Eid ul- Adha 2011.

Eid al-Adha- (“feast of sacrifice”) or "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Ismail) as an act of obedience to Allah, before Allah intervened to provide Him with a ram to sacrifice instead. The meat is divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the other third is given to the poor and needy.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from Surah 2 (Al-Baqara) Ayat 196 in the Al Quraan.. Like Eid ul Fitri, Eid al-Adha begins with a sunat muaakad prayer of two rakaat (units) followed by a sermon (khutbah).

The word "Eid" appears in Sura al-Mai'da ("The Table Spread," Chapter 5) of the Qur'an, meaning 'solemn festival'.

Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid al-Adha celebrations starts after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Plain of Arafah. The date is approximately 70 days (2 Months & 10 days) after the end of the month of Ramadan, i.e. Eid-ul-Fitri. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Plain of Arafah.

Malaysians will celebrate Eid al-Adha on 06 November 2011 (Sunday). For those who are performing their Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, they will all move to the Plain of Arafah just after Friday prayer on 04 November 2011. All Muslims who perform the Hajj must assemble at the Plain of Arafah on 05 November 2011 and leave for Mina passing through (mabit) at Mudzalifah just after sunset on 05 November 2011. Presence at the Plain of Arafah is compulsory in the Hajj rituals, failing which the pilgrimage is null and void. The Pilgrims will then camp in Mina for three (3) consecutive days to perform the stoning of the Devils at the three (3) jamrahs. Those who do not wish to camp in Mina may do so but they must came back to Mina for the next consecutive three (3) days to perform the stoning.

Stoning of the Devils.

The tents in Mina.

I was at the Plain of Arafah on 26 March 1999 and on the following day I was in Mina, the day of Eid al-Adha. I was 53 years of age then when I performed the Hajj. For four (4) days and nights I stayed in the tent with only plain plastic sheet as mattress and an empty cushion cover stuffed with spare ihram as pillow. It was the biggest congregation of human beings at one particular place, about three million Pilgrims. It was not comfortable but I got to make do what was available. I came to this place to surrender to Allah. The biggest constraint was the Bathroom and Washroom. The temporary unit was limited and both in one to cater the hundreds of Pilgrims in the Camp. Cool air-blower was installed in the respective tent to deter the desert heat. I went through the four days and it was time to move back to the Holy City of Mecca on the fifth day. Thousands of buses and vans headed for the same directions and we were rather crawling our way back to the Holy City.

I made the biggest mistake upon arrival at my Hotel room. Around midday we reached back to the Hotel and I was delighted to see the posh bathroom and gleefully took a cold shower. Since I did not have a good bath for the past three days, I thoroughly cleansed my body and spent sometimes enjoying the cool flow of water. Out of the bathroom, I chilled and needed several blankets to warm me up. As the air condition unit was central, I was helpless. I was sneezing and immediately had a running nose. It was only the following day I fully recovered from the mishap and able to perform my Hajj tawaf and saie. Up to this very day, anytime I was in Mecca, passing Tower 7 of Hilton Mekah, memories of 1999 Hajj came to my mind. I learned a terrible lesson and from there on I never take a cold shower during the day in Mecca.

Circulating seven times of the Kaabah (tawaf).

One fond memory about my Hajj was when we got chased by the Arabs, alleging that we committed bidaah (wrong doing). On the eve of our journey to the Plain of Arafah, we gathered at the Hilton Surau to read the Yaseen and performing the tahleel. During the midst of our ritual, an Arab gentleman accompanied by few local resident Indonesians equipped with a portable microphone rushed into the Surau demanding us to stop immediately. Since he was speaking in Arabic, a few of us thought that he came in to participate and read the doa. Later I came to understand that he was lecturing us that the Holy Prophet did not do what we did before leaving for the Plain of Arafah. Therefore our ritual was considered as bidaah - something that was contrary to the act of the Holy Prophet. We dispersed quietly to our respective hotel room and laughed about it. The Ustaz who led the pack stayed back to answer and it was aired immediately on the radio about the Hilton Surau incident preventing others from doing the same.

To all my Muslim friends – Happy Eid ul-Adha. To those who have not perform their Hajj, never mind, insert your niat (intention) and Insyaalah (Allah willing), Almighty Allah will grant your intention and He will summon you to the Holy Land.

Isreal will attack Iran?

State Department Fears Israel May Attack Iran Unilaterally

by Jason Ditz, November 01, 2011

Israel is often said to be a nation with an eye constantly on its next war. But with an invasion of the Gaza Strip apparently already in the offing, the nation seems to have its eyes on more than one future war, with an attack on Iran also being pushed.

Top Israeli officials familiar with the situation say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has redoubled his efforts to convince the rest of his cabinet to back an attack on Iran, and that he has finally won over hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to his side.

Ministers insisted no decision has been made yet on the attack, but with Defense Minister Ehud Barak already on board, the effort to muster a majority of the cabinet seems to be going quite well. Other ministers also agree on the attack in theory but have expressed a preference that the Israeli government convince the US to attack instead.

The decision might come sooner than we expect too, as Western analysts say that winter cloud cover would make an Israeli attack extremely inconvenient for several months and might convince them to launch in the next few weeks in an effort to beat the weather.

The US is also said to be extremely concerned about a unilateral Israeli attack and is channeling that concern into pressing for more and more sanctions against Iran, with officials believing that new sanctions would convince Israel that the international community is sticking it to Iran sufficiently that a full on military attack can wait a few more months.

Two former Israeli intelligence officials, Meir Dagan and Yuval Diskin, are reportedly suspected of leaking to prevent attack

by John Glaser, November 03, 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered an investigation into alleged leaks of plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to reports.

The main suspects for the leak are the former heads of Israel’s intelligence agencies the Mossad and the Shin Bet, Meir Dagan and Yuval Diskin respectively. Netanyahu purportedly suspects that the two former agents leaked the information in an attempt to thwart an effort by him and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to push for a unilateral, preemptive attack on Iran.

Top Israeli officials familiar with the situation say that Netanyahu is and has been redoubling his efforts to convince the rest of his cabinet to back an attack on Iran, and that he has finally won over hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to his side. On Wednesday, Israel test-fired a ballistics missile immediately after Netanyahu warned of a “direct and heavy threat” posed by Iran’s nuclear program.

If the reports about the Netanyahu administration’s suspicions are true and Dagan and Diskin did leak the information to prevent an attack, which had moved from the stage of discussion to implementation, it would certainly be consistent with previous statements from the two. Back in May, Netanyahu and Barak condemned Dagan for saying publicly that a strike on Iran would be “the stupidest thing I have ever heard.”

“It seems that only Netanyahu and Barak know, and maybe even they haven’t decided,” Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, both respected Haaretz writers told The Guardian. “While many people say Netanyahu and Barak are conducting sophisticated psychological warfare and don’t intend to launch a military operation, top officials … are still afraid.”

I HATE WAR.

KRU New Mosque as at 01 November 2011.

Rear entrance under the Anjung Utama.

Constructing the septic tank pump house.

Domestic water pump house.

Incomplete rear concrete fencing.

Status of Mehrab and Mimbar.

Frame installed.( left side).

Aluminum frame sliding door with tinted glass panes.

Men ablution area.

Women ablution area.

Left side corridor pillars.

The Dome and Courtyard.

Interior of Multipurpose hall- the stage.

Rear view of the New Mosque from within the complex.

The New Mosque viewed from Pandamaran Sports Complex (across Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, Main road of Klang/Port Klang).

For a Kampong Mosque it is elegant. More elegant than the present main Mosque of Port Klang town. The surrounding Suraus temporarily converted as Mosques should revert as just Suraus and this New Mosque can easily accommodate the surrounding Jemaah during Friday prayers.

The New Mosque status.

What can I say? It is two (2) more months to the end of 2011 and was supposed to complete by the year end. I don’t know how many times I had changed my forecast and now I am going to predict the final. The Mosque should be ready by June 2012, minus one or two months. Hope I am not wrong this time.

Work is in progress but rather slow, here and there. Most significant observed when I was on site; the workers were constructing the pump house at the septic tanks. Several sliding doors with tinted glasses had been installed.

Ablution sections and Washrooms for Men, Women and VIP still outstanding, waiting for final finishing and everything were already in place.

The mehrab and mimbar remained status quo as fortnight ago.

In the meantime, the kampong residents will throng the current Mosque and with the current wet season, the Siak had to place basin and pail to sustain the leak. I don’t think the Committee would want to address the problem as we are shifting. When? Only Allah knows.