Oh Servant of the Qur’an

...One day while sitting at the school in which I take Islamic studies classes, my teacher introduced me to an Egyptian girl that memorizes Qur’aan there. I remember thinking how shy and timid the girl seemed. After the girl left, my teacher revealed that she is both deaf and mute. I was both amazed and puzzled. I asked, “Well then, how does she memorize/recite the Qur’aan with tajweed?” My teacher smiled and stated, “By reading lips.”

SubhanAllah walhamdulillah wa laa ilaaha illallaah wallahu Akbar! Glory be to Allah, all praise belongs to Him, He is the One God, and He is Great!

Cool toilet

THE LADY IS GETTING READY TO ENTER!!
This is a picture of a public toilet in Houston



Now that you've seen the outside view,
take a look at the inside view...

It's made entirely of one-way glass!

No one can see you from the outside, but when
you are inside it's like sitting in a clear
glass box!

Now would you...?
COULD YOU....???

Dream of the Prophet Muhammad

Narrated Samura bin Jundub:

Allah's Apostle very often used to ask his companions, "Did anyone of you see a dream?" So dreams would be narrated to him by those whom Allah wished to tell.

One morning the Prophet said,

"Last night two persons came to me (in a dream) and woke me up and said to me, 'Proceed!'
I set out with them and we came across a man Lying down, and behold, another man was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's head, injuring it. The rock rolled away and the thrower followed it and took it back. By the time he reached the man, his head returned to the normal state. The thrower then did the same as he had done before. I said to my two companions, 'Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said, 'Proceed!'

So we proceeded and came to a man Lying flat on his back and another man standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he had done with the other side. He hardly completed this side when the other side returned to its normal state. Then he returned to it to repeat what he had done before. I said to my two companions, 'Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said to me, 'Proceed!'

So we proceeded and came across something like a Tannur (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined for baking bread)." I think the Prophet said, "In that oven there was much noise and voices." The Prophet added, "We looked into it and found naked men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to them from underneath, and when it reached them, they cried loudly. I asked them, 'Who are these?' They said to me, 'Proceed!'

And so we proceeded and came across a river." I think he said, ".... red like blood." The Prophet added, "And behold, in the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold. while the other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he went swimming again. He returned and every time the performance was repeated, I asked my two companions, 'Who are these (two) persons?' They replied, 'Proceed! Proceed!'

And we proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance, you ever saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire and he was kindling it and running around it. I asked my companions, 'Who is this (man)?' They said to me, 'Proceed! Proceed!'

So we proceeded till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring colors. In the midst of the garden there was a very tall man and I could hardly see his head because of his great height, and around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen. I said to my companions, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'Proceed! Proceed!'

So we proceeded till we came to a majestic huge garden, greater and better than I have ever seen! My two companions said to me, 'Go up and I went up' The Prophet added, "So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and silver bricks and we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened and we entered the city and found in it, men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the handsomest person you have ever seen, and the other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever seen.

My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. Behold, there was a river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness. Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies) had disappeared and they became in the best shape."

The Prophet further added, "My two companions (angels) said to me, 'This place is the Eden Paradise, and that is your place.' I raised up my sight, and behold, there I saw a palace like a white cloud! My two companions said to me, 'That (palace) is your place.' I said to them, 'May Allah bless you both! Let me enter it.' They replied, 'As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day)

I said to them, 'I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?'

They replied, 'We will inform you:

As for the first man you came upon whose head was being injured with the rock, he is the symbol of the one who studies the Quran and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the enjoined prayers.

As for the man you came upon whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells so many lies that it spreads all over the world. And

those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and adulteresses;,

and the man whom you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow, is the eater of usury (Riba) and

the bad looking man whom you saw near the fire kindling it and going round it, is Malik, the gatekeeper of Hell and

the tall man whom you saw in the garden, is Abraham and the children around him are those children who die with Al-Fitra (the Islamic Faith)."

The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet, "O Allah's Apostle! What about the children of pagans?"
The Prophet replied, "And also the children of pagans."

The Prophet added, "My two companions added,

'The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were those persons who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them.'"



Source:Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 87, Number 171

Istiqarah prayers- common mistakes

When doing Salatul Istikharah, one does not have to do anything but to perform Salat and recite the affirmed du‘a’ in a manner similar to any other du‘a’ in order to fulfill what one intends to do or leaves it.

Accordingly, scholars affirmed that [after performing this Salat] one should start doing the thing he finds his heart inclined to and should not depend on seeing a dream nor should one ask others to perform it on his behalf; it is just a kind of du‘a’ in which a muslim asks for Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) help to guide him to that which is good. Once a muslim’s heart is willing to tread a certain path which turns to be successful, he would certainly feel satisfied and happy. If not, he would know that goodness is not in the path he chose and would also feel satisfied and thank Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) for it.(1)

[1/63] A common mistake:

Some people believe that Salatul Istikharah is not valid unless others do it on their behalf and it should be followed by a dream. This is indeed a sheer extremism that Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) never enjoined nor did His prophet's (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) Sunnah preach. This extremism was born out from exaggeration -that should be avoided- which led to abandoning one of the greatest of the prophet's (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) Sunnan and hence the loss of rewards and blessings.

O, dear muslim brother, ask for Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) guidance in all your affairs and He (Subhanahu wa Taala) will surely guide you to that which is good. He (Subhanahu wa Taala) made asking for his help so easy; just recite the du‘a’ after performing any [two Rak‘ahs] Nafilah Salat or perform two Rak‘ahs especially for this purpose and surely you will be granted more rewards and blessings.

(1) There is disagreement amongst scholars regarding repeating Salatul Istikharah in case one could not decide which way to tread nor was his heart pleased with either doing what he intended to do or abandoning it. There is not, however, any affirmed proof that states the legality of repeating it. See: “Naylul Awtar” (vol. 3 / p. 90).

And never do what other people usually do of extremism or asking others to do it on their behalf; just take hold of the prophet's (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) Sunnah and you will surely be guided and succeed in this world and in the Hereafter. Indeed, how fortune he is who performs it and participate in its revivification amongst muslims.(1)

[2/63] After doing Salatul Istikharah, do whatever pleases your heart.

Never do that which you intended to do before doing the Salat; you should abandon such an intention otherwise you would not be asking for Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) guidance but your own desires - we seek Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) refuge from that.

One should be sincere when asking Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) guidance, feeling free from one’s own knowledge and power and attributing them to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) alone. Once one does that, he has been free from his own desires.(2)

Regretfully, many people are not well acknowledged with the legal Salatul Istikharah; consequently, they invented many ways of doing it, none of which is affirmed in the Qur’an nor the Sunnah, not even reported that any of the righteous Salaf to have done them. These forged ways are frequently practiced, and when one preaches the legal one which the prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to practice, foul tongues will soon severely whip his back and will be considered as an extremist renegade. Indeed, there is no power nor might but with Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala).

(1) “Al-Madkhal” (vol. 3 / p. 90) by Ibnil Haj, “Hadyun Naby Fis Salawatil Khamssah” (pp. 222-3) and “Ad-Dinul Khalis” (vol. 5 / pp. 245-...)
(2) “Naylul Awtar” (vol. 3 / p. 90) with little editing.

The following paragraphs present some of these forged ways of doing Salatul Istikharah:

[3/63] Believing in setting a condition prior to doing Salatul Istikharah;

that is if the matter one wishes to do is good one would see a green or a white colour in one’s dreams. And if the matter is evil one would see a red or a black colour.

Miscellaneous Mistakes

[4/63] Using the rosary by the one who needs Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) guidance or others make it for him.
One holds the rosary and then presents one’s need secretly then gathers some of its beads in one’s hand and counts them. If the number of the beads is an odd one, one would not fulfill what he had intended to do. If the number is an even one, one would consider this as a good sign and would do what he had born in his intention.

Indeed, what is the difference between this way and that which the people of Jahiliyyah used to practice, i.e. the Tiyarah, which is totally prohibited in our Shar‘.

[5/63] The cup way.
A cup of coffee is made by a man or a woman for the one who needs the Istikharah. The later drinks the cup of coffee offered to him, then tips it over and after a while gives it to the former to “read” it for him. The former looks inside the cup after the leftover has made different shapes and lines -just like any liquid left over does. Then the “reader” starts making up different stories for the former and fills his head with legends!!

[6/63] Using necromancy [fortunetelling] .
It is done by placing a cup full of water on a special person’s hand which has special lines. This process is done on a certain day of the week. Then the fortune-teller starts humming with unrecognized words calling some of the Jinns in order to bring the thief [as is usually done or tell him about the robery].

[7/63] Using the sand.
It is done by drawing disconnected lines on the sand, then they are counted in a special mathematical way known to those who practice this way. At the end, the fortune-teller gets to know the person’s sign [of the zodiac] and picks out all the information about this sign from a certain book he brought for such a purpose. Then he tells the person about the latter’s past and future events -as he claims. Those people with similar signs are told the same thing.

[8/63] Using the palm.
In this way the fortune-teller claims to have the ability of reading one’s palm through diagnosing and analysing its lines and starts telling others about their future.

[9/63] Using the Mushaf.
One opens the Mushaf randomly, if one’s eyes fell on an Ayah that talks about mercy, he would do the thing he wishes, otherwise he won’t.

[10/63] Some people go to Shaikhs and righteous people to do the Istikharah on their behalf which is a mistake!! No doubt that those of sound sense could easily realize that all these ways are part of the forbidden fortune telling believing in which is one of the grievous sins as the ‘Ulamah strongly stated.(1)

The prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) forbade it saying: ‘Whoever attends a fortune teller or a soothsayer and believes whatever he says [the former] has indeed disbelieved in that which was revealed on Muhammad (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam)’.(2)

He (Subhanahu wa Taala) also said: ‘Whoever attends a fortune teller, asks him about any thing and believes him, his Salat would not be accepted for forty days’.(3)

I wonder how could people seek such nonsense and falsehood and get away from the prophet's (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) guidance??! It is worth-mentioning here that some people violate the manner in which Salat is done such as: adding the du‘a false statements or believing in the necessity of setting conditions before doing the Salat: such as doing it in matter one is confused about, reciting the du‘a while doing Sujud … et. Another mistake people make after doing Salatul Istikharah is saying: ‘We made Istikharah and got no benefit’ or other statements that indicate that one is not fully submitted to Allah's (Subhanahu wa Taala) will. In his “Al-Fawa’id” (p. 174), Ibn Al-Qayyim said: ‘The warm hearted father always does that which is best for his son; he would even cut one of his organs if necessary. And he would deprive him sometimes from money or desires if this is for his own good.

Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) the All-wize and Most merciful who always showers His creatures with mercy when afflicting them with misfortune for their own good. Only those with deep faith in Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) would understand and believe in this, unlike those who lack knowledge in Allah’s perfect names and attributes and resorted instead to their deficient minds, such would gain nothing at all.

Those who believe deeply in Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) and His perfect knowledge would feel content in this world and in the hereafter when they would live in Paradise. This what truly means to believe in Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), and accept Islam as one’s religion and Muhammad as our messenger’.

(1) See: “Al-Kba’ir”, Grievous Sin (no. 41) (p. 141).
(2) Narrated by: Ahmad in “Al-Musnad” (vol. 2 / pp. 408, 429, 476), Abu Dawud in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 4 / p. 15) (no. 3904), Ad-Darimi in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 1 / p. 259), At-Tirmithi in “Al-Jami‘” (vol. 1 / pp. 242-3) (no. 135), Ibn Majah in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 1 / p. 209) (no. 639), Ibnil Jarud in “Al-Muntaqa” (p. 58), Al-Hakim in “Al- Mustadrak” (vol. 1 / p. 8) and Al-Baihaqi in “As-Sunnan Al-Kubra” (vol. 8 / p. 135). Al-Hakim considered the Hadith as authentic in his “Al-Mustadrak” with which Ath-Thahabi agreed in his “At-Takhlis” and “Al-Kaba’ir” (p. 141) and so did Al- ‘Iraqi in his “’Amali” -as reported in “Faydul Qadir” (vol. 6 / p. 23).
(3) Narrated by: Muslim in his “Sahih” (vol. 4 / p. 1751) (no. 2230).

Britain's worst weather

Millions of people living in southern England and the Home Counties were told to prepare themselves for up to 40cm of snow last night as Britain remained in the grip of the longest prolonged spell of cold weather for 30 years.

Not everyone has been so concerned about the unusually high levels of snow though.

Those able to get out and enjoy the weather in Britain have done so in style.

Footage has been posted on YouTube of those making the most of the snow by going sledging - without clothes on.

Nevertheless, the Met Office has issued its highest level of alert, warning of an impending "extreme weather event" that would bring travel chaos and threaten power supplies.

Forecasters said it would be snowing in London before dawn, bringing widespread disruption to the capital and forcing many workers to stay at home.
%3Cbody%20style%3D%22margin%3A0%22%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3CSCRIPT%3E/*IXXXXXX*/%3C/SCRIPT%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22display%3Anone%3B%22%3ECCID%3A%2027450%3C/div%3E%0D%0A%3Cscript%20type%3D%22text/javascript%22%3E%0D%0Agoogle_ad_client%20%3D%20%22pub-5276995754775409%22%3B%0D%0Agoogle_ad_slot%20%3D%20%229191067969%22%3B%0D%0Agoogle_ad_width%20%3D%20300%3B%0D%0Agoogle_ad_height%20%3D%20250%3B%0D%0Agoogle_page_url%20%3D%20%27http%3A//www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm%3Fc_id%3D2%26objectid%3D10618642%27%3B%0D%0A%3C/script%3E%0D%0A%3Cscript%20type%3D%22text/javascript%22%0D%0Asrc%3D%22http%3A//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js%22%3E%0D%0A%3C/script%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C/div%3E

Further, they said the freezing conditions were expected to continue for up to two weeks.

"This type of warning is very rare," one meteorologist said.

"A period of exceptionally heavy snowfall is expected with accumulations of 15-30cm and perhaps in excess of 40cm."

The National Grid also issued an alert urging power suppliers to use less gas as it tried to find more supplies from overseas following a 30 per cent rise in demand.

Gordon Brown and Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, sought to ease fears that Britain was running out of power, insisting that reserves would last through the cold snap, but shadow energy secretary Greg Clark claimed the UK had just eight days of gas remaining.

The Prime Minister said: "I think Britain can deal with these problems. There are always difficulties when we have a long spell of bad weather. But we can cope."

Weather forecasters and advisors worked closely with the Highways Agency, local authorities and government agencies to prepare for the latest wintry blast. But there was little that could be done as the elements brought life to a standstill in many parts. All schools in Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders were shut yesterday, and students across the north of England, Wales and Cornwall were also sent home for the day.

Redefining Online Auctions

Online shopping is becoming very famous in today's world. We tend to browse for our favourite online shopping malls and even auction sites for good deals on price and quality. Most of us are very much aware of ebay as the 'only' action and bidding site but, have you heard about Bidazzled? Bedazzled is launched recently in Novomber and here, you could save as much as 90% on name and brand merchandise all while funding a charity! Noble, don't you think? Bedazzled is mostly an entertainment auction site, and the way it works is very much different than the other common auction sites. Here's how it goes: The price increases a few cents with each bid placed and a few seconds are added to the countdown clock to give others a chance to bid. The auction ends when no other bids are placed. So if a new washing machine ends at two dollars, then you win the washing machine for two dollars. Isn't that amazing? Along with bidding, you are also donating to the lung cancer charity. Mostly, the auction winners save over 80% off retail and even more interesting is the fact that nobody loses. What I meant by no one loses here is that, if you don't win, you receive up to 50 Bonus Bids as a thank you for participating, and you can purchase the auction item less the investment you had in the auction. If you win, Bidazzled typically make an offer to buy the item back for either cash, cash and bids or bids. I am currently on Bidazzled site, bidding for the Apple iPod touch 8GB (3rd Gen) NEWEST and guess how much the bid ended? $69.66!!! For more, you should totally check out the site. Besides getting amazing offers, you are also entitled to the referral program. It works like this:

If:

*A refers B. A receives 5 Bonus Bids
*B refers C. A receives 4 Bonus Bids
*C refers D. A receives 3 Bonus Bids
*D refers E. A receives 2 Bonus Bids
*E refers F. A receives 1 Bonus Bid.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

Les Miserable

Are you a fan of theatre? I know I am. I have seen a few myself. My first experience was My Fair Lady, then, it was the very famous Beauty and the Beast. It was amazing to see how talented the actors and actresses are. I was mesmerized at their talent. The third I saw was the Bombay Dreams and latest was Les Miserable. The last one is my favourite because I was with the best company! :)

Qype

Me and my husband are busy planning our Christmas holidays. We have a few places in mind, basically Spain, Rome, France or Austria. I am more inclined towards Spain as I have never been there before. However, I don't mind if he prefers other destinations, as I am more excited about spending the time with him rather than seeing the place. We've been through a rough time and this is the time for us to rejuvenate again and bring back the spark into our love life. I was busy browsing information on traveling, accommodation and food when I came across a site called qype- http://www.qype.co.uk/.

This is a web portal giving information and reviews of places to visit. It's very informative, as I get information about any parts of the world from people who have actually been to these places. So, it's like getting first hand advice/ information. The site gives information about Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, Events and more.... Whether it be Shopping, Eating / Drinking, Arts or anything else that you are interested in. This site will show you where to find the best places and deals. It's easy to navigate and use. All information is categorized for easy access.

I sure would love to check information on the Restaurants, as both me and my husband love dining out in good restaurants and trying out new food whenever we travel. I am not so much of a clubbing person, but I do know a few good pubs in London (if you are interested to) :) Some of the famous Pubs London and Restaurants London are famous and you might need to make prior reservations to even enter these places!

Back to my holiday plan, I still need a lot of research to do in the next 3 days because we need to make our arrangements finalized soon. I do need to browse Qype more. I guess, I won't be googling, but I will be Qyping. hahahahhaha