"Jis ne kamil wuzu kiya phir farz namaz k liye chala or Imam k sath parhi us k gunah bakhsh diye jaen gay"
(Bahar-e-Shariat, chap:03)
JUMA MUBARAK

He Holy Prophet (SallAllah o Alehi Wassalam) has said, Whoever recites Durood Shareef upon me, I will intercede for him.` (Al Qaulul-Badi`, P117, Dar-ul-Kutub-ul Ilmiyyah Beirut)

Rasool Allah(S.A.W) ne sood khaanay wale, Khilanay wale, Us ke likhne wale aur us ko do gawahon per lanat farmayi hai:
Ye (gunah mein) brabar (ke shareek) hein.

Shab-e-Miraj

Shab-e-Miraj

Shab-i-Miraj means the night of Ascent. It is the blessed night when the Holy Prophet of Islam was spiritually transported to heaven and he reached a high stage of nearness to God Almighty which is beyond ordinary human comprehension. The Ascent took place on 27th day or Rajab, 2 years before Hijra. The journey was not with a physical body but was a vision of the highest type. On the way the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, met Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and some other Prophets. The purpose of the Ascent was to confirm the high status of the Prophet of Islam, a position which all Muslims believe, is impossible to attain by any other human being. It is related that even Gabriel, the Angel who was accompanying the Holy Prophet remarked at one stage, 'I am forced to stop here. I cannot go any further, but you O Messenger of peace and friend of the Master of the worlds, continue your glorious ascent.'

It is also related that the Holy Prophet continued his journey until he reached very close to the Throne of God Almighty and attained the utmost nearness to Him. After having drunk fully at the Divine fountain of spiritual knowledge he came down to impart the knowledge to mankind.

It was on this journey, that five daily prayers were made obligatory upon Muslims.

Celebrations:
According to popular belief, the Miraj or Spiritual Ascension took place on 27 of Rajab. On this day, in some Muslim countries the houses and streets and specially the mosques are decorated with colorful pennants and buntings, and at night they are well illuminated by means of electric lights, candles or even oil lamps. As evening approaches the worshippers assemble in the mosques and engage themselves in glorifying the Lord and in singing hymns in His praise and in praise of the Holy Prophet. Public meetings are also held generally after Isha Prayer in larger mosques where speakers throw light on the spiritual status of the Holy Prophet, and various aspects of his life. The story of his spiritual ascension is narrated in detail. After the meetings sweets are generally distributed. Muslims of means give money in charity and also distribute food among the poor. The devoted ones spend the whole night in the remembrance of God.

The seed of goodness in men's heart"

One day when Ahmed came home from school he was so sad. What's the matter? asked his mother. I'm confused, he said. About what? asked his father. You see, today my teacher was telling us about the benefit of working for Allah and taking care of our parents, he said. What do you mean? asked his father. You know giving dawa and learning about Islam, he said. Ahmed if you want to leave to study you should do it, said his mother. And don't worry about us, we'll be fine Insha Allah, said his father encouragingly.

So, after some days he made up his mind. I think I'm ready to leave, he told his parents. Masha Allah, I'm so proud of you, said his father. And may Allah bless you and makes you strong, said his mother. Ahmed left after Zuher salat. He was sixteen at this time. He was scared, cause he never traveled alone before. He asked Allah to help him. And Allah doesn't leave His servants alone.

Ahmed traveled all over the world to learn about Islam. He met many great scholars of that time. He became famous with his knowledge. He teached many people all over the world. He went back to visit his parents once in a while. They were very happy to see him like this.

One day Ahmed was sitting in the Masjid. He was reciting "Sura-al-qa'f". He heard someone was crying. He looked around him. A man was sitting there. He walk toward the man. What's the matter brother? he asked him. I'm a sinner, the man said. I haven't touched the quran for years. I did many other bad things, he said. Will I be forgiven? asked the man.

Ahmed smiled at the man. Ahmed asked the man, "Have you not heard what Allah says in the glorious Quran:

'Say: O 'Ibaadi(My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deed and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah forgives all sins. truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful' [al Zummer 39:53]?"

The man looked at him with joy, with his eyes filled with tears. Then he bade farewell and left.

No matter how big the evil is, there's always a seed of good in men's heart. If Allah has His Mercy on us, it will bear fruit, Insha Allah.

This seed seems to always fight in our heart, even when it's cored with desire. When Allah wills the good for His slaves, He cause the light of goodness to shine our hearts. He guides us to the right path.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran:-

"And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast close and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky" [al-Anam 6:125].

A New Beginning

I walked into the doors of LS Regional High School feeling like a new person. I felt as though hundreds of eyes were fixed on me, yet it was merely my wild imagination. My heart skipped a beat and my face flushed, but these signs of nervousness disappeared as people began to say "hey Aziza" like any other day. My fears of being rejected vanished and I felt the same again - well not the same, for I was different; I was now a muhajabah.

Many of my friends knew I was Muslim because I was constantly asked why I wasn't eating during the month of Ramadan. I would explain to them what Ramadan was, but this was all my friends knew about Islam. I had never bothered to educate them further.

Since the last Ramadan, I had been thinking about Islam and my duties of a Muslim more than usual. I began contemplating hijab and thought to myself, "I'll start hijab when I go to college." Why then? Because it would be a new environment, a new stage of my life, the start of a new beginning; it seemed like a good time to make a big change.

As Ramadan passed, I was constantly fighting a battle with myself. I was still pondering over Islam and my life in general. "Four years is a long time to wait (to start hijab)," I kept telling myself. I became distressed just thinking about how long four years was in reality.

I then decided I would start hijab after freshman year was over, so I had the summer to adjust. I would start sophomore year as a new person. "Sophomore year," I thought to myself, "that's still quite a few months away." I was still frustrated and did not want to wait so long to start hijab.

As April began, I thought to myself, "I am going to do it. I am going to start hijab and nothing is stopping me!"

Alhumdulillah for my open-minded teachers. I asked them if they could give me five minutes to speak to the class about what I was about to do: start hijab. They excitedly agreed with warm, encouraging smiles. In each class, I walked to the front of the room and slowly began to talk. I told them about Islam and how it is very important to me. I explained what the hijab is and why Muslim women are commanded to wear it. My peers sat listening, quietly and attentively, amazed by what I was saying. They sat in awe interested in my beliefs. Many asked questions and begged to see what I looked like with a hijab on. I happily put it on to show them. Their smiles showed they approved of it and liked it; they were happy I was going to wear hijab.

My classmates told their friends, who told their other friends, and soon the whole school knew about me starting hijab. People I didn't even know were constantly approaching me and telling me how much they appreciated what I was doing, how much they admired me, how much they supported me and how they wish they had the will power I did. All this before I even started hijab. That following Friday on April 13, 2001, I became a muhajabah for life.

The decision I made that day is one I will never regret insha'Allah. Since then, despite some of the obstacles that were thrown in my path, I have been the happiest girl alive. Many other Muslim girls have told me how I've inspired them and they wish to be more practicing. These positive comments only motivate me to work harder and become an even better Muslim, for these comments show me I am on the right path and insha'Allah will stay on it. I thank Allah Subhana wa ta'ala for the strength to do this, the guidance He has given me, and this personality, which has helped me have these qualities where people respect me, admire me and look up to me. And I also thank Him for giving me the mentality in which I do not care what others think; I solely care what He thinks.