Khadja Nin -- Sambolera Mayi Son
Arise Magazine put me on to this beautiful song from Burundi's Khadja Nin. Enjoy!
September 17, 2011
September 4, 2011
Capital Talk: Interview w/ K'naan on His Trip to Somalia
Great interview with K'naan talking about the future of Somalia.
Salalah-Maqam of Nabi Imran
Depending on who you ask, Imran is either 1) the father of Moses or 2) the father of Mary. Either way, his maqam is in the heart of the town of Salalah and so it was relatively easy to find. My friend dropped me off in front, and I went into the mosque, prayed Asr, listened to the post-Asr lecture, and then went and read some Quran at Imran's grave. Waves of Pakistani, Indian, and Bengali families kept pouring in to circnambulate the grave, kissing the flowers piled on either end and at intervals along the grave, which stretched the length of a narrow room.
Salalah-Maqam of Nabi Ayub (Job)
Up in the mountains around Salalah is a mosque compound containing the grave (supposedly) of Nabi Ayub. Christians will recognize him as Job, the Biblical prophet who endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of Satan and still refused to curse or deny God. In the Bible, Job is an existential book that ultimately affirms faith in an ultimate Creator. The Quran mentions his name on numerous occasions, including this ayat:
(21:83)"And (remember) Ayub, when he cried to his Lord, "Truly distress has seized me, But Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are Merciful."Read more...
Salalah--Monsoon
Took a two day trip by bus to Salalah at the end of Ramadan. From June to September everything in Salalah is intensely green, and the weather resembles Seattle Washington, Cape Town, South Africa in winter, or Arusha, Tanzania. Misty cool wet weather with DENSE fog cupping the mountains around the town. The Omanis love it; they come here in droves every khareef season to soak in this uncommon (for Oman) weather. You'll find them camped on the side of the road or rowing boats in the wadis. But since it was Ramadan, there were far fewer tourists of any kind, and so I mostly had the wadis to myself.
September 1, 2011
August 24, 2011
Tippu Tip's family tree
Put this together a while back. Feel free to save, use and revise if you find it useful.
Laylatul-Qadr (The Night of Power)
Laylatul-Qadr- Vipi Uweze Kuupata Usiku Huu?
Tunaingia kumi la mwisho, kumi ambalo ndani yake kuna siku tukufu, siku ya Laylatul-Qadr, ambayo ibada yake ni bora kuliko ibada ya miezi elfu.
Anasema Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala):
﴿ بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴾
(( إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ)) (( وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ)) (( لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ)) ((تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ)) (( سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ))
BismiLlaahir Rahmaanir Rahiym
((Hakika Sisi Tumeiteremsha Qur-aan katika Laylatul Qadr, (Usiku wa Makadirio[Majaaliwa]). Na nini kitachokujuulisha nini Laylatul Qadr?)) ((Laylatul-Qadr ni bora kuliko miezi elfu)) ((Huteremka Malaika na Roho (Jibriyl) katika usiku huo kwa idhini ya Mola wao kwa kila jambo)) ((Amani usiku huo mpaka mapambazuko ya alfajiri)) [Al-Qadr: 1-5]
Vile vile dalili katika Hadiyth mbali mbali zimethibiti kuhusu Fadhila za usiku huu mtukufu, na jinsi Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alivyokuwa hali yake katika siku hizi kumi za mwisho za Ramadhaan.
Baada ya kuzijua fadhila zake usiku huu mtukufu inakupasa Muislamu ujikaze katika siku kumi hizi za mwisho kuacha mambo yote yanayokushughulisha ya dunia na utumbukie katika ibada tu ili uweze kuupata usiku huo mtukufu, yaani ukukute wewe ukiwa katika ibada ili zihesabiwe ibada zako kama kwamba umefanya ibada ya miezi elfu.
Tukifanya hesabu miezi elfu hiyo ni sawa na umri wa miaka 83!
1000 ÷ 12 = 83.3 yaani miaka themanini na tatu na miezi mitatu takriban.
Hivyo ikiwa Laylatul-Qadr imekukuta katika ibada ya aina yoyote, ikiwa ni Swalah (Qiyaamul-Layl), kusoma Qur-aan, kufanya aina za dhikr, kutoa sadaka, kulisha chakula, kuwasiliana na jamaa, kujielimisha au kuelimisha, kufanya wema.
KWA FAIDA ZAIDI YA KUHUSU HII LAYLATUL- QUDR TEMBELELEA WWW.ALHIDAAYA.COM
August 14, 2011
Research in Oman: the Swahili Speaking Omani
I've been in Muscat for two weeks now, conducting interviews and meeting different people who came back from Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda and the Congo. Their stories and worldviews are AMAZING. Everything I expected and more. There is a rich dissertation/book project here waiting to be written. The multiple connections linking Oman and Zanzibar in the present day are truly interesting, and the role of East African heritage in contemporary Oman is also a fascinating question. I am sorry I cannot say more. I am compiling interviews at the moment and writing a Fulbright proposal...To be continued.
Read more...
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