note that the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday

The Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built between
1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of
his favourite wife. Taj Mahal means Crown Palace ; one of the wife's
names was Mumtaz Mahal, Ornament of the Palace . The Taj is one of the
most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tombs in the world,
one of the masterpieces of Indian Muslim architecture, and one of the
great sites of the world's heritage.
The Taj Mahal has a life of its own that leaps out of marble, provided
you understand that it is a monument of love. The Indian poet
Rabindranath Tagore called it a teardrop on the cheek of eternity ,
while the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, said it was Not a piece of
architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an
emperor's love wrought in living stones. It is a celebration of woman
built in marble and that is the way to appreciate it.
Although it is one of the most photographed edifices in the world and
instantly recognisable, actually seeing it is awe-inspiring. Not
everything is in the photos. The grounds of the complex include
several other beautiful buildings, reflecting pools, and extensive
ornamental gardens withflowering trees and bushes, and a small gift
shop. The Taj framed by trees and reflected in a pool is amazing.
Close up,large parts of the building are covered with inlaid
stonework.
There is an apocryphal tale that Shah Jahan planned to build an
exactcopy out of black marble on the opposite side of the river. His
plans were foiled by his son, who murdered three elder brothers and
overthrew his father to acquire the throne. Shah Jahan is now buried
alongside hiswife in the Taj Mahal.
If you are taking a camera, beware that because the Taj is white your
camera may underexpose your photos. If it is a film camera you will
not find out until it is too late. Overexposure by 1 or 2 stops is
recommended.
The Taj is open from 6:00 AM to 7:30 PM every day except Friday .
Entry costs₹250 (plus levy of ₹500) for foreigners and ₹20 for
Indians. Get there as early as possible to beat the crowds (but note
thatthe gates won't open until at 6AM at the earliest - often a few
minutes later, so don't bother getting there at 5AM), and plan to
visit the Taj at least two different times during the day (dusk and
dawn are best) in order to experience the full effect of changing
sunlight on the amazing building. It is also utterly stunning under a
full moon. You can also get very good views from Mehtab Bagh (see
Gardens section below).
To buy tickets, you can go to the South gate, but this gate is 1 km
far awayof the entrance and the counter opens at 8:00 AM.At the West
and East gates, the counters open at 6:00 AM. These gates also have
smaller queues in peak times as the big tour buses drop groups off at
the South gate. Alongside the ticket counter, you can also purchase a
self-guided audio tour (allows two toa device) for ₹100 in English and
foreign languages and ₹60 for Indian languages.
The Taj is located pretty much in the middle of town. Expect a line to
getinto the grounds. There are three gates. The western gate is the
main gate where most tourists enter. A large number of people turn up
on weekends and public holidays and entry through the western gate may
take hours. Thesouthern and eastern gates are much less busy and
should be tried on such days.
There are night viewing sessions on the nights of a full moon and the
two days before and after (so five days in total). Exceptions are
Fridays (the Muslim sabbath) andthe month of Ramadan. Tickets must be
purchased 24 hours in advance, starting at 10am, but do not always
sell out, so it can be worth looking into it when you arrive even if
well after 10am. Tickets only allow viewing from the red sandstone
plaza at the south end of the complex, and only for a 1/2 hour window.
Make sure to wear mosquito repellent.
It is a good idea to bring a flashlight, because the interior of the
Taj Mahal is quite dark (even during the day) and to fully appreciate
the details of the gem inlays, you need a good light.
Taj Mahal can also be seen during Night 2 days before and 2 days after
full moon in all 5 days including full moon, the booking has to be
made 24 hours in advance fromArcheological Society of India office
situated at 22, Mall Road, Agra. Ticket fare is Rs. 500 for Indian
Nationals and Rs. 750 for Non Indians. The viewing hours for night
viewing is from 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm and 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm. A visitor
has to reach 30 mins prior to viewing hours for security check at Taj
Mahal Ticketing counter on East Gate of Taj Mahal or he may loose his/
her chance. The Night View isnot worth spending as the visitors are
kept quite far from Taj Mahal nearly 200 Mts away and there in no
light so it could hardly be seen during night hours at viewing hours.
Cameras also do not give images with near zero flux can easily be
avoided for night viewing.

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Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) is a phrase meaning Peopleof the House, or family.

Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) is a phrase meaning Peopleof the House, or
family. Inthe Islamic tradition it refers to the household of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh).
Ahlul Bayt (Ahle Bait) in simple terms is to put trust of guidance to
Aal-e-Muhammad [descendents of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)], through
Fatima Zahra (pbuh) and Imam Ali (pbuh) and their descendents. Bayt is
to give the Oath of Allegiance to Imam Ali (pbuh) and accept his
guidance.
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) orhousehold members of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) refers to his daughter Fatima Zahra (pbuh), his successor and
son-in-law, Imam Ali (pbuh), their two sons Imam Hasan (pbuh) and Imam
Hussain (pbuh), and the nine Imams from the lineage of Imam Hussain
(pbuh).
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl-e-Bait) in Noble Qur'an
The Purified Ones: The Highest degree of purity means to be kept
constantly away from all the causes of impurity. This is termed as the
stateof infallibility in knowledge, character and action. It could
have been applied generally tothe whole mankind who are keeping aloof
from all the impurities as the word of Allah (SWT) commands; but,
Allah (SWT) expressively has confined His order to certain group of
individuals by excluding the rest of the mankind from it in His divine
will by declaring Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) as the persons purified by
Him to be constantly in touch with the Noble Qur'an in its original,
hidden, well protected, exalted and purified form. It was Allah's
(SWT) wish to remove all blemishes from them, as mentionedin the Verse
of Purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) in the Noble Qur'an:
The Verse of Purity (Ayat Al-Tathir): "... Allah only desires to keep
away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify
you a (thorough) purifying." Noble Qur'an (33:33)
The above verse from Noble Qur'an, is known as Ayat Al-Tathir, refers
tothe members of the household of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), which
include exclusivelyProphet Muhammad, Imam Ali, Fatima Zahra, Imam
Hasan, and Imam Hussain (peace be upon them all). Hence Prophet
Muhammad's (pbuh) other offspring, wives, sons of paternal uncles, and
dwellers of his houseare not to be called as Prophet Muhammad's Ahlul
Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt).
The argument is based on the genuine and authentic traditions narrated
by Sahaba, companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) recorded in both the
Sunni and Shia sources.
Ahlul Bayt (Ahle Bait) in Hadith's
1. Hadith-e-Kisa (Hadith of the Cloak):
It is narrated from Umm al-Momineen, Umm Salamah that once Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was in her house lying on a mattress, covered with a
cloak from Khaibar when his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra (pbuh)
entered with a dish called al-Khazira (a kind of food). Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) askedher to call her husband, Imam Ali and her two
sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain. Fatima Zahra (pbuh) called them and
as they all sat together to eat, Allah (SWT) revealed the following
verse of purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). "...
Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of
the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying." Noble Qur'an
(33:33)
Upon this Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) covered them all with his cloak and
lifting his hands towards the sky said: "O Allah (SWT)! This is my
family and the nearest of my kin, keep away from them uncleanness and
keep them pure as pure can be." Umm al-Momineen, Umm Salamah adds that
thrice Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) repeated these words and when she poked
her head under the cloak andasked him, Am I with you? In a refraining
gesture, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said twice: "You are (also) among the
righteous."
Thus it is clear from above discussion that Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh)
daily habit of stopping at his daughter Fatima Zahra's (pbuh) house
and addressing her household as Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt), was not
without reason. In fact he was expounding the meaning of the term
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) and practically explaining to the Muslimsthe
verse of purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) and the particular persons meant by
it. To be more precise, he was drawing the attention of the Muslim
nation towards the significance of his Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) and
their leadership after himso that the Muslims should love, obey and
follow them.
2. Mubahala Tradition or Incident of Mubahila (Imprecation):
In the south of Arabia, there is a place called Najran. There lived
the Christian tribe of Najran who staunchly believed that Prophet Isa
(pbuh) i.e., Jesus was the son of God. Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) invited
them to accept Islam. In response to that, a delegation of their
priests and elders came to Madina. They wanted to discuss religion
with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Their argument was that Jesus was born without afather through Virgin
Mary, so he was the son of God. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) explained to
them that just as Allah (SWT) created Prophet Adam (pbuh) without a
father or even a mother, in the same way He created Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) without a father.
Hence Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was a servant of Allah (SWT) as was Prophet
Adam (pbuh). The Christians did not agree with this simple truth.
Christians stuck to their belief that Jesus was the son of God.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) asked them to wait. Then came the following
Revelation (message from Allah (SWT)):
But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to
you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your sons
and our women and your women and our souls and your souls, then let us
be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars.
Noble Qur'an (3:61)
It was then agreed that the Christians seek Mubahila (Imprecation)
with Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). The meaning of Mubahala is that both of
them invoke from Allah (SWT) that he, who speaks the truth, may
survive and he, who is not speaking the truth may perish.
On the day of Mubahala, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) took with him his
grandsons - Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain, in place of his sons. In
place of women, he took his daughter Fatima Zahra. In place of his
souls, he took his cousin and son-in-law Imam Ali. But on seeing the
radiant faces of these sinless members of the household of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh), the Christians got scared. They decided not to seek
Mubahala any more but accepted their defeat. They agreed to pay
tribute and returned home.
This is how Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) showed to the world, who the true
and real members of his Ahlul Bayt(Ahl-e-Bait) were.
3. Mawaddat al-Qurba (al-Mawaddah Fil-Qurba) or Expressed love for the
close of kin:
In this Last Word of Allah (Noble Qur'an), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is
being commanded to askthe believers to love his kith and kin (that is
his Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt)) and that would be the return of his
apostleship. Hence, to Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) has been obligatory
(wajib) command of Allah on every Muslim.
Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I do not ask of you any reward for it
butlove for my near relatives. Noble Qur'an (42:23)
Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Masood (RA) narrated: One day, we were
accompanying the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in one of his journeys when a
Bedouinwith an orotund voice shouted at us,"Muhammad!"
"What do you want?" answered the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
"What is it if an individual loves a people but he does not imitate
them in deeds?" asked the Bedouin.
"One will be attached to the one he loves," repliedthe Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
"Muhammad," shouted the Bedouin, " Call me to Islam ."
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "You should declare that there is no
god but Allah (SWT) and that I am the Messenger of Allah (SWT), offer
the prayer (Salat) , defray thezakat, fast during the month of Ramadan
, and perform the hajj to the Holy House."
"Muhammad," asked the Bedouin, "Do you ask for wage for so?" "No,"
replied the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), "I do not take any wage except
that you must regard the relatives.""Whose relatives? Mine or yours?"
asked the Bedouin. "It is my relatives," answered the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh). The Bedouin said:"Give me your hand so that I will declare
allegiance to you. No good is expected from him who loves you, but not
your relatives."(Biharul-Anwar)
4. Hadith al-Safinah or Safinah Tradition:
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has compared his Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) to
Noah's ark. Whoever loves and follows them will attain salvation and
whoever violates their sanctity will drown. While holding the door of
Holy Kaaba, Abu Dharr told that he had heard Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
say, "My family among you is like Noah's ark. He who sails in it
willbe safe, but he who holdsback from it will perish."
In another place Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:"The parable of my Ahlul
Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) is that of the boat of Noah, whoever gets aboard it
issaved and whoever stays away from it is drowned."
5. Hadith al-Thaqalayn or Saqlain Tradition (Hadith of the two weighty things):
Prophet Muhammad - may Allah (SWT) bestow peace and benedictions upon
him and his pure Progeny - said: "Verily, I am leaving behind two
precious things (thaqalayn) among you: the Book of Allah and my
kindred (itrah), my household Ahlul Bayt (Ahlal-Bayt), for indeed, the
two will never separate until they come back to me by the Pond (of
al­Kawthar on the Day of Judgement)." [Hadith-e-Saqlain]
Since the Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) carry as much weight in the eyes of
Allah (SWT) as the Noble Qur'an, the former has the same qualities as
the latter. Just as the Noble Qur'an is true from beginning to end
without the shadow of untruth in it, and just as it is incumbent
(duty) of every Muslim to obey its commands, so also must the Ahlul
Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) be perfectly true and sincere guides whose commands
must be followed by all. Therefore there can be no escape of accepting
their leadership and following their creed andfaith. The Muslims are
bound by the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to follow them and no
one else.
Imam al-Shafi'i, one of the four Imams of the Sunni school of thought,
in his famous verses says,"Let everybody know that if the love of
Prophet Muhammad's descendants means to be a Rafizi, I am a Rafizi."
Imam al-Shafi'i also says,"O Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt)! Allah (SWT) has
made it obligatory in the Noble Qur'an to love you. It is a matter of
pride for you that without invoking blessing on you,prayer is not
valid." Again he says in his verses, "After having seenthat the people
have chosen different ways which have led them to the Ocean of
deviation and ignorance. I have, in the name of Allah (SWT), embarked
the ship whichmay lead me to safety. The Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) are that very ship,we have been ordered tohold fast
the rope of Allah (SWT), and that rope is their love."
Conclusion: Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt)
sacrificed all the worldly comforts and even their lives in order to
convey the true religion of Islam to us. In return of their
sacrifices, we are commanded by Allah (SWT) to love them. The aim is
that through their love, we follow their footsteps. We follow the true
teachings of Islam taught by them, so that we live a good and decent
life in this world and earn the pleasure of Allah (SWT) inthe life
hereafter.
*. All Solutions Are with the Prophet's Progeny by Dr. Muhammad
at-Tijani as-Sammawi
*. The Ahl ul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt); Ethical Role Models
*. The Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles peace be upon them

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Will the person who intends to fast ‘Ashoora during the day be rewarded for his fasting?

I know of the virtue of fasting the day of 'Ashoora, and that it is
expiation for the year that came before. But because we use the
Gregorian calendar I did not know when 'Ashoora is until the morning
of the day itself. I had not eaten anything, so I intended to fast. Is
my fast valid, and will I get the rewardof this day and receive
expiation for the previous year?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Praise be to Allaah for making you keen to do naafil acts of worship.
We ask Him to make us and you steadfast in doing that.
With regard to your question about forming the intention to fast from
the night before, there is sound evidence from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that the intention to observe a
naafil fast formed on themorning of the day itselfis valid, so long as
a person has not ingested anything that breaks thefast after dawn.
'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered uponhis family one
day and said: "Do you have anything (i.e., any food)?" They said,
"No." He said, "Then I am fasting." (Muslim, 1154, 170). The word
"idhan" (translated here as "then", in the sense of "in that case")
indicates that it is permissible to form the intention of observing a
naafil fast on the day itself. This is unlike the obligatory fasts,
which are not validunless one forms the intention the night before,
because of the hadeeth, "Whoever doesnot form the intention to fast
before dawn, has not fasted." Abu Dawood, 2454; al-Tirmidhi, 726;
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 6535. What is
meant here is obligatory fasts.
Based on this, then your fast is valid. With regard to getting the
reward for fasting, will this be reward for the whole day or from the
time of the intention only? Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said:
There are two scholarly opinions on this matter. The first is that he
will be rewarded from the beginning of the day, because the correct
Islamic fast can only be from the start of the day.
The second view is that he will only be rewardedfrom the time of his
intention, and if he formed the intention at midday then he will be
rewarded for half a day. This is the correct view, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Actions are but by
intentions, and each person will have but thatwhich he intended."
Thisman only formed the intention during the day, so he will be
rewarded from the time he formed the intention.
Based on the correct opinion, if a fast is connected to a particular
day, such as fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, and fasting on al-ayaam
al-beed (the13th, 14th and 15th of each Hijri month) or fasting three
days each month, and a person forms the intention during the day, he
will not be rewarded for the entire day.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti', 6/373.
The same applies to the case of one who did not intend to fast
'Ashoora until after dawn had come: he will not get thereward for
fasting 'Ashoora', which is the expiation of one year, because his
case is not like that of one fasted the whole day of 'Ashoora', rather
he only fasted part of it, from the moment he first formed the
intention of fasting.
But he will be rewarded in the general sense of the reward for fasting
during the month of Allaah Muharram, which is the best kind of fasting
after Ramadaan (as it says in Saheeh Muslim, 1163).
Perhaps one of the main reasons for your and many people's not knowing
when 'Ashoora is, or al-ayyaam al-beed, until the day has started,is –
as you mention – useof the Gregorian calendar. Perhaps missing out on
these special days will motivate you and others whom Allaah blesses
with guidance, to followthe lunar Hijri calendar which Allaah has
prescribed for His slaves and approved of for His religion, even if
that is only with regard to theirpersonal dealings, so as to revive
this calendar which reminds us of different shar'i occasions, and in
order to be different from the People of the Book whom we are
commanded to differ from and be distinct with regard to their rituals
and unique characteristics, especiallysince the lunar calendar was
followed by the earlier Prophets, as may be understood from the
hadeeth which mentionsthe reason why the Jewsfasted 'Ashoora – which
is a day that is known through the lunar calendar. They said that it
was the day on which Allaah had saved Moosa. This indicates that they
followed a lunar calendar and not the months of the solar European
calendar.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti', 6/471
May Allaah make your missing out on this special reward, and the
missing out of others who are keen like you, lead to a good outcome,
so this will make you strive harder in doing good works and acts of
worship. This may make you more keen than people who do some act of
worship regularly andfeel content with what they are doing, and may
fill them with self-admiration.
We ask Allaah to bless us with His bounty and reward, and help us to
remember Him and give thanks to Him.

She has a disability and is unable to do wudoo’, and her children refuse to help her to do wudoo’

There is a woman who has a disability and is unable to do wudoo'.
Sometimes she tells her children to help her do wudoo' but they do not
do that, so she has no choice but to pray without doing wudoo'. What
is the ruling on that?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is obligatory for the children to help their mother to purify
herself, because this is her right and is a duty upon them.Not doing
that means that they are committingone of the most grievousof major
sins, which is disobedience towards mthers.
There is the fear that Allah may hasten the punishment for them
because of this sin.
So they have to repent to Allah, regret what they have done, apologise
to their mother, ask her to forgive them, and strive hard to obey her
and please her, for this is oneof the gates of paradise and they do
not know when it will be closed for them, at which time regret will be
to no avail.
With regard to purifyingherself if they refuse to help her:
If a sick person is unable to do wudoo' and cannot find anyone to help
him do it, even in return for payment, thenhe should do tayammum. He
may do tayammum using the bed on which he sleeps if there is dust on
it, or he can keep a vessel next to him in which there is sand or dust
with which he may do tayammum.
Al-Bahooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa'
(1/103): If the sick person who is unable to do wudoo' for himself can
find someone to do wudoo' for him or to do ghusl for him in return for
an appropriate payment and he can afford it, then he must do that,
because in that case doing wudoo' is obligatory for him as it isfor
one who is healthy. Ifhe cannot find someone to do wudoo' or tayammum
for him, because he cannot afford to pay or he cannot find someone to
hire for that purpose, then he should pray as he is. End quote.
If the woman asked about here is able to hire someone to help her do
wudoo', then she must do that.
If she cannot afford it, then she should move onto doing tayammum,
because Allah, may He beexalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But if you are ill or on a journey or any of you comes from answering
the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e.
sexual intercourse) and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with
clean earth and rubtherewith your faces and hands" [al-Maa'idah 5:6].
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: If a
sick person does not have any dust, can he dotayammum using the wall
or bed, or not?
He replied: If the wall is made of "clean earth", whether it is rocks
or bricks, then it is permissible to use it for tayammum. But if the
wall is covered with wood or is painted, if there is dust on it, then
it may be used for tayammum and there is nothing wrong with it, and he
will be like one who does tayammum using earth. But if there is no
dust on it, then it does not come under theheading of "earth" and
cannot be used for tayammum.
With regard to the bed, we say: if there is dust on it, it may be used
for tayammum; otherwise it may not because it does not come under the
heading of "earth".
End quote from Fataawa at-Tahaarah, p. 240.
If she is unable to do tayammum, she may pray without wudoo' or
tayammum, because Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope"
[al-Baqarah 2:286]
"So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can"
[al-Taghaabun 64:16].
Thus it is known that it isnot permissible for her to pray without
wudoo' or tayammum so long as she is able to do tayammum.
And Allah knows best.

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