azan time

What You Do Not Know About Masjid Jamek

What You Do Not Know About Masjid Jamek 150 150

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Jamek, or Jumaat means Friday in the Malay language. It is significant because prayers are held every Friday afternoon. Prayers on Friday afternoons are as important to Muslims as Saturdays are to Jews, and Sundays are to Christians. Masjid, as you may have guessed, means mosque.

There is a tourist counter on the left as soon as one enters the mosque compound. Make sure you are dressed well. For women, you are required to wear a robe, which you can get from the tourist centre. If you are denied entry, which is quite common late in the day or during prayer times, it’s ok. Just stand at the gate and peep in.

The Sultan of Selangor officially opened Masjid Jamek on the 23rd of December 1909. The Resident of Selangor, or Selangor’s British administrator at that time was HC Belfield. Both they, and other officials witnessed the ceremony that was held outside the Mosque.

The designer was A.B Hubback, a government architect who was intrigued by the Mogul architecture of India. This is the city’s oldest surviving mosque and it is constructed on the site of the first Malay cemetery. Masjid Jamek it is located right at where Klang River and Gombak River meet.

Masjid Jamek was built with inspiration from the Mogul mosques of North India. In fact, there are many similarities between this mosque and the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi if you have been there. The brick walls and the white arched supporting columns, or small pillars are similar. On the corners, you can see the cupolas and the minarets, or towers.

There are three giant domes on top of the prayer hall. The central dome stands at 21.3 metres or 70 feet high and is flanked by two lower domes. Domes in Islamic architecture often signify the vaults between heaven and the sky.

The prayer hall is usually empty and without furniture to allow for as many worshippers as possible in a single prayer session. On a typical Friday afternoon prayer, this place is packed.

The hall opens out onto a ‘sahn’ or courtyard, which has now been covered over to allow for even more space. You can recognize it with its white tent.

There are also two red and white striped minarets. They have small chatris or umbrella-shaped cupolas on top. There are a large number of small chatris at the top of the entrance and at the corners of the mosque.

Speakers are placed in the minarets and they are used broadcast the azan, or the Muslim call to prayer. You might even hear it during this tour.

Until the opening of the National Mosque in 1965, Masjid Jamek served as Kuala Lumpur’s principal mosque.

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Source by Teng Ky-Gan

Where’s My Muse?

Where’s My Muse? 150 150

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The word muse is related to the Latin word mens and the English mind. Centuries ago a poet had no books to hold his words, so he relied on his memory to tell his stories, which is how these beings were given the collective name Muse. Born in the village of Piera at the foot of the majestic Mount Olympus in Greece, the Muses are the daughters of Zeus, king of the Ancient Greek Gods, and Mnemosyne, a titaness who represented memory. They had a nurse called Eupheme, who looked after them with her own sun, the hunter called Crotus.

In keeping with their inspirational roles sacrifices to the Muses included honey, milk and water. The Muses also had many famous friends amongst the Greek mythological characters. The goddess Athena gave them the winged horse Pegasus, while Apollo was the head of their choir. The Muses appear throughout Greek mythology, guiding and teaching many different characters. The riddle the Sphinx used at Thebes was supplied by the Muses. They taught the tragic nymph Echo how to sing and play music, and are associated with the three Charities.

Here, in alphabetical order, is a brief outline of the nine Muses:

Calliope

The oldest Muse, she is the muse of Epic Poetry, and was Homer’s inspiration for The Illiayd and The Odyssey. Apollo fathered her sons Orpheus and Linus. She’s usually pictured carrying either a writing tablet, a roll of paper or a book. She wears a golden crown.

Clio

The muse of History, she is said to have introduced the Phoenician alphabet to Greece. She carries a parchment scroll or a set of stone tablets. Her name means “make famous”, which probably accounts for her other name: The Proclaimer. A relationship with Pierus, King of Macedonia, produced her son Hyacinth

Erato

Considered the most beautiful muse, she is responsible for the rather unusual combination of Love Poetry and Mimicry. She’s usually pictured with a lyre, and had a son called Azan with Arcas, a character who was turned into the constellation Ursa Minor.

Eurtepe

Known as the muse of pleasure, she is actually the muse of Music. Later in Greek mythology she was given the title of muse of lyric poetry and depicted holding a flute. Her son Rhesus was fathered by the river Strymon – only in mythology! He died fighting at Troy.

Melpomene

Despite her beautiful voice, she is known as the muse of Tragedy, and is often depicted wearing the actors’ mask of tragedy. She wears a crown of cypress, and holds the actor’s mask of tragedy in one hand and a club or knife in the other.

Polyhymnia

This is one busy lady! Known as the muse of geometry, agriculture, mime and meditation she is also the muse of Sacred Poetry. Her many responsibilities are perhaps the reason she’s usually depicted with a thoughtful face, dressed in a cloak and wearing a long veil and leaning on a pillar! She brings distinction to writers whose work has won them immortal fame.

Terpsichor

Although she’s the muse of Dancing, she usually portrayed seated and holding a lyre. This is the character Olivia Newton John portrayed in the film Xanadu. Her liaison with the river god Achelous supposedly resulted in the birth of the Sirens.

Thalia

She wears the actor’s mask of comedy – the opposite of the one worn by Melpomene. She is the muse of Comedy and Playful and Idyllic Poetry. She’s often pictured holding a shepherd’s crook, a tribute to her role of a rural goddess. A relationship with Apollo produced the Corybantes, priests loyal to the goddess Cybele.

Urania

She uses the position of the stars to foretell the future, which is why she’s the muse of Astrology as well as Astronomy. She wears a cloak covered in stars, and is usually depicted staring thoughtfully at the heavens. She’s patron of those concerned with the heavens and philosophy, and is associated with the Holy Spirit and universal love.

Although synonymous with good thoughts and artistic interpretation, the Muses had an unpleasant side. One myth claims that jealous Hera arranged a singing contest between the Muses and the Sirens, who had bird bodies and beautiful faces. The Muses won, and promptly plucked all the feathers from the Sirens’ bodies and made themselves some rather fine crowns. This seems to negate the suggestion that the Sirens were born of the muse Terpsichor!

The musician Thamyris learned the hard way not to challenge the Muses. So confident was he of his prowess that he arranged a contest with them, with the agreement that he would have his wicked way with them all after he won. Of course he lost, and the Muses took two dreadful prizes from him – his sight and his musical ability. So enamoured were the king and queen of Emathia of the Muses they named their nine daughters for them. The inevitable contest came up, and naturally the Muses won. They promptly punished the losers by turning all nine daughters into birds.

When one considers how many Greek Myths and legends are alive today these nine girls obviously did a good job. So perhaps they’re more important than we originally thought. Sources of encouragement and inspiration throughout the ages… just don’t enter any contests featuring the Muses!

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Source by Sarah Todd

Islamic Prayer Times, Salat Time and Prayer Information

Islamic Prayer Times, Salat Time and Prayer Information 150 150

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Prayer times refers to times when Muslims perform prayers. The term is primarily used for the five daily prayers plus the Friday prayer. According to Muslim beliefs, the salat times were taught by Allah to Muhammad.

Salat times are standard for Islamic in the world, especially the prayer times. They depend on the condition of the Sun and geography. There are varying opinions regarding the exact salat times, the schools of Muslim thought differing in minor details. all schools agree that any given salat cannot be performed before its stipulated time.

Islamic Daily Five Prayer In the World:

The five daily prayers (Salat) are obligatory and they are performed at times determined essentially by the position of the Sun in the sky. Hence, salat times vary at different locations on the Earth.

1st Prayer – Fajr (Pre Down):

The Fajr Prayer is the 2 rak’at obligatory prayer (‘Subuh’ prayer) of the five daily prayers offered by practising Muslims. Fajr begins at subh saadiq – true dawn or morning twilight when the morning light appears across the full width of the sky and ends at sunrise. The Fajr prayer is mentioned by name in the Qur’an at sura 24 ayah. Inspired by the tafsir of the two hadiths that were transmitted on behalf of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the worth of the Fajr daily prayer is explained as being God’s most-favoured prayer since others are asleep.

2nd Prayer – Dhuhr (Midday):

Dhuhr is the Prayer after midday(But before the time for the Ase prayer). It has been said that the name Dhuhr was given to this Salat because it falls halfway between two daily prayers, those being Fajr which denotes the beginning of dawn and Isha, the first instant of complete darkness. It is the second of the five daily prayers, Performed daily by practicing Muslims. The Dhuhr prayer (Zuhr Prayer) starts after the sun passes its zenith, and lasts almost 20 min (approx.) before Asr. It’s better to say the salah in between 2 hours after the Azan has been announced from Mosque. Shia (Jafari madhab) differs regarding end of dhuhr time. Per all major Jafari jusrists, end of dhuhr time is about 10 minutes before sunset, the time that belongs exclusively to asr prayer. Dhuhr and asr time overlaps, apart from first 5 minutes of dhuhr, which is exclusively delegated for it. Asr prayer cannot be offered before dhuhr in the dhuhr time.

3rd Prayer – Asr (Afternoon):

The Asr prayer is the afternoon daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. It is the third of the five daily prayers. The Asr daily prayer may be mentioned as the middle prayer in the Qur’an at sura 2 (Al-Baqara), ayat 238, and also the name of a short sura (surat al-Asr). The Asr prayer starts when the shadow of an object is the same length as the object itself plus the shadow length at Dhuhr, and lasts till sunset. Asr can be split into two sections; the preferred time is before the sun starts to turn orange, while the time of necessity is from when the sun turns orange until sunset.

Jafari madhab differs regarding start of asr time. Per all major Jafari jusrists, start of asr time is about 5 minutes after the time of sun passing through zenith, that time belongs exclusively to Dhuhr Salat. Time for dhuhr and asr prayers overlap, but the dhuhr prayer must be offered before asr, except the time about 10 minutes before sunset, which is delegated exclusively to asr. In the case that the mentioned time is reached, asr prayer should be offered first (ada – on time) and dhuhr (kada – make up, late) Salah should be offered after asr.

4th Prayer Maghrib (sunset):

The Maghrib prayer prayed just after sunset, is the fourth of five formal daily prayers (salat) performed by practicing Muslims. The Maghrib prayer begins when the sun sets, and lasts till the red light has left the sky in the west. To be considered valid salat, the formal daily prayers must each be performed within their own prescribed time period. people with a legitimate reason have a longer period during which their prayers will be valid.

5th Prayer Isha’a (night):

The Isha’a salat starts when the red light is gone from the western sky, and lasts until the rise of the “white light” (fajr sadiq) in the east. The preferred time for Isha’a is before midnight, meaning halfway between sunset and sunrise.

There are a few optional prayers that can be recited after the Isha’ Salah, including the Nafilat ul-Layl prayers, as well as the tarawih in Ramadan.

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Source by Nadine K Sauriol