Islam Blog

Donate to Somalia

2011-09-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Brothers in Somalia need you, This site is trustworthy and money will reach the needy

www.kimiseyokmu.com

Friday Khutba in English

2009-12-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

There are two parts of Khudba.
The first part is as below.
Introduction
“Al-Hamdu Lillahi Thumma Alhamdu Lillah
Al-Hamdu Lillahi Alzi Hadana Lihaza wama Kunna Lanahtadiya Law’la Ann Hadana Allah.
Al-Hamdu Lillahi Ghafiriz Zunibi Jamee’ihaa Illa Shirka Bih,
Wasalatu wasalamu ala rasulil’ahh”.

Meaning:
Praise is due to Allah,
Praise is due to Allah who guided us to the righteous path, and indeed we wouldn’t have attained this state of guidance without Him Allah,
Praise is due to Allah who forgives all sins and misdeeds except associating others with Him.

Second Part is
“Allahuma’ Eghfir Lil’ Muslimeena wal Muslimat
“Wal Moumineena wal Mouminaat

“Al-Ahya’ee minhum wal amwat
“Innaka samee’un mujibul dawat

Meaning:

“Almighty God, forgive the Muslim men and women,

Forgive the believing men and women,

Those who are alive and those who died,

You are indeed the One who listens and accepts all supplications”

Globally Standardized Conclusion

“Ibada Allah:

Inna Allah Ya’amuru Bil Aadli wal Ihsan, wa Ita’ee Zil Qurbaa

Wa Yanhaa Anil Fahshaa’ee wal munkaree wal bagh’yi

Ya’Izukum La’allakum tazakkaroon”

Meaning:

“Servants of Allah:

Indeed Allah orders us to be just and to excel in what we do,

Be generous and to take care of our kin and relatives,

Never do what is forbidden of all sins and

Not to transgress,

He almighty advises you so you can remember”
Reference: http://fridaykhutbah.com/friday-khutbah-training/

Happy New Year 1431

2009-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Islamic Year 1431 to all Muslims around the world. This is an auspicious and blessed occasion for us, beginning of a new year, a new dawn and a new prospect for the Muslim Ummah. Celebration of new Islamic year allow us to reflect our past performances, character and achievements. What key events have shaped our life and direction? What Muslims as an Ummah have achieved? What are the new challenges for Islam and the Muslim Ummah? Where we stand among other religions and nations?

Ahmed Deedat

2009-10-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ahmed Hussein Deedat (July 1, 1918–August 8, 2005) was a Muslim scholar, writer, charismatic public speaker and Islamic missionary of Indian-South African descent. He was best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as pioneering video lectures most of which centered around Islam, Christianity and the Bible.
Download all his torrents at http://www.mininova.org/tor/2449110
Want to know what is torrent and how to use it? Please see

Zakir Naik Torrent Links

2009-10-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

Zakir Naik is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) —a non-profit organization that owns and broadcasts the free-to-air TV channel called Peace TV.
The collection of all of Zakir's lecture can be found at http://www.mininova.org/tor/2584869

For all the listing of torrents of Zakir , See http://torrentz.com/search?q=zakir+naik

Read how to download torrent
You download any .torrent extension file and open in torrent client (bitcommet, Utorrent)

EID-UL-Fitr 2009

2009-09-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arab, Gulf countries to celebrate EID-UL-Fitr 2009 today i.e 20th September

Misconceptions of giving Zakat

2009-09-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

The Misconceptions of giving Zakat are

1: I pray, dont I? Whats the big deal if I dont give Zakaah?

2: But it will decrease my wealth!

3: I dont have to pay Zakaah every year.

4: I never paid Zakaah before, I will just repent and that should be enough

5: I dont have to pay Zakaah if I owe a debt

6: I will waive my debt and count that as Zakaah

7: I have lent someone some money. I dont have to pay Zakaah on it.

8: I pay my taxes so I dont have to pay Zakaah!

9: I will use the money that I receive from my bank as interest to pay off Zakaah

10:I will pay Zakaah on whatever is OVER the Nisaab

11: Zakaah is due on precious gems, stones and diamonds

12: I will buy diamonds so that I dont have to pay Zakaah

13: The husband HAS to pay Zakaah on the wifes jewelry and wealth!

14: I only have gold, but I do not have any money. So, I dont have to pay Zakaah….

15: I will use my Zakaah money on my immediate family

16: I cannot give Zakaah to my poor relatives

17: A woman cannot give Zakaah to her Husband

18: Zakaah can be given to Non-Muslims if they are poor

19:I will use Zakaah to build hospitals, masjid and orphanages

20: Zakaah is the same as Zakaat ul-Fitr

21: I have to inform the one I am giving, that it is Zakaah

Tajweed

2009-09-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

I have been attending tajweed class this ramazan. I have learnt that the way I recite Quran, I m wrong and I dont read as allah wants to listen. There is a poem called Tuhfatu Alatfal which coves all the rule of Tajweed.

The word "tajweed" means to improve, make better.
Tajweed of the Holy Qur'an is the knowledge and application of the rules of recitation so the reading of the Qur'an is as the Prophet Mohammed peace and blesings be upon him, recited.
This site explains some of the principles of tajweed and focuses on the problems that non-Arabs have in reciting the Qur'an properly. Tajweed tidbit (titbit) lessons will be given in different aspects of tajweed, and questions submitted will be reviewed, answered, and posted.

There are some good files on Tajweed, You can Download at islamifiles Google Group.Also become member of the same as I will keep uploading and sending usefull documents.

ImHalal- Islamic search engine

2009-09-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

The world's first Islamic search engine. Across the world, Muslims can now securely surf the Internet without having to face the embarrassment of bumping into explicit or sexual content.
The guidance of Islamic scholars too was taken into account while building the search engine.This is how the search on ImHalal.com works: The search engine only fetches results that are flagged as to be halal.The search engine uses various techniques to determine which results fetched are supposed to be halal or haram. Once a user comes in contact with content of explicit nature, the search engine will return a negative search advice.When you look for something through the ImHalal.com search engine, you get results like on any other search site. But if your key words are a part of the 'danger list' specified by the developers of ImHalal.com, then your search gets a rating of one or two on the 'haram scale'. The message that you see is: 'Oops! Your search inquiry has a Haram level of 2 out of 3. This means that the results fetched by ImHalal.com could be haram!' As a user you can still decide to go through with the risk and click to see the results.
However, if your search is ranked three, then you get zero results. All you get is the communication: 'Oops! Your search inquiry has a Haram level of 3 out of 3! I would like to advise you to change your search terms and try again.'

Signinficance of Ramadan

2009-09-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

1. Most importantly, the first revelation of the Quran is believed to have been revealed during this month. Quran is the holy book of Muslims believed to have been revealed to Muhammad (may peace be upon him) who was the last of God's prophets on earth. Muslims recite the Quran at home and read its translations and many try to attend classes where its translation is further explained by learned scholars.
2. Ramadan is the holiest of Islamic months where the reward of the good deeds are multiplied excessively. Muslims make sure they can reap maximum reward during this month and try to focus upon achieving those good deeds.
3.It is a month of purification of mind, soul and acts - hence Muslims are expected to stay away from bad deeds along with food, drink and smoke and spend this time focused on pleasing Allah and humanity.
4.According to Islamic teachings, the first 10 days of Ramadan are of mercy, next 10 days are for forgiveness, and last 10 days are of distance from Hellfire. Muslims pray excessively during this month not only because the rewards are greater, but also in order to win the mercy, forgiveness and distance from hell that has been promised to them.
5.Ramadan is about sharing - the fact that one abstains from eating and drinking reminds one of the hardship of those who cannot afford to eat or drink as much. It teaches one patience in front of hardship and gratitude to God at all costs.
6.Muslims perform the most charitable acts during this month. "Zakat" which is compulsory charity on all Muslims calculated according to the savings one has over a year's time can be given out all year through but Muslims spend most on zakat during this month. Apart from this there is "fitra" which is compulsory charity during Ramadan, specifically calculated on the cost of food items like grain and wheat, and is given to the needy.
7.Continuing with the idea of sharing, Muslims share food with their neighbors, family, friends and the poor during Ramadan. This increases the sense of community and love.Read more:

What is Ramazan

2009-09-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ramadan is the holy month of fasting in the Islamic calendar.Its the night month. Muslims around the world are expected to fast from sun rise until sun set. Fasting requires abstinence from food and liquids, smoking and sexual intercourse during the given time. Apart from the mentioned, it is expected of a Muslim to stay away from all such deeds which may be the sign of a bad character, may hurt someone else or may become a cause of disruption in society.
If a Muslim is fasting by not eating, drinking or smoking but indulging in deeds that are frowned upon by God, it makes the fasting merely an act of starving and not one with spiritual depth in it. Hence deeds such as back biting, anger, hiding the truth or deceiving, stealing or partaking in other activities that are not permissible are especially avoided during the holy month.Read more.

Obama Speech to Muslim World

2009-06-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

Nice Way Obama.. Hope you act on your words,

Quran Classes

2009-05-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have been going for Quran classes since 3 months. The purpose of the class is to learn enough Arabic to understand Quran and interept it in your own mind. The first part of the class in grammer, where all the basics about tense, verbs and nouns are discussed.Then in the small Surah, we go through the meaning word by word. Also while praying we have to understand the meaning of whatever we recite in the Salah.
This class is conducted by Global Arabic Academy, Bangalore (Contact No.Shakeel- 990184915)

Asma - ul Hasna

2009-04-15T23:44:00.000-07:00

Asma - ul Hasna is a beautiful peom that tells the 99 names of Almighty Allah, I have written all the names in english with thier meaning
AR-RAHMÂN -The Most Compassionate, The Beneficent The Gracious
AR-RAHÎM -The Merciful
AL-MALIK -The King
AL-QUDDÛS-The Most Holy
AS-SALÂM-The All-Peaceful, The Bestower of peace
AL-MU'MIN-The Granter of security
AL-MUHAYMIN-The Protector
AL-'AZÎZ-The Mighty
AL-JABBÂR-The Compeller
AL-MUTAKABBIR-Supreme in Greatness, The Majestic-
AL-KHÂLIQThe Creator-
AL-BÂRI' The Maker-
AL-MUSAWWIR-The Bestower of form, The Shaper
AL-GAFFÂR The Forgiver
AL-QAHHÂR -The Subduer
AL-WAHHÂB The Bestower-
AR-RAZZÂQ -The Provider
AL-FATTÂH -The Opener, The Judge
AL-'ALÎM The All-Knowing
AL-QÂBID The Withholder
AL-BÂSIT The Expander
AL-KHÂFID The Abaser
AR-RÂFI' The Exalter
AL-MU'IZZ The Bestower of honour
AL-MUDHILL The Humiliator
AS-SAMÎ'The All-Hearing
AL-BASÎRThe All-Seeing
AL-HAKAM The Judge
AL-'ADL The Just, The Equitable
AL-LATÎF The Gentle, The Knower of subtleties
AL-KHABÎR - The All-Aware
AL-HALÎM -The Forbearing
AL-'AZÎM -The Incomparably Great
AL-GAFÛR -The Forgiving
ASH-SHAKÛR -The Appreciative
AL-'ALIYY -The Most High
AL-KABÎR - The Most Great
AL-HAFÎZ - The Preserver
AL-MUGHÎTH The Sustainer
AL-HASÎB-The Reckoner
AL-JALÎL The Majestic, The Revered, The Sublime
AL-KARÎM The Generous
AR-RAQÎB The Watchful
AL-MUJÎB The Responsive
AL-WÂSI' The All-Encompassing, The All-Embracing
AL-HAKÎM The Wise
AL-WADÛD The Loving One
AL-MAJÎD The Most Glorious
AL-BÂ'ITH The Resurrector
ASH-SHAHÎD The Witness
AL-HAQQ The Truth
AL-WAKÎL The Ultimate Trustee, The Disposer of Affairs
AL-QAWIYY The Most Strong
AL-MATÎN The Firm One, The Authoritative
AL-WALIYY The Protector
AL-HAMÎD The All-Praised, The Praiseworthy
AL-MUHSÎ The Reckoner
AL-MUBDI'The Originator
AL-MU'ÎD The Restorer to life
AL-MUHYÎ The Giver of life
AL-MUMÎT The Causer of death
AL-HAYY The Everiving
AL-QAYYÛM The Self-Existing by Whom all subsist
AL-WÂJID The Self-Sufficient, The All-Perceiving
AL-MÂJID The Glorified
AL-WÂHID The One
AS-SAMAD The Eternally Besought
AL-QÂDIR The Omnipotent, The Able
AL-MUQTADIR The Powerful
AL-MUQADDIM The Expediter
AL- MU'AKHKHIR The Delayer
AL-AWWAL The First
AL-ÂKHIR The Last
AZ-ZÂHIR The Manifest
AL-BÂTIN The Hidden
AL-WÂLÎ The Governor, The ProtectorAL-MUTA'ÂLÎ The Most Exalted
AL-BARR The Benign, The Source of All-Goodness
AT-TAWWÂB The Granter and Accepter of repentence
AL- MUNTAQIM The Lord of Retribution, The Avenger
AL-'AFUWW The Pardoner
AR-RA'ÛF The Most Kind, The Clement
MÂLIK-UL-MULK Owner of the Kingdom
DHUL JALÂL WAL IKRÂMPossessor of Majesty and Honour
AL-MUQSIT The Just, The Equitable
AL-JÂME' The Gatherer
AL-GHANIYY The All-Sufficient
AL-MUGHNÎ The Enricher
AL-MÂNI' The Preventer of harm
AD-DÂRR The AfflicterAN-NÂFI' The Benefiter
AN-NÛR The Light AL-HÂDÎ The Guide
AL-BADÎ'The Originator
AL-BÂQÎ The Everlasting
AL-WÂRITH The Ultimate Inheritor
AR-RASHÎD The Guide
AS-SABÛR The Patient One

Forgive me - Ahmad Bukhatir

2009-04-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Milad an Nabi

2009-03-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Mawlid (Eid Milad an Nabi) means “Birth of the Prophet” is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in 12th Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.
Mawlid is celebrated in a carnival manner, large street processions are held and homes or mosques are decorated. Charity and food is distributed, and stories about the life of Muhammad are narrated. Quran is read.
Actually, celebrating the Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) birthday is a controversial issue among Muslim scholars. Also the exact day of Prophet (PBUH) is not sure. , but it is most likely to be on Monday, 9th Rabee` Al-Awwal (20th or 22nd of April, 571 AC). The most correct opinion is that there is nothing in celebrating this occasion by acts such as introducing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and infusing vigour among Muslims as well as non-Muslims to study his sirah (biography).
There is nothing wrong in commemorating the event of the Prophet's birth to express our love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We can use the month of Rabi` Al-Awwal to inspire our new generations and educate people of his great life and character. It is permissible to praise the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through speeches, nashids (songs), etc., as long we do so within the limits of the Shari`ah.
We cannot consider celebration of Prophet's birthday as a bad innovation simply on the ground that it was not practiced in the early times. There is no harm in instituting new customs in areas other strict acts of worship, if there are benefits. Obvious benefits associated with this commemoration include: Inspiring the new generations and educating the people by the great examples of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).Nowadays where Islamic consciousness is on a steady decline among Muslims, such a commemoration may go a long way in rekindling the fire of love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So finally,It is permissible to celebrate the Prophet's birthday as an expression of love to the Prophet provided that the celebration doesn’t involve any of the prohibited acts.

iQuran - the World's Most Advanced software

2009-03-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have recently downloaded this software in my ipod touch. Carrying the Noble Quran wherever you went was never this trouble-free.iQuran offers its users the Complete Quran in Arabic along with its various translations. Richly featured and fully interactive! Specially designed to allow easy reading with easy scrolling, ipod touch style.

With brilliant built-in audio capabilities, iQuran utilizes these to provide a very fulfilling recitation playback experience, excellent navigation and fast scrolling support with verse for verse recitation along with auto-scrolling and verse highlighting.You can dowload iquran Lite for free from itunes store and for full features need iquran pro which costs arround 5$. Its very good software mashAllah , I always read quran in the bus while commuting to office.

AR Rahman's Faith

2009-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

The initials A and R later became 'Allah Rakha' on the suggestion ofrenowned Hindi music composer Naushad Ali. Thus A Sekhar Dileep Kumarbecame Allah Rakha Rahman. This was around 1988.He says, "Family problems and the need for peace of mind made us changethe faith. Sufism has given me peace. As Dileep I had an inferioritycomplex. As AR Rahman I feel like I have been born again."Rahman adds: "I am whatever because of my parent's prayers to God. I amwhatever I am - because the prayers I pray conscientiously, sincerelyand with full faith. I will be whatever I am - only because of Him, Iknow it. He has given me everything. He can take everything away and Iaccept His decision without any questions, without a murmur. He iseverything to me. I am just an infinitesimal creation of His. He hascreated me for a specific mission. I will be committing a sin if Idon't fulfill that mission. That's my only belief. That's the onlything that matters to me. I don't care for all the other temptations ofthe world. I am born for music. I live for music. I will live for musictill the very end. My life and death are in His hands. I will live onlytill He wants me to live. I will die only when He wants me to die. It'sall God's will... Insha Allah.!"Religion is a very personal affair for this sober young man fromChennai. He prays five times a day, carrying his prayer mat with him onhis tours, and retiring to the prayer room he has had built next to hisstudio during recording.

He says, "It's like a meditation. Each time Ipray, I die, my soul departs, and then I am like born again."

For Full Story read http://www.mail-archive.com/arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com/msg36047.html

Hearing Islamic Song

2009-01-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

Music in Islam is a hotly debated topic, with many views regarding the subject. I found some Hadith for and against music, and I pray to Allah that he forgive me for any thing that I said wrong. On the other hand, all correct material is from the blessing of Allah SWT.
Music can have negative and positive effects on people, depending on what type it is. Music with Islamic content can motivate you and encourage you towards Islam, whereas music that has Haram content, but a more appealing style, can make you commit haram deeds and earn sin Music can be a powerful tool if used correctly in Islamic way, influencing you to do good

Importance of Muharram

2009-01-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

Today (8th january) is 10th Muharram (first month) according to Islamic Calendar-Hijri. It is national Holiday in many countries, But why? What is the importance of this day? What do Muslims do in this day.

Ashura is significant as the day that Allah (God) saved Moses (peace be upon him) and the Israelites by parting the Red Sea and drowning Pharaoh. When the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him)* migrated to Medina, the Jews told him that Moses (peace be upon him) fasted in gratitude on Ashura, and Jewish practice was to fast Ashura as well. Upon learning this, the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) replied, “We have more right to Moses than you,” and he commanded Muslims to fast Ashura. Later, when fasting the entire month of Ramadan became obligatory, the Ashura fast was declared optional, and Muslims were instructed to differentiate their fast from the Jews by fasting the 9th or 11th of Muharram along with the 10th.

As all know, there are two groups Sunnis and Shias (very little differnce in ideology, will write latter about this). Sunnis only fast for the reason above and believes fasting on Ashura offers the reward of having their previous year’s sins forgiven. This is based on the hadith in which the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: "For fasting the day of Ashura, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before." Most Sunni scholars note that fasting should be the only way . Cultural traditions associated with Ashura are wrong, as they were not practices of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) or his companions.

While Shias observe the 10th of Muharram for an entirely different reason – it marks the day that Hussain, son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), was killed as a martyr at the Battle of Karbala. Ashura is a major festival of self-reflection for Shiites, and they commemorate the tragic death of Hussain with outward displays of grief and mourning.

Such displays of grief, however, contradict the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). Ashura(10th Muharram) was not declared a holiday by the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), who cautioned Muslims about religious innovations: “Those of you who live after my death will see many disputes. I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah (teachings and traditions) and the Sunnah of my rightly-guided successors who come after me.

The Historical Significance of Ashura

2009-01-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (Radiyallahu 'anh) reports that the Holy Nabi (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) arrived in Madinah and found the Jews observing fast on the day of ‘Ashura… They said: "It is the day of great (significance) when Allah delivered Hazrat Musa ('Alaihis-Salaam) and his people and drowned Pharoah and his people, and Sayyidina Musa ('Alaihis-Salaam) observed fast out of gratitude. And we also observe it." The Holy Messenger of Allah (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) responded: "We have more right, and we have closer connection with Sayyidina Musa ('Alaihis-Salaam) than you have"; so Allah’s Messenger (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) observed fast (on the day of ‘Ashura) and gave us orders to observe it. [Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]
‘Ashura is a day of great historical significance. On this day: Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Adam ('Alaihis-Salaam) after his exile from Paradise; Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) saved Sayyidina Nuh ('Alaihis-Salaam) and his companions in the ark; Allah extinguished the fire in which Sayyidina Ibrahim ('Alaihis-Salaam) was thrown by Nimrod; And Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) spoke directly to Sayyidina Musa ('Alaihis-Salaam) and gave him the Commandments. On this same 10th of Muharram, Sayyidina Ayyub ('Alaihis-Salaam) was restored to health (from leprosy); Sayyidina Yusuf ('Alaihis-Salaam) was reunited with his father Ya’qub ('Alaihis-Salaam); Sayyidina Yunus ('Alaihis-Salaam) was taken out from the belly of the fish; and the sea was divided as the nation of israel was delivered from captivity and Pharoah’s army was destroyed. ‘Ashura is also the day when the kingdom of Sulaiman ('Alaihis-Salaam) was restored; Sayyidina Isa ('Alaihis-Salaam) was raised to Jannah; and Sayyidina al- Imam Husayn (Radiyallahu 'anh) (the Holy Nabi’s, Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim, grandson) achieved the honor of Martyrdom.
Worship Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) as much as you can on ‘Ashura. Whoever fasts on this day is like one who fasts all his life. Whoever clothes a naked person Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) will release him from a painful punishment. He who visits a sick person, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) will grant him a reward that will not be decreased. Whoever places his hand on an orphan’s head, or feeds a hungry person or gives water to a thirsty man, Allah will feed him a feast from Paradise and will quench his thirst with Salsabil (a wine that does not intoxicate). And who ever takes a Ghusl on this day will enjoy excellent health and freedom from sickness and indolence. Whoever provides generously for his family on this day, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) will be generous to him throughout this year. And whoever applies Kuhl to his eyes will never suffer from eye-sore again, Insha’Allah al-Aziz
O’ Allah! Bless us to perform good deeds and gain their reward on ‘Ashura. Make the new year one of unity, cooperation and success for Muslims in this city and around the world. Ameen.

Islamic New year

2008-12-20T09:03:00.001-08:00

Islamic New year will be at december 29th in gulf,Its first of muharram.

Eid-Al-Adha 2008 prayer Timing

2008-12-08T02:24:00.000-08:00

Eid-Al-Adha 2008 prayer Timing- Jammt will commence exactly at 8:30 in Masjid Mamoor, koromongala. And 9:00 am at Eidgha.

Īdu l-Fitr‎

2008-12-08T01:21:00.000-08:00

Īdu l-Fitr‎, often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fitr means "to break the fast" (and can also mean "nature", from the word "fitrah"); and so the holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated starting on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal.

Eid al-Adha

2008-12-08T00:57:00.000-08:00

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd ul-adha) or the Festival of Sacrifice (Turkish: Kurban Bayramı) is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims and Druze worldwide in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened and instead provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice an animal (usually a goat or a sheep), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to God. The meat is then shared out with family, friends (Muslims or non-Muslims), as well as the poor members of the community
In India and Pakistan it is also called Bara Eid (literally "Big Eid").

Islam Condemns Mumbai Attack

2008-11-28T11:00:00.001-08:00

Islam Condemns Mumbai Attack, this is not the correct way to fight jehad.

Schedule of performing Haj

2008-11-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Rites

Upon arrival in Mecca the pilgrim, now known as a Hajji, performs a series of ritual acts symbolic of the lives of Ibrahim (Abraham) and his wife Hajar (Hagar). The acts also symbolize solidarity of Muslims worldwide.
The greater Hajj (al-hajj al-akbar) begins on the eighth day of the lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah. If they are not already wearing it upon their arrival, pilgrims put on ihram clothing and then leave Mecca for the nearby town of Mina where they spend the rest of the day. The Saudi government has put up thousands of large white tents at Mina to provide accommodations for all the pilgrims.[4]

Umrah

On the first day of the Hajj, the 8th day of the 12th month, Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims perform their first Tawaf, which involves all of the pilgrims entering The Sacred Mosque (Masjid Al Haram) and walking seven times counter-clockwise around the Kaaba, kissing the Black Stone (Hajr Al Aswad) on each circuit. If kissing of the stone is not possible due to the crowds, they may simply align themselves with the stone and point to it. Each complete circuit constitutes a "Shout" with 7 circuits constituting a complete tawaf. The place where pilgrims walk is known as "Mutaaf". Only the first three Shouts are compulsory, but invariably almost all perform it seven times.
Eating is not allowed and the tawaf is normally performed all at once, the only exception being the drinking of water. Men are encouraged to perform the first three circuits at a hurried pace, followed by four times, more closely, at a leisurely pace.[7]
After the completion of Tawaf, all the pilgrims have to offer two Rakaat prayers at the Place of Abraham (Muqaam E Ibrahim), a site near the Kaaba. However, again due to large crowds during the days of Hajj, they may instead pray anywhere in the mosque.
Although the circuits around the Kaaba are traditionally done on the groundlevel, Tawaf is now also performed on the first floor and roof of the mosque.
After Tawaf on the same day, the pilgrims perform sa`i, running or walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah. This is a re-enactment of the frantic search for water for her son Ismael by Abraham's wife Hagar, before the Zamzam Well was revealed to her by an angel, who hit the ground with his heel (or his wing), upon which the water of the Zamzam started coming up from under his feet.[9] The circuit used to be in the open air, but is now entirely enclosed by the Masjid al-Haram mosque, and can be accessed via air-conditioned tunnels. Pilgrims are advised to walk the circuit, though two green pillars mark a short section of the path where they are allowed to run, along with an 'express lane' for the disabled. The safety procedures are in place because previous incidents in this ritual have resulted in stampedes which caused the deaths of hundreds of people.
As part of this ritual the pilgrims drink water from the Zamzam Well, which is made available in coolers throughout the Mosque. The pilgrims then return to their tents.

Arafat

The next morning, on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims leave Mina for Mount Arafat where they stand in contemplative vigil, near a hill from which Muhammad gave his last sermon. This is considered the highlight of the Hajj. Pilgrims must spend the afternoon within a defined area on the plain of Arafat until after sunset. No specific rituals or prayers are required during the stay at Arafat, although many pilgrims spend time praying, and thinking about the course of their lives. If a pilgrim does not spend the afternoon on Arafat then their pilgrimage is considered invalid.[4]

Muzdalifah
As soon as the sun sets, the pilgrims leave Arafat for Muzdalifah, an area between Arafat and Mina, where 49 pebbles are gathered for the next day's ritual of the stoning of the Devil (Shaitan). Many pilgrims spend the night sleeping on the ground at Muzdalifah before returning to Mina. It is now the 10th of the month, the day of Eid ul-Adha.

Ramy al-Jamarat

At Mina the pilgrims perform Ramy al-Jamarat, throwing stones to signify their defiance of the Devil. This symbolizes the trials experienced by Abraham while he decided whether to sacrifice his son as demanded by God. The Devil challenged him three times, and three times Abraham refused. Each pillar marks the location of one of these refusals. On the first occasion when Ramy al-Jamarat is performed, pilgrims will stone the largest pillar know as Jamrat'al'Aqabah. On the second occasion, all other three pillars will be stoned. [1] The stoning consists of throwing seven pebbles.[4] Because of the crowds, in 2004 the pillars were replaced by long walls. Pilgrims climb ramps to the multi-levelled Jamarat Bridge, from which they can throw their stones at the one jamarat.
Eid ul-Adha

After the Stoning of the Devil an animal is sacrificed. This symbolizes God having mercy on Abraham and replacing his son with a ram, which Abraham then sacrificed.
Traditionally the pilgrims slaughtered the animal themselves, or oversaw the slaughtering. Today many pilgrims buy a sacrifice voucher in Mecca before the greater Hajj begins which allows an animal to be slaughtered in their name on the 10th, without the pilgrim being physically present. Centralized butcher houses will sacrifice a single sheep for each pilgrim, or a cow can represent the sacrifice of seven people. The meat is then packaged and given to charity and shipped to poor people around the world.[4] At the same time as the sacrifices occur at Mecca, Muslims worldwide perform similar sacrifices, in a four-day global festival called Eid ul-Adha. Many Muslims say that this is the highlight of the pilgrimage.

Tawaf az-Ziyarah

Pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba during the Hajj
On this or the following day the pilgrims re-visit the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca for a tawaf called the Tawaf az-Ziyarah or Tawaf al-Ifadah which symbolises being in a hurry to respond to God and show love for Him, an obligatory part of the Hajj. The night of the 10th is spent back at Mina.
On the afternoon of the 11th and again the following day the pilgrims must again throw seven pebbles at each of the three jamarat in Mina.
Pilgrims must leave Mina for Mecca before sunset on the 12th. If they are unable to leave Mina before sunset, they must perform the stoning ritual again on the 13th before returning to Mecca.

Tawaf al-Wada
Finally, before leaving Mecca, pilgrims perform a farewell tawaf called the Tawaf al-Wada.[4]

Introduction to Haj

2008-11-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎) is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah). It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world.[1] It is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah.[2] The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj is eleven days earlier from year to year. In 2007, the Hajj was from December 17 to December 21; in 2008 from the first week of December. The Hajj is associated with the life of Muhammad, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back to the time of Ibrahim and Isma'il, prominent figures in both Islam and in Judaism. Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals. As part of the Hajj, each person walks counter-clockwise seven times about the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer (qibla); runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah; drinks from the Zamzam Well; goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil; and throws stones in a ritual Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform an animal sacrifice, and celebrate the four day global festival of Eid al-Adha.[3][4][5]
As of 2006, an estimated three million pilgrims participated in this annual pilgrimage.[6] Crowd-control techniques have become critical, and because of the large numbers of people, many of the rituals have become more stylized. It is not necessary to kiss the Black Stone, but merely to point at it on each circuit around the Kaaba. Throwing pebbles was done at large pillars, which for safety reasons were in 2004 changed to long walls with catch basins below to catch the stones. The slaughter of an animal can be done either personally, or by appointing someone else to do it, and so forth.[7] But even with the crowd control techniques, there are still many incidents during the Hajj, as pilgrims are trampled in a crush, or ramps collapse under the weight of the many visitors, causing hundreds of deaths. [8]
Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the year. This is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage", or Umrah. However, even if they perform the Umrah, they are still obligated to perform the Hajj at some other point in their lifetimes.

Reference; wikipedia

BENIFITS OF AAYATUL QURSI

2008-10-29T03:50:00.001-07:00

1. RECITE AAYATUL QURSI AT THE TIME OF LEAVING HOUSE BECAUSE 70,000 ANGELS PROTECT PERSON FROM LEFT, RIGHT, FRONT AND BACK AND IF A PERSON DIES BEFORE RETURNING HE WILL GET 70 MARTYRS REWARD.
2. RECITE AAYATUL QURSI 40 TIMES EVERY DAY AT THE TIME OF SUNSET, PERSON WILL GET REWARD OF 40 HAJJ.
3. RECITE AAYATUL QURSI EVERY NIGHT AT BED, THIS CREATES ONE ANGEL WHO WILL GUARD THE PERSON TILL MORNING.
4. RECITE AAYATULQURSI EVERY TIME AFTER DOING ABLUTION (WUZU) THIS WILL RAISE PERSON 40 TIMES IN RANK FROM EACH WORD.
5. RECITE AAYATUL QURSI EVERY TIME AFTER RETURNING HOME BECAUSE IT KEEPS AWAY POVERTY.
1. Hazrat Muhammad s.a.w.(PBUH) says that 'if a person recite '
Ayatal Kursi' after every Farz Namaz then there will be nothing between him and Heaven except Death *

Surah At Takwir(folded up)

2008-10-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

These surah is very powerfull and shakes a mumin , Do read its translation below
When the sunshine is folded up,
And when the stars fall off,
And when the mountains are made to move,
And when the pregnant she camels are abandoned.
And when the beasts are gathered together,
And when the seas are kindled,
And when the souls are paired.
And when the female buried alive is questioned about.
For what crime was she killed?
And when the sheets of actions are opened,
And when the heaven is taken off from its place,
And when the Hell is caused to flare up,
And when the Paradise is brought, near,
(Then) each soul shall know what it has brought forward.
Then I swear by those that recede;
More straight and then stop.
And by the night when it departs.
And by the morning when it breathes.
Undoubtedly, this is the recitation of a noble Messenger.
Who is powerful, dignified in the presence of the Lord of the Throne.
There He is obeyed, He is trustworthy.
And your companion is not mad.
And undoubtedly, he saw him on the bright horizon.
And he is not niggardly as to the disclosing of unseen.
And the Quran is not the recitation of satan (Devil) the accursed.
Whither, then, are you going?
This is not but an admonition to the entire world.
For him among you who desire to be straight.
And what you desire, but only this that Allah the Lord of the world desires.

Talk on Islam this saturday

2008-10-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Global Economic Crisis & the Islamic Alternative
Talk 1 Capatilism in Crisis
Talk 2 The Islamic Ecomin Sysytem as an Alternative Talk 3 The need for islamic state
At Saturday 11th october 2:45 pm
At 1st floor dar us salam queens road,Bangalore
Contact : Mohammad 9900192713
Islamanswers.1@gmail.com

http://muslimintellectualsforum.blogspot.com

Islamic calendar month

2008-10-02T11:21:00.001-07:00

We have been so westernized that we dont know islamic calendar month, I am presenting all the months.

1. Muharram ul Haram
2. Safar
3. Rabi-ul-Awwal
4. Rab-ul-Akhir
5. Jamadi-ul-Awwal
6. Jamadi-ul-Akhir
7. Rajab
8. Sha'aban
9. Ramadhan
10. Shawwal
11. Dhul Qadah
12. Dhul Hijja

Salatul Janzah

2008-10-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Asak, today Iwent to read zuhar and an old lady had deceased the day before, we had to read Salatul Janzah, But i wasn't sure How, after doing research I have come up with how ? Please read

Salatul Janzah is Fard Kafayah, that is, if one prays the prayer than all are bareeuz zimma [free of the responsiblity] otherwise all those who received the news but did not come are sinners. Jammat is not a condition for this prayer, it is sufficient even if one person prays, and to deny the fardiat, compulsion, of this salah is kufr, an act of disbelief.

There are two parts of this Salah:

1) To say Allahu Akbar four times

2) Qayam which was three Sunnat Mukeda: Sana, Durood Shareef, and Duaa for the deceased

How to pray
Muqtadee should make the niyyat, “I make the niyyat for the prayer of this janaza for Allah, duaa for this deceased, behind this imam.” Now the Imam and muqtadee should raise their hands to their ears and fold their hands underneath the navel as usual whilst saying Allahu Akbar and read Sana, a slight difference is that after wa ta’ala jadduka one must read wa jalla sanauka wa laailaha gairuk. Then without raising the hands, say Allahu Akbar and read duroode Ibraheem; then without raising the hands, say Allahu Akbar and read the duaa. The Imam must say all the takbeer aloud whereas the muqtadee must say it slowly, the rest of the azkar (supplications) are to be read slowly by the Imam and Muqtadee. After the duaa, say Allahu Akbar and now drop the hands and then turn the head both sides for salaam.

Duaa for an adult man or woman:
Oh Allah! Forgive those of us that are alive and those of us that are dead; those of us that are present and those of us who are absent; those of us who are young and those of us who are adults; our males and our females. Oh Allah! Whomsoever You keep alive, let him live as a follower of Islam and whomsoever You cause to die, let him die a Believer.

Ramadan celebration All over the world.

2008-09-29T00:32:00.000-07:00

A very good page to show about Ramazan celebration all over the world.

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/25slide23.htm

Duas for Laylatul Qadr

2008-09-28T00:44:00.000-07:00

Allahumma innaka 'affuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni' "-
Meaning of the Dua
O Allah You are The One Who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me.

Astagfirullah hallazi La ilaha i lalah a hayul qayyum.

Quran- Treasure it

2008-09-28T00:43:00.000-07:00

There were many learnings on layatul qadr night
There are 27*20 - 540 rukkus in Quran
114 surahs
6666 verses in quran.
Importance of quran being protected by Allah and no other form available.
understand Quran and its duality , there is an action and intention, Quran talks about the unseen and we should believe in it and should believe in Allah he will give us what all we need to succeed . Allah has always has shown two paths- the correct and wrong . the correct path is path of Allah a steep path which lead to heaven. the night is said to be very powerfull and has blessing same as that of 1000 or more months of prayers. Allah accepts all Dua's and forgives us of all sin we committed knowingly and unknowingly. Abu Huraira said Qadr night is very blessed. Allah ahs mentioned in Quran many times of Hell and the fire that it is to scare mumins and to bring them on correct path.

Night in masjid

2008-09-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday whole night was in masjid mashAllah

9:00-10:30 was the taraweeh and khateme-quran ,: then khudba by malauna. till 12 am . they gave sweets for khatam-e-quran
Then tasbih combined till 1 am
1 am -2.15 am- discussion of quran by scholars.very good points of being a muslim and being charitable
2.30-3.45- Tahajud prayers alone 8 rakhas. and after every 2 rakhas reading Quran
3.45-4.15 - combined dua,was very touching and about thaking Allah and seeking forgiveness. Tak raat you should be awake and pray as angels are in look out and tell Ameen in our dua .
4.14-4.45 - Sehri , Palaoo , chicken , Dal and raita I really appreciate the Masjid committe to organize food for so many people.
5.20 am- Jammat fajr.
At this auspicious day someone stole my new slippers, not complaining but is sad.

Night Prayer during Ramadhan(Al-Qiyaam or Taraweeh)

2008-09-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: �The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to encourage us to pray at night in Ramadaan, without making it obligatory. Then he said, �Whoever prays at night in Ramadaan out of faith and the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.� When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, this is how things were (i.e., Taraaweeh was not prayed in congregation), and this is how they remained during the khilaafah of Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him), until the beginning of the khilaafah of �Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him).�
�Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani said: �A man from Qudaa�ah came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, �O Messenger of Allaah! What do you think if I testify that there is no god except Allaah, and that you, Muhammad, are His Messenger, and I pray the five daily prayers, and fast in the month (of Ramadaan), and pray at night in Ramadaan, and pay zakaah?� The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Whoever dies on that will be among the siddeeqeen (those who tell the truth) and the martyrs.��
Laylat al-Qadr and its timing
2 � The best of its nights is Laylat al-Qadr, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Whoever prays at night during Laylat al-Qadr {and manages to �catch� it} out of faith and the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.�
3 � According to the most correct opinion, it is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadaan. Most of the ahaadeeth state this, such as the hadeeth of Zurr ibn Hubaysh, who said: �I heard Ubayy ibn Ka�b saying � and it was said to him that �Abd-Allaah ibn Mas�ood said: �Whoever follows the Sunnah will �catch� Laylat al-Qadr!� � Ubayy (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: �May Allaah have mercy on him, he did not want people to take it for granted and only stay up to pray on one night. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, it is in Ramadaan � he was swearing without a doubt � and by Allaah, I do know which night it is. It is the night in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to pray (qiyaam). It is the night the morning of which is the twenty seventh, and the sign of it is that the sun rises on that morning white and without rays.��
In another report, this was attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
(Reported by Muslim and others).
Praying qiyaam in congregation
It is allowed to pray qiyaam in congregation, indeed it is better than praying individually, because this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did himself and explained its virtues. Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: �We fasted Ramadaan with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not lead us in qiyaam at all until there were only seven days left, when he led us in prayer until a third of the night had passed. When there were six days left, he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were five days left, he led us in prayer until half the night had passed. I said, �O Messenger of Allaah, I wish that you had continued until the end of the night.� He said, �If a man prays with the imaam until he finishes, it will be counted as if he prayed the whole night.� When there were four nights left, he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were three nights left, he brought together his family, his wives and the people, and led us in qiyaam until we were afraid that we would miss al-falaah. I asked, �What is al-falaah?� he said, �Suhoor. Then he did not lead us in qiyaam for the rest of the month.��
(Saheeh hadeeth reported by the authors of Sunan).
The reason why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not continually lead the people in praying qiyaam in congregation
5 - The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not lead them in qiyaam for the rest of the month because he feared that it would then become obligatory, and they would not be able to do it, as is stated in the hadeeth of �Aa�ishah reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere. Following the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that fear was no longer a factor, because Allaah had completed the religion. The reason for not praying qiyaam in congregation during Ramadaan no longer applied, and the previous ruling, that congregational prayer is something prescribed in Islam, remained in effect. So �Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) revived the practice, as is recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere.
Women can pray qiyaam in congregation
Women can attend the prayers too, as is stated in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr referred to above. Indeed, it is permissible to appoint an imaam just for them, apart from the imaam of the men. It was proven that when �Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) gathered the people to pray qiyaam, he appointed Ubayy ibn Ka�b to lead the men and Sulaymaan ibn Abi Hathmah to lead the women. �Arfajah al-Thaqafi said: � �Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to command the people to pray during the night in Ramadaan, and he would appoint an imaam for the men and an imaam for the women. I was the imaam for the women.�
I say: this is fine in my view so long as the mosque is big enough so that they will not disturb one another.
Number of rak�ahs of qiyaam
7 � The number of rak�ahs is eleven, and it is preferable in our opinion not to exceed this number, following the practice of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he never did more than that in his life. �Aa�ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked about how he prayed in Ramadaan. She said, �The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never prayed more than eleven rak�ahs (of qiyaam), whether during Ramadaan or any other time. He would pray four, and don�t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray four, and don�t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray three.�
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others).
8- A person may do less than that, even if it is only one rak�ah of witr, because of the evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this and spoke about it.
With regard to him doing it: �Aa�ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked how many rak�ahs the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in witr? She said, �He used to pray four and three, or six and three, or ten and three. He never used to pray less than seven, or more than thirteen.�
(Reported by Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others).
With regard to him speaking about it, he said: �Witr is true, so whoever wishes can pray five, and whoever wishes can pray three, and whoever wishes can pray one.�
Reciting Qur�aan in qiyaam
9 � As regards reciting from the Qur�aan during qiyaam, whether in Ramadaan or at other times, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not set a limit or state what was too much or too little. His recitation used to vary, sometimes it would be long, at other times short. Sometimes in every rak�ah he would recite the equivalent of �Yaa ayyuha�l-muzammil, which is twenty aayaat; sometimes he would recite the equivalent of fifty aayaat. He used to say, �Whoever prays at night and reads one hundred aayaat will not be recorded as one of the negligent.� According to another hadeeth: & #147;and reads two hundred aayaat, will be recorded as one of the devout and sincere believers.�
When he was sick, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the seven long soorahs in his night prayers, i.e., al-Baqarah, Aal �Imraan, al-Nisaa�, al-Maa�idah, al-An�aam, al-A�raaf and al-Tawbah.
In the account of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan praying behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in one rak�ah he recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa� and Aal �Imraan, and he recited them in a slow and measured tone. It is proven with the soundest (most saheeh) of isnaads that when �Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) appointed Ubayy ibn Ka�b to lead the people in praying eleven rak�ahs in Ramadaan, Ubayy used to recite aayaat by the hundreds, so that the people behind him would be leaning on sticks because the prayers were so long, and they did not finish until just before Fajr.
It is also reported in a saheeh account that �Umar called the readers during Ramadaan, and told the fastest of them to recite thirty aayaat, the moderate ones to recite twenty-five aayaat, and the slowest ones to recite twenty aayaat.
However, is a person is praying qiyaam by himself, he can make it as long as he wishes; if others agree with the imaam, he may also make it as long as he wishes. The longer it is, the better, but a person should not go to extremes and spend the whole night in qiyaam, except on rare occasions, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: �The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad.� If a person is praying as an imaam, he should make it only as long as is easy for the people behind him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �If any of you leads the people in prayer, let him make it short, because among them are the young and the old, the weak, and those who have pressing needs. But if he is praying alone, let him make it as long as he likes.�
The timing of qiyaam
10 � The time for praying qiyaam is from after �Isha until Fajr, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Allaah has added one more prayer for you, which is witr, so pray it between Salaat al-�Isha� and Salaat al-Fajr.�
11 � Praying at the end of the night is better, for those who can manage it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Whoever is afraid that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever feels that he will be able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed [by the angels], and that is better.�
12 � If it is the matter of choosing between praying in congregation at the beginning of the night and praying alone at the end of the night, it is preferable to pray with the jamaa�ah, because that is counted as if one had prayed the whole night through.
This is what the Sahaabah did at the time of �Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). �Abd al-Rahmaan ibn �Abd al-Qaari said: �I went out with �Umar ibn al-Khattaab to the mosque one night during Ramadaan, and saw the people scattered throughout the mosque, some praying individually, and some praying in small groups. He said, �By Allaah, I think that if I gathered all of them behind one reader it would be better.� So he resolved to do that, and he gathered them behind Ubayy ibn Ka�b. Then I went with him on another night, and the people were all praying behind their reader, and �Umar said, �What a good innovation this is. What they sleep and miss � meaning the latter part of the night � is better than what they are doing,� � the people used to pray qiyaam at the beginning of the night.�
Zayd ibn Wahb said: ��Abd-Allaah used to lead us in prayer in Ramadaan, and he used to finish at night.�
13 � The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade praying witr as three rak�ahs, and explained this by saying: �Do not make it resemble Salaat al-Maghrib.� Therefore the person who wants to pray three rak�ahs for witr must find a way to make it different (from Maghrib). There are two ways he can do this: either by giving salaam after the first two rak�ahs, which is the best way; or by not sitting after the first two rak�ahs (i.e., praying three rak�ahs non-stop). And Allaah knows best.
Recitation during three rak�ahs of witr
14 � It is Sunnah to recite Sabbih ismi Rabbika al-�A�laa in the first rak�ah, Qul Yaa ayyuha�l-Kaafiroon in the second rak�ah, and Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad in the third rak�ah. Sometimes Qul a�oodhu bi Rabbi�l-Falaq and Qul a�oodhu bi Rabbi�l-Naas may be added as well.
It was reported in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once recited one hundred aayaat of Soorat al-Nisa� in one rak�ah of witr.
Du�aa� al-Qunoot
15 � A person may also humble himself before Allaah by reciting the du�aa� which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught to his grandson al-Hasan ibn �Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), which is:
�Allaahumma�hdinee fiman hadayta wa �aafinee fiman �aafayta wa tawallanee fiman tawallayta wa baarik lee fimaa a�tayta wa qinee sharra maa qadayt, fa innaka taqdee wa laa yuqdaa �alayk. Wa innahu laa yadhillu man waalayta wa laa ya�izzu man �aadayt. Tabaarakta Rabbanaa wa ta�aalayt. Laa majaa minka illa ilayk (O Allaah, guide me along with those whom You have guided, pardon me along with those whom You have pardoned, be an ally to me along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless for me that which You have bestowed. Protect me from the evil You have decreed for verily You decree and none can decree over You. For surety, he whom You show allegiance to is never abased and he whom You take an enemy is never honored and mighty. O our Lord, Blessed and Exalted are You. There is no refuge from You except with You).�
Sometimes one may send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there is nothing wrong with adding other du�aa�s that are known from the Sunnah.
16 � There is nothing wrong with reciting Qunoot after rukoo�, or with adding curses against the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or praying for the Muslims in the second half of Ramadaan, because it is proven that the imaam used to do this at the time of �Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). At the end of the hadeeth of �Abd al-Rahmaan ibn �Ubayd al-Qaari mentioned above, it says: � They used to curse the kuffaar in the middle, saying, �Allaahumma qaatil al-kafarata alladheena yasuddoona �an sabeelik wa yukadhdhiboona rusulak wa laa yu�minoona bi wa�dik. Wa khaalif bayna kalimatihim wa alqi fi quloobihim al-ru�b wa alqi �alayhim rijzaka wa �adhaabak ilaah al-haqq (O Allaah, destroy the kuffaar who are trying to prevent people from following Your path, who deny Your Messengers and who do not believe in Your promise (the Day of Judgement). Make them disunited, fill their hearts with terror and send Your wrath and punishment against them, O God of Truth).� Then he would send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and pray for good for the Muslims as much as he could, and seek forgiveness for the believers.
After he had finished cursing the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet, seeking forgiveness for the believing men and women and asking for his own needs, he would say: �Allaahumma iyyaaka na�bud wa laka nusalli wa najud, wa ilayka nas�aa wa nahfud, wa narju rahmataka rabbanaa wa nakhaafu �adhaabak al-jadd. Inna �adhaabaka liman �aadayta mulhaq (O Allaah, You do we worship, to You do we pray and prostrate, for Your sake we strive and toil. We place our hope in Your Mercy, O our Lord, and we fear Your mighty punishment, for Your punishment will certainly overtake the one whom You have taken as an enemy.� Then he would say �Allaahu akbar� and go down in sujood.
What should be said at the end of witr
17 � It is Sunnah to say at the end of witr (before or after the salaam):
�Allaahumma innee a�oodhu bi ridaaka min sakhatika wa bi mu�aafaatika min �aqoobatika, wa a�oodhu bika minka. La uhsee thanaa�an �alayka, anta kamaa athnayta �ala nafsik (O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath, and in Your protection from Your punishment. I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot praise You enough, and You are as You have praised Yourself.�
18 � When he gave salaam at the end of witr, he said: �Subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos (Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy), elongating the syllables, and raising his voice the third time.
Two rak�ahs after witr
19 � A person may pray two rak�ahs after witr if he wishes, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this. Indeed, he said, �This travelling is exhausting and difficult, so after any one of you prays witr, let him pray two rak�ahs. If he wakes up, this is fine, otherwise these two rak�ahs will be counted for him.
Source: Islam Q & A

Alvida- Ramadan

2008-09-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

While the Friday of any week is a source of blessings, mercy, forgiveness and salavation for the Believers, the Last Friday of Ramadan popularly known as ‘Jummat’al-Wida’, is light upon light and felicitation of the Noble Qur’an. It is the symbol of splendour, dignity and greatness for the Believers. It is a supreme expression of awe and majesty. On this day people walk towards the Central Mosque proclaiming the Glory and Praise of Almighty Allah aloud. On the way they are surrounded by the Angels and from the boundary of the Ka’abah pours in joyous torrents of mercy and forgiveness

Sayyid Ibn Tawus and Shaykh al-Saduq have both narrated the following on the authority of Jabir ibn `Abdullah al-Ansariy:
I visited the Messenger of Allah (a.s) on the last Friday of Ramazan. As he saw me, he said, “Jabir: This is the last Friday of Ramazan. You should thus bid it farewell by saying the following:
اللّهُمّ لا تَجْعَلهُ آخِرَ العَهْدِ مِنْ صِيَامِنَا إِيَّاهُ
allahumma la taj`alhu akhira al`ahdi min siyamina iyyahu
O Allah: (please) do not make it the last of our fasting in this month;
فَإِنْ جَعَلْتَهُ فَاجْعَلْنِي مَرْحُوماً وَلا تَجْعَلْنِي مَحْرُوماً.
fa-in ja`altahu faj`alny marhuman wa la taj`alny mahruman
but if You decide so, then (please) make me enjoy (Your) mercy and do not make me deprived (of it).
Verily, anyone who says this supplication will win one of the two good things; either attaining the next Ramazan or having the forgiveness and mercy of Almighty Allah.”

Seeking Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Decree)

2008-09-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

from today laylatul qadr has started, this is the most blessed period for all, May Allah fullfill all need and help muslim's worldwide to get a living and stay away from war, voilence and hatred and to prosper.

It is the greatest night of the year like the Day of `Arafah is the greatest day of the year. It is a night about which Allah reveled a full Surah, Suratul-Qadr [97:1-5] and the 3rd to the 6th verses of Surat ad-Dukhan [44:3-6]
It is the night when the Qur'an was reveled.
It is the night when the Message (the Final and seal of all messages) sent to Mohammad, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, started
It is the night when the light, that would illuminate mankind to the end of life, started
It is the night when every matter of ordainment is decreed
Allah says in what can be translated as :
"Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'aan) down in the Night of Decree (Lailatul-Qadr). And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and the Rooh (ie. Jibreel [Gabriel]) by Allaah's Permission with all Decrees, Peace! until the appearance of dawn." [97:1-5]
and in Surat ad-Dukhan :
"We sent it (this Qur'aan) down on a blessed Night. Verily, We are ever warning (mankind of Our Torment). Therein (that Night) is decreed every matter of ordainment. Amran (i.e. a command or this Qur'aan or His Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily, We are ever sending (the Messenger). (As) a Mercy from your Lord. Verily! He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. [44:3-6]
A person who misses Laylatul-Qadr is really a deprived person!
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said " The blessed month has come to you. Allah has made fasting during it obligatory upon you. During it the gates to Paradise are opened and the gates of Hellfire are locked, and the devils are chained. There is a night [during this month] which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good is really deprived [of something great]. [Ahmad, an-Nisa'i and al-Bayhaqi]
One who misses this blessed night then he has missed much good for no one misses it except one from whom it is withheld. Therefore it is recommended that the Muslim who is eager to be obedient to Allaah should stand in Prayer during this night out of Eemaan and hoping for the great reward, since if he does this, Allaah will forgive his previous sins (1).
What happens to the person who witnesses Laylatul-Qadr? and what should one do?
Abu Hurairah Radhiya Allahu `anhu reported that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said : "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Lailatul-Qadr out of Eemaan (faith and sincerity) and seeking reward then his previous sins are forgiven". [Bukhari]
It is recommended to supplicate a lot during this night, it is reported from our mother 'Aishah radhiya Allahu `anha, that she said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if I knew which night Lailatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it?" He said.- "Say.- (Allahumma innaka 'affuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee.)
"O Allaah You are The One Who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me.". [at-Tirmithi and Ibn Majah with a Sahih Isnad]
When is Laylatul-Qadr ?
It is preferred to seek this night during the last ten odd nights of Ramadan, as the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam,, strove his best in seeking it during that time. We have already mentioned that the Prophet would stay up during the last ten nights, would wake his wives, and then would remain apart from them to worship.
Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet,salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said, "Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan ,' on the night when nine or seven or five nights remain out of the last ten nights of Ramadan (i.e. 21, 23, 25, respectively)." [Bukhari]
`Aishah radhiya Allahu `anha said: "Allah's Messenger used to practice I`itikaf in the last ten nights and say: 'Seek out Lailatul-Qadr in the (odd nights) of the last ten of Ramadan." [Bukhari and Muslim]
However if the servant is too weak or unable, then he should at least not let the last seven pass him by, due to what is reported from Ibn 'Umar, who said: Allah's Messenger said: "Seek it in the last ten, and if one of you is too weak or unable then let him not allow that to make him miss the final seven.' [Bukhari and Muslim]
This explains his saying: "I see that your dreams are in agreement (that it is in the last seven) so he who wishes to seek it out then let him seek it in the last seven.' [Bukhari and Muslim]
It is known from the Sunnah, that knowledge of the exact night upon which Lailatul-Qadr falls was taken up because the people argued, 'Ubaadah ibn as- Saamit, radiyalloahu 'anhu, said: The Prophet came out intending to tell us about Lailatul-Qadr, however two men were arguing and he said: "I come out to inform you about Lailatul-Qadr but so and so, and, so and so were arguing, so it was raised up, and perhaps that is better for you, so seek it on the (twenty) ninth and the (twenty) seventh and the (twenty) fifth.'[Bukhari]
Some of the ahadeeth indicate that Lailatul-Qadr is in the last ten nights, while others indicate that it is in the odd nights of the last ten, so the first are general and the second more particular, and the particular has to be given priority over the general. Other ahadeeth state that it is in the last seven - and these are restricted by mention of one who is too weak or unable. So there is no confusion, all the ahadeeth agree and are not contradictory.
In conclusion: The Muslim should seek out Lailatui-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten: the night of the twenty-first, the twenty-third, the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh and the twenty-ninth. If he is too weak or unable to seek it out in all the odd nights, then let him seek it out in the odd nights of the of seven: the night of the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh and the twenty-ninth And Allah knows best. (1)
What are the signs of laylatul-Qadr?
Allaah's Messenger , salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, described the morning after Lailatul-Qadr, so that the Muslim may know which day it is. From Ubayy, radhiya Allahu 'anhu, who said: that he, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said: "On the morning following Lailatui-Qadr the sun rises not having any rays, as if it were a brass dish, until it rises up."[Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmithi and Ibn Majah]
Abu Hurairah, radhiya Allahu 'anhu, said : "We were discussing Lailatul-Qadr in the presence of Allah's Messenger so he said : 'Which of you remembers [the night] when the moon arose and was like half a plate?... [Muslim]
Ibn 'Abbaas, radhiya Allahu 'anhuma, said: Allaah's Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said: "Lailatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold, the sun arises on its morning being feeble and red." [at-Tayaalisee, Ibn Khuzaimah and al-Bazzaar with a Hasan Isnad]
We pray to Allah All Mighty Most Merciful to bless us this Ramadan by witnessing Laylatul-Qadr

A Greeting Poem for Ramadan, the Blessed Month

2008-09-17T11:05:00.001-07:00

Marhaban Ahlan wasahlan, Oh Ramadan!

the month of blessing,

the month that all Muslims are anxiously awaiting to fast,

the month that elevates the faith of Muslims,

the month that brings good and bad Muslims together

,the month in which Qur'an is recited more than all the other monthscombined

,Oh the loving Ramadan, here you are with us again,

the month of piety in which all doubtful hobbies are avoided,

Oh Ramadan, Marhaban Ahlan wasahlan!

the only month that has a Night of Power,

the only month in which Angels descend in troops,

the month in which the poor and the rich get their past sins forgiven,

Oh Ramadan, the lessons you taught us will not be forgotten,

Oh Ramadan, we look forward to seeing more of you in fettle.

Marhaban ahlan wasahlan, Oh Ramadan!

Why do muslims fast?

2008-09-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some possible reasons why Muslims observe a marathon one-month fast during Ramadan.
(a) To obey Allah's injunction
Fundamental to a Muslim's faith (or belief) are six articles: (i) belief in Allah, (ii) belief in Angels, (iii) belief in divine Books of Allah, (iv) belief in all Prophets, (v) belief in the Day of Judgement, and (vi) belief in Predestination. Articles (i) and (iii) demand that a Muslim must believe in, obey and implement, all the words of Allah contained in the Holy Qur'an. This is because ...His (Allah) word is the truth..." (6:73) and ::the truth is from your Lord, so be not at all in doubt" (2:147) and "...whose word can be truer than Allah?" (Qur'an). Thematically, Qur'an contains injunctions for mankind, allegories, stories of past events, accounts of future events, and a lot of lessons especially for Muslims. Of importance the injunctions are sometime directed to all creatures (men and jinns), or sometime to specific gender (men or women), or sometime to specific tribes (eg "Bani Israel"), or sometime to the progeny of Adam (i.e mankind), or sometime to Ahl-ul kitaab (the people of the book), or sometime to Muslims (i.e those who believe in One Allah) etc. In most cases, the injunctions of Allah to Muslims can be regarded as blessing and mercy and when fully obeyed often lead them to His straight path. Without mincing words, there is no compromise with Allah's injunctions: every sincere and God-fearing Muslim must obey them; this is a necessary precondition for being a Muslim. One of His injunctions, directed to Muslims (men and women), is:
"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you..."(2:183)
The phrase "O you who believe" is referring to: (i) those who submit to Allah's wills and commands, (ii) those who believe in the six articles of faith, (iii) those who testify that "La ilaha illa llaha Muhammadu-r Rasululla", (iv) those who practise the five pillars of Islam, and (v) those who implement and obey Allah's injunctions in the Qur'an and follow the sunnah of His Prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w). No followers of any religions satisfy these criteria of "O you who believe" except the Muslims. It is they (Muslims) that Allah is directing His injunction in 2:183 to. The injunction prescribed fasting as a compulsory duty for them thus:
"...fasting is prescribed for you (Muslims)..." (2:183)
and
"...whoever witnesses the month of Ramadan should fast through it..." (2:185)
Clearly, Ramadan fast is a divine injunction mandatory for all able-bodied Muslims who are free from compelling excuses. Whoever deliberately forgoes fasting in Ramadan, should know that (s)he has disobeyed Allah's injunction and no amount of fasting thereafter can give her/him a reward equivalent to one misssed Ramadan fast as obvious in this hadeeth:
Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet(s.a.w) said: "whoever did not fast one day of Ramadan without a genuine excuse or a disease then even if he fasted for a complete year, it would not compensate for that (missed Ramadan) day"
(Sahih al-Bukhari, vol 3,p.88)
(ii) To practice the tradition, and way of the pious people.
Fasting is not new to Islam; it is, indeed, as old as Adam(a.s) who was the first creature and the first Muslim to submit to one Allah. No one knows precisely when fasting began among Adam's progenies but it is the practice of all the Prophets of Allah and their followers. Qur'an mentions that Musa(a.s) fasted for 40 days (see 2:51) (this is what the Jews termed "Jewish Passover") and the Prophet(s.a.w) told us that Dawud(a.s) used to fast for half of the year (this involves fasting on every alternate day). 'Issa (a.s) (or Jesus) was also reported to have fasted for 40 days (this is what the christians termed "the Lent", usually observed before Easter festival). Since these Prophets were Muslims, it can be seen that by asking Muslims to fast, Allah intends to draw their attention to the practice and tradition of those pious predecessors who attained piety (in His sight) through fasting.
"O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for people before you ..."(2:183)
This verse shows that fasting was observed by the people (i.e "ahl-ul kitaab") who came to the scene before the Muslims and so it is a "sunnat Allah" (i.e a tradition approved by Allah) for those who lived aforetime and for the Muslims who are now the best generation ever raised for mankind (3:110). Qur'an says:
"(As for) the sunnat Allah (approved) for those who lived aforetime, no change will you find in (such) sunnat-Allah" (33:43)
Therefore, Ramadan fast should be seen as a propagation of the tradition approved by Allah for all those who submit to Him.
(iii) To learn how to attain piety
By the very nature of human beings, they are susceptible to sins and transgression of Allah's limits. This may be due to their ignorance, worldly struggle for ephemeral and tantalizing things, or satan's handiwork. In particular, Muslims are warned against gossiping, backbiting, slandering, hypocrisying, lying, cheating, duping, hatring, nursing grudge, keeping malice, fornicating as these vices negate the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. But since Muslims are like any human beings created to err as a result of forgetfulness, they need to be reminded and coached against any social vices from time to time. This will requires a fixed trainning period where Muslims will know and learn how to put an end to vices, learn virtues and get nearer to Allah. That trainning period is chosen by Allah to be the Ramadan fast which occurs once in every year. During Ramadan:
(a) compulsory five daily salaat are observed regularly and timely (this is to remind and train the mindless Muslims that salaat is an all-time duty for them); (b) Zakat-ul fitr is paid on or before the 'idl Fitr (the festival that commemorates the end of Ramadan fast) (Zakat-ul fitr is to teach Muslims to do sadaqah and to remind them that after zakat-ul fitr they should not forget to pay on time their annual divine obligatory Zakaat, the fourth pillar of Islam); (c) Tarawih and Tahajjud prayers are observed in the evening and night of Ramadan (this is to teach Muslims to observe nawafil (i.e additional) prayers after Ramadan so as to increasetheir iman and get their supplications to Allah accepted promptly);(d) Doubtful hobby such as smoking is stopped (this is to train Muslims to be frugal as Allah hates extravagancy and to save themselves from diseases such as Tuberclosis, Cancer, and heart attack known to be associated with smoking and premature death);(e) pornographic videos/pictures are avoided and kept away (this is to free Muslims' hearts and eyes from corruption and from shaitan's whisperings to do evil deeds); (f) Excessive intake of food is avoided (this regulates the stomach from being pot-bellied and distinguishes Muslims from kaafir whom Qur'an describes as those who eat like cattle (47:12)); etc. All these good things which Ramadan fast teaches Muslims are the means to attain piety. This is why the verse on Ramadan fast says:
"O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for you...so that you will (learn how to attain) piety" (2:183)
(iv) To reap the full reward of the Night of Power (Lailat-ut Qadr)
The last book of Allah to His creatures, Al-Qur'an, was revealed in the night of Ramadan. What this means is that the first divine revelation to Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w) took place in the Night of Ramadan. Allah chose the night because of the special blessings in it. It is called the night of Power (Lailat-ut Qadr) or the night of blessing (Lailat-ul mubarak). The deed in this night is better than the rewards of deeds of 1,000 months (about 83.3 years). Let suppose that a man survived up to 100 years and he consciously witnessed 93 nights of Power, he would have in his account more than 7,750 rewards which exclude all other rewards he earned from doing virtuous deeds. It is this night that all Muslims are invited by Allah to look for in the month of Ramadan. Specifically, the night is in the last ten days of Ramadan and usually in one of the odd days (i.e. 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29th). A Muslim is expected to perform naafilah, recite the Qur'an, do zikr etc in the night. Since no one knows precisely which of the odd days is the night, Muslims are expected to be in seclusion (itikaf) during the last 10 days of Ramadan and the best place to do so is in the mosque.
It should be mentioned that the Angels descend in succession during the night of Power and they go round with special greeting of "peace" till day break when they will move back to their position. The number of these angels is uncountable and they descend with special command of Allah. The following chapter of the Qur'an details the event of the night of Power thus:
"Indeed We have revealed it (Qur'an) in the night of Power. And what will explain to you what the night of Power is? The night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein descends the Angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: (they say) Peace" (continuously) till the rise of Morning!" (97:1-5)
Who will like to miss the Night after reading this description? It is this very reason that every Muslim wants to witness and reap its full blessing by fasting during the days of the month of Ramadan. As Ramadan fast is inextricably tied to the Night of Power (see 2:183) it follows that any Muslim who wishes to benefit from the Night of Power must fast during the month of Ramadan. Qur'an says:
"Ramadan is the (month) in which Qur'an was sent down, as a guide to mankind, and a clear guidance and judgement (so that mankind will distinguish right from wrong). Whoever among you witnesses the month of Ramadan should fast through it..." (2:183)
(v) To show to Muslims how to get their past sins forgiven
Islam is a religion that stresses equality: both the poor and the rich (men or women) are equal as slaves in the sight of Allah. In Islam the surest way to obtain Allah's forgiveness for one's past sins is Pilgrimage (the fifth pillar of Islam) which unfortunately is easy for the rich to afford the cost of the journey. The All-wise, Allah, did not put the poor Muslims in limbo, rather He made fasting during Ramadan as a means of placing the poor and the rich on equal footing in terms of asking for forgiveness for their past sins. If a Muslim has no means of going for hajj, there should be a way to compensate him/her. The All-wise has chosen Ramadan for all Muslims to get their past sins forgiven as evident in this hadith:
Narrated Abu Huraira(r.a): The Prophet said:"... whoever fasts during Ramadan with sincere faith and hoping for his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven"
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.3 p.70).
Therefore, Ramadan fast unites Muslims and bring them together as equal slaves who can be forgiven of their past sins devoid of discrimination in the sight of Allah.
(vi) To show that Fasting is the epitome of the five pillars of Islam
Islam is built upon five pillars. The third pillar is siyam (i.e fasting during Ramadan). The wisdom behind its third position is because it is a fulcrom upon which the other four pillars (Tawheed, and salaat are in first and second positions while zakat and Hajj are in the fourth and fifth positions) are balanced. It is the only pillar that encompases all the four other pillars in the sense that

Source:http://www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/fasting/fast.html

Faza'il-e-a'Maal

2008-09-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

This is a must read book for all muslims, it guides you how to be a good muslim by illustrations of hadiths and what sahabas used to do , It is a Collection of 8 books
1.Stories of Sahaabah
2.Virtues of holy Quran
3.Virtues of Salaat
4.Virtues of Zikr
5.Virtues of Tabligh
6.Virtues of Ramadhan
7.Muslim degeneration and its only remedy
8.Six Fundamentals

Price: 150
Available at any Islamic Book Store
Bangalore - Mahmod Book Store (opp Russel Market)
hyderabad - Alam book Store (@ Char Minar)
Delhi - (jama Masjid Area)

taraweeh videos

2008-09-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

Ramazan mubarak to all of you, May Allahs blessing be with all of you.
I want to share with you video of tarawwh from mecca,there is an english translation on screen while Imam is reciting Quran, It’s a very good video to see and is of very good quality.
I would encourage all to share these videos among our muslim brothers and sisters.

For people at HP network
\\16.138.44.129\taraweeh
For people not in hp network you may download them from here.
http://www.taraweehvideos.com/

Ramazan Mubarak to All!

2008-09-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

Ramazan Mubarak to All!

May Allah give you blessing to pray well, keep all fasts and read taraveeh/

Do remember me in your prayers.

Mistakes During Ramadan

2008-09-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

Too much stress on food and drink For some people, the entire month of Ramadaan revolves around food. They spend the ENTIRE day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about only food, instead of concentrating on Salaah, Qur'aan and other acts of worship. All they can think of is FOOD. So much so that they turn the month of 'fasting' into the month of 'feasting'. Come Iftaar time, their table is a sight to see, with the multitudes and varieties of food, sweets and drinks. They are missing the very purpose of fasting, and thus, increase in their greed and desires instead of learning to control them. It is also a kind of waste & extravagance. 'and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allaah) likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance) ' [al-A'raaf :31] Spending all day cookingSome of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands) are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the day, they are too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraweeh, Tahajjud or read Quraan, etc. Eating too muchSome people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and some people eat at Iftaar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to 'make up for the food missed.' However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation is the key to everything. The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach; for the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight. If you must fill it, then one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.' (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani). Too much food distracts a person from many deeds of obedience and worship, makes him lazy and also makes the heart heedless. It was said to Imam Ahmad: Does a man find any softness and humility in his heart when he is full? He said, I do not think so. Sleeping all daySome people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) 'sleeping away their fast'. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month? These people also are missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their desires of comfort and ease. They cannot 'bear' to be awake and face a little hunger or exert a little self-control. For a fasting person to spend most of the day asleep is nothing but, negligence on his part.Wasting timeOther people waste away their day playing video games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even listening to music. Subhaan Allaah! Trying to obey Allaah by DISOBEYING him! Fasting but not giving up evilSome of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in haraam, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, fornication, etc. and we think we are sooooo good. The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, and ignorance, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.' (Bukhaari)SmokingSmoking is forbidden in Islam whether during Ramadaan or outside of it, as it is one of al-Khabaa'ith (evil things).(This includes ALL eg. cigars, cigarettes, pipes,'Sheesha' ,etc.) 'he allows them as lawful At Tayyibaat (all good and lawful things), and prohibits them as unlawful Al Khabaa'ith (all evil and unlawful things) [al-A'raaf :157] It is harmful, not only to the one smoking, but also to the ones around him. It is also a means of wasting ones wealth. The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'There should be no harming or reciprocating harm.' This is especially true during fasting and it invalidates the fast. (Fatwa -Ibn 'Uthaymeen)Skipping SuhoorThe Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing.'(Bukhaari , Muslim). And he (pbuh) said: 'The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating suhoor.' (Muslim) Stopping Suhoor at 'Imsaak'Some people stop eating Suhoor 10-15 minutes earlier than the time of Fajr to observe 'Imsaak'. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: This is a kind of bid'ah (innovation) which has no basis in the Sunnah. Rather the Sunnah is to do the opposite. Allaah allows us to eat until dawn: 'and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)' [al-Baqarah 2:187] And the Prophet (pbuh) said: '....eat and drink until you hear the adhaan of Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he does not give the adhaan until dawn comes.' This 'imsaak' which some of the people do is an addition to that which Allaah has enjoined, so it is false. It is a kind of extremism in religion, and the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed.' (Muslim) Not fasting if they missed Suhoor - Very ImportantSome people are too scared to fast if they miss Suhoor. However, this is a kind of cowardice and love of ease. What is the big deal if you missed a few morsels of food? It's not like you will die. Remember, obedience to Allaah overcomes everything. Saying the intention to fast 'out loud' or saying a specific dua to start fastingThe intention is an action of the heart. The Muslim should resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. It is not prescribed for him by the Shari'ah to say out loud, 'I intend to fast', 'I will fast tomorrow' or other phrases that have been innovated by some people. All he needs to do is to resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. Also, there is no specific dua to be recited at the time of starting the fast in the correct Sunnah. Whatever 'dua' you may see on some papers or Ramadaan calendars is a Bid'ah.Delaying breaking fast Some people wait until the adhaan finishes or even several minutes after that, just to be 'on the safe side'. However, the Sunnah is to hasten to break the fast, which means breaking fast right after the sun has set. Aa'ishah said: This is what the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) used to do. (Muslim)The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'The people will continue to do well so long as they hasten to break the fast.' (Bukhaari, Muslim) Determine to the best of your ability, the accuracy of your clock, calendar, etc. and then have tawakkul on Allaah and break your fast exactly on time.Missing the golden chance of having your Dua accepted The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast. The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of a father, the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler.' (al-Bayhaqi, saheeh by al-Albaani). Instead of sitting down and making Dua at this precious time, some people forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy talking, setting the food, filling their plates and glasses, etc. Food is more important to them than the chance to have their sins forgiven or the fulfillment of their Duas. Fasting but not prayingThe fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This is because not praying constitutes kufr as the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.' (Muslim) In fact, NONE of his good deeds will be accepted; rather, they are all annulled.'Whoever does not pray 'Asr, his good deeds will be annulled.' (Bukhaari)Not fasting because of exams or workExams or work is NOT one of the excuses allowed by the Shari'ah to not fast. You can do your studying and revision at night if it is too hard to do that during the day. Also remember that pleasing and obeying Allaah is much more important than 'good grades'. Mixing fasting and dietingDO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet. That is one of the biggest mistakes some of us make (esp. sisters). Fasting is an act of worship and can only be for the sake of Allah alone. Mixing it with the intention of dieting is a form of Shirk. Fighting over the number of Raka'ah of TaraweehThere is no specific number of rak'ahs for Taraweeh prayer, rather it is permissible to do a little or a lot. Both 8 and 20 are okay. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: 'No one should be denounced for praying eleven or twenty-three (raka'ah), because the matter is broader in scope than that, praise be to Allaah.' Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all other odd nights, although the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.' (Bukhaari, Muslim).

Fruits of RamadaanFrom ad-Dawal ila-Allah

2008-09-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Allah - the Most High - has favored us with countless blessings, the greatest of them being Islam itself. Within the religion of Islaam there are many favors; one is the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. However, many of us overlook this bounty and are thus left with an incomplete depiction of Ramadan, often viewing it as a month to get oneself into shape!! Or rigidly describing it as a training program teaching self-restraint. Most importantly Ramadan is an act of Ebadah (worship), the fulfillment of Allah's commandments and one of the great mercies of Allah to His believers for both this world and the next. lbn al-Qayyim [1] wrote in his famous book 'Zaadul-Ma'aad 2/8587 :'From the Mercy of the Mighty and Most Merciful is that He prescribed for them fasting which will cut off the excesses of eating and drinking and empties the hearts of its desires which divert it on its journey to Allah -the Most High. He prescribed it in due proportion as will be appropriate and will benefit the servant with regard to this world and to the Hereafter; and it will not harm him, nor damage what is beneficial for him."
The Virtues of Ramadaan
a) The Hellfire is locked and the gates of Paradise are openedProphet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "When Ramadaan comes the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of the Fire are locked and the devils are chained..." [2]
All praise is for Allah Who out of His infinite Mercy locks the gates of Hell, chains and shackles the devils and opens up the gates of Paradise in this month for His servants, making it easier for them to devote this special time to His worship. It makes it harder for the evil jinn to corrupt the people as they usually do, because Insha'Allah the Muslims will be occupied with fasting, engaged in reading the Qur'aan, busy with extra prayers and in doing other righteous actions which help clean and purify their hearts.
b) Sins are Forgiven.The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) explained to his Ummah that Ramadaan has such a high station that even if a Muslim's sins were as much as the foam upon the sea, they would be forgiven through fasting in this month.
He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "He who fasts in Ramadaan due to eemaan and hoping for reward from Allah then his previous sins are forgiven." [3]
Furthermore, in this month people are freed from the Hellfire every day and night, due to Allah's extreme Mercy. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) told us in this regard that:
"There are in the month of Ramadaan in every day and night, those whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and it will be granted." [4] This supplication, which is never rejected occurs at the time of breaking the fast. (See Sunan ibn Maajah, 1/557)
c) Lailatul-QadrAnother virtue of this blessed month is that in it falls the night that is better than a thousand months, in which descends the angels and the Rooh, u [5] and in which if one is standing in prayer out of faith and seeking reward, then his previous sins are forgiven. This is the Night of Decree - Lailatul-Qadr [6].
The Virtues of Fasting:Fasting itself is an action which has many virtues and rewards, Allah - the one free from all imperfections - revealed in His Book "..and fast, it is better for you if you did but know." [Soorah al- Baqarah (2) : 184]
To try and help us understand just how valuable it is, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) informed us that it is a shield against the Hellfire, a protection against desires, a cause to enter Paradise and a gate from the gates of Paradise has been particularized for it, as well as other merits.
A) A shield.He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: 'Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the fire." [7]
Fasting weakens and cuts off desires and since it is desires which lead to the fire, it can be seen how fasting acts as a protection against them, as a barrier, a shield, between the fasting person and the fire. It safeguards one from indulging in foul speech, quarrels and fights. It also develops the habit of self-control and restraint.
It is for this reason that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam), ordered the men who are unable to marry, to practice the act of fasting. Fasting will cut off the sensual desire by diminishing the vigor of the body, calming and constraining it.
" 0 youths, whosoever amongst you is able to marry then let him do so, since it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts, and he who is unable, then let him fast because it is a shield for him." [8]
b) A Cause for Entering Paradise.Since fasting distances one from the fire, it brings one closer to Paradise. The Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) was asked by his Companion Abo Umaamah (radhi allahu anhu): "0 Messenger of Allah tell me an action by which I may enter Paradise." He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "Take to fasting, there is nothing like it." [9]
c) An Immense RewardEvery action of the son of Adam is given manifold rewards, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High has said: "Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will recompense it, he leaves of his desires and his food for Me. For the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time of joy when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, the smell coming from the mouth of a fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of Musk.." [10]
The main virtue of fasting, as with any action, is that it is done purely for the sake of Allah. The difference with fasting is that it is an act completely hidden from others so it is done merely for the pleasure of Allah (unlike for example: Prayer, Hajj etc.) and so Allah rewards His servant for it specially.
d) An IntercessionAnother great virtue of fasting is that it will act as an intercessor with Allah on the Day of Judgement - a day when we will be in need of intercession.
He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "Fasting and the Qur'aan intercede for a servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: "0 my Lord I prevented him from food and desires so accept my intercession for him" and the Qur'aan will say: "I prevented him from sleep at night, so accept my intercession for him" So their intercessions will be accepted." [11]
e) An Expiation for Various SinsAllah - the Most High - has also made fasting an expiation for certain sins. This means if someone commits one of these sins then he can atone for it by fasting a fixed number of days. Fasting is an expiation for:
(i) Shaving the head while in a state of ihraam [i.e. while one is performing the rites of Hajj or Umrah.] due to some illness][Soorah al-Baqarah (2) :196]
(ii) One who is unable to carry out the obligatory sacrifice during Hajj - [Soorah al-Baqarah (2) : 196]
(iii) Accidentally killing one of the people with whom you have a treaty - [Soorah an-Nisaa (4) : 92]
(iv) Hunting game while in a state of ihraam - [Soorah al-Maaidah (5) :95]
(v) Violating an oath - [Soorah al-Maaidah (5) :893]
(vi) Dhihaar [This is the saying of husband to his wife: "You are to me like the back of my mother (i.e. awful to me) ] - [Soorah al-Mujaadilah (58) : 3 - 4]
f) Ar-Rayaan is for the Fasting PeopleFinally, Allah - the One free from all imperfections - has particularized a gate from the gates of Paradise for those who fast. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "Indeed, there is a gate of Paradise called ar-Rayaan. On the Day of Resurrection those who fast will enter through it; no one enters it except for them, end when they have entered, it is closed so that no one (else) enters it." [12]
"The status of fasting and its place in lslaam should now be clear to us, by Allah's permission, and also the great rewards awaiting the one who fasts seeking the pleasure of Allah. The rewards can, however increase or decrease depending upon how close it is upon the way of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). Therefore we must know the characteristics of his (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) fast, together with its obligatory duties, its manners and the relevant supplications and then put that into practice."
" May Allah - the Most High grant us the ability to do that which allow us to capture the fruits of this month and make us amongst those who enter His Paradise through the gate of Ar-Rayaan."
FOOTNOTES
[1] Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (691-75). He was born in Damascus. He is one of great scholars of Islam: a muhaddith and a faqeh and the foremost student of Shaikhul Islam Ibn Taimeeyah. Among his famous books are Zaadul-Ma'aad and Ilaam ul-Muwaqqi'een and his length of poem on the tenets of faith, al-Qasida an-Nooniyyah.
[2] Bukhari Eng, v.3, # 123) & Muslim eng, v..2, # .2361 from Abo Hurairah, radhiAllahu anhu.
[3] Narrated by Aboo Hurairah and collected in Saheeh al-Bukhari (Eng. Trans. Vol.3, no.125) & Saheeh Muslim (Eng. Trans. Vol.1, no.1664). The hadeeth applies to one who affirms the obligation of fasting in Ramadaan and hopes for the reward of doing it, being pleased with it, not feeling aversion to it, nor thinking that standing in its night is a hardship.
[4] Saheeh - Narrated by Jaabir and collected in Musnad Ahmad and al-Bazzar.
[5] See Soorah al-Qadr (97): 4.
[6] See the article titled 'The Night of Qadr' for more details on this special night.
[7]Saheeh - Jaabir in Ahamd 3/241,296.
[8] Narrated by Ibn Masood & collected in Saheeh al-Bukhari (Eng. Trans. Vol.3, no.129)
[9] Saheeh - an-Nisaaee (4/165), al-Haakim (1/421) and others. Authentic by Shaikh al-Albanee in Saheeh al-Jamee. (no.4044).
[10] Reported by Muslim from Aboo Hurairah (Eng. Trans. Vol.2, no. 2567).
[11] Hasan- Ahmad (6626), al-Haakim (1/554) & Aboo Nu'aam (8/161) from Abdullah Ibn Amr.
[12] Bukhari eng. v.3,#.120, Muslim eng. V.2, # 2569 from Sahl ibn Sa'ad radhi'Alaahu anhu.

Correct Way for Waazu

2008-08-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Say Bismillah in starting

Step1
Wash the right hand up to and including the wrists. Make sure to while rub and rub between the fingers of the hand. And thus make sure no part of the hand is left dry. Three times

Then do the same with the left hand. (also three times)

Step 2

Make a cup with the right hand then from this hand take water into your mouth and swirl it inside the mouth and then expel out of mouth. then sniff remaining water from the cupped right hand and sniff water into the nose and then blow the water out and using the left hand remove the water from your nose. Do this three times

Or

Some people rinse the mouth first three times and then rinse the nose three times
However the first method is the most authentic.
Step3
Wash the face three times, from the hairline to the jawbone and chin, and from start of the ear to start of the ear

Step4

Wash the right arm up to and including the elbow. Three times.
The arm extends from the fingertips, including the nails, to the lower part of the upper arm. It is essential to remove anything stuck to the hands before washing them, such as dough, mud, paint, nail polish etc, that could prevent the water from reaching the skin.

Do the same with the LEFT ARM . Three times
Step 5
Wet your hands in water, Place both hands at the front of the head (beginning of hairline) and wipe the head backwards until you reach the nape. Then bring them back to the front of the head (beginning of hairline). This is done once only

Step 6
Clean the ears by inserting the tips of the index fingers into the ears. Twist them round the folds of the ears. Then wipe the back of the ears with your thumbs. From bottom of the ear upwards. ONCE ONLY

Step 7

Wash the right feet up to and including the ankles, three times,
You should enter the water between the toes with your little finger and then wash the foot (note not wipe feet but wash them) and make sure you wash the sole of the foot and heals. Make sure no parts of the foot is left dry
Wash the left feet same as the right foot also three times.

The Du'aa After the Wudoo
Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu.
( I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.)

Allaahumm aj’alni min al-tawwaabeena waj’alni min al-mutatahhireena
( O Allaah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves)

According to another hadeeth narrated in Sunan al-Nasaa’i, one of the things that may also be said after wudoo’ is: “Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bi hamdika, ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill anta, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayka
(Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah, I bear witness that there is no god but You, I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You).

Touching story of an Indian Revert

2008-08-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

"Things are made clear through their opposites".. ......proverb
"Nothing makes Truth stand out more clearly than Falsehood!" I embraced Islam 6 months after I arrived in the US , thanks to my encounter with Christianity!
I was born in India and grew up among people who worshipped many gods and goddesses- the Hindus. At every street and corner in India , you will find temples housing idols of wood, stone, ivory, even gold and silver.
I do not come from a Hindu family. My parents do not believe in God. They are atheists. They taught me there was no such thing as God. As a child, I believed whatever my parents told me. I looked up to them and believed they knew everything. I thought they were perfect. As I grew older however, I realized that my parents did not know everything. They were certainly not perfect. And they made mistakes.
At some point, several questions about life began to arise in my mind. I'm sure these questions arise in the minds of most people at some time or other:
What is the meaning and purpose of life?
Why is man faced with the predicament to choose between good and evil?
Why do people die?
What happens after death?
My parents did not have the answers to these questions.
I began to think independently and eventually, after deep contemplation and reflection I came to the conclusion that God did exist! In fact, God was the only reality!
There is order and perfection in nature which cannot possibly be the result of chance. There can be no design without a Designer, and no creation without a Creator. We human beings are products of creation, not chance, accident or evolution.
It was obvious to me that there was only one Creator. There could not be more than one since that would cause a division or split in power and consequently result in chaos and disorder. Isn't there a saying that goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth"? or See the quote from Quran:
"If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allâh, there would have been ruin in both! But glory to Allâh, the Rabb of the Throne: (High is He) above what they attribute to Him." (21: 22)
So, I began to believe in God. I also believed in accountability for my actions. Our actions are the only things we can control. Nothing else besides that lies in our power. Since God created us with the freedom to choose between right and wrong, it was evident to me that it mattered a lot what I chose to do or how I chose to act. Deep down inside I knew that one day I would have to give an account for all my deeds. God has all power, and He has the ability to reward and to punish. So I greatly feared God.
I believed in God, but I did not have a religion. I used to think it didn't matter what religion a person belonged to as long as that person was good. Now, there is something seriously wrong with that kind of thinking. Anyway, I had no understanding then, and all I cared about was finding a God-fearing man to be my husband. Being a monotheist, I was willing to marry a Christian, a Muslim or a Bahai.
I met my husband under the most peculiar circumstances. He was a Christian. And he was from America . We had known each other for only three days. But he proposed to me. I thought he was very honest and had his heart full of the fear of God. We got married. Two weeks later, he had to go back to the US . He couldn't take me with him. It was a year and a half before I got my visa to go to the US .
America is very different from India . It took me a while to adjust to the American lifestyle. My husband was a very devout Christian. He was a member of the Worldwide Church of God. He read the Bible regularly, frequently, almost fanatically! He used to observe the Sabbath and attended the Seventh Day Adventist Church . I went to church with him several times. I also read the Bible and found a lot of things in there that supported what I believed about God. I liked the proverb "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom". I met many nice people at church. I even made some very good friends. I was particularly attached to an elderly couple. I was pretty happy with the way things were going....... .until I went to California to visit my in-laws.
It was when I was travelling in the metro train, on my way to Los Angeles , that some people entered the train and passed slips of paper to the passengers. I looked at the piece of paper in my hand and read it with utter disbelief. I have carefully preserved that piece of paper. This is what it said:
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
The answer to this question is, absolutely nothing! The only requirement is to believe what God has said in His word, and He says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved". Only believe? Yes, that's all! Believe means to trust completely in what God has said concerning salvation. What do we have to believe? That Christ died for our sins, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day. Christ died to give us eternal life. If you desire to have eternal life make the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and that I have a need to be forgiven. I now receive Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for having forgiven my sins. In Jesus name. Amen. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, (Jesus) to them gave He (God) power (authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.This little slip of paper changed my entire life! My heart was screaming that this simply could not be true! It was so evidently false that I was surprised that anyone actually believed in it! This was the beginning of my first real acquaintance with modern Christianity.I was completely overwhelmed with amazement to learn some of the fantastic beliefs of modern Christians. The following is a list of beliefs which made absolutely no sense to me:
1. That Jesus is God.
2. That Jesus is Lord and our Savior, who came down to earth in the form of man to die for our sins.
3. That God is three in one.......a concept called the Trinity.
None of the above beliefs are supported by the Bible! Jesus never claimed to be God. He never said that he had come to die for our sins. And you can scour the Bible from cover to cover. You will not find the word Trinity in it!.
Several questions arose in my mind about the above mentioned beliefs.Why would God personally need to come down to earth if He has all power?If He wants to get something done, all He needs to do is say the word and it is done! Jesus was a man. If he was God, then how could he die? Can God die? Furthermore, if Jesus was really God in the flesh, who did he pray to? Did he pray to himself?! If Jesus is God, how can we even think of God subjecting Himself to the temptation of the devil? How can the devil offer Jesus the kingdoms of the world, if everything in the heavens and earth all belong to God? Besides, wasn't it God who created the devil?! If the Trinity is indeed an important article of faith, why does not Jesus preach thistrinity?It doesn't take a lot of intelligence to understand that the Creator cannot become His creation, or part of His creation. Even if God could become His creation, why would He want to do that?!! And if it is true that God became Jesus and did indeed die for our sins (which sounds like a very drastic step to me), then the world as we know it today should be free of sin. If it is not free of sin, then what was the point in dying for our sins? What did it accomplish?!
I was staring at first-class Falsehood. I knew it was false right to the very core.
You will not find a single flaw in God's creation. It is perfect. It is God who has given us the power of reason and common sense. Would God ask us to believe in anything that didn't make sense? Truth must make sense. When a detective wants to find the truth, he looks for clues, examines the evidence and uses his power of reasoning. People employ this method for all matters, except in the field of religion! This is where they abandon their reason and believe blindly in whatever they are taught!
I wondered how people could actually believe that Jesus died for their sins! I want to ask this question to you. If you were sitting for an important exam, would you believe anyone who said that you had to do absolutely nothing in order to pass that exam?! Would you believe anyone who said all you had to do was believe that your teacher himself would study for the exam and do all the hard work for you? All you needed to do was believe and that's it!??
Well, you could believe and believe all you want, but when the results of the exam are announced, you will discover that you've got zero! Not only that, when your teacher learns that you had been entertaining the funny thought that he was going to do the studying for you, he would probably expel you from school and send you to the lunatic asylum to have your head examined!
In India , with its many temples, I knew people were worshipping falsehood. Hinduism, with its many gods and goddesses never made any sense to me. I always used to wonder how the Hindus knew what their gods and goddesses looked like. In America , I discovered the situation was more or less the same. The only difference was, at every street and corner, you did not find a temple, you found a church! Christianity as it is practised in America didn't make sense to me either! People drew pictures of Jesus as if they knew what he looked like. I'm sure the real Jesus never looked a bit the way they depict him!
I confronted my husband with my questions about Christian beliefs. He had no answers. I also asked my Christian friends. They did give me some answers, but their answers were so preposterous that I soon gave up asking them! Want to know what they told me? Frankly, I'm just dying to tell you about it!
This is what they had to say:
"No evil or sin can stand before a Perfect God. Even what to us is just the tiniest of wrong is totally intolerable to His perfection. All it takes is one sinful act. Look at Adam and Eve. They committed only one act, and a very small one at that, but that act allowed sin to enter this world. They knew that the consequences of that one act was death, but God made a promise to them that there was a way they could be redeemed from those consequences. It is that promise that the prophets wrote about. It is that promise and its fulfilment that is the underlining theme throughout the rest of the Bible. The message is that not only were the Jewish leaders who crucified Christ evil, but so were David, Lot and the others. That also includes you and me. Even the smallest evil makes us deserving of death. Just as there was nothing Adam and Eve could to do undo what they had done, there is nothing we can do to undo the evil we have done. But the same promise God made to Adam and Eve He makes to us. He only asks us to accept that promise."How could anyone believe in such a theory!? But that is precisely what my good Christian "friends" believed. According to them, all evil, all sin is the same in the eyes of God. So the penalty for a man who steals a loaf of bread is the same as the penalty for a man who goes out and murders ten people! What kind of justice is that?! I'm thankful the law and order system in America does not treat all crime with the death penalty! Is justice here on earth better than God's justice?
And what utter rubbish to even think that we are all deserving of death for the small sins that we commit and that we can be saved simply by believing that God died for our sins!!
Whether we believe or we don't believe, it still doesn't save us from Death, does it?!
If we commit a sin, it is not because of Adam and Eve! We commit a sin when we choose to do wrong or evil of our own free will. We alone are responsible for our actions. For the mistake I make, nobody else can be held accountable. That would simply not be justice! Therefore, even if somebody were to come up to me and say he or she was willing to take the burden of my sin, I would not agree to it! Since it is I who committed the sin, it is I alone who must face the consequences of that act! It just does not make sense that we should consciously make mistakes and commit sins and all kinds of crimes and put the whole burden on somebody who is totally innocent. There is no law and order system in this world where Tom commits a murder and instead of Tom, Dick is hanged for it!! If such a thing were to be done, this whole world would be upside down!
I went to the library and began to look for answers. I began to study Islam, the other monotheistic religion. I read the Qur'an. I didn't need to look any further. I found the answers to all my questions there!
The Qur'an is very clear in its message:
1. That God (Allah) is one.
2. That He is eternal and does not die.
3. That He does not beget nor is He begotten.
4. That there is none like unto Him.
5. That every soul will be have to give account for its deeds on the Day of Judgment.
6. That no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.
7. That Jesus was one of the messengers of God.
8. That those who believed in the Truth and did good will be rewarded with paradise.
9. That those who disbelieved and rejected the Truth will be flung into hellfire.
10. That there is no other god but Allah. He is the Lord of all the Worlds, the Creator, the All Knowing, the All Hearing.
All the questions I had about Christian beliefs were answered. I learnt the following things from the Qur'an:
1. Jesus was not God. Neither was he son of God.
2. He was not crucified.
3. He did not die for our sins.
4. There is no such thing as the trinity.
5. All of the above is blasphemy.
6. Finally he is one of the mighteous Prophets of Allah and a word of God.
In fact, I found all answers to other questions about life and death in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the Word of Allah. There is no doubt about it. I investigated the source of the Qur'an. I studied the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I was moved to tears reading his story.
There is no place for blind faith in Islam. God asks us to use our powers of reasoning and common sense to arrive at the Truth.
I had found the Truth. The only thing I needed to do was embrace Islam by declaring that there was no god but God (Allah), and Muhammad was the Messenger of Allah.
I could think of nothing else. I talked to my husband about Islam. We argued almost everyday about religion. My husband held even more closely to the Bible, telling me that he could not deny Christ. He didn't take me seriously at all. He told me I could believe whatever I wanted. He had no objection if I wanted to embrace Islam.
However, there was a problem. I discovered that if I were to embrace Islam by saying the Shahadah (the muslim declaration of faith), my marriage to my husband would automatically be dissolved. A muslim woman is not permitted to marry a non-muslim or disbeliever. In Islam, a woman must obey her husband. The husband is the head of the house and the leader. So, if the husband is a Christian, how can a muslim woman obey him?! Islam cannot occupy a secondary position in the house. Truth, not Falsehood musthave the upper hand!
I had to make a choice. Either I embraced Islam (the Truth), or I continued to live with my husband like a Christian. I loved my husband dearly. I had left my country to come and live with him, and he mattered to me more than anything else in the whole world. However, I could not live with Falsehood. I knew it would be very difficult for me to practice Islam in such circumstances. So, I made up my mind to leave my husband.
It broke my heart to think about leaving him. I cried non-stop. But I was firm on my decision. I had no idea what was going to happen after I left him. I left it all in Allah's Hands. I told my husband about what I was going to do. It was only when he heard what I said, that he began to take me seriously. He decided to investigate Islam. He asked me to give him some time to learn about this new religion.
At that time, the first thought in my husband's head was that he did not want to lose me. He probably thought I was nuts then. But he continued to study and read about Islam. All his life, he had been a Christian and whatever Islam taught was very new and strange to him.On the 6th of October, 2000, I and my husband both embraced Islam. However, my husband still did not understand a lot of things. He didn't know what was going on in his life, and probably thought his whole life had turned upside down. He embraced Islam because he didn't want to lose me. He did read the Qur'an sometimes, but he read his Bible more. I didn't care what he did. I was happy that I didn't have to leave my husband, and was confident that Allah would guide him eventually.
All praises are due to Allah! My husband was in the Navy, and he had to go out to sea for 6 months. During this time, he got the opportunity to read the Qur'an from the first page to the last. He e-mailed me one day, and told me that he had been doing nothing but reading the Qur'an. He simply could not put it down! Finally, he told me that he was convinced it was the Word of God. He was now overcome with a great desire to make a declaration of his faith. When his ship reached Australia , he immediately went to the nearest mosque and told the brothers there that he wanted to say the Shahadah. The brothers told him he had already said the Shahadah with me, so he had no need to do it again. My husband then explained to them that at that time, he had no understanding. He did it for me. This time, he wanted to do it for himself. I shed tears of joy when he wrote to me and told me he said the Shahadah there in that mosque in Australia .Of all the billions of people in this world, we are indeed thankful and utterly grateful that Allah chose to guide us to the Truth. It is the greatest honour anyone can have.
Alhamdullilahir Rabbil al Ameen!!

Ramadan is coming

2008-08-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and family. It is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen family and community ties.

Pay Zakat Online!

2008-08-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

“The likeness of (the ones) who expend their riches in the way of Allah is as the likeness of a grain that grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. And Allah gives manifoldly to whomever He decides; and Allah is Ever-Embracing, Ever-Knowing.” (Al-Baqarah: 261)

http://www.zakatfund.net/en/index.php

Islamic Vision

2008-05-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

Islamic Vision (www.islamicvision.in) is an islamin magazine circulated monthly from bangalore.
its a very good magazine, we can also subscribe the same at a nominal rate of 200 Rs per year, go to Site for more details.

Watch Peace Tv

2008-05-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
We can see Peace TV at http://www.watchislam.com/tv4/ , Its a very good channedl by IRF but the sad thing is that its not broadcasted at many places in India. Please spread this message.

Welcome Note

2008-04-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon.