jumuah Mubarak!!!

Asalaamu Alikum Wa rag Matullah hi Wabarakatu

i trust all is well...

 

it been a long while since i last emailed ...

 

i have been slacking and it hurts... i havent said  hello or slmz to any one via email for a long while ... but today its different... i wake with a spring in my step.

Its Jumuah ... Allah hu akbar. 

i realised over the past few weeks that at times Keeping in touch with people takes a lot of effort... especially with persons you dont see every day/ week...  

LIFE GOES ON... and before we know it... we are in high school ... and then life moves ahead... and its Matric exams. ... and on ... we graduating... buying our first car... starting to work... starting a familiy and... somehow in our hectic schedules we must find time to interact with our family, friends, spouse(s),

At times if we are not careful... and if we dont make a concerted effort to interact with OUR CREATOR...  it has the result of us moving that priority to the "BACK seat" ... albeit unintentionally.

And that is exactly why i LLOVE JUMUAH...coz every body leaves whateva and in droves we head top the nearest MASJID.

  

IT begs a question? what do we spend most of our time doing? really think about it?

where do we spend our QUALITY TIME. What do we spend our quality time doing?

 

 

 

TWO SUGARS, PLEASE!!!.

The last few weeks of any year ( Gregorian calender that is) brings with it many things ... amongst them being ... the rushing to finalise all lose ends at work,  the festive holiday atmosphere, braai's ... lots of braai's ... 4 in one week for me ... and the summer solstace ( 21 December) ... i.e the longest day of the year or the shortest night... 

 

This December also saw me oversleeping for Fajr on many occasions...perhaps its the fact that the evenings are short// less time to sleep??? 

 i am sure it happens to us all ...jee whizz ... when shaytaan messages the neck.. we tend to fall pray to the  " just another 5 minutes syndrome" and we press SNOOZE...

 

SO AFTER  A WEEK OF OVERSLEEPING ... i was determined to once again get up for the FAjr ( pre sunrise) salaah... and perform it on time and at the masjid... i was so determined that i was up a whole 45 minutes before the athaan and i put my alarm clock on me wifes dressing table so as to force me out of bed... desperate times require creative thinking

so i set out towards the masjid...

 

i pulled in to the parking area... and in wonderous amazement i gazed at the tall green minarets lighting up the early morning sky... and the clean crisp morning air slapped wotever tiredness i had out of me... i breathed in and out ... Allah hu Akbar . Allah hu akbar. Allahaaa hu Akbar Allahh hu akbar . i continued to walk ... and listened to the Muatheen ( a person who makes athaan... call to prayer)  ... but when he came to Asalaah tu ghairumin an Noem " Salaah is better than sleep" 

 

I froze.  

i pondered.

i reflected.

and then i gave thanks to the Almighty.  

 

So why is salaah better than sleep? 

 

What are the benefits of salaah on time? and in the masjid? and in Jamaah?

- their are many ahadith explaining them

- their are ayaaats in the Quraan telling us about the benfits of salaah

 

But the best way to find out about the benefits salaah has on ones soul and spiritual self is by actually performing salaah... so no hadith from me today ... no Quraan Ayats...

BUT rather i propose the following...

 

EXPERIMENT #1:

if you have missed making salaah on time for a particular reason. Dont dispair. Allah swt is Most High and is Oft forgiving and Most Merciful. All you have to do is make intetnion for the next salaah and actually do it.

Try this. the next salaah make it on time. wherever you are. make a space and pray. No excuses!

 

EXPERIMENT #2:

TRY TO PERFORM YOUR FIVE SALAAHS IN JAMAAH. for this experiement YOU require a friend... or wife ... or a masjid

 

EXPERIMENT #3:

TRY TO PERFORM ALL YOUR SALAAH IN THE MASJID.

 

EXPERIMENT #4:

TRY AND GET UP FOR FAJR AT LEAST ONCE IN THE NEXT WEEK ... for this you need... to sleep early... a good alarm clock and a greater awareness of your CREATOR when jumping into bed... so before you sleep raise your hands and ask Allah swt to send angels to wake you from your slumber... SERIOUSLY TRY IT!!!

 

EXPERIMENT #5:

REPEAT STEP 4 ABOVE but add the following... try and go to the nearest masjid as well.

Seriously ... if you looking for a RED BULL type BOOST... but only one that is ten times better i would suggest you experiment.

 

If you can... do all the aforemetioned experiments...

if not try it one by one...  A GRADAL IMPLEMENTATION ... that will lead you to world of contentment....

and if it makes a difference then

I WOULD APPRECIATE it if you would tell me, via email, if their is actually difference between salaah on time VS salaah at anytime. 

 

Salaah is beneficial. We all know this.

Salaah out of its time although being a salaah ... can be so much more sweeter if done on time.

its like having a cup of tea without Sugar.  {FOr the diabetics out there its like having a rice cake versus having a rice cake with that diabetic choclate over it... lol:-}

 Its up to the individual to add the additional flavour.

 

THE POINT BEING we have to PRIORITISE ALLAH. By trying to make salaah at its stated times not only are we obeying a command from ALLAH swt ... but we are PRIORITISING ALLAH and elavating Him to the PLACE he should HOLD in our day to day lives... and by simply doing that we will REAP THE DUE REWARD.. for Allah Is MOSt MERCIFUL, FULL Of BOUNTY 

 

 

its a choice... each indivdual has to make. But dont be fooled... just coz you read salaahtul fajr at the masjid aint gonna make you pious... just coz you wear a scarf over your head dont make you better than anyone else... WHAT IS IMPORTANT THOUGH IS if you do anything... any form of IBAADA ... it has to be done with the sole intention of PLEASING Allah swt ... the aforemetnioned acts may assist you on the path to righteousness but it aint gonna make you saaligh (PIOUS) ... for that we need a clean heart and a soul in the constant rememernbrance of ALLAH SWT ( GOD ALMIGHTY)

 

I dont know about you guys... but i prefer to take my TEA with sugar.

 

AND ALLAH SWT KNOWS BEST.

 

Think. Ponder. Reflect.

 

 

FOR the DAYS AHEAD... I PRAY/ MAKE DUA.... THAT ALLAH SWT CLEANSE OUR HEARTS AND SOULS AND TURN IT TOWARD HIM AND MAY HE PROTECT AND SHOWER HIS MERCY UPON US... AND MAY HE GIVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US THE ABILITY TO DO THE THINGS THAT WILL MAKE US ATTAIN HIS PLEASURE... AND INCREASE US IN RIGHTEOUS GOOD DEEDS FOR HIS PLEASURE...AMEEN 

 

DISCLAIMER: IF I HAVE SAID ANYTHING THAT IS OF BENEFIT THEN SURELY IT COMES FORM ALLAH SWT, AND IF I HAVE OFFENDED OR MADE AN ERROR THEN I ASK FORGIVENESS AND IT COMES FROM MY SELF AND SHAYTAAN... AND I PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS.

 

 

PS: I LOVE YOU ALL FOR THE SAKE OF LOVING ALLAH!!!

PS2: ALL THE BEST FOR THE  NEW YEAR!!!

PS3: Tobacco Smoke consists of clouds of particles and gases containing over 4 000 chemical compounds, many of them toxic. Forty-three are known cancer-causing agents.

WII: Last laugh
Did you hear about poor old Willie?

He was always quite confident that his marriage was going well until he moved down from Gauteng to the Cape and discovered he still had the same postman as before.

XBOX: Did u know... South Africa is the sole producer of the Mercedes Benz, C Class, right hand drive vehicles

HALAAL TOUR 2010: SO during my self imposed exile... i stumbled across a food place in claremont... KAPRINOS ... they had a buffet and the RIBS were O SO LOVELY!!!  in 6 words iw ould decribe the experience as ... finger licking meat off the bone...AWESOME!!!... ok its seven wordslol... :-)

PSP: BREAKING NEWS: ST ELMOS IN KLOOF STREET WAS DURING JUMUAAH ANNOUNCED TO BE HALAAL... im not a fan of ST ELmos PIZZA ... but if its halaal i think we should make an effort to support the initiative...  

Peace. Love. and a Cinnamon and sugar doughnut:-p