Umrah Pilgrimage: An ever memorable gift from my parents

Date: May 29, 2016

The author Jameel Syed expresses his experience in Umrah that he witnessed while his pilgrimage. He says nobody can walk empty handed from this place of purification. He first visited Umrah in the month of Ramadan in 1998. The pilgrimage journey was a gift from his parents for graduating from the University of Michigan. Pilgrims chanted loud and loud as they moved closer to the object of desire. His heart beats started to beat faster and faster when he reaches the place of Allah. His eyes started to fill with tears and while walking towards the object of desire he was in a dreamy state. Finally he stopped and he knew that he was in the presence of majesty. People come from far and near to have their prayers heard. Different people believes in Islam with different skin colors eat different foods, speak different languages, wear different clothes and practice different customs all gathered in one place to celebrate peace, brotherhood and unity. The pilgrimage places like Mecca and Madinah have their own flavors. Both cities carry the wonderful air of devotion and humanity and both are complimentary to one another. Both cities make you feel safe and privileged. While the trip to Madinah, he could meet many notable personalities who are working for Islam and its teachings. Qalam Institute, Ustadh Wissam Sharieff, Imam Dawood Yasin, Imam Khalid Latif, imam Omer Bajwa, Ustadh Jameel Besada were some among them. The ever loving and memorable thing that the author could do was being given the permission to raise the adhan in two masajid of the holy city: Darul Hadith and the famed Islamic University of Madinah. Since this greatest thing happened, he believes that nobody can walk away from this place empty handed.

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Eid al-Fitr 2020

Praise be to Allah. Every year Muslims celebrate two major religious Holidays- Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Both celebrations commence after completing an obligational worship prescribed by Allah. Eid al-Fitr follows 30 days of fasting during Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha is celebrated after the Hajj. Fasting and Hajj are the third and fourth pillars of Islam. Eid al-Fitr will fall on May 23rd or 24th this year and many of us are unsure of what to do given the current pandemic situation causing a shutdown of all places of worship. Most of us are currently praying Jumah and Tarawih at home and will likely do the same or Eid prayers. Some of us are holding socially distanced, family visits outdoors, while others are doing drive-bys. Some families may continue with virtual visits through video calls. Islamic scholars have issued multiple fatwas on mosque closures, Friday, daily, Tarawih and Eid prayers. Please visit the following links to read details about the Islamic, legal opinions and decisions in the US: 1. The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA): https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/87736/impact-of-covid-19-outbreak-on-the-congregational-services(https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/87736/impact-of-covid-19-outbreak-on-the-congregational-services) 2. Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) / Islamic Society of North America (ISNA): http://fiqhcouncil.org/fatwa-regarding-%e1%b9%a3alat-al-eid-in-light-of-covid-19-lockdown/(http://fiqhcouncil.org/fatwa-regarding-%e1%b9%a3alat-al-eid-in-light-of-covid-19-lockdown/) For other countries, please search for proper authorities and websites in your respective locals. The Alim Foundation Inc.: NMS/NH: May 19, 2020

Smile at Your Spouse

Smile is considered as an act of reward and honor. Breaking a smile at your spouse is considered a bigger act of reward. If you did not speak properly to your spouse, why did you marry? Why are you spoiling the life of a daughter or a son? A question to think! Keep an act of worship to your spouse by making him or happy with your pleasant smile and mind. By knowing and studying the nature of your spouse, make him or her happy with your smile. This will be a reward and opening to know Allah.

No feets are needed to perform Sujud; It needs a soul

Here is a wonderful and heart touching post from a disabled US Navy Veteran. Once he was admitted in the hospital in Washington DC, where he needs to undergo for some checkups and follow ups. In between he stepped up and down first floor and third floor for a long time. In the meantime, on the third floor, he could see the hospital chapel just outside the elevator doors. The chapel, including ten to fifteen members was getting ready for the Jumuah prayer. As he entered the hospital chapel, he was offered a seat in the front by considering the disability to his knees. It was too difficult for him to sit and pray. But they found a bench that he shared with two other gentlemen to pray. During the khutbah, the imam said that “Let us also make du&8217;a for our brothers and sisters that are too sick to join us in this room today.” Imam’s words hit him hard and he got in a mood of agony. That was a Ramadan season. And he thought like whether other disabled brothers sat next to him thought the same sad way. When he started to pray and make sujud the man in the wheelchair next to him caught his eyes. He was an old gentleman. When they first sat for the khutbah, he noticed that he had to struggle sitting up on his wheelchair, that he was missing both his legs. But, as they made sujud, he too did his prayers and Sujud. Here, the narrator doesn’t have any idea about how this man lost his legs. Maybe he lost his legs while serving the United States military. The very fact, the narrator coining here is that, he has done his Sujud. The narrator is feeling very sick due to his bad knees. At the same time, this old man is doing his Sujud without two legs. This made the veteran man to open his eyes. He was quickly reminded of the quote from Helen Keller “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”. He concludes the narration by remembering the words from the messenger of Allah” “Every Muslim has five rights over another Muslim: to return the greetings, to visit the sick, to accompany funeral processions, to accept an invitation, to respond to the sneezer.

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