IT'S BETTER FOR WOMEN TO PRAY AT HOME Than In A Mosque - Prophet Muhammad

Prophet’s Advice To Women:

‘It’s Better For You To Pray

At Home Than In A Mosque!’

Prophet’s Advice To Men:

‘Do not prevent your women

from going to the mosques if

they ask your permission!’

(M. Javed Naseem)

(Women offering Eid prayer in Luknow, India)

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and

His Messenger, and turn not away from

him when you hear (him speak)!”

(al-Quran 8:20)

“He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah.

But if any turn away, We have not sent you

to watch over their (evil deeds).”

(al-Quran 4:80)

A gang-rape incident that took place on 27th of Ramadan forced me to write this article!

Islam is a ‘way of life’ that brings you closer to your Creator, Allah – the Almighty. Islam is certainly more than the rituals, like praying, fasting, paying charity and going for pilgrimage. It establishes a relationship between the Creation and the Creator. It also cultivates love for Allah’s Prophet (Muhammad, s.a.w.) in the hearts of the believers as he was our role-model designated by Allah. A true Muslim loves Allah and His Prophet more than anything else in life. Allah has commanded the believers that they should obey the Prophet’s commands and follow him as a role-model.

Abu Salamah ibn Abdur Rahman heard Abu Hurairah say that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said:

"Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah. Whoever rebels against me has rebelled against Allah. Whoever obeys my Amir has obeyed me. Whoever rebels against my Amir has disobeyed me." – (Bukhari, Muslim).

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

"When I forbid you to do something, avoid it. When I command you to do something, then do it as much as you are able." – (Bukhari, Muslim).

 “Say (O Muhammad)! If you do love Allah,

follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your

sins, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

(al-Quran 3:31)

The best way (rather the only way) to show our love for Allah is to obey His commands – do what He tells us to do and abstain from the things He forbids us. The Quran contains all the commands of Allah and the Sunnah (way of life) of the Prophet (s.a.w.) shows us how to implements those commands in real life. Since humans want easy life, they always look for shortcuts – the ways and means to please Allah and His Prophet without doing any hardwork. This has resulted in many interpretations of the Quranic verses that are promoted by different sects or groups. The irony is that each sect or group claims that its version or interpretation is the ‘true Islam’ and anything else is not Islam. That approach is very unreasonable and illogical. It creates disunity and divides the Muslim Ummah into sects. And that is forbidden by Allah.

Don’t create religious issues out of

nothing! If you don’t respect Prophet’s

advice, you don’t love him nor can you

claim to be a true Muslim! Prophet

Muhammad (s.a.w.) was declared the

best rolemodel for mankind.

Should women also go out to pray in the mosques just like men? Are they not prohibited to do that? This debate is very old. There are different opinions and many Fatwah (rulings) by the scholars on this subject. But in fact, it’s very simple. This should not be considered an issue triggering disputes and fights between husbands and wives. If you know the facts, this is not an issue requiring Fatwah (ruling) from the scholars.

(Women offering Taraweeh prayer during Ramadan at Masjid Hassan-II, Casablanca)

Women Praying in The Mosques:

There is no verse in the Quran that prevents women from entering the mosques for praying purposes. Similarly, there is no authentic Hadith from the Prophet (s.a.w.) that

prohibits women from praying in the mosques. On the contrary, there are several Hadiths

that tell men that they should not stop women if they (women) insist on going to the mosques for prayer. They should allow them. But, at the same time, there are also authentic Hadiths according to which Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) recommended women to pray at home as it was better (for them) than praying in the mosques.

Did you find anything disputing or contradictory in that? No, because there is none.

 Simply put, the Prophet (s.a.w.) told women

that it was better for them to pray (Salaat) at

home than in the mosques. But if they wanted

to go to the mosques, they were allowed.

The issue or the problem here should NOT be the permission (allowed or not-allowed). The real issue here should be “respecting and adhering to the advice or recommendation of the Prophet (s.a.w.)” than to your (women’s) own desire or opinion to go to the mosques for Salaat.

The critical issue here should be women’s security risks and social evils. Not the permission. They are permitted by the Prophet and there’s no dispute about it.

Women’s going to the mosques is fine but there are some hidden social evils that are being ignored by people. I live in front of one of the biggest mosques in the world, Masjid Hassan-II, Casablanca, Morocco. Population-wise, there are a lot (one million) more women (out of 35 million people, Women: 51%, Men: 49%) in Morocco than men and that shows not only in the streets of Moroccan cities but also in the famous mosques. In Ramadan, it feels that more women come for Isha/Taraweeh prayers than men. Even in Fajr prayer, women’s number is high.

I feel bad in saying that sometimes there are scenes from the parking lots, lawn and corridors of the mosque and around, that show evil/Fitnah at work! We see “love-sick” couples in the dark corners hand-in-hand trying to have good time while the Taraweeh prayer is going on. Not all women/girls come to the mosque for prayers. All girls and women come out with their mobile phones and keep them in their hands to show off. Culturally (French colonial influence), any man can talk to any woman and any boy can chat with any girl without any problem. All high-school and college-going teenagers have girlfriends or boyfriends, openly or secretly. They can freely exchange their phone numbers. But the real problem starts afterwards when they start looking for dark corners in the parking lots or the corridors.

When we were kids, I heard that Lailat-ul Qadr was the 27^th night of Ramadan. After 60 years now I hear it again in Morocco that the ‘Night of the Qadr’ falls on the 27^th night of Ramadan. Not all Moroccans believe that. It’s just a general view, just like in India or Pakistan or any other Muslim country. Most people believe that it could fall on the 21^st, 23^rd, 25^th, 27^th or even the 29^th night of the month of Ramadan. It is a Moroccan tradition that kids and young people put on new or fancy clothes. The night of 27th is crowded, like Eid night as the streets are bustling. Everybody is outside. Mosques are full to the capacity and people (both men and women) bring their own mats and bottles of water to stay at the mosques as long as possible. Even the surrounding open yards and lawns of every mosque are also occupied. It’s a great scene to watch, with thousands of women praying behind men. A curtain-like long partition separates the two groups. In Arab countries, most mosques have separate area for women, generally upstairs or in the back, with separate entrance/exit.

Now, the funny thing is that inside the mosques, men and women are separated but outside the mosques, they can hold each others’ hands, hug each other, or even do more than that. By law, it is not a crime. Crime starts with “kissing in public” so most of them hide in the corridors or in the parking lots between two cars.

The reason for my writing this article is a news item that disturbed me a lot. It was reported last week in the social media (Moroccan press is not always honest and bold enough to report crimes) that in the city of Beni Mellah (south of Marrakesh) a teenage minor girl was assaulted and raped by 5 young men in Ramadan. The girl had left the house for Isha/Taraweeh prayer and went to the nearby mosque to celebrate the night of “Lailat-ul Qadr”. How did it happen, is another story! The point is, ‘why’ did it happen?

It happened because it was easier for boys and girls (men and women) to mingle with each other. And that’s my point! Islam does not allow mixing up or intermingling of men and women. If you control that, you can control 90% of sexual crimes.

Under today’s uncertain circumstances and unsafe conditions, would anybody send his/her daughter, sister or wife to a mosque for prayer? I hope this question answers many questions.

Mosques should have special areas for women

Islam gives permission to woman to enter the Mosques provided there are separate and equal facilities. Islam does not allow the intermingling of sexes. There should be separate entrances for men and women – separate places of ablution (Wudhu) for men and women. In Islam, when we pray, we stand shoulder to shoulder. But men and women cannot stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer. They are not allowed to intermingle. That is why in Islam, women have to stand behind. The Imam has to be a male.

There is no doubt that a woman’s prayer in her house is better for her than praying in the mosque, as is indicated by the Sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w.). He said: "Do not prevent your women from going to the mosque, even though their houses are better for them." (Reported by Abu Dawud in al-Sunan, Baab maa jaa’a fee khurooj al-nisaa’ ilaa’l-masjid: Baab al-tashdeed fee dhaalik. See also Saheeh al-Jaami‘, No. 7458).

Whenever a woman prays in a place that is more private and more hidden, that is better for her, as the Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

"A woman’s prayer in her house is better than her prayer in her courtyard, and her prayer in her bedroom is better than her prayer in her house." (Reported by Abu Dawud in al-Sunan, Baab maa jaa’a fee khurooj al-nisaa’ ilaa’l-masjid. See also Saheeh al-Jaami‘, No. 3833).

Umm Humayd, the wife of Abu Humayd al-Saa‘idi reported that she came to the Prophet (s.a.w.) and said:

"O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), I love to pray with you."

He said: "I know that you love to pray with me, but praying in your house is better for you than praying in your courtyard, and praying in your courtyard is better for you than praying in the mosque of your people, and praying in the mosque of your people is better for you than praying in my mosque."

So she ordered that a prayer-place be built for her in the farthest and darkest part of her house, and she always prayed there until she met Allah (i.e., until she died). (Reported by Imaam Ahmad; the men of its isnaad are thiqaat (trustworthy)).

But the fact that praying at home is preferable does not mean that that women are not permitted to go to the mosque, as is clear from the following Hadith:

From Abdullah ibn Umar, who said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say: ‘Do not prevent your women from going to the mosque if they ask your permission." Bilal ibn Abdullah said, "By Allah, we will prevent them." Ibn Umar turned to him and told him in an unprecedented fashion, saying: "I tell you what the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, and you say ‘By Allah, we will prevent them’!" (Reported by Muslim, No.667).

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid says that a woman is permitted to go to the mosque for prayer but there are certain conditions:

1) She should wear complete Hijaab.
2) She should not go out wearing perfume.
3) She should have the permission of her husband.
4) Her going out should not involve any other kind of prohibited acts, such as being alone in a car with a non-Mahram driver. If a woman does something wrong like that, her husband or guardian has the right to stop her; in fact it is his duty to do so.

Abd al-Azeem Abaadi said:
The reason here is that women's praying at home is better so as to avoid Fitnah, and that was more strongly emphasized after the ‘Tabarruj’ (wanton display) that women introduced. – (Awn al-Ma’bood, 1/193).

(Men and women have separate Ablution (Wudhu) places and washrooms at Masjid Hassan-II)

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

The Sunnah indicates that it is better for a woman to pray at home, no matter where she is, whether she lives in Makkah or elsewhere. Hence the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from coming to the mosques of Allah, but their houses are better for them.”
He said that when he was in Madinah, even though prayer in the Prophet’s Mosque brings more reward, because a woman’s prayer in her own house is more covering for her and farther removed from temptation (Fitnah), so if she is in her house then this is preferable and is better.

(Note: As far as multiple reward is concerned, Allah will grant women more reward for obeying the advice of the Prophet (s.a.w.).
(See Fataawa al-Jaami’ah li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, Vol.1, p. 207).

The Messenger (s.a.w.) said: “Do not stop your women-folk from going to the mosques if they ask you for permission.” (al-Bukhari, No.865; Muslim, No.442).

(Women have a separate entrance/exit at Masjid Hassan-II, Casablanca)

It was narrated that Ibn Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say: “When your women ask you for permission to go to the mosque, give them permission.”

According to another version, “Do not forbid women their share of the mosques if they ask you for permission.”

Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd, in his book Hiraasat al-Fadeelah (p. 86), listed the conditions for women to go out to the mosques. He said that women were allowed to go out to the mosques under the following conditions:

(Women's separate big prayer gallery inside Masjid Hassan-II, Casablanca)

1- That there is no risk of them tempting others or being tempted.

2- That their attendance will not lead to anything that is forbidden according to Shariah.
3- That they do not jostle with men in the streets or in the mosques.
4- That they should go out not wearing perfume.
5- That they should go out wearing Hijab, not making a wanton display of their adornment.
6- A door should be set aside in the mosques just for women to enter and exit, as mentioned in the Hadith narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud and elsewhere.
7- The women’s rows should be behind the men’s rows.
8- The best rows for women are those at the back, unlike the case for men
9-Women should leave the mosque before men, and men should wait until the women have dispersed to their homes, as mentioned in the Hadith of Umm Salamah (r.a.a.) in Saheeh al-Bukhari and elsewhere.

So, let the common sense and logic prevail to avoid disagreement and Fitnah! If women insist to go, make it safer and easier for them!

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WEATHER WARFARE: Geo-engineering Is The Most Powerful Weapon Being Used To Destroy Countries.

Weather Warfare

Geo-engineering:

The Most Powerful Weapon

Being Used To Destroy

Countries Around The Globe!

For Total Power, Total Control,

And Hegemony of The World,

Geo-engineering is a Primary Tool

Used by The West.

(M. Javed Naseem)

Man was such a beautiful and wonderful creation of the Almighty God that even the angels were commanded to bow down in prostration in front of Adam – the first man. But unfortunately, man is so easily influenced and deceived by the Devil that he commits despicable acts defying all morals and decency. At times he becomes the meanest beast on earth. He wants to play god and control the world whereas the bitter fact is that he cannot even control his own desires and emotions that bring him downfalls.

The power-mongering elite of the West is doing anything and everything to strengthen its control – hegemony – on the world resources, wealth, energy, trade and even freedom. They are poisoning people with modified (GMO) foods; destroying agricultural land by harmful fertilizers; controlling world currencies and international trade; changing regimes and killing leaders who don’t obey them; controlling human population by different means including spreading viruses, germs and epidemics; then offering fake, harmful and useless medicines or drugs in the name of cure or treatment; promoting animosity among nations to start wars and sell weapons/bombs to both sides to kill each other; and if they can’t achieve the desired results through their agents and puppet governments in other countries, they directly invade other countries, bomb their cities and kill innocent children, women and elderly. No regard for humanity! It’s typically Uncle Sam’s moronic attitude: ‘It’s my way or the highway!’

Pakistan showed resistance to U.S. policy

in 2010, and suffered from the record floods.

Were the record floods that occurred there

later the same year just an act of nature?

Or were other forces also in play?

In recent years, biological warfare has taken top priority. They are killing people now by wildfires, droughts, at the same time by melting glaciers, creating artificial floods and rains; as well as earthquakes through bio-engineering. They are using weather to play havoc in those countries where leaders refuse to obey and reject their hegemony. The new weapon is called ‘climate engineering’ or ‘geoengineering’.

Owning The Weather In 2025!

For details, see the United States Air Force

(USAF) Center for Strategy and Technology

(CSAT) document: “Weather as a Force

Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025”

Uncle Sam is occupying, one way or the other, more than 150 countries of the world. They have their troops all over. They call them experts, personnel trainers, security staff, military trainers, educators, consultants, engineers, technicians, advisors, peace keepers, etc., etc. They are enjoying special privileges in most countries of the world by keeping more than 900 military bases. These bases are needed to flex muscles from time to time in every part of the world to scare small or weaker countries. That’s the export quality version of the American democracy. The message is loud and clear: Do as we tell you to do, or else!

The military industrial complex of the West has long been manipulating weather to put pressure on the countries they want to control. They can trigger heavy rains, snow storms, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes, as well as drought and famine.
They had been using HAARP centers all over the world to modify weather and create artificial natural disasters. After a series of protests and criticism from all quarters, it was announced in 2014 that Alaska’s hub of HAARP would be closed in 2015. Some dismantling activities were shown by the media to fool general public and change public opinion. Most people did not believe them and thought that covert operations continued. Then all of a sudden, HAARP center became operational in February 2017 under new management, and the Western press published photos of “flying saucer” style HAARP clouds in the atmosphere. Actually, people were deceived to believe that HAARP was abandoned. They were just discarding the old, out of date equipment and replacing it with the new and more sophisticated equipment, to be more effective and more efficient.

The technology, which is being perfected under the

High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program

(HAARP), is an appendage of the Strategic Defense

Initiative – ‘Star Wars’.

From a military standpoint, HAARP is a

weapon of mass destruction, operating from the

outer atmosphere and capable of destabilizing

agricultural and ecological systems

around the world.

The debate on climate change does not acknowledge the role of climatic warfare, namely the deliberate manipulation of climate for military use. 

“HAARP is a weapon of mass destruction, capable of destabilizing agricultural and ecological systems globally.”
Climatic warfare’ potentially threatens the future of humanity, but has casually been excluded from the reports for which the IPCC received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.  It has also been excluded from the November 2015 Paris Climate Summit.

(Artificial clouds created by HAARP)

From ‘Global Research’

Prof Michel Chossudovsky adds:

Rarely acknowledged in the debate on global climate change,

the world’s weather can now be modified as part of a new

generation of sophisticated electromagnetic weapons. Both

the US and Russia have developed capabilities to manipulate

the climate for military use.

Environmental modification techniques have been applied

by the US military for more than half a century. US mathematician

John von Neumann, in liaison with the US Department of Defense,

started his research on weather modification in the late 1940s at the

height of the Cold War and foresaw ‘forms of climatic warfare as

yet unimagined’. During the Vietnam war, cloud-seeding techniques

were used, starting in 1967 under Project Popeye, the objective of

which was to prolong the monsoon season and block enemy supply

routes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The US military has developed advanced capabilities that enable

it selectively to alter weather patterns. The technology, which is

being perfected under the High-frequency Active Auroral Research

Program (HAARP), is an appendage of the Strategic Defense

Initiative – ‘Star Wars’. From a military standpoint, HAARP is a

weapon of mass destruction, operating from the outer atmosphere

and capable of destabilizing agricultural and ecological systems

around the world.

Weather-modification, according to the US Air Force document

AF 2025 Final Report, ‘offers the war fighter a wide range of

possible options to defeat or coerce an adversary’, capabilities,

it says, extend to the triggering of floods, hurricanes, droughts

and earthquakes: ‘Weather modification will become a part of

domestic and international security and could be done unilaterally…

It could have offensive and defensive applications and even be

used for deterrence purposes. The ability to generate precipitation,

fog and storms on earth or to modify space weather… and the

production of artificial weather all are a part of an integrated

set of [military] technologies.’

(Courtesy: http://www.globalresearch.ca/weather-warfare-beware-the-us-military-s-experiments-with-climatic-warfare/7561)

(Aerial spraying over Mammoth Mountain, California)

 Dane Wigington is the lead researcher for geoengineeringwatch.org today, investigating all levels of geo-engineering from stratospheric aerosol spraying (SAG) to HAARP. He assisted Michael Murphy with his acclaimed production of “What In The World Are They Spraying?” and has spoken extensively in a wide range of forums to explain the environmental dangers we face on a global level. Here are excerpts from his eye-opening article published by the Wake Up World:

U.S. Government Engineering The Climate

To Control Populations

By Dane Wigington, for Wake Up World

Climate Engineering and The U.S. Military

Climate engineering is the most powerful and most utilized weapon of the western power structure to destabilize and topple the countries and governments around the globe that it wishes to control. Geo-engineering is a primary tool that has been used to help force nations to allow U.S. or NATO occupation. If you don’t believe the U.S. military is concerned with the climate, think again. The military industrial complex has long sought to “control the weather” and historical documents prove that the U.S. has been heavily invested in climate modification for a very long time.

For details, see the United States Air Force (USAF) Center for Strategy and Technology (CSAT) document: Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025.

How many countries have U.S. military boots on the ground? There are at least 156 U.S.-occupied countries around the globe with some 900 bases. Does anyone really believe that all these countries just wanted the U.S. to occupy them? Is it a coincidence that many if not most of these countries endured some sort of climate cataclysm prior to the occupation being allowed? How many countries in Africa were subjected to record drought before being destabilized and occupied? Occupations that often began under “humanitarian” pretexts due to climate catastrophes?

And what about the Middle Eastern countries that have recently been destabilized? Many of these countries were not co-operating with the U.S. agenda before they experienced record drought — Is there a connection? Record drought in Syria preceded the recent destabilization — Was weather warfare used to help trigger the ongoing civil war? Yes.

How about Iraq; were they also a target of weather warfare to help trigger destabilization? Was the record drought in Iraq during the years prior to the invasion in 2003 a natural occurrence? Or was it also engineered? Were there plans to invade Iraq years ahead of time? If available data is examined, the answer is inarguably yes. The invasion of Iraq was planned well before the events of 9/11.

How many know there has been a crop-destroying drought in Russia and Ukraine? Just another coincidence? Certainly the whole world understands that Iran is also a current primary target for the western power structure, is it just bad luck for Iran that there is record drought there, too? Does anyone in the U.S. even know that the leaders from Iran have been on the floor of the UN openly stating that Western powers are causing the record drought with climate modification? Pakistan showed resistance to US policy in 2010, were the record floods that occurred there later the same year just an act of nature? Or were other forces in play? Record deluge is also a weapon used by the weather-makers. As the planet continues to warm rapidly, deluges will increase.

How are things in South America? Certainly we all know how the US power structure is constantly complaining about the BRIC countries. Brazil and Venezuela have been a source of aggravation for our government for a very long time. Brazil is experiencing devastating record drought, and yes, so is Venezuela.

I could go on and on about the countries that have been victims of the US/NATO weather warfare juggernaut of biosphere destruction, but let’s now consider the catastrophic and unprecedented drought being engineered in the U.S. West, should we ask ourselves what agendas are now being carried out on the US population? The laws of physics make clear that a natural warming world should bring more rain overall; the atmosphere can carry 7% more moisture for every degree of additional warming. Why is there so much drought in so many countries around the world when the laws of physics state there should be more overall rainfall on a warming planet, not less? 

Now it seems that the power structure is sending us the message that they know the drought in the US West is only going to get worse. In fact NASA has recently stated on the record that the western U.S. states can expect “mega-droughts” in the coming decades — How do they know this? NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has recently stated that even with a potential record El Niño event, there will be no relief for the completely parched state of California. Since when does El Niño not bring more rain to the West? How does NOAA know this?

It is important to remember that defense contractor Raytheon is involved in geoengineering programs, and also does the weather modeling for NOAA and the National Weather Service. Lockheed Martin (another defense contractor involved in weather modification) supplies the weather modeling for the FAA. The weather “predictions” are nothing more than the scheduled weather. 

5 Western states are close to running out of water, and Lake Mead is is at record low levels. The states most affected by the engineered weather catastrophes (drought and deluge as has just occurred in Texas) are also the stated location of the upcoming “Jade Helm” military exercises — another coincidence perhaps? No. In reality, the weather warfare being waged against the U.S. population (and others) is continuing to escalate. And, due to the highly toxic fallout from geoengineering, weather warfare is also biological warfare as it affects the entire web of life.

(Geo-engineering protest march in Bolona, Italy)

Western Meltdown Engineered To Cool The East

How hot is it going to be under the completely engineered high pressure heat dome in the West? Record shattering. Is it any wonder the Western states are burning to the ground? This also includes Alaska and Canada where more than 600 wildfires are currently burning.

The engineered high pressure zone facilitates the jet stream manipulation the climate engineers are after. By pushing the upper level winds up and over (north of) the heat dome, the winds then spin clockwise around the high pressure. A large “dip” in the jet stream is then formed, which contributes to yet another engineered cool-down in the Eastern US which is scheduled for late this week.  Though the Western US could be considered a “climate sacrifice zone”, available data indicates the West of the U.S. is also a target for engineered drought.

Severe environmental degradation and resource depletion are factors that cannot be hidden from public view much longer. The global power structure is playing every card they have. They are moving their chess pieces into place rapidly as they prepare for total societal collapse and civil unrest. Though solar radiation management is being pushed as mitigation for our warming planet, climate engineering/weather warfare is making an already bad climate/environmental situation exponentially worse overall. These programs are being used as a primary method to control populations and governments around the globe with no regard to the damage being done to the biosphere. The highly toxic fallout from geoengineering is also rapidly sickening global populations thus making them easier to control.

(Pic: Haarp clouds)

The entire global climate system has been derailed, there is no completely natural or untainted weather, none. The ongoing scenario in the US lower 48 is as meteorologically unnatural as it is unprecedented. There are many agendas being carried out by the weather makers; one is the manipulation of US population’s perception of the climate. At the core of the weather warfare that is being waged is, of course, the agenda of total power and total control, this must always be remembered and considered.

Does this mean we have no chance? Should giving up the fight for the common good be considered? Absolutely not. So long as there is a chance that the planet’s life support systems can still be salvaged (and there is a chance), it is our responsibility to fight on. Marching in the battle to preserve a future for our children is not an option, it is our primary obligation in life. The human race is free falling into near term extinction because of its own behavior and apathy. It is this apathy that has allowed psychotic individuals to wield power unchecked and unchallenged for centuries.

“The world will not be destroyed by those

who do evil, but by those who watch them

without doing anything.”

– Albert Einstein

The climate science community, of course, will not speak about the geoengineering elephant in the room so they just claim not to know or understand why the Eastern US is cool while most of the world isn’t. It is up to all of us. Educate yourself and stand your ground in the battle to sound the alarm, all of our voices are essential in the fight to expose and halt climate engineering.

(Courtesy: https://wakeup-world.com/2015/07/12/u-s-government-engineering-the-climate-to-control-populations/)

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BAKKAH (MAKKAH): THE EPICENTER OF BLESSING & GUIDANCE (Umrah Mem. 3/3)

(Umrah Memories 3/3)

Bakkah (Makkah)

The Epicenter of Blessing

And Guidance

The Sacred Landmarks of

Makkah And Around

(M. Javed Naseem)

“The first House (of worship) appointed for

men was that at Bakka (Makkah), full of blessing

and of guidance for all kinds of beings.”

(al-Quran 3:96)

Makkah is called the City of God because it accommodates the House of Allah (Kaabah) or the Bait-Ullah. For Muslims of the world, this is the holiest place on earth. Even Allah, the Almighty, has declared in the Holy Quran that this place is full of blessings and of guidance for all kinds of creatures including humans. This is a very special and unique place in the entire universe – a place where humans keep glorifying the Lord Creator’s name 24 house a day, seven days a week, summer or winter, rain or shine. Muslims are always found circling around (performing Tawaf) the House of God.

This holy place (Kaabah) is full of blessings, guidance and cure for many physical and spiritual ailments. Offering a prayer is a great privilege and honor. According to a narration, a prayer (Salaat) offered in the Bait-Ullah (House of God) brings you 100,000 times more rewards than a prayer (Salaat) offered in any other mosque. In other words, a Salaat offered in the Bait-Ullah is equal to 100,000 Salaats offered in another mosque. What a blessing! Here’s the Hadith:

It is narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and also by Ibn Maajah and others on the authority of Jaabir that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “The prayer in my mosque (Masjid Nabawi, Madinah) is better than 1,000 prayers in any other mosque with the exception of Masjid al-Haraam (Kaabah at Makkah); and a prayer in Masjid al-Haraam (Makkah) is better than 100,000 prayers in other mosques.” There is no difference of opinion in this regard between an obligatory prayer and other (optional) prayers as the statement of the Prophet (s.a.w.) was general.

Makkah is like a history book of Islam. It has witnessed the historical events of the dawn of Islam, the birth of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and the spread of Islam from here to all corners of the world. The city of Makkah and its surroundings contain many landmarks. Some of them have become the part of Hajj and Umrah rites. Umrah is normally done within the complex of Haram Sharif (Bait-Ullah) and can be completed within an hour or hour-and-half. But Hajj requires going to the surrounding areas and spending time there. Therefore, it is completed in about 5 days (starting on the 8^th of Dhul-Hijjah and finishing on the 12^th) with Tawaf-ul Widaa. The festival of Eid-ul-Adha falls on the 3^rd day, i.e., 10^th of Dhul-Hijjah when all the pilgrims are gathered in the ‘tent city’ of Mina. Mina is about 3km away. Pilgrims spend their first night there.

The second day of Hajj is very important and it is called ‘Arafah Day’ (Yaum-al Arafah). Pilgrims go from Mina to the plains of Arafat at the foot of Jabal-ar Rahmah. There is a spot on the top of Jabal-ar Rahmah (Mountain of Mercy) which is marked by a small piller. It was here that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) delivered his famous “Last Sermon” or “Khutbah Hajjat-ul Widaa” which is called the ‘First Charter of Human Rights’.

Muzdalifah, Masjid Namrah,

Arafat & Mina:

It is in this city of Mina near Mecca that the Hajj pilgrims perform the ritual stoning of the Devil (Ramy al-Jamarat) on the last day of the Hajj. In the low lying Mina valley is the Jamarat Valley. Three pillars (now three black walls) stand here, representing Satan or the Devil, the perpetrator of all evil. The pilgrims denounce sin and stone these pillars, pledging allegiance to God and virtue. Mina is best known for the role it plays during the annual Hajj pilgrimage when its tent-cities provided by the Saudi government give temporary accommodation to millions of visiting pilgrims.

Mount Arafat (place of Prophet’s last Khutbah) : Mount Arafat or Mount Arafah is a plain about 20km (12 miles) southeast of Makkah. Mount Arafat is about 70m (230 ft) in height and is also known as the Mount of Mercy (Jabal ar-Rahmah).

On the 9th of the month of Dhul Hijjah, pilgrims go to Arafat from Mina, for the most important part of the Hajj. The sermon (Khutbah) of Hajj is narrated and combined prayers of Zuhr and Asr are offered. The pilgrims spend the whole day on the mountain to supplicate to Allah for forgiveness and to pray for personal strength in the future.

Arafah rituals end at sunset and pilgrims then move to Muzdalifah for a shortened and combined prayer of Maghrib and Isha, and for a short rest.

The plain area surrounding the hill is called the Plain of Arafat. The term Mount Arafah is sometimes applied to this entire area. It has an important place in Islam because during the Hajj, it is obligatory for pilgrims to spend the afternoon there on the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah. Since late 2010, this place is served by Makkah Metro. On a normal Hajj, it would be around 20km of walking.

(pic: 241-JabalRahma)

Arafat (the tent city):

Jabal al-Rahmah : The Hill of Arafat is also known as Jabal ar-Rahmah, meaning Mountain of Mercy. It is narrated that this was the place where Adam met Hawwa (Eve) on earth. On the ninth day of Hajj, pilgrims leave Mina for Mount Arafat where they stand in contemplative vigil and pray and recite the Quran.

It is here that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) gave his last sermon (Khutba Hajjat-ul Widaa) to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life. Spending the afternoon on Mount Arafat is an obligatory ritual for pilgrims.

Masjid Namrah is located in the plains of Arafat and pilgrims offer here combined Salaats of Duhr and Asr. Namrah is a huge mosque and the expansion has brought one portion of it into the boundaries of Muzdalifah. At sunset, the pilgrims leave for Muzdalifah. In this valley, they offer combined Salaats of Maghrib and Isha. The pilgrims spend the night at Muzdalifah.

(Rami at Jamaraat)

Next morning, the third day (this day is the Eid-ul Adha day), before sunrise they collect pebbles (stones to perform Rami). The pebbles are collected at Muzdalifah and then pilgrims leave for Mina where Rami (stoning of Devils) is performed.

Actually, this whole complex is one huge area, divided by marked signs for Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat, etc. Third day is assigned for offering the animals for sacrifice; and the first Rami at Mina. Tawaf-e-Ziarat is performed and pilgrims spend the 3^rd night in Mina tents.

If somebody is unable to perform both rituals (sacrifice and Ramy) on the third day, they can also perform them the next day (the 4^th day) before the Duhr Salaat. At this stage, pilgrims can get the haircut and change the Ihram to the normal clothing. The 4^th day is also assigned for Rami at three different spots, all marked by black walls now, with lots of pedestrian walk-ways to facilitate the rituals. The 4^th night is also spent in the ‘tent city’ of Mina.

The 5^th day is the last day of Hajj rituals. Any due Ramy or other ritual should be performed today. Pilgrims leave Mina after Asr prayer (before Maghrib prayer) for Makkah. And that marks the end of the Hajj rituals (except one – Tawaf Widaa). When back in Makkah, pilgrims can perform Tawaf Widaa any time before leaving for their own countries/cities.

Jabal Thawr (or Sawr):

This mountain is located in the lower part of Makkah to the south of the district of Misfalah. It’s about 1,405 meters high. On the summit of it, there is an historic place called the “Cave of Thawr” (or Ghaar-e-Thawr).

Ghar al-Thawr (Cave of the Bull) was the place where Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his companion Abu Bakr (r.a.a.) took refuge from the Quraish. They stayed in this cave for three days before migrating from Makkah to Madinah. As a matter fact, the migration (Hijrah) started from this cave. Abu Bakr’s family took care of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and brought them food and water. For most Muslims, the cave is of religious significance, and is thus visited by many pilgrims and the tourists.

It takes about 2 hours on foot to climb up the mountain of Thawr to reach the Cave. On return, it takes about one hour to come down. It is very strenuous and hard walk, particularly during hot summer days.

Jabal al-Nour (Hira Mountain):

Jabal al-Nour (Jabal Nur) or the Mountain of Light is a mountain near Makkah and is famous for its cave “Hira”. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Makkah.

The cave (Ghaar Hira) is actually quite a small corner. It is long about four-arms’ length and wide about 1.75 arms’ length. The mountain is barely 640 meter tall. But it does take two hours to make it to the cave and is extremely strenuous on the individual. However, the mount and the cave hold tremendous significance for Muslims throughout the world. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is said to have spent a great deal of time in this cave meditating. It is believed that he had received his first revelation from God through the archangel Gabriel inside this cave.

Safa & Marwah

Haram Sharif is a complex and it includes the Masjid al-Haram, the Kaabah, the focal point of prayer for all Muslims; Maqam-e-Ibrahim (Abraham’s place), Zam Zam well, the hills of Safa – from which the ritual walking (Sa’ee) begins – and Marwah.

Safa is located about 100 meters from the Kaabah while Marwah is about 350 meters away. The distance between the two hills of Safa and Marwah is approximately 450 meters, so that seven trips amount to roughly 3.1km. The two points and the path between them are now inside a long gallery that forms part of the Masjid. It’s the coldest area in the complex as it is fully covered and air-conditioning runs at full swing.

The hill of Marwah has almost disappeared as constant lifting of floors and never-ending construction projects or improvements have raised the ground-floor to the level of Marwah hill. It has become a part of the floor now.

On the contrary, the hill of Safa, where the ritual of Sa’ee starts, has been preserved in a glass frame (enclave) and it is still above the ground level.

The Sa’ee track of Safa & Marwah has now three levels and separate tracks/paths for electric and manual wheelchairs, pushcarts and pedestrians. The area where men are supposed to run, is marked with green lights. It’s about 100 meters. For the rest of the area, you walk briskly.

Walking (Sa’ee) between Safa and Marwah commemorates the ritual Hajar (Hagar) performed while looking for water and food for her son Ishmael. This ritual is an essential part of Hajj and Umrah rites.

Like Madinah, the city of Makkah is also full of Pakistani and Bengali shops, restaurants and small hotels. Most of the Saudis now speak Urdu. There is also a sugar-cane juice shop near the Haram Sharif. We enjoyed the freshly squeezed ice-cold sugar-cane juice when the outside temperature near Haram Sharif was around 45c degrees. A big glass of refreshing juice costs only 3SR.

Alhamdo-lillah, we enjoyed our Umrah trip and hope that the pics/information I shared with you were also useful and interesting for you. God bless!

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