Holy City of Makkah,the Holy Sites for Pilgrimage..

History of the Holy City of Makkah

The Grand Mosque

In its long history Makkah has also been known as Bakkah. In ancient times, Makkah was chiefly notable as a staging post on the trade route linking the spice producers of the east with Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. Makkah lay about midway between Marib, one of the main cities, perhaps the capital, of the kingdom of Sheba (Yemen) and Petra (in Jordan), a city founded by Nabatean Arabs around the 6th century CE and which became a thriving center with commercial interests spreading into Syria. The religious significance of Makkah was established long before Islamic times. It was in Makkah that Allah commanded Ibrahim to leave Haajar and his young son Ishmael; it was in Makkah that Allah brought forth water from the Well of Zamzam which saved the life of Ishmael and his mother and then allowed Makkah to develop as a habitable place; it was in Makkah that Allah instructed Ibrahim to build "the House of God" (the Holy Kaaba). As a result, from earliest times, Makkah became a place of pilgrimage and, although as centuries passed the pure faith of the Prophet Ibrahim became corrupted by idolatry and paganism, Makkah retained its hold on the minds of men as a place where men should worship. When Makkah came under the control of the Quraysh tribe, it was a noted trading center, a place for pilgrimage and the site of festivals chiefly remarkable for intensely fought poetry competitions and the excessive behavior of the idolators. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah in 570 CE. When, following revelations, Muhammad opposed the paganism of the Makkan establishment and began to spread the word of Islam, he was forced by the Makkans to leave the city. He went to Madinah which proved more receptive to his understanding of the will of God. In 630 CE, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) returned to Makkah, taking the city without resistance and purging it of all elements of idolatry. He cleared the Kaaba of the 360 "gods" within, dedicating the Kaaba once more to the pure worship of the one and only God, and establishing Makkah as a place of pilgrimage for all Muslims. From that time, the Holy City of Makkah has been the heart of the Muslim world. It grew in importance as Islam spread and, for the most part, retained a large degree of independence. When the seat of Muslim power moved to Damascus and then later to Iraq under the Abassid Caliphate, Makkah acknowledged each in turn. In 1269 CE, the Mamluk Sultans from Egypt asserted their power over Makkah. And in 1517 CE, the Turks under the Ottomans in Constantinople held sway over the Holy City. Nevertheless, throughout these great shifts in power in the region, the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) remained the local rulers of Makkah. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of the First World War, Abdul Aziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud) came out of central Arabia, the Najd, and, armed with a deep commitment to the pure form of Islam, took control of Makkah, accepting guardianship of the Holy Sites as a prime responsibility of the Kingdom he founded, the modern state of Saudi Arabia.

Ramadan Kareem..

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. The term Ramadan literally means scorching in Arabic. It was established as a Holy Month for Muslims after the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in 610 CE on the occasion known as Laylat al-Qadr, frequently translated as "the Night of Power.
Observance of Ramadan is mandated in the Quran, Surah 2, Ayah 185:

“The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.”In general, the practices of Ramadan are meant to purify oneself from thoughts and deeds which are counter to Islam. By removing material desires, one is able to focus fully on devotion and service to God. Many Muslims go beyond the physical ritual of fasting and attempt to purge themselves of impure thoughts and motivations such as anger, cursing, and greed.
During the month of Ramadan, most Muslims fast from dawn to sunset with no food or water. Before sunrise many Muslims have the Suhur or predawn meal. At sunset families and friends gather for Iftar which is the meal eaten by Muslims to break the fast. Many Muslims begin the meal by eating dates as the Prophet used to do.
This ritual fast known as, Sawm, is one of the five pillars of Islam, and requires that individuals abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse.

To find the specific times for Ramadan fasting, click over to this helpful tool provided by IslamiCity that allows you to calculate prayer schedules -- including sunup and sundown -- by entering your city or zip code.

Awarding of Certificates..

When someone work hard and diligently shows,he is doing the best of everything for a certain job..he deserve a reward,an award or a certificate for his contribution to any program that turn out to be a success..Last Wednesday,July 18,2012,before the Saudi Aramco Cultural Program  2012 has ended,a short program was made by  the organizer,to bestow a Certificate of those people for their outstanding contribution of the program,specially in the medical,who have made the big contribution of the program.See you guys next year with the same team of hardworking medical staff.

Saudi Aramco Cultural Program 2012-Valencia Tent

For the past 4 weeks,almost a month,I assist an activity called..Saudi Aramco Cultural Program 2012,wherein I was assign to one of the Tent,Valencia..This Tent educate,teaches young boy,14 years old below,engaged,to one of the favorite sport in Saudi..Football.This looks like an academy for Soccer,sponsored by Saudi Aramco,conducting clinics,trainings,basic skills in Football.Team Valencia of  Spain  was the one assign for this activities.It was a fun filled experience,watching this kids,enjoying their summer attending this football clinic.I was assign as Medic,to assist,help and treat injured kids.

Hello guys..it's been a long time,that I didn't write any blogs..about myself,about what i want to write on my blogsite.Lately,I am not feeling well,I used to have high in my sugar and need to see my Internist,once for a while..As of now,I feel okay and eager to write my new blogs.A days to come,I would be writing soon some blogs,related to my activities,in my life for the past 6 months here in my work and off my work..Hopefully you will enjoy it guys.Some  blogs I would like to wrote are informative.Be well guys and see u soon on my next blogs..

Our Simple Noche Buena..Merry Christmas guys!!

Christmas means having fun with your family, spending time with your family, seeing all the beautiful lights, decorating the tree, eating all the food you can eat, celebrating Jesus's birthday and buying presents for other people. How could I forget? We get out of school for two weeks! And oh yea, buying the best present for Grandma. That is what Christmas means to me!!!!

Typhoon Sendong Aftermath..

At the height of Sendong’s onslaught on Friday, the Cagayan de Oro river reportedly overflowed, sending the residents to their roofs or troop to the nearest evacuation centers for safety.

The flashfloods caught the residents by surprise since they were asleep, according to Benito Ramos, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director.

"The flooding occurred around 2:30 a.m. while the people were sleeping. It (massive rains) caused the silted river system to overflow," Ramos added.

Some 20,000 people are currently taking shelter in evacuation centers in the city, according to Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez.

Power and water connections have also been cut off as of this posting.

In Iligan City, authorities said at least 144 people were killed due to the storm.

Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz said more than 12 hours of continuous rain over Iligan, as well as water from nearby mountains, had raised floodwaters waist-high in some neighborhoods that do not usually experience flooding.

Scores of residents escaped the flood by climbing onto the roofs of their homes, he said.

Cruz said the Coast Guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off in the city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river.

Those missing included prominent radio broadcaster Enie Alsonado, who was swept away while trying to save his neighbors, Cruz said.

Five people were also killed and one is missing in Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo town, Compostela Valley.

The five fatalities were killed when a landslide struck the gold-rush area of Mt. Diwata.

The victims were identified as Rosita dela Peña, 57 years old; Nasser Tuan, 6; Rakima Tuan, 4; Asliya Tuan, 14; and Jolito Lumactod, 28.

The landslide struck around 4 p.m. Friday at Purok 21 in Barangay Mt. Diwata and destroyed the houses of the victims.

Around 134 families were affected by the flashflood and landslide in several areas at Monkayo.

In the progress report from the Army's 10th Infantry Division, affected barangays include Poblacion, Barangay Baylo, Barangay Pasian, Barangay Union, Barangay Salvacion, and Barangay Mt. Diwata.

Major Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, said due to constant heavy rain, rivers and tributaries on the place overflowed where some five houses have been washed out by the flashflood.

Manuel added that there were seven puroks in Barangay Mt. Diwata affected in landslide, though there are no casualties on the incident, but there were reportedly missing.

She said the Peace and Development Teams of the Army's 25th Infantry Battalion were deployed in the barangays so as to take part in the evacuation of the flashflood-affected families.

In Baungon town in Bukidnon, at least 12 persons have been confirmed dead and hundreds went missing while the road from Cagayan de Oro City to Talakag in Bukidnon is impassable due to landslide.

The Kabula Bridge in Baungon was also damaged.

Relief goods have been distributed to the flood victims along with other private agencies, while Xavier University had also set up a relief center and an information desk, especially for its employees and students who were affected by the calamity.

In Manila, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman assured enough relief supplies to be distributed to affected communities.

Relief goods will be turned over to the local government units (LGUs) as social welfare and development teams are on alert to monitor hazard-prone areas, especially those living along the coasts, she said.

A standby fund worth P300 million will also be released to ensure delivery of assistance to storm victims.

Meanwhile, Ramos said that the death toll may still go up, especially that around hundreds remain unaccounted for.

"We expect the death toll to go up because the mechanized infantry battalions have reported that more bodies were found," he told state-run Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday.

Review of disaster response manual

Meanwhile, President Benigno Aquino III wants a review of the government’s disaster response manual to prevent unnecessary loss of lives in the aftermath of the devastation of Sendong in Mindanao.

Several government agencies in Camp Aguinaldo on Saturday briefed the President regarding their response to the devastation brought about by the storm.

The Chief Executive also wants a more accurate and effective typhoon tracking system so that communities along typhoon path could have enough time to prepare before such disturbance hits.

Areas vulnerable to flashfloods must be identified for the government to issue immediate warnings during heavy downpours and typhoons, Aquino said.

With regard to the current search and rescue efforts, police and military officials told the President about the need for more rubber boats for their missions. They said rescue efforts as well as salvaging dead bodies will continue once the weather improves.

Storm update

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Stronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Sendong made another landfall in the vicinity of Puerto Princesa City before dawn Sunday and is now heading towards the West Philippine Sea.

As of 4 a.m. Sunday, Sendong was spotted at 60 kilometers west northwest of Puerto Princesa City, packing maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness up to 80 kph.

Sendong is forecast to move west at 24 kph and is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Sunday evening.