Muslim Prayer format - Salat - Namaz

Ramadan day 8 Imam Barga-e-Hujjat - Shia Masjid

Ramadan day 8- Imam Barga-e-Hujjat

Friday, July 27, 2012 | Ramadan 8, 1433
1112 Milam Way, Carrollton, TX 75006
website:

• URL: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-8-imam-barga-e-hujjat.html
• Ramadan Blog: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/
• Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157630783701154/show/
• Time: 9:10 PM CST- Approx

Tonight’s Iftaar was at the Shia Mosque, known as Imam Barga-e-Hujjat in Carrollton. I went in early to familiarize myself with the Mosque, as this is in a new location; the last one I went was on Belt Line Road for Yom-e-Ashura two Muharrams ago. There are several Mosques and the main one is Momin Center in Irving.

Imam Irataza Naqvi and Mike Ghouse

The Names of successive Shia Imams

Names of the Imams

clay tablet

The Shia Muslims follow a different time schedule for Iftaar; there is always that definition of dusk and last ray of the evening. I went in there at 8:10, but found out the Maghrib (evening) prayers were at 9:00 followed by Iftaar.

I went out and had my Iftaar with Gatorade at 8:34 and was back at the Mosque in-time to join the Jamaat (Congregation).

As I walked in, the volunteers gave me a Sajda-gah, a clay tablet, (Clay from Karbala City, where Imam Hussain was martyred, son of Imam Ali, the 4^th rightly guided Caliph of Islam) which is placed on the floor, to rest your forehead during the prostrative posture of the prayers. This practice is exclusive to Shia tradition.

Similar practices exist in Jewish tradition. Every Synagogue you visit, they have Kippah (cap) in a basket at the front that is given to you to wear as you go into the sanctuary. The Madinah Masjid in Carrollton also has a basketful of caps that you can wear if you want to. In a few Mosques in India, they give the cap to wear. I wore a cap when I was growing up. But in the last forty years, less and less people wear caps, and I have not worn it either. In the Swami Narayan Hindu Temple they put the tilak (a dot on the forehead with color, usually Red orange powder).

The Adhan (prayer call) was a long one, same Adhan is recited in other mosques, but without the additional phrases to express the uniqueness of the Shia tradition.

I met Imam Irtaza Naqvi earlier on, as we are new to each other, and I asked his permission to take the pictures, he said feel free to do so. Last year at the Momin Center the visiting Imam said the same thing, but two years ago, I was asked not to take the pictures of the sanctuary.

The Shia Masajid’s are decorative; they have extensive items on the walls and the benches are displayed with frames of the names of 12 hereditary Imams following Imam Hazrat Ali. The Mehrab (Niche, where the Imam leads the prayers from) is covered with Damascus Cloth with 5 names embroidered on it; Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain. Most people in the subcontinent call it Panjatan-e-pak; the holy five.

Invoking the Panjatan-e-Pak is a common practice among mainstream Shia and its denominations; Bohra and Ismaili traditions. Where as it is not a practice of Sunni and Ahmadiyya Muslims. However exceptions are always there, some of the Sunnis from South India do invoke Panjatan-e-Pak and I recall my father used to invoke in his supplications, where as my maternal Grandfather did not and it is not my practice either. However, I do appreciate the devotion with which people turn to God in their own ways.

In one of the pictures, you see the Sajda-gah (clay tablet) is placed in front of everyone in the prayer, I had one too, and I rested my forehead twice on it during the Sajda (prostration with forehead on the floor) and I simply could not do it again. After the prayers, I looked around the other guys’ foreheads for the marks from the tablet, there wasn’t any, and I looked down on the floor, and I found the secret; they had the soft side of the clay tablet on the top and the printed side at the bottom and mine was upside down. No one said a word, but I knew the print on my forehead was visible to the guy next to me, as he glanced at it twice.

Prayers are similar, 3 Rakats (units) for Maghrib (dusk) and 4 for Isha (nightly. They pray both Maghrib and Isha one after the other in a sequence. The Sunnis do that, if they are travelling and cannot come back two hours later.

In Shia tradition, during the standing position of the prayers, individuals drop their hands on side, like in the attention position, where as in other traditions, the individuals place their hands on their stomach at various levels, from navel all the way up onto the chest.

Before the 2^nd Ruku (bent posture with hands on knee caps), Shias and their two branches do their supplication and conclude the prayers with reciting the words, where as Sunnis call on peace and turn their heads to the right and then on the left to conclude the prayers.

The Imam actually recites the phrases audibly during the bent and prostrate positions, unlike the Sunnis and Ahmadiyya.

There is no tradition of Taraweeh Prayers in the Shia, Taraweeh are late night prayers, either 20 or 22 Units to recite a chapter a night from Quraan to complete the Quraan recitation in the month of Ramadan.

The dinner was amazing, I realized that for 8 days, I had not had the Indian (ok, Pakistani to the Pakistanis, and Bengali to the Bengalis- either one) curry; I have been on a variety of foods. The curry was incredibly delicious; they must have used the Coconut milk in it, like the Thai curry or the Bangalore Curries. ( oops, no napkins again, it does not seem to be in our culture, and I wiped my fingers in my pant pockets again - I will have to carry a few Napkins from tomorrow)

Fida Hussain, one of my friends and I had a short conversation and his words were amazing, as a photographer/ Videographer he has been to most places of worship, he said, the more places you visit the bigger your horizon becomes. Indeed, I just wrote those words on my 7^th day of Ramadan. He was the videographer of the Unity Day USA program in 2005 and I hope he finds the video of using clip on 9/11/2012 program.

One of the purposes for my visits to different Mosques each day, during the month of Ramadan is to understand various traditions and have the cushion to absorb them all and give full value to each one. I hope, some day, more and more Muslims make these rounds. It is humbling and yet powerful to have the ability to understand differences and respect them.

It is a challenge to write different things each day, so far, I have found it easy to do, got another 22 days, and have to be more attentive to absorb it all to write later. By the way, it was a struggle to align and place the pictures in the right place..

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A DIFFERENT MOSQUE EACH FRIDAY

Went to Madinah Masjid for Juma prayers, that is the only place I knew, where I can get a parking space and I did.

We have been hearing the same traditional, pre-written, class taught Khutbas for ages. It is time to improve on it. Last night I wrote the ideas for Jumma Khutba (Friday Sermon) and hope our Imams incorporate a few thoughts from it.

By the way, after the first part of the Friday sermon, there was a break for people to do optional prayers followed by Adhan and second part of Friday Sermon. I am still trying to figure it out, if I had experienced that in this very mosque before, but certainly not a tradition in other Sunni mosques thus far, I have a lot more mosques to visit to put it all together.

Madinah Masjid, Carrollton

Imam Seraj Misbahi had excellent lines about learning not to react to provocation, instead learn to restrain yourselves and not aggravate the conflict. That was really a good call.

The Imam delivered his sermon in Urdu sprinkled with English. I was pondering about certain standard sentences, most writers and Imams still use them. For example, “During the month of Ramadan, abstain from sex with your spouse”… If this was videotaped and posted on the Mosque websites, and non-Muslim watch it, or even Muslims who are born in the United Sates watch it, it sounds like Muslims have sex all day long and they had to give it up during the fasting, poor thing! What a sacrifice! I don’t know anyone who is that engaged! May the teens are. The wordings may have to be culturally Americanized to give the right understanding. For example, this is the month of self discipline, we abstain from anything that we desire; water, coke, coffee, tea, food, intimacy and the likes…to bring a discipline, by learning to manage our desires and not impulsively act on it.

The bait sentences like “the prayers during Ramadan have 10 times more powerful with greater blessings or certain rewards are 700 times more. Looks like Allah has a big sale during the month of Ramadan do one prayer and get 70! What does it really mean and how should it be expressed. I urge my fellow Muslims to write about it.

Fasting is for the sake of Allah - what does it mean? How does it benefit the mankind? I encourage you to write about it as well.

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Please mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

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Day 1 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-1-carrollton-mosque.html

Day 2 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-2-richardson-mosque.html

Day 3 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-3-plano-mosque.html

Day 4 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-4-madinah-masjid.html

Day 5 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-5-masjid-al-islam_25.html

Day 6 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-6-masjid-al-quran.html

Day 7 - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day7-reflections-on.html

A few other Articles to read if you have the time:

What does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html

Are Muslims a part of the American society? http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html

Please visit http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/ for a record since 2010.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Sunni-Shia strife - The Economist

We need to shed the arrogance that other traditions are inferior to ours, or ours is superior to others. To God, we are all the same, and he has given us the free will to figure living in harmony.  

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others,without having to agree with others, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

 At least start the process this month, please visit  every mosque, and learn to see the differences in a positive way, grow your heart as God has given you.   If you are stuck in the idea that others are definitely wrong because your tradition is right, get out of that mindset, it breed arrogance in you, and arrogance is the root cause of all conflicts and evils in the society and God's wisdom is against it. 
Ramadan is suppose to imbue a sense of humility in us, and Taqwa is all about conflictlessness, to be like God, and to be just, merciful and kind.

Test your prejudice, and if you wish to be free, make an effort to see the otherness of other. Visit a mosque a day, here is my experience if the last three years http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/

The sword and the word

In the struggle between the two strands of Islam, the Sunnis are on the rise
http://www.economist.com/node/21554513?story_id=21554513&fsrc=sky|INews

Courtesy of the Economis

IT SEEMED historic. Muslim scholars, 170 in number and representing nine schools of legal thought (including four main Sunni ones and two Shia), gathered in Amman and declared that, whatever their differences, they accepted the others' authority over their respective flocks. Implicitly, at least, they were renouncing the idea that their counterparts were heretics. Some called that meeting in Jordan in 2005 the biggest convergence since 969, when a Shia dynasty took over Egypt.

Many of the globe-trotting greybeards who met there, and at a similar gathering in Qatar in 2007, remain actively and optimistically engaged. But seen from the outside, feuds between Sunnis, who make up roughly 80% of the world's Muslims, and the Shia minority (most of the rest), remain savage and are, in some ways, worsening.

In this section

• »The sword and the word
• AQAP tries again

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• Middle East
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In conservative Sunni monarchies (especially those with restless Shia populations) dislike and suspicion of Iran, the Shia bastion, is running higher than ever. Theology intertwines with geopolitics—and an incipient strategic-arms race. Far beyond the Gulf or Middle East, from western Europe to North America, Sunni agitation (often Saudi-sponsored) is intensifying against the supposed heresies contained in Shia teaching.

Belgian police are investigating the firebombing of Belgium's biggest Shia mosque in March, which killed the imam. The suspect they arrested claims to be a Salafist (hardline Sunni) protesting against Shia backing for the Syrian regime. Grieving worshippers chanted Shia slogans at the scene, eerily echoing far bloodier incidents in places such as Pakistan (recent examples include a murderous grenade assault on a Sunni demonstration in April and an attack on a bus in February that killed 18 Shia passengers).

European Shia-Sunni acrimony is part of a many-sided contest over the future of the continent's tens of millions of Muslims, says Jonathan Laurence, a scholar at Boston College. The religious authorities in migrant-sending countries like Turkey and Morocco struggle to keep their people loyal to their own varieties of Sunni practice: they see Shia Islam and hardline Sunni groups like the Salafists as equally dangerous and insidious temptations for their sons and daughters in Europe.

Strife even reaches places like South-East Asia where few Shias live. Malaysia has presented itself to the world as a tolerant Muslim-majority state. But it bans the preaching of Shia Islam, with particular ferocity since December 2010, when dozens of Shias were arrested. They say they were merely practising their faith (which is legally allowed), not preaching it.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a Qatar-based preacher often described as the de facto spiritual guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, has recently kept up a barrage of verbal attacks on the Shias. He is president of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, a loose Brotherhood-inspired body designed to pronounce on issues of common concern to Muslims. Founded in the friendlier climate of 2004, its top ranks also include Shia clergy.

One God, many arguments

But Mr Qaradawi now attacks Shias for compromising the oneness of God (about the worst thing a Muslim can do) by ascribing semi-divine status to the people they regard as Muhammad's legitimate successors. Another accusation is that Shias poach souls in Sunni lands.

Time was when Mr Qaradawi praised the feats of Hizbullah, the Iranian-backed Shia militia in Lebanon, as fighters against Israel. But in recent punditry he has stressed the gap between Sunni and Shia beliefs and passionately called for regime change in Syria, where, among other things, a Sunni majority is rebelling against a ruling elite whose Alawite belief (see table) is a Shia offshoot. Senior Shia clergy have deplored his hardening line. Mr Qaradawi, whose utterances command attention from Marseilles to the north Caucasus, also backs Bahrain's Sunni rulers in their anti-Shia stance.

Paradoxically enough, one reason for the worsening in intra-Muslim relations is the declining role of the West. At the time of the Amman gathering in 2005, Iraq was in the grip both of horrific Sunni-Shia violence and of American occupation. It was possible to convince ordinary Muslims (however unfairly) that America was to blame for stoking this tension; and that, for dignity's sake, followers of Islam should stand together against the outsiders' game of divide-and-rule. Now the American occupation of Iraq is over, and hatred between Sunnis and Shias there has a ghastly momentum of its own: the Shia prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has accused a Sunni vice-president, Tariq al-Hashemi, of complicity in terrorism and forced him to flee. On April 30th he was charged with multiple murders.

But perhaps the biggest change is that Sunnis think they are now winning the global contest. Seven years ago it seemed that Shia Islam, whether in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, was on the march. Hot-headed Sunnis who yearned to see a government or movement that would confront Israel in the name of Islam had to find role-models across the sectarian divide, in Iran, or in the mullahs' Lebanese protégés in Hizbullah.

These days zealous Sunnis need no longer look to swashbuckling Shias for inspiration. The real action is unfolding in their own homelands, at least in north Africa or the Levant. Nor need they look abroad for political ideology: the Arab spring has established the Sunni sort of political Islam as a powerful, domestically based force that has emerged from the underground or from exile. Rachid Ghannouchi, for example, Tunisia's best-known Islamist, has returned from London to become probably the most powerful figure in the land. Vali Nasr, a professor at the Fletcher School of Tufts University in America and a former adviser to the Obama administration, says that—rightly or wrongly—Sunnis believe that Western sanctions are weakening Iran, and that the combined efforts of Sunnis and the West will also topple Iran's only Arab ally, Syria. From a Sunni perspective, these impending victories outweigh the travails of their co-religionists in majority-Shia Iraq.

Intra-Muslim relations are not universally bleak. An Iraqi adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”, featuring star-crossed love across the Muslim sectarian divide (rather than the clan loyalties of Verona), has won acclaim there, and was performed at the World Shakespeare Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon. Egypt's handful of Shias, a nervous bunch, have declared support for a Muslim Brotherhood (in other words, Sunni) presidential candidate. In campaigns for freedom and justice in the Middle East, Sunni-Shia distinctions can melt away. “We are all part of the same struggle,” says Maryam al-Khawaja, an activist from Bahrain's aggrieved Shia majority. She co-starred this week with Sunnis like Manal al-Sharif, a Saudi woman detained for defying that country's ban on women driving, at the Oslo Freedom Forum, a lively get-together for foes of state oppression.

Historic compromises between ancient rivals are most likely either when both sides acknowledge a stalemate, or else when some outsider forces them together. State repression may do that sometimes—but it is a sad and slender hope for those who yearn for intra-Muslim accord.

Ramadan day7 Reflections on Stereotyping Muslims

Ramadan day 7- Reflections for Juma Qutba

Thursday, July 26, 2012 | Ramadan 7, 1433
2665 Villa Creek, Suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234

• Website: www.WorldMuslimCongress.org
• URL: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day7-reflections-on.html
• Blog: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/
• Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157630770290396/show/
• Time: 8:36 PM CST

Today is the 7^th Iftaar, and after the Salat and dinner, I decided to catch up with reflecting on Ramadan.

I received the following email from my African American Muslim friend who reads my writings, “Mike; I keep sending you such information because someday likely you will meet our Brother and I want to start to introduce you now and before any actually meeting because I am very aware of the opinion of many immigrant Muslim of us and generally it is not good and some have told me to my fact "You All are not Real Muslims" ......not realizing that it was us that paved the way for them to have some peace here.”

Although I have addressed the above in bits and pieces, I wanted to focus on it and hope our Imams can address it in their Juma Khutbas (Sermon).

Stereotyping is a common pit that most of the humanity keeps falling into over and over again. It is judging the whole community, ethnicity or a nationality from the experience with one. As Muslims we get frustrated when we hear dumb statements like Muslims are terrorists, Arabs are rude, xxxx are not trust worthy…. and stuff like that, and yet shamelessly we indulge in it ourselves.

A few Arabs think that the Pakistanis are not Muslim enough, and the Pakistanis don’t see Indian Muslims to be Muslim enough, and Indian Muslims don’t think the Bangladeshis are Muslim enough and I guess they don’t think the Rohingi Muslims are not Muslim enough and there is no end to this baseless thinking and is contrary to the teachings of Islam in this case.

Most Muslims enthusiastically quote Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh)  last sermon that no one is superior to the other… the question is, do we really mean it? Does it reflect in our words and actions?

Much of the wisdom and guidance in Quraan boils down to the things we need to do to keep a balance in the society, where no one has to be afraid of the other. Islam in one word: Justness.

Don’t we realize that Islam was a solution to generate peaceful (Islam) societies by knocking the arrogance out of individuals and communities? Arrogance is the root cause of most conflicts and troubles. God's wisdom is crystal clear;  whom he likes the most and the least, the forgivers and arrogant people respectively.  Just as you want your home to be in order, Allah wants his creation to be in order, and that order is harmony among people and things.

The note from my African American friend is a common thing with most of the humanity, but as Muslims we have specific instructions and guidance to avoid judging others. The word Taqwa has become a technical term and seems to have lost its essence.

You can argue all you want to argue about African Americans, Arabs, Pakistanis, Indian, Bangladeshis, Rohingis, Somalis or any one… but the fact is you will be buried with the same respect as others whether you are a Sunni, Shia, Ahmadiyya or from any religion, and your body will decompose at the same speed as others. You are not superior to the other when you are in that grave, your grave will get exact same sunshine, rain or winds as others.

Look at the practices in Islam - the Salat and fasting for instance, what do they do to you, and what is the cumulative effect of it? Allama Iqbal said it well, “Tujhe kya milega namaaz may” what do you get out of fasting and prayer, if it does not make you a humble person. Humility broadly means treating, feeling and acting equal with your employee, spouse, kids or others; Muslim or not. How do we measure up?

Pathetic material came up in the Economist yesterday, how Shia and Sunni are denigrating each other and calling each other infidels?  Do they throw the Prophets’ last sermon out of window? Do they follow the Sunnah? I hope our Imams are urging their congregants not to denigrate others, absolutely not, for their own good in the long haul - so they can live in a safer society.

Religion, ethnicity, nationality and race should never be slapped with false labels for the acts of a few.  Statistically, if you meet “one” Muslim, Hindu, Christian or a Jew and he or she turns out to be a bad person; you can claim that 100% of Muslims, Hindus, Christians or Jews are bad. 

And if you meet two of each and only one of them turns out to be a bad dude, your statistic is halved; only 50% of Muslims, Hindus or others are bad.
But when you meet 1000 of them in each group, most likely the following statistics will emerge.

95% of people in every religious group get their religion right
02% of people in every religious group are enforcers, tyrants
02% of people in every religious group are easy goers
01% of people in every religious group are intolerant ones

The statisticians can tell what a reliable sample is, which will yield similar results no matter where and when you test. This has been my observation of several groups that I have been a part of for nearly 20 years, and a part of my e-lists that I mail to Atheists, Baha'i, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, Wicca, Zoroastrians and others.

I hope the Imams can pull verses from Quran and emphasize the ills of prejudice and stereotyping, instead of frightening with hell fire, which means nothing to many. God loves us all and wants us to live in peace and that is the summary of God’s will. 

Not sure how many Muslims and others can shed their arrogance and prejudice towards others, I  want to assure every Muslim, yes, every Muslim that he or she can count on receiving full dignity and respect from God for them and their belief and their tradition, whether they are a denomination of a Islam or of any religion. We are all God's creation (Children is not a descriptor in Islam).

As a fellow human, you can count on me to treat you with full respect for who you are,  and as a symbolic gesture, I will visit your sacred place without hesitation, simply to honor your uniqueness that God has endowed you.  I will not agree with you, and you may not agree with me, but we can respect each other; both of us are God's will.

Thank God for his guidance, I have made the time to visit every denomination among Muslims and have been with Aztecs to Zoroastrians and every one in between. I am confident of my faith Islam,  that I follow and give respect to every one who is confident about his or her faith. When you do not have a strong faith, you shy away from knowing others and run from others,  God wants us to know each other (49:13),  so together we can create cohesive societies that are good for you and I and every one around us.

This is what God wants, to get along and keep the social, economic, spiritual and emotional world in balance and harmony with oneself and with others, and I believe that is God's will.

About My Israel-Palestine trip in Ramadan. 

The pictures in the link above are of Ifaar and Suhoor at Masjid-al-Aqsa and Bait-al-Muqaddas and a street in Jerusalem before Iftaar. If you wish to see 250 pictures of entire Israeli and Palestinian lands, let me know, I will send you the link. I have traveled from Jerusalem to Golan Heights in the north and from Haifa down to Tel Aviv and in between been to Jericho, Nablus, Nazareth and other cities.

The bus tour guide was giving mis-information about Islam, she said Islam has six pillars, the first one is Jihad and she explained it means killing the infidels. It was not easy, but I am not going to let falsities go unquestioned, finally the tour operators agreed to change to five and also the right meaning of the word Jihad. Jihad is like nuclear power, in the right hands it is beneficent to the whole humanity and in the wrong ones, it is hell.  Jihad in itself is a word, neither bad nor good, it is the struggle to fight our own conscience and win over the humanist ills like anger, hate, malice, jealousy etc. It is the user of Nuclear power that is good or bad, and not the word. Less than 1/10th of 1% abuse nuclear power, Jihad, Religion, presidency, chairmanships of corporations etc. They are dangerous, and we need to round them up and not what they are affiliated with; family, religion, nation, pastor or their holy book. 

 I must give credit to the Israelis on that thing. I am not sure, if I would have been thrown out of the bus in Islamic nations if I had stood up and wanted to correct mis-information. However, I have also seen the disgraceful walls of apartheid which weakens and gurantees insecurity to the Israeli society for years to come. As Mother Teresa says, they need to dialogue.   Insha Allah, I will be in Jerusalem again in December and hope to work for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Two Dutch Imams and I was on the bus, we did our Iftaar with the dates and we gave the Adhan as well in the bus. If you have an interest in seeing my individual share of work, please visit http://www.israelPalestinedialogue.com 

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Please mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

A few other Articles to read if you have the time:
What does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html

Are Muslims a part of the American society?
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html

Please visit http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/ for a record since 2010.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Ramadan day 6 Masjid Al Quran

Ramadan day 6- Masjid Al Quran, Dallas

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 | Ramadan 6, 1433
Masjid Al Quran, 2420 Cedar Crest Blvd, Dallas, TX 75203
(214) 948-3040

• Website:
• URL: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-6-masjid-al-quran.html
• Blog: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/
• Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157630767631798/show/
• Time: 8:36 PM CST

Masjid Al Quraan like Masjid Al Islam also follows the Warith Deen Muhammad tradition of Islam which is identical to the Sunni tradition. Unfortunately the Mosque was closed; they are open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday Iftaar, but not every day. The Mosque gate was locked.
Unlike all other Mosques, the Qur'aan lessons are shared prior to Iftaar. When I visited the Masjid two years ago for Iftaar, this was my observation.

Imam Muhammad Shakoor was speaking and asking the men and women sitting around the tables to read verses from Sura 22 titled Hajj and then he would ask questions and then responds to them. It was quite an interactive session. By the way, there is no separation of men and women in this mosque, all gather around to discuss Quran.

Imam Shakoor is relaxed and packs humor in his talk. I enjoyed the way he was talking about how the Shaitaan attacks ... from the front, back, left and right... and from every where... he was literally doing the chicken dance and it sure was fun to see the Imam with a life.

He talked about patience as a virtue, and referred to 9:32, 6;122-125 and several other verses. He also shared the story of Samson and Delilah and Adam in this context. Where they were given bountiful and were asked to stay away from one item... and they did not, like wise God asks us not to rush to conclusions until all facts are in; patience is the virtue.

Please mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

A few other Articles to read if you have the time:
HAPPY RAMADAN - What does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html

Are Muslims a part of the American society?http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html

Please visit http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/ for a record since 2010.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily. 

Ramadan day 5 Masjid Al Islam

Ramadan day 5 - Masjid Al Islam, Dallas For the first four days visit: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/


Tuesday, July 24, 2012 | Ramadan 5, 1433

Masjid Al Islam, 2604 S. Harwood, Dallas, TX
(214) 421-3839 Website: www.MasjidAlIslam.org

• Link for this article: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-5-masjid-al-islam_25.html
• Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157630754297342/show/
• Iftaar Time: 8:36 PM CST

A few pictures are in the link above

Masjid Al-Islam follows the Warith Deen Muhammad tradition of Islam which is identical to the Sunni tradition.

This is one of the two oldest Mosques in Dallas established in 1968, the other one was on Baghdad street in Grand Prairie, [a predecessor of the Richardson Mosque (Day 2)] another suburb of Dallas/ Fort Worth.

Did you know that the first Muslim in the United States to start the interfaith dialogue was Imam WD Muhammad? Did you know the first man on the earth to start the interfaith dialogue was Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)? Wherever I speak on Islam, I draw blanks on this question from Muslims for God’s sake!

Imam Warith Deen is known as the America’s Imam for his interfaith work. Thanks to him for the work, it is actively carried out with the greatest enthusiasm. One of them was a series called what do the Prophets Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad mean to Jews, Christians and Muslims. It was an enlightening program. I had asked Rabbi Stern to switch the name from Moses to Muhammad, the anchors to the story are same, they way he described them. We recognized Alexis and Marzuk Jaami for their interfaith work at the Unity Day USA in 2009.

I speak at a few South Dallas Churches on Pluralism and Islam, mainly African American ethnicity, one of them was the Church of Living God and the other is Lifeway Church. The WD Muhammad Imams have a strong fellowship and relationship with the Churches surrounding the Mosques. I am perhaps the only non-African American Muslim that participates in their programs. We talk about unity but need to practice and be a part of each other. It is time to bring the change.

Two of the greatest contributions of Imam Warith Deen Muhammad were the outreach/interfaith work and transitioning nearly 1.5 Million Muslims from Nation of Islam to the mainstream Sunni Islamic tradition some four decades ago, that is one massive conversion. The African American Muslim constitute nearly 1/3 of Muslim in America, the other 3^rd is Subcontinentians and the rest re from different nations. Currently 6 Million Americans are claimed to be Muslim, but really don’t know how many, but that is the number quoted by everyone including President Obama, and he is not a Muslim, but his father was. An idea that is difficult to comprehend elsewhere in the world, but it happens in America.

Nation of Islam is another Muslim group of which Minister Louis Farrakhan is the Imam, he is known as Minister Louis Farrakhan.

The Dallas Masjid started out as Mosque on Forest Avenue around 1968. The current location at 2604 S. Harwood in Dallas was purchased in April 1980 by Imam W. D. Muhammad. The dedication ceremony was held in May, 1980 with Imam W. D. Muhammad present.

The following brothers have served as Imams at the Dallas Masjid of Al-Islam at the Harwood location: Imam Qasim Ahmed (1979-1982), Imam Yahya Abdullah (1982-2001), Imam Muhammad Shakoor (2001-2003) and the current Imam now serving is Imam Khalid Shaheed (June 27, 2004).

By the way, one of the first Islamic schools was established in this building, the big house in the picture next to Masjid is called Sister Clara Muhammad School, a fine institution of learning.

I am blessed to have known all the four Imams at this Majid, with fairly regular interactions. Two of them, Imam Yahya and Imam Shakoor are pictured at this link - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/07/dallas-interfaith-imams-and-ramadan.html

I met Imam Qasim Ahmed a month ago at the Week end conference celebrating the life of Imam Warith Deen Muhammad - Khalid Shaheed and Qasim Ahmed are in the picture at, along with Imam Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci and Mike Ghouse . Imam Larry Shariff is also the Imam at this Masjid. http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/06/wd-muhammad-appreciation-week-in-dallas.html

They follow the same tradition as the Sunni and Ahmadiyya in terms of Salat and breaking fast rituals.

I have been to this Masjid for Juma Prayers (different Mosque), this was my first time to visit this Mosque for Iftaar, I called and left a message for Imam Yahya and Imam Larry Shariff…

The Masjid is closed; the Iftaar is usually on the weekends. It was amazing to see the deserted streets from 8 PM on wards. The Iftaar was at 8:36 PM.

I have to share this story. The female dog in the picture was my only company for a while, I got out of the car to take a picture of the Masjid, as the name board was hidden in the trees, and she ran towards me, I jumped back into my van. She seemed harmless, but I did not want to take the risk of getting bit and the hassle of the Rabies shot. She followed me where ever I went… she must have a lot of puppies, as the milk feeders were full.

Please mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

A few other Articles to read if you have the time:

HAPPY RAMADAN - What does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html

Are Muslims a part of the American society?http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html

Please visit http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/ for a record since 2010.

Mike Ghouse is committed to doing his individual share of building cohesive societies and invites you to the 8th Annual Unity Day USA on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. Details at www.UnitydayUSA.com, it’s an event that builds bridges and uplifts every American.