Omawumi’s new I go go

Omawunmi

R&B diva Omawumi took her music to unprecedented heights with the January release of ‘If You Ask Me (Na Who I Go Ask)’, the Cobhams Asuquo-produced first single from her upcoming sophomore album. The song’s catchy jazz rhythms and the poignant message which Omawumi’s powerful voice so effortlessly delivers have made ‘If You Ask Me’ a massive radio hit. Directed by cinematography maestro Clarence Peters, the accompanying music video of the single has racked up over 15,500 hits on YouTube.

 

As the momentum builds up towards the release of her highly anticipated second studio album, Omawumi offers a preview of what is to come with yet another single, ’I Go Go’. This song is a reggae/soul infusion whose lyrics capture the pain of unrequited love. Fans and music critics alike will undoubtedly be moved by Omawumi’s unrestrained emotive vocals and empathize with the wounded character she plays in this potential classic.

Mercy Johnson plans for wedding

At last you would say, Sexy actress has picked a wedding date.  In August 27, she would be walking down the aisle with her heartthrob, Prince Odinaose Okojie who hails from Edo State. All the details of the wedding is still sketchy but we gathered that both families agreed to that date for massive preparation for the wedding.  Mercy is not hidden her joy as she goes about telling close friends of the latest news.
We equally heard that she would be travelling out of the country for her wedding shopping in Dubai and London with her fiance next month.
Several wedding tales had trailed the sultry actress with gossips insinuating she hadn't any wedding plan.  This time, Mercy is set to make the dream a reality. 

Errors in joining Salat III

All praise is due to  Allah. We praise Him, seek His assistance and His forgiveness. We believe in Him and place our trust in Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the mischief of our souls and our bad actions.  He whom Allah guides no one can mislead him, and he whom Allah misleads no one can guide him. We bear testimony that there is no god except Allah. He is alone and has no partner and we bear testimony that our leader Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Last week, we discussed some errors in the act of joining salat, it may not be extensive because some errors are daily being committed by some who are ignorant of the rules of performing salat.  No doubt, that will give them a guide on the proper way of doing it. But according to some of the reports we get, errors such as looking around, raising the voice so loud to distract others among others will be treated today.
*As far as looking around unnecessarily is concerned, it is a deficiency in the salat of the worshipper.  Our body must not be turned  in another direction away from the Qiblah, it must also not be away from the sujood point. If however the entire body is turned then the salat is invalidated. At_-Tirmidhi also collected an authentic hadith which says: Be warned of turning or looking around in the salat because it is destruction. And there are other a hadith on looking around in the salat.
Closing the eyes for no reason: This is an objectionable act (makruh). Some scholars have said closing the eyes was not from the guidance of the Prophet.  If it is so and if there are no precedence on the act, then why should it be a norm in prayer.   Some scholars of fiqh have differed on its detestability. Some  deemed it detestable and they said that it was of the habits of the Jews. However, some foreign scholars, a group of them, ruled it permissible  without any detestablility and they said that it may indeed be a closer means of achieving nearness to Allah. Since there is no standing rule on it, and if keeping the eyes open has no detrimental effect upon achieving closeness to Allah then it is preferable to do it.
*Raising the voice in recitation to the point of distracting those around.  It is recommended (mustahabb) that one hears himself, not to the point that it interrupts anyone who is reciting the Qur’an or making salat. The Prophet said: O people, each of you is seeking salvation from his Lord therefore do not overpower one another with your recitation.
*Raising the feet from the ground in sujood. This is against the teachings of the Prophet.  The Prophet (s.a.w) was ordered to prostrate upon seven limbs and not to tuck up the hair or the clothes: the forehead (including the nose), the (palms of the) two hands, the knees and the two feet. So the one praying is commanded to pray with the two feet touching the ground.
*Not caring to learn the rules of salat. This is other than what Muslim should do. No doubt salat is the greatest of the Islamic pillars requiring bodily action. Allah commands its performance _ “Iqamis-Salat” (Perform the salat) It is not possible to perform it without having knowledge of its fundamentals or knowing how the Prophet did it. There is no room for ignorance of the rules, knowing its prerequisites or its essential parts, obligations, the rules for making up for errors and the like are fundamentals and as important as the salat. It is therefore important to get acquainted with the rules.
Improper recitation of the Qur’an: This is an open deficiency and the right of the Qur’an is that it be read correctly without aberration and  the Muslim should strive to improve and excel in its recitation properly according to the Arabic language, with clarity and free from distortion.
Walking away right after teslim, at the end of prayer, and neglecting zhikr is also not good after salat. The worshipper should be patient enough to do zhikr which is also an important part of the salat.  Reciting subhanal-Lah 33 times, alhamdu Lilah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 33 times,  La ilaha illal_Laah 10 times and reciting ayat al_Kursiyy (Qur’an 2 vrs 255) is part of salat.
Endeavour to focus on your prayer and imagine that you are standing before Allah.   Intention should be in the heart. That is the real place of getting full concentration. Intend that you are praying to Allah Almighty and only for His sake and focus on the  prayer you are making. Is it an obligatory prayer or a supererogatory one? Are you praying Fajr, Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib or ‘Isha’ and any other prayer? How many prayer units or rakahs you intend to pray and whether you are praying alone or with the congregation? The clearer you are in your intention, the better will be your attention and concentration.
Next week, Insha Allah, we will discuss points that will help in keeping  concentration while praying and the suplication for that purpose recommended by the Prophet in that regard.
Keep yourself pure and clean as much as you can.
May Allah guide us to and make it easy for us. Amen.

Errors in joining Salat

All praise is due to  Allah. We praise Him, seek His assistance and His forgiveness. We believe in Him and place our trust in Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the mischief of our souls and our bad actions.  He whom Allah guides, no one can mislead him. And he whom Allah misleads, no one can guide him aright. We bear testimony that there is no god except Allah. He is alone and has no partner and we bear testimony that our leader Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Last week, we stopped at the act of joining salat which we promised we will treat this week.
Before going into that, let me quickly state that one of the neglected rules in the congregational prayer is making the lines straight. Allah has ordered the proper performance of salah saying “And establishes the salah”. The Prophet (s.a.w) has also said: "Straighten your lines for verily, straightening of the lines is a part of correct performance of salah (iqaamis-salat)". The order to straighten the lines and being mindful of doing so is mentioned in a number of hadiths. It should also be mentioned that this includes not leaving any gap in the lines as it is commonly neglected.
Now, one of the frequently commited errors when joining salat is  by going on ruku far from the line of prayer, rushing in order not to miss the rakah.
Abu Bakr (r.a.) at one time joined the Prophet (s.a.w) in salat while in ruku’. He made ruku’ before he reached the line of prayer. He mentioned that to the Prophet (s.a.w) after the salat and the Prophet said: “May Allah increase your eagerness in caring to join salat but do not come doing it again.”  (Bukhari).
In this Hadith, Abu Bakr did not want to miss a rakah of salah with the Prophet (s.a.w). He started his salat before he joined the line in ruku’ and then walked while in ruku.  He was advised not to do that again.  A critical examination of that scenario indicates that Abu Bakr errors were three: rushing to join the salat which we have pointed out as one of the errors we make in salat in past edition of this column; performing ruku outside the line of prayer; and walking while in ruku to be close to the prayer line.  The last one would not have been an error if it was one or two steps because there was precedence to that effect (when a worshipper moved backward to form a line of prayer or moved forward to fill a gap;  but it becomes an error when the steps are more than two. Those who hold the views of scholars like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik and Imam Shafi allow Muslims to walk forward to fill in the gaps in lines for prayers, etc.  However, the ruling of the prophet that he (Abu Bakr) should not repeat that again, suggests it was not permissible  because it was done far from the line of prayer.   Filling the gap or moving forward or backward in one or two steps is simply a Makrooh but may not necessarily invalidate the salat. As a result, care must be observed so as not to over-do what is permisible out of unusual circumstances.
For a person who wants to join the jamah when the Imam is in ruku, it is compulsory (fard) to stand and recite takbir-ihram and thereafter stand at least for the duration long enough in which subhanallah could be recited once and then go into ruku.
At this point, there must also be a pause at your ruku before the imam rises from his ruku. This is a valid way of joining salat.  If at that point, the imam rises from ruku without you getting a pause on ruku, then you will have to remain in ruku and, from that position, join the congregation as they go into sujud. It should however be noted that, that rakah has been missed and has to be replaced after the imam has completed the second salama. Sheikh Adam Al-Ilory (May Allah bless his soul) specified this in his book on salat.
Another point of note is that the total rakah performed with the Imam will be adjusted with the remainder of the rakah (by way of placing the number of the performed rakah with Imam in front of the missed rakah.) To explain this, taking Maghrib as example: If you joined prior to the completion of the second ruku, you will be considered to have joined the second rakat
Now when the Imam makes the second salama, you have to perform the missed rakah, which in this case is ONE as you performed the ruku of the second rakah with the Imam. The rakah which you performed with the Imam were thus rakat number two and number three
You will adjust the TWO rakah that you performed with the Imam as your first two and perform the last one on your own after the Imam has completed salama.
This is the view of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, ‘Ali, (May Allah be pleased with them). This is also the view of Imam Nawawii and seems to be stronger, with particular emphasis on  “complete whatever you have missed” as opposed to “make it up.”  The Hanafeehs school of thought is different. They say you need to make up the first part of the prayer. This is also the view of the Maliks.
In essence, one has to be able to differentiate between order of RECITATION and SITTINGS together with making adjustment for the number of rakah performed with the Imam.
May Allah guide us and grant us success! May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his companions

If Olurin wins, I will kiss you people goodbye says Gbenga Daniel

EMBATTLED Governor Olugbenga Daniel of Ogun State yesterday threw caution to the winds and classified the governorship candidate of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP]; Chief Adetunji Olurin as a mad man for saying he would send him to jail.

Daniel at a press conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital where he took on virtually all his opponents including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Minister for Commerce and Industry; Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye said that Olurin must be out of his minds to have made the statement.

He said “I don’t know his [Olurin] pedigree that can make him make a statement like that. On what basis? Because of cooked up petition or what? I have been here for eight years and I didn’t jail anybody. It was a careless and irresponsible statement.

“Somebody who has not been governor of this state for one day says he will jail the Chief Executive. He must be out of his mind. Where was he when i turned Ilaro, his home twon around, where for decades he has not been able to add any value?

“The house that he built in Ilaro, I was the one who gave him land because I said that he cannot be a big man without a house in his hometown. Olurin told me that he is to old to run for governorship and that he would rather support Gboyega Isiaka or any other young person that emerges. When did he change his mind? Who persuaded him?

“I pray this is not the kind of government that will take over from us. If that happens; I will kiss you people goodbye”

Daniel who was visbly angry said that he fell out with senator Jubril martis-Kuye and the Chairman of the State Elders Forum; Chief sule Onabiyi because they could not complete the Judiciary Complex contract he awarded to them.

“Kuye should tell the people what went wrong. When i give a job, it must be done. Because of non performance, the Judiciary Complex has not been completed. It was one year after they started that we constructed the first phase of the secretariat and we have even completed the second phase.

“Kuye had a meeting last week in Ago-Iwoye and he asked his people to go and vote for Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN]. Who among us is doing anti party? A Minsiter of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at a rally pointed to a drug Baron and said he was the one who saved them”

Governor Daniel also explained that a the decision of a meeting between him and the Presidential team led Chief Anthony Anenih was scuttled by former President obasanjo who he said tore the list of the names agreed upon.

He explained that the Abuja team was able to convince him to accept fielding the Governorship candidate with Obasanjo producing the Deputy while Iyabo obasanjo Bello would get her senatorial ticket for Ogun Central and that he would get that of Ogun East.

He said that the agreement was such that the Obasanjo camp would have six out of the nine House of Representatives seats while Daniel’s group get three quaters of the 26 House of Assembly seats.

“I agreed in principle. I learnt when they got to the President, he was excited  but had to go to Obasanjo. Somebody tore the list. I am sure you are aware of that and here we are”

Enugu Deputy Gov slumps during campaign tour

DEPUTY Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi reportedly slumped
during a campaign tour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to Nsukka town yesterday and was rushed back to Enugu after he was revived. 

Onyebuchi, according to an official of the party at Nsukka, slumped while
addressing officials of Ogige Main Market Traders Association, OMMATA right
inside their secretariat.
The incident, however, prevented him from participating in the Podium Discussion
organized by the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church,
Nsukka, where he was billed to represent the governor.

Governor Sullivan Chime and his entourage later rushed to Nsukka to participate
in the event but before his arrival most of the participants had left the venue
as the governorship candidates of four political parties including Dr. Dan Shere
of People for Progressive Change, PDC and Chief Okey Ozea of Labour Party,
participated fully in the dialogue.
Vanguard learnt that the deputy governor was on his feet addressing the traders
when midway into his speech, he slumped but his aides immediately rushed in and
took him away in his convoy.
He was said to have been given first aid treatment before he was driven back to
his residence in Enugu where Government House doctors were said to have attended
to him.
But in a swift reaction to the development yesterday, the State Commissioner for
Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, said it was not a serious issue, stressing that
as human it was natural for anybody to be exhausted after the long campaigns
that took the governor and his deputy to all local government areas and markets
in the state.
“Having covered all the 17 Local Governments, markets and still continuing with
the campaigns, it is simply human and natural to be exhausted.  It is
insensitive for anybody to allege anything serious or sinister.  As I speak to
you, His Excellency, the Deputy Governor is in his residence hale and hearty,”
Ugwoke said in a text message sent to reporters yesterday.
The commissioner said he was with the Deputy Governor at his residence yesterday
evening and he (Onyebuchi) was in good health.
However, by press time yesterday, Governor Chime was still at St. Theresa
Catholic Church where he addressed leaders of the Catholic Diocese in Nsukka and
solicited their support in the April election.

32 militant leaders embrace amnesty, surrenders 428 arms

Weapons militant leaders who embraced amnesty Monday