A court in Orsk, Russia, has fined the imam of the local mosque after he ignored a previous warning from an administrative commission and continued to call prayers before the legally permitted time of 7am, reports the oren.ru website. Equivalent to £10 ($17, €12, or 700 Haitian Gourdes) the 500 ruble fine comes in the wake of repeated complaints by city residents, who objected to the 5:30am loudspeaker-fed adhan (call to prayer) disturbing their children’s sleep.

How can anyone be disturbed by that?

Torture Kills a College Professor

Killing Mr. Griffin is one of the best books written by Lois Duncan. It is not one of her best, but in my opinion it is still an excellent book. The book includes a confusing ending, and the cover is more interesting then the book itself. On the whole Mr. Griffin is a very strict teacher, who looks forward to the most from his students. His historical career started as of a college professor, and was the least favorite teacher of all. He assigns a lot of homework and never expects late papers. He is such a critic and gives out bad grades even if the papers are well-written, that deserve A’s.

Don’t be bored yet there is another side to his life at home with his wife, Kathy, who is pregnant. He doesn’t care about his wife; instead he truly wants to discipline his pupils. In this book, another character named Mark Kinney, who gets really bad grades by Mr. Griffin, decides to play a trick on his worst nightmare, Mr. Griffin. Then to make his plan successful he teams up with a couple friends, to develop an awful plan. They plan to kidnap Mr. Griffin, make him beg, experience, and convince Mr. Griffin that he will die.

In reality they will not kill him, but give him a taste of his own medicine. They will take Mr. Griffin up to the hills, a very isolated area. Two other characters named Betsy and Jeff help him out, plus another friend David Ruggles, who is a bit of a nerd. Sue, another character, is the one who arranges a meeting with Mr. Griffin after school, so that Jeff, David, and Betsy can do the job. They then have a picnic, and share the plans with Sue, and she agrees. Mr. Griffin is then invited by Sue and agrees immediately. Sue keeps him in a good mood for 15 minutes until Jeff, Mark, and Betsy arrive for the kill.

Sue finishes her meeting, and a second later Mr. Griffin is kidnapped, and everything goes according to plan. They reach up to the mountains, without Sue, as she refuses to participate. They decide to leave Mr. Griffin there for a few hours, to suffer, and then to come back after a while to let him free. David, the nerd goes to visit Sue and tells her the whole story of the seven hours of torture. This angers her as she believes that seven hours is too long, and Jeff and Betsy are irresponsible and will forget. She then convinces David to take them up to the mountains so they can let Mr. Griffin free. When they reach the mountains, they find that Mr. Griffin is dead.

He died because he was scared, and his heart failed out on him. They are all horrified, and decide to leave Mr. Griffin there, so no one will know. Then they wait for the next day after school to burry Mr. Griffin and hide his car. In the same time, his wife, Kathy Griffin reports to the police about her husband. The police then interviews Sue, as she was his best student. Mark tells Sue to lie about Mr. Griffin. To tell the police about a hot blond in Mr. Griffin’s car and that he was in a rush to go home. After school, Sue accomplishes her part, and on the other hand the others fail to park Mr. Griffin’s car in the airport, and leave the car at Mark’s garage.

That same night Kathy Griffin visits Sue, but stops when Mark and Jeff come for Sue to go to a shop. Kathy tells Sue that there is something fishy going on. In the meantime, Jeff’s old girlfriend, goes to the mountain and finds a bottle with Mr. Griffin’s name on it. She reports to the police and then the body is discovered by the police. Sue also agrees with the police, and angers the rest of the gang. They decide to lock up Sue in her house, under Mark’s supervision. Mark is so angered that he attempts to set fire to the house. He almost kills Sue, when Kathy Griffin notices the fire and calls the police.

The book turns out to be a blast for some people, not me because of what the characters do. Then plan something and unfortunately something else happens. They only try to torture Mr. Griffin and instead he dies of heart failure. Then also fail to cover up all what has happened and end up being caught by the police, with the help of Kathy, Jeff’s old girlfriend, and somewhat Sue.

The book on the overall is pretty well written by this brilliant author. The story and the four mysterious characters make it an excellent experience. I will recommend you to read this awesome novel, but if you want to listen to me then do not even think about it. In my opinion this book is just a waste of time and the story is really simple.

This book does not mean anything to me and I only read it for English class. I read only because of the title that has the word killing in it, and thought that it would be good, but unfortunately turned out to be useless.

MY RATTING:—– A Below Average D

2 Star Ok

By : XENIA

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “There are angels who take turns in visiting you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and the afternoon (`Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night with you, ascend to the heaven and their Rubb, Who knows better about them, asks: `In what condition did you leave My slaves?’ They reply: `We left them while they were performing Salat and we went to them while they were performing Salat.”’
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The silence is broken. They are all going……….What is going? My morning wake up alarms.

I usually set 3 alarms.

Two by my bedside and one outside the bedroom door. They are all set to ring within 5 minutes from each other and they are all in the snooze mode. No escape. No excuses.

The Fajr prayer as well as the Esha prayer are difficult at times and they are the most disliked prayers by the hypocrites.

And though sometimes it is hard to drag myself out  of my cosy bed, I can not escape my alarms and the disturbing thought that if I do not get up I might be classed as a  hypocrite in the sight of Allah (swt).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said:

“The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are salaat al-’isha’ and salaat alfajr, but if they only knew what they contain, they would come even if they had to crawl.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/424; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 133).

Back to my alarms. They are my friends and also a hindrance at that time in the morning but they  never let me down. They have become the first thing I hear every morning, in the pre dawn silent  sleeping world. Often is an impossible mission for me to get up. And then  straight away I think of Allah (swt) and the importance of all our prayers . How am I going to stand in front of Almighty God and say ” I was too tired to wake up for fajr prayer” ? Oh, the shame of me.

A lot depends on what time I went to bed the night before. The longer I stay up after Esha prayer on my laptop and spending time on idle talk the worst it is for me in the mornings.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) never used to talk after Esha prayer. When I enquired why I was told that, that was to avoid spending time on idle talk and pass times and go to bed early so he (saw) could wake up for his night and fajr prayers.

To make it easier in the mornings I try to follow advice such as:

1)Have the intention to wake up for my fajr prayer.

2) Go to bed early. As early as possible after Esha prayer.

3) Make dua to  Allah (swt) to help me to wake up.

4) Remembrance of Allah (swt) Dikhr

5) Keep in mind and hope for the excellent reward of fajr prayers

“Whoever prays fajr is under the protection of Allaah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allaah has to call you to account for your negligence.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 7/267; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 6344).

If it happens for me ever to oversleep by the leave of  Allah swt then I ask for Allah’s forgiveness. Providing I did take all the precautions to wake up for the prayer,  “Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [al-Baqarah 2:286].

The Prophet(saw) of Allah (swt): “Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps and misses it, the expiation for that is to pray it when he remembers it.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (572) and Muslim (684).

May Allah swt strengthen us to do all our prayers on time.

And Allah knows best!

Hadith no 24:

Abu Hurairah (Raa) Narrated : The Prophet peace be upon him said :

“No Salat (prayer) is heavier (harder) for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the Isha prayers,
but if they knew the reward of these Salat (prayers) at their respective times, they would
certainly present themselves (in the mosques) even if they have to crawl.”

The Prophet peace be upon Him added:

” Certainly I intended (or was about) to order the muadhdhin (call-maker) to pronounce the iqamah and order a man to lead the salat (prayer) and then take a fire flame to burn all those (men along with their houses) who had not yet left their houses for salat (prayer) (in the mosques).
Sahih Bukhari Vol 1 Hadith no 626

Comments: This Hadith tells us the importance of praying Fajr and Isha prayer on time and that not praying them on time or completely avoiding them is a characterestic of a Hypocrite of Islam ( ie a person who behaves outwardly as muslim but has no faith inside him)Also in the second part of hadith prophet peace be upon him gives stern warning to people who don’t offer salat in mosque and in congregation.

She’s My Sister*

by Muhammad Alshareef

*Translated by Muhammad Alshareef from the book Azzaman Alqaadim compiled by Abdulmalik Al-Qasim.

——————–

Her cheeks were worn and sunken, and her skin hugged her bones. That didn’t stop her because you could never catch her not reciting Qur’an. She was always vigil in her personal prayer room that our father had set up for her. Bowing, prostrating, raising her hands in prayer, was the way she was from dawn to sunset and back again; boredom was for other people.

As for me, I craved nothing more than fashion magazines and novels. I treated myself to videos until the trips to the rental place became my trademark. It’s a saying that when something becomes habit, people tend to distinguish you by it. I was negligent in my responsibilities and my salah was characterized by laziness.

One night, after a long three hours of watching, I turned the video off. The adhan rose softly in the quiet night. I slipped peacefully into my blanket.

Her voice called me from her prayer room. “Yes? Would you like anything Noorah?” I asked.

With a sharp needle she popped my plans. “Don’t sleep before you pray Fajr!”

Agghh! “There’s still an hour before Fajr. That was only the first adhan,” I said.

With those loving pinches of hers, she called me closer. She was like that even before the fierce sickness shook her spirit and shut her in bed. “Hanan, can you come sit beside me.”

I could never refuse any of her requests; you could touch the purity and sincerity in her. “Yes, Noorah?”

“Please sit here.”

“Alright, I’m sitting. What’s on your mind?”

With the sweetest mono voice she began reciting:

Every soul shall taste death and you will merely be repaid your earnings on the Day of Resurrection.

She stopped thoughtfully. Then she asked, “Do you believe in death?”

“Of course I do,” I replied.

“Do you believe that you shall be responsible for whatever you do, regardless of how small or large?”

“I do, but Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, and I’ve got a long life waiting for me.“

“Stop it Hanan! Are you not afraid of death and its abruptness? Take a look at Hind. She was younger than you but she died in a car accident. Death is age-blind and your age could never be a measure of when you shall die.”

The darkness of the room filled my skin with fear. “I’m scared of the dark and now you made me scared of death. How am I supposed to go to sleep now? Noorah, I thought you promised you’d go with us on vacation during the summer break.”

Her voice broke and her heart quivered. “I might be going on a long trip this year Hanan, but somewhere else. All of our lives are in Allah’s hands and we all belong to Him.”

My eyes welled and the tears slipped down both cheeks. I pondered my sisters grizzly sickness. The doctors had informed my father in private that there was not much hope Noorah was going to outlive the disease. She wasn’t told, so I wondered who hinted to her. Or was it that she could sense the truth?

“What are you thinking about Hanan?” Her voice was sharp. “Do you think I am just saying this because I am sick? I hope not. In fact, I may live longer than people who are not sick. How long are you going to live Hanan? Perhaps twenty years? Maybe forty? Then what?” Through the dark she reached for my hand and squeezed gently. “There’s no difference between us; we’re all going to leave this world to live in Paradise or agonize in Hell. Listen to the words of Allah:

Anyone who is pushed away from the Fire and shown into Jannah will have triumphed.

I left my sister’s room dazed, her words ringing in my ears: “May Allah guide you Hanan – don’t forget your prayer.”

I heard pounding on my door at eight o’clock in the morning. I don’t usually wake up at this time. There was crying and confusion. O Allah, what happened?

Noorah’s condition became critical after Fajr; they took her to the hospital immediately.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’oon.

There wasn’t going to be any trips this summer. It was written that I would spend the summer at home.

It felt like an eternity had gone by when it was one o’clock in the afternoon. Mother phoned the hospital.

“Yes. You can come and see her now.” Dad’s voice had changed, and mother could sense something had gone deathly wrong. We left immediately.

Where was that avenue I used to travel and thought was so short? Why was it so very long now? Where was the cherished crowd and traffic that would give me a chance to gaze left and right? Everyone, just move out of our way!

Mother was shaking her head in her hands crying as she made du’a for her Noorah. We arrived at the hospital’s main entrance. One man was moaning, while another was involved in an accident. A third man’s eyes were iced. You couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.

Noorah was in intensive care. We skipped stairs to her floor. The nurse approached us. “Let me take you to her.”

As we walked down the aisles the nurse went on expressing how sweet of a girl Noorah was. She somewhat reassured Mother that Noorah’s condition had gotten better than what it was in the morning. “Sorry. No more than one visitor at a time,” the nurse said.

This was the intensive care unit. Past the flurry white robes, through the small window in the door, I caught my sister’s eyes. Mother was standing beside her. After about two minutes, mother came out unable to control her crying. “You may enter and say salaam to her on the condition that you do not speak too long,” they told me. “Two minutes should be enough.”

“How are you Noorah? You were fine last night sister, what happened?”

We held hands; she squeezed harmlessly. “Even now, alhamdulillah, I’m doing fine.”

“Alhamdulillah…but…your hands are so cold.”

I sat on her bedside and rested my fingers on her knee. She jerked it away. “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

“No, it is just that I remembered Allah’s words.”

Waltafatul saaqu bil saaq (One leg will be wrapped to the other leg [in the death shroud]).

“Hanan pray for me. I may be meeting the first day of the Hereafter very soon. It’s a long journey and I haven’t prepared enough good deeds in my suitcase.”

A tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek at her words. I cried and she joined me. The room blurred away and left us two sisters to cry together. Rivulets of tears splashed down on my sister’s palm, which I held with both hands. Dad was now becoming more worried about me. I’ve never cried like that before.

At home and upstairs in my room, I watched the sun pass away with a sorrowful day. Silence mingled in our corridors. One after another, my cousins came in my room. The visitors were many and all the voices from downstairs stirred together. Only one thing was clear at that point – Noorah had died!

I stopped distinguishing who came and who went. I couldn’t remember what they said. O Allah, where was I? What was going on? I couldn’t even cry anymore.

Later that week they told me what had happened. Dad had taken my hand to say goodbye to my sister for the last time. I had kissed Noorah’s head.

I remember only one thing while seeing her spread on that bed – the bed that she was going to die on. I remembered the verse she recited:

One leg will be wrapped to the other leg (in the death shroud).

And I knew too well the truth of the next verse:

The drive on that day will be to your Lord (Allah)!

I tiptoed into her prayer room that night. Staring at the quiet dressers and silenced mirrors, I treasured the person that had shared my mother’s stomach with me. Noorah was my twin sister.

I remembered who I had swapped sorrows with, who comforted my rainy days. I remembered who prayed for my guidance and who spent so many tears for many long nights telling me about death and accountability. May Allah save us all.

Tonight is Noorah’s first night that she shall spend in her tomb. O Allah, have mercy on her and illumine her grave. This was her Qur’an and her prayer mat. And this was the spring, rose-colored dress that she told me she would hide until she got married; the dress she wanted to keep just for her husband.

I remembered my sister and cried over all the days that I had lost. I prayed to Allah to have mercy on me, accept me and forgive me. I prayed to Allah to keep her firm in her grave as she always liked to mention in her supplications.

At that moment, I stopped. I asked myself what if it was I who had died. Where would I be moving on to? Fear pressed me and the tears began all over again.

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar…” The first adhan rose softly from the masjid. It sounded so beautiful this time. I felt calm and relaxed as I repeated the mu’adhin’s call. I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders and stood to pray Fajr. I prayed as if it was my last prayer, a farewell prayer, just like Noorah had done yesterday. It had been her last Fajr.

Now, and in sha Allah for the rest of my life, if I awake in the morning I do not count on being alive by evening, and in the evening I do not count on being alive by morning. We are all going on Noorah’s journey. What have we prepared for it?
——————–
*Muhammad Alshareef’s final speech at the 1999 MYNA East Zone Conference.

Source: khutbah.com

Lila’s Experience

Welcome back people! This is Fajr Lodhi (a.k.a. the top rated blogger in the history of internet blogging) with another fantastic blog post on a very unique fictional book, totally based on a very unique art, “FIREWORK MAKING!”

Lila is the main character and the heroine of Philip Pullman’s novel, “The Firework-Maker’s Daughter.” She is young but acts as a little baby, “a cross little thing, always crying and refusing her food, but Lalchand built a cradle for her in the corner of the workshop, where she could see the sparks play and listen to the fizz and crackle of the gunpowder.” Once she got a little mature, she got interested and had a talent for a firework-making just like her father. She invented her own fireworks with names no one can ever think of. For example; tumbling demons and shimmering coins.

Then one day Lila tells her father about that she will be honored to be a master in firework-making. After listening to this her father gets really shocked and tells her that firework-making is not a suitable job for a girl. He means that if she becomes one, then it would be really hard to find a husband for her, because when her fingers get burned and she gets singed eyebrows, he really means that she probably won’t get married.

Lalchand gets really worried by her daughter’s thoughts and on the other hand Lila is angry about the husband thing. She then decides to run away to Mount Merapi, a place where every firework-maker must go to get some of the royal sulfur from Razvani, the Fire-Fiend. Lila’s adventures start along with her best friend, Chulak, and his talking white elephant, Hamlet. Along the way, they meet pirates, wild animals, and supernatural beings of every type. Now atlas Lila must face the scariest obstacle of all: her own fear.

In my opinion the theme of the novel, “The Firework-Maker’s Daughter,” is really simple. It is that a young girl gets hold of her career and fulfills her aim. Also another major theme would be that her father and others learn how to respect women. Last but not the least another theme is when she is helping to save her father’s life, and she learns cooperation with others and to appreciate the accomplishments of others, not to make fun of it. There is a lot of humor and fantasy in Pullman’s words and if you want to find out what really happened later on then do me a favor and please read this awesome adventurous book.

Now let’s talk about the setting of the story that takes place in an unnamed kingdom or that it is not mentioned in the novel. Other characteristics are that the story takes place where volcanoes which are active and very destructive. One important thing is that elephants roam around the countryside, and people eat exotic foods such as prawns and satay (also some type of sea food).

Another character that helps out Lila in the story is Chulak’s uncle, Rambashi. He is a failed chicken farmer, who appears in the novel sometimes as a pirate, then as a restaurateur, or a musician. He is a failure and his failed abuses often help Lila in her quest to become a proper firework maker.

Now let’s talk a little about characterization of the story. The main character Lila, a very confident, daring, and determined girl plus she is also willful and keen. This is because when she leaves home to find Razvani, the Fire-Friend without knowing how to make fireworks. Her anger about the husband thing keeps away from what she could have learned directly from her father.

The novel has a lot of fantasy. Lila looks for the royal sulfur from a fantastical creature, Razvani, and his ghosts. And then the goddess of the Emerald Lake, gives her the flask of magic water. The Elephant Hamlet also talks. These are some of the reasons the novel is categorized as a fantasy.

It is said in the story that the royal sulfur is the focus of any true firework maker’s life. But, after Lila passes every test, she receives no solid substance or object. Then she gets to know that the royal sulfur is just an illusion. The illusion is just an aim kept by the Fire-Friend to make firework-makers improve their skills. In my opinion I have found a major metaphor in which royal sulfur has been compared to an illusion and this is also what keeps Lila in determination.

This book really means a lot to me because I like fireworks, and that’s probably one of the main reasons I chose this book to read and expressed my views and gestures on it. I, from the bottom of my heart recommend you to give this fantasy novel a try.

MY RATTING:::::—– An Average C

3 Star Good

Also just for some extra knowledge, Today Fireworks are usually used as a way to celebrate in various occasions all around the globe!

Below are some of the ways they celebrate!

FIREWORKS

Praise be to Allaah.

Friday has many distinguishing features and virtues that Allaah has bestowed upon this day and not others.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah and Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah led those who came before us away from Friday. The Jews had Saturday, and the Christians had Sunday. Then Allaah brought us and Allaah guided us to Friday. So there is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and thus they will follow us on the Day of Resurrection. We are the last of the people of this world but we will be the first on the Day of Resurrection, and we will be dealt with before all others.”

Narrated by Muslim, 856.

Al-Nawawi said:

Al-Qaadi said: The apparent meaning is that it was obligatory for them to venerate Friday but this was not stated clearly; the matter was left to their own reasoning… But they did not manage to work it out and Allaah did not guide them to it. It was enjoined clearly upon this ummah, and was not left to their own reasoning, thus they were blessed with it … It was narrated that Moosa enjoined Friday upon them and told them of its virtues, but they disputed with him and argued that Saturday was better, and it was said to him, ‘Let them be.’ Al-Qaadi said: if there had been a clear command, their arguing with him would not have been valid, rather it would have been said to him that they were going against the command. I say: it may be that that was clearly enjoined upon them but they disputed as to whether it was something they had to adhere to or they could change it to another day; they decided to change it to another day and they erred greatly thereby.

It comes as no surprise that Friday was specifically enjoined upon them and they went against that.

Al-Haafiz said: How can it be otherwise when they are the ones who said “We hear and we disobey”?

It was narrated from Aws ibn Aws that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of your days is Friday. On that day Adam (peace be upon him) was created; on that day he died; on that day the Trumpet will be blown and on that day all of creation will swoon. So send a great deal of blessings upon me, for your blessings will be shown to me.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, how will our blessings upon you be shown to you when you have turned to dust?” He said, “Allaah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets, peace be upon them.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1047; classed as saheeh by Ibn al-Qayyim in his comments on Sunan Abi Dawood, 4/273; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 925.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best day on which the sun rises is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he was admitted to Paradise and on it he was expelled therefrom.”

Narrated by Muslim, 1410.

This hadeeth includes some of the reasons why Friday is regarded as special.

Al-Nawawi said:

Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: The apparent meaning is that these virtues do not mean that Friday is regarded as special because Adam was expelled on a Friday and the Hour will begin on a Friday. Rather it is meant to explain what momentous events took place and will take place on this day, so that people will make the most of this day to do righteous deeds, so as to attain the mercy of Allaah and ward off His punishment. This is the view of al-Qaadi. Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi said in his book al-Ahwadhi fi Sharh al-Tirmidhi: All of these events are good and add to the virtue of Friday. The expulsion of Adam from Paradise is the reason why his offspring and the Messengers, the Prophets, the righteous and the awliya’ exist. He was not expelled from it as such, but rather it was for a purpose, then he will return to it. With regard to the Hour beginning on a Friday, the reason is so that the reward may be hastened for the Prophets, believers in truth, awliya’ and others, and their honour and high status may be made manifest. This hadeeth points to the virtues of Friday and its high status in relation to the other days.

It was narrated that Abu Lubaabah ibn ‘Abd al-Mundhir said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Friday is the master of days, and the greatest of them before Allaah. It is greater before Allaah than the day of al-Adha and the day of al-Fitr. It has five characteristics: on this day Allaah created Adam, on it He sent Adam down to the earth, on it Allaah caused Adam to die, on it there is a time when a person does not ask Allaah for anything but He gives it to him, so long as he does not ask for anything haraam, and on it the Hour will begin. There is no angel who is close to Allaah, no heaven, no earth, no wind, no mountain and no sea that does not fear Friday.”

Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1084; classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 2279

Al-Sanadi said:

“They fear Friday” means they fear the onset of the Hour. This indicates that all created beings are aware of the days and they know that the Day of Resurrection will come on a Friday.

The virtues of this day include the following:

1 – On it is Salaat al-Jumu’ah (Friday prayer), which is the best of prayer.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salaah (prayer) on Friday (Jumu‘ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allaah [Jumu‘ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salaah (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing). That is better for you if you did but know!”

[al-Jumu’ah 62:9]

Muslim (233) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The five daily prayers and from one Jumu’ah to the next is an expiation for whatever sins come in between them, so long as one does not commit a major sin.”

2 – Praying Fajr in congregation on Fridays is the best prayer that the Muslim can pray during the week.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best prayer before Allaah is Fajr prayer on Friday in congregation.”

Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1119

One of the special features of Fajr prayer on Friday is that it is Sunnah to recite Soorat al-Sajdah in the first rak’ah and Soorat al-Insaan in the second.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite in Fajr prayer in Fridays Alif-Laam-Meem Tanzeel (Soorat al-Sajdah) in the first rak’ah and Hal ata ‘ala’l-insaan heenun min al-dahr lam yakun shay’an madhkooran (Soorat al-Insaan) in the second.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 851; Muslim, 880.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said:

It was said that the reason why these two soorahs are recited is because they mention the creation of Adam and what will happen on the Day of Resurrection, because that will come to pass on a Friday.

3 – Whoever dies during the day or night of Friday, Allaah will protect him from the trial of the grave.

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no Muslim who dies during the day of Friday or the night of Friday but Allaah will protect him from the trial of the grave.”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1074; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz, p. 49, 50

These are some of the virtues of Friday. We ask Allaah to help us to please Him.

And Allaah knows best.

Source: Islam qa

Jumuah graphics are from Easel and Ink, (The wonderful art garden for Muslim sisters).

Smile !

Last night I had the most amazing dream. So much so that when the alarm went for Fajr prayer I did not want to leave my dream. I was dreaming that I was praying. It seemed that the dream had lasted the whole night.

Anyway when I woke up I had this overwhelming feeling  that I was at peace, that my vision was sharp and I could actually notice and be happy and grateful about things. And in the short time since that  I have been awake ,I found so many reasons to smile and to  stop being so  miserable.

1)  I smiled when I noticed for the first time that in my kitchen window sill, in the spider plan pot, there was the most amazing jasmine flower.Just one.  White, delicate and pure. I never noticed it growing before.

2) I smiled when I opened my emails and I found an email from an old friend. ( Nosheen, if you are reading this, Jazak Allah kheir).

3)  I smiled when I looked at my peacefully sleeping children

4) I smiled when I drove down a tree lined street.

5) I smiled when a bus driver gave me way.

6) I smiled when I said Asalamu Alaykum to my boss. In fact I said Asalamu Alaykum wa rahmatoulahi wa barakatou. I got him by surprise. He had to smile back.

7) I smiled when I remembered a joke I have shared with a friend. ( Arkoudisio /you know who you are).

8- I smiled as I realised that though Ramadan is coming to an end, I was given another opportunity this year. Alhamdulillah.

9) I smiled at my own shortcomings.

10) I smiled as I realised how blessed I am to be a Muslimah.

11) I smiled as I remembered a Hadith about the Prophet saw. The prophet saw  used to smile until his molar teeth were showing.

12) I smiled as I know you all and I am very grateful for your support.

Thank you for reading .

Please do not forget to smile.

Xenia

Greek Muslimah

Now That You Have Become a Muslim,
Stay As a Muslim- Adil ibn Manzoor Khan

The holy month of Ramadan is drawing to a close and Inshallah we will soon be celebrating Eid. The excitement of Eid is all around us and all are busy with the preparations for Eid.

If we take a look at the past month, Alhamdulillah we did a great job. We obeyed Allah swt by fasting for full 30 days. We stayed away from haraam things to the best of our ability. We did not backbite nor fight. Our heart was filled with emaan and wherever we saw looked so beautiful.

We had indeed became a “Complete Muslim”.

A Muslim is a person who summits his will to Almighty God.

Now That You Have Become a Muslim, Stay as a Muslim…

Is this not what Allah swt expects from us?

After Ramadan, everything will be as it always was the same masjid, the same namaz, the sameMuezzin and the same azaan.

Hayya alas-Salah… Hayya alal-falah…

(Come to prayer – come to success).

But sadly these words wont matter for most of us.

After Ramadan, it is too difficult for us to get up for the Fajr namaz let alone going to the masjid for Fajr Salaat.

Once again our morning sleep will be having more importance than the call of Allah swt.

During Ramadan, we anxiously used to wait for the Fajr azaan to go the masjid but once Ramadan is over, when do we take time to wait for the azaan ?

Remember my brothers; the person who goes for Fajr Namaz in the darkness of the dawn will be having light on the Day of Judgment when we all are walking on the siraat.

Now That You Have Become a Muslim, Stay As a Muslim

And build your aakhira.

In the evenings, we used to come home early and sit for iftar and wait for the mouzieen to say the magrib azaan. But now who cares, right?

Work is once again will become more important than namaz

Or

I am traveling towards home during that time and hence cannot perform the magrib prayers on time.

Excuses…Excuses…

These are nothing but excuses which we use to absolve ourselves from our responsibilities as true Muslims.

When we will stop giving excuses and start living as a Muslim?

We stay away from TV and other haraam things for the whole one month of Ramadan. Mashallah we survived the temptations to see whats forbidden to see … because our emaan was strong.

If we can survive for 1 month, it is time for us to carry it forward.

However, as a practical person, I know it is very hard to continue in the same way as we did in Ramadan, we are bound to fall in to Satans trap.

But that does not give the liberty to start watching or doing zinaa with our eyes / hands / mouth and legs ?

Is this what Allah expects from us?

am not asking you to make impossible resolutions and say we are going to stay like this for next 11 months.

All I say is that let us take small steps and make small resolutions which we as a new Muslims can carry.

I urge our New Muslims not to loose their emaan and carry their emaan for another 2 months, till the Eid al-Adhaa (Bakri Eid).

It is hardly 2 months away.

If we could survive and resist temptations of Satan for one month, I am sure we can continue in the same vein for the next 2 months… cant we?

Yes we can… and we will strive do so.

After Eid-Al-Adhan when we look back we would see that we have been a full Muslim for past 3 months.

Inshallah by that time our emaan would be hard as a rock and then we will not need other person to tell us to “be a good Muslim”.

Thereafter, carrying this strong emaan for another 9 months till next Ramadan would not be difficult as it seems to be today.

Yes you can … All you have to do is one thing.

Stay As a Muslim.

As-Salaam Walekum

Adil ibn Manzoor Khan

Lets Play Soccer

So this time I Fajr Lodhi (a.k.a. the top rated blogger in the history of internet blogging) read a very unique non-fictional book, totally based on everyone’s favorite sport, “SOCCER!” Also sometimes called football, it is one of the world’s top most popular sports. Just not that, but Soccer is also considered as one of the most beneficial and nourishing activity in town. Its history, the equipment, the pitch, and the rules/regulations mix up together and make it even more promising. This activity is surprisingly suitable for everyone; size, age, and gender (sex) do not matter.

I have noticed that sports are very common sources of entertainment among the world today, and Soccer at its best has won the people’s hearts. Also these days sports tend to have nicknames (for example: B-ball for Basket Ball), but Soccer hasn’t changed a bit; that’s what you get for playing an original one. I believe that this particular activity is a symbol of its own. I mean that it symbolizes perfect sportsmanship, teamwork, and foot/hand/eye coordination. Since a match cannot be won without these remarkable symbols that stand out there and teach us to be better players, or maybe just better supporters.

Now let’s have a serious talk about the book. It’s by a brilliant author, “Robert Joseph Antonacci.” He writes a little bit about his own experiences, but don’t think it’s just another awful and worthless biography. I would say that this piece of literature is kind of a novel but more of like a reference book but deeply interesting in the beginning. This book really means a lot to me because I am fond of watching sports, and that’s probably one of the main reasons I chose this book to read and expressed my views and gestures on it. I, from the bottom of my heart recommend you to give this informative novel a try.

MY RATTING :::::—–  A Classic B

4 Star Very Good

Also just for some extra knowledge, Today Soccer is also being used for promotions of products from many different well known companies.

Below are some of the ways they promote!

NIKE

ADIDAS

This is Fajr Lodhi’s (a.k.a. the top rated blogger in the history of internet blogging) first blog post. Bye until next time!!!

Many a time, we start our ramadan with 100% motivation; come mid-ramadan, much of this motivation is gone and begin to lose speed, if not completely come to a stop! With 5 days of Ramadan having already past, it is important that we remind ourselves of the opportunity we have and take advantage of it!

1) Find beneficial things to do! Especially in the West where food is plentiful, when we find ourselves bored with nothing to do, we start to eat. Now that we cannot eat or drink- we tend to get bored AND have nothing to munch on. This means that we end up either sleeping those precious hours of Ramadan away or watch TV and play videogames to pass time. Instead of wasting time, one MUST use these hours for spiritual benefit! Our Prophet (SAW) used to tell us: “Don’t ever belittle any deed!”

a) Read Quran; Even if it’s only a page a day. The Prophet (SAW) said in an authentic narration: “Indeed the most beloved of deeds is that which is consistent, even if it is a little thing.”

b) Learn the du’as that the Prophet (SAW) used to say and apply them in your life. These du’as are not something we just memorize blindly- rather they tell us how to live our life in general; ie we should be remembering Allah throughout our entire day, even whilst entering and exiting the toilet!

c) Pray your salah early. Many times we might delay our prayer. By praying early, we can make sure we have enough time to pray properly

2) Do things together with family or friends (family first!). When reading Quran, get a family member to read with you. Learn the du’as with a friend, have a competition to see who can memorize the most! Pray salah with your family or, better yet, in the masjid so that you not only get the rewards of praying on time but you also get the reward of praying together.

3) Break those habits you’ve always wanted to break. All of us have some habits that we want to get rid of. Use Ramadan to break those habits! Satan is locked up! You must make use of this opportunity. Write a list of “Ramadan Resolutions” detailing each of your bad habits and how exactly you intend to destroy and obliterate each one.

4) While you’re at it, take up new habits. For example, the Prophet (SAW) used to frequently stay up after fajr to pray the duha prayer. Praying 4 rakahs of the duha prayer (~15- 20 minutes after fajr time ends) can reward you with the reward of going to Makkah and doing Hajj! Ibn Taymiyah, the well-known “Shaykh of Islam,” used to say: “This (staying up after fajr and remembering Allah) is my breakfast, without it I cannot spend my day properly.”

Hello World! This is Fajr Lodhi the author of the world most popular blogs ever to appear in the history of blogging! This time I gave WordPress a try, also known as the number one company in producing blogs! I bet we will have a wonderful journey…

Realizing I can’t eliminate the Word of the Day with a daily reflection post until the day has passed, I thought I’d explain the meaning of the words I’ve been using in the Ramadan posts. 

sawm - fasting in Ramadan, one of the Five Pillars of Islam

suhoor – the time before the dawn prayer to eat a final meal before beginning fast

fajr – the dawn prayer at which time the fast begins

maghreb – the sunset prayer when the fast is broken

iftar - the meal breaking the fast

Ramadan Mubarak – a well wish to each others meaning, Blessed Ramadan

Ramadan Kareem – another well wish, Generous Ramadan

Bismillah. As-salaamu ‘alaikum.  This post was emailed to me by brother Kamran Sheikh.  It’s something that I stress over especially when it is Ramadan.  I usually end up comparing several prayer (suhoor/iftar) timetables from several masajid and from different towns and cities.
Differences in Fajr and Isha times

“For those who have been looking at some Ramadhan time tables and noticing that there are some big differences, here is a good explanation done by good student of knowledge – Abu Rumaysah from High Wycombe (translator of many books masha-Allah).  Also attached is the WISE (Wycombe Islamic Scoiety) Ramadhan timetable which shows the below details.

Thought would share it with everyone and also hope next year more masajid can adopt this approach of actually finding out the real times by using naked eye obeservations & not using calculations – I know Luton & Leicester have also done their own research – seems London a bit slow.” – Kamran Sheikh.

Calculation of Timings for Fajr and `Isha Prayers

The timings of Fajr and `Isha are related to the appearance of twilight – a period of soft, diffused light in the sky when the sun is just below the horizon preceding sunrise (morning twilight or dawn) or following sunset (evening twilight or dusk).

Muslims have been using calculations to work out the time twilight appears each day for Fajr and `Isha by considering the position (angle) of the Sun below the local horizon. When the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon, the sky becomes totally dark and the stars are clearly visible. This is categorised as Astronomical Twilight.

When Muslims asked observatories for data to decide timings for Isha and Fajr, they provided timings for astronomical twilight as this was a classification they used.

However, the time for Fajr prayer commences when the horizon becomes illuminated and that white light proceeds to spread across the horizon, as seen by the human eye, which is after the sun has risen above a decline of 18 degrees.

Moreover, for the calculation of `Isha times, Muslims are not concerned about the onset of total darkness but the disappearance of the redness

of sunset*. Despite this, many timetables have their `Isha and Fajr times corresponding to the time when the sun is at a decline of 18 degrees i.e. at Astronomical Twilight.

To discover the correct timings, we, in High Wycombe, have been observing the times of Fajr and `Isha by looking at the sky with our own eyes. We have found that timings for `Isha prayer approximate to a sun’s decline of 12 degrees and for Fajr prayer, an angle of 15 degrees.

Interestingly, our observations showed that the corresponding angles for Fajr and Isha vary depending on the season, with the angles being smaller during the Summer and greater during the Winter. As such we have altered our timetables to reflect our findings.

This means that our Fajr times are slightly later, and our `Isha times earlier, than the times found on timetables based on 18 degrees, such as the Regents Park timetable.

Moreover, some timetables also introduce a 10 minute ’safety margin’ which they subtract from the time of Fajr; as such the differences in times on these timetables when compared to ours is greater. We have not added this ’safety margin’ as it is something that contradicts the Sunnah.

No matter what the angle used for Fajr and `Isha, the times of ’sunrise’ and ’sunset’ (Maghrib) are approximately the same on different calendars.

* According to the majority of scholars, other than the Hanafi School, the time of `Isha commences when the redness of the sunset disappears, i.e. before Astronomical Twilight. (Ibn Rushd, Bidayatu’l-Mujtahid)

• High Wycombe: WISE-TimetableMap2009

• Masjid Ansar (Goodmayes, Essex) masjid-ansar-ramadan_2009

• East London Mosque: RAMADAN_ELM_final_A3-Screen
  

Always remember Ur Prayers are Ur Passport to Jannah (Heaven) for the Muslims especially.See these videos to remind U of the peace,tranquility,happiness when one goes to the Masjid especially..and all the time in your life…

Der Sohn von Schaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz rahimuhu Lah, Ahmed, erzaehlt

Der Schaykh pflegte seine Kinder zum Salaatul Fajr ueber die Sprechanlage zu wecken.

Und wenn er sie so rief, pflegte er die Dua zu sprechen:

((al-Hamdu Lillaahil-lathee Ahyaanaa ba’da maa Amaatanaa wa ilayhin-nushoor))
(Aller Preis gehört Allah, DER uns zum Leben erweckte nachdem ER es uns genommen hatte, und zu IHM ist unsere Rückkehr.)

….und da sie noch schlaftrunken waren, würde er sie auffordern diese Dua zu wiederholen, bis er sicher war, dass er sie geweckt hatte

al-Imaam Ibn Baaz – duroos wa mawaaqif wa ‘ibar – Page 71
Fatwa Online

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Thursday June 18, 2009 (Jumad Thani 24,1430)

Sheykh Efendi is asking, “How long can you continue not knowing why you are living?” Hazreti Adam aleyhi selam made one mistake and cried for centuries to ask forgiveness. Shaytan did not ask forgiveness, and lost everything in spite of his knowledge. Safety is from obeying ALLAH swt and His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), not from book knowledge. Submission to a friend of ALLAH is required to reach safety. Mercy of ALLAH swt is there as long as you breathe. Seek Prophetic knowledge. It’s not in computers. The healthiest way of receiving knowledge is through dreams. Watch out for dajjal. Shaytan never reached to Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in any way. Safety is only through him. During the month of Rejeb, keep to yourself, at least after Fajr or after Asr.

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