salam alikum wa rahmatulah wa barakatu...

Come back to the Deen
This is a true story, of how a sister came back to her Deen Alhumdulillah!

She was a sweet and innocent girl, her name was Aisha
She loved her parents, Abdul and Alisha.
For them, she was the best thing to have happened
She was always cheerful and never easily saddened
She studied hard to achieve her goals,
Top of the class, she was told.

She enjoyed spending time with her mates,
Until one day they had a debate,
Not knowing that this was about to change was her fate.

She started making new friends
Began following the latest trends,
Mixing with boys is how it begun
She thought this was fun
Her new friends would constantly, be flirting with boys,
In return they were treated as toys.

Aisha started to let shaitan get in her way,
She took of her headscarf and went astray.
She did this on the sly,
What would she have said to her Lord if, suddenly she was to die?

Months later, after the continuous misbehaving,
And 'time-to-time' raving.
She fell for Zain, the boy of her dreams
Well so it seemed.
They got closer and closer
And fell in love with each other.

She wasn't allowed to out that often,
Considered herself to be a boffin
So she started bunking school,
To be with, Zain, what a fool?!
She lied to her mum and dad,
Not knowing how it would make them sad.

Then she started drifting apart from everyone
Zain was her life, her number one.
Her studies went down the drain,
She wasn't ashamed.

A year went by; her parents found out and began to cry.
What had happened to their sweet little Aisha?

Hours turned into days, days into months and months into years,
The regular rowing turned into tears,
Her parents were angry,
Wanted to send her off to their country

She couldn't stay away from her lover
So she decided to do a runner,
Consequently her parents found out her plans to runaway with Zain
Never has Aisha seen her mum and dad suffer so much pain
She saw tears in their eyes
She thought no more lies?

Zain kept calling her as he was missing her
It was a choice between him or her mother and father
What was she to do?

She realised being with Zain
Was driving her insane
And the people she loved, so much pain.

She went up to her room,
And asked herself was she doomed?
On her bed was an Islamic book,
She picked it up and had a look

To her surprise it read,

"And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[surah an-Nisa; 4:110]

From this day on she turned to Allah Subhana Wata'Ala
To leave behind her days of Jahiliyyah
Started to pray, five times a day,
To keep shaitan away,
From leading her astray
Love for Allah grew stronger, Alhumdulillah

Aisha realised it was time to finish with her boyfriend,
And began making amends with her real friends

She started researching on the Hijab,
Wearing the Hijab is no futile action,
It must be obeyed by women of the Muslim nation,
A woman may go through much trial and tribulation
Because she has obeyed Allah Subhana Wata'Ala
But the fulfilment of this action will never go unnoticed, Subhan'Allah

"Never will I allow to be lost the actions of any of you; whether male or female" (Surah Al-Imran 3:195)).

She thought to herself
Nothing good comes simple
With regards of struggle in wearing the Hijab
Allah has ordered us to cover our self
Not to expose our beauty
We should only be recognised by our personality
Therefore she put the Hijab back on.

This time her Iman was stronger
Since she got back her faith and trust in Allah, Subhana Wata'Ala

Abdul and Alisha, her mother and father
Were slowly starting to forgive her,
This was a sign from Allah Subhana Wata'Ala
As she was constantly repenting and following the Sunnah

Love for their daughter,
Was greater than ever.... Alhumdulillah!

Nothing good will come easy in this life, Our Lord has promised not to overburden a soul with more than it can bear. The problem that the we as an Ummah are facing is that we have forgotten that WE ARE TRAVELLERS ON THIS EARTH, AND EVERY TRAVELLER MUST RETURN HOME!!!

ALL PRAISE BE TO ALLAH, Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem.

Physical purity means cleanliness of the body, clothing and environment. According to the rules of Islam, Muslims should keep their bodies and clothing clean from any impurities, especially the body wastes of humans and animals.

Islam insists on the use of clean water to cleanse the body of impurities, and only when water is not available can a person use other things. Even the clothing should be perfectly clean from any impurities. For that reason, Muslim bathrooms have a source of running water or pitchers of water next to the toilet.

Similarly, any animal discharges — including the saliva of dogs — are unclean and Muslims should make sure their clothing, environment, and bodies are free of those impurities.

Muslims must have perfect physical purity to pray the Salah (ritual Prayers).

Wudu' (Ablution)

Before performing the ritual Prayer known as Salah, the Muslim's body must be totally purified. To be in this state, one must perform the ritual washing known as wudu' (ablution). The best way to learn wudu' is to watch others do it. Here are the steps for wudu':

1. Have the intention of purifying your heart.

2. Wash your hands, front and back, up to and beyond the wrist three times, right hand first, then left.

3. Rinse your mouth three times, scooping the water up with your right hand.

4. Wash your nose three times by sniffing water up the nostrils and blowing it out.

5. Wash your face three times.

6. Wash each arm up to and beyond the elbow three times, right arm first and then the left.

7. Pass the wet palms of both hands over your head and back. Then rub the inside and outside of the ears with the thumbs and forefingers.

8. Wash your feet up to and beyond the ankle three times, right foot first and then the left. Make sure the water gets between the toes by using your fingers.

You are in this state of ritual purity of wudu' until you urinate or defecate, pass wind, sleep, or become unconscious. If you do any of these things before or during the Salah, you must repeat the wudu'.

Ghusl (Bathing)

A state of major impurity results from actions like sexual intercourse or sexual discharge for both men and women. A person in such a state much perform ghusl (bathing) before praying Salah or reading the Qur'an. Women also have to perform ghusl after their menstrual periods and postpartum bleeding.

The procedure for ghusl (bathing) is as follows:

1. Make the intention for ghusl.

2. Wash the private parts, using the left hand. Then wash the left hand three times.

3. Perform wudu' (ablution) as described above, except for the feet.

4. Pour water over your head to thoroughly wet your hair three times.

5. Wash the whole head and body three times, starting with the right side. Use your hands to make sure that water reaches every part of your body.

6. Wash your feet up to and beyond the ankles three times, making sure the water gets between the toes.

A Muslim must bathe the whole body at least once a week. It is highly recommended that this be done each Friday before the congregational Prayer.

Because the Salah (ritual Prayer) requires that one be in a state of purity, a woman is excused from Salah during her menstrual periods and after childbirth until the postpartum bleeding stops or 40 days have passed, whichever comes first. She can and should make other kinds of prayer, such as du'a' (supplication), five times a day while she is unable to perform Salah. When her bleeding stops, she must perform ghusl (bathing) before performing Salah.

The adhan is the call given to announce that it is time for a particular obligatory Salah (ritual Prayer). Five times a day the adhan is raised from mosques throughout the world. It is a Sunnah (optional duty) that brings its own reward from Allah (God). The person who gives the adhan is called a muadhdhin. (The English word “muezzin” is a mispronunciation of the Arabic term.)

The adhan begins with an affirmation of the supremacy of Allah (God). Then comes the shahadah (profession of faith), which consists of the profession of the Unity of Allah (God), the negation of shirk (polytheism), and the confirmation that Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) is the Messenger of Allah (God). And after that, comes the call to the Prayer and to success — our eternal home in Paradise — which also implies our return to the Creator. Each line is repeated for emphasis.

The words of the adhan are as follows:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

Ash-hadu alla ilaha illa-llah.

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah.

Ash-hadu alla ilaha illa-llah.

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah.

Ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah.

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

Ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah.

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

Hayya 'ala-s-Salah, hayya 'ala-s-Salah.

Hasten to the Prayer, hasten to the Prayer.

Hayya 'ala-l-falah, hayya 'ala-l-falah.

Hasten to real success, hasten to real success

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

La ilaha illa-llah

There is none worthy of worship but Allah.

In the adhan for the Subh (Dawn) Prayer (also commonly called the Fajr Prayer), the following words are added after Hayya 'ala-l-falah:

As-Salatu khairun min an-naum, As-Salatu khairun min an-naum.

Prayer is better than sleep, Prayer is better than sleep.

The Sunnah (practice of the Prophet) recommends that while the adhan is being called, one should listen attentively and repeat it silently after the muadhdhin, but when he says “Hayya 'ala-s-Salah” and “Hayya 'ala-l-falah” one should say:

La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.

There is no might or power except with Allah.

After the adhan, it is recommended to say the following du'a' (supplication):

Allahumma rabba hadhihi-d-da'awati-t-tammati wa-s-Salati-l-qa'imati, ati Muhammadan il-wasilata wa-l-fadilata wa-d-darajata-r-rafî'ati wa-b'ath-hu maqamam mahmudan illadhi wa'adtahu.

0 Allah, Lord of this most perfect call, and of the Prayer that is about to be established, grant to Muhammad the favor of nearness (to You) and excellence and a place of distinction, and exalt him to a position of glory that You have promised him.

Iqamah (Standing Up For Prayer)
Iqamah means to stand up for the Salah (ritual Prayer). It is a Sunnah (practice of the Prophet) to call the iqamah just before the Salah begins, whether the salan is performed individually or in congregation.

The words of the iqamah are the same as the adhan, except that after “Hayya 'ala-l-falah” one says:

Qad qamati-s-Salah, Qad qamati-s-Salah.

Prayer is ready, Prayer is ready.

It is recommended that the hearer of the iqamah should repeat it after the muqim (the one who announces the iqamah), and when he says “Qad qamati-s-Salah” the hearer should respond by saying:

Aqamaha-llahu wa adamaha.

May Allah keep it established forever.

When the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) ascended to the heavens on the night of Al Me'raj, which is mentioned in the first verse of Surah Bani Israel, he ascended each of the seven heavens and upon ascending each, he met with the Prophets (alaiyhimus-salam) before him. They all expressed their faith in his prophethood. When he finally reached Allah, He prescribed fifty daily prayers for the believers. Musa (alaiyhis-salam) said to the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam), "Your followers will not be able to perform so many prayers, you must go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce the number." The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) discussed this matter with Jibreel (alaiyhis-salam) who said, "Yes, if you desire," and ascended with him to the Highest Heaven to speak to Allah again, Who, then, reduced the prayers to ten. Again, Musa (alaiyhis-salam) advised for Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) to go back and ask Allah for another reduction. So the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) again begged his Lord for another remission. Allah, Praise and Glory be to Him, then reduced the daily prayers to five. And when the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) went back to Musa (alaiyhis-salam) for the third time, he insisted him to go back to Allah and ask for further reduction, but this time the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) refused and said, "I feel ashamed now for repeatedly asking my Lord for reduction. I accept and resign to His will." When the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) went further, a Caller was heard saying, "I have imposed My ordinance and have alleviated the burden of My servants." (Ar-Raheeq-al-Makhtum, p.148) Thus was the salah made obligatory upon every Muslim believer, male and female.

Statistics show that there are approximately 6 billion people on Earth. Of these 6 billion people, 1.2 billion are Muslims. That is twenty percent or one-fifth of the world population. In this twenty percent, only 5 people out of every 100 offer their salah! Out of the 6 billion people, twenty percent being Muslim and eighty percent non-Muslim, only five percent offer their prayers! Therefore it is vitally important to discuss the importance of Salah: the reason for it, the rewards of guarding them, and the punishments for discarding this essential pillar of faith