Dooliga is more scared of you Che. Poor mite..you must have given him a fright!

Cant recall the words. One my brothers loved that song. After aan qaan gaaroobey ayaan fahmey the words! Didnt we have lyrics? I personally liked the first song aan xafidey: Nafteydaa kuu jaribanoo adaan kuu jeelanahayoow jaceyl baad igu abuurtee (imagine 11 yr old girl singing with her eyes closed )

^^ No probem Jim-man Some are accepting, some will be forced to accept, and some will outright refuse to share (meanies )

Lectures Delivered Abroad = a special series by Amr Khaled = Repentance In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful Peace and prayers be upon our master the noblest Prophet Muhammad. We praise Allah, thank Him, seek His help, His guidance and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the wickedness of our souls and sinfulness of our deeds. “He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guiding advocate”. The subject I want to talk about can be summed up in one sentence: “Let us have a new beginning with Allah (TWT)[1]“. Let us try. Let us repent to Allah. Do you know what repentance is? It is a serious word. What should we do to repent? Return to Allah (AW)[2]. Why should we repent? Of what should we repent? And what did we commit to repent? Let me tell you about many things we do in our everyday life, yet we do not realize how grave they are; and how Ever-Forgiving and Compassionate Allah is. Do we really love Him? Do you know what we commit everyday without thinking? We do many things; we even commit major sins. Let us talk about major sins of a different type, other than drinking alcohol or having prohibited relations. In fact, there are other serious misdeeds and disasters, such as abandoning salah (prayers) or neglecting the performance of some of them. Imagine this: Allah has created you, and although you are His servant and worshipper, you simply tell Him that you can not worship Him! You do not actually utter this with your tongue, but your actions say it. Do you know what it means not to pray? It is as if you are telling Allah, “Sorry Allah, I cannot prostrate to You (perform sujud), because Your worship is a burden on my heart!” Is this not a major sin? Do you know what is meant by a major sin? It means that Allah (SWT) considers it a major sin. You would happily watch a football match for two hours, but you get bored of the ten minutes you stand praying before Allah! Allah is the Most Powerful. Do you know that every soul is created and controlled by Allah? You cannot even guarantee that you will live until you open your eyes after a wink. We are nothing without Allah. How could you not prostrate before Him for five minutes after all this? Allah forgives often. Yet, there is a certain circle, if anyone steps inside it, he will be running the risk of exposing himself to Allah's wrath. Do you know what this circle is? It is abandoning salah and being disobedient to our parents. Hell has many gates; there is a gate of Hell called “saqar”. Do you know what “saqar” is? Allah says what can be translated as, “And what makes you realize what Saqar is? It neither spares (i.e., no survivors remain) nor leaves (anything) behind” (TMQ, 74: 27-28)[3]. It is severe punishment. In the same Surah, Allah says that the angels stand on the door of saqar asking those who enter it, what can be translated as, “What inserted you into Saqar?” They will say, “We were not of the ones who prayed” (TMQ, 74: 42–43). Is there something more obvious than this! In addition, they go on saying what can be translated as, “And we used to wade with the waders, (i.e., wade in vain talk).” (TMQ, 74-45). Do you know what this means? It means that you join others in their sins, and partake in deeds that make Allah angry; so that on the Day of Judgment you are called with the sinners to be disgraced. Are these not major sins? Please take care of salah. Do not tell me that you are not a good person and that you have committed many misdeeds and so on. You have to pray! Do not sever yourself from Allah. When you abandon salah, you imply that you no longer need Allah. It is as if you tell Him that you can handle anything in life without Him. Do you see how serious it is? In this way, there are many major sins and disasters that we commit in our lives, and of which we must repent. How many years will we live? Seventy. Imagine! For seventy years we are in the great exam. If our deeds are mostly good ones, we will be rewarded with paradise. But if most of our deeds are sins and misdeeds, we will be punished with Hell. I would like to tell you that one hundred years ago, none of us were on earth, and after one hundred years there will not be one of us on earth as well. Do you not know that no one lives on earth eternally? Every period of time new people replace old ones; no one stays forever. This happens every one hundred years. Then what matters is: will we enter paradise or not? Is Allah pleased with us or not? Do you get my point? We will all die in the end. That is why we need to repent; because we commit major sins, like abandoning salah. For Allah’s sake, is it reasonable to do so? Is it normal that you have not woken up to pray salatul-fajr (dawn prayer) for the past five years? How do you think about it? Where is your mind! Now, are you ready to repent after what has been said? Wait a minute. This is not the whole issue. We still need to discuss the major sins and serious disasters that we commit but fail to realize how awful they are. The real disaster is that we care too much for different matters, but when it comes to worshipping Allah (SWT) we do not care at all! How come we have not repented until now? Do you know what happens to our souls every night during sleep? Do you know that sleeping is like death, but of a smaller kind? Allah (SWT) takes our souls every night and returns them again in the morning. Allah Almighty says what can be translated as, “Allah takes up the selves at the time of their death and the ones which have not died, in their sleeping.” (TMQ, 39:42) This means that all souls go to Allah (SWT) during sleep, and He resumes saying what can be translated as, “Then He holds back the ones against which He has decreed death, and sends (forth) the others till a stated term. Surely in that are indeed signs for a people who meditate.” This means that the dead soul is not sent back to the body. On the other hand, those whom Allah wants to live get their souls back again. We are really very weak. How could we disobey Allah and go to sleep when He is not pleased with us? Do you know that Satan likes to push us towards sins at night in order to make us challenge Allah and go to sleep in the hope that He may take our souls while we are at the top of sinfulness? Satan says, “Allah, is this not whom You dignified and preferred to me! There he is disobedient and going astray”. Please, do not ever sleep after committing a sin, your soul may not be sent to you again. For Allah's sake, let us repent together to Allah. There is another great sin which is ingratitude towards parents. A mother's tear is worse in Allah’s perception than the sins of a whole year. The face of a father going red in anger is in Allah’s perception than the sins of a whole year! A girl talking to a man behind the back of her parents is considered a traitor because she deceived her parents! The messenger of Allah (SAWS)[4] said, “Every traitor will be flagged on the Day of Judgment. On every flag, there will be written “this is the treachery of so-and-so”. Why is it treachery? Because she made an unlawful relationship behind the back of her parents. Allah says what can be translated as, “And benignancy is not to come up to the homes from their backs; but benignancy is for man to be pious; and come up to the homes by their doors, and be pious towards Allah, so that possibly you would prosper” (TMQ, 2:189). She will be asked on the Day of Judgment about those wronged by her disloyalty: her father and her mother! Ingratitude towards parents is one of the most dangerous major sins. What is the way out then? It is repentance. We have to repent and adopt a different attitude concerning our relationship with Allah (SWT). I can tell you that, apart from major sins, we commit thousands of minor sins on a daily basis - such as an unlawful stare at a woman, or women coming of their homes without hijab, etc. The Prophet (SAWS) says that each Muslim will come on the Day of Judgment and Allah (SWT) will say, “Spread the records of his sins before him.” Ninety nine records of sins will then be spread; each of them will reach the horizon (about forty kilometers). Can you imagine the scale of your deeds weighed down by unlimited sins (backbiting, gossip, unlawful looks, making fun of others, and so on). Despite all our sins, Allah is Most Merciful to us. Let us get nearer and nearer to Him. Do we commit sins other than the major and minor sins? Yes, we do. We do not thank Allah for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. Is there still anything we have to repent from? There is still a very serious sin, being heedless of the signs of Allah (SWT) In fact, people are of three kinds: The first kind includes the believers who always try to improve. They may commit sins, but they ask for Allah's forgiveness at once, and exert their utmost efforts to gain Allah's satisfaction. The second kind is that of the wicked who do not refrain from any sin. This kind of person is extremely bad. The third kind is that of those who are heedless of the signs of Allah. The majority of people nowadays belong to this group. Such people are inattentive to their relationship with Allah. They may have good manners, they may refrain from bad deeds - such as smoking - they may do nothing wrong. Yet, they do not have sufficient knowledge of Allah. Let us ask frankly, what are your priorities? Your first priority may be girlfriends, second football, third the future and money, etc. Where is Allah in your life? Do you include gaining His satisfaction in the list of your priorities? How much importance do you give to your relationship with Allah?! Please, we have to reconsider our priorities, to make worshipping and satisfying Allah (SWT) the first priority in our lives. We need to repent from such inattentiveness. Do you know that it is worse than a major sin? Do you know that the one who is heedless of the signs of Allah is worse than the sinner? The wicked sinner is not pleased by committing sins, because he knows that sins bring humiliation. On the other hand, the heedless person is not aware of being in a state of obliviousness. He deceives himself by believing that he is on the right track. He remains all his life in this state, fooled by Satan. Do you know how Satan deceives the heedless person? He makes him sink deep into his inattentiveness, year after year, until the end of his life. He is not tempted to commit sins, because - in this case - he would recover from his inattentiveness and return to Allah. That is why being heedless of the signs of Allah is worse than committing major sins. Do you realize now why repentance is a must? After speaking about serious sins we commit, let us turn to another point. Let us consider the great blessing which Allah (SWT) bestows upon us in the following verse. Allah Almighty says what can be translated as, “Say, (This is addressed to the Prophet) “O My bondmen who have been extravagant against themselves, (i.e., who have committed sins) do not feel despondent of the mercy of Allah! Surely Allah forgives guilty (deeds) all together; surely He, Ever He, is The Ever-Forgiving, The Ever-Merciful” (TMQ, 39:53). Can we still be forgiven? Yes, for Allah is the Ever-Forgiving, the Ever-Merciful. Young ladies and young gentlemen: after what has been said, do you love Allah or not? Who rescued you from the swamp of sins in which you were about to sink but Allah (SWT)? Then, Allah Almighty adds what can be translated as, “Surely He, Ever He, is The Ever-Forgiving, The Ever-Merciful. And turn penitent to your Lord” (TMQ, 39:53-4). ‘And turn penitent to your Lord’ means return to Allah. You should intend now to repent from all your sins as soon as possible. You already know that hajj (pilgrimage) obliterates all sins; so does repentance. It wipes your sins and leaves you like a new-born baby. Allah (TWT) says what can be translated as, “And turn penitent to your Lord, and surrender to Him, even before the torment comes up to you; thereafter you will not be vindicated.” (TMQ, 39:54). Allah urges us to submit to His orders, lest severe penalty would befall us while we are heedless. Allah Almighty says what can be translated as, “Do they not know that Allah He, Ever He, accepts repentance from His bondmen” (TMQ, 9:104). Allah accepts his servant's repentance as soon as he offers it. Let us ask ourselves the following question: why does Allah show us such readiness to forgive? That is because He is our Creator who loves us and wants to forgive us. Allah Almighty says what can be translated as, “And Allah wills to relent towards you” (TMQ, 4:27). Allah forgives us as soon as we ask for His forgiveness. He also says what can be translated as, “And whoever does not repent, then those are they who are the unjust.” (TMQ, 49:11). Allah (SWT) gets angry with His servant who does not want to repent. Allah Almighty says what can be translated as, “And the ones who do not invoke another god (along) with Allah, nor kill the self that Allah has prohibited except with the truth nor commit adultery; (i.e., illegal sexual intercourse) and whoever performs that will meet the penalty for vice. Doubled will be the torment for him on the Day of the Resurrection, and he will eternally (abide) therein degraded. Except him who repents, and believes, and does righteous deed (s). So those, Allah will turn (Or: substitute fair deeds in place of odious ones) their odious (deeds) into fair (deeds); and Allah has been Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. (TMQ, 25:68-70). Do you see Allah's willingness to forgive His servants? He also replaces their evil deeds by good ones. Do you still not love Him? It has been reported that the Prophet (SAWS) says, “A man comes on the Day of Judgment and Allah (SWT) says to him “read your sins”. He changes color with every sin he reads, as he thinks that he is destined to eternal damnation. Allah (SWT) tells him “Have you not repented?” He says, “Yes my Lord; I have repented.” Allah (SWT) then tells him, “Reread your book.” He rereads each of his sins and finds that it has been replaced by a good deed; every sin he reads is turned into a good deed, until all his sins are converted into good deeds.” The man sees that his bad deeds have changed into good ones, increasing his score to Allah. Thus, he says, “Lord, I have additional bad deeds that have not been written down by angels!” Do you feel Allah's mercy? How Ever-Merciful He is! Has your heart started loving Him? Do the worldly pleasures still have the priority over Allah's satisfaction and repentance? The Prophet (SAWS) said, “O people, seek repentance from Allah. Verily, I seek repentance from Him a hundred times a day.”[5] Consider this act of the Prophet, the one who is perfect and infallible. What did he repent for? He expressed repentance for the absence of Allah from his thoughts at some moments. His companions said, “The times during which the Prophet asks Allah's forgiveness in one meeting were counted up to more than one hundred and seventy”. There is now an urgent need for repentance. Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) said, “Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?”[6] Abu Mu'sa reported Allah's Messenger (SAWS) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Stretches out His Hand during the night so that the people repent for the fault committed from dawn till dusk and He stretches out His Hand daring the day so that the people may reprint for the fault committed from dusk to dawn. (He would accept repentance) before the sun rises in the west (before the Day of Resurrection).[7] Narrated by Ibn Malik Al Ansari, Allah's Messenger said, “Verily, Allah is more delighted with the repentance of his slave than a person who loses his camel in a barren desert then finds it (unexpectedly).”[8] Do you not see that repentance is easy? It was reported in a Hadith, “One of the followers of Israel disobeyed Allah for forty years. As he was nearing death, he made his will. He requested his sons to burn his dead body after his death till it turned into ashes. Then he asked them to grind the ashes, then wait for a stormy day and scatter them over the mountaintops. After the father's death, the sons did what their father ordered them. At Resurrection, Allah (SWT) asked the man to say the reason behind doing this act (and Allah knows best). The man answered that he committed many sins and was afraid of Allah's punishment. Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) forgave the man's sins on account of his fear from Him. In a Hadith Qudsi (Sacred Hadith), the Prophet (SAWS) mentioned that Allah (SWT) said, “Myself, Mankind and Jinn are in a great serious state. I create them, then they worship other gods that they make for themselves; I bless them with my bounties, then they thank someone else for what I sent them; My Mercy descends to them while their evil deeds ascend to Me; I endear them with my gifts even though I have no need to any of them while they alienate themselves from Me with their sins even though they are desperate for my help. Whoever returns to Me, I accept him no matter how far he is; and whoever turns away from Me, I approach him and call on him. Whoever leaves a sin for my sake, I reward him with many gifts and whoever seeks to please Me, I seek to please him. Whoever acknowledges My Will and Power in whatever he does, I make the iron bend for his sake. My dear people are those who are with Me (i.e. whoever would like to be with Me, let him supplicate to Me and remember Me). Whoever thanks Me, I grant him more blessings; whoever obeys Me, I raise him and endear him more. Whoever disobeys Me, I keep the doors of My Mercy open for him; if he returns to Me, I bestow him with My Love since I love those who repent and purify themselves for My Sake. If he does not repent, I still treat him by putting them in hardship to purify him. Whoever favors Me over others, I favor them over others. I reward every single good deed ten times over or seven hundred times over to countless times over. I count every single bad deed as one unless the person repents and ask for My Forgiveness in which case I forgive even that one. I take into account any little good deed and I forgive even major sins. My Mercy supersedes My Anger; My Tolerance supersedes My Blame; My Forgiveness supersedes My Punishment as I am more merciful with My slaves than a mother with her child.”[9] Indeed, this is Allah. Do you not love Him?! Allah (SWT) says to Dawud “David” (AS), “O Dawud! If those who are led astray from My path (i.e. turn their backs on Me) knew how much I long for their penitence and yearn for their repentance, they would pine away with longings to seek Me. O Dawud, these are My feelings towards those who are led astray from My path (i.e. turn their backs on Me), imagine, then, how great My love is for those who seek (and follow) My path.” I swear by Allah, the most beautiful day in your life is the day in which Allah forgives you. There was a man, named Ka'ab Ibn-Malik, who committed a major sin against the Prophet (SAWS) and this made Allah resentful. As a result of such a sin, the man had been damned for fifty days during which no one spoke to him or greeted him. One day, Ka'ab Ibn-Malik was performing fajr (Dawn prayer) on his house roof and the Prophet (SAWS) found out that Allah had forgiven him. One of the companions told Ka'ab that Allah accepted his repentance. Ka'ab wept and prostrated to thank Allah. After that, on his way to the mosque, people congratulated him on this blessing. When he entered the mosque, the Prophet (SAWS) - with his face as bright as the full moon - brought the good news to him. He said to him that Allah forgave him. That day was the best day Ka'ab had experienced since he was born. How precious repentance is! Is it not high time to repent? Do you not long for expressing repentance? There was, during the era of Musa “Moses” (SAWS), a man of his people who was disobedient and insisted on committing sins for forty years. At that time, there was a drought. Musa and his people stood to perform the prayer of drought and shortage of rain (salatul-estisqaa). Rain did not fall. Musa asked Allah to make rain fall and was answered that rain will not fall unless the disobedient servant leaves. Musa gathered his people and told them that rain did not fall because of the sins of the man who had been misbehaving for forty years, and that in order for rain to fall, the sinner had to leave. Nobody responded and the man knew himself but did not withdraw from the people. He said, “O Allah! If I leave, my guilt will be exposed to people, and if I stay with them, we will all die of thirst. There was no way out except repentance and praying for Allah's mercy. Forgive me, Allah, and conceal my guilt”. As a result, rain fell and Musa wondered how this happened while the disobedient was still among them. Allah told him that because He rejoiced at the repentance of His sinner, He ordered rain to fall. Musa asked Allah to let him know this sinner to rejoice with him, but Allah told him, “I did not disgrace him for forty years. How can I disgrace him now, on the day on which he repented?” Let us ask ourselves about how often Allah conceals our sins! How can we repent now? Repentance has three conditions: 1- Feeling sorrow for the sin, as the Prophet (SAWS) says, “Repentance is feeling sorrow.” 2- Stopping the sin. 3- Taking a firm decision not to return to the sin again. Will Allah accept my repentance if I returned to the sin once more? The answer is yes. The evidence for this is the story of the Prophet Muhammad with the man who visited him and asked: If I performed a sin – O Prophet of Allah – would it be recorded? The Prophet answered: Yes. The man said: what if I repented? The Prophet said: It will be erased. The man added: What if I returned to the sin once again? The Prophet answered: It will be recorded once again. The man said: What if I repented? The Prophet said: It will be erased. The man said: What if I returned again? The Prophet said: It will be recorded. The man asked: What if I repented? The Prophet said: It will be erased. The man said: What if I returned again? The Prophet said: It will be recorded. The man asked: What if I repented? The Prophet said: It will be erased. The man asked: Until when will it be erased? The Prophet (SAWS) answered, “Allah does not stop bestowing His forgiveness until you get bored of asking for it.” Brothers and Sisters! Do you feel these words? We should love Allah, return to Him and start anew with Him. In the end, I ask Allah – the Most Strong, the Firm One, the Forgiving, the Ever Merciful – to forgive us all and accept our repentance and to unite all Muslims. Finally, we ask Allah to bestow His peace upon his Messenger. Our last invocation is all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Tabaraka Wa Ta`ala [Most Blessed Most High] [2] Aza-Wa-Jal [Glorified and Sublime be He] [3] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed. [4] Sala-llahu Alaihi Wa-Sallam = All the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him [5] Al-Agharr al-Muzani who was from amongst the Companions of Allah's Apostle (SAWS) reported that Ibn 'Umar stated to him that Allah's Messenger (SAWS) said this hadith. [6] Sahih Bukhari: Volume 2, Book 21, Number 246 [7] Sahih Muslim: Book 037, Number 6644 [8] Al Bukhari and Muslim [9] From “Madarij Al-Salikeen” by Ibn-Qayem Al-Gozyia AmrKhaled.net © جميع حقوق النشر محفوظة This Article may be published and duplicated freely for private purposes, as long as the original source is mentioned. For all other purposes you need to obtain the prior written approval of the website administration. For info: dar_altarjama@amrkhaled.net http://www.amrkhaled.net/articles/articles880.html

Salaam Khalaf Can I suggest that you save up money and go and dont wait for another second. It was most enjoyable trip and spritually uplifting. I got eman rush (as they say at al maghrib institute). If i had mahram to come with me twice a year, I would be most happy. It was awesome experience. My trip to Medina We had opportunities to visit historical sites which were awesome. One such trip was a tour of the prophet’s mosque, which I found not one of the believers that was there that was not moved to tears by just being able to be there. We prayed at al-Rawda. ( At the heart of the mosque is a very special but small area named ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah (Arabic: الروضة النبوية), which extends from the tomb of the prophet (saw) to his pulpit. It is so named because the Prophet said "Between my house and my pulpit is a garden of the gardens of paradise. All pilgrims attempt to visit and pray in ar-Rawdah, for there is a tradition that supplications and prayers uttered here are never rejected. Entrance into ar-Rawdah is not always possible (especially during the Hajj season), as the tiny area can accommodate only a few hundred people.) From WIKI There were many other places, too many to name, that were breath taking as well. This whole experience inspired me to come back and to begin to work on myself. To study more learn more quran and hadith, to change my character, and most important to spread what I learn to the people. It was like I was transported back to the prophet's (saw) time , and see where the martyrs died, to see mount uhud and more, was the most wonderful gift from Allah (swt), that even as I write this it brings tears to my eyes. Visiting the location of Uhud Invasion, one of the very first battles in the history of Islam, and to be more specific, to visit the tomb of Hamza bin Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet’s (saw) uncle, and one of the important men in the early days of Islam. Because of his bravery and heroism, he has been called Asadu-Allah (the Lion of God), and Asadu-al-Islam (the Lion of Islam). Before we left Medina and returned to Makkah, we prayed Masjid Quba which is one of the famous mosques besides the Mosque of the Prophet. It's the first mosque built in the Islamic history. The Uhud Invasion took place near Uhud Mountain in the outskirts of Medina. The location was great, but we did not have enough time to enjoy the place. We did all of the above in one day. All of Saudi have beautiful masjids, amazing smell and so clean. The food in Medina was much better than Makkah or medina. Inshallah I pray that we all go soon.

What is the whole package? Qof dhameystirin ma jiraa?

I have no intention of marrying Lily ^^ what is wrong with Lily?

Iyadoo doog dhex jiifto daawaheneysa ubahoo waa mid laalalalla durba gareyska furatoo

Originally posted by -Lily-: FB, What's that got to do with anything? Even though I'm not married I can still have an opinion on what marriage should be like. Are you blind woman! Cant you see when someone is hitting on ya?

Can I say..that I agree the refusal of ladies driving in Saudi. It is for their own safety. We had an asian taxi driver who spoke no English but laughed manically whenever he braked and when he wants to chat, turns AWAY from the road as the car veered violently off the road and on to the verge buildings and at one point a cliff!

Ghanima Have you eaten anything new or put on new cream or perfume? Have you been in contact with certain flowers or scent? Think back as to what was new in your life or whether you got in contact with someone who wa eating/wearing something you are allergic to. Go and have that test and in the meantime keep the skin cool and resist the temptation to rub the itchy skin and apply copious amounts of moisturising perfume-free creams (or use olive oil) to reduce dryness and itch.

Salaam Congrats Fartun ..Did you gain weight by the way? I recall you obsessing about somali ladies gaining weight after all that boorash. Zenobia That is great. My sis-in-law's life stopped when she had her baby. I always wonder that there are other ways making your life fulfilling whilst looking after a child. Having child is a blessing and not many moms regret having their babies, but they always complain of the lack of 'me time'.

G Shall we be honest here? 1- There arent many decent blokes out there i.e religious, educated, kind. 2- You hold on to the good ones Allah blessed you with. 3- Many sisters are without men. Mainly cos the good ones are taken, those available are younger or they dont want to marry men beneath them (in terms of decency, behaviour etc). 4- Kids needs father figure and a decent man wouldnt neglect his child. Broken home is never good for the children. They need the stability, security of a father and mother. 5- Bringing another man inthe house..imagine what this would do to the morale of the kids? Ever heard of a succesful union? What is the other option? Never to remarry? So When Allah blesses you with a decent, sweet kind, generous educated, religious bloke, you make sure that none of you walk away from a good thing. If a man has a wife, kids etc he has no reason to marry another. But just in case that he does, he has to make sure that you get your rights from him and doesnt neglect you. If he does, then that would a ground for divorce. It is just not good to be haste. Hasty and wanton use of the right of divorce is regarded as most condemnable in Islam. But in the end, it is different for every woman.

Norf & Ngonge What say you about the KSA in general? I havent had chance to observe the society. As you know, most of the residence in Makkah are expats and pilgrims. But i saw how the women dont feature much of the public life. And if she is out, she is accompanied by men who will call for the taxis, lifts etc. Even during tawaaf, she is protected. But the hypocricy of the Saudis, they have pop idol and trash on TV with improperly clad women whilst on the streets, you are forcifully encouraged ro wear the burka. Even the Somali community encourage you forcifully to wear it. Somali men were the worst. The sexim in that country was outrages. Even I had strong words with one Somali student (of Makkah university) who said that women caqli ma leh. I asked whether that was what he was taught! But all in all..I was trying to increase my ibaadah time than pick all their faults.

I will tell you no lie girls, I would be devastated, maybe throw few dabqaad in his way but As Bishaaro mentioned few post back, if i have kids and invested so much in this marriage, I would make sure that i dont lose it for the sake of kids. But If I am without kids, and he marries, then, maybe I would consider us going our seprate ways intaan dhexda dhuuqsado, indhokuulna dhac isku siiyo ayaan jikeyga ku dhici lahaa. edit: However i dont think i would find hubby like mine out there, perhaps I would stick with him. Better to be half-loved, than to never have loved.

You thought you'd piss on SOL? What do you do J horta?

Salaam aleykum Apparently it has been proven that no one can beat the number one hubby. Kinda like a first love..you never forget it! Lets hear from the married sisters on how they feel about this situation. All i could see is the single gals oo fakfak badan That supercilious bravado facade existed at one time ..till reality hits you in the face.

The Fisherman An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, "Only a little while." The investment banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The fisherman said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." The investment banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening and spend time with my family, I have a full and busy life." The investment banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a big town and eventually to the the city where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise." The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the investment banker replied, "15 to 20 years." "But what then?" asked the fisherman. The investment banker laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions?...Then what?" The investment banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings and spend time with your family."

Salaam JB I honestly prayed for everyone who asked first and those who didnt second. May Allah accept it. Out of the all trips/holidays I made previously, nothing can beat this. Yes it was hot and humid, but in the Haram, it was like you were on differently planet. I felt like I was in Raxmad and was constantly aware of Allah in everything I do. With every prayers ( I prayed behind Sudais and Shuraim few times), we were praying salaatul-janaza. I saw few bodies entered when I was about to enter the agtes. It is close and was in contant reminder. With regards to money, It was cheap compared to other holidays I have been to. A room with 2 2beds was £10 a night. Food was very cheap too. The ticket and the visa cost £500 (peak time it was too). No I didnt take pictures. Mainly it isnt allowed but I saw people taking pictures. So inshallah next time, I will take pictures. My mom reminded me that the haram isnt always this empty (to me it wasnt empty but to her it was).

Zenobia Jazaakallahu kheyr sister. If I had another chance to visit Mekkah, I'd be tempted to hide in the mountains and never return We have met many Londoners who decided to move there without any ciqaama. They rented houses and are happy there when they are not hiding from the police. One lady has even returned her British passport to the Home office and has been living in Makkah for 9years without any sharci. She moves about and never did she come accross any police.

That must be my sweetie Ibtisam I made dua for everyone here on SOL including the 'secularists and the sceptics', that Allah guides us all in His path and bless us with 'Addunya fi nicma, aakhira fil Janna'. I got back 2 weeks ago, and my eemaan was way up there and i didnt feel like wasting time here. But now I am back.. I am trying to find ways to retain that amazing feeling I had when I was over there. So now I am looking for malcaamad in London. Not your ypical habar somali sunday school, but proper one where you get be hafiz of Quran in a year or 2? Any suggestions?

Salaam aleykum qaraabo I thought since everyone is writing about their trips, maxaa aniga iga reebey? Another reason is the off chance someone may long to visit the cities. It certainly was amazing experience. My mom always used to say that no matter how many times she visits Makkah, she feels afterwards like she is a new person. I know now what she meant. This place is sacred from Allah. History involved with every corner in this holy city. The moment you enter Makkah you would feel very small. This holy place is in the Middle of massive Mountains and giant towers. I can’t describe my happiness whenever I see the Ka'bah. The place is bright and my heart felt bright. Muslim people from all over are seen. Different people with same purpose. All tasting the moment of peace. Someone once described the atmosphere of atmosphere on being at the middle of the holy mosque: This Pakistani little girl watching people, oh wait!!! look at the Nigerian boy running with a big smile in his face, pigeons flying all over, birds singing even at night, old Turkish man with a white beard holding his hand and asking Allah for something I don’t know what it is, people walking around Kaba, Afghani woman drinking from the icy Water of “Zmzm”, a young Indonesian guy looking at the sky and thinking deeply, Moroccan old woman sleeping in peace, Egyptian man reading the holy Quran, New converted American man tearing the happiness tear for being at this peaceful place, Malaysian lady crying asking for forgiveness, Bosnian woman feeding pigeons, Handicapped old Ethiopian man crawling the mosque’s marble for the sake of competing his duty, Indian woman nursing her baby, Iranian couples sheering quite talks, Syrian man teaching his little girl some values….etc. You would see all kind of people praying, no matter if they were rich or poor, young or old, male or female, Caucasian, Asian or Black, they are all the same. Nothing could describe the feeling of being in Makkah BUT an honest tear and soft heart convincing me to go there again. As a Muslim, I had heard about it, and seen pictures of it throughout my life. The masjid is considered the holiest place on Earth for a Muslim. When I finally got the chance to walk into the Grand Mosque, I felt so many emotions that I cannot describe them in words. My days in Mecca were mostly composed of going to the Mosque and praying. How could I have missed the chance of praying there and receiving amazing hasanat and ajar? I pray Allah accepts His slaves' worship. I did get to see some of the rest of the city. The city itself is extremely hectic, and why not, Muslims from around the world come there daily to pray in the hometown of Muhammed (pbuh). However, those looking for historic sites or things of that nature will be dissapointed. A lot of non-religious places have been demolished by the Saudi government. The city itself seemed to be mostly composed of hotels, and unfortunately doesn't have as much exoticness as I would have liked (A Hilton ripe with KFC and Burger King stood no more than 40 feet outside of the Grand Masjid). Outside of the immediate area of the haram you'll find neighborhoods of twisting narrow alleys and depilated old houses - it's as close to historical interest as you'll get in Makkah. But after all being in the haram 5 times a day by itself makes up for it. Now, I don't want to come off as sounding as though I didn't enjoy my trip. It was amazing and something I will never forget. I cannot wait until I get to visit Makkah again. There are many gates to the Holy Mosque,I believe more than 100 gates. There is security at each gate to ensure the safety of the people.they check your bags. No food is allowed to the holy Mosque except at the time of Ramadan you can bring your dates and drinks to break your fasting after performing the Maghrib prayers (although a lot of people sneaked it in). I just recalled that there was qaxwo and dates distributed after maghrib so that people on their way to make tawaf would sip and eat. The floors are cleaned and polished every hour for maximum clean as muslims are the dirtiest people. When they eat, they leave all their rubbish around! Apart from the obvious prayers and rituals. It would take you a good few days just to go around the whole structure and admire the intrciate and beautiful Mosque. The whole place is adorned in expensive marble, shipped in from Italy, Spain, Greece etc. There are many carvings, designs and Calligraphy to be found all around the mosque area. Makkah has large Air conditioning system as well as huge P.A amplifier system. Note the impressive architecture of the gate and minarets. The masjid was constantly full with pilgrims from all over the world. Many came with tears in their eyes, others were elated. One morning I got the chance to touch the black stone. My mom pushed me through (only Allah knows how we passed the Iranians). It smelled wonderful and the smell was with me for 3 days. Throughout my trip I kept trying to remind myself of where I was, who had been there and what it meant. It was mind-blowing. I also gained a newfound appreciation for our prophet Muhammed (pbuh) after doing all the tasks required of the Umrah. I thought of all the struggles he and his companions faced, and how much they went through to establish their beliefs. One saying of his stood out in particular, the saying was along the lines of "You could not know what your mother went through when she carried you and bore you, even if you were to do Umrah while you carried her". I thought about that a lot, especially since I was with my mother on this trip. I can go on and on, but I won't. Suffice it to say that anyone who goes there will never forget it. The entire area around the Mosque and the the two hills of Safa and Marwah now contain a few hundred outlets where you can obtain the water of Zam Zam. Originally there was a well, however the King Fahd moved this during the restoration and modernisation of the Mosque. You will now find hundreds of cooler tanks dotted on all floors all over the mosque, as well as taps, and drinking fountains around the mosque which all pump out billions of litres of Zam Zam every year. Zam Zam water is also provided in the mosque of Medina now too. My trip to Medina was also fantastic as I got to see more of the history. I write more later inshallah. All i know is: my future holiday plans will now include Makkah and Medina.

Biixi Point is that the ICU shouldn't be supported in any form and may ALLAH prevent them coming back. The residence of muqdishu would vehemently disgaree with you. They have never experienced tranquility and stability in the last 17yrs except when the ICu was in chanrge. Pls dont let your hatred blind you of the good things they have done even if you dont agree with them.

Salaam buuxo It is Shacbaan. Fasting in Sha'baan: ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allaah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’baan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1833; Muslim, no. 1956). A group of scholars, including Ibn al-Mubaarak and others, thought that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast all of Sha’baan, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report in Saheeh Muslim (no. 1954) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “I never knew of him – meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadaan.” According to another report also narrated by Muslim (no. 1955), ‘Aa’ishah said: “I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madeenah, apart from Ramadaan.” It was reported in al-Saheehayn that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1971, and Muslim, no. 1157). Ibn ‘Abbaas regarded it as makrooh to fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan. Ibn Hajar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “He observed more voluntary fasts in Sha’baan than in any other month, and he used to fast most of Sha’baan.” Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha’baan.’ He said, ‘That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.’” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, page 425). According to a report narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 2076) she said: “The most beloved of months for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast in was Sha’baan, and his fasting in Sha’baan was continuous with his fasting in Ramadaan.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, see Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 2/461). Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Fasting in Sha’baan is better than fasting in the Sacred Months, and the best of voluntary fasts are those that are (observed in the months) closest to Ramadaan, before or after. The status of these fasts is like that of al-Sunan al-Rawaatib which are done before and after fard (prayers) and which make up for any shortfall in the number of obliagtory prayers. The same applies to fasts observed before and after Ramadaan. Just as al-Sunan al-Rawaatib are better than other kinds of voluntary prayers, so fasts observed (in the months) before and after Ramadaan are better than fasts at other times. The phrase “Sha’baan is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan” indicates that because it comes between two important months, the Sacred Month of Rajab and the month of fasting, people are preoccupied with those two months and they do not pay attention to Sha’baan. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in Sha’baan, because Rajab is one of the Sacred Months, but this is not the case. These reports indicate that fasting in the month of Sha'ban, though not obligatory, is so meritorious that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, did not like to miss it. But it should be kept in mind that the fasts of Sha'ban are for those persons only who are capable of keeping them without causing deficiency in the obligatory fasts of Ramadan. Therefore, if one fears that after fasting in Sha'ban, he will lose strength or freshness for the fasts of Ramadan and will not be able to fast in it with freshness, he should not fast in Sha'ban, because the fasts of Ramadan, being obligatory, are more important than the optional fasts of Sha'ban. Fasting towards the end of Sha'baan: Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Do not observe Saum (fasting) before the advent of Ramadan. Observe Saum at sighting of the crescent of Ramadan and terminate it at sighting the crescent (of Shawwal). If the sky is overcast, complete (the month as) thirty (days).'' [At-Tirmidhi]. Ammar bin Yasir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: He who observes the fast on a doubtful day, has in fact disobeyed Abul-Qasim, (i.e., Messenger of Allah (PBUH)). [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi]. "Doubtful day'' here signifies the day of 30th Sha`ban. In other words, if the moon is not sighted on 29th of Sha`ban because of clouds and a person observes Saum, he will be in doubt whether it is the 30th of Sha`ban or the 1st of Ramadan. Thus, there is no need to observe Saum on a doubtful day, and one should complete thirty days of the month of Sha`ban.

They bloody well should J. But they arent..for some reason. Some of the staff havent bothered to turn up for work today apparently. Bribing, and end up being locked for bribing official? Have you no shame woman! Seriously though, does it work? How much is an insult and how much isnt?