9 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE PROPHET’S MOSQUE

By: Muhammad Wajid Akhter

Source: http://muslimmatters.org/

Seeing a scene of impeccable beauty, we often hear the term “Heaven on Earth!” But there is only one place that literally has the right to proclaim itself heaven on Earth. There, deep in the mosque of the Prophet (masjid Nabawi), covered by green carpets and the tears of millions, lies a “garden from the gardens of paradise.” It is a place known to every Muslim who has ever lived, yet there’s still much we don’t know about it. Here are just some of the interesting facts and mysteries of the Prophet’s Mosque:

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE KAABA

By: Muhammad Wajid Akhter

Source: http://muslimmatters.org/

There is no place on Earth as venerated, as central or as holy to as many people as Mecca. By any objective standard, this valley in the Hijaz region of Arabia is the most celebrated place on Earth.

Thousands circle the sacred Kaaba at the centre of the Haram sanctuary 24 hours a day. Millions of homes are adorned with pictures of it and over a billion face it five times a day.

The Kaaba is the epicenter of Mecca.

The cube shaped building is at the heart of the most well-known real estate in the history of mankind; it is shrouded in black and its fair share of mystery.

Here are just a few things that most people may not know about the Kaaba:

5 REASONS TO PRAISE THE WEST

Source: muslimmatters.org

By: Muhammad Wajid Akhter

Do not adjust your screen or your glasses – you read it right. This article is by a Muslim praising the West. Much like the title image of a smiling Shakeel Ahmed Butt (referred to online as “Muslim Rage Boy”), I’m trying to show that we can break the stereotype.

One of the more pernicious symptoms of depression is losing the ability to recognise good in others. The gloom that is cast over the Muslim world at the present time demonstrates this perfectly. We are sore at “the West” and blame them (with some justification) for many of the ills that plague us.

WHY OUR PRAYERS FOR GAZA MAY NOT BE ANSWERED

By: Muhammad Wajid Akhter

Source: http://muslimmatters.org/

The hands are up, the tears flow and the “Ameens!” vibrate around the room. “Oh Allah, save the people of Gaza! Oh Allah help them! Oh Allah protect them!” the imam continues to beseech fervently. This was a scene played out in practically every mosque in the world this Ramadan. And last Ramadan. And the Ramadan before that.

And yet, when we get home and turn on the TV – more deaths, more heartbreak and more injustice. Every single time. In fact, each time – things seem to be getting worse.

So what is going on? How come our duaas are not answered?

There is a possibility that we are being impatient and that maybe Allah is accepting our duaas and fervent prayers, but He is doing so in ways that we cannot see or understand. Maybe Allah is helping us and the situation would have been so much worse otherwise. Perhaps.

Or maybe, just maybe – He is not answering our prayers because there is something fundamentally wrong with us. The thought should chill us to the bone. Here are a few reasons why this might be the case: