Day Eleven (A Journey with Quran)

God (Allah) states in Surah Al- Anbiyaa (21st chapter) about Quran, Ayats 106- 107

106. Surely in this (Quran) there is a message conveyed to a people who worship (Allah).

107. And We have not sent you but as mercy for all the worlds.

Today Ayats from Surah Baqarah continues: Ayats 142-162. The change in direction of Qibla takes place. The Muslims turn in the direction of Kaaba to say their daily prayers. Before that the Muslims first Qibla was the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. They used to pray in that direction. It was during prayer that the directive to change took place.

142. The fools among the people will say: “What hath turned them from the Qibla to which they were used?” Say: To Allah belong both east and West: He guideth whom He will to a Way that is straight.

143. Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves; and We appointed the Qibla to which thou wast used, only to test those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (From the Faith). Indeed it was (A change) momentous, except to those guided by Allah. And never would Allah Make your faith of no effect. For Allah is to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful.

144. We see the turning of thy face (for guidance to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is Allah unmindful of what they do.

145. Even if thou wert to bring to the people of the Book all the Signs (together), they would not follow Thy Qibla; nor art thou going to follow their Qibla; nor indeed will they follow each other’s Qibla. If thou after the knowledge hath reached thee, Wert to follow their (vain) desires,-then wert thou Indeed (clearly) in the wrong.

146. The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know.

147. The Truth is from thy Lord; so be not at all in doubt.

148. To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) Towards all that is good. Wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you Together. For Allah Hath power over all things.

149. From whencesoever Thou startest forth, turn Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque; that is indeed the truth from the Lord. And Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.

150. So from whencesoever Thou startest forth, turn Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque; and wheresoever ye are, Turn your face thither: that there be no ground of dispute against you among the people, except those of them that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not, but fear Me; and that I may complete My favours on you, and ye May (consent to) be guided;

151. A similar (favour have ye already received) in that We have sent among you an Messenger of your own, rehearsing to you Our Signs, and sanctifying you, and instructing you in Scripture and Wisdom, and in new knowledge.

152. Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and reject not Faith.

153. O ye who believe! seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.

154. And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah. “They are dead.” Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.

155. Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere,

156. Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return”:-

157. They are those on whom (Descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.

158. Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah. So if those who visit the House in the Season or at other times, should compass them round, it is no sin in them. And if any one obeyeth his own impulse to good,- be sure that Allah is He Who recogniseth and knoweth.

159. Those who conceal the clear (Signs) We have sent down, and the Guidance, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book,-on them shall be Allah.s curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse,-

160. Except those who repent and make amends and openly declare (the Truth): To them I turn; for I am Oft-returning, Most Merciful.

161. Those who reject Faith, and die rejecting,- on them is Allah.s curse, and the curse of angels, and of all mankind;

162. They will abide therein: Their penalty will not be lightened, nor will respite be their (lot).

Translation: Abdullah Yusuf

Autonomy at Home

I wanted my own say where my bed should be placed in the room. My son had his own prerogative in which direction it should be. In the end hard earned autonomy won — the spot I chose.

There wasn’t a good option available. One thing was clear that my feet shouldn’t face the Kaaba. It meant disrespect. For those who don’t know? Kaaba is the House of Worship built by the Prophet Ibrahim together with his son Ismail at Mecca. It is in this direction we face when we pray to God five times a day, or more. Buried in the graves our faces are turned slightly right facing Kaaba too.

My son wanted my bed in a different spot then I had in my mind. He stopped objecting. It was my room after all. The hired men helped in putting my room together for me.

…………

DAILY PROMPT

Autonomy

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/autonomy/

I Thought

Use It or Lose It
by Michelle W.
Write about anything you’d like, but make sure the post includes this sentence:

“I thought we’d never come back from that one.”

Photo of Masjid al-Haram, Mecca taken by son-in-law FJ.

My (late) husband R, and I were at the end of Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca). We were staying in a hotel, a few steps away from Masjid Al-Haram. It surrounds the Kaaba to which Muslims turn their faces while praying.

I had fallen sick at the end of Haj. I was suffering from fever, and a bad cough. R had arranged for new tickets, and brought our dates forward for leaving. If he hadn’t done that, we would had to stay for more than a month.

We had the same routine as was in Madina. We met for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We spent more time at the Kaaba, or resting in between prayers.

There were many places for getting food, and choices of cuisines from different countries. We had fun trying new places. R had placed the order, and we were standing, and waiting for our food.

There was a six by four open space with no guarding rail to the kitchen below. It was a drop of fourteen feet. Someone passed close to where I stood. Inadvertently I stepped back, so that he wouldn’t collide with me. I never realized that I would be falling. I would have a broken neck, or broken limbs by falling backwards.

Thank God! R had sharp reflexes. He pulled me back. He was badly shaken. We never went there for the rest of our stay. I thought we’d never come back from that one again.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/use-it-or-lose-it/

The Butcher

Daily Prompt: Bookworms
Grab the nearest book. Open it and go to the tenth word. Do a Google Image Search of the word. Write about what the image brings to mind.

A day before, I had returned my library books. You can imagine my exasperation the only book lying in my room was my grand son Sn’s book, “More Scary Stories.” A week earlier, I had introduced him to “Freaky Folk Tales.” He was enthralled by the stories and could have horror to his heart’s content. Feeling indebted to me he thrust his book in my hands and told me to read it.

As per the Daily Prompt I opened the book, and the tenth word was butcher. Trust me to land in a soup. So here it goes.

Obviously everybody knows that a butcher is a person who slaughters animals and sell their meat.
A short poem to the butcher by me.

Please give me a sirloin
It’s so tempting to look
I will cook it and bake it
Kindly take it off the hook

Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Duha. On this day Muslims around the world give sacrifice in God’s Name.

The tradition of sacrifice goes to the Prophet Ibrahim. He built the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It’s the same Prophet, known to the Christians as Abraham and to the Jews too. He was told by God to offer sacrifice in a dream. Muslims follow this tradition every year.

On Eid day butchers are in great demand. Believe me finding a butcher is like finding a needle in a haystack. Everybody is offering sacrifice so the butcher becomes a hot commodity. They are booked days in advance. They charge exorbitant rates. You have to give according to their demand, otherwise you will have to do the slaughtering yourself, which is simply unthinkable.

One thing is truly amazing. I always get a jolt of surprise while cooking. The sacrificial meat is extremely yummy. Probably you have given the sacrifice in God’s Name.

Image and Cartoon’s Credit: Thanks to Google.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/daily-prompt-bookworm/The Butcher