Asalaamu Alaykum Nazir,
Just for clarification, yes there are only 5 obligatory prayers in Islam; the comprise of Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Esha. The Column in the table (with the link that you provided) is sunrise, which is basically there for your information that you have between the stated time for fajr and sunrise to offer the prayers, and after sunrise, the time to offer your fajr has expired. I hope you understand my often difficult to understand explanation
No, I understood your explanation Nazir.
Silly me. I was confused and was thinking that rather than sunrise being a cut off point for prayers to finish, I was thinking that this was a prayer time in itself. As such, early this morning I prayed at Fajr and again at sunrise, which actually felt good because I felt that I was honouring the new day, and this made this a special day for me.
Given my misunderstanding, I have prayed six times today, albeit imperfectly no doubt, but I will learn.
Tomorrow I will know better, so you see, with your help good people, I am learning every day.
Now, if Fajr indicates the start of the prayer period, and sunrise marks it's end, then is it advisable to spend the entire period in prayer? You see, the prayer itself that I am doing doesn't take very long so I wouldn't be sure how to stretcth this out, unless after prayer I just spend the time reading Quran out loud, and so making it like a kind of prayer to Allah rather than just consuming it for myself.
Regarding the demons on your backs, rest assured we all have them, life is but a constant struggle of purifying ourselves and keeping these demons at bay; they hound a person until their death, but what counts is our resistance to our vices, and if we falter, Allah is the Oft-Forgiving and loves that His slaves, after transgressing against themselves turn to Him in Humility and repentance. May Allah enable us to fight our Nafs (base self) and strive to become better Muslims.
Thanks Nazir.
When you say, 'resistance to our vices', is that part of what
jihad is? You see, most people in my country (and indeed all over Europe and America), think that Jihad is about the slaying of infidels, indeed, I used to think this myself. On 9/11, they claimed that this was jihad. So, I need to know what jihad is because I am going to need to correct people's misunderstandings about this matter when it comes that they ask such things. I could look this up on the internet but I prefer communicating with real people than just reading.
You see, if the 'holy war' is about resistance to that which drags us away from our path, then I think that I have done this already. You see, on the day that I bought the Quran and as I was reading 'The Cow/Heifer', someone came and offered me a bagful of cannabis, which I confess, I would normally, I will be honest, very much enjoy to smoke. So I was confronted with a dilemma: upon this day that I had obtained the Holy Book, and was absorbing it's message, I was met with my greatest temptation - and I knew that if I succumbed to it, my mind would be clouded and dazed, and I would not be able to properly comprehend what I was reading, and I felt that it would be a great dishonour to Allah whom was so beautifully opening His arms to me on this day at long last, and so I resisted, and the person who was offering was really puzzled and I just said, 'No thanks, I'm busy reading, I'm getting really into this book (they didn't know it was the Quran), so I'm not bothered about it now.'. I would have had the opportunity to change my mind but I didn't allow that thought to take over, and so I began reading aloud, and the thought became stronger, and so I read faster, until I wasn't really properly comprehending was I was reading, but the important thing, is that it worked! I felt like I had extinguished a demon, and I have never resisted this particular temptation for anything before, and so already, on my very first acquaintanceship with the Quran, it changed the course of my day.
So I ask you, was this my first practice of jihad?
I think I already mentioned how amazed I was to find the answer to an important question I had on the very first page of the Quran. It has shown me so much already and I have only read a little.
Hi Bluegazer.
Before you decide to take the Shahada [Testimony that there's no one worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad was His slave and Messenger], you need to at least know the Five Pillars of Islam and the Six Pillars of Faith.
I am aware of what the five pillars are, I just thought that I was getting five prayers mixed up with the five pillars, because in misunderstanding the significance of sunrise, I thought it was a prayer time, rather than a cut off point for prayer.
Thanks though for the link to the site because there are interesting things that I want to read about there.
Bless you Bluegazer.
Hello there Msaeed.
I am unsure what the first line of your post means, could you tell me? I know that the first part is 'peace be upon you' (and much peace be upon you too kind sir), but what does the latter part mean?
I pray you and your family are in the best state of health.
Many thanks for your kind wishes and I pray the same for you and yours.
Alhamdulilah (Thank God) that Allaah Subhana Wa Ta'ala (Allaah, the Glorified and Exalted) has been guiding you to the Straight Path.
Yes, I'm very happy about it.
Verse 6:125 of the Quran says:"Those whom Allah wants to guide, He opens their chests to Islam; And those whom He wants to leave astray, He makes their chests tight and constricted, as if they are ascending to the sky: Such is the penalty of Allah on those who refuse to believe."
This is very interesting Msaeed, and it is revelatory how we do in fact know certainly that our breathing becomes harder at high altitudes.
Now, I have read some things about how it is revealed in the Quran, certain things as to how the foetus develops in the womb of woman, and how this parallels with scientific fact, so much so, that there are even doctors of embryology that have converted to Islam, so amazed were they by this.
Now, considering what is said in that line which you quote - do you think that perhaps it is not in accordance with the will of Allah that we humans create contraptions by which we are to fly into the sky? It isn't natural for us to transport ourselves in such a way is it? Our habits of flying around in machines also causes a lot of damage to the world we inhabit with all the chemicals that are belched out of aeroplanes and such, damage to the ozone layer etc., and so your quote here, has had me thinking upon this.
I also observe that it is strange that you bring my attention to this part of the Quran, as just today, I had been thinking upon man's flight to the moon and the ways in which we are interfering with the space that surrounds our world and the things in it, because personally, I have always been very wary of man going to the moon and other bodies, and stealing things away to bring them here, out of nothing more than curiosity, because somehow this seems wrong to me. The moon seems to me to be a very sacred facet of nature, and even before I had any interest in Islam, I always did think that there was something wrong in flying there and walking all over it, and certainly to be looting it and taking things from it that do not belong here.
I wondered what you might think about this?
I was thinking, when it comes to taking things from the moon, then where do we draw the line? When we come to alter the moon's weight and throw the perfect balance of the spheres out of kilter?
These things have worried me a lot, even before my interest in Islam, because I think that to infere with nature to such a fabulous extent is wrong.
This has given me cause to reflect upon the quote you have shown me, and what may be implied therein.
Also, this is one of my favourite hadiths: It was narrated that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allaah says: "...and if he draws near to Me the span of an arm, I draw near to him the span of two outstretched arms and if he takes a step towards Me, I come to him at speed." -Bukhari 5/175 and Muslim 4/2061
Thank you again, because this is of comfort to me.
Regarding taking the Shahada, all one must do is say this "testimony of faith" with full conviction in their heart, which is: "I bear witness that there is no God except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammed (Peace be upon him), is the messenger of God"
Okay, I understand, so I know that when I come to declare this, I will declare it in no ordinary manner, it must be a most special event.
I understand that you want to feel like you deserve it more before so, however, you mustn't underestimate your time in this life. What would become of you if God forbid you died suddenly as a non Muslim?
Well yes, several people have said words to this effect on this thread, and I must think upon this. Tomorrow day I am to go to approach the mosque for the first time, and this is a matter that I wish to discuss with the people there, or the imaam. I do hope that I find the people of the mosque to be as kind as the people here have been to me.
I have been searching for a particular hadith, but I cannot find it-perhaps another member InshAllaah can provide it if they know it InshAllaah-about a certain individual during a battle against the Prophet peace be upon him, who accepted Islam on the battlefield and died that day as a Muslim,and I believe was granted Paradise, without ever even praying, fasting, etc.
This would be interesting to read.
InshAllaah I wish you the best in this journey of yours. The more we learn, the more we realize that we really are ignorant of so much..I encourage you to learn as much as you can InshAllaah, but nevertheless take things step by step so you dont exhaust yourself God forbid or feel overwhelmed.
I am very grateful for your wishes and encouragement.
Louly-sweet,
Peace be upon you too, blessings to you.
Your beautiful words have brought happy tears into my eyes.
It is touching to hear that my words have made you happy.
I will admit, that I have had happy tears myself when I have read my responses here, and with the knowledge of what is happening to me at this time, which might sound really soft, but that's the truth.
I am speechless because of the light in your heart that is guiding you & the love I read in all our brothers & sisters respones to you, here.
I have found that many here are indeed loving and so kind, and I wish that I had come here sooner and begun to learn about what Islam really is sooner, but alas, for whatever reason that only He knows, this was to be the time.
The greatness of Islam is that it is the ultimate TRUTH.
The greatness of Islam is that we get to know ALLAH.
I do believe it. Better than belief, however, is
understanding, and I do seek to find that understanding.
I am truely speechless but I'll have you in my prayers a lot.
I really appreciate this. Next time I pray, I will have the names of each of you that have offered your kindnesses toward me here, and ask for each of you in turn that Allah, if He wills it, to bestow a blessing upon you, as I owe each of you a prayer at least.
Thank you all again.
= And Peace be upon you
'', means 'peace be upon him', yes?
