Saturday, August 28, 2010

My Favourite Islamic Iphone Apps

I don't know whether or not there are versions of these apps for other platforms, so you'll probably have to check.

Salat Times: Guidedways Ipray: Prayer times and Qiblah Compass ($3.99)

This is a very sleek and polished app. It has the salat times for Fajr, Ishraaq, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha, and even Qiyam (which, might I add, was a feature I recommended ;) ) You can see the prayer times up to 5 days ahead, as well as the phase of the moon, Qibla direction (from sun, moon and north), and dates of islamic events (Year start, Ashoora, Ramadan, Lailat-ul-Qadr, Eid ul-Fitr, Hajj days, Arafah, and Eid-ul-Adha). There are plenty of cities built in, and it will even use the Iphone's gps to determine your location. You can adjust the hijra date and even individual prayer times, mail the days or month's prayer times. Plus there are a few nice themes to choose from!

There is a free, lite version available. The only real differences are that it will not use the iPhone's built in compass to show you the Qibla direction (you'll have to get the angle from north, then open the compass app), and if memory serves, it won't let you adjust individual prayer times. And I think the number of notifications the app can send you regarding prayer times is less in the lite version. I recommend buying the full version, it's worth it to have the Qibla direction shown to you within the app, and adjust individual prayer times. 


Quran: Guidedways IQuran Pro (4.99)

This is an excellent Quran reader, you can choose from many languages (multiple english ones too, including Shakir, Mohsin Khan, Yusuf Ali, Pickthal, and Mohd Asad) including a Transliteration! You can also select from a bunch of different reciters for any audio that you've downloaded (Sheikh Husary, Mishary Rahsed Al-Afasy, Saood & Shuraim, Abu Bakr Ash-Shatree, Abdul Basit, and Ghamdi) and you can download all or individual Surats as you like! There's the brilliant option to add notes, and bookmarks, plus you can search through the translation you're reading! Now, I have found some mistransliterations here and there, but I notified the developers and they're fixing it. My only real gripe with this app (apart from it's relatively steep price) is it's transliteration. It's very good, except that you have to guess s's, h's, t's, and th's because they don't differentiate between ث and ظ and ذ, or ت and ط, or ح and ه, or ص and س. The only thing they give you are ع's which are shown as two capital A's next to each other. But perhaps they'll fix this in a future update ;).

Hadith: Adaptive Solution's Daily Hadith (free)

This is a very simple app; every day it will download a new hadith from their website, complete with a little blurb about it. The hadith's get saved to your device for viewing later. You can bookmark your favourite hadith's, as well as email them to friends. 

Honorable mention goes to Thaer Ali's Hadith Al Bukhari, it's the complete collection of Sahih Bukhari in a single app, for only $0.99. You can bookmark hadith's and email them, you can even search. The search however, is VERY slow, but it is digging through a massive book...still, it's irritating in a hurry, especially if it doesn't turn up anything. If anyone knows a better one, please let me know! :D

Dua: Thaer Ali's IDua ($0.99)

This is essentially a digital version of the very popular Fortification of the Muslim through Remembrance and supplication from the Quraan and the Sunnah book compiled and referenced by Sa'eed Ibn Ali Ibn Wahf Al-Qahtaani. Unfortunately, there's no option to search, bookmark, or email. And the back button, will only take you to the previous dua, not the title or last screen (which we're so used to thanks to internet browser layout :P). Still, it's my favourite because of it's coverage. If you want to try before you buy, simply find the paper version! :P

Thikr: Guidedways Isubha ($1.99)

A very sleek looking (like all their apps actually) app, that will give you a list of common Tasbeeh's, then let you push a little counter that will show how many you've made. It will make a noise and vibrate whenever you've done 33, 66, or 100, and it has a very nice little animation or prayer beads that appear every time you count. It includes a session counter, a total tasbeeh counter, as well as session and total timers. You can password protect your statistics so no one can see them, as well as pause and resume sessions. Unfortunately, the tasbeeh's are written in arabic, so you'll need to know a little arabic to read them, but you can add your own ones in english! I don't know how high it will count though, hopefully I'll find out soon! :D

Additional:

Thaer Ali's Hadith Qudsi (free): a collection of hadith in an app similar to his Idua app.

Magnicode's Qwords ($6.99, but there's a free lite version): a good idea, but not perfectly executed, this app will teach you the most common words in the Quran. It will display the english translation, the arabic word and an ayat in which it appears. It will also speak the word for you. Unfortunately, navigation is a little difficult, so try the lite version before dropping some cash for it. 

Aman Akbar's Allah's 99 Names (free): I had a hard time finding a decent app for God's 99 names. All I really wanted was a massive list of the names, with english translation. This one is just that (a random button would have been nice though) It displays the name in a beautiful painting, with transliteration and translation below. 

Know any other good apps? Or better versions of Apps that I have? Let me know in the comments! :D

Friday, August 20, 2010

Islamic Scavenger Hunt

Well...not so much a scavenger hunt as a todo list of sorts. Just look at the list, you'll understand :)



  1. Salat
    1. Pray Fajr on a Friday in congregation at the masjid in Summer (Super early :D ) 
    2. Pray Fajr on a Friday in congregation at the masjid in Winter (Freezing Cold :D)
    3. Pray Mondays Super Prayer
    4. Pray Tuesdays Super Prayer
    5. Pray Wednesdays Super Prayer
    6. Pray Thursdays Super Prayer
    7. Pray Fridays Super Prayer
    8. Pray Saturdays Super Prayer
    9. Pray Sundays Super Prayer
    10. Pray in front of the Kaabah at Makkah
    11. Pray in the Prophets Masjid in Medina
    12. Pray in a Parking lot
    13. Pray by the side of the road outside the city
    14. Pray at Makkah's Anitpode ((-21.42251475036138, -140.17380148172379)) (**bonus points if you make Tawaf :P) 
    15. Legally miss a prayer without an excuse. (it's possible, I did it ;) )
    16. Pray in a public place but where you have a bit of privacy (like in a remote aisle or between bookshelves).
    17. Pray every night in the last 10 Days of Ramadan
    18. Attend every Tarawih prayer during a Ramadan
    19. Lead a prayer of more than 
      1. 1 person
      2. 5 people
      3. 10 people
      4. 15 people
      5. 20 people
      6. 50 people
      7. 100 people
    20. Spend a whole night in prayer (Isha to Fajr)
  2. Fasting
    1. Fast the longest day of the year.
    2. Fast a day that's over 28ºC
  3. Dua
    1. Say, sincerely,: "There is no God other than Allah (SWT), Who is One and has no partner, the Owner of absolute Sovereignty and Praise, Who gives life and death, Who is Ever Living and never dying, in Whose Hand is All good and Who has power over all things" (you'll get thousands of good deeds recorded, thousands of bad deeds wiped, and a Palace in Heaven) in a market (**by mall, they mean market or shopping centre, bazaar, etc, and you may want to go for a more markety atmosphere so rather than a mall maybe a Sooq, where theres a bunch of noise and people shouting sales prices and stuff like that. The idea is to remember Allah (SWT) sincerely in the area most affiliated with this life. Although, Dubai is the poster city for everything "this life". :P):
      1. The biggest mall* in your city
      2. The biggest mall* in your province/state/territory
      3. The biggest mall* in your country (West Edmonton for Canadians)
      4. The biggest mall* in the world (The Dubai Mall (based on area))
    2. Make dua in each hour of a Friday
    3. Make duas, calling God by each of His 99 names.
  4. Quran
    1. Recite aloud the whole Quran in Arabic
      1. From a transliteration
      2. By reading the arabic
        1. With Tajweed
    2. Read the entire Quran
    3. Listen to the Entire Quran
      1. in arabic
      2. in translation of your choice
    4. Memorize the entire Quran
    5. Write the entire Quran
      1. transliteration
      2. arabic
      3. translation of your choice
  5. Travelling
    1. Visit the tomb of Muhammad (SAW)
    2. Visit the Al-Aqsa Masjid
    3. Visit the Masjid Al-Haram at Mecca
    4. Visit the Prophets Masjid in Medina
    5. Visit the Dome of the Rock
    6. Visit the Cave of Hira where the revelation began
  6. Masjid
    1. Walk to the Masjid on a friday from your house.
    2. Make the Athan on a friday at the Masjid
    3. Build a Masjid
  7. Other
    1. Talk to a dead person. (They can hear you.)
    2. Plant a tree and have it survive until maturity
    3. Have a dream come true. (Sleep: Dream: wake up: dream came true. Wetting the bed doesn't count.)

More to come hopefully! :D

Friday, August 13, 2010

Muslim Girls

There's this song by a popular female recording artist detailing how girls from a certain region of the United States are preferable to those from anywhere else and it's chorus goes:


California girls 
We're unforgettable 
Daisy Dukes 
Bikinis on top 
Sun-kissed skin 
So hot 
We'll melt your Popsicle 
Oooooh oh oooooh 

But are these really the kinds of girls that are preferable over others? 

California girls (no problems here, California's a nice place, and at least the gender's right)
We're unforgettable (again, that's fine, no real problems with that)
Daisy Dukes (probably haram if worn around in public, etc.)
Bikinis on top (again, probably haram if worn around in public, etc)
Sun-kissed skin (not a problem on it's own, but maybe we shouldn't be able to tell so easily?)
So hot (I'd like to think they're talking about the weather, but I know better.)
We'll melt your Popsicle (blatant innuendo, although the mental image is kind of disturbing.)
Oooooh oh oooooh (the supercalafragalisticexpialidocious of the music world, along with "yeah")


So, I thought to myself, I wonder what the chorus would sound like if it were about the types of girls that Muslim guys (heck, ANY guy) SHOULD be going for, and I came up with this:

Devout muslim girls 
they're unforgettable,
loose pants, loose shirts
hijabs on top.
Makeup free skin,
modest, devout, and humble
Oooooh oh oooooh

And a verse by verse analysis:

Devout muslim girls (devout: check, muslim: check, girl: check) 
they're unforgettable, (darn tootin'!)
loose pants, loose shirts (long dress, jilbab, abaya, burka, or niqab are also acceptable) 
hijabs on top. (as in headscarf not full hijab since we established the rest of the dress in the previous verse)
Makeup free skin, (save it for their hubbies and/or girly get togethers, they don't need it anyway)
modest, devout, and humble (great, repeated for effect, splendid)
Oooooh oh oooooh (just to maintain the same structure as the original)




sometimes I wonder if I have too much free time..... :P

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Meat and Potatoes of the Quran

1. Al Fatiha

Unfortunately, this is one of those vaguely good things in Islam. The Angels got really excited about it, but we're not really given a concrete reason why:

Sayyidina Ib Abbas related that while Jibreel (AS) was sitting with the Prophet (SAW) he heard a cracking sound above him, and after raising his head said, "This is a gate opened in heaven today which has never been opened before". Ten when an angel descended through it he said, "This is an angel come down to earth who has never come down before". he gave salutation and said "Rejoice in two lights brought to you which have not been brought to any Prophet before you: Fathatul-Kitab and the last ayat of Surah Al-Baqarah. you will not recite a phrase of them without being given the blessing it contains." (Hisn Haseen)

2. Al Baqarah

The devil will flee from the house in which it is recited. (Tirmizi, Ma'ariful Hadith)
It will come as a cloud or flock of birds as an intercessor for the reciter, on judgement day.
It's recitation produces blessing and abandoning it produces regret and the slothful are unable to recite it. (Muslim Ma'ariful hadith).

3. Al Imran

Like Al Baqarah, it will come as a cloud or flock of birds as an intercessor for the reciter on judgement day.

4. Al Kahf

Recitation on a friday produces a light which will shine brightly on him (which probably means they'll get a bunch of blessings, continuously) until next friday. (Baihaqi, Ma'ariful Hadith)

5. Yasin

Recitation out of desire for Allah (SWT)'s favor results in forgiveness of past sins. This is a good one to recite over those who are dying. (Baihaqi, Ma'ariful Hadith)

6. Al Waqiah
Recitation every night will remove want from the reciter. (Baihaqi, Ma'ariful Hadith)

7. Al Mulk

30 Ayats of PURE INTERCESSION POWER, surah Al Mulk will interceed for it's reciter on judgement day until all their sins are forgiven. (Ahmad, Tirmizi, Abu Dawood, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ma'arful Hadith)

8. Al Sajdah

This one's just listed as a Prophetic favorite to recite before sleep.

9. At Takathur

One coupon for At takathur will buy you the equivalent of 1000 verses: Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) has related that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said "Can one of you not recite a thousand verses daily?" Then when he was asked who could recite a thousand verses daily, he replied, "Can one of you not recite "Rivalry has distracted you?"" (Baihaqi, Ma'ariful Hadith)

10. Al Ikhlas
Worth 1/3 of the Quran in merit, but also anyone who recites "Say, He is Allah, One" one hundred times, while lying on their right side when about to sleep, the Lord will say to them on the day or resurrection "My servant, enter paradise to your right.". (Tirmizi, Ma'ariful Hadith)

11. Al Falaq and An Nisa

Just because, usually before bed. (Bukhari, Ma'ariful Hadith)

12. Ayat Al Kursi

Recitation before bed is protection until waking (Probably in Bukhari, it's pretty popular), but it's known as the greatest ayah in the Quran (Mishkat).

13. The Last Ayat of Surat Al Baqarah

Again, a kind of abstract one: Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said (in response to a question about ayats and surahs) "The end of Surat Al Baqarah (Ayat 285 and 286) for it is one of the treasures of Allah's mercy from under His Throne which he gave to his people, and there is no good in this world and the next which it does not include" (Darami, Ma'ariful Hadith)

14. The Last Ayat of Surat Al Imran (Actually Ayats 190 to 194)

When recited at night, results in the reward for a night spent in prayer recorded for them. (Related by Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan)

15. The Last 3 Ayats of Surat Al Hashr, after "The Ta'awuz"

So:
The Ta'awuz is: "I seek refuge in Allah, the Hearer, and Knower, from the accursed devil"
then follow it with the #22, #23 and #24 of Surat Al Hashr and you get:
not 7, not 70, not even 100, but 70,000, that's SEVENTY THOUSAND angels to invoke blessings on you until the evening. Do this in the evening and you.... "will be in that rank" which I imagine means, get the same thing until sunrise. And should you meet your end, you shall die as a martyr. (Tirmizi, Ibn Sa'd, Hisn Haseen)

So yeah, whip out those Quran's and get reading!