Dhul Hijjah

* Find amazing resources as you scroll down, Inshaa’Allah.

Excellence of Dhul Hijjah, the 12th month of Islamic Calendar

Welcoming the Blessed Guest: Dhul HijjahTakbeer, Tahleel, Tahmeed, TasbeehFirst Ten Days of Dhul HijjahVirtues of the First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah (pdf)
What is Hajj al Akbar (Greatest Hajj) and Yaumul Hajjil Akbar (the Day of the Greatest Hajj

Hajj, Tawheed and the Lessons To Learn

Hajj and Tawheed (An excellent e-book by Dr. Saleh as Saleh)
The Miracle in Tawaaf, the purpose of human existence!Hajj: A Timeless Vision (Lesson-rich)
Inner Dimensions of Hajj (Insightful)
Hajj: A Universal Message for PeaceProvisions for the Journey – A collection of Masnoon Du’aas

Arafah, 9th Day of Dhul Hijjah

The Excellence of the Day of ArafahBe the Privileged Guest at This BanquetThings To Do on the Day of Arafah (for non-pilgrims)
Virtues of Arafah (From UAE Jumu’ah Khutbah)
Standing at Mount Arafah (Audio explanation by Dr. Jamal Badawi)
Eid Adha, The Day of Sacrifice and the Days of Tashreeq
Hadeeth References on Sacrifice and Eid al AdhaThe Blessed Day of Nahr (Sacrifice) and the Days of TashreeqThe Goal of Udhiyah (Sacrifice) according to Allah is Sincerity (Tafseer Ibn Kathir)
The Sacrifice Story in the Qur’anWhat is the Du’aa and What are the Conditions for sacrificing an animal?Can we offer sacrifice on behalf of the dead?Slaughtering a sacrificial animal or giving its price in charity?I tend to give sacrifice. What are Things that I must Avoid?Rulings on Sacrifice (Udhiyah) by Shaykh Salih al Munajjid
Format of Eid TakbeerSunnahs and the Etiquette of EidPraying Eid in the Musallah is the Sunnah

Hajj – A Pillar of Islam

The Obligation of Hajj (Pilgrimage) and its Excellence (From Riyadhus Saliheen)
Journey of a Life TimeHajj: The Fifth Pillar of IslamAt a glance Chart on Steps in Hajj and UmrahHajj Glossary (Good reference guide)
Simple Hajj Guide (This 2-page pdf is short and sweet :) Take print out and use as Excellent Resource)
HAJJ: DAY BY DAY (Good and useful info)
Hajj Steps and Routes (Interactive)
Hajj: Step by Step (Very useful Explanation thro’ VIDEOS)
Rites of Hajj and Umrah pdf (by Shaykh Nasiruddeen Albani)

Rites of Hajj and Umrah (online)
Common Mistakes in Hajj (A Must Read by all those intending for Hajj!)
Hajj Pilgrimmage to Makkah (A nice presentation)
Hajj_Significance_Lessons Learned (An informative presentation)
How To Perform Hajj, Umrah and ZiyarahWomen and HajjValidity of a Child’s HajjFiqh-us-Sunnah/Fiqh-ul-Hajj (by Shaykh Sayyid Sabiq)
Fiqh of Hajj (by Shaykh Nasiruddeen Albani)
Can a Menstruating Woman stay in the place of Sa’ee?

Prophet Ibraheem, alaihis salam, the Founding Father of Hajj

Prophet Ibraheem in the Qur’anDu’aas of Prophet Ibraheem alaihis salamProphet Ibraheem’s Defining Moments and Man’s Relationship With his Lord

Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage

How To Perform UmrahUmrah Guide (pdf)
Rulings and Prohibitions Regarding Umrah

In the footsteps of the Role Model

Hajj of the Messenger of Allah (A Must Read!)

The Conduct of the Prophet During Hajj

The Benevolence of the Prophet sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam during Hajj (A Must Read!)

Obligation of Hajj Pilgrimage and its Excellence (An Extract From Riyaadhus Saliheen)

Sahih al Bukhari’s Book of Hajj

Sahih Musim’s Book of Hajj

Farewell Address: Khutbatul Wada (Must Read, Follow and Share)

Masjid al Nabawi, The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah

Visiting Masjid an-Nabawi

Virtues of Masjid an-Nabawi

Talking of Masjid an-Nabawi

Zam Zam Water

Virtues of ZamZam Water in the light of authentic hadeeths

ZamZam: Notes and Facts

Ka’bah and Makkah

Interactive Graphics on Ka’bah (Graphics takes time to load, and it depends upon your internet connection)

Foundations of Ka’bah (by Shaykh Nasiruddeen Albani)

What is Al Multazim? Can we touch or make du’aa here?

What is Hateem and the confusion about the grave of Ismaeel alaihis salam

Tawaaf of Ka’bah – Audio explanation by Dr. Jamal Badawi

Building of Ka’bah and Proclamation of Hajj (Tafseer Ibn Kathir)

Mega Projects Transform Makkah

History

A History of Hajj

Hajj in Pre-Islamic Times (For General Knowledge)

What is al Hijr?

The Truth Behind the Day of Arafah and Its Name (Interesting Read)

Ka’bah: Its size and history

Makkah Back in Time (Images from past)

The Story of the Key of Ka’bah (Amazing!)

Inspiration

“Then He Will Not Neglect Us” – An Inspirational Quote by Hajar (A Must Read!)

“I Love Not Things That Vanish” – Great Quote by Prophet Ibraheem (alaihis salam) (A Must Read!)

The Ka’bah: Guarding the Centre, Generating the Circumference (Through an Architect’s eye)

Useful Links:

Hajj Fatwas (Shaykh Ibn Baz)

Hajj Fatwas (by Permanent Committee)

Important Fatwas Regarding TEN Rites of Hajj and Umrah (pdf)

Informative Website of the Ministry of Hajj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

islamHouse’s Hajj and Umrah Page

Hajj Resources

IslamQA 1

IslamQA 2

Dates, Source of Excellent Nourishment

Dates in the Qur’an and Sunnah

Ajwa Dates – The Prophet sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam’s Favourite Dates

Ajwa Dates contain cancer-preventing property

The Story of Magicians and Moses

By Ibrahim N. Abu Sharif


Almost universally, the confrontation between Moses  and Pharaoh is branded on human culture and memory. That epic face-off evokes familiar empathy for things like justice, struggle against apparent odds, and spectacular escape and triumph. If you're a reader of the Quran, you can't help but notice how the confrontation is told in several places and that the treatments offer subtle changes in emphasis and scope. But consistently they feature two mortals of opposing archetypical mien meeting on ancient soil. One is a man of tremendous temporal authority, whose conspicuous quality is apparently incurable hubris, a narcissism that has become part of the national myth. The other is an Israelite Prophet confessing his fears and shortcomings. No polity or standing army behind him, he comes with only his brother, a warning and promise from above, and a special staff that challenges the Pharaonic serpent cult.

The Moses-Pharaoh narrative is packed with nuance. Take, for example, the sudden conversion of Pharaoh's Magicians in their contest with Moses . That stunning public announcement in favor of the God of Moses and Aaron  provokes discussion about modern reactions to spiritual awakening and the deconstruction of a continuous sacred narrative.

Moses is commanded by God to go to Pharaoh
To set it up, Moses  receives the voice of God commanding him to go to Pharaoh, which he does, ultimately standing before Pharaoh and his courtiers, demanding the release of the Israelites from humiliating bondage. Moses  tells Pharaoh that he has clear proofs from "your Lord," contravening Pharaoh's own declaration of himself being the lord most high. Pharaoh taunts Moses  to show him these proofs. Moses  throws down his staff which transforms into a slithering serpent. His courtiers move in and assure Pharaoh that this is some kind of sorcery. They plot to give Moses  and Aaron unmolested respite, so that the courtiers would gather the very best and brightest among Egypt's magicians to expose the "ensorcelled" trick of Moses'  staff. Pharaoh assents and challenges Moses  to a kind of dual set for a day of festival that had communal meaning to Pharaoh's Egypt. Prior to making their appearance before the multitudes, the Magicians eagerly ask Pharaoh what their boon would be if they prevail over Moses . Pharaoh guarantees that their place is secure with him, a proximity that comes with inducements and untold perks.

Moses and the challenge of the magicians
When the big moment arrives, the Magicians offer Moses  the option to cast first or last. Moses  demands that they throw first. The Magicians then throw their cords and staffs, and they appear to turn into serpents. The Magicians exult in their accomplishment and vow "by the might of Pharaoh" that they are the victors for having bewitched the eyes of the onlookers. Internally, Moses  is strengthened by heavenly sakina that steadies his heart. He throws his staff, which not only becomes a serpent, but a serpent that gulps up the "machinations" of the magicians who suddenly are dumbfounded by what they had just seen. Aware that their "serpents" are well-done machinations that spellbind "the eyes" of the spectators, what they see in Moses'  staff is something else altogether, a true break of the natural order. To boot, the miracle swallows their prefabricated magic, which they know, perhaps better than anyone, is impossible in the realm of magic and the occult.

Magicians realize the ultimate truth
It is here that the Magicians have an epiphany, in the older sense of the word: a sudden revelation or manifestation of the truth, which creates a pointed expansion of the mind. Uninterested in Pharaoh's disappointment and unmoved by the loss of their boon, the Magicians fall to their faces in prostration and declare their belief in the unseen Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses  and Aaron. Pharaoh is incensed that his prized Magicians would have a religious makeover without his permission. His threats are not subtle: torment, severed limbs on opposite sides, and crucifixion. He spins the embarrassing situation by claiming that the Magicians had been part of the Moses-Aaron  axis the whole time, a sleeper-cell perhaps. Inspired by the inner roar of awakening, the Magicians are unimpressed with what Pharaoh may do to them. They restate their resolve and affirm that regardless of what they are forced to endure, they ultimately will return to God, a short journey obliged to all, the tormented and the tormentors alike.

The Magicians' spiritual makeover speaks to what we observe of our context today, specifically, the diminishing role of the "universal storyteller," a term coined by theologian and professor Robert W. Jenson, who correctly laments postmodern pressures to dismiss the notion of an unbroken sacred narrative that permeates the entirety of time. This sacred narrative is a continuous, supernal line of thought and perspective that answers unchanging questions of human origin, purpose, and post-soil existence. This narrative, moreover, is not squeamish about attaching values to human conduct; it stoutly raises issues about morality, ethics, and consequences, all associated with "teachings" that are universal and timeless.

If we look at the Magicians again, these masters of the dark arts had a peculiar reaction to their defeat-a reaction outwardly inconsonant with their strutting just moments before. It's one thing to realize that what Moses  threw down was truly otherworldly. Responding is something else. The Magicians' hearts could have merely sunk at Moses'  triumph; they could have despaired of their fate in the face of such humiliation; they could have tried to conjure up excuses to spare their lives or to save face. But what their realization unveiled was irrepressible, and their reaction to it was connected to the presence of a sacred narrative that survived Pharaonic pressure and cult.

Abrahamic message continues
For all the religio-babble and tyranny of Pharaoh, the Abrahamic message of monotheism did not lose traction. How it dodged dilution and meaninglessness in that Egyptian context is something to study, particularly as it relates to the presence of the Israelites, regardless of their station in Egypt. We do know that the Magicians boldly took refuge in the "Lord of Moses and Aaron," and you sense that the option to do so was available even in the political straits of ancient Egypt. Within a short span of time, the Magicians moved from Pharaoh's delight to his utter scorn; from the promise of a life of privilege to a sentence of crucifixion; from champions of the occult to devotees of the great Lord of the worlds, unseen and all-powerful.

Thoughtful men and women representing various faith communities observe the modern dilution of all things sacred. The insistence that truth is closely attached to historical currents and, therefore, should be deconstructed and reinvented as the "times" and history change seriously threatens modern man's receptivity to divine signs and, yes, epiphanies. The raucous handling of the "past" tells the dull progression of humankind as measured by the tools we invent and irreverently denies the freshness and relevance of sacred beliefs established thousands of years ago.

It's unlikely that there's ever been unanimity about these critical questions of human existence and purpose. Religious thoughts and philosophical paradigms have been numerous, diverse, and conflicting. But what has consistently poked out as essentially unchanged and remarkably relevant is the oneness of God and our return, as preserved by the gracious Abrahamic narrative, Israelite then Ishmaelite. It seems that the great challenge of this tradition is to reaffirm the continuous nature of the sacred narrative and reclaim its inarguable importance in human life.

Courtesy: http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0902-3809

The Story of Prophet Musa (Moses) and The Guide

One day, Moses delivered such an impressive sermon that all who heard it were deeply moved. Someone in the congregation asked: " O Messenger of Allah, is there another man on earth more learned than you?" Moses replied: "No!", believing so, as Allah had given him the power of miracles and honored him with the Torah. 

However, Allah revealed to Moses that no man could know all there is to know, nor would one messenger alone be the custodian of all knowledge. There would always be another who knew what others did not. Moses asked Allah: "O Allah, where is this man? I would like to meet him and learn from him." He also asked for a sign to this person's identity.

Allah instructed him to take a live fish in a water-filled vessel. The point at which the fish disappears, he would find the man he sought. Moses set out on his journey, accompanied by a young man who carried the vessel with the fish. They reached a place where two rivers met and decided to rest there. Instantly, Moses fell asleep.

While he was asleep, his companion saw the fish wriggle out of the vessel into the river and swim away. However, he forgot to relate this incident to Moses. When he awoke, they continued their journey until they were exhausted and hungry. Moses asked for his morning meal. Only then did his companion recall that the fish they had brought with them had gotten away. Hearing this, Moses exclaimed: "This is exactly what we are seeking!"

They quickly retraced their steps to the place where the rivers met and where the fish had jumped out. There they found a man, his face partly covered with a hood. One could tell by his aura that he was a saintly man. He was Al-Khidr, the guide.

Allah the Almighty narrates in the Quran:
And (remember) when Moses said to his servant: "I will not give up (traveling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in traveling."

But when they reached the junction of the two seas, they forgot their fish, and it took its way thought the sea as in a tunnel. So when they had passed further on (beyond that fixed place), Moses said to his boy-servant: "Bring us our morning meal; truly, we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey."

He said: "Do you remember when we rested on the rock? I indeed forgot the fish, none but Satan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange (way)!"

(Moses) said: "That is what we have been seeking." So they went back retracing their footsteps.

Then they found one of Our devotees, unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.

Moses said to him (Khidr) "May I follow you so that you can teach me something of that knowledge (guidance and true path) which you have been taught (by Allah)?"

He (Khidr) said: "Verily! You will not be able to have patience with me! And how can you have patience about a thing which you know not?"

Moses sad: "If Allah will, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in aught."

He (Khidr) said: "Then, if you follow me, ask me not about anything till I myself mention it to you."
So the two went off, until when they embarked on a boat and the man (Khidr) made a hole in it. Moses said: "Did you make a hole in it to drown its people? Verily, you have done Imra - a Munkar (evil, bad, dreadful) thing."

He (Khidr) said: "Did I not tell you, that you would not be able to have patience with me?"

(Moses) said: "Call me not to account for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my affair (with you)."

Then they both proceeded, till they met a boy, he (Khidr) killed him. Moses said: "Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none? Verily, you have done Nukra a great Munkar (prohibited, evil, dreadful) thing!"

(Khidr) said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?"

(Moses) said: "If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me."

Then they both proceeded, till, when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight. (Moses) said: "If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!"

(Khidr) said: "This is the parting between me and you, I will tell you the interpretation of (those) things over which you were unable to hold patience.

"As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it (Lit., "to cause a fault in it" - i.e., to make it temporarily unserviceable), as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force.

"And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.
"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.¹

The story of Moses and Al-Khidr is also told in a hadith.
Ubai Ibn Ka'b told us that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: Once Moses stood up and addressed Bani Israel. He was asked who was the most learned man amongst the people. He said: "I." Allah admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allah). So, Allah said to him: "Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Mine who is more learned then you." Moses said; "O my Lord! How can I meet him?" Allah said: "Take a fish and put it in a container and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish."

Moses took a fish and put it in a container and proceeded along with his (servant) boy, Joshua (Yusha Ibn Nun), till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (i.e. lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the container, fell into the sea. It took its way into the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. Allah stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet pointed out his arch with his hands). They traveled the rest of the night, and the next day Moses said to his boy (servant): "Give us our food, for indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours." Moses did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy (servant) said to him: "Do you know that when we were sitting near that rock, I forgot the fish, and none but Satan caused me to forget to tell (you) about it, and it took its course into the sea in an amazing way?" So there was a path for the fish and that astonished them. Moses said: "That was what we were seeking after."

So both of them retraced their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man lying covered with a garment. Moses greeted him, and he replied saying: "How do people greet each other in your land?" Moses said: "I am Moses."

The man asked: "Moses of Bani Israel? " Moses said: "Yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me from those things which Allah has taught you." He said: "O Moses! I have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught me and which you do not know, while you have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know." Moses asked: "May  I follow you?" He said: "But you will not be able to remain patient with me, for how can you be patient about things which you will not be able to understand?" Moses said: "You will find me, if Allah so will, truly patient, and I will not disobey you in aught."


So both of them set out walking along the sea-shore. A boat passed by them, and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khidr, so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the boat, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al-Khidr said to Moses: "O Moses! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allah's knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak. " Then suddenly Al-Khidr took and adze and pulled up a plank, and Moses did not notice it till he had pulled up a plank with the adze. 


Moses said to him: "What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing; yet you have intentionally made a hole in their boat so as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing." Al-Khidr replied: "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?' Moses replied : "Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my fault." So the first excuse of Moses was that he had forgotten.

When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khidr took hold of the boy's head and plucked it with his hand like this. (Sufyan, the sub-narrator gestured with his fingertips as if he were plucking some fruit.) Moses said to him: "Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done a horrible thing." Al-Khidr said: "Did I not tell you that you could not remain patient with me?" Moses said: "If I ask you abut anything after this, don't accompany me, You have received an excuse from me."

Then both of them went on till they came to some people of a village, and they asked its inhabitants for food but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse and Al Khidr repaired it just by touching it with his hands. (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, gestured with his hands, illustrating how Al-Khidr passed his hands over the wall upwards.) Moses said: "These are the people whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it."

Al-Khidr said: "This is the parting between you and me, and I shell tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient."

The Prophet (peace be upon him)added: "We wish that Moses could have remained patient by virtue of which Allah might have told us more about their story." (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, said that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further about their case.")²

Notes:
1. Quran 18:60-82
2. Sahih Al-Bukhari
From the book: Stories of the Prophets by Imam Ibn Kathir, translated by Muhammad Mustafa Gemeiah and edited by Aelfwine Acelas Mischler.

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The lesson contained in this story is this "You should have full faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah. As the reality is hidden from you, you are at a loss to understand the wisdom of what is happening, and sometimes if it appears that things are going against you, you cry out, 'How and why has this happened'. The fact is that if the curtain be removed from the "unseen", you would yourselves come to know that what is happening here is for the best. Even if some times it appears that something is going against you, you will see that in the end it also produces some good results for you. Syed Abu-Ala' Maududi's Chapter Introductions to the Qur'an

RAMADHAN DIARY

* Conferment of Prophethood on Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as humanity’s last and final Messenger of Allah, and the commencement of the revelation of Al-Qur’an in the Cave of Hira.

* Acceptance of Islam by Khadija-bint-Khuwailid, the beloved wife of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

* Death of Abu Talib, uncle of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the 10th year of Prophethood.

* Death of Khadija (R.A) on 10 Ramadhan in the 10th year of Prophethood.

* 17 Ramadan 2 A.H. - Battle of Badr, Zakah made compulsory.

* 8th year of Hijra - Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)sent Khalid-bin-Walid (R.A), Amr bin al Aas (R.A), Sa’d bin Zaid (R.A) to demolish the idols Al-Uzza, Su’wah and Manat respectively.

* 9th year of Hijra - Expedition of Tabook and acceptance of Islam by Banu Saqeef.

* 10th year of Hijra - Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) sent Hazrat Ali (R.A) in military expedition to Yemen and particularly to the tribe of Hamdan - the tribe which came into Islam’s fold in a single day - and who offered prayers behind Hazrat Ali (R.A).

* 11th A.H - Death of Fatima (R.A), the beloved daughter of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

* 17 Ramadan 40 A.H. - Killing of Hazrath Ali (R.A) by the Kharijite Abdul Rahman bin Muljim al Hameeri.

* 53 A.H. - Victory of Arabs over Rhodes Islands.

* 58 A.H. - Death of Hazrat Ayesha (R.A), the beloved wife of the Prophet of Islam.

* 91 A.H. - Landing of Muslims on the southern coast in Spain which paved the way for conquest of Iberian peninsula.

* 92 A.H. - Triumph of the Muslim leader Tariq ibn Ziyaad over the King Rodrieque in a decisive combat.

* 129 A.H. - Appearance and emergence of the Dawah of Ibn Abbas in Kharasaan under the leadership of Abu Muslim al Kharasaani.

* 132 A.H. - Fall of Umayya dynasty and empowerment of Abbasid dynasty.

* 361 A.H. - Al Azhar University construction got completed and dedicated to the worship and obedience of Allah and for learning.

* 584 A.H. - The triumph of Salahuddin Ayyubi over the crusaders.