#points of hajj

[bisexualamy]

imagine buying chocolate eggs without ever considering the crucifixion of jesus christ, or kosher becoming a fad diet, the pilgrimage to Mecca becoming a fun drunk weekend getaway, the concept of reincarnation relegated to fun social media quizzes

i cannot even begin to describe how insulting it is to portray this as better than preserving cultural and religious heritage. truly tell me you know nothing about these traditions without telling me. if you're going to speak on erasing centuries of culture and religious traditions with such confidence, at least know what the fuck you're talking about

Once again begging anti-theists to realize that to get to a world without religion you’d have to commit cultural genocide. So maybe you shouldn’t push for that

[probablygoodrpgideas]

Do you want context for the vtm poll? Im giving you the context:

Nosferatu are a clan of vampires that are most well known for looking absolutely fucked up. No points for guessing what their inspiration was.

“Sewer rats” is a nickname other vampires give to the Nosferatu

The Hajj are a group of muslim nosferatu.

The Niktuku are an ancient bloodline of Nosferatu.

The Bay’t Musharad are a group of nosferatu who *didn’t* convert to islam.

The Guruhi are a group of african Nosferatu.

The baali are demon worshippers or whatever

Jasper Heartwood is a character in a webseries. His clan is Nosferatu.

Nosferatu tend to not have a lot of hair

Tzimisce are not even remotely related to Nosferatu. Also, you do not pronounce their name like that.

lmao thanks

[workersolidarity]

🇾🇪⚔️🇺🇸 🚨 YEMEN RESPONDS TO AGGRESSION BY THE UNITED STATES AND UNITED KINGDOM

📹 A video by the Armed Forces of Yemen spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Sarea released early Friday in response to coalition drone and missile strikes launched overnight against several targets in Yemen.

The United States claims these strikes are in response to repeated Yemeni strikes targeting commercial vessels, however, as Sarea points out in several previous videos, the Yemeni Armed Forces have only been targeting Israeli vessels and commercial vessels heading to or from occupied Palestine.

In his response, Sarea begins by condemning the United States and Great Britain for launching "brutal aggression" against the Republic of Yemen in a total of "seventy-three" air raids, with the Yemeni Capital Sana'a among those cities targeted.

Sarea said the U.S. and Britain also targeted the Hodeidah, Taiz, Hajj, and Sada'a Governates with drone and missile strikes as well.

Sarea also condemned the United States for killing five personnel and wounding six other members of Yemen's armed forces.

"The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for his truly criminal aggression," Sarea said in his statement.

Sarea said that aggression would not go unpunished, adding "we will not hesitate to target the source of a threat from all hostile targets on land or sea in defense of Yemen."

Sarea also condemned the attacks as a "brutal aggression" against Yemen's sovereignty, and swore defiantly that "Yemen will not be dissuaded from its position of support and assistance to the oppressed people of Palestine."

Sarea finishes by stating that the Yemeni Armed Forces "confirms that it continues to prevent Israeli ships or [ships] heading to the ports of occupied Palestine" from navigation in the Red Sea.

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[milatibrahiim]

1 one of the times in history when people tried to steal the body of Rasul Allah صلى الله على وسلام

It took place in the year 557 AH during the reign of the just king, Nur Al-Dīn Zangi, may Allah have mercy on him, and the Christians were in charge of the grave, robbing. Sultan Nur Al-Dīn, may Allah have mercy on him, saw in a dream the Prophet صلى الله على وسلام pointing to two blond men and saying, "Save me! Rescue me from these two!" He woke up frightened, performed ablution, prayed, and went back to sleep. He saw the same dream again, woke up, prayed, and went back to sleep. He saw it for the third time, woke up, and said, "There is no more sleep." He had a righteous minister named Jamal al-Din al-Mawsili, so he sent for him and told him what had happened. The minister said, "What are you waiting for? Go now to the city of the Prophet and keep what you saw secret."

He prepared in the remainder of the night and set out for the city with his minister, Jamal al-Din. The minister said, as the people of the city gathered in the mosque,”The Sultan has come to visit the Prophet صلى الله على وسلام and has brought money for charity. Write down your names." The people of the city all wrote their names, and the Sultan ordered them to appear before him. Each person who appeared, he would examine them closely to find the description the Prophet صلى الله على وسلام had shown him, but he could not find that description, so he would give them something and order them to leave, until the people dispersed.

The Sultan asked,”Is there anyone left who has not received anything from the charity?" They replied, "No." He said, "Think and consider." They said, "No one is left except two men from Morocco who do not take anything from anyone. They are righteous and wealthy, and they give much charity to the poor." His heart was relieved, and he said, "Bring them to me." They were brought before him, and he saw that they were the two men the Prophet صلى الله على وسلام had pointed to, saying, "Save me! Rescue me from these two!"

He asked them, "Where are you from?" They said, "From the land of Morocco. We came for Hajj and chose to stay near this place by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله على وسلام" He said, "Tell me the truth," and they insisted on their story. He asked, "Where do they live?" He was informed that they lived in a lodging near the sacred chamber.

The people of the city praised them for their frequent fasting, charity, and visits to the Baqi' and Quba. He detained them and went to their residence. The Sultan himself walked around the house and lifted a mat to find a dug out tunnel leading to the sacred chamber. The people were terrified, and the Sultan said at that moment, "Tell me the truth about your situation!" He severely beat them, and they confessed that they were Christians, sent by the Christians among the Moroccan pilgrims. They were given a large sum of money and were instructed to steal the body of the Prophet صلى الله على وسلام. They would dig at night, and each had a leather pouch in the style of the Moroccans. The gathered soil was placed in their pouches, and they would go out to visit the Baqi' cemetery, throwing the soil between the graves. They continued this for some time, and when they got close to the sacred chamber, the sky thundered and lightning struck. There was a great earthquake as if the mountains were about to collapse. The Sultan arrived that morning.

When they confessed and their situation was revealed by his hands, and he saw how Allah had chosen him for this task over others, he wept bitterly. He ordered their execution, then ordered a large amount of lead to be brought. A deep trench was dug around the entire sacred chamber, the lead was melted, and the trench was filled with it. This created a lead wall around the sacred chamber. He then returned to his kingdom, ordered the persecution of the Christians, and commanded that no unbeliever be employed for any job.

Jamal al-Din Abdul Rahim bin al-Hasan bin Ali al-Asnawi (d. 772 AH) mentioned this incident in a letter of his called "Advice to the People of Understanding to Prevent the Employment of Christians," which some call "Islamic Victories.”

Ali bin Abdullah al-Samhudi (d. 911 AH) quoted it from him in his book "Faithfulness to the Faithful: The Chronicles of the House of Mustafa" (2/648-650). The Hafiz Jamal al-Din Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Matri (d. 765 AH) mentioned this incident. He was the chief of the muezzins in the Prophet's Mosque and a historian. He wrote the book "Al-I'lam fi man dakhal al-Madinah min al-A'lam," in which he said, "I heard from the jurist 'Ilm al-Din Ya'qub bin Abi Bakr, who was informed by those who witnessed the events, that Sultan Mahmud, mentioned the story in a similar way, with only slight differences."

{ Wafa' Al-Wafa 2/650 }

[niqaboy]

will i make it to Mecca at any point in my life? i hope so but realistically probably not

do i daydream constantly about the entire process of going on Hajj down to the most minute detail? yes of course

[3rdeyeblaque]

Today we venerate Elevated Ancestor El-Hajj Malik El-Shabaz aka Brother Malcolm "X" Little on his 98th birthday 🎉

A minister, scholar, orator, & legendary Freedom Fighter- who infamously bore the name "X" to signify our self-liberation from the shackles of a European legacy forced upon us during Slavery -, we elevate Brother Malcolm as one of THE most prolific voices of freedom, justice, self-determination, & Pan-Afrikan unity in modern history.

Born into a legacy of freedom fighters, Brother Malcolm was raised on the cusp between Black Nationalism unity & White Supremacist terror. His father was a member of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), in which he served as an orator publicly advocating for Black liberation before his murder.

Though a gifted student, Malcolm dropped out of school when a teacher ridiculed his aspirations to become a lawyer. He later drifted into a life of hustling on the streets of Harlem. He cleverly avoided the draft in WWII by making the outrageous declaration that he'd organize Black soldiers to attack their White counterparts which classified him as "mentally unfit to serve". After his burglary arrest in Boston, Malcolm faced 10 years in prison. Here, he found Islam via the NOI.

Upon his parole release, Malcolm took the name "X" as he began to serve in the NOI as a speaker, organizer, and minister. He quickly grew in his prominence & drew national attention after an expose on the NOI was aired on CBS. Both, Black & White Americans, saw the stark contrast in his/NOI views from that of other Black religious leaders/organizations of the time. Thus planting the first seeds of warped perception & fear.

Meanwhile, Brother Malcolm's personal views & interests slowly began to split from the leaders of the organization he'd come to love. Malcolm grew increasingly frustrated with the NOI's bureaucracy & outright refusal to join the Civil Rights Movement. His forbidden response to the assassination of JFK earned him a 90 suspension from the NOI; at which time he announced his departure from the organization.

In March 1964, he founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. Three months later, he founded a political group called, the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Malcolm firmly placed Black Revolution in a global context of an anti-imperialist struggle here, in Afrika, Latin America, & Asia. This is what set him & his work further apart from any Black leader & organization in the U.S. at the time. And this is what sparked the breadth of his influence & mapped out the future of his work.

Brother Malcolm toured North & East Afrika as well as the Middle East Region in the late Spring of 1964. He met with heads of state from several countries (i.e.: Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria) before making his hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Here, he added "El-Hajj" to his Muslim name, "Malik El-Shabazz". This journey into the Motherland & Self brought Malcolm to the realization that his revolutionary vision/influence superceded any colour line.

Once he returned to the U.S, he infamously declared Pan-African unity amid struggle for freedom “by any means necessary.” This marked a turning point in Malcolm's life & revolutionary fight against White Supremacy on a global scale. He spent 6, albeit unsuccessful, months in Afrika petitioning the U.N. to investigate the Human Rights violations of Black Americans by the U.S. Government. From then on, threats to his safety and that of his family & the OUAA mounted. Still, he continued the fight until his assassination that was ultimately orchestrated & carried out by the CIA.

"If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary" - Malcolm X

Today, Brother Malcolm rests alongside his wife at the Ferncliff Cemetery in upstate NY.

We pour libations & give him💐 today as we celebrate him for his incomparable leadership, love, commitment, & sacrifice for the socioeconomic & sociopolitical freedom of our people.

Offering suggestions: libations of water, read/share his work, & prayers from the Quran

Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.

[asma-al-husna]

Allah’s name Al-Witr— The One and Unique—is not mentioned in the Quran, but occurs in a narration of the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Al-Witr is the One, the Unique and Only. He is unique in His essence in all His attributes and there is nothing equal to Him in any way!

The One, Odd-numbered, and Unique

Witr comes from the root waw-taa-raa, which points to three meanings. The first meaning is to be odd (numbered), one and single. and the second is to be in succession. A third meaning is to deprive.

This root appears three times in the Quran in three derived forms. Examples of these forms are yatirakum (“will deprive you”), tatraa (“in succession”) and wal-watri (“and the odd”).

Linguistically witr means that which is odd-numbered, unever, not uniform or equable. Allah’s name Al-Witr is related in meaning to His beautiful names Al-Ahad and Al-Waahid. All indicate that Allah ‘azza wa jall is one, only and unique in His essence, all His powers, knowledge and abilities.

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: Allah is witr (single, odd) and loves what is witr. So perform witr prayer. O followers of Quran, observe witr (prayer). [At-Tirmidhee, Abu Dawud]

Examples of Witr in Worship

In Islam the ways we worship are indicated to the finest details in the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. An example is the number of times we are ought to carry out certain acts of worship, of which some are in witr (odd numbers) only.

Examples are the tawaaf (circulation) around the ka’bah, which is prescribed to be done seven times as well as the times Muslims go between Safaa and Marwaa as Hajj and Umrah ritual.

According to some ahadeeth the Night of Decree (laylatul qadr) is to be found in the last ten nights of Ramadhan, in the odd-numbered nights.

Another example is the amount of days which is sunnah to fast as one of the ways of the Prophet to fast was on ayaam ul beed – the white days – which are three days in the middle of each month.

The most known example regarding witr is the Witr prayer, which is a strongly recommended prayer of an odd-numbered rakaat to be prayed in the time after the ‘Esha prayer and before the Fajr prayer.

How Can You Live By This Name?

1. Keep reminding yourself of the uniqueness of Al-Witr.

The fact Allah ‘azza wa jall is one and unique in all He does, knows and gives is something we know, but sometimes forget to live by in our daily lives. Remind yourself each day Allah is the only one who can give you Paradise, so put Him first and not what people think or want of you or even what your ego (nafs) whispers to you!

2. Pray the Witr prayer. The Witr prayer is one of the greatest acts of worship that draw one closer to Allah. The majority of the scholars say is one of the confirmed sunan (a sunnah mu’akkadah) which you as a Muslim should observe regularly and not neglect. Imam Ahmad raheemahullah even said: Whoever neglects Witr is a bad man whose testimony should not be accepted. The Prophet said: Allah has prescribed for you a prayer (by which He may increase your reward), which is Witr; Allah has enjoined it for you during the time between ‘Esha prayer until dawn begins. [At-Tirmidhee, saheeh] Ask Allah Al-Witr to enable you to pray this prayer regularly.

3. Be unique.

As true Muslims we all share our belief in Allah Al-Witr alone, but this doesn’t mean we should not strive to be unique in our actions! Do your best to perform as many good deeds as you can, be creative and set up your own projects on the path of Islam and for the pleasure of Al-Witr and by the will of Allah, leave an unique legacy in this world which will count for you in the Herefter inshaa’Allah.

4. Know the meaning of tawheed and live by it.

Studying the meaning of tawheedullaah (the Oneness of Allah), its types and how to live by them is the most important branch of Islamic knowledge. Part of this knowledge are knowing the names and attributes of Allah ‘azza wa jall. At least spend one day a week of which you read from a trustworthy book about tawheed and its types and make sure to convey this knowledge to your children and family inshaa’Allah!

O Allah, Al-Witr, we know that you are one, single and unique. Help us to remind ourselves of Your oneness and turn to You only for all our needs and make us of those who consistently pray the Witr prayer. Increase our knowledge of tawheed and its types, aid us to live by them, and enable us to leave a unique legacy of ongoing good deeds for those who come after us until the day of judgement, ameen!

[anakinsafterlife]

I'm more than half-way through Dune now and I'm astonished by how profoundly infused this book is with Islamic themes and Arab history. I'm left with more questions than ever about this, and I can't help thinking that reading Dune without this knowledge would be like reading this book in the dark.

At one point, after Jessica and Paul are accepted into the Fremen, they inform her that they are called, among themselves, "the People of Misr." I was so amazed that I had to stop reading. Misr is the name in Arabic for Egypt (although, in local Egyptian dialect, it is pronounced more like "Masr"). The Fremen are, therefore, the many-times removed from Earth people of Egypt. I imagine them as the desert people, the bedouins of today, while the people of the villages must be the people of the cities in today's Egypt.

A few pages later, Jessica receives a vision of the history of the Fremen. She sees them settled on another planet, before Arrakis, but likewise colonised, and one of them screaming out that "They denied us the Hajj!" This was, markedly, written with an uppercase letter, while previously hajj with a lower case had been used to mark the smaller journeys over the surface of Arrakis, as the Fremen flee from the searching forces of the Harkonnens. This implies that the people were previously still making the trip to Mecca which is (conditionally, depending on finances and ability) incumbent on every Muslim.

'Muad'dib' was further clarified to mean, among the Fremen, not only a desert mouse, but a teacher, which is one of its true meanings in Arabic.

The term 'jihad' is also frequently used to indicate the religious struggle that Paul will lead. This was, markedly, left out of the most recent movie, for obvious political reasons (and, ironically, given the themes of colonialism the movies addresses, not a single Arab actor was cast), but jihad does not only refer to a military campaign, but also to the struggle to master the self, which is particularly potent within the context of the novels, given Paul's incipient Bene Gesserit training.

There were so many other things, but these phrases in particular truly leaped out of the pages at me.

[taqwatawheedtales]

Ten Points for the First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah.

1. The first ten days are actually nine days with the addition of the day of Eid.

•They are called the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, but fasting is only for nine days of it as the tenth day is the beginning of Eid.

•It is impermissible to fast on the day of Eid, this is a consensus amongst the people of knowledge.

2. It is recommended to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah with the last day of fasting being the day of Arafah for those not doing Hajj.

• “There are not any days that good deeds are more beloved to Allah than those done in these ten days.”

3. In these ten days, it is recommended that there is a lot of remembrance of Allah سبحانه و تعالى

4. In these ten days, it is recommended that one says takbeerat in abundance.

5. In these ten days, it is recommended to read the Qur’an as much as possible and give charity and do other good deeds.

6. The ninth day, The Day of Arafah. •Fasting on The Day of Arafah Expiates the Sins of Two Years

•Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Messenger of Allah was asked concerning fasting on the day of ‘Arafah so he said: It expiates sins of the previous year as well as the following year. (Muslim no.1250) So it is especially recommended to fast that day for those NOT performing Hajj.

7. SACRIFICE.

Allah said:” That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade), and mention the name of Allah on appointed days (10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah), over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice). (Surah al-Hajj: 28).

8. Whoever wishes to slaughter in these days it is not allowed to cut or remove any hair from his body or his nails, but this does NOT apply to his family, only to the head of the family who is doing the slaughtering.

9. The ruling regards to slaughtering.. •An individual who slaughters from his own wealth on behalf of himself and his family - It is NOT permissible for this individual to shave any hair from his body, remove any part of his skin or cut his nails.

• An individual who slaughters from his own wealth for others e.g. he wishes to slaughter for his father or his mother He too must NOT cut his hair, take from his skin or cut his nails.

• Anybody who wishes to slaughter with someone else’s wealth, for somebody else .e.g. He has been entrusted by someone else to slaughter cattle for him This individual is allowed to cut his hair, nails and skin etc.

10 EID.

Eid Al-Adha is four days in total..

•The tenth day (the day of Eid) and the three days of tashreeq... (the 11th, 12th and 13th days of Dhul-Hijjah).

It is impermissible to fast in these days for those not performing the Hajj.

[johnnycrass]

are we gonna talk about how ppl are dropping dead during hajj from the 122F/50C + temperatures in mecca bro. im sure this isnt the first year this has happened but at some point u can read the reports and learn that the past 24 months on earth have been the hottest in its recorded history. um. so should i get a masters degree :/

[tododeku-or-bust]

It annoys me when people's reactions to being called out (or others called out) for racism and other things is "well you should give people the chance to grow". Because nine times out of ten they're not actually going to grow, they just want to not be held accountable. And that's bs. For example: if Malcolm Little had not become Malcolm X, had not become el Hajj Malik el Shabazz, we would NOT be discussing him as one of the most influential civil rights activists in history. He had to GROW. You don't get to "oh well one day I'll be better just not today so you can't blame me".

My point is, sure I value the potential, but I value the action far more.

[ynx1]

Ibn al Qayyim رَحِمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ said,

“A girl died of the plague and her father saw her in his dream. He said, ‘my daughter, tell me about the hereafter. So she said, 'We’ve approached a serious matter. We used to know but we didn’t act. I swear by Allah, to add one tasbeehah (saying Subhan Allah) or a single Rak'ah to my book of deeds is more beloved to me than the whole world and everything in it.’

This girl said words of great importance. 'We used to know but we didn’t act’, but many of us don’t understand what she means.

We used to know, that if we say Subhan Allah wa bi Hamdihi 100 times our sins are forgiven even if they’re like the foam of the sea (yet days and nights pass and we don’t say it)

We used to know that two rak'ahs of Duha prayer is the equivalent of giving 360 charities (yet day after day pass and we don’t pray it)

We used to know that a house in the middle of Jannah is guaranteed for one who abandons lying even while joking (yet every second sentence we utter is a lie)

We used to know that fasting a day voluntarily for the sake of Allah puts a distance between our face and the fire the size of seven trenches and Allah distances our face from the fire the distance travelled in 70 years, (and we haven’t fasted single day this week)

We used to know that whoever visits a sick person is followed by 70,000 angels seeking Allah’s forgiveness on his behalf (but we haven’t visited a sick person this week)

We used to know that whoever prayed a funeral prayer and followed it till it was burried has two Qiraats of reward and a Qiraat is like the mountain of Uhud (yet weeks pass and we haven’t been to the graveyard.)

We used to know that whoever builds a mosque even if it’s like a bird’s nest Allah builds a house for them in paradise (yet we haven’t contributed to the building of a Masjid, even with 10 dinars)

We used to know that the one who supports the widow and her children is like the fighter in the path of Allah and the one who fasts all day and prays all night without sleeping. (Yet we haven’t contributed to sponsoring a widow and her children)

We used to know that whoever reads a single letter from the Quran has a good deed and every deed is multiplied by 10. Yet we haven’t made a point to read it every day.

We used to know that an accepted Hajj has the reward of jannah and it sends the person who completed it off like the day his mother gave birth to him. (With a clean book of deeds) yet we haven’t performed the rites of Hajj although our circumstances have made it easy for us.

We knew the honor of a believer is in Qiyam Al-layl, and that the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions never missed it all their lives despite being busy with making a living and fighting in the path of Allah and spreading the religion. But we have neglected this matter terribly.

We knew the Day of Judgment was coming without a doubt and that Allah will resurrect us from our graves but we haven’t prepared for that day.

We used to bury the deceased and pray over them but haven’t prepared ourselves for a day like this one, as if we have a guarantee that it won’t happen to us.

We know that every breath we breathe is getting us closer to death yet we’re still busy with amusement and playing. It’s time we change the way we’re living and prepare properly for the day of accounting.

"On the Day a man will flee from his brother. And his mother and his father; And his wife and his children, For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him.” Quran (80:34-37)

Kitab Al Ruh by Ibn Al Qayyim رَحِمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ

[mariacallous]

The fatal attack against Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel accused Hezbollah of perpetrating but the Shiite militant group denied, could be the act that disrupts the delicate balance of deterrence between these two old enemies.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire since the former decided to open a front against the latter on Oct. 8, to support Hamas a day after it attacked Israel. The assumption, and the risk, all along has been that at any moment either Hezbollah or Israel was going to miscalculate and trigger a large-scale war. Does the strike in Majdal Shams, which killed 12 children and teenagers belonging to the Druze sect, represent that miscalculation?

It’s unlikely due to structural factors, including the desire by both to avoid a destructive regional war, and Washington’s uncertain security support for Israel in such a military conflict.

Israel cannot go it alone in a drawn-out war against multiple, well-armed foes from multiple directions. Of course, none of this means that Israel will sit back and simply absorb the latest hit. It will respond, as the Israeli government has voted to do. But perhaps like the choreographed aerial tit-for-tat between Israel and Iran in April, it will most likely refrain from escalating to the point of no return.

In April, Israel responded to Iran’s historic barrage of missiles against it by launching a measured strike that destroyed part of an air defense system in Isfahan. Israel intended to signal to Iran that it could have hit more strategic targets in Iran, but it didn’t do so to avoid escalation.

Hezbollah’s intentions toward Israel have been made clear by Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader. In a recent speech, he said that the moment a cease-fire in Gaza is reached, he will order his men to stop their attacks against Israel, without having to negotiate with anybody.

Israel’s implicit condition to reach a settlement with Hezbollah—chiefly the withdrawal of elite units of the group from the border by a few miles—reflects its interest in containing the war, despite the heated confrontations of late. Indeed, had Israel demanded that Hezbollah disarm or remove all its forces from the south, for example, this would have been a clear indication that the Israeli leadership was not interested in any compromise or diplomatic solution. Instead, Israel has asked for something more realistic.

Yet even with this achievable demand, Israel knows full well that it is virtually impossible for any entity—Lebanese, Israeli, or multinational—to verify and enforce any such deal should there be any violations.

Hezbollah’s fighters easily blend among the population in southern Lebanon. One day they can pull back, another they can return to their positions without being detected. A Hezbollah member is a soldier during the day and a family man at night.

Israel’s demand is inherently political and hardly security-based (after all, Hezbollah has long-range weapons that can hit any target in Israel). It is meant to assure Israeli residents in the north that they can safely return to their homes. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can tell the Israeli public that he was able to “remove the immediate Hezbollah threat to the north,” some of the political pressure against his government may subside.

There’s also a psychological factor behind Israel’s fixation on Hezbollah’s elite Hajj Radwan forces—named after the late military commander Imad Mughniyeh whose nom de guerre was Hajj Radwan and whose men could infiltrate northern Israel—in its negotiating strategy. These forces are uniquely capable of infiltrating Israeli territory in the Galilee. Given the trauma of Hamas’s invasion on Oct. 7, Israel is focusing on avoiding a repeat scenario, this time from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah’s calculus is not that different from Israel’s, while it ponders a potential settlement along the Israel-Lebanon border. The group knows full well that no matter what international diplomacy produces, and no matter how many miles Israel pulls away its army from the northern border, Israel will still be able to launch attacks and conduct reconnaissance and intelligence operations if it so chooses. Both sides can strike deep inside the other’s territory. Any pullback is merely a confidence-building measure.

So, any deal Hezbollah would reach with Israel will be fragile, if history is any guide. However, it would still be useful because, like the Israeli northern residents, it would incentivize the Lebanese southerners to return to their homes (many would have to rebuild)—an outcome that would reduce public pressure against Hezbollah, which isn’t fatal for the group but has grown over time.

Beefing up the local U.N. peacekeeping force, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, both materially and politically, as well as deploying 15,000 Lebanese government troops along the southern border would be necessary to support a revamped U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006, and enhance the political credibility of any deal between Hezbollah and Israel. Those facts on the ground, while unable to stop a war, matter a great deal.

The United States has a considerable role to play, both by checking Israel’s worst impulses and supporting a diplomatic resolution through its talented envoy, Amos Hochstein, the architect of the 2022 Israel-Lebanon deal on maritime border demarcation.

Israel cannot launch a comprehensive war against Hezbollah by itself. It would need continuous U.S. military assistance in the form of munitions, intelligence, and air and missile defense capabilities. However, the Biden administration has made it clear that it wishes to prevent the war in Gaza from spilling over into Lebanon. The U.S. position has in recent months heavily influenced Israel’s war decision-making vis-à-vis Hezbollah.

Hezbollah also wouldn’t be fighting alone. It would most likely be joined by other members of the so-called Axis of Resistance, including the Houthis, Iraqi militias, and Iran, the main sponsor of the Axis. This makes any Israeli war effort even more difficult to pursue, especially without U.S. military and diplomatic backing.

This latest episode confirms once again what serious observers have known all along: The Israel-Hezbollah dynamic may have its own history, logic, risks, and consequences, but the path to defusing it runs through Gaza. A ceasefire in Gaza won’t solve it—but it will give enough breathing room for all parties to lower the temperature, until the next crisis.

[my-islam-reminder]

Narrated Mahmud bin Ar-rabi' Al-Ansari رضی اللہ عنہ :

He remembered Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he also remembered a mouthful of water which he had thrown on his face, after taking it from a well that was in their house. Mahmud said that he had heard `Itban bin Malik, who was present with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the battle of Badr saying, "I used to lead my people at Bani Salim in the prayer and there was a valley between me and those people. Whenever it rained it used to be difficult for me to cross it to go to their mosque. So I went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, 'I have weak eyesight and the valley between me and my people flows during the rainy season and it becomes difficult for me to cross it; I wish you would come to my house and pray at a place so that I could take that place as a praying place.' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'I will do so.' So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr came to my house in the (next) morning after the sun had risen high. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked my permission to let him in and I admitted him. He did not sit before saying, 'Where do you want us to offer the prayer in your house?' I pointed to the place where I wanted him to pray. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood up for the prayer and started the prayer with Takbir and we aligned in rows behind him; and he offered two rak`at, and finished them with Taslim, and we also performed Taslim with him. I detained him for a meal called "Khazir" which I had prepared for him.--("Khazir" is a special type of dish prepared from barley flour and meat soup)-- When the neighbors got the news that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was in my house, they poured it till there were a great number of men in the house. One of them said, 'What is wrong with Malik, for I do not see him?' One of them replied, 'He is a hypocrite and does not love Allah and His Apostle.' On that Allah's Apostle said, 'Don't say this. Haven't you seen that he said, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah for Allah's sake only.' The man replied, 'Allah and His Apostle know better; but by Allah, we never saw him but helping and talking with the hypocrites.' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, 'No doubt, whoever says. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and by that he wants the pleasures of Allah, then Allah will save him from Hell." Mahmud added, "I told the above narration to some people, one of whom was Abu Aiyub, the companion of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the battle in which he (Abu Aiyub) died and Yazid bin Mu'awiya was their leader in Roman Territory. Abu Aiyub denounced the narration and said, 'I doubt that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ever said what you have said.' I felt that too much, and I vowed to Allah that if I remained alive in that holy battle, I would (go to Medina and) ask `Itban bin Malik if he was still living in the mosque of his people. So when he returned, I assumed Ihram for Hajj or `Umra and then I proceeded on till I reached Medina. I went to Bani Salim and `Itban bin Malik, who was by then an old blind man, was leading his people in the prayer. When he finished the prayer, I greeted him and introduced myself to him and then asked him about that narration. He told that narration again in the same manner as he had narrated it the first time."

Narrated by Sahih Bukhari in his bookImam Bukhari

Hadith (Sahih)

[rouhalqamar]

Qays and Layla's story (Majnun Layla)

There are many versions of this story depicting their own ideas and scenarios, however I wanted to find out the real story of the famous Majnun Layla. It is an old story of Arab origin around the 7th century about Qays ibn-almulawwah and his cousin Layla bint-mehdi (known as 3amiriya). This love story began since childhood as they used to herd their sheeps. They started falling in love however, the two started growing and around that time, women didn't go out much as it was prohibited and seen as shameful.

Qays started composing poems about her, often mentioning her name and reading them out loud on streets. Layla and Qays would stop seeing each other eventually and it caused Qays to be heart-struck, nonetheless not losing any hope. He decided to ask her hand in marriage and propose to her father. He asked for a very expensive price for his daughter just so Qays would give up on her and leave her be. Despite the very expensive mehr, Qays was deeply in love with Layla that he worked many jobs just to collect enough money for Layla's mehr and marry her.

When Qays would feel exhausted at times he would remember Layla and how they passed their childhood. He consoled himself with their memories and recite this poem:

"احبك حب قد تمكن بالحجر له بين جلدي والعظام ظبيبو"

Meaning: "I love you such a love that is embedded in the stone and is between my skin and bones",

At this point, Qays saved enough for Layla's mehr and returned to his hometown, just to discover that his precious Leyla got married to another man called Ward. He noticed red henna on her hands which at that time meant that she was married. He said this poem:

"ولمّا تلاقينا على سفح رامة وجدت بنان العامرية أحمرا فقلت: خضبت الكف على فراقنا؟ قالت: معاذ الله ذلك ما جرى ولكنني لما رأيتك راحلاً بكيت دماً حتى بللت به الثرى مسحت بأطراف البنان مدامعي فصار خضاباً في اليدين كما ترى"

Which means: "When we met on the top of a hill I found Al Amiriya's (Layla) fingers red And I said: did you colour your hands in celebration of our separation? She said: God forbid, that did not happen But when I saw you leaving I cried blood until I wet the sand I cleaned my tears with my fingers And they became red as you can see ".

Qays was so devastated and heartbroken because he had no more hope for Layla and was so depressed that he wished he would die. During this time, Qays would visit her house every night crying and saying:

أَمُرُّ عَلى الدِيارِ دِيارِ لَيلى" أُقَبِّلَ ذا الجِدارَ وَذا الجِدارا وَما حُبُّ الدِيارِ شَغَفنَ قَلبي وَلَكِن حُبُّ مَن سَكَنَ الدِيارا"

Which means: "I pass by the home of Layla ( where she used to live) And I kiss this wall and that wall It is not for the love of the house But for the one who lives in it"

Qays was severely depressed and stayed in the desert for a while and was starting to lose his sanity. He wished to see Layla's reflections and so he would stop eating or drinking anything his family would bring him hoping of seeing her shadow. He would say:

"وَإِنّي لَأَستَغشي وَما بِيَ نَعسَةٌ لَعَلَّ خَيالاً مِنكِ يَلقى خَيالِيا"

Which means: "Perhaps I could sleep just For my shadow to meet yours"

One day, he hallucinated and saw Layla running and started following her and he passed in front of a group of men performing prayer. He came to his senses and walked back to where he came from and the men stopped him asking, "Why did you not stop to come pray with us when you saw us?". He answered "I swear by God I did not see you praying as I was focused on Layla, and if you were in love with God as I am with Layla, you too would've not seen me and would have focused on your prayer". The men called him "Majnun Layla" which mean "crazy about Layla" because Qays really lost it and wasn't himself anymore.

His father decided to take him to Mecca and perform Hajj together and so they went. He would ask the men there to make duaa "pray" for his son because he has fallen in love with this girl and has basically lost his wits and for God to make it easy for Qays to forget Layla. However, Qays would go talk to the people his father was standing with and tell them to not believe his father and instead tell them:

"يا راب لا تاسلبني حوباها ابادان زيدني ليلى حوبان وا بها كيلفاتً وا لا تانسيني ديكراها ابادان وا يارحاما الله عبدان قالا امين"

Which means: "My God don't ever make me forget her love Increase my love for Layla And make it heavy And don't make me forget her memory ever And God forgive the ones that say amin"

The crowd followed Qays and started saying Amin. His father was angry and so he beat him. His family would call Layla ugly and short and asking him what do you like about her when there are better women. Qays answered them:

"يقولون لي الواشون ليلى قاسيراتٌ فلايتو درعا عاردو ليلى وا تول��ها"

Which means: " They tell me Layla is short, for I (would love her even if) the width and length of her arm (were the same)"

Qays implies that even if Layla was a square he would still deeply love her. One day Qays went to Ward and asked if he hugged or kissed her that day, Ward saw that he was a madman and decided to answer him saying yes he did hug and kiss Layla. Ward was with his friends around a fire and Qays lost his senses and put his hands in the fire till the it gave the scent of burned flesh. Time passed and Qays received news that Layla is sick in Iraq and said:

"يقولون لايلى مريضة بلعراق الا ليتني كنت الطبيب لمداويا"

Meaning: "They say Layla is sick in Iraq and I wished to be the doctor (treating her)"

"ألست وعدتني يا قلب أني إذا ما تبت عن ليلى تتوب؟ فها أنا تائبٌ عن حبِّ ليلى فما لكَ كلَّما ذُكرت تذوبُ ؟"

Meaning: "Didn't you promise me, my heart, that you would repent on Layla? And here I am repenting on Layla's love But why is it every time she is mentioned you melt?"

After some more time he received news that she passed away. He kept looking around for her grave and sat next to her until some people realised that he had died there. When they found him, next to him was a letter. In it was written:

" وقد يجمع الله الشتيتين بعدما يظنان كل الظن أن لا تلاقيا"

Meaning: "And God unites dispersed people when they totally think that they would never meet" Qays and Layla may have not united in life, however they united under the earth as their graves are next to each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNltnEU8tow

Ps: That is the poem when Qays returns and finds Layla married with red henna on her hands.

[islamic-education]

Exploring the Spiritual Heart of Islam: Mecca

Mecca, the spiritual heart of Islam, is a city that holds profound significance for Muslims around the world. Located in Saudi Arabia, Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the site of the Kaaba, the most sacred structure in Islam. Every year, millions of Muslims journey to this holy city to perform Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and Umrah, a lesser pilgrimage.

The Kaaba, situated in the Masjid al-Haram, is the focal point of Muslim worship. It is towards this ancient cubic structure that Muslims across the globe direct their prayers five times a day. The Black Stone, embedded in the Kaaba's eastern corner, is revered by pilgrims who strive to touch or kiss it as part of their rites.

Visiting Mecca is a deeply spiritual experience. The city exudes an atmosphere of devotion and unity, as Muslims from diverse cultures and backgrounds gather with a single purpose: to worship Allah. The Hajj pilgrimage, which occurs annually, is particularly noteworthy, as it represents the ultimate act of worship and submission to Allah.

For those planning to visit Mecca, it's essential to prepare both spiritually and practically. Understanding the rituals of Hajj and Umrah, dressing modestly, staying hydrated, and being mindful of the intense crowds can enhance the pilgrimage experience. Whether you're a first-time visitor or returning for another pilgrimage, Mecca offers an unparalleled opportunity for spiritual growth and reflection.