IslamBox is happy to announce the new version of its Google TV application, which is currently available at the PlayStore. IslamBox has not only added a bunch of new and impressive features to the application, but also an extra ordinary design to make it more user friendly. The app has an all new look, including graphics, color and interface. In addition to an amazing user interface, the version is coupled with five astounding features, which makes for an impressive viewing experience.

New Features

1. More Intuitive Design

   The design is built from scratch with improved efficiency and none of the old bugs. The app is exceptional in being user friendly and easy to understand for all age groups.  In addition, we have made the physical appearance, more pleasant to the eye.

2. Favorites

   Users can now add Favorite channels or VODs to the favorites category using the check box feature on the app. To access your favorites, select the Favorites category from the Navigation bar. This will display all your favorite channels and VODs, which you have added to your Favorites List.

3. Search Option

   IslamBox users now have the option to 'Search' for their favorite channels or VOD programs that are available on IslamBox. The 'Search' option is located on the top of the main page. Users will enter the name of any Channel or VOD to gain quick access to the specific channel or On Demand Video.

4. Play and Pause Feature

   Viewers can now Pause any channel or video any time by just clicking on the Pause button of your Remote. In addition, easily navigate between channels or videos in the VODs, within a package, using the left or right arrow buttons on the Remote.

5. Review or Rate Feature

   Viewers can now rate channels according to ones choice easily. In addition, users can also submit reviews regarding any specific channel or program. These reviews help other users as well as how we can improve our services to you.

On the top of the main page “Search” option is available. In the Search box write the name of any Channel or VOD to get quick access to the specific channel or On Demand Video.

Alhum du lillah , IslamBox is growing at a very good rate and our services are available on major set-top boxes available in market today. After few month a new set-top box is releasing that increases available choices for IslamBox users. To help you out with what to buy and from where, we have put together list of retailers that will assist you.

For this coming Eid we decided to make it special for you. IslamBox is offering free player subscription as well as a whole month free with Annual Subscription. This is a special gift from IslamBox on this wonderful occasion. Just pay for a basic subscription and get free player plus whole month free.

The player will be free till the time you are with us. On this auspicious occasion of Hajj and Eid we are giving away free months to our annual users. You can save up to $80 in the subscription and no doubt this is a big amount. Join now and avail free month as this is a limited time offer. The big offer has just gone bumper, join us and watch all the best Islamic content from all around the world.

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"The Hajj” one of the most magnificent duty performed by Muslims from all around the world. It is the pilgrimage to the Makah, Saudi Arabia. One of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and the fifth pillar of Islam, a must perform duty that must be carried out at least once in the lifetime by every able Muslim who can afford to do so. 

“The Hajj” occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhual-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. As Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. 

“Ihram” is the name given to the special spiritual state in which Muslims live while on the pilgrimage. The ritual of pilgrimage to Makah is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Ibrahim. Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on the Makah for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer, runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, and throws stones in a ritual Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival of Eid al-Adha. 

Constituents of “The Hajj” trace back to the time of Ibrahim, around 2000 BCE. Ibrahim's wife, Sarah, was unable to conceive, and upon her request, Ibrahim had taken their female servant, Hajar, as a second wife. From Hajar Ibrahim got a child, Ismail. It is believed that Ibrahim was ordered by Allah to leave Hajar and Ismail alone in the desert. Looking for shelter, food and water, Hajar ran back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times with her son. In desperation, she laid the baby on the sand and begged for Allah's assistance. The baby cried and hit the ground with his heel (some versions of the story say that the angel Jibrail scraped his foot or the tip of his wing along the ground), and the Zamzam Well miraculously sprang forth.

Before Muhammad (PBUH), each year tribes from all around the Arabian Peninsula would converge on Makah, as part of the pilgrimage. The exact faith of the tribes was not important at that time, and Christian Arabs were as likely to make the pilgrimage as the pagans. Muslim historians refer to the time before Muhammad as jahiliyyah, the "Days of Ignorance", during which the Kaaba contained hundreds of idols, with idols of pagan Allahs such as Hubal, al-Lat, Al-‘Uzzá and Manat.

Preparations for Hajj start with Pilgrims generally travel to Hajj in groups, as an expression of unity. During the Hajj, male pilgrims are required to dress only in the ihram, a garment consisting of two sheets of white unhemmed cloth, with the top draped over the torso and the bottom secured by a white sash; plus a pair of sandals. Women are simply required to maintain their hijab—normal modest dress, which does not cover the hands or face

Upon arrival in Makah the pilgrim, now known as a Hajji, performs a series of ritual acts symbolic of the lives of Ibrahim and his wife Hajar. The acts also symbolize the solidarity of Muslims worldwide.

The greater Hajj (al-hajj al-akbar) begins on the eighth day of the lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah. On the first day of the Hajj (the 8th day of the 12th month in other words, Dhu al-Hijjah), if they are not already wearing it upon their arrival, pilgrims put on ihram clothing and then leave Makah for the nearby town of Mina where they spend the rest of the day. The Saudi government has put up thousands of large white tents at Mina to provide accommodations for all the pilgrims.

The pilgrims perform their first Tawaf, which involves all of the pilgrims visiting the Kaaba and walking seven times counter-clockwise around the Kaaba. They may also kiss the Black Stone (Al Hajar Al Aswad) on each circle. If kissing the stone is not possible because of the crowds, they may simply point towards the Stone on each circle with their right hand. In each complete circle a pilgrim says "In the name of Allah, Allah is Great, Allah is Great, Allah is Great and praise be to Allah" (Bism Allah Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lil Lahi Alhamd) with 7 circles constituting a complete Tawaf. The place where pilgrims walk is known as "Mutaaf". Only the first three shouts are compulsory, but almost all perform it seven times.

The Tawaf is normally performed all at once. Eating is not permitted but the drinking of water is allowed because of the risk of dehydration. Men are encouraged to perform the first three circles at a hurried pace, followed by four times, more closely, at a leisurely pace. 

After the completion of Tawaf, all the pilgrims have to offer two Rakaat prayers at the Place of Ibrahim (Muqaam Ibrahim), a site inside the mosque that is near the Kaaba. However, again because of large crowds during the days of Hajj, they may instead pray anywhere in the mosque.

Although the circles around the Kaaba are traditionally done on the ground level, Tawaf is now also performed on the first floor and roof of the mosque because of the large crowd.

After Tawaf on the same day, the pilgrims perform sa`i, running or walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah. This is a re-enactment of the frantic search for water for her son Prophet Ismail by Prophet Ibrahim's wife and Ismail's mother Hajar. As she searched, the Zamzam Well was revealed to her by an angel, who hit the ground with his heel (or brushed the ground with the tip of his wing), upon which the water of the Zamzam started gushing from the ground. The back and forth circle of the pilgrims used to be in the open air, but is now entirely enclosed by the Masjid al-Haram mosque, and can be accessed via air-conditioned tunnels. Pilgrims are advised to walk the circle, though two green pillars mark a short section of the path where they are allowed to run. There is also an internal "express lane" for the disabled. The safety procedures are in place because previous incidents in this ritual have resulted in stampedes which caused the deaths of hundreds of people.

As part of this ritual the pilgrims also drink water from the Zamzam Well, which is made available in coolers throughout the Mosque. After the visit to the mosque on this day of the Hajj, the pilgrims then return to their tents.

The next morning, on the eighth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims proceed to Mina where they spend the night in prayer.

On the ninth day, they leave Mina for Mt. Arafat where they stand in contemplative vigil and pray and recite the Qur'an, near a hill from which Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon, this hill is called Jabal Al Rahmah (The Hill of Forgiveness, Mount Arafat). This is known as Wuquf, considered the highlight of the Hajj. Pilgrims must spend the afternoon within a defined area on the plain of Arafat until after sunset. No specific rituals or prayers are required during the stay at Arafat, although many pilgrims spend time praying, and thinking about the course of their lives. A pilgrim's Hajj is considered invalid if they do not spend the afternoon on Arafat. 

At Mina the pilgrims perform Ramy al-Jamaraat, throwing stones to signify their defiance of the Devil. This symbolizes the trials experienced by Prophet Ibrahim while he was going to sacrifice his son as demanded by Allah. The Devil challenged him three times, and three times Ibrahim refused. Each pillar marks the location of one of these refusals. On the first occasion when Ramy al-Jamaraat is performed, pilgrims stone the largest pillar known as Jamraat'al'Aqabah. Pilgrims climb ramps to the multi-leveled Jamaraat Bridge, from which they can throw their pebbles at the Jamaraat. On the second occasion, the other pillars are stoned. The stoning consists of throwing seven pebbles. Because of the crowds, in 2004 the pillars were replaced by long walls, with catch basins below to collect the pebbles.

After the Stoning of the Devil, the pilgrims perform animal sacrifices, to symbolize Allah having mercy on Ibrahim and replacing his son Ismail with a ram, which Ibrahim then sacrificed. Traditionally the pilgrims slaughtered the animal themselves, or oversaw the slaughtering. Today many pilgrims buy a sacrifice voucher in Makah before the greater Hajj begins, which allows an animal to be slaughtered in their name on the 10th, without the pilgrim being physically present. Centralized butchers sacrifice a single sheep for each pilgrim, or a cow can represent the sacrifice of seven people. The meat is then packaged and given to charity and shipped to poor people around the world. At the same time as the sacrifices occur at Makah, Muslims worldwide perform similar sacrifices, in a three day global festival called Eid al-Adha.

On this or the following day the pilgrims re-visit the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Makah for another Tawaf, to walk around the Kaaba. This is called Tawaf al-Ifadah, which symbolizes being in a hurry to respond to Allah and show love for Him, an obligatory part of the Hajj. The night of the 10th is spent back at Mina.

On the afternoon of the 11th and again the following day the pilgrims must again throw seven pebbles at each of the three Jamaraat in Mina.

Pilgrims must leave Mina for Makah before sunset on the 12th. If they are unable to leave Mina before sunset, they must perform the stoning ritual again on the 13th before returning to Makah.

Finally, before leaving the Makah, pilgrims perform a farewell Tawaf called the Tawaf al-Wida. 'Wida' means 'to bid farewell'.

Hajj’s social implications are very positive and enduring; a 2008 study on the long-term effect of participating in the Islamic pilgrimage found that Muslims communities become more open after the Hajj experience. Entitled Estimating the Impact of the Hajj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam’s Global Gathering, a study conducted in conjunction with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government found that the Hajj experience promotes peaceful coexistence, equality, and harmony. Specifically, the report states that the Hajj "increases belief in equality and harmony among ethnic groups and the Islamic community and that "Hajjis (those who have performed the Hajj) show increased belief in peace, and in equality and harmony among adherents of different religions"

Another milestone!! Alhamdulillah IslamBox has been launched on GoogleTV

We are pleased to announce that IslamBox application which has been made specifically for GoogleTV, is now available on android marketplace. Please open Marketplace in your Logitech Revue, Sony Blu-ray or Sony TV GoogleTV and search for IslamBox. Click Install, and upon installation and following below mentioned steps you’ll be able to watch

• Islam Channel from United Kingdom
• Guide US TV from United States
• Peace TV English and Urdu from India
• Saudi TV 1 and Saudi TV 2 from Saudi Arabia
• Al Jazeera English and Arabic from Qatar
• Al Hiwar from United Kingdom
• Al Majd Satellite and Al Majd Holy Quran from Saudi Arabia
• Al Jazeera Children and Al Jazeera Baraem from Qatar
• Huda TV, Al Naas and Al Rahmah from Egypt
• Al Resalah and IQRA from United Arab Emirates
• ARY News, QTV and Dunya TV from Pakisan
• Madni Channel and Express News from Pakistan
• IQRA UK, Noor TV and Press TV from United Kingdom
• Somali Channel and Universal TV from Somalia
• Sharjah TV from United Arab Emirates
• Ummah channel from United Kingdom

....... And many more channels and thousands of hours of Video on Demand which you can watch at your convenience.

You can enjoy islamBox on GoogleTV by following instructions given below:

1. Get a monthly Basic subscription for $14.99 Only
2. Get a monthly Google TV player subscription for $4.99 Only
3. Link your GoogleTV device with your Basic Subscription and enjoy

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