The adhan (also spelled Athan, Azan, Ezan) is the Islamic call to prayer. The Muslim call to Friday public worship and to the five daily hours of prayer. It is proclaimed by the muezzin, a servant of the mosque chosen for good character, as he stands at the door or side of a small mosque or in the minaret of a large one. The adhan was originally a simple "Come to prayer," but, according to tradition, Muhammad consulted his followers with a view to investing the call with greater dignity. The matter was settled when 'Abd Allah ibn Zayd dreamed that the faithful should be summoned by a crier. The standard Sunnite adhan can be translated as: "Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Allah is most great. There is no god but Allah." The first phrase is proclaimed four times, the final phrase once, and the others twice, the worshipers making a set response to each phrase.
It’s simply a way to alert people when they are busy; that the time for the prayer (“Salah” in Arabic; one of the 5 pillars of Islam) has come. Especially in the Muslim world; because in Islam, the five daily prayers are supposed to be carried out in congregation as much as one can. And so in the old days, before the development of technologies (alarm clocks, mobile phones, etc) that was a fast way to let people know. Recently, in the past fifty years or so, they started using loudspeakers on top of minarets to call the adhan. It’s a beautiful and enchanting sound and it’s just calling people to come and worship.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ May 12, 2010
Adhan is the Islamic ritual call to prayer. It was explained to Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) as "music for God." Stevens said, "I thought, music for God? I’d never heard that before. I’d heard of music for money, music for fame, music for personal power, but music for God!" Adhan is called out by the muezzin in the mosque, sometimes from a minaret, five times a day summoning Muslims for mandatory (fard) prayers (salah). There is a second call known as iqama (set up) that summons Muslims to line up for the beginning of the prayers. The main purpose behind the loud pronouncement of adhan five times a day in every mosque is to make available to everyone an easily intelligible summary of Islamic belief. It is intended to bring to the mind of every believer and non-believer the substance of Islamic beliefs, or its spiritual ideology. Loudspeakers are sometimes installed on minarets for the purpose.
Sunnis state that the adhan was not written or said by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, but by one of his Sahabah (his companions). Shi'a sources state that it is Muhammad who, according to God's command, ordered the adhan as a means of calling Muslims to prayer. Shi'a Islam teaches that no one else contributed, or had any authority to contribute, towards the composition of the adhan.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 03, 2009
The Mara Salvatrucha gang originated in Los Angeles and has spread to Central America, other parts of the United States, and Canada. It is commonly abbreviated as MS, Mara, and MS-13. There is some dispute about the etymology of the name. The most common belief is that the word "Mara" refers to the Spanish word for "gang", and "Salvatrucha" (which is Spanish slang) for "Salvadoran army ant". Alternatively, it is suggested that "Salvatrucha" refers to the Salvadoran peasant guerrillas, the source of much of the gang's early manpower. The number 13 is homage to the Los Angeles gang "Los Emes" or "The Ms"(M being the thirteenth letter of the alphabet). The gang was set up in Los Angeles in 1980's by Salvadoran immigrants in the city's Pico-Union neighborhood. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans. Their activities have caught the eye of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who in September 2005 initiated wide-scale raids against suspected gang members, netting 660 arrests across United States. ICE efforts were at first directed towards MS-13, in its Operation Community Shield. In May 2005, ICE expanded Operation Community Shield to include all transnational organized crime groups and prison gangs. ICE's Operation Community Shield has since arrested 7,655 street gang members.
In the United States, the gang's strongholds have historically been in the American Southwest and West Coast states. Membership in the U.S was believed to be as many as about 50,000 as of 2005. MS-13 criminal activities include drug smuggling and sales, arms trafficking, auto theft, carjacking, home invasion, assault, aggravated assault, assault on law enforcement officials, drive-by shootings, contract killing and murder. Many Mara Salvatrucha members cover themselves in tattoos. Common markings include "MS," "Salvatrucha," the "Devil Horns," the name of their clique, and other symbols. A December 2007 CNN internet news article stated that the gang was moving away from the tattoos in an attempt to commit crimes without being noticed. Members of Mara Salvatrucha, like members of most modern American gangs, utilize a system of hand signs called "clicks" for purposes of identification and communication. One of the most commonly displayed is the "devil's head" (formed by extending the index and little fingers of the hand while tucking in the middle and ring fingers with the thumb), which forms an 'M' when displayed upside down. This hand sign is similar to the same symbol commonly seen displayed by heavy metal musicians and their fans. Founders of Mara Salvatrucha borrowed the hand sign after attending concerts of heavy metal bands.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 22, 2009
A monotheistic religion characterized by the acceptance of the doctrine of submission to God and to Muhammad as the chief and last prophet of God. The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means 'submission," and derives from a word meaning "peace." In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arabic-speaking Muslims, Jews and Christians alike as the normal word for God. "Allah" is also used to refer to God by Muslims speaking other languages, including English. A Muslim is an adherent of the religion of Islam. Literally, the word means "one who submits (to God)". Islam is not a new religion, but the final culmination and fulfillment of the same basic truth that God revealed through his prophets to every people. A way of life symbolized by peace; peace with God, peace with the creations of God through Submission to God and His guidance. Over a billion people from all races, nationalities, and cultures across the globe are Muslim; from the rice farms of Indonesia to the deserts in the heart of Africa; from the skyscrapers of New York to the Bedouin in Arabia. Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God; the sole creator and Sustainer of the Universe; in the angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to humankind; in the Day of Judgment of actions; in God's complete authority over destiny, whether it is good or bad; and in life after death.
Muslims believe that God sent his messengers and prophets to all people and God's final message to humanity, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing up of all that had gone before, was revealed to the Last Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. The sacred text of Islam is the Qur'an (also spelled Koran; multiple spellings).
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ May 07, 2010
Gene Starwind and his partner Jim Hawking run a small business on the backwater planet of Sentinel III. But all that changes the day that "Hot Ice" Hilda hires them for a bodyguard job. Now, thrust into a mystery they don't fully understand revolving around a place known as the Galactic Leyline, they're on the run from the cops, the space pirates, an angry alien (Aisha Clan Clan), and a mysterious assassin ("Twilight" Suzuka). But they've got one thing going in their favor - they have the galaxy's most advanced ship, the Outlaw Star.
Outlaw Star is an awesome 26 episode anime series. It aired in the U.S. on Toonami in 2001 and was also shown on Adult Swim in 2002.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 20, 2010
Witches are individuals with special powers like ESP, telekinesis, mind control, and so on. Not the typical hogwart and newt potions. Robin, a craft user, arrives from Italy to Japan to work for an organization named STN Japan Division (STN-J) as a replacement for one of STN-J's witch hunters who was recently killed. Unlike other divisions of STN, STN-J tries to capture the witches alive in order to learn why and how they became witches in the first place.
Witch Hunter Robin is a pretty cool anime which aired in the U.S. on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim from 2004–2005. There are a total of 26 episodes.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 24, 2010
A loving god who cares for those who love him. Known in his avatars of Rama and Krishna, there are eight other recognized avatars (including the Buddha). Vishnu’s chief consort is Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and fortune. As Shiva is known for his lingam, Vishnu is known by his saligrama (a fossilized ammonite from the Gandaki River) and normally holds a conch shell, a chakra, a mace and a lotus. He rides the bird Garuda and is often seen resting on the world serpent Ananta.
Vishnu is regarded as a major god in Hinduism and Indian mythology. He is thought as the preserver of the universe while two other major Hindu gods Brahma and Shiva, are regarded respectively, as the creator and destroyer of the universe.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 04, 2010