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Saturday, April 29, 2006
It's time for our finals, which are scheduled to be a week after our mid-terms (?)

Anyhow.. all blogging activities will have to come to a halt until further notice.
I will try keep up a bi-weekly posting, perhaps Mondays and Thursdays at around Noon (EST)

Till then, make du`a for all us miskeen (poor) students in the wonderful Islamic University of Madinah

Take care everybody...
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 7:15 PM | Permalink | 5 comments
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
We have some visitors from back home visiting.

The brothers from Masjid ar-Rahmah in Newark, New Jersey are here on their annual `Umrah Trip. From the many brothers visiting are the likes of:
Abu Tasneem Dawud Adib (Well-known caller to Islam)
Abu Muhammad al-Madhribi (Well-known translator and caller to Islam)
Abu Rumaysah Mujahid (Admin of the Authentic Statements Website)
We'd like to welcome the brothers who will be staying with us until Friday, then leaving to Makkah to perform their `Umrah and then they'll be leaving the Kingdom next Wednesday, insha Allah.

May Allah help them complete their `Umrah rights and return them to their families safely...

Aameen
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 4:09 PM | Permalink | 0 comments
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Ok so insha Allah we're goin to Makkah and Jeddah for a few days.
Here's a "before" outline of the trip. It's bascially how I plan the trip to be and Allah is the best of Planners. It'll be interesting cuz I am SURE things will be totally different once we set out on the road. Allah make it easy!

Trip Plans, Insha Allah (If Allah wills):

Thursday (Afternoon):

Have some Lunch.
Leave for Makkah from Madinah at some time before `Asr Salah (prayer).
Reach Makkah four hours later (depending on stops and `Asr Salah (prayer).

Thursday (Evening):

Stop by Shaikh Rabee's house, visit with family, chill with the Shaikh until `Ishaa' Salah (prayer).
After praying `Ishaa', head on over to Shaikh Muhammad al-Bannaa's Makkah house.
Have dinner with the Shaikh, allow family to visit with his family.
Head out to Jeddah after dinner.

Friday (Morning):

Head out to the Corniche to go snorkeling.
Come back from snorkeling and have some breakfast. (hopefully at the American Corner: AWESOME Steak and Eggs)
Get ready for Jumu`ah (Friday Sermon and Prayer)

Friday (Afternoon):

Pray Jumu`ah (prayer).
Have lunch, possibly in Jeddah, or maybe in Makkah depending on my host's plans.
Head to Shaikh Rabee's house for his Friday `Aqeedah (Muslim Creed) Dars (lesson).

Friday (Evening):

Chill with Shaikh Rabee' until Maghrib (possibly)
Visit Abul-Abbas and get advice on a range of topics as well as share some ideas about Religious and Web Stuff.
Decide whether to stay in Makkah (hotel) or in Jeddah (hotel) so as not to burden our host.

Saturday (Morning):

Have breakfast.
Go run some errands for family.
Possibly head to Makkah if conditions facilitate.

Saturday (Afternoon):

Have Lunch.
Head out for Madinah (can't handle staying away from Madinah for too long).
Reach Madinah safely insha Allah after four hours.

Stay tuned for pics and an "after" post about how things really went...
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 3:41 PM | Permalink | 0 comments
I had to move my books to my apartment after postponing it for so long. I hadn't moved my stuff to my apartment because of recurring migraines, but I was forced to after the dorm room started to drip water from the roof. It was a disaster, six cartons of books were affected along with many personal belongings. But when you're a miskeen (poor) student in the Islamic University, you kinda expect things to get a little chaotic. Anyhow, I drove down to the `Anbariyyah round-about, over by the old refurbished Turkish Train Station (perhaps I might provide pics in future posts) and had to look around for people strategically placed behind trees and rocks and big ol' moving trucks, as well as agree on a price with the Bedouin dude that drives the moving truck.

Get this, the Bedouin dude charges 100 Riyals to drive the books from Point A to Point B. Yet the Yemeni dudes that do all the heavy lifting and running up and down the stairs, only get 50 Riyals each. Then the Bedouin dude complains that my Point A is on the second floor and my Point B is on the third floor. So I ask him why he's complaining that they aren't on the first floor. He says, "Cuz I have to wait for you all that time while these guys move your stuff."
I say, "But you aren't even lifting anything, and you get 100 Riyals for driving your truck from one place to the other."
He ignored me, anyhow, that's how you move stuff in Madinah.

Enjoy...
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 12:26 AM | Permalink | 3 comments
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Can I get a Plumber?

Today and yesterday the drain in my kitchen got all backed up...

I forged a "snake" out of wire hangers (which I will go into in detail in coming posts) and stuck 'em down the drain. Things started to float up looking like solid sheep fat. IT WAS GROSS!

If any of you know what to do, let me know. I think I need a plumber but don't know of a decent one in Madinah.

والله المستعان
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 2:28 AM | Permalink | 0 comments
Saturday, April 15, 2006
The meting was quite general. There was some advice shared about what should and shouldn't be done when it comes to travelling back home to America. We paid the ticket tax, which I STILL don't understand how or why that works the way it does. Our ticket tax is only 38 Riyals, I heard some nationalities have to py up to 900 Riyals, I believe it was Brazilian students that had to pay it.

Note: Us students of the Islamic University of Madinah, don't have to pay for our personal airfare back home for the summer break. Before the summer break starts, we fill out our destination information, like what airports we have to go through, and we pay some tax on the ticket based by country, and voila! Free ticket paid by the government ofthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Just another feat from their MANY feats, helping the Muslim Ummah.

P.S. If you know how the ticket tax thing works, leave me a comment on this post. Shukran
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 7:25 AM | Permalink | 0 comments
Thursday, April 13, 2006
There's a meeting tomorrow at the University Masjid for the American Students arranged by the psuedo-official American Students Association or whatever they call it. Supposedly if you don't show up to fill out your info for flight ticket arrangements for this coming summer vacation, you're stuck like a duck!

So delay your trip to Makkah or to Jeddah and ATTEND THE MEETING PEOPLE!

Signing out..
 
posted by Abu Miftah at 3:48 AM | Permalink | 3 comments
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 30:

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 91:

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "Madinah is a sanctuary from that place to that. Its trees should not be cut and no heresy should be innovated nor any sin should be committed in it, and whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits sins (bad deeds), then he will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people." (See Hadith No. 409, Vol 9).

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 92:

Narrated Anas:


The Prophet came to Madinah and ordered a mosque to be built and said, "O Bani Najjar! Suggest to me the price (of your land)." They said, "We do not want its price except from Allah" (i.e. they wished for a reward from Allah for giving up their land freely). So, the Prophet ordered the graves of the pagans to be dug out and the land to be levelled, and the date-palm trees to be cut down. The cut date-palms were fixed in the direction of the Qibla of the mosque.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 93:

Narrated Abu Huraira:


The Prophet said, "I have made Madinah a sanctuary between its two Harrat (Volcanic Land)." The Prophet went to the tribe of Bani Haritha and said (to them), "I see that you have gone out of the sanctuary," but looking around, he added, "No, you are inside the sanctuary."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 94:

Narrated 'Ali:


We have nothing except the Book of Allah and this written paper from the Prophet (where-in is written:) Madinah is a sanctuary from the 'Air Mountain to such and such a place, and whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits a sin, or gives shelter to such an innovator in it will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be accepted. And the asylum (of protection) granted by any Muslim is to be secured (respected) by all the other Muslims; and whoever betrays a Muslim in this respect incurs the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, and none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be accepted, and whoever (freed slave) befriends (take as masters) other than his manumitters without their permission incurs the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, and none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be accepted.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 95:

Narrated Abu Huraira:


Allah's Apostle said, "I was ordered to migrate to a town which will swallow (conquer) other towns and is called Yathrib and that is Madinah, and it turns out (bad) persons as a furnace removes the impurities of iron.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 96:

Narrated Abu Humaid:


We came with the Prophet from Tabuk, and when we reached near Madinah, the Prophet said, "This is Tabah."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 97:

Narrated Abu Huraira:


If I saw deers grazing in Madinah, I would not chase them, for Allah's Apostle said, "(Madinah) is a sanctuary between its two mountains."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 98:

Narrated Abu Huraira:


I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The people will leave Madinah in spite of the best state it will have, and none except the wild birds and the beasts of prey will live in it, and the last persons who will die will be two shepherds from the tribe of Muzaina, who will be driving their sheep towards Madinah, but will find nobody in it, and when they reach the valley of Thaniyat-al-Wada', they will fall down on their faces dead."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 99:

Narrated Abu Zuhair:


I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Yemen will be conquered and some people will migrate (from Madinah) and will urge their families, and those who will obey them to migrate (to Yemen) although Madinah will be better for them; if they but knew. Sham will also be conquered and some people will migrate (from Madinah) and will urge their families and those who will obey them, to migrate (to Sham) although Madinah will be better for them; if they but knew. 'Iraq will be conquered and some people will migrate (from Madinah) and will urge their families and those who will obey them to migrate (to 'Iraq) although Madinah will be better for them; if they but knew."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 100:

Narrated Abu Huraira:



Allah's Apostle said, "Verily, Belief returns and goes back to Madinah as a snake returns and goes back to its hole (when in danger)."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 101:

Narrated Sad:



I heard the Prophet saying, "None plots against the people of Madinah but that he will be dissolved (destroyed) like the salt is dissolved in water."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 102:

Narrated Usama:


Once the Prophet stood at the top of a (looked out from upon one) castle amongst the castles (or the high buildings) of Madinah and said, "Do you see what I see? (No doubt) I see the spots where afflictions will take place among your houses (and these afflictions will be) as numerous as the spots where rain-drops fall."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 103:

Narrated Abu Bakra:



The Prophet said, "The terror caused by Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal will not enter Madinah and at that time Madinah will have seven gates and there will be two angels at each gate guarding them."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 104:

Narrated Abu Huraira:



Allah's Apostle said, "There are angels guarding the entrances (or roads) of Madinah, neither plague nor Ad-Dajjal will be able to enter it."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 105:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:



The Prophet said, "There will be no town which Ad-Dajjal will not enter except Mecca and Madinah, and there will be no entrance (road),(of both Mecca and Madinah) but the angels will be standing in rows guarding it against him, and then Madinah will shake with its inhabitants thrice (i.e. three earth-quakes will take place) and Allah will expel all the nonbelievers and the hypocrites from it."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 106:

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:


Allah's Apostle told us a long narrative about Ad-Dajjal, and among the many things he mentioned, was his saying, "Ad-Dajjal will come and it will be forbidden for him to pass through the entrances of Madinah. He will land in some of the salty barren areas (outside) Madinah; on that day the best man or one of the best men will come up to him and say, 'I testify that you are the same Dajjal whose description was given to us by Allah's Apostle .' Ad-Dajjal will say to the people, 'If I kill this man and bring him back to life again, will you doubt my claim?' They will say, 'No.' Then Ad-Dajjal will kill that man and bring him back to life. That man will say, 'Now I know your reality better than before.' Ad-Dajjal will say, 'I want to kill him but I
cannot.' "

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 107:

Narrated Jabir:


A bedouin came to the Prophet and gave a pledge of allegiance for embracing Islam. The next day he came with fever and said (to the Prophet ), "Please cancel my pledge (of embracing Islam and of emigrating to Madinah)." The Prophet refused (that request) three times and said, "Madinah is like a furnace, it expels out the impurities (bad persons) and selects the good ones and makes them perfect."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 108:

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:


When the Prophet went out for (the battle of) Uhud, some of his companions (hypocrites) returned (home). A party of the believers remarked that they would kill those (hypocrites) who had returned, but another party said that they would not kill them. So, this Divine Inspiration was revealed: "Then what is the matter with you that you are divided into two parties concerning the hypocrites." (4.88) The Prophet said, "Madinah expels the bad persons from it, as fire expels the impurities of iron."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 109:

Narrated Anas:


The Prophet said, "O Allah! Bestow on Madinah twice the blessings You
bestowed on Mecca."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 110:

Narrated Anas:


Whenever the Prophet returned from a journey and observed the walls of Madinah, he would make his Mount go fast, and if he was on an animal (i.e. a horse), he would make it gallop because of his love for Madinah.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 111:

Narrated Anas:


(The people of) Bani Salama intended to shift near the mosque (of the Prophet) but Allah's Apostle disliked to see Madinah vacated and said, "O the people of Bani Salama! Don't you think that you will be rewarded for your footsteps which you take towards the mosque?" So, they stayed at their old places.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 112:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "There is a garden from the
gardens of Paradise between my house and my pulpit, and my pulpit is
on my Lake Fount (Al-Kauthar)."

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 113:

Narrated 'Aisha:

When Allah's Apostle reached Madinah, Abu Bakr and Bilal became ill. When Abu Bakr's fever got worse, he would recite (this poetic verse): "Everybody is staying alive with his People, yet Death is nearer to him than His shoe laces." And Bilal, when his fever deserted him, would recite: "Would that I could stay overnight in A valley wherein I would be Surrounded by Idhkhir and Jalil (kinds of good-smelling grass). Would that one day I could Drink the water of the Majanna, and Would that (The two mountains) Shama and Tafil would appear to me!"
The Prophet said, "O Allah! Curse Shaiba bin Rabi'a and 'Utba bin Rabi'a and Umaiya bin Khalaf as they turned us out of our land to the land of epidemics." Allah's Apostle then said, "O Allah! Make us love Madinah as we love Mecca or even more than that. O Allah! Give blessings in our Saa` and our Mudd (measures symbolizing food) and make the climate of Madinah suitable for us, and divert its fever towards Aljuhfa." Aisha added: When we reached Madinah, it was the most unhealthy of Allah's lands, and the valley of Bathan (the valley of Madinah) used to flow with impure colored water.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 114:

Narrated Zaid bin Aslam from his father:


Umar said, O Allah! Grant me martyrdom in Your cause, and let my death
be in the city of Your Apostle."

 
posted by Abu Miftah at 3:54 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Monday, April 10, 2006
This is my first Blog Entry for the Madinah Blog

In this blog I'll be talking about life in "The City of Prophecy", al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, also known as Home.

Coming from Miami to live in this amazing city is quite an experience. So for those of you interested in what is going on in Madinah, or are interested in a personal viewpoint of life as a student in the Islamic University of Madinah, check up on this blog every once in a while.

Note: For those of you not very familiar with the Arabic language, "al-" which precedes Madinah's name translates to "the" and "Madinah" means "City" and "al-" is dropped normally from the name of the city.
It's longer arabic name is "al-Madinah an-Nabawiyyah", or "The City of Prophecy (The Prophet's City)"
From amongst Madinah's other names:
Taabah
Taibah
ad-Daar
Daar al-Hijrah
Some quick facts about Madinah from WikiPedia:
Medina /mɛˈdiːnə/ (Arabic: المدينة المنورة /ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ/ or المدينة /ælmæˈdiːnæ/; also transliterated into English as Madinah) is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It currently has a population of 918,889 (2004 census). Medina is located at 24.50° N 39.5833° E. Medina was originally known as Yathrib, but later the city's name was changed to Madīnat an-Nabī (ﻣﺩﯾﻨﺔ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ /mæˈdiːnæt æˈnːæbiː/ "city of the prophet") or Al Madīnah al Munawwarah ("the enlightened city" or "the radiant city"), while the short form Medina simply means "city".



 
posted by Abu Miftah at 11:45 PM | Permalink | 0 comments