Wednesday, May 28, 2008

WHY DO MUSLIMS PRAY FIVE TIMES A DAY?

The Catholic Christian Prime Minister of the island-State of St. Vincent in the Caribbean is reported (Trinidad Guardian, May 8th) to have entered into the Mt. St. Benedict Monastery in Trinidad for a spiritual retreat during which he will join the monks in praying "five times a day".

Even while a wicked godless white world-order is waging unjust war on Islam and Muslims, there are many people in the Caribbean who have defied the warmongers and have chosen to become Muslims, and their numbers are constantly increasing. When they become Muslims by proclaiming that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, they are taught, first of all, to pray 'five times a day'.

In this essay we enquire into the origin of 'five times' daily prayer and, in so doing, ponder over the implications of its abandonment, or its substitution with something else. We also describe those 'five times' of daily prayer. We feel certain that the monks in that monastery will find this subject quite interesting.

Prophet Muhammad, sallalahu 'alaihi wa sallam, was forty years of age when Angel Gabriel appeared before him and informed him that he was a Prophet of the One God. He was himself unaware, prior to that event, of this status of his. And even though we know that he never worshipped the idols of Arabia that even his wife worshipped, we do not know if, or how, he prayed daily.

There were other Arabs, known as Hunafa, who also refused to worship idols. They worshipped One God, made the annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to His Holy Temple in Makkah that Abraham, 'alaihi al-Salaam, had built, and sacrificed animals every year on the occasion of that pilgrimage in commemoration of Abraham's trial of sacrifice of his only son, Ishmael, 'alaihima al-Salaam.

Sometime after that first visit the Angel came one day and taught Muhammad, sallalahu 'alaihi wa sallam, how to perform ablution before prayer. The hands were to be washed, then the mouth, nostrils and entire face, then the arms up to the elbows, then the wet hand was to be passed over the head, and finally the feet were to be washed.

Some eleven years later, after the Prophet had been summoned in a miraculous celestial journey by night from Makkah to Jerusalem and then into the heavens to the special Divine presence, and had received the Divine gift of 'five times daily prayer', Angel Gabriel came to him one day and led him in prayer five times during that day,

- once in the early morning (after dawn but before sunrise),

- once in the early afternoon (after the sun had crossed the zenith but before mid-afternoon),

- once in the later afternoon (but before the setting of the sun),

- once after the sun had set,

- and finally in the early hours of the night (after twilight had ended).

On each occasion that day he led the prayer at the earliest time possible. He then returned another day and again led the Prophet in the same five times prayer, but this time he chose the latest possible time for each prayer. The Angel then announced that these were the five times of compulsory prayer, and that each prayer was to be performed within the timeframe just established.
In addition to these compulsory prayers there are voluntary prayers that could be performed at any time, but best of all in the early hours of the morning before dawn.

Since there is but One God, and hence but one Truth, and only one true religion (i.e., the religion of 'Abraham' from whose name the name 'Brahma' appears to have originated) the implication is that whoever worships the One true God must pray these five times compulsory prayers every day. Anyone who does not perform the five times daily prayers lives an essentially pagan life since the compulsory prayer is the very foundation of the religious way of life.

When Jesus, the true Messiah, 'alaihi al-salaam, returns, he, also, will pray five times a day in the same way that Angel Gabriel taught Prophet Muhammad to pray, and in the same way that Muslims pray to this day (without chairs, benches, pews, etc.)

They stand barefooted before Allah Most High in prayer, then bow down, sit flat, and prostrate themselves with their faces on the earth. They do so 'five times a day', and will continue to do so Insha Allah in defiance of the godless world, and regardless of the price they already pay for that defiance.

And they do so with the absolute conviction that Truth must eventually triumph over its wicked godless enemies.

They also recite in every prayer the opening Surah of the Qur'an in which they ask to be guided on "the straight path - the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not the path of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who go astray."

Those who are today waging unjust war on Islam and Muslims most certainly earn Allah's anger, and those who support such people, for whatever foolish reason, are certainly a people who have gone astray.

- Islamic Scholar ~ Imran Nazar Hosein

Khasiat Air ZamZam


AIR zamzam mempunyai banyak kelebihan dan keistimewaan berbanding air lain. Perkara ini diperakui oleh banyak kajian saintifik, termasuk sarjana Barat. Air zamzam mempunyai banyak khasiat dan kelebihan seperti sabda Nabi Muhammad SAW bermaksud: "Sebaik-baik air di permukaan bumi adalah air zamzam. Padanya ada makanan yang menyegarkan dan penawar bagi segala penyakit."

Ia juga mempunyai beberapa keistimewaan antaranya tidak pernah kering walaupun berjuta-juta manusia memanfaatkannya setiap hari, terutama pada musim haji. Air zamzam tidak akan kering hingga hari kiamat. Hal itu, adalah bukti keagungan dan kebesaran Allah.

Ulama sepakat bahawa sunat bagi orang yang mengerjakan ibadah haji dan umrah, minum air zamzam. Ini disebabkan Nabi Muhammad SAW minum air zamzam. Berdasarkan nas asy-Syafi'eyah, bahawa air zamzam itu sunat diminum dalam apa keadaan sekali pun. Hukum sunat itu tidak hanya khusus selepas mengerjakan tawaf, bahkan sunat diminum bagi setiap orang walaupun bukan pada waktu mengerjakan ibadah haji atau umrah.

Disebutkan dalam hadis, Jabir bin `Abdullah, katanya: "Aku pernah mendengar Rasulullah bersabda: "Air zamzam itu diminum untuk keperluan apa saja." (Hadis riwayat Ibnu Majah)

Dalam erti kata lain, jika meminumnya dengan maksud menghilangkan rasa haus, maka Allah akan menghilangkan rasa hausnya. Jika meminumnya untuk menghilangkan rasa lapar, maka Allah akan mengenyangkannya. Sekiranya, meminumnya untuk menyembuhkan penyakit, maka Allah akan menyembuhkan penyakitnya.

Diriwayatkan Rasulullah gemar meminumnya dan tangan Baginda yang mulia dan penuh barkah pernah dicelupkan ke dalam perigi zamzam. Rasulullah pernah bersabda: "Air zamzam itu diminum mengikut apa yang diniatkan atau dikehendaki. " (Hadis riwayat Jabir, lbnu Abbas, lbnu Umar dan Muawiyah)

Ahli ilmu meluaskan huraian mereka terhadap hadis di atas. Al-Munawa berkata: "Air zamzam adalah penghulu segala air, paling mulia, berharga dan disukai. "Allah memberi minum dan menolong putera kekasihnya, Nabi Ismail bin Nabi Ibrahim dengan air zamzam. Maka, pertolongan seperti itu juga boleh diperoleh oleh orang selepas baginda iaitu bagi sesiapa saja yang meminumnya dengan niat ikhlas, termasuk kita.

"Ramai ulama meminumnya kerana sesuatu hajat dan mereka berhasil memperolehnya."

Disebut pengarang kitab al-'Aqdus Sameen bahawa Ahmad bin Abdillah Asy-Syarifee, seorang khadam di Tanah Haram Makkah meminum air zamzam dengan niat dan tujuan untuk berubat daripada buta. Lalu, dengan izin Allah, beliau sembuh. Menurut pengarang kitab ini lagi, bahawa kejadian itu dikhabarkan sendiri gurunya, al-Fufti Abdul Rahman bin Abil Khair alFasi. Al-lmam an-Nawawi sebagai mengulas hadis di atas berkata: "Maknanya, barang siapa minum kerana sesuatu hajat, nescaya memperoleh hajatnya itu.

"Hal ini, dicuba ulama dan orang soleh bagi segala hajat mereka, sama ada hajat akhirat mahupun dunia. Alhamdulillah, semuanya memperolehnya. " (Lihat Tahzibul Asma Wal-Lughat 3/139).

Al-'Allamah lbnul Qayyim al-Jauziah pula berkata: "Saya dan juga orang lain mencuba berubat dengan air zamzam. "Saya berubat dengannya dalam banyak penyakit dan sembuh dengan izin Allah. Demikian juga saya menyaksikan orang yang menggantikan makanan biasa dengan air zamzam hampir setengah bulan atau lebih, tetapi tidak lapar. Bahkan dia juga tawaf bersama orang ramai, mampu menggauli isterinya dan berpuasa."

Al-'Allamah seterusnya berkata: "Sudah berlaku kepada diri saya sewaktu di Makkah, saya sakit. Pada masa itu, saya benar-benar ketiadaan ubat dan doktor. "Maka, saya pun berubat sendiri dengan al-Fatihah. Saya ambil air zamzam dan bacakan di atasnya berulang kali. Kemudian, saya minum lalu mendapati kesembuhan yang sempurna.

"Sejak itu saya melakukannya atas banyak penyakit dan semuanya memberi sebesar-besar manfaat." (Lihat Zadul Ma'ad 4/718)

Berkata pula Al-Hakim: "Bahawa Abu Bakar Muhammad bin Jaafar bercerita mengenai Ibnu Khuzaimah (Ibnu Khuzaimah ialah seorang ilmuwan besar), katanya: "Saya mendengar orang bertanya kepada lbnu Khuzaimah: "Daripada manakah tuan memperoleh ilmu?" Jawab lbnu Khuzaimah: "(Bukankah) Rasulullah pernah bersabda: "Air zamzam itu diminum mengikut apa yang diniatkan?" (Lihat Sairul A'Iam an-Nubala 14/370).

AI-Jalal as-Suyuti juga menceritakan mengenai dirinya, katanya: "Dengan memuji Allah, saya sudah musafir ke negeri Syam, Hijaz, Yaman, India dan Maghribi. "Apabila saya menunaikan haji, saya minum air zamzam bagi beberapa perkara yang berikut, antaranya: Agar saya mahir dalam ilmu fiqah hingga mencapai martabat Asy-Syeikh Sirajuddin al-Bulqini.

"Dalam ilmu hadis hingga saya mencapai martabat al-Hafiz lbnu Hajar. Ada pun, semua ini saya sebutkan demi mengingati nikmat Allah ke atas diri saya, bukannya untuk bermegah-megah.

"Apalah yang ada untuk dimegahkan di dunia ini, sedangkan saat kembali semakin dekat dan uban pun mulai subur." (Lihat Husnul Muhadharah 1/215 dan 2/296).

Jika diperhatikan dengan sehalus-halusnya keterangan di atas, maka nyata, yang amat mustahak itu adalah niat dan keimanan yang seikhlas- ikhlasnya untuk mengiringi perbuatan minum itu.

FAKTA Rahsia kelebihan air zamzam

• Boleh menyembuhkan pelbagai penyakit dengan izin Allah.
• Diberkati dan mengeyangkan peminumnya.
• Mampu menyempurnakan hajat peminumnya dengan izin Allah.
• Allah menjadikan air zamzam sebagai penyebab kepada pembangunan dan kemajuan bumi Makkah. Seterusnya, kewujudan Baitullah di bumi itu.
• Antara mata air syurga.
• Antara tanda kekuasaan Allah di bumi Makkah.
• Antara nikmat besar dan manfaat yang dapat dilihat di Tanah Haram Makkah.
• Ia keluar dari kawasan paling mulia di muka bumi ini.
• Air dipilih untuk membersihkan hati Rasulullah SAW beberapa kali.
• Minuman orang mulia (al-abrar).
• Menambah kekuatan badan.

Wallahua'lam

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

How Much Home Can You Afford?

Find Out How Much Home You Can Afford With a Simple Calculation

When the time is right to purchase a home, the first question you need to be able to answer is how of a home you can afford. Knowing the answer to this question will allow you to focus your search on homes within the correct price range even before applying for a mortgage.

Debt-to-Income Ratio

The most important factor that lenders use as a rule of thumb for how much you can borrow is the debt-to-income ratio. This ratio takes into account a mortgage payment plus your other personal debt you are carrying such as car loans, credit card debt and student loans. The ratio is expressed in a percentage of how much of your income is being used to make debt payments.

The typical guideline used by most lenders is a ratio of 36% as the upper limit. Ratios above this may carry a higher interest rate or be denied altogether.

Lenders also like to see that generally no more than 28% be dedicated to all housing expenses.

Calculating Your Debt-to-Income Ratio

The first thing you need to do is determine your gross monthly income. This is the income before taxes and other expenses are taken out. If you are married and will be applying for the loan jointly you should add together both incomes. Then take this number and multiply it by 0.36. For example, if you and your spouse have a combined gross monthly income of $7,000:

$7,000 x 0.36 = $2,520

This means that your total monthly debt payments should be no more than $2,520, mortgage payment included.

The next step is to determine your total non-mortgage debt payments such as monthly credit card or car payments. For this example we will assume your monthly debt payments come to $950. Computing the maximum mortgage payment:

$2,520 - $950 = $1,570

From this example we have determined that the most home you can reasonably afford is one with a mortgage payment of $1,590 which would include property taxes, insurance and possibly private mortgage insurance.

Remember, This is Only a Rule of Thumb

It is important to remember that just because the bank will lend up to that amount doesn’t mean that is what you can truly afford. This is simply a guideline you can use when shopping for a home so you are concentrating on homes that are within your price range. In reality your specific situation will dictate what type of home and mortgage payment will be best for you.


- taken from financial planning (about.com)

Friday, May 02, 2008

no articles for a few days

hi visitors,

i've been busy with my work and my study. i will update my blog after my final examination this weekend. :)