"..it comes back to you.."

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
"..it comes back to you.." (Short story)

As Salaamu Alaikum!

Have you ever felt that you have been doing some good job in your life or in your office or have helped someone in life but never received any appreciation or gratitude? Due to the absence of gratitude or thanklessness of people, have you ever got demotivated or stopped doing the good work all together?

Well, you never stop doing anything good you have been doing in the absence of gratitude or receiving no appreciation from people. Because

"The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"

To illustrate this fact, let us read a short story:

A woman baked chapatti (roti) for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill, for whosoever would take it away. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: "The evil you do remains with you: The good you do,... comes back to you!" This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and uttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself...

"Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?" One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this hunchback," she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him! As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. "What is this I am doing?" she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman.

Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him.. She prayed for his safe return. That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. As he gave it to me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!" " As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale.

She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life! It was then that she realized the significance of the words:

"The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"

Moral of the story:

Do good and Don't ever stop doing good, even if it is not appreciated at that time. Be patient and continue working hard and doing good, because even if people do not see what you are doing for them or cannot appreciate you - just Remember only one thing - Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is watching you and it is He who will do the Justice in the end and your good deeds one day will be noticed by all!

Please share and give a smile today to those who are depressed for lack of appreciation.

With Best Wishes

 www.ewaytoquran.tk

Importance of Tajweed as elaborated in the Quran & Sunnah

Assalam o Alaikum Brothers and sisters in Islam

An Arabic adage proclaims: “The speech of the kings is the king of all speech.”

So, can the excellency of the speech of the kings of all kings – Allah Ta’ala – even be equated with man-made speech.

One of the many miracles of the Noble Qur’aan is that regardless of the number of times it is recited, one never gets tired nor bored with its recitation. Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’aan, ‘Indeed the believers are those who tremble with fear when Allah is remembered and when the verses of the Qur’aan are recited before them, it increases their belief and upon Allah they have complete trust.” (8:2)

One of the salient points mentioned in this verse is that when a believer recites the Noble Qur’aan in the correct manner, it increases his faith and belief in Allah. Reciting the Noble Qur’aan in the correct manner means to recite it with Tajwid.

What is Tajwid?

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’aan, ‘And recite the Qur’aan with Tarteel.’ (73:4)

When asked about the meaning of Tarteel, Hadhrat Ali (Radhiallaahu Anhu) replied, ‘It means that the Qur’aan should be recited with Tajwid and with due observance to the rules of Waqf (pausing or stopping at the end of the verse).’

Tajwid means to recite every letter correctly, i.e. from its proper origin of pronunciation coupled with its stipulated attributes.

According to Imaam Jawzi (Rahmatullaahi Alayhi), the verse, ‘Verily my people have renounced the Qur’aan’ has two interpretations. Firstly, it could mean that they had renounced the Qur’aan by not believing in it and practicing upon it. And secondly, it could mean that they used to recite the Qur’aan in such a disgusting manner that it sounded like senseless and meaningless jabbering. Reading the Qur’aan without Tajwid could also be included in the second interpretation.

Tajwid from the Hadith

Rasulullah has said, ‘Indeed Allah desires that the Qur’aan be recited in the manner it was revealed.’ This Hadith clarified by the Aayat and, ‘We revealed the Qur’aan with Tartil.’ (2:32)

The definition of Tartil has been explained above. Since the Qur’aan emphatically commands us to recite the Qur’aan with Tajwid, it is Fardh to recite the Qur’aan with Tajwid.

Rasulullah has said, ‘The Qur’aan will either testify in your favour or against you.’ Hence, if we fail to observe the requirements of the Noble Qur’aan during our recitation, the Qur’aan will testify against us. If we are unacquainted with these prerequisites, we are compelled to acquire the laws of Tajwid.

Due to the vastness of the Arabic language, any small mistake in pronunciation of a letter or word may change the meaning of that word. For example, the word ‘Qalb’ (with q) means heart, if read ‘Kalb’ (with k), it will mean a dog’. So just as how in any other language we learn pronunciation of letters and words, for example, in English we learn that ‘ph’ stands for ‘f’ (as in phone) and not pone. Similarly, in the Arabic language, we also have to learn pronunciation of letters and words, which we term as ‘Tajwid’. Tajwid is not like all other subjects which we are able to separate from the Qur’aan but instead Tajwid and Qur’aan work hand in hand. If there is no Tajwid with Qur’aan, there is no Qur’aan. The question may arise that, how can such a statement be made that if a person reads Qur’aan without Tajwid, he is not read Qur’aan? Yes, such a statement is 100% correct.

Our beloved Rasul states in one Hadith, ‘There are a lot of readers that read the Qur’aan but the Qur’aan curses them instead of making Du’aa for them.’ We get some people nowadays who spend hours and hours reciting the Qur’aan thinking that they are getting and attaining great rewards. But because there pronunciation of letters is incorrect, a very big problem arise. It sounds very small when we say, ‘I am only pronouncing a letter incorrectly..’ But did this thought ever cross our minds that when a letter changes in a word, the word changes and if a word changes in a sentence then the whole sentence changes and eventually the meaning also changes. So from this, we understand the Hadith of our Rasul , that some people read so much of the Qur’aan but because they do not know the correct pronunciation of the letters, they change the letters which then changes the words which eventually leads to the changing of the sentence and meaning of the Qur’aan. So, the Qur’aan in turn, instead of making Du’aa for such people it curses them.

We should also remember that from the time and generation of Nabi till now, no one has ever denied this fact that Tajwid is compulsory. It is only now in our generation that people have lost respect and forgotten the status of Tajwid. Today, even logic will show us the importance of Tajwid. If we write a letter to our beloved and give it to someone to give it to him or her, but this Mr Someone takes the letter and changes a few words which eventually changes the meaning of your letter, how would we feel?

Wouldn’t we get angry and take such a person to task , so in the same way, the Qur’aan is the word of Allah. If we change the word of Allah then Allah Ta’ala will definitely get angry with us and take us to task just as how we would do if someone changes our words in our letters.

So from all this, we can see that the Qur’aan is not Qur’aan until and unless it is read with Tajwid. Just as how if someone changes our letter addressed to our beloved, we would say that this is not our letter. We can also see from all this, the importance of reading the Qur’aan with Tajwid.

May Allah give me, you and all the ability to read the Qur’aan correctly so that we may earn the mercy of Allah Ta’ala and not the anger of Allah.

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Medical Aspects of Islamic Fasting

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

As Salaamu Alaikum!

There are over 1.58 billion Muslims in the world. The majority of them observe total fasting (no food or water) between dawn and sunset during the month of Ramadan. They do so not to lose weight or for any medical benefit, but because it is ordained in the Quran which says, "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you, as it was prescribed for those before you (i.e. Jews and Christians) so that you may (learn) self-restraine" (2:183).

Food is needed by the body to provide energy for immediate use. This is done by burning up carbohydrates, that is, sugar. Excess of carbohydrates which cannot be used are stored up as fat tissue in the muscles and as glycogen in the liver for future use. Insulin, a hormone from the pancreas, lowers blood sugar and diverts it to other forms of energy storage, that is, glycogen. To be effective, insulin has to be bound to binding sites called receptors. Obese people lack receptors. Therefore, they cannot utilize their insulin. This may lead to glucose intolerance.

When one fasts (or decreases carbohydrate intake drastically), it lowers one's blood glucose and insulin level. This causes a breakdown of glycogen from the liver to provide glucose for energy needs and break-down of fat from adipose tissue to provide for energy needs. On the basis of human physiology described above, semi-starvation (ketogenic diets) have been devised for effective weight control. These diets provide a calculated amount of protein in divided doses with plenty of water, multivitamins, etc. These effectively lower weight and blood sugar, but because of their side effects, should be used only under the supervision of physicians.

Total fasting reduces or eliminates hunger and causes rapid weight loss. In 1975, Allan Cott in his Fasting as a Way of Life,noted, "Fasting brings a wholesome physiological rest for the digestive tract and central nervous system and normalizes metabolism." It must be pointed out, however, that there are also many adverse effects of total fasting. That includes hypokalemia and cardiac arrhythmia associated with low calorie starvation diets used in unsupervised programs.

STUDIES ON ISLAMIC FASTING

Dr. Soliman from University Hospital , Amman , Jordan has reported that during the month of Ramadan 1404 AH (June-July, 1984 AD) healthy Muslim volunteers@2 males and 26 females ranging in age from 15-64 and 16-28 years respectively-were studied. They were weighed and their blood levels of cortisol, testosterone, Na, K, urea, glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG) and serum osmolality were measured at the beginning and at the end of Ramadan. There was significant loss of weight in males from a mean of 73.8 +/-6.2 kg to 72.0 +/-7.1 kg (P less than 0.01) and in females from 55.2 +/-4.8 to 54.6 +/-4.2 kg (P less than 0.05). Blood glucose levels rose in males from 77.7 +/-23.6 mg/dl to 90.2 +/31.2 mg/dl (P less than 0.05) and in females from 76.0 +/-7.6 mg/dl to 84.5 +/-11.1 mg/di (P less than 0.002). All other parameters did not show significant changes.

Dr. F. Azizi and his associates from the University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran has reported the following. Serum levels of glucose, bilirubin, calcium, phosphorus, protein, albumin, FSH, LH, testosterone, prolactin, TSH, T4, T3, and T3 uptake, as well as prolactin and TSH responses to TRH were evaluated in a group of nine healthy men before and on the 10th, 20th, and 29th days of Ramadan. Mean body weight decreased from 65.4 +/- 9.1 to 61.6 +/- 9.0 kg at 29th day. Serum glucose decreased from 82 +/- 4 mg/dl on the 10th day, and increased thereafter (76 +/- 3 and 84 +/- 5 on the 20th and 29th days of fasting respectively). Serum bilirubin increased from 0.56 +/- 0.17 to 1 43 +/-.52 mg/dl on the 10th day, and decreased thereafter ( I. I. +/- 0.4 on the 20th and 29th days). All changes returned to basal values four weeks after fasting. There were no significant changes in serum levels of Ca, P. protein, albumin, and any of the measured hormones. Prolactin and TSH responses to TPH were also unaltered. He concluded that 1) intermittent abstinence from food and drink for 17 hours a day for 29 days does not alter male reproductive hormones, hypothalamic-pituitary- thyroid axis or peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones and 2) physicians caring for Muslims should be aware of changes of glucose and bilirubin during Ramadan.

Therefore it is concluded from the above two studies that the pre- scribed fast does not cause any adverse medical effect and on the contrary, may have some beneficial effect on weight and lipid metabolism.

WHY ISLAMIC FASTING IS DIFFERENT FROM ORHER TYPES OF FASTING
The prescribed fast of Muslims is different from the so-called "Diet Plans" because it has beneficial features of both plans. Its unique medical benefits are due to the following factors:

• As compared to other diet plans, fasting in Ramadan does not cause malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake since there is no restriction on the type or amount of food intake before beginning the fast or upon ending the fast at sunset. This was confirmed by M.M. Hussaini in 1974, when he conducted dietary analysis of Muslim students at the University of North Dakota, State University at Fargo during Ramadan. He concluded that calorie intake of Muslim students during fasting was at two-thirds of NCR-RDA.
• Fasting in Ramadan is voluntarily undertaken. It is not a prescribed imposition from a physician. In the hypothalamus part of the brain there is a center called "lipostat" which controls the body mass. When severe and rapid weight loss is achieved by starvation diet, the center does not recognize this as normal and, therefore, reprograms itself to cause weight gain rapidly once the person goes off the starvation diet. So the only effective way of losing weight is slow, self-controlled, and gradual weight loss which can be achieved by modifying our behavior and changing our attitude about eating especially by eliminating excess food. Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self-training in terms of food intake thereby causing hopefully, a permanent change in lipostat reading.
•  With the prescribed fast, Muslims are not subjected to a diet of selective food only (i.e. protein only, fruits only etc.). An early breakfast, before dawn is taken and then at sunset the fast is broken with something sweet i.e. dates, fruits, juices to offset any hypoglycemia followed by a regular dinner later on.
•  Additional prayers are prescribed after dinner which help metabolize the food. Using a calorie counter, I counted the amount of calories burnt during the special night prayer of Ramadan (tarawih). It amounted to 200 calories. This form of prayer as well as the five daily prescribed prayers use all the muscles and joints and can be considered a mild form of exercise in terms of calorie output.
•  Ramadan fasting is actually an exercise in self discipline. For those who are chain smokers or who nibble food constantly, or drink coffee every hour, it is a good way to break the habit.
•  The psychological effect of Ramadan fasting are also well observed by the description of people who fast. They describe a feeling of inner peace and tranquility. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) advised those fasting, "If one slanders you or aggresses against you, tell him 'I am fasting."' Thus personal hostility during the month is minimal. The crime rate in Muslim countries falls during this month.

It is my experience that within the first few days of Ramadan, I begin to feel better even before losing a single pound. I work more and pray more. My physical stamina and mental alertness improve. As I have my own lab in the office, I usually check my chemistry, that is, blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride before the commencement of Ramadan and at its end. I note marked improvement at the end. As I am not overweight, thank God, weight loss is minimal. The few pounds I lose, I regain soon after. Fasting in Ramadan will be a great blessing for the overweight whether with or without mild diabetes (Type 11). It benefits those also who are given to smoking or nibbling. They can rid themselves of these addictions in this month.

FASTING FOR MEDICAL PATIENTS: SUGGESTED GUIDELINES
As mentioned earlier, the sick are exempt from fasting. But some, for whatever reasons, do decide to observe fasting. For physicians treating Muslim patients, the following guidelines are suggested.

Diabetic Patients: Diabetics who are controlled by diet alone can fast and hopefully, with weight reduction, their diabetes may even be cured or at least improved. Diabetics who are taking oral hypoglycemia agents like Orinase along with the diet should exercise extreme caution if they decide to fast. They should reduce their dose to one-third and take the drug not in the morning, but in the evening at the time of ending the fast. If they develop low blood sugar symptoms in the daytime, they should end the fast immediately. Diabetics taking insulin should not fast. If they do, at their own risk, they should do so under close supervision and make drastic changes in the insulin dose. For example, they should eliminate regular insulin altogether and take only NPH in divided doses after ending the fast or before the pre-fast breakfast. Diabetics, if they fast, should still take a diabetic diet during the pre-dawn meal, the ending of the fast meal, and dinner. The sweet snacks common in Ramadan are not good for their disease. They should check their blood sugar before breakfast and after ending their fast.

Hypertensive or Cardiac Patients: Those who have mild to moderate high blood pressure along with being overweight should be encouraged to fast, since fasting may help to lower their blood pressure. They should see their physician to adjust medication. For example, the dose of water pill (diuretic) should be reduced to avoid dehydration, and long acting agents like Inderal LA or Tenormin can be given once a day before the pre-dawn meal. Those with severe hypertension or heart diseases should not fast at all.

Migraine Headache: Even in tension headache, dehydration or low blood sugar will aggravate the symptoms, but in migraine during fasting, there is an increase in blood free fatty acids which will directly affect the severity or precipitation of migraine through release of catecholamine. Patients with migraines are advised not to fast.

Pregnant Women (normal pregnancy): This is not an easy situation. Pregnancy is not a medical illness. Therefore, the same exemption does not apply. There is no mention of such exemption in the Quran. However, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam said that pregnant and nursing women do not have to fast. This is in line with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala not wanting anyone, even a small fetus, to suffer. There is no way of knowing the damage to the unborn child until delivery, and that might be too late. In my humble opinion, during the first and third trimester (three months) women should not fast. If however, Ramadan happens to come during the second trimester (4th-6th months) of pregnancy, a women may elect to fast provided that 1) her own health is good, and 2) it is done with the pen-nission of her obstetrician and under close supervision. The possible damage to the fetus may not be from malnutrition provided the Iftaar and Sahoor are adequate, but from dehydration, from prolonged (10-14 hours) abstinence of water.

Therefore it is recommended that Muslim patients, if they do fast, do so under medical supervision.

By Shahid Athar 

SubhanAllah, This article clearly reminds us of this verse in the Holy Qur’an:
“Which of the favours of your Lord, will you deny?”

 www.ewaytoquran.tk 

Set Realistic Ramadan Goals

 As Salaamu Alaikum!

How often do you find yourself driving, knowing where you want to go, but unaware of how to get there, what route to take, or what direction you are headed in? Probably not very often.

Then why do we treat Ramadan in the same careless manner? We know that we want to improve ourselves throughout the month, but unless we take proper measures to ensure that we reach our goals by the end, we are letting a valuable opportunity slip by.

This holy month is a special time in which the rewards for both obligatory and voluntary deeds are multiplied exponentially as a mercy from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and so we aim to do as many of both as we can. However, it is, in fact, only a month and therefore it is important that we manage our time wisely. Many of us find ourselves making resolutions and setting goals, but give up by the middle of the month, or even sooner.

Taking the following measures can help us become better goal-setters both this Ramadan and in future months to come insha’Allah:

1. Before Ramadan list all of the things you want to accomplish. This should be done as a free-writing exercise, meaning that you should not worry about whether what you are writing makes sense or not, or even whether it is attainable. Simply put down all your thoughts on paper. Afterwards, go through the list and begin prioritizing, modifying and deleting. First cross off the ideas that are irrelevant or impractical. For example, trying to memorize the entire Qur’an if you have only a few surahs committed to memory currently, and will be busy with school or work during the month, is not realistic.

Sort the remaining items in order to importance to you and try to estimate how long it will take you to attain these. Of course, some goals, such as refraining from bad language, will not be time-bound and are not applicable, but others, such as recitation of the entire Qur’an within the month can be measured.

2.Now take these attainable goals and turn them into action plans by creating a daily to-do list. If your weekday schedule differs from your weekend schedule, you can create two; in fact, if you want to be really specific you can even make a schedule for each day of the week. Regardless of how many lists you create, they should be very specific. For example, if your goal is to have read the entire Qur’an within the month of Ramadan, try to read a set amount of verses at particular times in the day. Instead of writing “Read some Qur’an in the afternoon” write “Read 10 ayaat after dhuhr prayer.”

Adding a little specificity will help keep you on track, and will also ensure that you are committed to your goals. Once in a while you might be unable to follow the schedule because of some unexpected events, and so you should also have a “make-up” time when you can make up for the loss at another time during the same day. Remember, Allah loves those deeds that are consistent, even if they are small so try your best to take consistent actions towards your goal.

3. It is possible that your schedule might not work for you, but that is not an excuse for giving up completely; don’t abandon your schedule, just modify it.Using the previously given example, if you pray dhuhr during your lunch break at work and you cannot fit in reading 10 verses of the Qur’an during that time, you can shorten it to 5 verses and then read another 5 verses at another time during the day.


In other words, make sure that you are going back and revising your daily plan if you find something that is not optimal. Instead of decreasing your deeds, though, simply readjust them and budget your time within the day more wisely. Keep the lists everywhere; on the fridge, your desk, the car, kitchen table, computer, etc. Forcing yourself to read it constantly can also help keep you on track and will serve as a constant reminder.

4. The simplest way to make sure that you keep up with your goals is to make it easy for yourself to attain them. If you want to wake up for Tahajjud, keep the prayer mat, clothing, and the coffeemaker close to your bed and sleep early at night. You will not be able to wake up if you are up late doing work on the computer, so reconfigure your work schedule if you have to and make adequate preparations for your goals. On the other hand, if you are trying not to do something, make it harder for yourself.


For example: To keep away from backbiting, simply keep away from company that facilitates or encourages this bad habit. To refrain from television and music, delete all the songs from your iPod and replace it with lectures.; listen to The Noble Qur’an. Of course it will take more than just these precautions to completely refrain from these actions (they need to be accompanied by du’a, sincere intentions, patience, fighting the nafs, and hard work), but taking certain steps will make it easier for you to be obedient and harder for you to relapse..


5. Reinforcements are also necessary for those of us who need a little bit more of a push, especially during the middle of Ramadan when everyone’s morale and zeal seems to whither. In order to keep yourself from backbiting or swearing, use the classic jar trick. Keep a box or jar within easy reach, or multiple ones if you want one at work, home, etc., and punish yourself by putting in a significant amount of money every time you break the rule. At the end of the month you can donate the money to a charity of your choice, but do not let the charity be an excuse to let the jar fill up! The purpose of this is to give you a visual representation of how serious your problem is.

6. The last step is something we take lightly, though it can have a significant impact on how efficient we are this Ramadan, and that is evaluation. Every night take out a couple of minutes to either write down or simply think about whether you are on track or not, and how you can improve. This way you know what you need to work on the next morning and can monitor if you are slowing down or not doing enough to attain your goals. There are always going to be days when you are not as energetic as you would like to be and are not as productive as you should be, but through evaluation you can help prevent this from becoming a trend and save your Ramadan from being a disappointment.

With Best Wishes
www.ewaytoquran.tk

prepare your children for Ramadaan

‎

Dear Readers, As Salaamu Alaikum wa Rehmatullahi wa Barakatahu

Today's post is related to Ramadan. Ramadan is just a  few days away, and preparations have started in full swing. But as parents, we need to also ensure that our children are ready for Ramadan. It is not only a month for the elders, it for our children too!  Let us not deprive our children out of it, but groom them to be ready for this month. 

Here are some tips which you can use In sha Allah to prepare your children for Ramaadan..

1 – Checking on the children’s fasting and encouraging those who fall short in this regard. 

2– Reminding them about the real nature of fasting, and that it is not just giving up food and drink, but it is a means of attaining taqwa (piety), and that it is an opportunity for sins to be forgiven and expiated. 

3 – Teaching them the etiquette and rulings on eating, such as eating with the right hand from what is directly in front of them; reminding them that extravagance is haraam and is harmful to the body. 

4 – Not letting them spend too long on eating iftaar so that they miss praying Maghrib in congregation. 

5 – Reminding them about the situation of the poor and destitute who cannot find even a mouthful of food to quench the fires of hunger; reminding them of the situation of those who have migrated or are struggling for the sake of Allaah in all places. 

6 – These gatherings offer an opportunity to bring relatives together and uphold the ties of kinship. This custom still exists in some countries, and it is an opportunity to reconcile and mend broken ties between relatives. 

7 – Helping the mother to prepare the food, and to clean up and keep the food fit for eating. 

8 – Reminding them to pray qiyaam (taraweeh) and to prepare for it by not eating too much and to get ready in time to perform the prayer in the masjid. 

9 – With regard to suhoor, the parents should remind the family of the barakah (blessing) of suhoor and that it gives a person the strength to fast. 

10 – Allowing enough time before Fajr prayer so that those who have not prayed Witr may do so, and so that those who have delayed their prayer until the end of the night may pray, and so that each person may make du’aa’ to his Lord as he wishes. 

11 – Paying attention to praying Fajr on time in congregation in the masjid, for those who are required to do so. We have seen many people who wake up at the end of the night to eat, then they go back to bed and neglect Fajr prayer.


12 – It was the practice of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in the last ten days of Ramadaan to stay up at night and wake his family. This indicates that the family should pay attention to making the most of this blessed time in doing things that are pleasing to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. So the husband should wake his wife and children to do that which will bring them closer to their Lord. 

13 – There may be small children in the house who need to be encouraged to fast, so the father should urge them to get up for suhoor, and encourage them to fast by praising them and giving a reward to the one who fasts the whole month or half of it, and so on. 

14 – If possible, the father and mother should take the family for ‘Umrah in Ramadaan, and that is something that will benefit them in the Hereafter, themselves and their family, for ‘Umrah during Ramadaan has the same reward as Hajj. It is better to go at the beginning of Ramadaan so as to avoid the crowds. 

15 – The husband should not overburden his wife with more than she can bear of having to prepare food and sweets. Many people take this month to prepare fancy foods and drinks, and they go extremes in that. This detracts from the sweetness of this month and goes against the reason for fasting, which is to attain piety.

16 – The month of Ramadaan is the month of the Qur’aan, so we suggest that each family gets together to read Qur’aan. The father should teach his family to recite Qur’aan and help them to understand the meanings of the verses. In the same gathering they may also read a book about the rulings and etiquette of fasting. Allaah has enabled many scholars and seekers of knowledge to write books which can be used for preaching and teaching during Ramadaan; the books are divided into thirty parts, so one topic can be read each day, and this will benefit everyone. 

17 – They should be encouraged to spend and check on their neighbours and the needy. 

18 – The parents should prevent their families and children from staying up late at night and wasting their time in things that are of no benefit, let alone things that are Haraam. For the devils among mankind are more active in this month in promoting evil things and acts of immorality to those who are fasting, during the nights of Ramadaan and during the days. 

19 – They should remember the family’s meeting in Allaah’s Paradise in the Hereafter, and the great joy of meeting there under the shade of His throne. These blessed gatherings in this world and coming together to obey Allaah by seeking knowledge, fasting and praying are only the means that lead to attaining that happiness.

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala help us obtain the full benefits of this month and also make our children pious and obedient this month.. Aameen!

Please do share this email among your contacts or copy paste it on your facebook walls so that this beneficial information can reach thousands of believers globally!

With Best Wishes

 WAY TO QURAN (www.equranicschool.tk )

Iman, Islam and the hour (of Doom)

As  Salaamu Alaikum! 

Abu Huraira (May Allah pleased with him) reported:

"One day the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) appeared before the public that a man came to him and said:

Prophet of Allah, (tell me) what is Iman?
... Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Messengers and that you affirm your faith in the Resurrection hereafter.

He (again) said: Messenger of Allah, (tell me) what does al-Islam signify?
He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Al-Islam signifies that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him and you establish obligatory prayer and you pay the obligatory poor-rate (Zakat) and you observe the fast of Ramadan.

He (the inquirer) again said: Messenger of Allah, what does al-Ihsan imply?
He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and in case you fail to see Him, then observe prayer (with this idea in your mind) that (at least) He is seeing you.

He (the inquirer ) again said: Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam), when would there be the hour (of Doom)?

He (the Holy Prophet) replied: The one who is asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer. I, however, narrate some of its signs (and these are): when the slave-girl will give birth to he master, when the naked, barefooted would become the chiefs of the people - these are some of the signs of (Doom). (Moreover) when the shepherds of the black (camels) would exult themselves in buildings, this is one of the signs of (Doom). (Doom) is one of the five (happenings wrapped in the unseen) which no one knows but Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Then he (the Messenger of Allah) recited (the verse):" Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the hour and He it is Who sends (down the rain) and knows that which is in the wombs and no person knows whatsoever he shall earn tomorrow, and a person knows not in whatsoever land he shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware." He (the narrator, Abu Huraira) said:

Then the person turned back and went away. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) said: Bring that man back to me. They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet present there) went to bring him back, but they saw nothing there. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) remarked: he was Gabriel, who came to teach the people their religion."

(Saheeh Al Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 4).

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Masjid Al-Aqsa

As  Salaamu Alaikum!

• Masjid Al Aqsa was the second Masjid on earth.

• It was built 40 years after the Ka'ba in Makkah.

• Most scholars are of the opinion that Masjid Al Aqsa was first built by Prophet Adam A.S.

• Ibrahim A.S. rebuilt the Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem as he and Ismail A.S. rebuilt the Ka'ba in Makkah.

• Prophet Daud A.S. began the rebuilding of Masjid Al Aqsa.

• It was Prophet Sulayman A.S. who finally completed the building of Masjid Al Aqsa.

• Masjid Al Aqsa built by Sulayman A.S. was destroyed in 587 BC by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon.

• The Jews call this same Masjid Al Aqsa built by Sulayman A.S. as their Temple.

• The Jews re-built their Temple on the same site in 167 BC but was destroyed in 70 AD and Jews banished fromJerusalem.

• The site of Masjid Al Aqsa remained barren and was used as a rubbish tip for nearly 600 years until the Great Khalifah Umar bin Khattab R.A. liberated Jerusalem in 637/8 AD.

• The Khalifah Umar bin Khattab R.A. began the foundation of Masjid Al Aqsa and a timber Masjid was built.

• The Umayyad Khalifah, Abd' al Malik ibn Marwan in 691/2 [72/73 AH] began the construction of, Dome of the Rock - today this is the Golden Domed Masjid.
• The al Buraq Wall or Western Wall where Prophet Muhammad SalAllahu Alyehe Wasallam tied his animal the Buraq on the night journey of al Isra is what the Jews call the wailing wall.

• To Muslims it is the land or the Haram Sharif area which is most Holy and important.

• The Haram area of Al Aqsa has within it the Masjid Al Aqsa [Black Domed Mosque] and Dome of the Rock [the Golden Domed Mosque].

• Israel occupied Masjid Al Aqsa in 1967.
• That, the fundamentalist Jews have made 100's of attempts to destroy Al Aqsa since 1967 when they occupied it. A fire in 1967 started by their help destroyed the 900 year old Mimbar installed by Slah ud Deen Ayubi, the Great Muslim Hero.

• That, the fundamentalist want to blow up and destroy Masjidul Al Aqsa and replace it with a Jewish Temple.
O Allah, please help the Muslims and preserve the Masjid Al Aqsa. Do not let the Jews make it as their temple. O Allah, defeat the non muslims and give success to the Muslims.. Aameen!

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