blackGLANCE

A long time ago when the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Madinah they used to agree about a fixed time for the congregational prayer. They found it difficult to remember the time fixed for the prayer sometimes, especially when they were busy doing their work. One day Prophet Muhammad(saw) and the Muslims discussed the matter of calling the people for the congregational prayer at the exact time. Some of the believers suggested the use of something like the bell of the Christians, others suggested the use of a horn like that of the Jews, but Umar(ra) suggested sending someone to announce the prayer. Then Allah’s Messenger(saw) appointed Bilal(ra) to call the people to prayer. But it seems through the study of hadith that the method was not satisfactory. Then Prophet Muhammad(saw) agreed to use a Naqoose (a conch), something like the bell of Christians but he was not happy to use it because of its similarity with the Christians.

After Prophet Muhammad(saw) had ordered a bell to be made so that it could be struck to gather the people to prayer; on that same day a companion, Abdullah bin Zaid bin Abd Rabbihi,said, “I was sleeping when I saw a man carrying a naqoose in his hands, and I said, Servant of Allah will you sell this to me?’ When he said what I would do with it? I replied, that we would use it to call the people to prayer. He said ‘Shall I not guide you to something better than that?’ I replied, ‘Certainly’, so he told me to say :

‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah, ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah,
Ash hadu an-na Muhammadar resulul-lah, Ash hadu an-na Muhammadar rasulul-lah, hayya ‘alas, salah, hayya ‘alas salah,
hayya ‘alal falah, hayya ‘alal-falah Allahu Akbar; Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illal lah.’

After the Azan the stranger kept quiet for a while and then said, When the congregation is ready you should say:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la lilaha illal lah, Ash hadu an-na Muham-madar rasAlul-lah,
hayya ‘alas salah, hayya ‘alal falah, qad qama tis salah, qad qama tis salah,
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilahillallah.

When I told Allah’s Messenger(saw) in the morning what I had seen, he said, “It is a true vision, insha-Allah, so get up along with Bilal, and when you have taught him what you have seen let him use it in making the call to prayer, for he has stronger voice than you have”.
So I got up along with Bilal(ra) and began to teach it to him, and he used it in making the call to prayer.
Umar bin al-Khattab heard this when he was in his house, and he came out trailing his cloak and said, ‘Messenger of Allah(saw), by Him who has sent you with the truth, I have seen the same kind of thing as has been revealed.’ To this Allah’s Messenger(saw) replied, ‘Praise be to Allah!’ (Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Ibn, Tirmizi)
So from that day on to the present day Azan is said to gather people for the congregational prayer.

14th May 2012

waiT

“Love waits… out in the night, underneath the full face of the moon, beneath the fingers of stars extending light

Love waits… it does not hurry like the sought after sisters named silver and gold, running through the marketplace, exchanging hands with every whim or want

Love waits… It doesn’t run through the brush of day to day jungle of traffic of gossip, caught up in the, ‘did you know she…?’

Love waits… Till you’re off the cell phone, disconnected from the internet, totally alone. Away from any type of hype or trip attempting to tie you up in that played out inner dialogue, will he or she return my call or my affection? Love just won’t have you flipping and tripping like that. Love waits… I say

Love does not endorse your multiple break downs, panic attacks or any other earthly dramas… cause love won’t play you like a counterfeit bill. Have you spending your heart so when you can get up to the cash register there’s no cha ching. That stuff is fake and it ain’t even real, love will not play you like that. And if some joker does, love waits. Waits for you to pick yourself up, piece yourself together with a glue labeled dignity and grace. Love waits for you to dress all your wounds with soul aids… they cover a lot and won’t cost you a dollar. Remember prayer, meditation and affirmation… ‘I am a beautiful child of God’. Say it ten times everyday and when the stress is off the hook, thirty.

Remember you can dress yourself up in a Vera Wang gown or suit yourself down in Armani, cause it never hurts to look good. But really, truly, I say to you Love is not into appearances no matter what the ads say… Love waits…
It is not happy you bought at The Gap or Abercrombie and Fitch at the right time because Love is never sold out… it is always right on time. You have all the currency you need for Love… it is never too expensive that you would have to lay it away. Love is always in sync and it never goes out of style

You don’t have to join the army, fight and be a warrior, get decked out in your camouflage fatigues… there is no need to arm yourself, draw battle lines. You do not have to fight the good fight. With Love there is no need for war.
You don’t need a compass or purchase a Range Rover to get there. You do not need a M23 rocket launcher to track it down or any other heat seeking missile device. Love is the highest technology you will ever know or own

You don’t have to enroll in college or get a masters or PHD degree. All you have to do is look in the mirror and glow… Love waits there for you to breathe, move, sense your meadow, you know the one with the green green pastures and still still waters, look there… Love is waiting for you… silver and perfectly whole… and the center of you a blessed Ohmmm… Love waits… still, quietly, calmly for you… to come back… home.”