Prosperity

:sl: Mabrook masha'Allah, brother! Allah yibariklakum, may Allah bless her, and may she grow up to be a pious, loving and devoted daughter ya Rabb.

:sl: Me too! I love all Maher Zain's songs, they're great masha'Allah.

:sl: This thread is still in action! 'Tis good to be back. Speaking of public transportation, it would be fabulous if we could get it over here in KSA. Just saying.

:sl: I've often heard that being said, here on IF specifically. Is it true? I'm not as familiar with the Yemeni dialect as others (even though it's closer to home, KSA), but the times I have heard it spoken, I honestly couldn't understand it clearly. I wouldn't have thought of it as being the closest to fus-ha. How is it so? Do you mean pronunciation-wise, or in other aspects?

:sl: As the brothers have already clarified, Jawaaher جواهر means jewels. There is no "G" (for gold) sound in the Arabic alphabet, only "J" ج (for jewel). However, in the Egyptian dialect (slang), they do pronounce J as G (e.g. Gameel instead of Jameel (beautiful)). This isn't correct, though.

:sl: The issue of music is a controversial one in Islam. For discussions on the Islamic ruling on music, refer to the Controversial Issues section, here: http://www.gawaher.com/topic/33527-the-issue-of-music-in-Islam/

:sl: There isn't one type spoken by the majority; it all depends on the region. It's like how the British speak British English and Americans speak American English and Australians speak Australian English. Different dialects and accents.

Wa 'Alaykum Assalaam, brother Mujeeb Welcome to IF! Insha'Allah you have a fruitful and enjoyable stay.

:sl: Although I do think I prefer the old look (in that the categories and sections were more defined and clear as opposed to being mostly white with no lines to separate them), as far as I've checked out, the new features are interesting. I like how it has a slight social-network-iness about it, with things like the status and Like button.

When speaking in praise about himself, the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him did so, not out of arrogance and confidence in himself as Muhammad ibn Abdullah, but as the Prophet of Allah. He teaches us to love him and hold him in high regard because of his status as the Prophet of Allah. In other words, what makes him so worthy of such praise is his prophethood. He himself PBUH recognised this, that even in salah (prayer), he would recite as we do 'Allahumma salli 'alaa Muhammad wa 'alaa aali Muhammad...' - 'O Allah, send your peace and blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad...'; he would not say 'O Allah, send your peace and blessings on me and my family'. He detached his own personal self from his position of prophethood, so that if someone didn't understand this, they would probably see his praise of himself as extreme arrogance, when in fact that is not the case; it is just an emphasis on the honour and high status of a prophet of God (and Muhammad PBUH being the Last and one of the most beloved) that he teaches us to respect and value. What further proves that he PBUH praised himself not out of arrogance but out of love and respect for Allah and his prophets as a whole, is the examples that some of the brothers gave which illustrate the Prophet's humility, humbleness and modesty in all other aspects of his life, with his family and friends and so on. This is no contradiction in his character PBUH, it is simply a distinction that he himself recognised, between his position as a prophet of Allah and as a man. Of course we as Muslims love and respect him PBUH for who he is as a whole. I am just trying to explain why the Prophet PBUH would praise himself so, and how it isn't out of arrogance.

:sl: I don't use public transport (no choice here in KSA), but if I did, I would give my seat up for the elderly and those in need (pregnant women, the disabled etc).

:sl: I've changed my answer to sister Aamina's and Redeem's. :sl:

:sl: Jazaakillaahu kheyran aunty, a touching story and a good lesson.

:sl: There must be an answer regarding the beginning of creation, and since science as a whole rejects the idea of eternity and something coming from nothing (it goes against all scientific logic as we know it) then it will never have an explanation for the beginning of creation. Because the fact is, it is either one of two things: 1- There was no beginning to creation, it has always 'just been there'. Which goes against science, since according to science there is no such thing as eternity. 2- It just 'was', and just 'became' of its own accord. Which also goes against scientific logic, because science tells us that everything comes from something. And since that something is not known (and even if it was, it still wouldn't be scientifically logical, since that something would have to have come from something, and that something from something else...taking us back to 'eternity'), then the beginning of creation cannot be explained scientifically, hence, the only explanation is that it was 'created' by someone. That Someone being a divine being - God.

:sl: Aw masha'Allah aunty umAhmad and sis Aamina. I do miss snow. I haven't seen it for over three years now. It remains as humid and warm as ever here in Jeddah, KSA. Although the weather is becoming breezier and cooler, seeing as it's 'winter', alhamdulillah.