* If he follows the moon sighting from another country, is it acceptable to delay the Eid prayer so that he can pray withthe people in his country?

* Regarding starting fast and breaking fast times inRamadan month, I
don't observe a certain crescent,but I start my fasting of the holy
month based on testimony of two straight Muslims . The problem is that
the people of my country always start fast one day later and breaking
fast one day earlier than all Muslim majority all over the world. I am
much of the opinion that we should allbe unified in fast times, soI
fast and break fast with the majority. We are all Muslims in Islam
countriesfrom Indonesia to Morocco. My question is about the Eid
prayer, I can't travel to pray Eid, if Ipray it with my country
(knowing that this way it will be later), is it acceptable? Or should
I not pray with them (then I miss reward and blessings of it)?
Finally, I find nothing to say but"All power of change is really
Allah's".
Praise be to Allaah.
If the people of your country rely on moon sighting as prescribed in
sharee'ah, then you should start and end the fast with them, and you
should not differ from them and follow the moonsighting of another
country, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "The fast is the day when you fast and al-Fitr is the day
when you break the fast, and al-Adha is the day when you offer the
sacrifice." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 697, who said: some of the
scholars interpreted this hadeeth as meaning that the beginning and
end of the fast should be observed with the main body of Muslims and
the majority of the people. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
If you follow the madhhab of those who think that sighting the moon in
one country is binding upon all countries, and this means that Eid for
you comes before their Eid, then you should conceal the fact that you
have broken the fast and offer the Eid prayer with them on the
following day.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) said:… If you think
that the first opinion should be followed and that if the sighting of
the new moon is proven in any part of the Muslim world in the manner
prescribed in sharee'ah and that it is binding to act upon that, but
your country does not follow that and follows one of the two other
opinions, then you should not openly show that you are differing from
them, because of the fitnah and confusion and arguments that may
result from that.You can fast secretly at the beginning of Ramadan and
break the fast secretly at the beginning of Shawwaal. As for differing
openly, that is not appropriate and it is not something that is
enjoined by Islam.

And Allah knows best.

Interesting ancient India tales & stories for kids

Right and Might
WHILE a deer was eating wild fruit, he heard an owl call "Haak, haak"
(a spear), and a cricket cry, "Wat" (surrounded), and, frightened, he
fled. In his flight he ran through the trees up into the mountains and
into streams. In one of the streams the deer stepped upon a small fish
and crushed it almost to death.Then the fish complained to the court,
and the deer, owl, cricket, and fish had a lawsuit. In the trial came
out this evidence:
As the deer fled, he ran into some dry grass, and the seed fell into
the eye of a wild chicken, and the pain of the seed in the eye of the
chicken caused it to fly up against a nest of redants. Alarmed, the
red antsflew out to do battle, and in their haste, bit a mongoose. The
mongoose ran into a vine of wild fruitand shook several pieces of it
on the head of a hermit who sat thinking under a tree. "Why did you, O
fruit, fall on my head?" cried the hermit. The fruit answered: "We did
not wish to fall; a mongoose ran against our vine and threw us down."
And the hermit asked, " O mongoose, why did you throw the fruit?" The
mongoose answered: "I did not wish to throw down the fruit, but the
redants bit me, and I ran against the vine." The hermit asked, " O
ants, why did you bite the mongoose?" The red ants replied: "The hen
flew against our nest and angered us." The hermit asked: " O hen, why
did you fly against the red ants' nest?" And the hen replied: "The
seed fell into my eyes and hurt me." Andthe hermit asked, " O seed,why
did you fall into the hen's eyes?" And the seed replied: "The deer
shook me down." The hermit saidunto the deer, "O deer, why did you
shake down the seed?" The deer answered: "I did not wish to do it, but
the owl called,frightening me, and I ran.""O owl," asked the
hermit,"why did you frighten the deer?" The owl replied: "I called,
but as I am accustomed to call---the cricket, too, called."
Having heard the evidence,the judge said, "The cricketmust replace the
crushed parts of the fish and make it well," as he, the cricket, had
called and frightened the deer. The cricket was smaller and weaker
than the owl or the deer, therefore had to bear the penalty.
The Man in the Moon
THERE was a blacksmith once who complained: "I am not well, and my
work is too warm. I want to be astone on the mountain. There it must
be cool, for the wind blows and the trees give a shade." A wise man
who had power over all things replied: "Go you, be a stone." And he
was a stone, high up on the mountain-side. It happened that a
stone-cutter came that way for a stone, and when he saw the one that
had been the blacksmith, he knew that it was what he sought, and he
began to cut it. Thestone cried out: "This hurts! I no longer want to
be a stone. A stone-cutter Iwant to be. That would be pleasant." The
wise man, humoring him, said, "Be a cutter." Thus he became a
stone-cutter, and as he went seeking suitable stone, he grew tired,
and his feet were sore. He whimpered, " I no longer want to cut stone.
I would be the sun; that would be pleasant." The wise man commanded, "
Be the sun."And he was the sun. But the sun was warmer than the
blacksmith, than a stone, than a stone-cutter, and he complained, "I
do not like this. I would be the moon. It looks cool." The wise man
spake yet again, "Be the moon." And he was the moon. "This is warmer
than being the sun," murmured he, "for the light from the sun shines
on me ever. I do notwant to be the moon. I would be a smith again.
That, verily, is the best life." But the wise man replied, " I am
weary of your changing. You wanted to be the moon; the moon you are,
and it you will remain."
And in yon high heaven lives he to this day.
The Legend of the Rice
IN the days when the earth was young and all things were better than
they now are, when men and women were strongerand of greater beauty,
andthe fruit of the trees was larger and sweeter than that which we
now eat, rice, the food of the people, was of larger grain. One grain
was all a man could eat; and in those early days, such, too,was the
merit of the people, they never had to toil gathering the rice, for,
when ripe, it fell from the stalks and rolled into the villages, even
unto the granaries. And upon a yearwhen the rice was larger and more
plentiful than ever before, a widow said to her daughter "Our
granaries are too small. We will pull them down and build larger."
When the old granaries were pulled down and the new one not yet ready
for use, the rice was ripe in the fields. Great haste was made, but
the rice came rolling in where the work was going on, and the widow,
angered, struck a grain and cried, "Could younot wait in the fields
until we were ready? You should not bother us now when you are not
wanted."

The Difference between Giving Up Sin and Being Made toGive Up Sin

Your corpse will not be able to cast lustful glances but that will not
warrant one any reward from AllahTa'ala, for the sacrifice of a corpse
is not acceptable in His court. Allah Ta'ala wants us to become His,
tosacrifice our desires, whims and fancies while hale and hearty,while
still alive and able to commit those sins. Why are you waiting forthat
time whendeath will reap your soul and you will be unable todisobey
Allah? This will be termed, 'being made to give up sins' andnot
'giving up sins'. Voluntarilygiving up sins while the choice to commit
them still exists within one will entail a lofty stage offriendship
with Allah Ta'ala. Bear the burden of leaving sins. If onedesires to
enjoy the pleasure of Allah's pleasure, bear the burden andexperience
thatpleasure wherein the burden itself will no longerremain a burden.

Story - Aladdin and the magic lamp

Long long time ago there lived animpoverished boy named Aladdin. He
found it difficult to meet ends as he lived it utter poverty. Until
one day an old manwalked up to him and said he was his uncle. As
Aladdin had losthis father and did really have an uncle he had never
seen, his mother welcomed this old man home. The next day, the uncle
gave Aladdin good clothes to wear and a tour of the city gardens.
Impressed with the makeover of her son, the mother readily agreed to
Aladdin working for the uncle.
But this old man was no uncle, infact he was a wicked magician who
wanted to use the services of the boy. So he took him along with him
though cities and gardens, until they reached a mountain. The magician
lit a fire and mumbled some words whichAladdin did not understand and
with a swish of the powder the ground beneath them opened.
Aladdin was afraid with the happenings but the magician assured him
that nothing would happen to him but he would have to listen to every
word he said. The magician told Aladdin toalight through the tunnel,
he would then come to a forked path with three ways, and he should
take the right and lead on until he came to fresh gardens. Right in
the centre of it would be a lamp that is glowing. Put off thelight,
remove the oil from it and bring the lamp back. But do not touch
anything else said the magician and led the boy down.
Oblivious of the essence of the lamp, Aladdin scampered throughthe way
and found the lamp. On his way back, he pocketed some fruits that were
shiny like he had never seen before. When he reached the opening, the
magician was glad and reached out his hand to take the lamp. Pullme
out first, said Aladdin but the magician refused. So Aladdin too
refused to give the lamp before being out in the open. So the angry
old man closed the ground above him.
Sobbing away, Aladdin's hand rubbed the lamp by mistake and out came a
genie. You are my master and I will do anything youcommand, it said.
Take me home said Aladdin and before he knew it, he was with his
mother. Instantaneously he related the entire story to look at his
mother's widened pupils. She summoned the genie to bring forth those
shiny fruits and food. And the two feasted for the first time in their
life. Life went well for a few years as their every wish came true.
Then one day he saw Jasmine, the daughter of the king and fell in love
with her. His mother madeproud presentations to the king with rich
gifts and fanfare. Looking at the magnanimous gifts the king readied
to give his daughter in marriage. Aladdin wished for a palace and the
samewas granted for the newly married couple.
The news of the grand palace spread far & wide and soon the evil
magician got to know of it. Soone day he went with a cart full of new
lamps shouting new for old. As Jasmine did not know the value of the
old lamp she exchanged it for a new one. And soon the magician
transposed the palace and the princess to Africa. Hearing this Aladdin
set out to rescue his love. With the help of the flying carpet and his
beloved monkey pet he found thelamp and summoned the genie toredo the
act.
He then punished the magician by adding poison to his drink that led
to the death of the old wicked man. Thereafter Aladdin his mother and
Jasmine lived happily ever after.