ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ The Prayer of Need (Salat al-Hajah) or Istikhara?- - - Salat al-Hajah is a prayerfor need, to bring your needs to Allah

Salat al-Hajah is a prayerfor need, to bring your needs to Allah
~
There is a difference between Salat al-Istikhara,which is the Guidance
Prayer, and Salat al-Hajah, the Prayer of Need. So how do you know
which one you should pray in your situation?
You should pray Salat al-Istikahara when you aretrying to determine
the best course of action in any situation. Maybe you are trying to
decide between two different important life paths, or you have been
offered an opportunity and you don'tknow if you should take it.Salat
al-Istikhara is a prayer to ask Allah to bring you the best outcome,
and keep evil faraway from you.
On the other hand, Salat al-Hajah is simply to ask Allah to help you
with some pressing need. It's not about making choices or decisions.
Here is some information about Salat al-Hajah, written by Faraz
Rabbani for SunniPath:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, and all blessings
and peace upon our master Muhammad, his Folk, Companions and those who
follow their noble way,
Abullah ibn Abi Awfa (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "Whoever
has a need with Allah, or with any human being, then letthem perform
ritual ablutions well and then pray two rakats. After that,let them
praise Allah and send blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace). After this, let them say,
لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللَّهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ
وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ وَالسَّلامَةَ مِنْ كُلّإِثْمٍ
لا تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبًا إِلا غَفَرْتَهُ وَلا هَمًّا إِلا فَرَّجْتَهُ
وَلا حَاجَةً هِيَ لَكَ رِضًا إِلا قَضَيْتَهَا يَا أَرْحَمَ
الرَّاحِمِينَ
There there no god but Allah the Clement and Wise.
There is no god but Allahthe High and Mighty.
Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Tremendous Throne.
All praise is to Allah, Lordof the worlds.
I ask you (O Allah) everything that leads to your mercy, and your
tremendous forgiveness,enrichment in all good, and freedom from all
sin.
Do not leave a sin of mine (O Allah), except that you forgive it, nor
any concern except that you create for it an opening, nor any need in
which there is your good pleasure except that you fulfill it, O Most
Merciful!"
[Related by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja. The hadith has some weakness, but
such hadiths are acted upon forvirtuous deeds (fada'il al-a`mal) by
general agreement of Sunni scholarship]
The prayer of need is very simple: It is essentially to raise one's
need to Allah Most High, by performing ritual ablution (wudu), praying
2 rakats (or four), and then making whole-hearted dua to Allah. If one
uses the abovementioned Prophetic supplication, or other similar
supplicationstransmitted from the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him and give him peace), it is best. [Ibrahim al-Halabi, Sharh
Munyat al-Musalli; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
The inward manners of supplication is exhibiting our neediness and
absolute slavehood to Allah, consigning one's matters to Allah, and
knowing that the only onewho gives or benefits is Allah Most High.
With this, one should be certain that Allah Most High answers our
duas, but in the way He knows is best for us.
When circumstances do not permit us to pray 2 rakats, one should still
turn to Allah in supplication, raising one's needs to Him, for He
answers our supplications and loves being asked.
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,

Medical - ~ - Hay fever

Causes of hay fever
Hay fever is caused by breathing in pollen particles and by pollen
getting into the eyes. You can get hay fever at any time from early
spring to late summer, depending on which pollen or pollensyou're
allergic to.
The pollens most likely to cause problems in early spring are those
from trees such as the silver birch, ash, oak and Londonplane.
Grasses pollinate during mid-summer from May to August. The most
profusely pollinating grasses are timothy, rye, cocksfoot, meadow and
fescue.
Occasionally, in late summer and autumn, weeds such as nettles and
dock as well as mugwort and plantain can trigger hay fever.
The condition tends to occur in atopic allergy-prone families and
usually starts in the early teens, with symptoms peaking inthe 20s.
Top
Symptoms of hay fever
The main symptoms of hay fever are:
*. Repeated sneezing attacks
*. Runny or itchy nose
*. Itchy or watery eyes
*. Itchy throat, palate and ears
*. Loss of concentration
*. General feeling of being unwell (hence 'fever')
If the pollen count is very high, many will also wheeze (so-called hay asthma).
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Hay fever treatments
The most useful treatments for hay fever are:
*. Antihistamine tablets and nasal sprays, which if taken regularly
help torelieve a runny nose, sneezing, an itchy throat and itchy,
watery eyes
*. Anti-inflammatory nasal sprays and nose drops (usually containing
steroids), which reduce inflammation in the delicate lining of the
nose. These should be taken daily for the best results
*. Anti-allergy nasal sprays and eye drops, such as cromoglycate,
which act on the linings of the nose and eyes to stop the allergen
triggering a reaction
*. Decongestant tablets and sprays can help if the nose is blocked and
stuffy, but can lead to rebound blocking
Most of these medicines are available over the counter, but some are
onlyavailable on prescription. You may need to try different
treatments or find a combination that works best for you.
Steroid injections, although effective for symptom control, are
discouraged owing to unwanted side effects such as osteoporosis ,
cataracts and skin thinning.
Homeopathic and herbal treatments are less effective than conventional
therapies. Some experts advocate taking local honey every day for a
few months before the pollen season starts to improve symptoms, but no
studies have been performed to prove this.
If symptoms remain severe despite medication,you may benefit from
desensitisation immunotherapy to grass pollen. This involves
beinggiven tablets or injections containing minute amounts of pollen,
with the dose being increased gradually over a three-year period to
induce immune tolerance and cure the allergy.
Sublingual grass pollen immunotherapy for timothy grass allergy is
available in the UK for people with positive skin prick tests or
specific immunoglobin E (IgE) blood tests to grass pollen.However, it
is expensive and needs to be used oversuccessive hayfever seasons to
become effective, so use may be limited by your local primary care
trust - ask your GP for details. The injection form of immunotherapy
is now only available through specialist clinics as there is a risk of
anaphylactic reaction. No silver birch or tree pollen immunotherapy is
currently available.
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Preventing hay fever
If you have hay fever, there are steps you can take to avoid exposing
yourself to pollen:
*. Keep an eye on the pollen count (often included in weather reports)
and stay inside as much as possible when it's high.
*. Wear wrap-around sunglasses to stop pollengetting in your eyes
*. Saline douches or a little Vaseline applied inside the nose will
reduce symptoms
*. Keep car windows closedand switch on the air conditioning to
prevent pollen entering the car
*. Keep bedroom doors andwindows closed in mid-morning and early
evening when pollen levels peak
*. Avoid areas such as parks or fields, particularly in the early
evening when there's a lot of pollen floating at nose level
*. Get someone else to mow the lawn and don'tlie on freshly cut grass
*. Change into clean clothes when you come home and wash the clothes
you wore outside
You may be able to find out what you're allergic toby having allergy
tests. You can then take practical steps to avoid that particular
pollen.
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Oral allergy syndrome
Some people with hay fever develop oral allergies to certain fruits,
vegetables and nuts. This is also called pollen-food or oral allergy
syndrome (OAS).
People with OAS typically develop hay fever in early spring and notice
itching and swelling of the mouthand throat when they eat fresh fruit
and vegetables. This is due to the food containing a protein similar
to the allergy-provoking protein in the pollen.

Power of Salat-ul-Istikhara

The Abandoned Prayer
A few years ago, I came across a book that one of my relatives had
called:"The Three Abandoned Prayers". In it, the author discusses
three prayers that have been largely underused by many Muslims, but
which hold great power. They were Salat-ut-Tawbah (The Salah of
Repentence), Salat-ul-Istikhara (The Salah of Seeking A God-Guided
Outcome in Times of Decision), Salat-ul-Tasbih (The Salah of
Glorification of God).
No doubt, many of us have been heedless of these powerful tools for
growing in our closeness to Allah, but one in particular which is
important to re-think is Istikhara.
The procedure for this Salah, is best described by the hadith:
On the authority of Jaabir Ibn ˜Abdullah he said: The Prophet (S)
would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as
he would teach us a chapter from the Qur'an. He (S) would say "if any
of you intends to undertake a mater then let him pray two
supererogatory units (two rak'ah naafilah) of prayer and after which
he should supplicate:
'O Allaah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I
seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You
are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are
the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -andhere
he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my
life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with
it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion,
my life, and end, then remove it fromme and remove me fromit , and
decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with
such.'"
Such a powerful tool we have been given, to admit our complete lack of
knowledge, power, ability,and sight, and the absolute dominance of
Allah (swt) in all these abilities. Such a great and mighty prayer,
comprehensive in its outlook, its span of time, and its effect on our
lives. Balanced within this worldand the Hereafter. Something which
only Divine Guidance could have brought us.
Many of us use this prayer,rightfully, to seek Allah's assistance in
making decisions concerning school, getting a job, getting married,
going to Hajj, or maybe even choosing a house. Unfortunately though,
we have relegated one of the most powerful duas available, to only the
mostimportant decisions.
What we don't realize however, is that this prayer need not only be
for the most important, crucial decisions in our lives. Why do those
who are in Islamic Work, not use this prayer when making decisions in
the organization? Why not use it when making difficult choices at
work? For a specific project choice or topic choice for apaper in
school? Why do we not use it every time we say: "Ya Allah" I wish you
would just guide me to what is best for me! orYa Allah! I wish you
would just show me what to do!
So many decisions that theactivist brother or sister has to make. So
many decisions at our workplaces. But in these decisions, we don't
remember that much of our worry can be removedby leaving the decision
to Allah (swt).
What made the Companions the unique Quranic generation, was that their
entire thought process revolved around the Quran and around
supplication to Allah. The relegated to Allah and His Messenger, every
decision in their lives, after putting forth an intelligent and
sincere effort at solving their problems
As the Prophet said:"Ad-Dua mukh-ul-'ibaadah"�.
Supplication is the essence of worship.
So next time we have a decision, big or small, that is of some
consequence, remember - No one who ever consults with his Lord in
sincerity, shall ever be displeased with His Decree.
Make use of istikhara! Once an Imam sat with mewhen I asked his advice
and told me something about one of the leaders of the Muslim
community. He told me: "Brother, every person who has success in the
Deen, has a secret, some worship he does that sets him above and
beyond and helps himtowards Allah. You know what his [the leader's]
secret it? Every time he travels, and I've seen him, he prays
istikhara. He asks for guidance in his travels, and on the various
affairs of his life, and he makes use of his times of travel to do it.
So have some secret that you use also."
Secrets aside, istikhara is powerful. So inshAllah lets use it.
Misconceptions about istikhara:
1. Istikhara is not about having a dream. If one reviews the wording
of the hadith, one finds that it is not asking for a dream, it is
asking God to make one's affairs occur inthe best way. Because onedid
not have a dream, a sign on a bus or a billboard go by them on the
highway, does not mean it didn't "work"

ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ Istikhara in the Lightof the Sunnah

All praises are due to Allah,the Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer of
both the worlds. Through Allah's infinite mercy on mankind.He selected
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) as a mentor and filled his
heart with love and affection towardsHis creation. May Allah's
choicest blessings and salutations be showered on His beloved Rasul
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam), who undertook great pains in fulfilling
the task of conveying His message, and may Allah shower His blessings
on the noble companions of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam)
whose hearts inherited the pain and burn for the guidance of humanity
that was instilled in the heart of their beloved Master, the Leader of
both the worlds.
INTRODUCTION
Whosoever adopts the way of life brought by Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
Alayhi Wasallam) to mankind, he will find that even his life in this
world will become one of pleasure, tranquility, contentment, peace and
freedom from all worries. Due to the fact that this way of life that
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) brought was meant for the
whole of mankind, Allah made it very easy and simple to follow.
CONFUSION AND PERPLEXITY
Among the many difficulties that man undergoes is 'confusion' and
'perplexity'. Almost everyday in his life, man isfaced with the task
of making a decision between two or more choices. Generally the
decisions are not major but occasionally they do become quite serious.
Even in these circumstances, our beloved mentor, Rasulullah
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) taught us what to do, and clearly
outlined the solution. This solution is called Istikharah.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ISTIKHARAH
Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "And it is very possible that you
dislike something whereas it is good for you; and (similarly) it is
very possible that you like something whereas it is bad for you" .
(Baqarah 16)
From the above ayah, we learn that man has limitedknowledge and
deficient intellect. Therefore, many a times, he may desire something,
which may prove harmful to him, and on the other hand, he maydislike
something, while it is good for him. The sole possessor of perfect
knowledge, and the only knower of the unseen is Allah, the Creator of
man and the Controller of the system of the entire universe. Therefore
if man desires good, he can only find it in the hands of Allah.
According to one Hadith: "It is from the good fortune of man that he
makes Istikharah(seeks good) from Allah, and it is from his misfortune
that he discards Istikharah."
'Allamah Aini (RA) writes:"Man should never overlook any matter due to
its insignificance and discard Istikharah. How many matters are
regarded as insignificant and Istikharah is not madefor them, due to
which great harm is suffered when carrying them out or abandoning
them. It is for this reason that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi
Wasallam) is reported to have said:"(Every) one of you shouldask his
need from his sustainer to the extent that he should ask Him forsalt,
and for a shoelace when it breaks."
"Allamah Ibnul Qayyim (RA) has written: "The person who makes
Istikharah (seek good) from his Creator and makes 'mashwarah'
(consults) the creation never regrets, since Allah said to (His Nabi
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam)): "Consult themin matters. Thus, when
You make a decision, placeyour trust in Allah".
Shaikh Tahir bin Husain bin Abdullah bin Tahir wrote in a letter to
his sonafter he had become an amir or governor:"Whenever any matter of
importance comes upon you, seek assistance in it by making Istikharah
to Allah and fearing him". He also advised him thus:"and perform
Istikharah abundantly in all your matters". (Al-Istikharah by M.T.
Hakeem)
A GREAT BENEFIT OF ISTIKHARAH
Hadrat Shah Waliyyullah (RA) writes: "From amongst the greatest
benefits of Istikharah is that man becomes detached from his carnal
desires, his animalistic characteristics become subject to his angelic
nature and he hands himself over to Allah. When he does this, he
reaches the stages of the angels whose quality is that they await the
command of Allah. When Allah's command is received, they exert
themselves through divinemotivation and not carnal motivation. I
believe that excessive Istikharah is a proven tonic for the
inculcation of angelic qualities."
A MISCONCEPTION
But alas, today, Istikharah has become as equally difficult as making
a decision. People hesitate so much to perform this great act of
worship, that only at the last alternative,when no other way can
beperceived, they would turn to some innovated act that has no basis
in theHadith, such as the taking of a good omen by opening the Qur'an
and counting lines and letters, etc.;