Children should memorize the Quran..

1. Memorizing the Holy Qur’an creates strength in the child’s intellectual skills.
2. The child and it’s parents, moreover the whole lineage is graced by honour and diginity.
3. Eternal salvation from poorness and hunger gained through the removing the shortness of sustenance. (content of a Hadith)
4. Parents will be given a crown on the Day of Judgement, whichs light will be more than that of the sun.
5. Through the blessings of memorizing the Qur’an one is protected from going astray and wrong beliefs.
6. The whole life will become ‘Ibaadah when one recites  in every situation some or other verses, because one has memorized the Holy Qur’an.
7. Through the blessings of the Holy Qur’an one is to a large extent protected from a life of game and play [Lahw wa La'ab].
8. By the intercession of a Hafiz 10 persons from his family are granted salvation. (provided that they are Muslims)
9. Allah Ta’ala appoints angels for the protection of a Hafiz-e-Qur’an.
10. A Hafiz will be granted the highest place of Jannah which he likes for himself.

Let your children by all means memorize the Holy Qur’an. A Hafiz child easily progresses in worldly education and the exams of the fifth grade become easy, too.

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How to Become a Good Muslim Girl

Steps

1. Understand that things are going to be okay. Allah forgives minor sins for He is All-Understanding and All-Forgiving. Even if you feel that you are already too deep in sin to turn around and become the good Muslim that you truly are, you are not.
2. Discover from whence the influences that are causing you to turn your back on your religion come. Maybe you can trace back the cause to either family situations or friends that are leading you in the wrong path. Leave the friends. They will not be there on judgment day when you have to face Allah on your own. If it is because of family, it is a little more difficult. This is where the next steps will come in handy.
3. If you are truly devoted to turning over a new leaf and becoming the best Muslim girl that you can be, you might want to consider wearing the hijab or a burqa. The hijab is not just a piece of cloth that covers hair, it changes you mentally and spiritually. Think of it as a way for Allah to protect the women. As soon as you wear the hijab, hopefully, your whole perspective on self-respect and values will automatically change. Not to say that non-hijabis are not protected or enlightened, but some believe you have a better chance of achieving this feeling by wearing the hijab.
4. Pray five times a day. But before you get on the prayer rug, learn what the prayer words mean. If you do not speak Arabic, try to find some translated versions of the prayer and take some time to read and understand what the words mean. After that, start making prayer a normal part of your day.
5. Read the Quran. Again, you can read it in English if you are not fluent in Arabic. Reading the Quran will help establish a useful relationship with Allah and will also allow you to understand how beautiful the religion is.
6. Dress modestly. This does not mean that you have to look ugly or not stylish. Just be modest. This also helps you to change your whole outlook on what is acceptable and what is not.
7. Hang out with good friends; going with the theme you may want to make friends who share your mission of being a good Muslim.
8. Avoid negative influences, including old friends (as hard as it may be, the reward is well worth it) who may have had a bad influence or who bring out the negative characteristics in you. We all have the Shaitan (devil) in us, but it is our responsibility as Muslims to fight these temptations and urges by increasing our faith and spirituality.
9. Forgive yourself for any sins you may have committed. You need to let go of past mistakes and work on improving the future. Whatever has happened is done. It is in the past and there is nothing you can do to change it or better it. The only thing you can do is forgive yourself or use those negative experiences as motivation to get better and do good.
10. Notice where your weaknesses are and avoid them. For example, if you were a person who engaged in pre-marital sexual intercourse, avoid interaction with men. This is not to say that you should run every time a guy comes near, but instead, keep mostly female friends and try to avoid making friends with men who themselves are lacking morals and do not respect females. They are not people that you need in your life anyway.
11. Take it day by day. If you make it a priority in your mind that you want to strive to be the best Muslim girl possible, you will achieve this goal without even realizing it!

Tips

• Every time you feel weak and do not have someone to talk to, remember that Allah is always there for you and HE is all you need to accomplish this mission.
• Keep in mind that to receive forgiveness from God there are four requirements:
• Recognizing the offense itself and its admission before God.
• Regretting the offense you performed.
• Making a commitment not to repeat the offense.
• Asking for forgiveness from God.
• Strive to achieve all four. Good Luck and may Allah be with you!

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Istinjaa - Bathroom Etiquette

Istinjaa: to remove the dirt, Najasah (impure substances) or lessen them after urinating. Wajib (compulsory), according to the prophet's Hadiths mentioned below.

The tools used for Istinjaa

Are either pure water, and this is the origin of all purification from Najasah, and all solid materials that can remove the dirt, like stones or paper tissues.

It is better to use BOTH (water & solid materials), but if only one is available then the priority is given to water. If water is not available, then we use the solid material, under the following conditions: It must be dry material (not moisture), it must be used to remove the Najasah or dirt before it gets dry, the Najasah should not have touched other parts rather than the related organs, and the pieces should not be less than three pieces of the solid material being used, or more when needed, and one better make it in odd numbers (Witr): 3, 5, 7 ...etc.

"No one shall make "Estinjaa" without using three stones" (Muslim: 2622)

Materials not to be used for Istinjaa

1- We (obviously) should not use anything that is originally Najis (impure)..

The prophet SAAWS asked his servant (Abdullah Ibn Masood) to bring him three stones for "Estinja", Ibn Masood RAA only found two stones so he brought him a piece of animal's droppings (dung) that was dry. When the prophet saw it, he threw it away and said that it is Najasah (impure). (Bukhary: 155)

2- We can not use any human's food for this purpose, neither we can use a Jinn's food (like bones) for "Estinja"

"Do not use bones for "Estinja"; they are the food for your Jinn brothers" (Muslim: 450) and (Tirmidhy: 18)

3- It is forbidden to use any of the animals parts, like it's hand or legs ...etc. But if this part was pure and separate from a dead animal, like the skin that is tanned, it can be used.

Rules with regards to the place

It is forbidden to do urinating or "Estinjaa" in the following places:

1- Places were people sit, gather or pass by, as this would cause hurt to others.

"The prophet SAAWS said: avoid the two cursed things. They said: and what are the two cursed things? He SAAWS said: whoever urinate in the roads people pass by, and under the shadows where they rest" (Muslim: 269) and others.

2- In a hole in the ground or a hole in the wall, as it might cause him hurt that it might be a shelter for snakes or scorpions, or he might hurt other weak animals.

"The prophet SAAWS forbade us from urinating in burrows (hole in the ground)" (Abu Dawood: 29)

3- Under trees that have (or might have) fruits; as a protection for the fruits from dirt.

4- Shallow water (or water that is not running). (Muslim: 281)

Rules concerning the person himself

1- It is not allowed to carry anything that has Allah's name (or any of His holy names) with him to where he is urinating.. As this is considered to be a Najis (impure) place that is not appropriate to carry or mention Allah's name(s).

Also when a Muslim passed by the prophet SAAWS while he was in the Khala, he said the greeting (Salam) to the prophet, but he SAAWS did not answer his greeting.

2- He/she should enter "Al khala" or the bathroom with his/her left leg and say: "Allahomma Inny A'ootho Bika Mina 'l 'khobothi Wa 'l 'khaba'ith" or: "O' Allah: I seek refuge in you from male and female noxious beings (devils or evil Jinn)"

He/she should go out with his/her right leg and say: "Ghof'ranak" or "O' Allah: I seek your forgiveness". Also the prophet SAAWS used to say when going out: "Alhamdu Lillah, Allathy Afany Wa Akhraja Al Atha Minny" or: "All grace to Allah (thanks to Allah) who protected (cured) me, and relieved me from filth/harm"

*I personally believe the last Dua'a is so important, as it is a big grace to be able to get relieved from the filth or harm.. we only feel it when we are sick! so I guess it's so appropriate to thank Allah for this grace.

3- One should not talk. It is not appropriate for a Muslim while urinating to talk or discuss matters. Many scholars said it is "dislike" or "Makrooh".

4- One should move and hide himself from others, as the prophet SAAWS only relieved himself when he was out of site.

5- One should neither face nor turn his back to the "Qibla" while relieving himself. *This is actually what Islamic Housing designs should consider when building the bathrooms or toilets.

6- One should use his left hand for the cleaning after urinating "Estinjaa", as it is more appropriate. It is Makrooh to use his right hand for this purpose or to touch his private parts with it.

"Salman was once asked: Your prophet teaches you everything, even how to relieve yourselves?

Salman said: Certainly.... he forbade us from facing the Qiblah while doing so, from cleaning ourselves with our right hand, and from cleaning ourselves with less than three stones. We also should not use an impure substance or a bone to clean our selves" (Muslim, Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhy)

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50 Signs of Qayamat

50 Signs of Qayamat

As we look at this article we realize how true the Messenger (P.B.U.H) was these signs were prophesized 1400 years ago!!!
Take a look.... Now this is scary but soooooooo TRUE!!!!
* Camels will no longer be used as a means of transport;
* People will ride on saddles that aren't saddles (cars?)
* The distance on earth will become short;
* Horses will not be used in wars;
* Muslims will defeat the Byzantines which will end with the conquest of Constantinople( Istanbul)
* The Jews will gather again to live in Bilad Canaan;
* Very tall buildings will be built;
* The disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance, with much killing;
* Adultery will become widespread, and the drinking of wine will become common;
* The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase until there are 50 women to be looked after by one man.
* Islam will become worn out like clothes are, until no one will know what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are;
* Allah will send a disease to fornicators that will have no cure (Aids?);
* People will begin to believe in the stars and reject AL QADAR (THE DIVINE DECREE OF DESTINY);
* Men will pass by people's graves and say: 'Would that I was in his place'; (large amount of suicidal deaths?)
* The Euphrates will uncover a mountain of gold for which people will fight over (the river of Alfurat that lies near Syria);
* Two large groups of people will fight one another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religion (World War II?);
* Approximately 30 DAJJALS will appear, each one claiming to be the
messenger of ALLAH; * Earthquakes will increase;
* Time will pass quickly;
* Afflictions will appear;
* Killing will increase;
* Wealth will increase;
* Women will be wearing clothes but not wearing clothes
* THE PROPHET (saw) SAID: 'IF MY UMMAH BEARS 15! TRAITS(QUALITIES) ,TRIBULATION WILL FOLLOW IT.' (DAY OF JUDGEMENT) SOMEONE ASKED,'WHAT ARE THEY O MESSENGER OF ALLAH?' HE (saw) SAID:
* When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor;
* When a trust becomes a means of making profit;
* When paying ZAKKAT becomes a burden;
* When voices are raised in the mosque;
* When the leader of a people is the worst of them;
*When people treat a man with respect because what he may do;
* When much wine is drunk; red wind or the earth swallow them, or to be transformed into animals.'
* 'IMRAN IBN HUSAYN SAID: 'THE PROPHET (AS) SAID, 'SOME PEOPLE OF THIS UMMAH WILL BE SWALLOWED BY THE EARTH, TRANSFORMED INTO ANIMALS, AND SOME WILL BE BOMBARDED WITH STONES'. ONE OF THE MUSLIMS ASKED, WHEN WILL THAT BE O MESSENGER Of ALLAH?' HE SAID,
'WHEN SINGERS AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WILL BECOME POPULAR AND MUCH WINE IS DRUNK.''

*THE GREATER SIGNS OF THE HOUR The Quran will disappear in one night, even from the people's hearts, and no Ayyah will be left on earth. (Some groups of old people will be left who will say: 'We heard of fathers' saying 'LAILLAHA ILLA ALLAH' so we repeat it) * The appearance of the MAHDI; * The appearance of the DAJJAL (Anti Christ); * The appearance of Ya'juj and Ma'juj (biblical Gog and Magog); * Isa (Jesus) will come during the time of Dajjal; * The rising of the sun from the west; * The destruction of the Ka'ba and the recovery of its treasures;* The smoke.

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Hidden Sadaqah Extinguishes Allah's Wrath

Sadaqah (optional charity) refers to helping others in any way, by giving them in charity, by spending some time with them, listening to them attentively, directing them to the right path, feeling for them, smiling to them, removing whatever may harm them in streets, etc. All these are instances of sadaqah in its comprehensive sense.

Hidden sadaqah is what one gives in secret with no one but Almighty Allah knowing about it. When one gives charity to a needy person in secret, one spares the needy person the feelings of inferiority he may experience if given charity in front of other people.

Hidden sadaqah will help the needy meet their needs and will also help them get rid of the negative feelings of envy and grudge they might have harbored towards the rich people.

Feelings of love and respect would grow then between the needy and rich people, and this, in turn, would positively reflect on the unity of society and bind its members with the bonds of love and cooperation.

When the poor's needs are met in an atmosphere that preserves them their dignity, the tension they would live in because of need will decrease and their energy for work will increase. This will reflect positively on their social relations with others.

There are many poor people who are in dire need, yet they restrain from asking for charity. Hidden sadaqah will help them a lot and spare them exposure to humiliation.

Allah Almighty says about that kind of people:

[(Alms are) for the poor who are straitened for the cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land (for trade). The unthinking man accounteth them wealthy because of their restraint. Thou shalt know them by their mark: They do not beg of men with importunity. ] (Al-Baqarah: 273)

As for he who gives hidden sadaqah, the process of giving itself provides him with great happiness and purifies his soul. It helps him get rid of selfishness and develop feelings of cooperation with others. It is also a means of protecting his wealth, [for when he gives others, he wins their love, and thus spares himself the influence of their envy.] In essence, giving sadaqah reflects on the giver and benefits him [as much as it benefits the recipients].

Allah Almighty says:

[And whatsoever good thing ye spend, it is for yourselves, when ye spend not save in search of Allah's countenance; and whatsoever good thing ye spend, it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.] (Al-Baqarah: 272)

Furthermore, hidden sadaqah helps its givers get rid of feelings of depression that they may experience. When one gives the poor, one feels deep happiness, especially when one hears them praying for one and expressing gratitude for one.

Contemplate the image Allah Almighty gives in the following verse that describes the example of the one who gives generously in charity:

[And the likeness of those who spend their wealth in search of Allah's pleasure, and for the strengthening of their souls, is as the likeness of a garden on a height. The rainstorm smiteth it and it bringeth forth its fruit twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then the shower. Allah is Seer of what ye do.] (Al-Baqarah: 265)

Based on the above lines, the psychological analysis of the influence of hidden sadaqah on both the giver and the recipient shows that it extinguishes the humiliation of the recipient and the embarrassment of the giver. It creates between them such an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence that Almighty Allah is pleased with. Moreover, it extinguishes the wrath that Allah Most High may have towards the giver, for there is a divine hadith to the effect that the hidden sadaqah extinguishes Allah's wrath.

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Monster hurricane lashes Jamaica

AFP Photo Haitians make their way around debris deposited on the beach by Hurricane Dean, in Cayes-Jacmel, southeastern Haiti. Hurricane Dean began lashing Jamaica Sunday as the island braced for the full fury of the storm which has left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, killing at least five people.

KINGSTON (AFP) - Hurricane Dean unleashed the full force of its 230 kilometers (145 miles) per hour winds on Jamaica Sunday, after leaving a trail of destruction in the Caribbean where it killed at least five people.

"Take this hurricane threat very seriously," Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said in a national broadcast late Saturday, trying to convince people refusing to leave their homes to evacuate the most vulnerable areas along the southern coast.

The category four hurricane was whipping up giant surf and dumping inches of rain on the island.

Roads were blocked by fallen trees and flooded in the eastern parts of the island, with power cuts affecting thousands of homes.

"The sea has dumped debris onto the roads," Portland parish Mayor Bobbie Montague said as the storm surged by Jamaica's southern coast, on course for the nearby Cayman Islands, Mexico and possibly Texas in coming days.

The US National Hurricane Center in its latest report at 2100 GMT placed Dean 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Jamaican capital Kingston and moving along at about 20 miles (32 kilometers) an hour.

Packing winds of up to 145 miles (230 kilometers) an hour, Hurricane Dean "has the potential to become a category five hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean sea tomorrow (Monday)" -- the top strength in the scale.

"Preparations to protect life and property in Jamaica should already have been completed. Preparations in the Cayman Islands should be rushed to completion," the center's latest hurricane report said.

It added Dean could unleash as much as 20 inches of rain on Jamaica in the coming hours, and warned waves could surge seven to nine feet (two to three meters) above normal tide levels.

Jamaica's airports were shut Saturday, and hundreds of people have packed into the 1,000 shelters opened up by the government around the island amid bitter memories of Hurricane Ivan which killed 14 people in 2004.

Prime Minister Miller called on all off-duty police officers, firefighters and prison warders to report for work, while the electricity provider was shutting down the national grid as a safety measure.

The Jamaica Public Service Company said more than 135,000 customers were without power.

There were also fears for some 17 people, believed to be Spanish divers, who had refused to leave the small sandbank of Pedro Cays, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Jamaica, lying directly in Dean's path.

Miller called on all political parties to forget about national elections on August 27 and "put all differences aside as a national emergency is on us ... the safety and wellbeing of people ... must be our only focus at this time."

Mexico was meanwhile evacuating some 90,000 tourists from Cancun and other islands of the "Mayan Riviera," as well as some 13,000 workers on more than 140 of its oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, with Dean set to slam into the Yucatan peninsula late Monday.

A leading risk modeling company, California-based Eqecat Inc., on Sunday estimated initial losses in the Lesser Antilles islands and Jamaica at between 1.5 billion and three billion dollars.

Hurricane Dean earlier brushed past Haiti, lashing it with heavy rain and gale-force winds.

Two people were killed in Haiti's southeastern town of Moron and southern Tiburon, and four people caught on a sailing boat were injured, Haitian officials said.

Haitian Environment Minister Jean Marie Claude Germain, who was heading to the devastated areas, told AFP there had been huge damage to agricultural plantations because the trees had been cut down.

"We are beginning to see the need to put in place policies to reforest our country and find an alternative to burning wood, which is one of the main causes of the deterioration of the environment," he said.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries.

Two people were also killed in the French territory of Martinique, while authorities in the Dominican Republic, where a 16-year-old boy was killed when he was swept away by huge waves, warned of the danger of landslides.

The National Emergency Committee there also said that 1,580 people had been evacuated and some 316 houses had been damaged, many of them severely.

In Cuba just to the north of Jamaica, authorities had evacuated some 150,000 people from six eastern provinces to save them from possible flooding.

Source : Bernama

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The Taste of Success

By Fred DeLuca

It was the summer of 1965. The music of the Beatles and the Beach Boys could be heard from the speakers of newly minted Mustangs and T-Birds. Lyndon Johnson was in the White House, and the New York World's Fair was offering a hope-filled but commercialized glance into the future.

It was that very future I was concerned about. I graduated from high school at age seventeen and had dreams of becoming a doctor. The problem was that I couldn't afford my dream; my job at the local hardware store paid minimum wage, a mere $1.25 an hour. For me, a college education seemed as far-flung as the prospect of a man walking on the moon.

It was a typically hot and humid day at my family's home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when the phone rang. Dr. Peter Buck, a family friend, called to announce that he had changed jobs and was moving his family to Armonk, New York, only forty miles away. It was time for celebration, indeed, for it had been almost a year since we had seen Dr. Buck and his family.

Plans were quickly made for a reunion. It was on that fateful Sunday afternoon in July 1965, during a barbecue at the Bucks' new home, that Dr. Buck and I would forge a business relationship that would forever change the landscape of the fast-food industry.

The more I thought about college, the more I wondered about how I could find the money. As we pulled into the Bucks' driveway, it occurred to me that perhaps I could ask Dr. Buck for some advice. Maybe he would loan me the money? I thought to myself. After all, Dr. Buck had known me for half my life. Knowing my parents couldn't afford to pay for college, and once he heard how badly I had wanted to go to college, there was a good chance that he would offer to help. So I asked him.

"I think you should open a submarine sandwich shop," was his response.

What? What an odd thing to say to a seventeen-year-old kid, I thought. But before I could respond or express my surprise, I heard myself say, "How does it work?"

Dr. Buck explained the submarine sandwich business. He said that all one had to do was to rent a small store, build a counter, buy some food and open for business. Customers would come in, put money on the counter and then I would have enough to pay for college. To Dr. Buck, it was just as simple as that, and if I was willing to do it, he was willing to be my partner.

As my family was preparing to return home later that day, Dr. Buck pulled out his checkbook and wrote me a check for one thousand dollars, his investment in our new venture.

On the drive back home, little did I know that if I succeeded in opening a submarine sandwich shop, I would accomplish more than funding my college education. Success would mean adventure and excitement on a nonstop roller-coaster ride that would eventually be called SUBWAY restaurants.

Success also meant hard work and perseverance that eventually would lead to financial independence and everything that comes with it, not just for me, but also for thousands of other people associated with the SUBWAY brand around the world.

EPILOGUE:

Fred DeLuca was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1947 to Carmela and Salvatore DeLuca. For the first several years of his life, they lived in the humble, low-rent, basement apartment of a two-family house - something newlyweds could afford. When he was five, the DeLuca family moved to the Bronx to a new development, which everyone called "the projects."

"It was public housing, and for us, it was a step up," says DeLuca.

Carmela and Salvatore were a hard-working couple who instilled in Fred the value of an education. His mother not only told him how important it was to go to school, she also gave him the confidence to believe that he could graduate from high school, and college, too.

"When we began Subway in 1965, I had no money, no collateral and no business savvy. I was simply a seventeen-year-old kid who needed to find a way to pay for his college education," reflects DeLuca.

Recently, the SUBWAY restaurant chain celebrated its fortieth anniversary and has achieved many milestones. It is the world's largest submarine sandwich chain, with more than twenty-three thousand restaurants in eighty-two countries. In fact, the SUBWAY chain operates more locations in the United States, Canada and Australia than McDonald's does.

Numerous awards and accolades have been bestowed upon Fred DeLuca, the SUBWAY chain and its thousands of franchisees. The SUBWAY chain has earned a reputation for offering a healthier alternative to traditionally fatty fast food, and its name and products have been featured in countless newspaper and magazine articles, and in television and radio news programs.

DeLuca is proud of the hard work and accomplishments of the many members of the SUBWAY family. "It is our mission to provide the tools and knowledge to empower entrepreneurs to successfully compete in the QSR (quick service restaurant) industry worldwide. We take pride in serving each other, our customers and our communities, and we know that our success depends on the initiatives we take individually and on our ability to work as a team."

It has indeed been a roller-coaster ride for Fred DeLuca. He travels extensively to meet with Subway franchisees around the world and went to Washington, D. C., to help launch the SUBWAY F. R. E. S. H. Steps Childhood Obesity Prevention initiative, a multimillion-dollar public awareness advertising campaign that highlights the importance of taking steps to make healthier choices and leading active lifestyles.

Most recently, DeLuca was inducted into the International Franchise Association's Hall of Fame and was honored with an invitation to carry the Olympic Torch while it traveled through Brooklyn, New York, the city of his birth. Not bad for a seventeen-year-old kid from "the projects"!

Dahlynn McKowen [Ed.]

Reprinted by permission of Fred DeLuca (c) 2005 from Chicken Soup for the Enterpreneur's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Dahlynn McKowen, John & Elizabeth Gardner, Tom Hill and Kyle Wilson. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

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