At the time i couldn't think why the Americans had re-elected Dubya. Hadn't they been watching the news? Didn't they know how unpopular he was all around the world?
Today i found out why he got re-elected...
Friday, September 21, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Taraweeh prayers
I'd been ill since the start of the week so i wasn't able to make it to taraweeh prayers until Friday night. Not exactly the start to Ramadan that i was hoping for, but there are still 26 days to gain reward from.
Over the years i've found that the best Imams to pray taraweeh behind are the trained Imams who are ethnically Arab. Since they've grown up speaking the language of the Qur'an, their recitation has all the correct inflections, and the emphases are made in all the right places. A great example is the Egyptian Imam who is leading at East London Mosque this year. It really is a joy to pray behind him and if anyone is able to make it there I really recommend that you head out there one evening.
The worst recitors are the desi Imams in most Hanafi mosques here who don't understand Arabic. Their sole aim seems to be to finish their recitation and get the hell out of the mosque as quick as possible. The recitation combines between bad tajweed and being incomprehensible and unfortunately tonight i found myself behind one such Imam. After two rak'aat i was thinking, what the hell am i doing here? It wasn't a pleasure to listen the recitation because it was going at 100mph, and because it was so fast, i couldn't understand what he was reading - and I'm talking about parts of the Qur'an i've memorised. I'm not going to be praying taraweeh at that mosque again. But i am looking forward to visiting the Moroccan Mosque in Ladbroke Grove to pray behind the Imam who follows the recitation of Warsh. I'll extract a portion of his recitation from a couple of years ago and stick it up here later.
Update: Here is the promised audio clip [~3 Mb]
Over the years i've found that the best Imams to pray taraweeh behind are the trained Imams who are ethnically Arab. Since they've grown up speaking the language of the Qur'an, their recitation has all the correct inflections, and the emphases are made in all the right places. A great example is the Egyptian Imam who is leading at East London Mosque this year. It really is a joy to pray behind him and if anyone is able to make it there I really recommend that you head out there one evening.
The worst recitors are the desi Imams in most Hanafi mosques here who don't understand Arabic. Their sole aim seems to be to finish their recitation and get the hell out of the mosque as quick as possible. The recitation combines between bad tajweed and being incomprehensible and unfortunately tonight i found myself behind one such Imam. After two rak'aat i was thinking, what the hell am i doing here? It wasn't a pleasure to listen the recitation because it was going at 100mph, and because it was so fast, i couldn't understand what he was reading - and I'm talking about parts of the Qur'an i've memorised. I'm not going to be praying taraweeh at that mosque again. But i am looking forward to visiting the Moroccan Mosque in Ladbroke Grove to pray behind the Imam who follows the recitation of Warsh. I'll extract a portion of his recitation from a couple of years ago and stick it up here later.
Update: Here is the promised audio clip [~3 Mb]
Friday, September 07, 2007
He didn't drop out of the clear blue sky
Over the last year or so, i've read with some unease a growing number of attacks on people like Bin Laden, and in particular these attacks come from our American brothers.
The unease isn't because i agree with Bin Laden or his wayward understanding of jihad (as i've mentioned several times before); the unease is because the attacks on him have now descended to nothing more than what you'd expect from a Robert Spencer fan. Previously he was referred to just as a maniac, but Umar Lee in his most recent post likens him to a turd. hmm...
Some of his readers are no better. Abu Sinan also has a bone to pick with bin Laden: apparently he is vain for dyeing his beard black. Solaimaan calls bin Laden a wild baboon and so on.
Worst of all is the affirmation of these usually intelligent bloggers (Solaimaan excluded) that all Bin Laden wants to do is "to see the streets flow red with the blood of millions." It seems that the FOX news they despise so much isn't without effect on them. I think its foolish to believe that Bin Laden is that one-dimensional. Even a cursory glance over his speeches shows that there is more to the man then what the right-wing media would have us believe.
In a country where many brothers are now too frightened to write to innocent imprisoned Muslims for fear of getting a knock at the door, could it be that these American brothers feel they have something to prove?
The unease isn't because i agree with Bin Laden or his wayward understanding of jihad (as i've mentioned several times before); the unease is because the attacks on him have now descended to nothing more than what you'd expect from a Robert Spencer fan. Previously he was referred to just as a maniac, but Umar Lee in his most recent post likens him to a turd. hmm...
Some of his readers are no better. Abu Sinan also has a bone to pick with bin Laden: apparently he is vain for dyeing his beard black. Solaimaan calls bin Laden a wild baboon and so on.
Worst of all is the affirmation of these usually intelligent bloggers (Solaimaan excluded) that all Bin Laden wants to do is "to see the streets flow red with the blood of millions." It seems that the FOX news they despise so much isn't without effect on them. I think its foolish to believe that Bin Laden is that one-dimensional. Even a cursory glance over his speeches shows that there is more to the man then what the right-wing media would have us believe.
In a country where many brothers are now too frightened to write to innocent imprisoned Muslims for fear of getting a knock at the door, could it be that these American brothers feel they have something to prove?
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