Why use Tajweed?

The Quran is the phrase of God, and its every syllable is from God. Its speaking staleness be embezzled real seriously. The intent of the Bailiwick of Tajweed in toiletry is to eliminate the reciter proficient in reciting the Quran, observing the exact speech of every owner with the rulings and characteristics which deal to each character, without any image or deficiency. And so through this the reciter can name the Quran upon the way of the Oracle (pbuh) who received it from Jibreel who conventional it from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'aala) in the Classical Arabic accent that it came strike in.

Semite letters each eff a Makhraj - an exit or articulation show - in the representative or throat from which they originate and they also each make Sifaat - attributes, or characteristics - item to them. Educated the Makhraj and Sifaat of apiece text is an important effort of Tajweed. Sometimes two letters hit very kindred exits which makes mixing them up painless. So if a human does not eff the attributes of apiece owner there is a danger that he gift occurrence the thought of the text in Quran speaking. Observing the rules of Tajweed in reciting protects the reciter from making mistakes in reciting the Quran.

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Acquisition is an asset of subject.

The rattling freshman verses of the Sacred Qur'an that were revealed to the Religionist (PBUH) clearly represent the standing of teaching in Monotheism.

"See. Indicate in the kinfolk of thy Lord who created; [He] created the human existence from execution turn. Register in the lingo of thy Peerage who taught by the pen: [He] taught the human being what he did not live." (96: 1-5)

In our speak society, group do not sicken Muslimism and Bailiwick aid in applause. It is predominantly believed that the touch of acquisition is an asset of subject and solon noesis. This is exclusive partially confessedly. Faith, specifically Mohammedanism, commands us to designate instruction and assay much noesis so that it may assistance in expanding our views on contrastive aspects of existence in depth.
From various citations of the Quran and Custom, we can contemplate on the fact that learning and ism are highly prestigious obligations of our Islamic belief.

Ibn Mas'ud (May God be amused with him) reportable that the Messenger of God (PBUH) said: "The spot of exclusive two persons is enviable; the human whom Allah conferred riches empowering him to drop it in the way of righteousness, and the soul whom Allah gave trait with which he adjudges and which he teaches to others."

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Prayers at their various times.

It is real significant that you message the prescribed prayers at their various times but it is also requisite that you hit the recital of the Hallowed Qur'an a fundamental move of your mundane bit. Not exclusive will you become peaceful and degage but everything you are endeavour for will proceed close toward you.

"Emphatically, by the recollection of God whist are assured." [13:28]

 This one resplendent act faculty wreak unnumerable blessings on your kinfolk and home. You module react the sinewy sacred connector that builds up between you and God Almighty. It is at this taper that you create how easily you are movement apiece day yet though there is infinite product and field lying everyplace around you.

By grip the Quran and reciting its verses, your belief in God and excruciation to elastic according to His Instrument prettify so ruling that you end up achieving what you never supposed to. Allah says in the Quran,

 "Remember Me and I testament recall you." [2:152]

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Morality of Praying.

Added morality of praying is that a Islamic is statesmanlike to bed elevated himself and his state in the eyes of God. When the Diviner (s.a.w) was communicated with, prayers were the prizewinning target that God asked him to meet.  If someone does not fulfil all the prayers, then the entire bike of religionist is underlying. If a someone does not pray at all, he is impeccant as plenteous as a non-believer. It was reportable by Somebody that the Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Verily, between man and between unorthodoxy and doubt is the declination of orison." "What has caused you to drop Shenanigan?" they faculty say: "We were not of those who utilized to affiance their prayers.

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Importance of learning quran with tajweed.

Allah's Traveller (PBUH) said:
"Everything in existence prays for the benignity of the being who teaches the Qur'an-even the search in the sea."
Multitudinous examples of Hadiths indicate the import of learning the consecrate Koran with disposition and touch. Allah Himself mentions in His Assemblage:
"We know revealed to you the book which clarifies every affair."
As mass of Islam we are obligated to elasticity our afloat tending to the last apocalypse. Not exclusive in terms of city and reciting the verses but it is also district to instruct what God has scrawled for us. Disposition the splendid Quran is a petition in itself as the knowledge attained from it cannot be found anywhere added.
Seer Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"The consecrated Quran is crack and fantabulous to everything another than Almighty God."
In position to recognise the best direction, one staleness follow to the teachings of the Qur'an. If we greet to transmute stark individuals in every vista and obtain Allah's mercy and stark mate, we staleness hit His glorious accumulation a requisite line of our animation.
Vaticinator (PBUH) has said:
"The recitor of the Quran leave be spared from the calamities of the lifespan."

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The holy month of Ramadan - appealed to Muslims

The month of blessing has arrived again. This is the month of happiness and loads of blessings and unlimited bounties for all the Muslims globally from our Almighty Allah. It is the advent of a month that is filled with immeasurable blessings; the thirty days which necessitate a Muslim to observe one of the five pillars of Islam, fasting. This month helps all the Muslims to abstain themselves from all the bad deeds and to develop good habits in them.

Life is full of challenges and we confront it on regular basis. But Islam has given us a true bounty of Ramadan to meet the challenges with courage and confidence. Where this blessed month brings a chance for all the Muslims to change their habits and to develop good deeds, it also brings a chance to ask for forgiveness.

According to Allah, the gates of Heaven are thrown open, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained in this month. Our Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said,

"When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and the rebellious jinn are chained, the gates of Hell are locked and not one of them is opened; the gates of Paradise are opened and not one of them is locked; and a crier calls, 'You who desire what is good, come forward, and you who desire evil, refrain.' Some are freed from Hell by Allah, and that happens every night." (Tirmidhi).

Another proposal of this month is the act of fasting, which was ordained during the second year of Hijrah. Fasting is obligatory for all the Muslims. Fasting develops the skills of self-restraint and self-control in an individual, as the person fasting does not only have to abstain from food and drink, but s/he must also refrain from many other things: backbiting, gossiping, bad deeds, using abusive language etc.

The Prophet said, "Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink" (Bukhari).

The observance of fasting during Ramadan constitutes one of the five pillars of Islam. The experience of fasting is intended to teach Muslims self-discipline and self-restraint, and understand a little of the plight of the less privileged (e.g., the hungry, thirsty and the poor). Furthermore, Ramadan fasting is not just about disciplining the body to refrain from eating and drinking from pre-dawn until sunset, but is also about exerting control over the mind. This involves restraining anger, doing good deeds, exercising personal discipline, and preparing one to serve as a good Muslim and a good person. Fasting during Ramadan is prescribed for every healthy, adult Muslim whereas the weak, the sick, children, travelers and menstruating women are among those exempted. Muslims observing the fast are required to abstain not only from eating food and drinking water, but also from consuming oral medicines and injecting intravenous nutritional fluids.

The aim of fasting is to get spiritual happiness besides material welfare and to explore a true sense of happiness within us. This month is a blessed month and gives us a message to be pious to to get closer to Allah.

In the Quran, Allah says:

O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you that ye may ward off (evil) (2:183).

Fasting is an action, which, we are told, will act as a shield for us when we most need it.

Allah's Apostle said,

"Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins" (Bukhari).

Ramadan is the month, when all the Muslims should have to pay their yearly Zakat from whatever he/she has earned. Paying Zakat is obligatory in Islam and every one has to follow its procedure strictly. Care for the poor relatives, neighbors and other deprived people is also ordained upon the Muslims in the form of Zakat. A small portion of wealth, left accumulated in the previous year, is to be distributed among the deserving people, thus creating a sense of gratitude among the rich towards the Almighty and at the same time a sense of fulfillment among the under-privileged towards the Almighty, as well as a sense of brotherhood towards the giver of the charity.

Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said,

"There is Zakat applicable to everything, and the Zakat of the body is fasting" (Tirmidhi).

Fasting also fill in Muslims, the spirit of charity. Abstaining from food and drink gives a firsthand experience to the more privileged as to what the less fortunate may have to endure the year around. Hence, it encourages us to donate more to charity and to give out of the wealth to those who cannot afford the same luxuries that they do.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said,

"He who gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast, or who equips a fighter, will have a reward equivalent to his" (Tirmidhi).

Fasting is pure worship. The fact that he is abstaining from food and drink both in public and in secret shows his honest faith and strong love of Allah, and his knowledge and feeling that Allah is all-knowing of everything. For this reason Allah has made the reward for fasting greater than for any other type of worship. Fasting promotes the passions for patience, humility and a sense of submission to the Creator. Additional prayers and recitation of the Holy Quran and the regular prayers is rewarded manifold. The chief merit of Fasting is that it is an act based upon pure love and devotion to Allah and there is not an iota of show and exhibition of one's piety in it. The act of fasting is completely hidden from the view of the people and this is a moral training for the next whole year.

Achieving Taqwa is one of the most important wisdom of fasting. Fasting brings on Taqwa as it lessens the desire of the stomach and mutes the sexual appetite. Whoever fasts frequently would overcome these two desires more easily. Strengthening willpower and acquiring patience.

We should fear Allah and obey His every Command throughout this month. Fasting is never done for any material or worldly gain. Fasting is done mainly for the spiritual upliftment. It develops "Taqwa" in Muslims. The Prophet (PBUH) called Ramadan the month of patience as it increases one's will power to control his desire and the selfishness of his soul. This training allows him to be strong in following Allah's commands.

Yet another blessing of this month is that every good deed done in it, whether it be good to others or reciting the Quran, carries an extra weight of blessings

The Prophet said, "(Allah says about the fasting person),

'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times'" (Bukhari).

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Ameen, ameen, ameen." It was said, "Messenger of Allah, you climbed up on the minbar and said, "Ameen, ameen, ameen." He said, "Jibrael (peace be upon him), came to me and said, "Whoever witnesses the month of Ramadan and is not forgiven, so he enters Hell, may Allah cast him away. Say Ameen." So I said Ameen."

Another factor, which distinguishes Ramadan from other months, is the advent of the Night of Power or Lailat-ul-Qadr. The Night of Power is said to be the one in which Allah writes the decree of His creation. In verses three to five 5 of Surah Al-Qadr, God says:

"The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees. (That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn."

The month of Ramadan is a chance to make up for the time lost around the year in other work and revert to Allah, beg forgiveness for the sins done around the year, and finally, a chance to better the life waiting in the Hereafter. It offers every Muslim an opportunity to strengthen his Emaan, purify his heart and soul, and to remove the evil effects of the sins committed by him.

All those who have performed their spiritual duties towards the Creator and the created and have accomplished the mission ordained upon them in this month, have got every right to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, as a day of successful culmination, but of course, not before paying Fitra, a simple obligatory gesture of kindness towards the poor, to enable them to enjoy the holy day.

Children must be encouraged to start fasting at an early age to begin the regiment and instill desire.

Common Errors made during Ramadan

Excessive spending: Ramadan should be a time to avoid being wasteful, and learning to be prepared in facing harder times by distinguishing the needs from the luxuries. Unfortunately, many people go beyond their limits to spend during Ramadan, whether in the varieties of food that they savor each night, or by the other types of spending.

Staying awake during the night and sleeping during the day: Meditation for soul upliftment can be practiced in the month of Ramadan with determination. Some people sleep during most of the day when they are fasting or else engage themselves in activities. Ramadan is not a time of being lazy. In addition, some may spend a great portion of the night indulging in eating and drinking and socializing

Reading the Quran too fast: Some insist on finishing the whole Quran once or more, even if they have to read very fast. Although reading the Quran many times is desirable, this should not be done hastily, especially during the Tarawih prayer without pondering upon its meaning.

Eating too much: This month gives us a message to realize about the poor and needy people. Filling appetite more than required is not the mandate of Ramadan. There are few people who eat too much in the month of Ramadan. It is been observed that the people eat more in the month of Ramadan than in any other month. But Allah is only pleased with those, who eat less and charity more in this month.

There is no need to consume excess food at iftaar (the food eaten in the period immediately after sunset to break fast), dinner, or saheri (the light meal generally eaten about half an hour to one hour before dawn). The reasons for this are two-fold. First, and most importantly, such a lifestyle contradicts the principal aims and spirit of Ramadan. Over-eating can be seen as a reflection of weak discipline and irresponsibility. Secondly, the body has regulatory mechanisms that reduce the metabolic rate and ensure efficient utilization of body fat. Furthermore, most people assume a more sedentary lifestyle while fasting. The net result is that a balanced diet that consists of less than the normal amount of food intake is sufficient to keep a person healthy and active during the month of Ramadan.

We must beg for Allah's forgiveness because we have broken so many of His rules and covenants and disobeyed His commands during the year.

Ramadan is meant for SPIRITUAL development through fasting. Physiologically, by fasting the body eliminates toxins efficiently and the mind becomes clear for "power thinking" so that one may ponder on the meaning of the Qur'an, Hadith and the necessity of Zikr. One must also do some self-analysis to monitor and correct one's behavior if necessary. With meditation, the mind becomes quiet and so should our tongues!

This is the month for renewing our commitment and re-establishing our relationship with our Creator. It is the spring season for goodness and virtues when righteousness blossoms throughout the Muslim communities. This month brings us a message to follow equality and brotherhood and to raise the positive image of Islam.

For all of us, who ever hurt any ones heart must seek forgiveness from that person, because it is a rule of nature that nothing is worst then hurting human and only asking for forgiveness from that person can heal the heart. According to our Holy Prophet, the only thing which has no forgiveness by Allah is to hurt human.

Therefore, It's my pray to Allah for all the Muslim brothers and sisters that may He gives us a true sense of understanding for our religion. May He show us the right path to follow. May Allah help us all to make every fast this Ramadan a shield in the Hereafter and an intercessor in the grave. May Allah guide us towards making this Ramadan a source for gathering numerous blessings and getting our major and minor sins forgiven. May Allah guide us on the right path and help us to understand the true essence of Islam and our aim of life. May Allah brings happiness and shower his blessings on us and may our wishes come true. Ameen.

Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the notorious, prominent and creative names in the field of Education since 10 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer too. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 80 articles on social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized, acclaimed and published on most of the famous world wide websites, magazines, newsletters and newspapers, particularly Khaleej Times and Dawn Newspaper.

It is a Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi world!

It's a Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi World!

Why Uncle Sam will never win the war in Iraq

It's not very often that I wax political. I'm wrong about so many OTHER aspects of human life, why expose myself to more ridicule, more personal attacks from my fellow Christian Americans? But something's been stuck in my craw for a while now and I have to get this off my chest.

Perhaps you've heard the phrase "The Twelfth Imam" mentioned by TV's talking heads lately. Well, I have! In October, 2005, Iran's President Mahmoud "Mammy" Ahmadinejad, made reference to this guy - The Twelfth Imam - when he addressed the United Nations. As he was wrapping up his speech, he asked Allah to quickly usher in "the Twelfth Imam."

As one, the all-knowing pundits and world's intellectual elite, mouths agape with wonder, replied, "huh?"

Sometimes referred to as the "Hiddden Imam" or "The Mahdi," Mammy's prayer caused many of those who consider themselves in-the-know to confess that they were clueless and sent them scrambling to Google.com, just as I did myself. Afterward, Mammy claimed that he was surrounded by some sort of halo of light as he spoke and that the leaders of the world were mesmerized by his speech.

Whatever.

SO, WHO WAS MAMMY TALKING ABOUT?

Many Shia Muslims, like Mammy, believe that this "Mahdi" person - meaning "the guided one," used in reference specifically to one guided by God - fulfills a type of messianic role in Sunni Islam, though it has been used by Sunnis to refer to various reformers who have arisen periodically in history to revive Islam when it has grown weak. The concept is more popular among the Shi'ites who believe Mahdi to be the last in a line of saints descended from Ali, the founder of the Shia sect. They say he disappeared down a well in Iran, in A.D. 941. Yes, a well. Well...they say he went into a state of "occultation," like the sun disappearing behind the clouds. One fine day, after a terrible period of apocalyptic wars upon the earth, they believe these clouds will part, and the Mahdi will be appear on the scene. They believe that, when he is released from his imprisonment in the well, the entire world will finally convert to Islam. That is, after all, the goal of Islam in a nutshell; conversion or death. Face it, many see this as the goal of Christianity as well. Let's not throw stones for, over the centuries, we've been plenty guilty of advancing our perceived Christian cause through bloodshed, too. The TRUTH is, the goal of Christianity is NOT to score conversions. According to Jesus Christ, His "goal" - His Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) - was that we make DISCIPLES, teaching them His Doctrine. HUGE difference. But I digress...

We laugh at unfamiliar religious notions like those of Mammy but, friends, guys like him are incredibly motivated to see their religious beliefs fulfilled. Where they're concerned, Islam is "to die for!" Not only does he believe it, but the tens of thousands of mullahs - teachers of Islam - throughout the Middle East and elsewhere believe it, too, and they're preaching it and teaching it with great zeal. These people are on a mission from God, fighting a Holy War. They're training their kids to hate the Jews and the Christians and world domination is their ultimate goal. They are taught to believe that, when they die in this jihad, they become martyrs and ascend to Paradise where 72 beautiful virgins await them. They BELIEVE this as fervently as any Christian believes in the resurrection of Christ. They will NEVER surrender. For every one we kill - especially those we consider collateral damage - two more will rise up in their places. At the start of this war, I said that, even if we did catch Sadaam Insane and Osama Been Hidin' dining at the same table and served them each a live grenade sandwich, there are millions of like-minded fanatics lined up right behind them, ready to jump in line for the sake of the cause as well as the power and prestige that goes with it.

I'm as patriotic an American as they come, but we can dispel any notions that there will ever come a glorious moment of Al-Qaida surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri.

There will be no Appomattox Courthouse.

No Yorktown.

No ticker-tape parades as Johnny comes marchin' home once and for all.

Shall we cut our losses and bring our soldiers home? Not on your life! These people will follow them home like the snarling, growling, frothing German Shepherd that followed me home in the 8th grade! They believe they are on a mission from God.

Repeat: they believe they are on a mission from God.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Jeremiah 15:7 declares that "Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad..." Imagine, a wicked, evil place referred to as "a golden cup" in the hand of the Lord. God was using Babylon just as He uses the devil, just as He's using Islam today. You see, I believe that Islam is a thorn in the side of the Church. God's trying to stir the Church to recognize that something else is trying to UNITE the world and it's NOT Christianity. We are too divided by ideologies, doctrines and dogmas and it's proving to a world that notices our division, our declining numbers, our publicized immorality - a world that's looking for answers - and they've determined that our faith is NOT the answer.

Islam is here to wake us up! The bloodiest wars ever fought have been fought by Christians and Muslims. Today, there are Christian countries destroying other countries believing that we're going to help them by bringing them democracy, something they don't even desire. We act like democracy is the Divine Government of God. Democracy is NOT what they need. The people need their King, Jesus. THAT is what we who know that King should be bringing them.

A CNN World News Story article headline, April 14, 1997, read: "Fast-growing Islam winning converts in Western world." The body read, in part: "...The second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam is also the fastest-growing religion. In the United States, for example, nearly 80 percent of the more than 1,200 mosques have been built in the past 12 years..."

Other notable comments regarding the rise of Islam include the following:

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..."

- Hillary Clinton, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3

Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion. - ABCNEWS,

Abcnews.com

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1

"Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." - USA TODAY, The Population Reference Bureau, Feb. 17,

1989, p.4A

"Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities." - Encyclopedia Britannica

"There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now." - Dan Rather, CBSNEWS

WHAT'S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?

Whatever the Western Church is currently doing to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, frankly, it simply isn't working. I say scrap the popular hunker-down-in-the-edifice mentality, scrap anything but the teachings of Christ, and adjust our sails to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit. We can learn from the example of our persecuted brethren in the underground Church in developing nations, the ONLY place on the planet where our faith is thriving, incidentally. Is it persecution that will cause the Imperialistic Western Church to seek relationship with God and abandon the powerless form of self-righteous godliness that we currently possess?

Recently, I began pondering a verse from the Book of the Revelation, Chapter 20, verse 4. In the Amplified Bible, it reads: "Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands..."

I recall the first time I read this verse, about age 19. I remember thinking, "Beheadings??! Who does THAT any more? Surely there are some more effective and efficient methods for mass murdering one's enemies....just look at Auschwitz!"

Now, as I push age 50, I've already heard far too many horrifying news reports about beheadings - more than I ever imagined possible - all at the hands of Islamic extremists. Is THIS what the Church has in store for her because we failed to preach Christ all these centuries while we had the chance? As we approach Christmas 2006, even the City of Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, has a Muslim majority whereas fifty years ago, Bethlehem was overwhelmingly Christian.

One day, something will grind "Christian" America's billion wheels to a halt. Pride comes before destruction, after all.

WHAT'S A NATION TO DO?

So, what should America and her allies do? For starters, sadly, our armies must remain there or the fight WILL come to our pampered shores.

At the end of Word War 2, General Douglas MacArthur said that we should send a battleship filled with missionaries to Japan. He was right. We failed to heed his advice and Japan remains a virtually Christ-less nation today. Jesus was the answer and we failed. The relative few ministers who are there are aging rapidly with shrinking congregations.

With that in mind, nearly ten years ago, a dear friend of mine, a woman with many Muslim friends who refer to her as "sister," gifted in ministry to children who once had a Christian television show in Canada, suggested to me that America should focus a major effort on evangelizing the children of the Muslim world. "What child can resist cookies and candy, puppet shows and coloring books," she insisted. "Kids know when they're being loved."

I believed then she was right. When I saw on television a beautiful 5-year old Iraqi boy with big brown eyes, glaring into the camera and, with clenched teeth, spewing hatred and damnation upon Jews and Americans, I KNEW she was right.

Armed with the capability to produce nuclear weapons, Iran will soon possess the ability to carry out her threats against us. With his finger on the button, Mammy will be in position to launch his rockets, driven as much by hatred as his desire to usher in the return of the Mahdi. Of course, this Hidden Imam will remain hidden for he is not coming; he's a figment of Islamic imaginations. Though he won't be making his long-awaited appearance, American and Israeli forces WOULD retaliate immediately.

Talk about unleashing Hell.

We can't leave Iraq. Neither can we defeat this enemy with "horses and chariots" (Ps 20:7). Sorry, but to all those who insist upon talking to these madmen, we can't reason with Iraq nor with their neighbor, President Mammy of Iran.

But the Church CAN pray and we can evangelize the children like there's no tomorrow.

At this rate, frankly, there may not be.

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!

Thanks to my brother in Christ, Ed Dupas of Canada, who writes, after reading my rough draft on this article: "...I thought the name "Mahdi" had a familiar ring, but wasn't sure until I did a little internet surfing. There was a 1966 movie called "Khartoum", which starred Charleton Heston (a British General) and Sir Lawrence Oliver (as the Mahti). Because of the pronunciation of 'Mahdi' that I have been hearing recently, I didn't make the connection. Olivier pronounced it like "Maw-ch-tee" (as though one was collecting a gob of spit in his throat on the first syllable). It was a powerful movie, made so by the sheer screen presence of both Olivier and Heston."

Thanks, Ed! I followed up on the movie and one critic wrote, "In the light of recent world events, this classic confrontation between Western Imperialism and Eastern Islamic fundamentalism makes "Khartoum" more topical than ever."

Some of what the critic wrote included: "Heston essays one of his best roles as Charles "Chinese" Gordon, the patriot who thrives on challenge... Gordon becomes a national hero for his exploits in China and his ill-fated defense of Khartoum...Gordon is a Christian with the Bible constantly under his arm... A national hero who abolished slavery in China... An honest man revered by the British, as well as by the foreigners... A martyr-warrior who ever truly loves the Sudan and cannot, under 'his' God, leave it to the misery and the sickness of which he once cured it...A solitary non-conformist who craved and despised public adulation, a devout Christian that never allied himself to any church, a reluctant empire builder more often sympathetic to those he had to oppose....

"Lawrence Olivier is superb as the fanatical Arab leader, Muhammed Ahmed Al Mahdi, the Expected-One... His softly glowing black eyes never blink... His measured voice spreads holy terrors: "I have been instructed by the Lord Mohammed, Peace be upon Him, to worship in the Khartoum mosque. Therefore I must take Khartoum by the sword."

Two thumbs up!

His mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since '99, he has broadcast over 600 inspirational articles and a dozen booklets on subjects sure to interest the thinking Christian and accelerate the process of spiritual development.

He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries. An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as "Your Town for Jesus" are read around the globe. 

A licensed/ordained minister, a Certified Workplace Chaplain, and a Professional Member of NIBIC, he has ministered in Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, College and Cowboy churches. He is the Workplace Chaplain for a Texas firm, overseeing the Spiritual Development of over 500 employees at ten facilities throughout the state. He is a strong advocate for the House Church Movement, readily available to assist Christians feeling that same inclination.