m people – but are demolishing irreplaceable monuments to do it

Three of the world’s oldest mosques are about to be destroyed as Saudi Arabia embarks on a multi-billion-pound expansion of Islam’s second holiest site. Work on the Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina, where the Prophet Mohamed is buried, will start once the annual Hajj pilgrimage ends next month. When complete, the development will turn the mosque into the world’s largest building, with the capacity for 1.6 million worshippers.


But concerns have been raised that the development will see key historic sites bulldozed. Anger is already growing at the kingdom’s apparent disdain for preserving the historical and archaeological heritage of the country’s holiest city, Mecca.  Most of the expansion of Masjid an-Nabawi will take place to the west of the existing mosque, which holds the tombs of Islam’s founder and two of his closest companions, Abu Bakr and Umar.

Just outside the western walls of the current compound are mosques dedicated to Abu Bakr and Umar, as well as the Masjid Ghamama, built to mark the spot where the Prophet is thought to have given his first prayers for the Eid festival. The Saudis have announced no plans to preserve or move the three mosques, which have existed since the seventh century and are covered by Ottoman-era structures, or to commission archaeological digs before they are pulled down, something that has caused considerable concern among the few academics who are willing to speak out in the deeply authoritarian kingdom.
“No one denies that Medina is in need of expansion, but it’s the way the authorities are going about it which is so worrying,” says Dr Irfan al-Alawi of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation. “There are ways they could expand which would either avoid or preserve the ancient Islamic sites but instead they want to knock it all down.” Dr Alawi has spent much of the past 10 years trying to highlight the destruction of early Islamic sites.

With cheap air travel and booming middle classes in populous Muslim countries within the developing world, both Mecca and Medina are struggling to cope with the 12 million pilgrims who visit each year – a number expected to grow to 17 million by 2025. The Saudi monarchy views itself as the sole authority to decide what should happen to the cradle of Islam. Although it has earmarked billions for an enormous expansion of both Mecca and Medina, it also sees the holy cities as lucrative for a country almost entirely reliant on its finite oil wealth.

Heritage campaigners and many locals have looked on aghast as the historic sections of Mecca and Medina have been bulldozed to make way for gleaming shopping malls, luxury hotels and enormous skyscrapers. The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of the 1,000-year-old buildings in the two cities have been destroyed in the past 20 years.

In Mecca, the Masjid al-Haram, the holiest site in Islam and a place where all Muslims are supposed to be equal, is now overshadowed by the Jabal Omar complex, a development of skyscraper apartments, hotels and an enormous clock tower. To build it, the Saudi authorities destroyed the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress and the hill it stood on. Other historic sites lost include the Prophet’s birthplace – now a library – and the house of his first wife, Khadijah, which was replaced with a public toilet block.

Neither the Saudi Embassy in London nor the Ministry for Foreign Affairs responded to requests for comment when The Independent contacted them this week. But the government has previously defended its expansion plans for the two holy cities as necessary. It insists it has also built large numbers of budget hotels for poorer pilgrims, though critics point out these are routinely placed many miles away from the holy sites.

Until recently, redevelopment in Medina has pressed ahead at a slightly less frenetic pace than in Mecca, although a number of early Islamic sites have still been lost. Of the seven ancient mosques built to commemorate the Battle of the Trench – a key moment in the development of Islam – only two remain. Ten years ago, a mosque which belonged to the Prophet’s grandson was dynamited. Pictures of the demolition that were secretly taken and smuggled out of the kingdom showed the religious police celebrating as the building collapsed.

The disregard for Islam’s early history is partly explained by the regime’s adoption of Wahabism, an austere and uncompromising interpretation of Islam that is vehemently opposed to anything which might encourage Muslims towards idol worship.

In most of the Muslim world, shrines have been built. Visits to graves are also commonplace. But Wahabism views such practices with disdain. The religious police go to enormous lengths to discourage people from praying at or visiting places closely connected to the time of the Prophet while powerful clerics work behind the scenes to promote the destruction of historic sites.

Dr Alawi fears that the redevelopment of the Masjid an-Nabawi is part of a wider drive to shift focus away from the place where Mohamed is buried. The spot that marks the Prophet’s tomb is covered by a famous green dome and forms the centrepiece of the current mosque. But under the new plans, it will become the east wing of a building eight times its current size with a new pulpit. There are also plans to demolish the prayer niche at the centre of mosque. The area forms part of the Riyadh al-Jannah (Garden of Paradise), a section of the mosque that the Prophet decreed especially holy..

Saturday 22 September 2012

American Cinema hit by #earthquake - Is It True?


A picture of a cinema in America that was going to play the film of the Prophet Sep 18 at noon.An earthquake hit that area that caused the building into two pieces.The Americans are so shocked at the miracle that they didn’t allow full media coverage on the topic and that’s why you didn’t hear about it on the news today!



It has also been reported here, as well as new reports of a 3.3 magnitude earthquake in calafornia:
http://www.edithot.com/gist/all-249203953743568897

Monday 17 September 2012

The End Times 2013 - 2022 : As decoded by numerical analysis of the Quran, Hadith, and Arabic Words www.EndTimes2013.com

Very interesting info regarding events of endtimes. See First Phase of the End Times: 2013 - 2022 : As revealed through Numerical Analysis of the Quran, Hadith, and Arabic Words. www.EndTimes2013.com

The book presents an Islamic perspective on the End Times and the events that will lead eventually to the Last Day, Doomsday, End of the World, Day of Resurrection (Qiyama), and Day of Judgment. It reveals that the first phase of the End Times will start in late 2013 with the emergence of the first evil person (Araj, Dajjal, etc.) which triggers the emergence of the Mahdi and will end in 2022 after the emergence of the last evil person (Dajjal, Anti-Christ, etc.) which triggers the descent of Prophet Jesus Christ (p) from Heaven.

Please share your comments and thoughts here... Has anyone started reading it? Let others know what you think of it so far...

Saturday 15 September 2012

Is Muhammad Really Who Sam Bacile Portrays in his movie: Innocence of Muslims

A film was shot in the US, and was shown at a small cinema in Hollywood at the end of June. But it is the clips posted to YouTube, translated into Arabic, which appear to have sparked these protests.

The video - Innocence of Muslims - first appeared online on 1 July, posted in English by someone using the pseudonym "sambacile."

It was very badly made and cheaply produced, with poor acting and little in the way of storyline.

The most offensive comments about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad had been quite obviously dubbed onto the soundtrack afterwards and not spoken by the actors.

Watch and learn about who Muhammad really was, according to non-muslims!



Tuesday 11 September 2012

Great British Islam : BBC Documentary

Most people think that Islam came to the country during the 60's when Muslims immigrated from their homelands. Nothing could be further from the truth. There were a number of Victorian English gentlemen who embraced Islam, even when it was dangerous to do so.

This video shows what an inspiration Islam was to them and how it transformed them to be a positive force in society, not just couped up in rituals like the Muslims of today.

This documentary tells the little-known story of three English gentlemen who embraced Islam at a time when to be a Muslim was to be seen to be a traitor to your country. Through personal journeys of still surviving relatives, the programme looks at their achievements and how their legacy lives on today.





Re-Launching Soon

Friday 17 August 2012

Stop Genocide Rohingya Muslims in Burma!


A large number of Muslims are being killed in Burma by Budisht , army and police of Burma as Muslims are in minority in Burma but silence of World Powers on this issue is a more worse crime.
Muslims are compelled to remain inside the country as internal refugees. They face abuse in the forms of rape, torture, extortion, and murder. 
Vzb
Sexual violence and terrorizing thousands of Muslims women and their families.  The situation of the Muslim minorities is more complicated because they are not recognized as citizens and any scope of any reconciliation will not give them any protection. 
The Genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Burma(also known as Myanmar) by buddhist gangs!
The longer the UN Security Council remains silent, the more people will die
You and I can make that happen. Burma's Noble Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has asked the international community for help. Tell the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to pass a resolution to stop the genocide in Burma. The clock is ticking. God have mercy on us all if we stand by and do nothing. 
United Nations must to find a way to solve the suffering of the more than a million Muslims in Burma. There is an urgent need for medical supplies and food aid.

SIGN THE PETITION: Stop Genocide Rohingya Muslims in Burma: http://www.causes.com/actions/1666951

DONATE TODAY: Myanmar (Burma) Emergency Appeal

Wednesday 8 August 2012

London 2012 & Ramadan: How do Muslim athletes do it?


Islam is showing Olympian-style flexibility when it comes to the holy fasting month of Ramadan and London's Summer Games
During Ramadan, Muslims are called to fast from food and drink during daylight hours, "no easy task at a latitude where summer daylight hours are between 4 a.m. and 9 p.m.,"
Smooching aside, the fact that the two events have coincided for the first time in 32 years has lead to much discussion. But it is worth noting that major Muslim leaders have for the most part refrained from issuing a sweeping directive on the matter.
True, Muslim leaders in Bahrain and Egypt made a point of saying their athletes are not compelled to fast -- citing a Koranic provision for those who are traveling, sick or pregnant -- but they still left it up to a personal choice.
Authorities in strict Saudi Arabia, where even non-Muslims are expected to respect the fast (or risk being expelled), have also been noticeably quiet. 
That leaves the estimated 3,000 Muslim athletes and officials taking part in the London Games doing their own private soul-searching on the matter.
Some have chosen to observe the 18-hour fast, like Milad Agila, head of the Libyan weightlifting team. "My breakfast will be after 15 minutes, about 9 o'clock at night," Agila told China Radio International. "The last meal is about 3:50."
Others, like Indonesian weightlifter and bronze medalist Irawan Eko Yuli, plan to postpone it a month,according to CRI. Many of the Saudi athletes are also observing the fast a month later, reported the Associated Press
Then there are those opting out entirely, have appealed to various interpretations of the Koran or fatwas -- such as the 2010 directive issued by the German Central Council of Muslims for Muslim professional footballers, reported Middle East Online
But for Muslim athletes, since Islam lacks a central authority, to fast or not to fast "is a matter of personal choice," Dr. Muhammed Abdul Bari, former head of Muslim Council of Britain, told NBC, adding, "for example I believe that [British rower] Mohamed Sbihi has agreed to feed 60 poor people in [his father’s homeland of] Morocco for every day he does not fast during Ramadan."
The fast this year is an Olympian-style challenge for all Muslims because the fast dates, which rotate on a lunar calendar, have come in the summer, when daylight hours are longer.  
"You know what that means?" Salman Farsi, the media officer for the East London Mosque, asked The New York Times.
"That means eventually, it will probably coincide with the Winter Olympics, too.”
Muslim athletes, are you ready for round two? 



Monday 6 August 2012

THE BATTLE OF BADR - 17 Ramadan 2 A.H, 624 C.E.

The battle of Badr was the first of the great battles of Islam. The faithfuls were put to the first real test during this battle. Badr is the name of a celebrated well and a market-place of Arabia, and is so named after a certain Badr bin Quraish bin Mukhlad bin an-Nadr bin Kananah, who hailed from the clan of Ghaffar.
From the start of Ramdan, a report reached to Madina that a large trading caravan of Quraish was returning to Mecca from Syria under the leadership of Abu Sufyan bin Harb accompanied by fifty armed guards. It has been pointed out that this richly loaded caravan constituted a grave threat to the security of Madina, therefore, Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) dispatched Talha bin Ubaidullah and Saeed bin Zaid, to gather intelligence about the caravan and to report back. It was discovered that it was a large caravan in which all the Makkans had shares. The Quraish had decided to put all their savings into it and use the profits on arms, horses and other items of war to use against the Muslims.

The news was highly disturbing. The Prophet (S.A.W) left Madina and decided to meet the caravan in Badr with 313 men. Among them only 2 were on horses and 70 had camels and the rest were on foot.
Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, says in the Holy Qur'an:

And Allah certainly helped you at Badr when you were weak. So be in reverential awe of Allah that perhaps you may be thankful (3:123).

The beloved holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), together with 313 of his Companions and angels sent by Allah to help them, defeated about 1000 better armed polytheists of Makkah.

Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah preserve him) places great emphasis on commemorating i
t and marks the event by completing the Qur’an in Tarawih on the eve of the 17th, after which there are big celebrations in Dar al-Mustafa attended by thousands. This year it also coincides with the end of the Dawrah. The rest of the night is spent in prayer, remembrance and supplication, since prayers are answered when the Qur’an is completed. On the following day at `Asr, the poem Jaliyat al-Kadr is read, in which the names of all the Companions that attended the Battle are mentioned. 

O Allah! O The Ever-Living, O the Self-Existing by Whom all subsist, O The Responder, O The Giver, O The Loving One, O The Reckoner, O The Knower of mysteries,O The Creator of night and day. I beg of you for the sake of Your Most Beautiful Namesand the mystery of the Glorious Qur’an, and for the sake of Your Chosen Prophet Muhammad, on him be the choicest blessings and complete peace, and for the sake of the noble warriors of the Battle of Badr, that You help the religion of Islam and fulfil all our needs. O The Most Merciful of those who show mercy… Aameen!!



Thursday 2 August 2012

Children in Islam الأطفال في الإسلام


Children are a blessing bestowed on us by God. Although a blessing they are also a test as stated in the Holy Quran;

"And know that your possessions and your children are but a trial (fitnah) and that surely with Allah is a mighty reward." [Surah 8 (al-Anfal), verse 28] 

The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) showed great kindness to children. In one narration Abu Hurayrah (ra) said “The prophet (pbuh) kissed Al-Hasan once while Al-Aqra’ Ibn Haabis was sitting with him, so Al Aqra’ said ‘I have ten children; never did I kiss any of them.’ The prophet (pbuh) therefore looked at him and said ‘Allah will not be merciful with the one who is not merciful to other.’ [Al-Bukhaari].

These days people are too busy with worldly affairs which as a result stop them from spending time with their children, playing with them and showing love and compassion to them.  Children hold a special status in the Islamic community and therefore require our attention and care. Our children will grow up to form the next generation so it is our responsibility to bring them up in accordance with Islamic teachings, to spend time with them, to teach them manners and most of all to let them feel that love and care which we hold for them so dearly.

This blessed month of Ramadan we are in is the perfect time for us to make changes in our lives, why not start by giving your child a hug and a kiss, let them feel the love you have for them. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to leave behind a pious once we die.

Abu Hurayrah (ra) reported that the prophet (pbuh) said: "When a human being dies, all of his deeds are terminated except for three types: an ongoing sadaqah, a knowledge (of Islam) from which others benefit, and a righteous child who makes du'aa for him." [Muslim and others].

Friday 20 July 2012

Ramadan: The Season Of Mercy رمضان: موسم الرحمة


There is no better time to start making positive changes in our lives than this blessed month!

Ramadan is a Muslim's recurring opportunity for spiritual enhancement and soul redemption. It is also an annual exercise in self-control and self-restraint, but above all, it is a physical manifestation of our total submission and obedience to Allah Almighty. Because of this submission and obeying of His order, the Muslim fasts, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual intercourse during the days from just before sunrise until sunset of Ramadan that normally lasts for 30 days. This is the physical aspect of fasting. By nightfall, the spiritual aspects take over, because while eating, drinking, and sexual relationship between spouses are permitted during night time, the Muslim then engages in prayers that take him/her deep into the night. It is a well-balanced program that lifts the spirit, strengthens the resolve, and asserts Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism) as no other act of worship can.

There is no better time to start making positive changes in our lives than this blessed month. In Ramadan, many good things occur: the rewards are multiplied, the devils are chained, the gates of Hellfire are closed, and the gates of Paradise are opened. Every night of Ramadan, Allah redeems believers from the pains of Hellfire. It is the month of mercy, repentance, and charity

Don't let another Ramadan pass you by, make use of this one - you never know whether you will be here for the next one.


Thursday 19 July 2012

Federal judge: New Tennessee Mosque To Open For Ramadan


The Justice Department asked a federal court to clear the way for a Tennessee mosque to open in time for Ramadan.
The Justice Department asked a federal court to clear the way for a Tennessee mosque to open in time for Ramadan.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell orders Rutherford County to conduct a final inspection
  • Campbell ordered the county to conduct an inspection by Thursday
  • Campbell's ruling came the same day the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit
  • A fierce debate over the opening of the mosque began in 2010
(CNN) -- A federal judge ordered a Tennessee county to conduct a final inspection of a new mosque, clearing the way for worshippers to possibly begin using the building in time for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Thursday.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell is the latest development in a two-year battle over the opening of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, near Nashville, that has been marked by legal challenges and anti-Muslim sentiment.


"If the building complies with applicable codes and regulations, the County shall issue, on or before July 19, 2012, the certificate of occupancy," Campbell wrote Wednesday in his order granting a temporary restraining order against the county.

Campbell's ruling effectively set aside a ruling by a county judge in June that reversed a planning commission's approval of the Islamic Center's expansion because of what he said was insufficient public notice.

Attorneys for the county have said it followed the normal practice of publishing notice of the hearing in the local newspaper, but the judge said more should have been done because the mosque was "an issue of major importance to citizens."

The U.S. Justice Department and the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro filed separate lawsuits this week, arguing that Rutherford County officials violated federal laws when they denied requests for a final inspection and certificate of occupancy for the mosque.

The Justice Department is accusing Rutherford County of violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 by holding the mosque to a different standard than other religious institutions built in the county. The Islamic Center argued that it was being unconstitutionally blocked "merely because local anti-Islamic protests have made the mosque controversial."

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has existed for more than a decade, but the fight erupted in 2010 when planning commissioners approved an expansion project.

The construction site had been vandalized multiple times, including by an arson attack in 2010, and federal authorities have charged a Texas man with calling in a bomb threat to the center before last year's anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

"Not welcome" was spray-painted by vandals on a sign announcing the construction of the project.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Natural disasters : Tropical Storm Debby


The purpose behind natural disasters such as floods (Tropical Storm Debby), earthquakes and storms, cannot only be viewed as forms of divine punishments, they are also designed to remind us of God's blessings. They help us to avoid being negligent, they allow our natural talents to blossom, they help revive life on earth, and ultimately they punish people who are oppressors.. All of these can be considered as the reasons behind why natural disasters occur. In addition, a phenomenon can have a material source and simultaneously be a divine punishment, since God's punishments come down on us based on His law and causal based system.

In other words, everything in the world happens based upon God's will, and God enforces His will on the basis of the law of causation. In fact material causes are a part of God's will and decree. Natural disasters happen through natural means and are also based on God's will, hence preventing them or reducing their destructive consequences does not necessarily contradict with the fact that the goal is to punish a person or a group of people.

Calamities which human beings face are of two types: Natural catastrophes and Moral catastrophes (external and internal). It has been proven that morally wicked acts can cause divine punishments to come down for humans and these can come down in the form of natural disasters. In general, both types can have punishing effects. However, one can categorize divine calamities to sometimes include things such as wealth and welfare and not just natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, etc.

From the Holy Quran’s point of view, one of God's methods is to test human beings by putting them through difficulties at various stages in their lives in order to draw out and manifest their hidden talents.  One of the most important consequences of calamities is that they awaken human beings from the ignorance caused by the material blessings of this world. These calamities remind humans of their important responsibilities before God and replace arrogance with humbleness. Regarding this issue, the Holy Quran says that various Prophets have had their people tested with different types of hardships in order to dissolve any feeling of resistance in them and to help them to submit to the truth.

And We sent not any Prophet to a town, but We took its people with tribulation and desolation so that perhaps they will lower themselves.”  - Surah Al-A'raf 7:94