tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67896254375876252582011-07-31T08:07:37.421+08:00Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.comBlogger1021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-5385780477350769562009-09-03T10:17:00.003+08:002009-09-03T10:24:05.354+08:00<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/jdU3tL0lbEE&hl=en&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/jdU3tL0lbEE&hl=en&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-538578047735076956?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-57191986828269061772009-09-03T10:06:00.002+08:002009-09-03T10:08:47.492+08:00<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/A1Byg2UZBeE&hl=en&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/A1Byg2UZBeE&hl=en&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5719198682826906177?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-17103580048024206182009-05-17T23:37:00.003+08:002009-05-18T00:00:41.485+08:00အင္ဒိုနီးရွားႏွင့္မေလးရွားတို႔တြင္ဗုဒၶဘာသာမထြန္းကားမီကျခားဘာသာကိုးကြယ္ခဲ့သည္။<br />ထို႔ေနာက္ ဗုဒၶဘာသာကိုးကြယ္မႈရိွိခဲ့သည္။<br />ထို႔ေနာက္အစၥလာမ္ဘာသာေပၚထြန္းလာေသာ အခါတြင္<br />အစၥလာမ္ဘာသာကိုးကြယ္မႈရွိလာျပန္သည္။ ယင္းကိစၥမွာ ထုိေဒသခံလူတို႔၏<br />ႏွလံုးသားေရးရာ ျပႆနာျဖစ္ပါသည္။ ၄င္းတို႔အေနျဖင့္ အခ်ိန္မေရြး<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာျပန္လည္ ကိုးကြယ္ႏိုင္ၾကသည္။<br />အျခားဘာသာတစ္ခုသို႔လည္းကူးေျပာင္းႏိုင္ၾကေပသည္။ အစၥလာမ္ သာသနာအတြင္း၌သာ<br />ေနၾကရမည္ဟု ထားျမစ္ခ်က္ တစ္စံုတစ္ရာအလ်ဥ္းမရွိပါ။ ဘာသာေျပာငး္က ထုိသူကို<br />သတ္ရမည္ဟူေသာ ကုရ္အာန္၏ ျပဌာန္းခ်က္ အလ်ဥ္းမရွိပါ။<br />အလားတူ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံတြင္လည္း မည္သည့္ဘာသာသသနာမွ် မေပၚေပါက္ခဲ့ပါ။ နတ္<br />ကိုးကြယ္မႈသာရွိခဲ့ပါသည္။ ဗုဒၶဘာသာ၊ အစၥလာမ္ဘာသာ၊ ခရစ္ယာန္ ဘာသာ ႏွင့္<br />ဟိႏၵဴ ဘာသာအားလံုးမွာ ျပည္ပမွ၀င္ေရာက္လာခဲ့ျခင္းသာ ျဖစ္ပါသည္။ အိႏၵိယမွ<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံသို႔ ၀င္ရာက္လာျခင္း ေၾကာင့္<br />ထိုစဥ္ကေဒသခံျမန္မာျပည္သူတို႕က ငါတို႔၏ ယံုၾကည္ခ်က္ကို<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />လာေရာက္ဖ်က္ဆီးသည္ဟု မွတ္တမ္းတင္၍မရေခ်။ ပုဂံသို႔ သထံုမွ ေထရ၀ါဒ<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာမေရာက္မီကတည္းက အာရဗ္မြတ္စလင္မ္မင္းမႈထမ္းမ်ား ရွိေနၾက<br />ၿပီျဖစ္ပါသည္။ ပုဂံေခတ္ေက်ာက္စာမ်ား၌ ပသီ (ပန္သိယ္) ႏွင့္<br />ကုလလူမ်ိဳးတို႔အေၾကာင္း ရွိေနၿပီျဖစ္သည္။ # အေနာ္ရထာမင္းထံ၌ ပသီေသနတ္တပ္<br />ရွိေနၿပီျဖစ္သည္။ ## ထို႔အတူ သထံု မႏူဟာမင္းထံမွ ပိဋကတ္သံုးပံုပင့္ရန္<br />ၿမိဳ႕တံခါးပြင့္ေအာင္ျပဳခဲ့သူမွာ ပုဂံသူရဲေကာင္း အာရဗ္ေျချမန္ေတာ္<br />ဗ်တၱျဖစ္သည္။ @ ထို႔အတူ တ႐ုတ္ျပည္မွ ဗုဒၶစြယ္ေတာ္ပင့္ရာတြင္<br />ၿမိဳ႕တခါးပြင့္ေအာင္ ျပဳခဲ့သူမ်ားမွာ ဗ်တၱ၏ သားမ်ားျဖစ္ေသာ<br />ေရႊဖ်င္းညီေနာင္ တို႔သာျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />ပေဒသရာဇ္ေခတ္တါင္ တစ္ျပည္ႏွင့္တစ္ျပည္<br />ဘုရင္မ်ားတိုက္ခိုက္သိမ္းသြင္းျခင္းမွာ မဆန္းပါ။ ျမန္မာတို႔သည္လည္း<br />မဏိပူရ၊ အာသံ၊ စစ္တေကာင္း၊ ယိုးဒယား၊ ဇင္းမယ္တို႔ ကို<br />တိုက္ခိုက္သိမ္းပိုက္ခဲ့ပါသည္။<br />ထိုအတူ အိႏိၵယတြင္ အာရိယန္မ်ား၊ ဟိႏၵဴမင္းမ်ား၊ ဗုဒၶဘာသာမင္းမ်ား၊<br />မြတ္စလင္မင္းမ်ား အဆက္ဆက္အုပ္ခ်ဳပ္ခဲ့သည္ မွာမဆန္းပါ။ အိႏၵိယတြင္<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာထြန္းကားလာမႈေၾကာင့္ ဟိႏၵိဘာသာ၀င္တို႔က မုန္းစရာအေၾကာင္းမရွိပါ။<br />ထုိအတူ အစၥလာမ္ကို လူအခ်ဳိ႕လက္ခံ လာခဲ့ျခင္းေၾကာင့္ က်န္သူမ်ား<br />မုန္းစရာမရွိ။<br />အိႏိၵယတြင္ ဗုဒၶဘာသာကြယ္ေပ်ာက္ရနမ္ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔ျပဳလုပ္ခဲ့ျခင္းလည္း<br />မဟုတ္ေခ်။ သမိုင္းနားမလည္သူတစ္ခ်ဳိ႕၏ စြပ္စြဲခ်က္သာျဖစ္ပါလိမ့္မည္။<br />အာေရဗ်၌ မုဟမၼသခင္ မေမြးဖြားမီ (ေအဒီ ၅၇၀) အလ်င္ကပင္ အိႏိၵယ၌<br />ေဗာဓိေညာင္ပင္ ႏုတ္ခံရျခင္း၊ နာလႏၵ တကၠသိုလ္ဖ်က္ဆီးခံရျခင္း၊ ရဟန္းမ်ား<br />သတ္ခံရျခင္းတို႔ျဖစ္ခဲ့ပါသည္။ ယင္းကိစၥကို မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔ေခါင္း<br />အၾကြင္းမဲ့ပံုခ်ျခင္းမွာ လုပ္ၾကံလိမ္လည္မႈသာျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />သံဃာဂိုဏ္းမ်ားစြာကြဲျခင္း၊ သာသနာဖ်က္ ရဟန္းယုတ္မ်ားေပၚခဲ့ျခင္း၊<br />ဟိႏၵိဴျဗဟၼာဏ၀ါဒ ျပန္လည္အားေကာင္းလာျခင္းတို႔သည္ အိႏိၵယ၌<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာကြယ္ေပ်ာက္ရျခင္း အဓိက အေၾကာင္းအရင္းမ်ားသာျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />မြတ္စလင္မ္မ်ားအိႏၵိယသို႔ ေရာက္ေသာအခါ ေအဒီ (၁၂) ရာစုတြင္ အိႏၵိယတြင္<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာေမွးမွိန္ေနၿပီျဖစ္ပါ၍ သီဟို နွင့္ အေနာက္ဘဂၤလား တစ္၀ွက္တြင္သာ<br />ရွိပါေတာ့သည္။ ယင္းအေၾကာင္းကို ဟိႏၵဴပါေမာကၡမ်ားေရးသားေသာ သမိုင္းမ်ား၊<br />တ႐ုတ္ဗုဒၶဘာသာဘုန္းေတာ္ႀကီးမ်ား၏ အိႏၵိယျပည္ ခရီးသြားမွတ္တမ္းမ်ား၌<br />ေဖာ္ျပထားၿပီးျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />Ref: (1) Professor R.C Majundar “ ANCIENT INDIA”<br />Delhi, Motilal Banarisdass, pp. 165-157, 427-429<br />(2) Encyclopaedia Bntannica, “Decline of Buddhism in India” Vol 4,<br />1768, Williamm Beton, P . 357<br />(3) Taya Zinkin, “INDIA”<br />Newyork, Walker and company, pp.23-27<br />အကယ္၍သာ အိႏၵိယတြင္ လွ်မ္းလွ်မ္းေတာက္ႏွစ္ေပါင္းမ်ားစြာ စိုးစံခဲ့ေသာ<br />ေဒလီစူလ္တန္ ႏွင့္ မြန္ဂိုအင္ပါယာၾကီး၏ မြတ္စလင္မ္မင္းတို႔<br />အဓမၼျပဳခဲ့ၾကပါလွ်င္ ယေန႔ဗုဒၶဂါယာေနရာ ေပ်ာက္ဆံုးၿပီး ယင္းေနရာတြင္<br />ဗလီႀကီးမ်ားကိုသာ ေတြ႕ျမင္ရပါလိမ့္မည္။<br />ကမာၻ႕သမိုင္းတြင္ ဘဂၢဒက္ယဥ္ေက်းမႈႀကီးကို မြန္ဂိုတို႔က ေသြးေခ်ာင္းစီးမွ်<br />က်ဴးေက်ာ္ ဖ်က္စီးခဲ့ၾကပါသည္။ ထုိစဥ္ကမြန္ဂိုတို႔အတြင္း၌<br />နတ္ကိုးကြယ္သူမ်ားႏွင့္ မဟာယာန ဗုဒၶဘာသာအယူရွိသူမ်ားလည္း ရွိၾကပါသည္။<br />ထုိအတူ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔၏ စပိန္ယဥ္ေက်းမႈေသြးေခ်ာင္းစီး<br />ဖ်က္စီးခံခဲ့ရပါသည္။<br />ဆိုဗီယက္႐ုရွား၊ တ႐ုတ္ျပည္ႏွင့္ အင္ဒိုခ်ဳိင္းနားကၽြန္းဆြယ္ေဒသမ်ားရွိ<br />ကြန္ျမဴနစ္၀ါဒ ေအာက္တြင္ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔<br />အလူးအလိမ့္ဖိႏွိပ္ခ်ဳပ္ခ်ယ္ခံခဲ့ၾကရၿပီး ေသခဲ့ၾကရသည္၊ စီးပြား<br />ပ်က္ခဲ့ၾကရသည္။ သို႔ေသာ္ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔၏ ခုိင္မာေသာယံုၾကည္ခ်က္ေၾကာင့္<br />ယခုအခါ ကြန္ျမဴနစ္၀ါဒ ေမွးမွိန္လာခဲ့ၿပီး ၄င္းတို႔မွာ<br />မြတ္စလင္မ္အျဖစ္ရပ္တည္ႏုိင္ၾကေပ သည္။ မည္သည့္လူအစုအေ၀းမဆို မိမိတို႔၏<br />ခုိင္မာေသာယံုၾကည္ခ်က္ကို မည္သည့္အင္အားစုကမွ် ဖ်က္စီးႏိုင္မည္မဟုတ္ေပ။<br />က်မ္းျမတ္ကုရ္အာန္၏ သြန္သင္ခ်က္မွာ-<br />(၁) ကမာၻ႕လူသားအားလံုးသည္ မိသားစုႀကီးတစ္ခုျဖစ္သည္။ (၄၉း ၁၃)<br />(၂) လူမ်ိဳးတစ္မ်ဳိးက အျခားတစ္မ်ဳိးအား ႏွိမ့္ခ်ေခၚေ၀ၚဆက္ဆံျခင္းမျပဳရ။ (၄၉း၁၁-၁၂)<br />(၃) အျခားဘာသာတရား၏ အႀကီးအကဲမ်ားကို ေစာ္ကားေျပာဆိုျခင္းမျပဳရ။(၆း၁၀၉)<br />(၄) သာမန္အားျဖင့္ မြတ္စလင္မ္အႀကီးအာဏာပိုင္မ်ားအေနျဖင့္<br />အျခားဘာသာ၀င္တို႔၏ ၀တ္ေက်ာင္းေတာ္မ်ားကိစၥတြင္၀င္ေရာက္စြက္ဖက္ခြင့္မရွိ၊<br />သို႔ေသာ္ လြတ္လပ္စြာ ကိုးကြယ္ ပိုင္ခြင့္ကို အသိအမွတ္ျပဳေသာအားျဖင့္<br />လူယုတ္မာတို႔က အျခားဘာသာ၀င္တို႔၏ ေက်ာင္းကန္ မ်ားကိုဖ်က္ဆီးလ်င္<br />ကာကြယ္မႈေပးၾကရမည္။ (၂၂း၄၀)<br />ထို႔ေၾကာင့္ အစၥလာမဘာသာအေနျဖင့္ အျခားဘာသာမ်ားကို ေစာ္ကားရန္္၊<br />၀တ္ေက်ာင္း ေတာ္မ်ားကို ဖိက္ဆီးရန္ သြန္သင္ခ်က္မရွိပါ။<br /># (က)ေဒါက္တာသန္းထြန္း `မႏၲေလးသနုိင္း သုေတသန (၃)<br />`လုပ္သားျပည္သူ႕ေနစဥ္သီတင္းစာ (၁၈-၁- ၉၆) စာ-၆<br />(ခ) သမိုင္းလက္ေထာက္ကထိက ေဒၚတင့္စိန္ `ကုန္းေဘာင္ေခတ္ယဥ္ေက်းမႈနိဒါန္း<br />`တကၠသိုလ္ပညာ ပေဒသာစာေစာင္၊ အတြဲ ၁၃ အပိုင္း ၄ စာ ၇၅။<br />## ဟံသာ၀တီ ဦးဘရင္ ``ျမန္မာ့ယဥ္ေက်းမႈႏွင့္ လယ္သမားေရးရာ´´ ရန္ကုန္၊<br />ျပည္သူ႕အလင္းစာေပတုိက္၊ ၁၉၆၇၊ၾသဂုတ္လ၊စာ-၂၅။<br />@ေဒါက္တာခင္ေမာင္ညြန္႔ ``တိုင္းရင္းသားယဥ္ေက်းမႈပေဒသာ´´၊<br />သုတစာေပစာတမ္းမ်ား (ပထမတြဲ)၊ ရန္ကုန္၊ စာေပဗိမာန္၊ ၁၉၈၀၊ စာ-၈၇။<br />(ခ)မွန္နန္းရာဇ၀င္ေတာ္ႀကီး၊ ရန္ကုန္၊ သီတင္းႏွင့္ စာနယ္ဇင္းလုပ္ငန္း၊<br />၁၉၉၂၊ စာ-၂၄၄-၂၄၇။<br />ဤစာအား ဦးျမင့္သိန္း (အစၥလာမ္ဓမၼသတ္မွဴး-မုဖ္သီ)<br />(စာေရးဆရာၿငိမ္းခ်မ္းလုလင္)<br />မွ ၁၉၉၇ ခုႏွစ္၊ ဇန္န၀ါရီလ (၂၂) တြင္<br />(က) ဥကၠဌ ဆရာေတာ္<br />(ခ) အက်ိဳးေတာ္ေဆာင္ခ်ဳပ္ ဆရာေတာ္<br />ႏိုင္ငံေတာ္သံဃမဟာနာယကအဖြဲ႔<br />ကမာၻေအးကုန္းေျမ၊ ရန္ကုန္ၿမိဳ႕။ သို႔လိပ္မူေပးပို႔ေသာ စာမွ ေကာက္ႏုတ္တင္ျပအပ္ပါသည္။<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1710358004802420618?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-19232603939726071662009-05-17T23:37:00.002+08:002009-05-17T23:54:04.700+08:00အင္ဒိုနီးရွားႏွင့္မေလးရွားတို႔တြင္ဗုဒၶဘာသာမထြန္းကားမီကျခားဘာသာကိုးကြယ္ခဲ့သည္။<br />ထို႔ေနာက္ ဗုဒၶဘာသာကိုးကြယ္မႈရိွိခဲ့သည္။<br />ထို႔ေနာက္အစၥလာမ္ဘာသာေပၚထြန္းလာေသာ အခါတြင္<br />အစၥလာမ္ဘာသာကိုးကြယ္မႈရွိလာျပန္သည္။ ယင္းကိစၥမွာ ထုိေဒသခံလူတို႔၏<br />ႏွလံုးသားေရးရာ ျပႆနာျဖစ္ပါသည္။ ၄င္းတို႔အေနျဖင့္ အခ်ိန္မေရြး<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာျပန္လည္ ကိုးကြယ္ႏိုင္ၾကသည္။<br />အျခားဘာသာတစ္ခုသို႔လည္းကူးေျပာင္းႏိုင္ၾကေပသည္။ အစၥလာမ္ သာသနာအတြင္း၌သာ<br />ေနၾကရမည္ဟု ထားျမစ္ခ်က္ တစ္စံုတစ္ရာအလ်ဥ္းမရွိပါ။ ဘာသာေျပာငး္က ထုိသူကို<br />သတ္ရမည္ဟူေသာ ကုရ္အာန္၏ ျပဌာန္းခ်က္ အလ်ဥ္းမရွိပါ။<br />အလားတူ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံတြင္လည္း မည္သည့္ဘာသာသသနာမွ် မေပၚေပါက္ခဲ့ပါ။ နတ္<br />ကိုးကြယ္မႈသာရွိခဲ့ပါသည္။ ဗုဒၶဘာသာ၊ အစၥလာမ္ဘာသာ၊ ခရစ္ယာန္ ဘာသာ ႏွင့္<br />ဟိႏၵဴ ဘာသာအားလံုးမွာ ျပည္ပမွ၀င္ေရာက္လာခဲ့ျခင္းသာ ျဖစ္ပါသည္။ အိႏၵိယမွ<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံသို႔ ၀င္ရာက္လာျခင္း ေၾကာင့္<br />ထိုစဥ္ကေဒသခံျမန္မာျပည္သူတို႕က ငါတို႔၏ ယံုၾကည္ခ်က္ကို<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />လာေရာက္ဖ်က္ဆီးသည္ဟု မွတ္တမ္းတင္၍မရေခ်။ ပုဂံသို႔ သထံုမွ ေထရ၀ါဒ<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာမေရာက္မီကတည္းက အာရဗ္မြတ္စလင္မ္မင္းမႈထမ္းမ်ား ရွိေနၾက<br />ၿပီျဖစ္ပါသည္။ ပုဂံေခတ္ေက်ာက္စာမ်ား၌ ပသီ (ပန္သိယ္) ႏွင့္<br />ကုလလူမ်ိဳးတို႔အေၾကာင္း ရွိေနၿပီျဖစ္သည္။ # အေနာ္ရထာမင္းထံ၌ ပသီေသနတ္တပ္<br />ရွိေနၿပီျဖစ္သည္။ ## ထို႔အတူ သထံု မႏူဟာမင္းထံမွ ပိဋကတ္သံုးပံုပင့္ရန္<br />ၿမိဳ႕တံခါးပြင့္ေအာင္ျပဳခဲ့သူမွာ ပုဂံသူရဲေကာင္း အာရဗ္ေျချမန္ေတာ္<br />ဗ်တၱျဖစ္သည္။ @ ထို႔အတူ တ႐ုတ္ျပည္မွ ဗုဒၶစြယ္ေတာ္ပင့္ရာတြင္<br />ၿမိဳ႕တခါးပြင့္ေအာင္ ျပဳခဲ့သူမ်ားမွာ ဗ်တၱ၏ သားမ်ားျဖစ္ေသာ<br />ေရႊဖ်င္းညီေနာင္ တို႔သာျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />ပေဒသရာဇ္ေခတ္တါင္ တစ္ျပည္ႏွင့္တစ္ျပည္<br />ဘုရင္မ်ားတိုက္ခိုက္သိမ္းသြင္းျခင္းမွာ မဆန္းပါ။ ျမန္မာတို႔သည္လည္း<br />မဏိပူရ၊ အာသံ၊ စစ္တေကာင္း၊ ယိုးဒယား၊ ဇင္းမယ္တို႔ ကို<br />တိုက္ခိုက္သိမ္းပိုက္ခဲ့ပါသည္။<br />ထိုအတူ အိႏိၵယတြင္ အာရိယန္မ်ား၊ ဟိႏၵဴမင္းမ်ား၊ ဗုဒၶဘာသာမင္းမ်ား၊<br />မြတ္စလင္မင္းမ်ား အဆက္ဆက္အုပ္ခ်ဳပ္ခဲ့သည္ မွာမဆန္းပါ။ အိႏၵိယတြင္<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာထြန္းကားလာမႈေၾကာင့္ ဟိႏၵိဘာသာ၀င္တို႔က မုန္းစရာအေၾကာင္းမရွိပါ။<br />ထုိအတူ အစၥလာမ္ကို လူအခ်ဳိ႕လက္ခံ လာခဲ့ျခင္းေၾကာင့္ က်န္သူမ်ား<br />မုန္းစရာမရွိ။<br />အိႏိၵယတြင္ ဗုဒၶဘာသာကြယ္ေပ်ာက္ရနမ္ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔ျပဳလုပ္ခဲ့ျခင္းလည္း<br />မဟုတ္ေခ်။ သမိုင္းနားမလည္သူတစ္ခ်ဳိ႕၏ စြပ္စြဲခ်က္သာျဖစ္ပါလိမ့္မည္။<br />အာေရဗ်၌ မုဟမၼသခင္ မေမြးဖြားမီ (ေအဒီ ၅၇၀) အလ်င္ကပင္ အိႏိၵယ၌<br />ေဗာဓိေညာင္ပင္ ႏုတ္ခံရျခင္း၊ နာလႏၵ တကၠသိုလ္ဖ်က္ဆီးခံရျခင္း၊ ရဟန္းမ်ား<br />သတ္ခံရျခင္းတို႔ျဖစ္ခဲ့ပါသည္။ ယင္းကိစၥကို မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔ေခါင္း<br />အၾကြင္းမဲ့ပံုခ်ျခင္းမွာ လုပ္ၾကံလိမ္လည္မႈသာျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />သံဃာဂိုဏ္းမ်ားစြာကြဲျခင္း၊ သာသနာဖ်က္ ရဟန္းယုတ္မ်ားေပၚခဲ့ျခင္း၊<br />ဟိႏၵိဴျဗဟၼာဏ၀ါဒ ျပန္လည္အားေကာင္းလာျခင္းတို႔သည္ အိႏိၵယ၌<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာကြယ္ေပ်ာက္ရျခင္း အဓိက အေၾကာင္းအရင္းမ်ားသာျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />မြတ္စလင္မ္မ်ားအိႏၵိယသို႔ ေရာက္ေသာအခါ ေအဒီ (၁၂) ရာစုတြင္ အိႏၵိယတြင္<br />ဗုဒၶဘာသာေမွးမွိန္ေနၿပီျဖစ္ပါ၍ သီဟို နွင့္ အေနာက္ဘဂၤလား တစ္၀ွက္တြင္သာ<br />ရွိပါေတာ့သည္။ ယင္းအေၾကာင္းကို ဟိႏၵဴပါေမာကၡမ်ားေရးသားေသာ သမိုင္းမ်ား၊<br />တ႐ုတ္ဗုဒၶဘာသာဘုန္းေတာ္ႀကီးမ်ား၏ အိႏၵိယျပည္ ခရီးသြားမွတ္တမ္းမ်ား၌<br />ေဖာ္ျပထားၿပီးျဖစ္ပါသည္။<br />Ref: (1) Professor R.C Majundar “ ANCIENT INDIA”<br />Delhi, Motilal Banarisdass, pp. 165-157, 427-429<br />(2) Encyclopaedia Bntannica, “Decline of Buddhism in India” Vol 4,<br />1768, Williamm Beton, P . 357<br />(3) Taya Zinkin, “INDIA”<br />Newyork, Walker and company, pp.23-27<br />အကယ္၍သာ အိႏၵိယတြင္ လွ်မ္းလွ်မ္းေတာက္ႏွစ္ေပါင္းမ်ားစြာ စိုးစံခဲ့ေသာ<br />ေဒလီစူလ္တန္ ႏွင့္ မြန္ဂိုအင္ပါယာၾကီး၏ မြတ္စလင္မ္မင္းတို႔<br />အဓမၼျပဳခဲ့ၾကပါလွ်င္ ယေန႔ဗုဒၶဂါယာေနရာ ေပ်ာက္ဆံုးၿပီး ယင္းေနရာတြင္<br />ဗလီႀကီးမ်ားကိုသာ ေတြ႕ျမင္ရပါလိမ့္မည္။<br />ကမာၻ႕သမိုင္းတြင္ ဘဂၢဒက္ယဥ္ေက်းမႈႀကီးကို မြန္ဂိုတို႔က ေသြးေခ်ာင္းစီးမွ်<br />က်ဴးေက်ာ္ ဖ်က္စီးခဲ့ၾကပါသည္။ ထုိစဥ္ကမြန္ဂိုတို႔အတြင္း၌<br />နတ္ကိုးကြယ္သူမ်ားႏွင့္ မဟာယာန ဗုဒၶဘာသာအယူရွိသူမ်ားလည္း ရွိၾကပါသည္။<br />ထုိအတူ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔၏ စပိန္ယဥ္ေက်းမႈေသြးေခ်ာင္းစီး<br />ဖ်က္စီးခံခဲ့ရပါသည္။<br />ဆိုဗီယက္႐ုရွား၊ တ႐ုတ္ျပည္ႏွင့္ အင္ဒိုခ်ဳိင္းနားကၽြန္းဆြယ္ေဒသမ်ားရွိ<br />ကြန္ျမဴနစ္၀ါဒ ေအာက္တြင္ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔<br />အလူးအလိမ့္ဖိႏွိပ္ခ်ဳပ္ခ်ယ္ခံခဲ့ၾကရၿပီး ေသခဲ့ၾကရသည္၊ စီးပြား<br />ပ်က္ခဲ့ၾကရသည္။ သို႔ေသာ္ မြတ္စလင္မ္တို႔၏ ခုိင္မာေသာယံုၾကည္ခ်က္ေၾကာင့္<br />ယခုအခါ ကြန္ျမဴနစ္၀ါဒ ေမွးမွိန္လာခဲ့ၿပီး ၄င္းတို႔မွာ<br />မြတ္စလင္မ္အျဖစ္ရပ္တည္ႏုိင္ၾကေပ သည္။ မည္သည့္လူအစုအေ၀းမဆို မိမိတို႔၏<br />ခုိင္မာေသာယံုၾကည္ခ်က္ကို မည္သည့္အင္အားစုကမွ် ဖ်က္စီးႏိုင္မည္မဟုတ္ေပ။<br />က်မ္းျမတ္ကုရ္အာန္၏ သြန္သင္ခ်က္မွာ-<br />(၁) ကမာၻ႕လူသားအားလံုးသည္ မိသားစုႀကီးတစ္ခုျဖစ္သည္။ (၄၉း ၁၃)<br />(၂) လူမ်ိဳးတစ္မ်ဳိးက အျခားတစ္မ်ဳိးအား ႏွိမ့္ခ်ေခၚေ၀ၚဆက္ဆံျခင္းမျပဳရ။ (၄၉း၁၁-၁၂)<br />(၃) အျခားဘာသာတရား၏ အႀကီးအကဲမ်ားကို ေစာ္ကားေျပာဆိုျခင္းမျပဳရ။(၆း၁၀၉)<br />(၄) သာမန္အားျဖင့္ မြတ္စလင္မ္အႀကီးအာဏာပိုင္မ်ားအေနျဖင့္<br />အျခားဘာသာ၀င္တို႔၏ ၀တ္ေက်ာင္းေတာ္မ်ားကိစၥတြင္၀င္ေရာက္စြက္ဖက္ခြင့္မရွိ၊<br />သို႔ေသာ္ လြတ္လပ္စြာ ကိုးကြယ္ ပိုင္ခြင့္ကို အသိအမွတ္ျပဳေသာအားျဖင့္<br />လူယုတ္မာတို႔က အျခားဘာသာ၀င္တို႔၏ ေက်ာင္းကန္ မ်ားကိုဖ်က္ဆီးလ်င္<br />ကာကြယ္မႈေပးၾကရမည္။ (၂၂း၄၀)<br />ထို႔ေၾကာင့္ အစၥလာမဘာသာအေနျဖင့္ အျခားဘာသာမ်ားကို ေစာ္ကားရန္္၊<br />၀တ္ေက်ာင္း ေတာ္မ်ားကို ဖိက္ဆီးရန္ သြန္သင္ခ်က္မရွိပါ။<br /># (က)ေဒါက္တာသန္းထြန္း `မႏၲေလးသနုိင္း သုေတသန (၃)<br />`လုပ္သားျပည္သူ႕ေနစဥ္သီတင္းစာ (၁၈-၁- ၉၆) စာ-၆<br />(ခ) သမိုင္းလက္ေထာက္ကထိက ေဒၚတင့္စိန္ `ကုန္းေဘာင္ေခတ္ယဥ္ေက်းမႈနိဒါန္း<br />`တကၠသိုလ္ပညာ ပေဒသာစာေစာင္၊ အတြဲ ၁၃ အပိုင္း ၄ စာ ၇၅။<br />## ဟံသာ၀တီ ဦးဘရင္ ``ျမန္မာ့ယဥ္ေက်းမႈႏွင့္ လယ္သမားေရးရာ´´ ရန္ကုန္၊<br />ျပည္သူ႕အလင္းစာေပတုိက္၊ ၁၉၆၇၊ၾသဂုတ္လ၊စာ-၂၅။<br />@ေဒါက္တာခင္ေမာင္ညြန္႔ ``တိုင္းရင္းသားယဥ္ေက်းမႈပေဒသာ´´၊<br />သုတစာေပစာတမ္းမ်ား (ပထမတြဲ)၊ ရန္ကုန္၊ စာေပဗိမာန္၊ ၁၉၈၀၊ စာ-၈၇။<br />(ခ)မွန္နန္းရာဇ၀င္ေတာ္ႀကီး၊ ရန္ကုန္၊ သီတင္းႏွင့္ စာနယ္ဇင္းလုပ္ငန္း၊<br />၁၉၉၂၊ စာ-၂၄၄-၂၄၇။<br />ဤစာအား ဦးျမင့္သိန္း (အစၥလာမ္ဓမၼသတ္မွဴး-မုဖ္သီ)<br />(စာေရးဆရာၿငိမ္းခ်မ္းလုလင္)<br />မွ ၁၉၉၇ ခုႏွစ္၊ ဇန္န၀ါရီလ (၂၂) တြင္<br />(က) ဥကၠဌ ဆရာေတာ္<br />(ခ) အက်ိဳးေတာ္ေဆာင္ခ်ဳပ္ ဆရာေတာ္<br />ႏိုင္ငံေတာ္သံဃမဟာနာယကအဖြဲ႔<br />ကမာၻေအးကုန္းေျမ၊ ရန္ကုန္ၿမိဳ႕။ သို႔လိပ္မူေပးပို႔ေသာ စာမွ ေကာက္ႏုတ္တင္ျပအပ္ပါသည္။<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1923260393972607166?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-18810841901652490192009-04-13T16:14:00.001+08:002009-04-13T16:15:24.340+08:00hi all....have a look at the link pasted below<br /><br /><a href="http://www.islamicity.com/enp/t.asp?ID=424&amp;NL=1&amp;N=386&amp;SubscriberID=44637&amp;URL=http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref%3DIC0904-3840">http://www.islamicity.com/enp/t.asp?ID=424&amp;NL=1&amp;N=386&amp;SubscriberID=44637&amp;URL=http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref%3DIC0904-3840</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1881084190165249019?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>walihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882135106930116967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-61062931507508535702008-10-22T22:52:00.001+08:002008-10-22T22:54:39.500+08:00Verses from the Qur'an in English and Arabic with Partial Qur'anic Commentary by the Medieval Spanish Scholar al-Qurtubi<br />arabic<br /><br />Above is a rather negative image of dogs found in Surat al-A'raaf, verse 176:<br /><br /> "And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his description is the description of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the description of the people who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). So relate the stories that perhaps they may reflect." <br /><br />Yet here is a dog who bravely performed God's commands in the story of the "Seven Sleepers in the Cave":<br /><br /> We narrate unto thee their story with truth. Lo! they were young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance. [18:13]<br /><br /> And We made firm their hearts when they stood forth and said: Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We cry unto no Allah beside Him, for then should we utter an enormity. [18:14]<br /><br /> These, our people, have chosen (other) gods beside Him though they bring no clear warrant (vouchsafed) to them. And who doth greater wrong than he who inventeth a lie concerning Allah? [18:15]<br /><br /> And when ye withdraw from them and that which they worship except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave; your Lord will spread for you of His mercy and will prepare for you a pillow in your plight. [18:16]<br /><br /> And thou mightest have seen the sun when it rose move away from their cave to the right, and when it set go past them on the left, and they were in the cleft thereof. That was (one) of the portents of Allah. He whom Allah guideth, he indeed is led aright, and he whom He sendeth astray, for him thou wilt not find a guiding friend. [18:17]<br /><br /> And thou wouldst have deemed them waking though they were asleep, and We caused them to turn over to the right and the left, and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold. If thou hadst observed them closely thou hadst assuredly turned away from them in flight, and hadst been filled with awe of them. [18:18]<br /><br /> And in like manner We awakened them that they might question one another. A speaker from among them said: How long have ye tarried? They said: We have tarried a day or some part of a day, (Others) said: Your Lord best knoweth what ye have tarried. Now send one of you with this your silver coin unto the city, and let him see what food is purest there and bring you a supply thereof. Let him be courteous and let no man know of you. [18:19]<br /><br /> For they, if they should come to know of you, will stone you or turn you back to their religion; then ye will never prosper.[18:20]<br /><br /> And in like manner We disclosed them (to the people of the city) that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that, as for the Hour, there is no doubt concerning it. When (the people of the city) disputed of their case among themselves, they said: Build over them a building; their Lord knoweth best concerning them. Those who won their point said: We verily shall build a place of worship over them. [18:21]<br /><br /> (Some) will say: They were three, their dog the fourth, and (some) say: Five, their dog the sixth, guessing at random; and (some) say: Seven, and their dog the eighth. Say (O Muhammad): My Lord is Best Aware of their number. None knoweth them save a few. So contend not concerning them except with an outward contending, and ask not any of them to pronounce concerning them. [18:22]<br /><br /> <br /><br />Canine Hero of the Qur'an<br /><br />He faithfully guarded the Threshold to the Cave of "The Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus [Turkey] while God brought the religion of Jesus out of persecution and into the world.<br /><br />I have made a selection of Qur'anic commentaries on the first time the dog is mentioned in the Qur'an (18:18) from the Royal Jordanian Arabic search page. Please read for information; I am preparing an article on the subject of dogs in Islam for publication in which I will inshallah mention these and many more classical Arabic sources about dogs.<br /><br />Barbara R. von Schlegell<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6106293150750853570?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Harunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416389677601474542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-81074178978647766432008-10-17T11:51:00.002+08:002008-10-17T11:54:41.945+08:00This is the third article for us to remember from the same book. Continue of the previous article...<br /><br />This is one of the problems that exist in social gatherings, and it is one of the ways in which the Shaytaan divides Muslims and make some of them hate others. The Prophet (PBUH) explained the rule and wisdom behind it: “If you are three, then two should not converse privately to the exclusion of a third until you are joined by other people because this will make him sad.” This also includes three people talking privately to the exclusion of a fourth and so on and two people speaking in a language which the third does not understand because this is undoubtedly a form of disdain towards the third and gives the impression that they intend to hurt him etc.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-8107417897864776643?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Harunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416389677601474542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-60614241874614214632008-10-08T20:52:00.002+08:002008-10-08T20:56:42.846+08:00This is 2nd article from the same book "Prohibition Taken too Lightly".<br />If all of you have any comments please free to share with us..<br /><br />Looking into People’s Houses<br />Allah says: <br />“O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own until you have sought permission and greeted those in them.”<br /> Surah An-Noor 24:27<br />The Prophet (PBUH) explained that the reason why permission was to be sought was for fear that the person seeking to enter might see something private in the house: “The rule of seeking permission has been established for the sake of (not) seeing.”<br />Nowadays when houses and building are too close to one another or even attached and doors and windows face one another the possibility of neighbors seeing one another has increased greatly. Many people do not lower their gaze and some of those who live on higher floors may deliberately look down from their roofs and windows into neighboring homes that are lower than their own. This is an act of betrayal and an invasion of their neighbors’ privacy as well as being the way that leads to Haaram deeds. A great deal of misery and trouble has resulted from this and that fact that the Shari’aah counts the eye of the one who spies as worthless is sufficient proof of the seriousness of the matter. The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever looks into somebody’s house without their permission it is permissible for them to poke his eye out.” According to another report he said: “Poke out his eyes and there will be no penalty or retribution.”<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6061424187461421463?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Harunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416389677601474542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-91243583838882652602008-09-25T11:54:00.001+08:002008-09-25T11:57:59.245+08:00<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CHarun%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><b>Gossip and Backbiting<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">Many gathering produce nothing but gossip about other Muslims and slander of their honor. This is something which Allah has forbidden His slaves and has drawn the most repulsive analogy put them off. He says:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 1in; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><b>“And do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it.” <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 1in; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style=""> </span>(Surah Al-Hujuraat 49:12)<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">The Prophet (PBUH) explained the meaning of this ayat. He said: <b>“Do you know what geebah (gossip or backbiting) is?”</b> They said, <b>“Allah and His Messenger know best.” </b>He said: <b>“To say something about your brother that he does not want to be said.”</b> He was asked, <b>“What do you think if what is said about him is true?”</b> He said, <b>“If what you say about him is true, this is backbiting, and if what you say about him is not true, this is slander.”<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">Gossip or backbiting means saying something about Muslim which may be true but which he does not like to hear spoken, whether it be about his physical appearance, his adherence to religion, his worldly affairs, his self, his behavior or his character. There are many forms of gossip, including talking about a person’s faults and imitating him to make fun of him. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">People take the matter of geebah very lightly although it is very serious in the sight of Allah, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (PBUH): <b>“There are seventy-two forms of ribaa, the least of which is as bad as a man having intercourse with his own mother and the worst of which is when a man slanders the honor of his brother.”<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">Whoever is present in a gathering where gossip takes place should forbid this evil and defend his absent brother. The Prophet (PBUH) encouraged us to do this when he said: <b>“Whoever defends the honor of his Muslim brother, Allah will protect his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.”<o:p></o:p></b></p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-9124358383888265260?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Harunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416389677601474542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-19713328262414129102008-09-05T12:51:00.003+08:002008-09-05T13:01:15.652+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">IIUM SONG (LEADING THE WAY)</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Let ‘s lead the way<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Enlighten the future<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Share the wisdom<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Through the spirit of Islam<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Revelation and Reason<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We shall excel, we shall prevail<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Merging faith and knowledge<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We’re thekhalīfah<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We’ll fulfill the Amānah<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chorus:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Together,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We make the world a better place<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Forever,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Expand the culture of Iqra’<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">IIUM,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Is to realise, the meaning of…<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rahmatan li’l-Alamīn<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Together,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We make the world a better place<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Forever,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Expand the culture of Iqra’<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">IIUM,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Is to realise, the meaning of…<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Mercy to all the worlds)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For all mankind<br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Download link: <a href="http://www.iiu.edu.my/pro/file/01%20IIUM%201.mp3">http://www.iiu.edu.my/pro/file/01%20IIUM%201.mp3</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1971332826241412910?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-14692948947527977002008-08-08T17:22:00.002+08:002008-08-08T17:27:34.235+08:00I’ve never been to Heav’n<br />But I have been through hell<br />To suffer, yes, I know just what it means<br /><br />I’ve never been a hit<br />But I have been th’one hit<br />An artist not a fighter’s who I’ve been<br /><br />I’ve never been the best<br />But I have been quite blessed<br />In happy mediocrity I’ll live<br /><br />I’ve never been a saint<br />But I have been a sinn’r<br />I’ll try to stop taking more than I give<br /><br />I’ve never been a plann’r<br />But I have had a plan<br />Myself over my plans I do outlive<br /><br />I’ve never had a car<br />But I have gotten far<br />To walk down roads unknown where they direct<br /><br />I’ve never seen the world<br />But I have seen the weird<br />Life’s riches can surprise with no respect<br /><br />I’ve never had much fame<br />But I have played the game<br />And lost a lot, to win I didn’t expect<br /><br />I’ve never had much cash<br />But I have had a cache’<br />To hide the things of import that are dear.<br /><br />I’ve never sat and stayed<br />But I have gone astray<br />To wonder ‘round the town that is so near<br /><br />I’ve never lived and died<br />But I have seen the dead<br />Where does that life light go when it’s not here?<br /><br />In my life I have done<br />And still I’m not yet doneI<br />’ve never been and I have been so much<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1469294894752797700?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>hullonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-6250486881990303642008-07-19T13:01:00.006+08:002008-07-19T13:25:49.181+08:00Summary<br /><em><strong>By Syed Abul A'ala Mawdudi</strong></em><br /><br />Chapter I Contents<br /><br />1.ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF LIFE <br /><br />2.BASIC POSTULATE <br /><br />3.IMAN (FAITH): ITS NATURE AND CHARACTER <br /><br />4.THE PLAN OF LIFE <br /><br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF LIFE</blockquote><br />The chief characteristic of the Islamic Concept of Life is that it does not admit a conflict, nay, not even a significant separation between life-spiritual and life-mundane. It does not confine itself merely in purifying the spiritual and the moral life of man in the limited sense of the word. Its domain extends to the entire gamut of life. It wants to mould individual life as well as the social order in healthy patterns, so that the Kingdom of God may really be established on the earth and so that peace, contentment and well-being may fill the world as waters fill the oceans. The Islamic Way of Life is based on this unique approach to life and a peculiar concept of man's place in the Universe. That is why it is necessary that before we proceed to discuss the moral, social, political and economic systems of Islam, we should have a clear idea of the Islamic Concept of Life.<br /><br />There are certain basic postulates which should be understood and appreciated at the very outset. These postulates are as follows:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>BASIC POSTULATE</blockquote><br />1.Allah Who is the Creator, the Ruler and the Lord of the entire Universe has created man and provided him with temporary station in that part of His vast kingdom (cosmos) which is known as the earth. He has endowed man with the faculties of thinking and understanding, and has given him the power to distinguish right from wrong. Man has also been invested with freedom of will and choice and the power to use the resources of the world in any manner he likes. In short, man has been given a sort of autonomy while being appointed by God on earth as a successor to the beings that had previously populated it. <br /><br />2.Before assigning to man the inheritance of the earth, God made it explicitly clear to him that He alone is the Lord, the Ruler and the Deity. As such, the entire Universe and all the creatures in it (including man) must submit to Him alone. Man must not think himself totally free and should know that this earth is not his permanent abode. He has been made to live upon it only during the period of his probation, and in due course, he will return to his Lord, to be judged according to the way he has utilized the period of probation. The only right course for man is to acknowledge Allah as the only Lord, the Sustainer and the Deity and to follow His Guidance and His Commands in all walks of life. Man must live this life with the realization that he is to be judged and his sole objective should be to merit the pleasure of Allah so as to emerge successful in the final test. Conduct which is contrary to this would lead man astray. If man follows the course of piety and Godliness (which he is free to choose and follow) he will succeed in this world and in the next, in this world he will live a life of peace and contentment, and in the Hereafter he will qualify himself for the heaven of eternal bliss, al-Jannah. And if he chooses to follow the other course, i.e., that of Godlessness and evil (which he is equally free to choose and follow) his life will be one of corruption, disruption and frustration in this world and he will meet colossal misfortune in the life to come - that abode of pain and misery which is called Jahannam (Hell). <br /><br />3.After administering the warning, God set man upon the earth and provided the very first human beings (Adam and Eve) with Ms Guidance in accordance with which men were to live on the earth. Thus, man's life on this earth did not begin in utter darkness. The very first man was provided with a burning torch of light and guidance so that humanity might attain its glorious destiny. The very first man received revealed knowledge from God Himself. He had knowledge of the reality and was given the code of life by following which he could live a life of bliss and success. This code of life was Islam, the attitude of complete submission to Allah, the Creator of man and of the whole universe. It was this religion which Adam, the first man, passed down to posterity. But later generations gradually drifted away from the right path and adopted different erroneous paths. Because of negligence, they lost the original teachings, or due to folly or mischief they adulterated and perverted them. They associated with God innumerable human beings, non-human objects and imaginary entities as deities and indulged in Shirk (polytheism) of the worst type. They mixed up the pure teachings of God with strange myths, ideas and philosophies and thus produced a jungle of religions and cults. They discarded the God-given principles of social ethics and collective morality, the Shari'ah, and deprived the human life of peace and tranquility. <br /><br /><br />4.Although men departed from the path of truth, disregarded and distorted the Shari'ah and some of them even revolted against the code of Divine Guidance, yet God did not destroy them or force them to the right course. Forced conversion to the right path was not in keeping with the autonomy He had given to man. Instead, God appointed certain virtuous persons from amongst the people themselves, to discharge the responsibility of recalling and guiding men to the right path during their sojourn on the earth. These men believed in God, and lived a life of obedience to Him. He honored them by His revelations and gave them the knowledge of reality. These men, known as prophets (peace be upon all of them), were assigned the task of presenting the message of truth to humanity and of asking the people to come to the path of the Lord. <br /><br /><br />5.These prophets were raised in all epochs, in all lands and in all nations. Out of numerous prophets sent by God, the Qur’an explicitly mentions twenty-five. All of them brought the same message, all of them advocated the same way of life (Deen) i.e., the way which was revealed to man on the first day of his existence. All of them followed the same guidance: the guidance which was prescribed by the Lord for man at the outset of his career on the earth. All of them stood for the same mission: they called men to the religion if Islam, asked those who accepted the Divine Guidance to live in accordance with it: and organized them into a movement for the establishment of the Divine Law, and for putting an end to all deviations from the Right Path. Every prophet tried to fulfill this mission in the best possible way. But quite a number of people never accepted this guidance and many of those who accepted it gradually drifted astray and, al lapse of time, lost the guidance or distorted it through innovations and perversions. <br /><br /><br />6.At last, God raised Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) in the land of Arabia and assigned to him the completion of the mission for which earlier prophets were ordained. The message of Mohammed (peace be upon him) was for the whole of mankind. He presented anew the teachings of Islam in their pristine form and provided mankind once again, with the Divine Guidance which they had lost in its original form. He organized all those who accepted his message into one Ummah (Nation) which was charged with reconstructing its own life in accordance with the teachings of Islam, by calling mankind to the path of righteousness and with establishing the supremacy of the word of God on the earth. This guidance is enshrined in the Holy Qur'an which constitutes the only right code of conduct for mankind. <br /><br /><blockquote>IMAN (FAITH): ITS NATURE AND CHARACTER</blockquote><br />We have discussed above those basic postulates of Islam which, on the one hand, revealed God's plan for providing guidance to man in this world and, on the other, defined the nature, position and status of man in it. Now, let us study the foundations on which the Qur'an wants to develop man's relationship with Allah and the concept of life which naturally follows from that relationship.<br /><br />The Qur’an deals with this problem on many occasion but the entire concept of life envisaged as epitomized in the following verse:<br /><br />" God hath purchased of the Believers. Their persons and their goods; For their (in return) Is the Garden (of Paradise) They fight in His Cause, And slay and are slain: A promise binding on Him In Truth, through the Law, The Gospel, and the Qur’an: And who is more faithful To his Covenant than God? Then rejoice in bargain Which ye have concluded: That is the achievement supreme. "(Al-Qur'an, IX:II1)<br /><br /><br /><br />In the above verse the nature of the relationship which comes into existence between man and God because of Imam (the act of reposing faith in Allah) has been called a "bargain". This means that Iman in Allah is not a mere metaphysical concept; it is in the nature of a contract by which man barters his life and his belongings with Allah in exchange for Paradise in the life Hereafter. God so to say, purchases a believer's life and property and promises, by way of price, the award of Paradise in the life after death. The concept of bargain has important implications and we should, therefore, first of all clearly understand its nature and meanings.<br /><br />The fact of the matter is that each and every thing in this world belongs to Allah. He is the real owner of them all. As such, man's life and riches, which are part of this world, also belong to Him, because it is He Who created them and it is He Who has assigned them to each man for his use. Looking at the problem from this angle; the question of His purchasing what is already His: Man is not their real owner; he has no title to sell them. But there is one thing which has been conferred on man, and which now belongs fully to him, and that is his free will, the freedom of choice of following or not following the path of Allah. As man has been endowed with free will in this respect, he is free to acknowledge or not to acknowledge the reality of things. Although this freedom of will and choice that man possesses does not automatically make him the real owner of all the energies and resources on which he has command. Nor does he acquire the title to utilize them in any way he likes. Nor does his acknowledgment of reality or refusal to do so in any way affects reality as such. Yet it does mean that he is free to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and His over lordship on his own life and belongings or refuse to acknowledge it and to arrogate to himself the position of total independence. He may, if he so likes, regard himself free from all obligations to the Lord and may think that he enjoys full rights and powers over all that he has, and thus, may use them according to his own wishes unfettered by any higher command. It is here that the question of bargain comes in. This bargain does not mean that God is purchasing something which belongs to man. Its real nature is this: All creation belongs to God but He has bestowed certain things on man to be used by him as a trust from God. And man has been given freedom to honestly fulfill the trust or if he so likes, to betray it or misuse it. Now, God demands that man should willingly and voluntarily (and not under duress or compulsion) acknowledge those things as His which really belongs to Him and man should use them as a trust from God and not as something his own to be used as he pleases. Thus, a man who voluntarily renounces the freedom even to refuse God's supremacy and instead acknowledges His sovereignty. So to say, "sells" his "autonomy" (which too is a gift from God and not something which man has acquired of his own) to God, and gets in return God's promise of eternal bliss that is Paradise. A man who makes such a bargain is a "Mu'min” (Believer). And Iman (Belief) is the Islamic name for this contract; while the one who chooses not to enter into this contract, or after making such a contract amounting to its gross breach, is one who has followed the course of the devil. Thus Allah says:<br /><br />"Say if it be that your fathers, Your sons, your brothers, Your mates, or your kindred; The wealth that you have gained; The commerce in which you fear a decline: or the dwellings in which you delight Are dearer to you than God, Or His apostle, of the striving In His cause; then wait until Allah brings about His Decision. And God Guides not the rebellious." (Al-Qur’an, IX:24)<br /><br />The attempt to avoid or abrogate this contract can lead to Kufr (total disbelief). Such is the nature and the contract. Now let us briefly study its various aspects and stipulations.<br /><br />God has put us to serious trail on two counts: <br />He has left man free. But even after giving him that freedom He wishes to see whether or not man realizes his true position. Whether he remains honest and steadfast and maintains loyalty and allegiance to the Lord, or loses his head and revolts against his own Creator; whether he behaves like a noble soul, or tramples under foot all values of decency and starts playing fantastic tricks. <br /><br /><br />He wants to see whether man is prepared to have such confidence in God as to offer his life and wealth in return for what is a promise. That is to materialize in the next world and whether he is prepared to surrender his autonomy and all the charms that go with it, in exchange for a promise about the future. <br /><br /><br />It is an accepted principle of Islamic law that Iman consists of adherence to a certain set of doctrines and whosoever reposes faith in those doctrines becomes a Mu'min. No one has a right to denounce such a man as non-believer or drive him out of the fold of the Ummah (Islamic Community), save when there is explicit proof of falsity or of renunciation of the belief. This is the legal aspect of the problem. But in the eyes of the Lord, only that Iman is valuable which consists in complete surrender of one’s will and choice to the Will of Allah. It is a state of thought and action wherein man submits himself fully to Allah, renouncing all claim to his own supremacy. It is something that comes from the heart. It is an attitude of the mind and prepares man for a certain course of action. If a man recites the Kalima, enters into the contract, and even offers his prayers and performs other acts of worship, but in his heart he regards himself as the owner and the sovereign dispenser of his physical and mental powers and of his moral and material resources, uses them to his own liking and upholds his freedom of will, then, however much of the people may look upon him as Mu'min (believer), in the eyes of God he will be a non-believer, for he has, in fact, not really entered into the bargain which according to the Qur'an is the essence of Iman (belief). If a man does not use his powers and resources in the way God has prescribed for him, and instead uses them in pursuits which God has prohibited, it clearly shows that either he has not pledged his life and property to Allah, or even after pledging them to Him, he falsifies the pledge by his conduct. <br /><br /><br />This nature of Iman makes the Islamic way of life distinct from, nay, the very opposite of, the non-Islamic way of life. A Muslim, who has real faith in Allah, makes every aspect of his subservience to the Will of Allah. His entire life is one of obedience and surrender and he never behaves in an arrogant or an autonomous way, except in a moment of forgetfulness. And after such a lapse as soon as he becomes conscious of it, he again re-addresses himself to his Lord and repents his error. Similarly, a group of people or a society which consist of true Muslims can never break away from the Law of their Lord. Its political o, its social organization, its culture, its economic policy, its legal system and its international strategy must all be in tuned with the Code of Guidance revealed by Allah and must, in no way, contravene it. And if ever, through error or omission, any contravention it committed, they must, on realizing this, correct this immediately and return forthwith to the state of subservience to the Law of God. It is the way of the non-believers to feel free from God's Guidance and to behave as one's own master. Whoever adopts such a policy, even though he may bear a name similar to that of a Muslim, is treading the satanic path and is following the way of the non-believers. <br /><br /><br />The Will of God, which is obligatory upon man to follow, is the one which God Himself has revealed for man's guidance. The Willof God is not to be determined by man himself. God has Himself enunciated it clearly and there is no ambiguity about it. There, if a person or society is honest and steadfast in its contract with Allah, it must scrupulously fashion its entire life in accordance with the Book of God and the Sunnah (practical example) of the Prophet (peace be upon him). <br /><br /><br />A little reflection will show that these aspects and stipulations are logically implicit in the bargain and it is also clear from the above discussion why the payment of the "price" has been postponed tot he life after death. Paradise is not the reward for the mere profession of the bargain, it is the reward for the faithful execution of the contract. Unless the contract is fully executed and the actual life-behavior of the "vendor" complies with the terms of the contract he does not become entitled to the reward. Thus, the final act of the "sale" is concluded only at the last moment of the vendor's life, and as such, it is natural that the reward should be given to him in the Life Hereafter.<br /><br /><br /><br />There is another significant point which emerges from the study of the verse quoted above (Al-Qur'an, IX:24) when it is read with reference to its context. In the verses preceding it, reference has been made to the people who professed Iman and promised a life of obedience, but when the hour of trail came they proved unequal to the task. Some neglected the call of the hour and betrayed the cause. Others, played tricks of hypocrisy and, refused to sacrifice their lives and riches in the cause of Allah. The Qur’an, after exposing these people and criticizing their insincerity makes it clear that Iman is a contract, a form of pledge between man and God. It does not consist of a mere profession of belief in Allah. It is an acknowledgment of the fact that Allah alone is our Sovereign Lord and Ruler and that everything that man has, including his life, belongs to Him and must be used in accordance with His directives. If a Muslim adopts a contrary course he is insincere in his profession of faith. True believers are only those who have really sold their lives and all that they possessed to God and who followed His dictates in all fields of activity. They stake their all in obedience to the Commands of the Lord, and do not deviate even an inch from the path of loyalty to God. Such only are the true believers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>THE PLAN OF LIFE</blockquote><br />This discussion makes it clear that Islam begins with laying down the proper lines on which man's relationship with the Lord is to be reared; his entire individual and social life is an exercise in developing and strengthening this relationship. Iman, the starting point of our religion, consists in the acceptance of this relationship by man's intellect and will. Thus, Islam is actual submission, the way of surrender to the Will of God in all aspects of life and behavior. Now, we are in a position to cast a glance over the plan of life which Islam envisages. This plan - the code of conduct - is known as the Shari'ah. Its sources are the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).<br /><br /><br /><br />The Final Book of God and the Final Messenger stands today as a repository of this truth, and they invite the whole of humanity to accept the truth. God Almighty has endowed men with free will in the moral domain, and it is to this free will that this acceptance bears reference. Consequently, it is always a voluntary act and not of compulsion. Whosoever agrees that the concept of Reality stated by the Holy Prophet and the Holy Book is true, it is for him to step forward and surrender his will to the Will of God. It is this submission which is called "Islam", the fructification of faith (Iman) in actual life. And those who do so, i.e., those who of their own free will, accept God as their Sovereign, and surrender to His Divine Will and undertake to regulate their lives in accordance with His Commandments, are called "Muslims".<br /><br />All those persons who thus surrender themselves to the persons who thus surrender themselves to the Will of God are welded into a community and that is how the "Muslim society" comes into being. Thus, " is a principled society - a society radically different from those which are founded on the basis of race, color or territory. This society is the result of a deliberate choice and effort; it is the outcome of a "contract" which takes place between human beings and the Creator. Those who enter into this contract, undertake to recognize God as their sovereign, His Guidance as Supreme, and His injunctions as absolute Law. They also undertake to accept, without question or doubt His classifications of Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, Permissible and Prohibited. In short, the Islamic society agrees to limit its volition to the extent prescribed by the All-Knowing God. In other words, it is God and not man whose will is the primary Source of Law in a Muslim society.<br /><br /><br />When such a society comes into existence, the Book and the Messenger prescribe for it a code of life called the Shari'ah, and this Society is bound to conform to it by virtue of the contract it has entered into. It is, therefore, inconceivable that any Muslim society worth the name can deliberately adopt a system of life other than the Shari'ah. If it does so, its contract is ipso facto broken and the whole society becomes "un-Islamic".<br /><br />But we must clearly distinguish between the everyday sins or violations of the individuals and a deliberate revolt against the Shari'ah. The former may not imply breaking up of the contract, while the latter would mean nothing short of that. The point that should be clearly understood here is that, if an Islamic society consciously resolves not to accept the Shari'ah, and decides to enact its own constitution and laws or borrows them from any other source, (in utter disregard of the Shari'ah) such a society breaks its contract with God and forfeits its right to be called "Islamic".<br /><br />1.<em>The Objectives and Characteristics of the Plan </em><br />Let us now proceed to understand the plan of life envisaged by the Shari'ah. To understand that, it is essential that we start with a clear conception of the objectives and the fundamentals of Shari'ah.<br /><br />The main objective of the Shari'ah is to construct human life on the basis of Ma'rufat (virtues) and to cleans it of the Munkarat (vices). The term Ma'rufat proclaims as good and right everything declared by Allah and by His messenger to be so. Taking this definition as the norm, the term Ma'rufat should denote all the virtues and good qualities that have always been accepted as "good" by the pure and unadulterated human conscience. Conversely, the word Munkarat refers to everything that Allah and His Apostle (peace be upon him) have denounced as evil. In the light of this understanding, it denotes all the sins and evils that have always been condemned by pure human nature as "evil". In short, the Ma'rufat are in harmony with human nature and its requirements in general, whilst the Munkarat are just the opposite. The Shari'ah gives a clear view of these Ma’rufat and Munkarat and states them as the norms to which the individual and social behavior should conform.<br /><br />The Shari'ah does not, however, limit its function to providing us with an inventory of virtues and vices only; it lays down the entire plan of life in such a manner that virtues may flourish and vices may not pollute and destroy human life.<br /><br />To achieve this end, the Shari'ah has embraced in its plan all the factors that encourage the growth of good and has recommended steps for the removal of impediments that might prevent its growth and development. The process gives rise to subsidiary series of Ma’rufat consisting of the causes and means initiating and nurturing the good, and yet another set of Ma'rufat consisting of prohibitory commands in relation to those things which act as preventives or impediments to good. Similarly, there is a subsidiary list of Munkarat which might initiate or allow growth of evil.<br /><br />The Shari'ah shapes the Islamic society in a way conducive to the unfettered growth of good, virtue and truth in every sphere of human activity, and gives full play to the forces of going all directions. And at the same time it removes all impediments in the path of virtue. Along this, it attempts to eradicate evils from its social plan by prohibiting vice, by obviating the causes of its appearance and growth, by closing the inlets through which it creeps into a society and by adopting deterrent measures to check its occurrence.<br /><br />2.<em>Ma'rufat (ma'roof)</em> <br />The Shari'ah classifies Ma'rufat into three categories: the Mandatory (Fardh and Wajib), the Recommendatory (Matlub) and the Permissible (Mubah).<br /><br />The observance of the mandatory (Ma’rufat) is obligatory on a Muslim society and the Shari'ah has given clear and binding directions about them. The recommendatory Ma’rufat are those which the Shari'ah wants a Muslim society to observe and practice. Some of them have been very clearly demanded of us, while others have been recommended by implication and inference from the sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Besides this, special arrangements have been made for the growth and encouragement of some of them in the plan of life enunciated by the Shari'ah. Others still have simply been recommended by the Shari'ah leaving it to the society or to its more virtuous elements to look to their promotion.<br /><br />This leaves us with the permissible Ma'rufat. Strictly speaking, according to the Shari'ah everything which has not been expressly prohibited by it is a Permissible Ma'ruf (i.e., Mubah). It is not at all necessary that an express permission should exist about it or that it should have been expressly left to our choice. Consequently, the sphere of permissible Ma'rufat is very wide so much so that except for the things specifically prohibited by the Shari'ah, everything is permissible for a Muslim. And this is exactly the sphere where we have been given freedom and where we can legislate according to our own discretion to suit the requirements of our age and conditions, of course in keeping with the general spirit of the Shari'ah.<br /><br />3.<em>Munkarat (Munkar) </em><br />The Munkarat (or the things prohibited in Islam) have been grouped into two categories: Haram, i.e., those things which have been prohibited absolutely and Makruh, i.e., those things which have been disliked and discouraged. It has been enjoined on Muslims by clear mandatory injunctions to refrain totally from everything that has been declared Haram. As for the Makruhat the Shari'ah signifies its dislike in some way or another, i.e., either expressly or by implication, giving an indication also as to the degree of such dislike. For example, there are some Makruhat bordering on Haram, while others bear affinity with the acts which are permissible. Of course, their number is very large ranging between the two extremes of prohibitory and permissible actions. Moreover, in some cases, explicit measures have been prescribed by the Shari'ah for the prevention of Makruhat, while in others such arrangements have been left to the discretion of the society or of the individual.<br /><br />4.<em>Some other Characteristics </em><br />The Shari'ah, thus, prescribes directives for the regulation of our individual as well as collective life. These directives touch such varied subjects as religious rituals, personal character, morals, habits, family relationships, social and economic affairs, administration, rights and duties of citizens, judicial system, laws of war and peace and international relations. In short, it embraces all the various departments of human life. These directives reveal what is good and bad, what is beneficial and useful and what is injurious and harmful. What are the virtues which are the evils for which we have to suppress and guard against. What is the sphere of our voluntary, untrammeled, personal and social action and what are its limits. And finally, what ways and means we can adopt in establishing such a dynamic order of society and what methods we should avoid. The Shari'ah is a complete plan of life and an all embracing social order - nothing superfluous, nothing lacking. Another remarkable feature of the Shari'ah is that it is an organic whole. The entire plan of life propounded by Islam is animated by the same spirit. Hence, any arbitrary division of its plan is bound to harm the spirit as well as the structure of the Islamic order. In this respect, it might be compared to the human body which is an organic whole. A leg pulled out of the body cannot be called one-eight or one-sixth man, because after its separation from the living body, the leg can no longer perform its human function. Nor can it be placed in the body of some other animal with any hope of making it human to the extent of that limb. Likewise, we cannot form a correct opinion about the utility, efficiency and beauty of the hand, the eyes or the nose of a human being separately, without judging its place and function within the living body.<br /><br />The same can be said in regard to the scheme of life envisaged by the Shari'ah. Islam signifies the entire scheme of life and not any isolated part or parts thereof. Consequently neither can it be appropriate to view the different part of the Shari'ah in isolation from one another and without regard to the whole, nor will it be of any use to take any part and bracket it with any other "ism". The Shari'ah can function smoothly and can demonstrate its efficacy only if the entire system of life is practiced in accordance with it and not otherwise<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-625048688199030364?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-83797182891238542482008-05-21T13:10:00.002+08:002008-05-21T13:16:07.007+08:00Three things in life once gone never come back...<br />1. Words<br />2. Opportunity<br />3. Time<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Three things in life which are never sure...<br />1. Dreams<br />2. Success<br />3. Fortune<br /></div><br />Three things in life that make u a great person...<br />1. Hard Work<br />2. Sincerity<br />3. Success<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Three things in life which are most valuable...<br />1. Love<br />2. Self-Respect<br />3. Time<br /></div><br />Three things in life u might lost...<br /> 1. Peace<br /> 2. Hope<br /> 3. Honesty<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Three things in life that destroy a person...<br />1. Greed<br />2. Pride<br />3. Anger<br /></div> <span style="font-style: italic;">SOURCE: forwarded email</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-8379718289123854248?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-31077842937299371582008-05-21T12:11:00.007+08:002008-05-21T13:07:37.886+08:00<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b>Mistake 1: Reciting Surat al-Fatiha fast without pausing after each verse. </b><br /><br />The Prophet (SAW) used to pause after each verse of this surah. (Abu Dawood) <b><br /><br />Mistake 2: Sticking the arms to the sides of the body, in rukoo' or sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood. </b></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrNVBtJwI/AAAAAAAAAEs/O-cyzbo7oTc/s1600-h/001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrNVBtJwI/AAAAAAAAAEs/O-cyzbo7oTc/s320/001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202690240014001922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOs41BtJ5I/AAAAAAAAAF0/od6CwyUmu5s/s1600-h/001_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOs41BtJ5I/AAAAAAAAAF0/od6CwyUmu5s/s320/001_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202692086849939346" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "Let not one of you support himself on his forearms (in sujood) like the dog. Let him rest on his palms and keep his elbows away from his body." (Sahih Muslim) . The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to keep his arms away from his body during rukoo' and sujood that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen (Sahih Muslim). </span><br /></div><br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b><br />Mistake 3: Gazing upward during prayer.<br /></b></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrNlBtJxI/AAAAAAAAAE0/qpB1szDHTJA/s1600-h/002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrNlBtJxI/AAAAAAAAAE0/qpB1szDHTJA/s320/002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202690244308969234" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >This may cause loss of concentration. We are commanded to lower our gaze, and look at the point at which the head rests during sujood. The Prophet (SAW) warned: "Let those who raise their gaze up during prayer stop doing so, or else their sights would not return to them. i.e. lose their eyesight]." (Muslim) </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b><br />Mistake 4 : Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood.<br /></b></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOsBlBtJ1I/AAAAAAAAAFU/UIZAQJFEb-8/s1600-h/002_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOsBlBtJ1I/AAAAAAAAAFU/UIZAQJFEb-8/s320/002_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202691137662166866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrNlBtJyI/AAAAAAAAAE8/8tBX24E7pJk/s1600-h/003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrNlBtJyI/AAAAAAAAAE8/8tBX24E7pJk/s320/003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202690244308969250" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >The Prophet (SAW) said: "I am commanded to prostrate on seven bones the forehead and the nose, the two hands [palms], the two knees, and the two feet." (Sahih Muslim) Applying the above command necessitates resting the forehead and the nose on the ground during sujood. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b><br />Mistake 5 : Hasty performance of prayer which does not allow repose and calmness in rukoo' or sujood.<br /></b></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrN1BtJzI/AAAAAAAAAFE/FU7jSKlvEDA/s1600-h/004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrN1BtJzI/AAAAAAAAAFE/FU7jSKlvEDA/s320/004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202690248603936562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrN1BtJ0I/AAAAAAAAAFM/zZO7siMz9jc/s1600-h/005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOrN1BtJ0I/AAAAAAAAAFM/zZO7siMz9jc/s320/005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202690248603936578" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >The Messenger of Allah (SAW) saw a man who did not complete his rukoo' [bowing], and made a very short sujood [prostration] ; he (SAW) said: "If this man dies while praying in this manner, he would die upholding a religion other than the religion of Muhammad." Abu Hurairah (RA) said:<br /><br />"My beloved friend, Muhammad (SAW) forbade me to perform postures of prayer copying the picking of a rooster; (signifying fast performance of prayer), moving eyes around like a fox and the sitting like monkeys ( i.e. to sit on thighs)." (Imam Ahmad &amp; at-Tayalisi) <b>The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: " The worst thief is the one who steals from his own prayer." People asked, 'Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his own prayer?' He (SAW) said: "By not completing its rukoo' and sujood." </b>(At Tabarani &amp; al-Hakim).<br /><br />To complete rukoo' is to stay in that posture long enough to recite 'Subhana rabbiyal Adtheem' three times, SLOWLY, and 'Subhana rabbiyal-a'ala' three times, SLOWLY, in sujood. He (SAW) also announced: "He who does not complete his rukoo' and sujood, his prayer is void." (Abu Dawood &amp; others) </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b><br />Mistake 6 : Counting tasbeeh with the left hand<br /></b></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOsCVBtJ2I/AAAAAAAAAFc/u_04E8oEOgg/s1600-h/006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOsCVBtJ2I/AAAAAAAAAFc/u_04E8oEOgg/s320/006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202691150547068770" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >The Prophet (SAW) used to count tasbeeh on the fingers of his right hand after salah. Ibn Qudamah (RA) said: " The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used his right hand for tasbeeh." (Abu Dawood). The above hadeeth indicates clearly that the Prophet (SAW) used only one hand for counting tasbeeh. No Muslim with sound mind would imagine that the Prophet (SAW) used his left hand for counting tasbeeh. Aa'ishah (RA) said that the Prophet (SAW) used his left hand only for Istinjaa', or cleaning himself after responding to the call of nature. He never used it for tasbeeh. Yasirah (RA) reported: The Prophet (SAW) commanded women to count tasbeeh on their fingers.<br /><br />The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "They (the fingers) will be made to speak, and will be questioned (on the Day of Resurrection. )" (At-Tirmidhi) .. The above Hadeeth indicates that it is preferable to count tasbeeh on the fingers of the right hand than to do so on masbahah (rosary) </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b><br />Mistake 7 : Crossing in front of a praying person.<br /></b></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOsCVBtJ3I/AAAAAAAAAFk/rJgBrOZZ_Lw/s1600-h/007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/SDOsCVBtJ3I/AAAAAAAAAFk/rJgBrOZZ_Lw/s320/007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202691150547068786" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >The Messenger of Allah (SAW) warned: "Were the one who crosses in front of a praying person to know the consequences of doing so, he would have waited for *forty better than to cross in front of him." (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim). *The forty in the tradition may be day's months or even years. Allah </span><img src="http://us.mg2.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f876404%5fAFZLk0UAAP0%2fSDLs3wM%2bn04ABFc&amp;pid=2.2.18&amp;fid=Inbox&amp;inline=1" /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;" >knows best.<br /><br />SOURCE: a forwarded email to MS_UIA yahoogroup<br /></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3107784293729937158?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-32500791145472674662008-01-18T17:23:00.000+08:002008-01-18T17:27:50.643+08:00The establishment media will have to find a new tactic with which to ridicule those who oppose the fluoridation of water after a major new Scientific American report concluded that "Scientific attitudes toward fluoridation may be starting to shift" as new evidence emerges of the poison's link to disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland, as well as lowering IQ.<br /><br />"Today almost 60 percent of the U.S. population drinks fluoridated water, including residents of 46 of the nation’s 50 largest cities," reports Scientific American's Dan Fagin.<br /><br /><br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Fagin is an award-wining environmental reporter and Director of New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.<br /><br />"Outside the U.S., fluoridation has spread to Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and a few other countries. Critics of the practice have generally been dismissed as gadflies or zealots by mainstream researchers and public health agencies in those countries as well as the U.S. (In other nations, however, water fluoridation is rare and controversial. )"<br /><br /><br />Indeed, the zeitgeist for scoffing at those who spoke of the dangers of mass medicating the public against their will with fluoride was the deranged and paranoid character of General Ripper in the hit 1964 Peter Selllers movie Dr. Strangelove. <br /><br />But that stereotype is quickly fading as serious scientific research uncovers proof that all the horror stories about sodium fluoride told down the decades are essentially true.<br /><br />The Scientific American study "Concluded that fluoride can subtly alter endocrine function, especially in the thyroid -- the gland that produces hormones regulating growth and metabolism."<br /><br />The report also notes that "a series of epidemiological studies in China have associated high fluoride exposures with lower IQ."<br /><br />"Epidemiological studies and tests on lab animals suggest that high fluoride exposure increases the risk of bone fracture, especially in vulnerable populations such as the elderly and diabetics," writes Fagin.<br /><br />Fagin interviewed Steven Levy, director of the Iowa Fluoride Study which tracked about 700 Iowa children for sixteen years. Nine-year-old "Iowa children who lived in communities where the water was fluoridated were 50 percent more likely to have mild fluorosis... than [nine-year-old] children living in nonfluoridated areas of the state," writes Fagin.<br /><br />The study adds to a growing literature of shocking scientific studies proving fluoride's link with all manner of health defects, even as governments in the west, including recently the UK, make plans to mass medicate the population against their will with this deadly toxin.<br /><br />In 2005, a study conducted at the Harvard School of Dental Health found that fluoride in tap water directly contributes to causing bone cancer in young boys.<br /><br />"New American research suggests that boys exposed to fluoride between the ages of five and 10 will suffer an increased rate of osteosarcoma - bone cancer - between the ages of 10 and 19," according to a London Observer article about the study.<br /><br />Based on the findings of the study, the respected Environmental Working Group lobbied to have fluoride in tap water be added to the US government's classified list of substances known or anticipated to cause cancer in humans.<br /><br />Cancer rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed with one in three people now contracting the disease at some stage in their life.<br /><br />The link to bone cancer has also been discovered by other scientists, but a controversy ensued after it emerged that Harvard Professor Chester Douglass, who downplayed the connection in his final report, was in fact editor-in-chief of The Colgate Oral Health Report, a quarterly newsletter funded by Colgate-Palmolive Co., which makes fluoridated toothpaste.<br /><br />An August 2006 Chinese study found that fluoride in drinking water damages children's liver and kidney functions.<br /><br />FACTS ABOUT FLUORIDE<br /><br />- Fluoride is a waste by-product of the fertilizer and aluminum industry and it's also a Part II Poison under the UK Poisons Act 1972.<br /><br />- Fluoride is one of the basic ingredients in both PROZAC (FLUoxetene Hydrochloride) and Sarin nerve gas (Isopropyl-Methyl- Phosphoryl FLUoride).<br /><br />- USAF Major George R. Jordan testified before Un-American Activity committees of Congress in the 1950's that in his post as U.S.-Soviet liaison officer, the Soviets openly admitted to "Using the fluoride in the water supplies in their concentration camps, to make the prisoners stupid, docile, and subservient. "<br /><br />- The first occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Germany's Nazi prison camps. The Gestapo had little concern about fluoride's supposed effect on children's teeth; their alleged reason for mass-medicating water with sodium fluoride was to sterilize humans and force the people in their concentration camps into calm submission. (Ref. book: "The Crime and Punishment of I.G. Farben" by Joseph Borkin.)<br /><br />- 97% of western Europe has rejected fluoridated water due to the known health risks, however 10% of Britons drink it and the UK government is trying to fast track the fluoridation of the entire country's water supply.<br /><br />- In Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg fluoridation of water was rejected because it was classified as compulsive medication against the subject's will and therefore violated fundamental human rights.<br /><br />- In November of 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) advised that parents should avoid giving babies fluoridated water.<br /><br />- Sources of fluoride include: fluoride dental products, fluoride pesticides, fluoridated pharmaceuticals, processed foods made with fluoridated water, and tea.<br /><br />Click here to find out if your water supply is poisoned with deadly fluoride.<br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3250079114547267466?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-64702714627958645342007-12-23T01:30:00.000+08:002007-12-23T01:36:42.321+08:00Dear Friends, Wow - on Saturday, in desperate last-minute negotiations, the world faced down an effort by the US, Canada and Japan to wreck the crucial Bali Climate Change Summit. Over 600,000 Avaaz members mobilized to save the Bali talks, including 320,000 in the final 72 hours! Click below to read the whole story with photos and videos<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/bali_report_back/6.php?cl=47393393" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.avaaz.org/en/bali_report_back/6.php</a> Arriving in Bali, most countries wanted to work towards a new global treaty on climate change as well as new targets for carbon emissions by rich countries. But late last week, the US and Canada teamed up to undermine the talks -- the US blocked the whole Bali summit consensus, and when a smaller group of Kyoto treaty countries tried to move ahead without the US, they were blocked by Canada. The summit was in danger of deadlock. The Avaaz community flew into action, signing and spreading petitions to each of the governments, supporting ad campaigns in Bali and Canada, marches around the world, and phoning and lobbying elected officials. At the summit, Avaaz members brought the storm of public criticism inside the conference walls with the only march allowed inside the venue, the largest climate petition delivery in history, daily press conferences and "fossil awards" for the worst countries in the negotiations, and constant lobbying of officials. In the final hours of the summit, Canada backed down completely and allowed Kyoto countries to agree to strong 2020 targets on carbon emissions, and the US team, now entirely isolated and actually booed by the world's diplomats, compromised and agreed to call for "deep cuts" and "reference" the 2020 targets. This paved the way for the summit to agree to sign a new global climate change treaty by 2009. Usually these conferences are stuffy diplomatic affairs - but this time the world was watching, and speaking, each day. Together, we brought people-powered politics to the halls of power, and put our governments on notice: in the fight to save our environment, we will not be spectators. Click below to see a report on this campaign with videos and pictures: <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/bali_report_back/6.php?cl=47393393" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.avaaz.org/en/bali_report_back/6.php</a>This is just the beginning. Every nation of the world has now agreed that they will enter into accelerated negotiations and, by 2009, sign a new treaty to confront global warming. We need this treaty to set binding global targets for carbon emissions, and a mechanism for meeting them, that keep the earth's temperature from rising more than 2 degrees celsius - the amount that scientists say would be 'catastrophic'. Such a treaty will change the world's economy forever, weaning us off oil and fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy. Some leaders, in the pocket of the oil industry, will fight it tooth and nail all the way. And we will too. A great struggle to save our environment has begun, and this weekend, we showed together that the people of the world aren't intending to sit this one out.With much respect and appreciation for this amazing community of people, Ricken, Ben, Milena, Paul, Iain, Sarah, Galit, Pascal and the whole Avaaz Team. <br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6470271462795864534?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-11199945988228789962007-12-14T23:22:00.000+08:002007-12-14T23:24:00.581+08:00<a title="294855272_ef4ee4c080.jpg" href="http://hassanoct15.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/the-truth-of-israel-behind-burmese-juntadirecting-anti-muslim-policy/35/" rel="attachment wp-att-35"></a><br />The truth is there are numbers of Burmese working in Israel as workers. Most of them are<br />family members of Burmese Army Soldiers.<br />Israel has been helping in changing Avionics of Burmese Air Force Jet fighters bought from China with more advanced one manufactured by them.<br />Israel has been long time ally of Burmese Military Government,preaching about a small country surrounded by populous Muslim Countries like Bangladesh, and part of India.<br />Another point Israel used to preach the Southeast Asian country is theory of Pan Islamic South East Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei are Muslim countries. If Thailand’s Muslim minority become powerful and asking for autonomy from its government, there may be domino effect, in which in Burma also Muslims may ask for own Autonomous state may be in Yakhine state for Rohingya’s.<br />That sounds scary for Junta. Junta rather wants Burmese to be diluted by Chinese who are willing to follow any faith as they do not have any principle faith, and their ideology, Communism facing Dilemma as Chinese Communist Government is openly supporting the oppressors.<br />In my opinion Chinese and Israel has similar attributes towards Burma.<br />1. Helping the Evil regime of Burma<br />2.Teaching how to effectively suppress the minority groups<br />Israel has vast experience of effectively controlling and intimidating Palastines for several decades. From travel restrictions of Burmese Muslims, to other discriminating policy such as not issuing birth certificate to Muslim newborn, denying full citizenship of the Burmese Muslims those are Burmese who’s faith is Islam are all due to Israel advice.<br />In South East Asia, Israel’s has two strategic allies. One is Burma and another country is among the world riches countries, even though it is very small in size.<br />As I mentioned in previous post, we can not blame for others for what we are today. However, all of us should have bigger brain, bigger eyes and bigger ears, so that we can understand what is really unfolding behind the scene.<br />( Israel has already denied any supports towards Military Junta of Burma, however these facts I have mentioned above are the truth, and Allah knows the best)<br /><br />Origanated by San Oo Aung<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1119994598822878996?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-55575242524841995082007-12-14T23:14:00.000+08:002007-12-14T23:18:07.696+08:00This news has posted in Islam Online in the year 2002 , however it still serve as a summary of the Plight of Burmese Muslims in Junta ruled Myanmar.<br />(IslamOnline &amp; News Agencies) - Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged the U.N. special envoy to Myanmar to take up the plight of the Southeast Asian country’s embattled Muslim community when he visits next month.<br />In a 12-page report released prior to the visit, the New York-based rights watchdog listed a spate of attacks on Myanmar’s Muslims and the steady erosion of their religious freedoms, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.<br />“The government must protect the rights of Muslims. Instead, it has imposed restrictions on Muslim religious activities and taken no action to punish those responsible for destroying Muslim homes and mosques,” AFP quoted HRW director Mike Jendrzejczyk as saying.<br /><span id="fullpost">Violence against Myanmar’s Muslim minority was triggered by anger among the overwhelmingly Buddhist population at the destruction in March 2001 of ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan by the hardline Islamic Taliban regime then in power.<br />In some cities outside the capital, Yangon, there were credible reports of military intelligence officers “stirring up anti-Muslim violence,” the human rights group said, AFP reported.<br />The worst violence occurred in May and September last year when Myanmar’s economic crisis was at its most severe.<br />In Taungoo north of Yangon, more than 1,000 people led by “robed Buddhist monks” attacked Muslim shops, homes and mosques.<br />There were beatings and at least nine deaths, according to witnesses cited in the report.<br />Since then, Muslims nationwide have complained of restricted freedom to travel and to worship.<br />The U.N. special envoy, former Malaysian ambassador Razali Ismail, is due to make his eighth trip to Myanmar August 2.<br />He is expected to meet with ethnic leaders as well as members of the ruling military junta and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.<br />A recent human rights report has accused Myanmar’s military junta of using systematic rape as a weapon of war against ethnic minority women in eastern Shan state.<br />The report, prepared by the Shan Human Rights Foundation and Shan Women’s Action Network documents the rapes of 625 girls and women in Shan state by Myanmar troops, mostly between 1996 and 2001.<br />But the government on July 10, 2002, accused the two rights groups which reported on the rape claims of allegedly conspiring with the Shan United Revolutionary Army to scupper its rapprochement drive with Washington.<br />The U.S. State Department said it had raised its concerns with the regime over the report.<br />“We are appalled by reports that the Burmese military is using rape as a weapon of war against civilian populations in Shan State,” AFP quoted a U.S. spokeswoman as saying, using the country’s former name.<br />“We have raised our concerns with the Burmese regime and urged them to fully investigate any and all allegations of the systematic rape of ethnic minority girls and women in Burma and appropriately punish those guilty of such heinous crimes,” she added.<br />“The report in question presents all sorts of details including dates, and places and battalion numbers and names of individual perpetrators involved,” she concluded, casting doubt on Myanmar’s government’s version of events.</span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;">originated by San Oo Aung<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:0;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5557524252484199508?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-66818253622224985202007-12-07T00:26:00.000+08:002007-12-07T00:28:54.692+08:00As a Muslim I am outraged at this nonsense. When Prophet Muhammad 's cartoons were published, the few Muslims around the world were outraged to the point of becoming destruct ive. They burned the embassy in Syria. Their contention was that the Prophet cannot be contained in an image, they were right but they were dead wrong on destroying any property, it went against the very principle s taught by the Prophet "to forgive the wrong doers" . Not enough of us were outraged against those criminals to make a differenc e. <br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Ms. Gibbons affection ately calls the Teddy bear "Muhammad" and the fanatics cry foul. The good for nothing silent majority needs to step and condemn the cleric and the government of Sudan for treating a lady for her benevolence in such an ugly manner. She probably would not have, had she known about it. Prophet Muhammad would have been saddened with these guys' behavior. When the Buddha Statue, a world heritage monument was destroyed in Pakistan last month, where was the Muslim outrage? When the Buddhist Monks were locked up in Burma, where was the Muslim outrage? What is good for the goose has got to be good for the gander. The third Caliph Omar punished his own son against a complain t from a Jewish businessman: such was the sense of Justice. Where is that sense of justice and fairness now? Mirza A. Beg writes, "...a woman in Saudi Arabia was gang-raped. She was seen in a car with a person not of her family. She was also found guilty along with the rapists and recommended punishment under the Saudi Law." That was not bad enough, when she appealed to the Media her punishment was doubled because she made it public. Where is the Muslim outrage? Why aren't the Muslims jamming the phone lines of Saudi Embassies around the world? Why aren't the Muslims decrying the Saudis for calling it an Islamic Law? It ain' t, it is the bizarre law of shameless men who do not follow thier own religion of peace. "In Sudan, a British teacher was arrested for the sin of helping her class of seven year olds to name a cuddly teddy bear, Muhammad. Yesterday, after a court trial, she was sentenced to 15 days in jail, and it is reported that a crowd was clamoring for a death sentence. In a closed dictatorial country a crowd does not gather, it is allowed or urged to gather." Writes Mirza Beg. Where is the Muslim outrage? The ones who forgive are the dearest to the lord. Where is this verse buried? There were members of the state legislature in India who publicly called to kill a heretic, and there was a cleric who offered a bounty for killing the same heretic. Where is the Muslim outrage against these criminals? God says "Killing one human is like killing the whole humanity ". Why isn' t this verse evoked? Darfur is bleeding, where is the Muslim outrage? The time has come for the Muslims to speak up; the good for nothing majority needs to speak up, and let their outrage be known. No doubt, the one' s who express their outrage are not given the outlet. The media does not see sensationa lism in this. At the World Muslim Congress and a few other organizations we will continue to compile the outrage expressed by Muslims around the world. I urge the media to give voice to the Muslims who speak up. It gives hopes to the mankind, whether we are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists or Zoroastrians, we face the common enemy - ignorance. Ignorance displayed by super literate people as well as illiterate. <br />References: HERE HERE and HERE Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer. He is president of the www. FoundationforPlu <a href="http://ralism.com/" target="_blank">ralism.com</a> and is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussin g pluralism, terrorism, interfaith, political and civic issues. He is the founding president of the www. WorldMuslimCongr <a href="http://ess.com/" target="_blank">ess.com</a> with a simple theme: "Good for Muslims and good for the world. " His personal Website is www.MikeGhouse. net. Mike is a Dallasite for nearly three decades and Carrollton is his home town. He can be reached at <a href="http://us.f353.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=MikeGhouse%40gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:MikeGhouse%40gmail.com">MikeGhouse@gmail. com</a> </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6681825362222498520?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-79743445421769765082007-11-12T16:25:00.000+08:002007-11-12T16:29:09.692+08:00Oh, people of Burma , pls let Ur blood to run in ur hearts, we have been being selfish for long time.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Let me give one example to compare our society with one company or business organization. We are like staffs in company, to succeed our company goals we have to take our role to play together and take the chance to win. Among ourselves having problems, don't shake or mix with our own organization. For instance, unless we like one of us, we will be thinking how to take down him not only in a period but the rest of his life like doing wrong things instead of right one to overcome ur satisfaction on his suffering. Finally ur conduct will affect the company or organization and then ur profit as well as ur success will getting down and also ur family and the rest . pls think a second before what ever u do, don't forget that everything will be reflected.<br />Now look at our community (Organization) , what our people (staff) are doing, Oh big shame, we r learning higher education consisting so many theory to adapt in ur lives.<br /><br />How people are talk about others, in front of them and behind of them is equal is it? And accepting discrimination is totally not good and we have been suffering for years in Burma . What’s difference between us and dictatorship?<br />" Allah says " Oh man kinds we created you a single pare a male and a female and made you nations and tribes and you may come to know each others"<br />Referring about Ayat, we come to know that we must satisfy with our status such as tribes and languages etc. I see some people are being not satisfied with our own and being look down other tribes as well. Have u ever thought that u r against above Ayat. Pls remember the way u think will be ur behaviour not depend on ur tribes.<br />Leaders of tomorrow in Burmese Muslim society, how u will be leaders, now if u don't like to be negotiated each others. We r sent here to be tested by Allah, so r u living for whom?<br />Pls remember, unless u give, u won't get anything. I mean if we examine ourselves, we can know that we like to blame leaders and country. How u have sacrificed for others. Think and think.<br />Whatever I have said above will be liked by those who want to be united and finding that is falling. The rest will hate this.<br />Oh by the way, pls test ur heart ur blood cross through it or not after read this, bcos there is no feeling without blood. (One Burmese saying: ‘u have blood to do’ means r u dare to do that r u feel it is right to do).<br />For Muslim, we r in Islam.</span><br /><br />This msg is for only those who want to examine himself. Not related with all.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7974344542176976508?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-59162091452326928802007-11-12T15:52:00.000+08:002007-11-12T16:32:43.052+08:00The stories of the Bible evolved slowly over centuries before the existence of orthodox religions. Many belief cults spread stories and myths probably handed down by oral tradition from generation to generation before people wrote them down. Many of the stories originally came from Egyptian and Sumerian cults. All of these early religions practiced polytheism, including the early Hebrews. Some of the oldest records of the stories that later entered the Old Testament came from thousands of small cylinder seals depicting creation stories, excavated from the Mesopotamia period. These early artifacts and artworks (dated as early as 2500 B.C.E.) established the basis for the Garden of Eden stories a least a thousand years before it impacted Hebrew mythology.<br /><br />Mesopotamian Eden predates Genesis<br />An example of a cylinder seal depicting a Garden of Eden story. A man and woman sitting under the seven branched Tree of Life. Note the snake on the right. Akkadian Cylinder Seal, 2330-2150 B.C.E.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Virtually every human civilization in the Middle East, before and through Biblical times, practiced some form of female goddess worship. Archeologists have confirmed that the earliest law, government, medicine, agriculture, architecture, metallurgy, wheeled vehicles, ceramics, textiles and written language had initially developed in societies that worshiped the Goddess. Later the goddesses became more war-like with the influence of the northern invaders who slowly replaced the goddesses with their mountain male war gods. So why doesn't the Bible mention anything about the Goddess? In fact it does, but in disguise from converting the name of the goddesses to masculine terms. Many times "Gods" in the Bible refers to goddesses. Ashtoreth, or Asherah, named of masculine gender, for example, actually refers to Astarte- the Great Goddess. The Old Testament doesn't even have a word for Goddess. The goddesses, sometimes, refers to the Hebrew word "Elohim" (masculine plural form) which later religionists mistranslated into the singular "God." The Bible authors converted the ancient goddess symbols into icons of evil. As such, the snake, serpents, tree of knowledge, horns (of the bull), became associated with Satan. The end result gave women the status of inferiority, a result which we still see to this day.<br />The Old Testament consists of a body of literature spread over a period from approximately 1450 B.C.E. to 200 B.C.E. There exists no original writings of the Old Testament. There does exist, however, hundreds of fragments from copies that became the old testament. These fragments consist of Cuneiform tablets, papyrus paper, leather etchings and the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. The scribes of the old testament wrote in classical Hebrew except for some portions written in Aramaic. The traditional Hebrew scribes wrote the texts with consonants but the Rabbis later added vowels for verbal pronouncing. Of course the Rabbis did their best in choosing the vowels that they thought gave the words their proper meaning and pronouncement. In the second century C.E., or even earlier, the Rabbis compiled a text from manuscripts as had survived the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and on this basis they established the traditional or Masoretic text, so called from the Hebrew word Massorah. This text incorporated the mistakes of generations of copyists, and in spite of the care bestowed on it, many errors of later copyists also found their way into it. The earliest surviving manuscripts of this text date from the ninth to eleventh centuries C.E. It comes mostly from these texts which religionists have used for the present Old Testament translations.<br />The New Testament has even fewer surviving texts. Scholars think that not until years after Jesus' alleged death that its authors wrote the Gospels. There exists no evidence that the New Testament came from the purported original apostles or anyone else that had seen the alleged Jesus. Although the oldest surviving Christian texts came from Paul, he had never seen the earthly Jesus. There occurs nothing in Paul's letters that either hints at the existence of the Gospels or even of a need for such memoirs of Jesus Christ. The oldest copy of the New Testament yet found consists of a tiny fragment from the Gospel of John. Scholars dated the little flake of papyrus from the period style of its handwriting to around the first half of the 2nd century C.E. The language of most of the new testament consists of old Greek.<br />Oldest known snippet from the New Testament<br />This photo shows a papyrus fragment from the Gospel of John, discovered in Egypt, the oldest known fragment from any part of the New Testament, dated from the first half of the 2nd century C.E.<br />Script appears on both sides, the front contains verses 31-33 and the back, verses 37-38.<br />The fragment resides in the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England.<br />Interestingly, there existed many competing Christian cults in the early years after Jesus' alleged death. Some sects saw the universe in dualisms of goodness and sin, of light and darkness, God and the Devil. Other Christian sects performed odd rituals, some of which involved the swallowing of semen, thought of as a sacred substance. Many other Christians also wrote mystical stories and by the second century there existed more than a dozen Gospels, along with a whole library of other texts. These include letters of Jesus to foreign kings, letters of Paul to Aristotle, and histories of the disciples. In one of these secret Gospels, it describes Jesus taking naked young men off to secret initiation rites in the Garden of Gethsemene. There lived Christian Gnostics (knowers) who believed that the church itself derived from the Devil to keep man from God and from realizing his true nature. In those first centuries of Christianity orthodoxy did not exist and when an organized orthodox church finally came, it got defined, almost inadvertently, in argument against many of the Gnostic sects.<br />So the idea of the Bible as a single, sacred unalterable corpus of texts began in heresy and later extended and used by churchmen in their efforts to define orthodoxy. One of the Bible's most influential editors, Irenaeus of Lyon, decided that there should only exist four Gospels like the four zones of the world, the four winds, the four divisions of man's estate, and the four forms of the first living creatures - the lion of Mark, the calf of Luke, the man of Matthew, and the eagle of John. In a single stroke, Irenaeus had delineated the sacred book of the Christian church and left out the other Gospels. Irenaeus also wrote what Christianity did not include, and in this way Christianity became an orthodox faith. A work of Irenaeus, Against the Heresies, became the starting point for later inquisitions.<br />There has existed over a hundred different versions of the Bible, written in most of the languages of the time including Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Some versions left out certain biblical stories and others contained added stories. The completed versions of the old and new testament probably got finished at around 200-300 C.E. although many disputed the authenticity of some books which later ended up as Apocrypha (uncanonical or of questionable authorship). For example, the book of Ecclesiasticus appears in the Catholic Bible but not in Protestant versions.<br />At around 405 C.E. Jerome (Eusebius Hieronymous) finished translating all the Old and New testament books into Latin (Vulgate Bible) which provided the Roman Catholic church added power. The Vulgate Bible went through several revisions up until the early 1900s!<br /><br />Codex Palatinus<br />This shows a small segment of a leaf from the Codex Palatinus (British Library, add. ms. 40107, f.1), an Old Latin version of the gospels from the 4th or 5th century.<br />The text got written in two columns in uncial script which runs continuously without word breaks. Enlarged capital letters provide the only clue to place marking.<br />The salvation doctrines of Christianity survived and flourished because they afforded the priesthood considerable power. The priests alone held the keys to salvation and could threaten the unbelievers with eternal punishment. Hence, in the evolution of Christianity in the last two thousand years with priests preying on human fears, the religion has demonstrated extraordinary powers of survival. Even without the priests, the various versions of the Bible have had more influence on the history of the world, in the minds of men than any other literature.<br />Unfortunately, the beliefs in Scripture produced the most violent actions against man in the history of humanity up to that time. The burning of competing Christian cults (called heretics) by early Christian churches acted as the seeds of violent atrocities against man. There later followed the destruction of Rome by the Christian Goths, and the secret pagan sacrifices consented by the Pope, the Vandals that had the Bible with them as they destroyed imperial North Africa, the crusades in the eleventh century fighting in the lands around the eastern Mediterranean, Palestine and Syria, capturing Jerusalem and setting kingdoms from Anatolia to the Egyptian border. In 1204 the Fourth Crusade plundered Constantinople the most holy city at that time, with Christians fighting Christians. And the slaughters continued (and continues to this day). According to Romer, "More heretics and scholars were burned in the Middle Ages than were ever killed in Carolingian times. For at this time the Inquisition came into its own, and torture, largely unused as an instrument of government since Roman days, was reintroduced."<br />In the 1380s, John Wycliffe translated the first English Bible which inspired an English religious revolution which caused persecutions against him by the Catholic Church.<br />In the early 1500's the German heretic, Martin Luther, almost single handedly caused the final split from the Roman Catholic church and created the beginnings of the Protestant revolution. This split still influences violence to this day. He translated the Bible into German which further spread Protestantism. Luther also helped spread anti-Semitism with his preaching and books such as his "The Jews and their lies," all supported through his interpretation of the Bible. One should not forget that Hitler (a Christian and great admirer of Luther) and his holocaust could not have occurred without his influence and the support of Bible believing German Christians.<br />In the 1530s William Tyndale completed his version of the English Protestant Bible (probably with the aid of Luther) and the first to print the English Bible. He too felt the persecution of the Church and he spent his last days in imprisonment and exile. His enemies finally caught him and burned him at the stake, but because of his celebrity, they strangled him first (what nice guys!).<br />After Luther's German Bible, others followed suit by translating the Bible into their native languages including Dutch and French. Not until 1611 C.E. did a committee of translators and interpreters complete the most popular Bible of all time, the King James Version.<br />Today we still have dozens of Bible translation versions, with Bible scholars still arguing over the meaning and proper translations of words and phrases. The following shows just a few of the most popular versions:<br />King James Version (KJV)<br />The New King James Version (NKJV)<br />Modern King James Version [Green's Translation] (MKJV)<br />Literal Translation Version [Green] (LITV)<br />International Standard Version (ISV)<br />The New International Version (NIV)<br />English Standard Version (ESV)<br />New English Bible (NEB)<br />American Standard Version (ASV)<br />New American Standard Bible (NASB)<br />Revised Standard Version (RSV)<br />New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)<br />Contemporary English Version (CEV)<br />Today's English Version (TEV)<br />The Living Bible (LB)<br />New Century Version (NC)New Life Version (NLV)<br />New Living Translation (NLT)<br />Young's Literal Translation (YLT)<br />Revised Young's Literal Translation (RYLT)<br />John Darby's New Translation<br />Weymouth New Testament Translation<br />Rotherham's<br />(One might wonder what will happen to the "new" revisions a few hundred years from now. Nevertheless, the King James Version still remains the most used Bible in the world today and it will probably continue its popularity long into the future.)<br />No doubt that future versions of Bibles will surface in the future: revisions of previously revised Bibles and newer revisions of new versions. The history of the many versions of the Bible stories, from the ancient Mesopotamian myths to the varied interpretations, interpolations, and versions of the Bible speaks volumes about the reliability of their interpretations and the alleged "truth" they claim the Bible holds, because it shows that the Bible comes not from supernatural agents but rather from human imagination. We have not one shred of evidence for the supernatural influence on human written works (and mostly from unknown authors), but we do have an abundance of evidence for human recorded beliefs and myths. This shows a marked difference between those of scientific works and those deriving from religious minds. For example, Euclid's Elements written around 300 B.C.E. has changed little since its inception. Scientists don't argue and debate about its meaning because they know it doesn't represent an absolute or fixed work. It only provides a step in the understanding of geometry. Most Christian apologists, on the other hand, view the Bible as fixed and absolute, if only they could only just get the interpretation correct. But regardless of how much the want the Bible to reflect their particular beliefs, they can never dislodge the violence and atrocities described and condoned by their God in the stories in the Old Testament. Nor can they dismiss the even more horrific result of the horrors of Hell as amplified by the words of the alleged Jesus in the New Testament where almost everyone on earth ends in eternal fire. In short, Bible belief influences horror, not by the majority but by the few that actually believe in its macabre prophecy and have the power to force their beliefs onto the majority.<br />We have little reason to think that violence inspired by Bibles and other religious texts will ever cease. One only has to look at the religious wars around the world to see belief's everlasting destructive potential. One only has to look at the Protestant-Catholic uprising in Ireland, the conflicts in the middle east with Jews fighting Moslems &amp; Christians, the Gulf war, Sudan's civil war between Christians and Islamics, the Bosnia conflicts, and the war in Iraq. The desperate acts of fanatical individuals who have killed for their beliefs of Jesus, Mohammed, God or Satan would create a death list unmatched by any other method in history. The "Holy" Bible supports the notion of war and destruction, not only as a prophesy but as a moral necessity. If we wish to become a peaceful species, it may well serve us to understand the forces of belief that keep us in continual conflict and why the Bible has such a stronghold on the minds of people around the world.<br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5916209145232692880?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-54426605219917094022007-11-12T15:48:00.000+08:002007-11-12T16:33:25.795+08:00Despite the fact that the Bible represents the best selling book of all time and serves as the sacred script for the Judeo-Christian faiths, it also stands as a book, by the majority, believed from ignorance. Strangely, in the Middle Ages the Catholic Church forbade the reading of the Bible by its congregation for fear that the people would misinterpret the texts. Many priests knew of the problematic and dark verses in the Bible. Too much questioning could result in a loss of faith, or so they thought. As a result, only the Church fathers had the right to make interpretations for its people. This gave the early Church power over its people and, at the same time, prevented its populace from ever becoming educated.<br />One would think that with today's practice of freedom of religion, education, free press and the availability of the Bible to anyone, that the Bible and its history would result in common knowledge. Nothing could stand further from the truth. Most Church fathers today concentrate only on the "good" phrases of the Bible. This of course represents an admirable approach as it serves to teach, stabilize and give meaning and morals to people in a society. However, Christians and Jews rarely hear about the dark side of the Scriptures from their religious leaders. Although most Christians own a Bible, few of them spend the time to actually read and understand what it actually represents. Many Christians find it shocking, even blasphemous for someone to point out that the Bible contains, not only errors, but atrocities that no Christian in good conscious would ever think of acting out. For example, how many Christians and Jews today would feel happy to bash a child's head against the rocks? Any secular question of this nature, of course, would result in revulsion, yet just such phrases occur in the Bible as well obscenities, filth and many horrendous phrases.<br />It will, perhaps, come from "good" Christians who will object most strongly to what I have put in and left out from the Dark Bible. However you may judge it, I have edited the Dark Bible in this way for several reasons:<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Firstly, I wanted to share with people that the Bible does not represent only "high morality" or a means to better one's life; that most of the Bible, in fact, concerns itself with conquest, war, killings, and curses, many times coming from directly from Yahweh (God). By today's standards, many of these Biblical stories describe despicable atrocities.<br />Secondly, there exists a minority of faithful fundamentalists who take the Bible literally and act out or condone the atrocities in the Bible. People, groups and governments, for centuries, have instigated wars, pogroms, racism, hatred, anti-Semitism, terrorism, and the inferiority of women based on their religious beliefs. I wanted to point out some of the Biblical verses that people of faith have used as justification for their atrocities and also to help people become aware, and beware of the dangers that can result from belief in the Bible.<br />Thirdly, to make this knowledge easily available, I edited out the admirable phrases of the Bible in order to get to the point. Most people know about these "good" verses, and I should not have to point them out (there exists a plethora of books about the admirable works). I also left out most of the dark phrases of the Bible for if I had included them all, it would literally involve more information, along with the comments, than the Bible itself. I tried to keep this relatively compact. As a result, the Dark Bible represents a small sampling. I encourage the reader to investigate the history of the Bible and why it contains the stories that it does.<br />From the sampling of the dark passages of the Bible presented in this Dark version, it should become self evident that if one wishes to defend the concept of a "good" and "loving" God, the Bible should serve as the last source to use for supporting evidence.<br />Moreover, if we wish to know ourselves, it may well serve us to learn the limitations of our language system. The written form has existed for only six thousand years; only a brief instant of time relative to our millions of years of evolution. The Bible represents the Bronze Age beliefs of men at the birth of writing. As in most evolutionary trends, mistakes get made, sometimes fatally. Indeed, our species has become even more violent in relation to strengths of faith in written Scripture. Unfortunately faith relies on hope and ignorance. Only education and critical thinking can allow us the means to correct our mistakes.<br />With technology advancing every year, our weapons have the capability to destroy whole cities, countries, if not every person on the earth. If people continue to base their actions on ancient Biblical reasoning, any small minority who gains access to the destructive technology may very well carry out holocaust-like proportions on innocent men, women and children. It has happened before and it can easily happen again. Today we still see the destructive acts carried out around the world which originate from deep cultural roots based on religious Scripture. Although belief structures have given rise to ethnic culture, it can also produce life threatening situations to our existence on earth. Understanding our belief-systems and to de-emphasize the sacredness of the Bible may well help to prevent our own destruction.<br />The Dark Bible uses the King James Version (1611) Bible as its main source because more Christians use this version than any other (although various alternate verses come from other Bible versions with a caption as to its source.). It will help to use this text along with the reading of each verse with the complete chapter from the Bible so as to gain a better understanding of its context, or, simply click on a verse and it will take you to an online Bible where you can peruse the entire context. Many of the comments come paraphrased from established scholarly published work.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5442660521991709402?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-38945719193258174152007-11-09T15:40:00.000+08:002007-11-12T16:30:51.131+08:00Burma is a country that has people of many races, ethnicities and religions. Because of lack of reliable census data the exact number of these various communities is not known. There is no question though that the Buddhist population makes up the vast majority in the country, followed by Muslims, Christians, Hindus and animists. According to non-official estimates by various agencies (including those in the US State Department), the Muslim population in Burma is somewhere between 10 to 20%, including the much-discriminated and suffering Rohingya population of Arakan (Rakhaing), whose nearly half the population is now living in Diaspora as refugees in many parts of our world as a result of Burma's inhuman, discriminatory Citizenship Law of 1982. In spite of many hurdles that they faced, the Muslim population, while second to Buddhist population in Burma, has played positive roles in the critical junctures of the history of Burma -- from independence movement to nation-building. They have compromised many a times their local aspirations to make Burma more inclusive, federal and united under one flag. Unfortunately, a very alarming proportion of these minority Muslims of Burma, with their distinct religious ethos, has been the worst victims of dispossession, identity-loss, discrimination and inhuman treatment. That is simply unacceptable. It is inhuman, barbarous and criminal. In my last three decades of human rights activism, I have never seen a people so much discriminated as the Rohingyas of Burma -- solely because of their religion. The treatment of other Muslims of Burma is not anything to celebrate either. And the sad thing is all such abuses against Muslims are taking place in this age when the rest of humanity is trying to find common grounds to reach out and make a better future for all. A feudal state could be excused for its barbarous acts of the past against other peoples, because those practices were often the norms for the state mechanism -- creating an aura of fear. There was no Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) back then. It was a pre-modern era. But why do we see the worst forms of abuse today in the 21st century against Muslims in Burma, especially when the country ratified the UDHR? What pains me most is to see the utter repulsive hypocrisy that emanates from many Burmese so-called democracy leaders when it comes to an important matter like the citizenship rights of all Muslims of Burma - from one end to another. In this 21st century, some 60 years after Burma's Independence, they have no moral qualms to deny citizenship rights to a people that identifies itself as Rohingya Muslims of Burma. What hypocrisy? Are Rohingya Muslims not Burmese? If their so-called similarity with people in Bangladesh make them aliens in the land of their ancestors, I am sorry to state that one would be hard pressed to find people of one single race, ethnicity, color and creed located and confined to a single state of our time. We have to redefine our understanding of various nations of today and enact laws that will be barbarous and untenable. We have to force all the Hispanics to leave the USA and move to the south - while vast western territories of the current day USA were once their ancestral homes. We have to send the Afro-Americans back to Africa from where they were stolen and enslaved to work and make America beautiful and prosperous. How about the European white immigrants and their families that lived in the USA for the past 500 years? Where do we stop drawing the line of demarcation? How about the native Americans who were the first settlers to what later came to be known as the USA? Should we force them out to Siberia, where they are presumed to have come from? Do we have any moral right to uproot them today because they are a very tiny minority like the "Kala" or "Kula" race of Burma - the ancestors of today's Rohingya people? The Burmese aspiring democracy leaders have to wake up to the reality of our time and shun feudal, racist, xenophobic and intolerant mindset if they are truly serious about the future of Burma. They cannot just sing: we want democracy and human rights, but in their dictionary there is no place for Burmese Muslims, Rohingya and Karen minorities and other smaller groups. That behavior epitomizes hypocrisy. What Burma needs today is confidence building all the various races, ethinicities, religious communities where everyone is treated equally, equitably, justly and fairly. Big brother attitude of a majority community - dictating terms and conditions of statehood -- will not work. The majority must show their sincerity that once the rule of law and democracy is back, under a federal setup, it will not discriminate the minority, and it will revoke all discriminatory laws of the past and compensate for past mistakes. Only when the minority can trust and see a good future for them can they truly become productive forces of the society. Without them it would be like a body without an arm. Burma cannot afford to be limb-less.My suggestion to Muslims of Burma is to realize that they are living in a very crucial juncture of Burmese history. While they are the worst victims of discrimination under the SPDC regime, they are by nature a peaceful people who like to be recognized as equal citizens in a future Burma. They should reach out to other groups and find common grounds to bring about a positive change in Burma. Being on the receiving end of discrimination and dehumanization, they feel the pains of Burma more than any one else. Their collective suffering should unite them together and enable them to educate and motivate others on the necessity of eradicating such abuses from the Burmese society once and for all time. The Muslims of Burma are for restoration of democracy, human rights, equality and liberty where all the people of Burma can feel inclusive about their Federal state. They should support the movements of the Sangha and any group that is genuinely true to higher human values that foster amity and cooperation and not discrimination and intolerance.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3894571919325817415?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-11563597892573756872007-11-09T15:21:00.000+08:002007-11-09T15:22:19.938+08:00In my mind, I think the communism is growing up inside US. I don't know really what is the author but I am sure this is an ideology of communism. The US may lossing the coldwar, so that communist Russia and China are increasinly going to extend their propaganda inside US.<br /><br />The natual phenomenon is that if there is up, there is aslo down. United State is thinking that she is superior but she left no choice to follow the mensioned ideology of stopping religion for recovering their dignity that they are losing after invade the Iraq and Afgan.<br /><br />Communism also will be failure and may be up rooted if they try to hit the religionist.<br /><br />Actually politic is generated on the base of a believe or a trust. Already religionist have a faith to their God and they follow to the instructions after they believe the God. So far, if some one come to hit them against their faith and believe, no soceity will stand against them. Because about eighty percent of the world populations are religionist. How they can able to fight against them and against humanity?<br /><br />I am sure again the all so-called super power will trun to zero ground soon with their fault ideology. They should respect instead of reject the religions.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Ko Ko Linn<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1156359789257375687?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-90041190676653819292007-11-07T22:22:00.000+08:002007-11-07T22:25:57.606+08:00<div align="center">you don't need the lights in this galaxy</div><div align="center">you are a black star</div><div align="center">you don't need to be bright among jewelleries</div><div align="center">you are a dead pearl</div><div align="center">you don't need a cipher to me</div><div align="center">you are already a misery</div><div align="center">you don't need compass</div><div align="center">because your journey is non-direction</div><div align="center">you don't need demand</div><div align="center">because your desire is non-satisfaction</div><div align="center">you don't need a place</div><div align="center">because your base is non-centred</div><div align="center">you don't even need to be brave</div><div align="center">because your enemies have no reason to face</div><div align="center">you don't even need to speak in any languages</div><div align="center">because every each thing is deaf and dead</div><div align="center">you are all i have learnt</div><div align="center">but i never passed exam</div><div align="center">I'll peel off the skin of your mirror</div><div align="center">to make sure that i am not yours!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-9004119067665381929?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-34901646051959762202007-11-07T22:13:00.000+08:002007-11-07T22:22:57.455+08:00<div align="center"><em>Somebody is crying in the dark,<br />who lost her son is a monk.<br />Somebody had work up in midnight,<br />who had suffering for humanright.<br />Somebody had beatten on the road,<br />who had been holding a signboard.<br />Somebody is praying in the jail,<br />(for given water to monk are muslims)<br />who had arrested and touture all the day.<br />They have sacrificed for their country,<br />but their country had not free.<br />We have to handover their work<br />if you dare to give your life.<br />We have to follow their way,<br />Which they walk with love and pray.<br />We will fight to reach our goal,<br />Don’t wait until tomorrow.<br /></em><br />Originated by May Min Set</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3490164605195976220?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-32137836150434851742007-11-07T22:11:00.000+08:002007-11-07T22:12:06.793+08:00Malaysia's leader urged the country's majority Muslims on Wednesday to respect other religions, an apparent effort to placate minorities and diffuse racial tensions ahead of snap general elections.<br />"If we want our religion to be respected and understood, let us ... show exemplary behavior by respecting the followers of other religions and their needs," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a speech to the ruling United Malays National Organization party.<br />"Violence by one side will breed violence from the other," said Abdullah, who led his party to a landslide election victory in 2004. New elections are not due until 2009 but Abdullah is expected to seek a fresh mandate in early 2008.<br />The ruling National Front coalition, in which UMNO is the dominant player, is expected to retain power it has held for 52 years. But it is unlikely to repeat its last success because of growing anger among the Indian and Chinese minorities over what they see as the erosion of their rights.<br />Many ordinary Malaysians, including Malays, are also fed up of escalating crime, corruption and inflation, which have exacerbated racial tensions.<br />"The harmony between the various communities and religions in Malaysia is not an optional luxury—it is a necessity. We have no other choice," said Abdullah, dressed in traditional Malay attire of loose pants, cap and a cummerbund-like cloth around his waist.<br />The highly conciliatory speech was notable for its context—it was delivered at the annual general assembly of UMNO, when Malay rights and dominance are routinely asserted and reinforced.<br />UMNO claims to represents the majority Muslim Malays who comprise about 60 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people. Chinese are 25 percent and Indians are 10 percent.<br />The National Front also includes other parties representing the minority communities in a unique power-sharing arrangement that has ensured a high degree of racial harmony, except for brief but deadly riots in 1969.<br />However, social strains have become more apparent in recent years, thanks to a series of recent court verdicts favoring Muslims in religious disputes increased the disquiet among minorities.<br />Abdullah warned "overzealous" religious police against blindly enforcing Islamic rules. "We give assurance that UMNO will not endorse a narrow interpretation of Islam," said Abdullah, a trained Muslim scholar.<br />The racial tensions have caused cracks in the ruling coalition. Samy Vellu, a government minister who leads the main ethnic Indian party in the National Front, expressed anger on Monday at the recent demolition of a Hindu temple without warning. But he said Wednesday the problem was resolved and praised Abdullah's speech.<br />"We must be united. With all races united, only then we can rise to become a modern nation." said Samy. "The Muslims have always accepted other religions in this country. But there are certain actions done by certain people."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3213783615043485174?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-73558383810906789162007-11-07T14:09:00.000+08:002007-11-07T21:24:30.678+08:00Myanmar Embassy<br />8C,Jln Ampang Hilir<br />55000,KL<br />Ph: 03-42516355,03-42516455,03-42515595,03-42514455<br />Fax: 03-42513855<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7355838381090678916?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>walihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882135106930116967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-52169726625698303612007-10-01T17:06:00.000+08:002007-10-01T18:06:28.296+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Please use Internet Explorer so that the textarea will function properly.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;">font မရွိလို့ ျမန္မာစာ ဖတ္လို့ မရရင္ copy လုပ္ျပီး ေအာက္က textarea တြင္ paste လုပ္ျပီး ဖတ္ပါ။ </span><br /><textarea rows="40" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Zawgyi-One; font-weight: normal; width: 500px;" wrap="VIRTUAL" lang="my"></textarea><br /><br /><u style="font-weight: bold;">Blogs</u><br /><ul><li>Niknayman's blog - <a href="http://www.niknayman.blogspot.com/" target="" _blank="">http://www.niknayman.blogspot.com</a></li><li>Niknayman's cbox - <a href="http://niknayman.cbox.ws/" target="_blank">http://niknayman.cbox.ws/</a></li><li>Ko-htike's blog - <a href="http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Soneseayar blog - <a href="http://soneseayar.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://soneseayar.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Mmed watch blog - <a href="http://mmedwatch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://mmedwatch.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Dhaama blog - <a href="http://damaahdama.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://damaahdama.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Mizzima blog -<a href="http://mizzimaburmese.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> http://mizzimaburmese.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Myo chit myanmar blog - <a href="http://myochitmyanmar.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://myochitmyanmar.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Dr Lun Swe's blog - <a href="http://drlunswe.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://drlunswe.blogspot.com/</a></li><li>Moe Thee Zun's blog - <a href="http://komoethee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://komoethee.blogspot.com/</a></li></ul><u style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Web sites</u><br /><ul><li>Mizzima Breaking news - <a href="http://www.mizzimaburmese.com/" target="_blank">http://www.mizzimaburmese.com/</a></li><li>Irrawaddy online - <a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/bur/" target="_blank">http://www.irrawaddy.org/bur/</a></li><li>Hittaing - <a href="http://www.hittaing.org/" target="_blank">http://www.hittaing.org/</a></li><li>Khitpyaing - <a href="http://www.khitpyaing.org/" target="_blank">http://www.khitpyaing.org/</a></li><li>Yoma 3 - <a href="http://www.yoma3.org/" target="_blank">http://www.yoma3.org/</a></li><li>DVB - <a href="http://burmese.dvb.no/" target="_blank">http://burmese.dvb.no/</a></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5216972662569830361?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-72355833273895739862007-08-29T12:18:00.000+08:002007-08-29T12:50:09.253+08:00<span id="fullpost">In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the most Merciful. Praise to be ALLAH for giving us the opportunity to live and continue our duties as vicegerents on earth.<br /><br />Assalamu’alaikum wrt. wbt.<br />Dear my players, supporters, brothers and sisters,<br /><br />“Congratulation to all Players”<br />Alhamdulilah, with the blessings from Allah, Our Team MS_UIA has won second prize in Rakan Muda Paintball Tournament last Sunday again like last year. Now our team name is more popular than before. I would like to thanks to every players and the supporters even though they have exams and midterm, they still support actively. For my players, you all have done the Best for your position and played well during the tournament even though we didn’t have any experience in it. The main important in this game is Communication between players. Another thing is players are united each other. You all had taken very good responsible to your enemy. Because of that we have won second place and got chance to play in U-League Paintball tournament Grand Final on February 2008 and grand prize will be RM 20,000.00. Without you guys help, we would not be able to Success. Now our team will represent IIUM Paintball team. Again I would like to thanks to everybody.<br />Again I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all my players who participated and worked hard in the Rakan Muda U-League Paintball Tournament.<br />Thanks for all of you...<br />Again prepare for next tournament which will be held in 2008.InshaALLAH, we will try to Get First Prize in U-League in 2008.<br /><br />Wassalam<br />Harun Rashid (Team Captain) Hahahaha….<br /><br /><a href="http://www.u-leaguepaintball.com/">http://www.u-leaguepaintball.com/</a><br /><a href="http://www.u-leaguepaintball.com/contact.php">http://www.u-leaguepaintball.com/contact.php</a><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7235583327389573986?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Harunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416389677601474542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-30161056055082622272007-08-27T15:51:00.000+08:002007-10-01T18:03:34.469+08:00<!-- <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/RtKC4VD-Q7I/AAAAAAAAAEc/2yZX7JaQhGI/s1600-h/Image00020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/RtKC4VD-Q7I/AAAAAAAAAEc/2yZX7JaQhGI/s320/Image00020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103285232002286514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/RtKC4lD-Q8I/AAAAAAAAAEk/PxLvLoUgesw/s1600-h/Image00030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/RtKC4lD-Q8I/AAAAAAAAAEk/PxLvLoUgesw/s320/Image00030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103285236297253826" border="0" /></a><br />--><br />CONGRATULATIONS!!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3016105605508262227?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-55836525613033426812007-08-24T23:29:00.000+08:002007-08-25T00:25:02.596+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/Rs77clD-Q5I/AAAAAAAAAEM/VXLntErg8ro/s1600-h/UmmaticWeek05.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/Rs77clD-Q5I/AAAAAAAAAEM/VXLntErg8ro/s320/UmmaticWeek05.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102291896261034898" border="0" /></a>UMMATIC WEEK 05<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/Rs77c1D-Q6I/AAAAAAAAAEU/pfl0Y02q7zg/s1600-h/UmmaticWeek06.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/Rs77c1D-Q6I/AAAAAAAAAEU/pfl0Y02q7zg/s320/UmmaticWeek06.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102291900556002210" border="0" /></a>UMMATIC WEEK 06<br /></div><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;">အရင္ႏွစ္ Ummatic Week ရဲ့ stall ပုံေတြကို တင္ေပးလိုက္ပါတယ္။ အခု တစ္ႏွစ္မွာလဲ အရင္ႏွစ္ေတြအတိုင္း အားလုံး ပူးေပါင္းျပီး Ummatic Week ကို ျဖစ္ေျမာက္ေအာင္ လုပ္ႏိုင္မယ္လို့ ေမွ်ာ္လင့္ပါတယ္။ ဒီတစ္ႏွစ္အတြက္ program details<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thinzaroo.iiu.googlepages.com/UmmaticWeek07.htm"><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;">UMMATIC WEEK 07 (Activities for Myanmar Students)</span></a><br /></div><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5583652561303342681?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-22309675635992102602007-08-23T12:37:00.001+08:002007-08-23T12:37:32.987+08:00Many gatherings produce nothing but gossip about other Muslims and slander of their honour. This is something which Allaah has forbidden His slaves, and has drawn the most repulsive analogy to put them off. He says (interpretation of the meaning): “. . . neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it . . .” [al-Hujuraat 49:12]<br />The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained the meaning of this aayah. He said: “Do you know what gheebah (gossip or backbiting) is?” They said, “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said: "To say something about your brother that he does not want to be said." He was asked, "What do you think if what is said about him is true?" He said, "If what you say about him is true, this is backbiting, and if what you say about him is not true, this is a lie." (Reported by Muslim, 4/2001).<br />Gossip or backbiting means saying something about a Muslim which may be true but which he does not like to hear spoken, whether it be about his physical appearance, his adherence to religion, his worldly affairs, his self, his behaviour or his character. There are many forms of gossip, including talking about a person's faults and imitating him to make fun of him.<br />People take the matter of gheebah very lightly, although it is very serious in the sight of Allaah, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "There are seventy-two forms of riba, the least of which is as bad as a man having intercourse with his own mother, and the worst of which is when a man slanders the honour of his brother." (Silsilah al-Saheeh, 1871).<br />Whoever is present in a gathering where gossip takes place should "forbid what is evil" and defend his absent brother. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged us to do this when he said: "Whoever defends the honour of his Muslim brother, Allaah will protect his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported by Ahmad, 6/450; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6238).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-2230967563599210260?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-20940983116310406282007-08-23T12:31:00.000+08:002007-08-23T12:33:23.606+08:00<a name="27"><em>A woman wearing perfume when going out or passing by non-mahram men</em></a><br />This practice is widespread nowadays, despite the stern warning of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said: “Any woman who applies perfume and then goes out among the people so that they could smell her fragrance is a zaaniyah (adulteress).” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 4/418; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 105). Some women are very careless and take the matter too lightly, especially in front of drivers, shopkeepers, school porters, etc., even though the Sharee’ah states very strictly that the woman who wears perfume must wash herself like a person must wash when in a state of janaanah (i.e., perform ghusl), if she wants to go out to the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Any woman who wears perfume then goes out to the mosque, so that the fragrance can be discerned, her prayers will not be accepted until she performs ghusl like the ghusl to be performed when in a state of janaabah.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/444; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2703).<br />We complain to Allaah about the bukhoor and ‘ood (types of incense) used at weddings and women’s parties before people leave, and the use of strong-smelling perfumes in market-places, means of transportation and mixed gatherings in the mosques even during the nights of Ramadaan. Islaam tells us that women’s perfume should be that which has colour but little smell. We ask Allaah not to despise us and not to punish righteous men and women for the deeds of foolish men and women. May He guide us all to the Straight Path.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-2094098311631040628?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-58127930584272866032007-08-14T20:48:00.000+08:002007-08-14T20:59:18.641+08:00***************<br />(This article has been sourced directly from my website: <a href="http://www.geocities.com/ali_kyaw/opinions.html">http://www.geocities.com/ali_kyaw/opinions.html</a> which has been written by me quite a while ago. For more of my older blogs/opinions, visit the website!)<br />***************<br />Obtaining high CGPA is an amalgamation of various factors. It is a good deal more than merely studying hard and preparing for your final exams.<br /><br />Why? Because university grades do not reflect on final exams alone unlike our A-level and O-level exams which are 100% exam based. As a matter of fact, for university level, as much as 50% of the total marks could originate from the coursework which consists of quizzes, assignments, projects, presentations and etc. Thus we need to make certain to target and score as high as feasible in the coursework preceding the final exams. And this is where all-rounded endeavor comes into play.<br /><br />Securing top coursework marks involves going to all the lectures, not skipping any quizzes or assignments, performing admirably in the quizzes, maintaining good and beneficial contact with friends and classmates to assist one another in projects and assignments, ‘visiting’ lecturers’ rooms tens of times per week, meeting and establishing fine rapport with lecturers, tutors, demonstrators and many others who are involved in teaching and organizing the course. Communicating well with people and having high-quality social skills is exceedingly crucial. I am not saying that you need to flatter people. Having excellent relationships with lecturers can positively give you an edge in things such as projects and assignments. For example, suppose you have missed a quiz. If you are on good terms with the lecturer and if you have shown that you are a serious and hardworking student, he or she is more likely to consider giving you a replacement quiz without a great deal of hassle.<br /><br />After taking care of the coursework and when the final exam is at last imminent, you need to plan your revision time appropriately and intelligently. I do not see why any student wishes to stay up late at night till the wee hours of the morning to do the revision. Doing so demonstrates a lack of time management and willpower to commence the revision satisfactorily in advance and give it ample time. (Here note that I am not talking about staying up late during the semester to complete projects and assignments which is quite to be anticipated.)<br /> <br />To summarize it all, if you desire to obtain excellent grades, you must be willing pay the price. And the price comes disguised in the form of efforts and sacrifices. There is no other way around. Nevertheless, the moment the result comes out, you will observe that it is all worth more than the dedicated efforts you have exerted.<br /><br />Penned by: Kyaw @ ali<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:+0;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5812793058427286603?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>~!** KYAW KYAW @ ALI **!http://www.blogger.com/profile/01790697089128530313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-49536924355812103832007-08-14T20:21:00.000+08:002007-08-14T20:45:15.506+08:00***************<br />(This article has been sourced directly from my website: <a href="http://www.geocities.com/ali_kyaw/opinions.html">http://www.geocities.com/ali_kyaw/opinions.html</a> which has been written by me quite a while ago. For more of my older blogs/opinions, visit the website!)<br />***************<br /><br />I haven’t posted any article for quite some time because I’ve been busy with a lot of stuff on my part. As a change, I have decided to transform my style of writing (for this opinion section) to a more informal style.<br /><br />The title for this commentary is in fact a permutation of different topics but since they are inter-related, I’ve decided to merge them once and for all.<br /><br />Herd Mentality, or the desire to conform and blend in with people, whether in good things or bad things, is one of the strongest attractions we humans constantly encounter. It commences during our adolescent years and it never seems to end. For case in point, during the teenage years, many people get drawn towards smoking just because their peers are doing so. I know of many colleagues, classmates and acquaintances who are habitual smokers and when I asked them why they did so, 98% of them would admit that they began smoking because that was what their friends were doing and they felt powerless to discontinue it. This is in truth a miserable situation. When I converse about smoking, it also includes water-pipe smoking, also known as shisha. Please don’t kid yourself; if you endure a little reading and research, you will find out that many scientists have discovered that smoking shisha is in reality much more detrimental than smoking cigarettes. Regardless of whether shisha is more destructive or less injurious, it is still a mild poison to your body and anything that harms or kills your body is forbidden by God. In addition, smoking shisha is a stepping stone towards smoking cigarettes. Come on guys, why would you want to ingest this poison into your body regularly? I’m sure there are numerous other excellent alternative means to get ‘high’ or euphoric; go participate in some sports, perform some outdoor physical activities with your friends and enjoy your life in unlimited healthy ways. (People forever fancy effortless ways to get this ‘high’ feeling such as by smoking, drinking alcohol, taking ecstasy pills, ingesting drugs, falling in and out of so called ‘love’, or rather ‘lust’, hundreds of times, but what they don’t comprehend is that the easy way out most often ends up in disaster. It is similar to a sine curve. The ups are, at all times, followed by the downs. And this is where depression comes in. These people suffer depression and get into foul moods if they are not receiving the regular ‘dosage’ of whatever it is that they are trying to do.)<br /><br />Let’s now look into the issue of modernity. We are all familiar with the fact that people can be programmed to have a certain outlook or belief. Nevertheless, what you might not have been aware is that this can take place in a good deal greater magnitude than you can possibly fathom. For instance, the extermination of 6 million Jews (or whatever the actual figure might be) under the headship of Hitler was accomplished by Hitler programming his supporters to hate Jews day and night by means of bombardment of selected information through media, books, newspapers, slogans and many other ways. Hitler’s followers performed these barbaric and brutal acts without any slight remorse or hesitation; heck, they even took pleasure in torturing and murdering the Jews in those days. Likewise, many of the people in the West (and also in the East) are programmed to detest Islam and its followers by the Western leaders through vigilant strategizing and planting false ideas through media propaganda and intellectual colonialism.<br /><br />Also similarly, what is considered totally indecent and deceitful 10 years ago is now considered as normal or natural. Although human beings have no doubt sophisticated so much in technology and expertise in all science and art fields, the mentalities are becoming poorer day by day. (People could encompass the potential and means to produce a nuclear bomb but it takes wisdom and character not to employ it against another nation. You can even witness this animal and militaristic mentality in the current President of US. His mentality is no difference than that of Stone-age people…Attack other countries first, ask questions later.)<br /><br />Nowadays, casual dating, smoking, drinking, going clubbing, late-night partying and dancing, premarital sex, abortion, taking drugs and a whole load of other things are considered as being ‘modern’ and ‘open-minded’. If a person does not commit any of these things, he/she will be deemed as being ‘out-dated’ or ‘regressive’. This is all due to people being effectively programmed night and day through media, Internet and etc. They do not comprehend that by doing those things described above, they are in fact the ones who are regressive and out-dated. I believe that being modern involves the shifting in the pattern of thinking from the lower animal brain regions to the higher <a style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://ifcsun1.ifisiol.unam.mx/Brain/cercox.htm">cerebral cortex</a> which possesses the reasoning, planning, learning new things, self-control and thinking faculties. Thus, when people grant free reign to their carnal and animal desires without any thought and self-restraint and when they lose all kinds of decency, how can they be labelled as being ‘modern’ or ‘open-minded’?<br /><br />Brothers and sisters, the only fundamental difference between (non-human) animals and humans is that we humans possess reasoning and thinking faculties given by God and we have will-power and self-discipline. As a result if you truly desire to be a ‘modern’ and an open-minded person, utilize more ‘higher’ regions of your brain and take charge of your desires and animal urges. Do not retain the herd mentality and conclude that whatever numerous people are doing must be necessarily correct and wholesome. Follow your own intellect and reasoning and let us all prevent ourselves from becoming the victims of being programmed by the mass media, Western propaganda and intellectual colonialism.<br /><br />Authored by: Kyaw @ Ali<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4953692435581210383?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>~!** KYAW KYAW @ ALI **!http://www.blogger.com/profile/01790697089128530313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-68954122610546128522007-08-14T18:40:00.000+08:002007-08-14T18:41:28.590+08:00<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fnajmah.iiu%2Falbumid%2F5098502116872436833%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6895412261054612852?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-49049805888193419432007-08-13T15:21:00.000+08:002007-08-14T18:42:08.397+08:00<div><embed src="http://widget-e3.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-e3.slide.com&channel=576460752307872483&cy=be&il=1" width="426" height="320" name="flashticker" align="middle"/><div style="width:426px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=be&ad=1&id=576460752307872483&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-e3.slide.com/p1/576460752307872483/be_t041_v000_a001_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=be&ad=1&id=576460752307872483&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-e3.slide.com/p2/576460752307872483/be_t041_v000_a001_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a></div></embed></div><br />Partially done! but sorry to know the slide show doesn't work on lab's PC since Adobe flash player is not installed!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4904980588819341943?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-83224977919783026732007-07-30T11:04:00.000+08:002007-07-30T11:49:28.155+08:00Assalamoalaikum Wrt Wbh<br />Dear My Bros/ Sisters<br />I have one news for all of us which is I-Card for International Students.Check it<br /><br />All International Students may now apply for Internbational Students Card(i-card).<br /><br />Date: 6th August 2007(Monday)<br />Time: 9:00am - 4:30pm<br />and<br />Date: 7th August 2007(Tuesday)<br />Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm<br /><br />Venue: Mini Auditorium, ITD<br />Attire: Dark coloured shirt (brothers)<br /> Dark coloured scarf (sisters)<br /><br />Plaease bring along your matric card and passport/passport copy.<br />Thanks For further information you can get leaflet from ISO office.<br />Wassalam<br />Harun<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-8322497791978302673?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Harunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416389677601474542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-26018068279773549512007-07-25T15:17:00.000+08:002007-07-25T15:18:02.842+08:00Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August.It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This willcultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sureto watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2moons. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it againMore info. <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.new.meastroindia.com/mars_view.html" target="_blank">http://www.new.meastroindia.com/mars_view.html</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-2601806827977354951?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-42361578067454900072007-07-23T08:48:00.001+08:002007-07-23T08:51:24.940+08:00Summary: this article is from STAR online newspaper<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Rest of your post<br /></span><span class="text"><p><span class="story_header">A slice of Myanmar in the heart of Kuala Lumpur</span></p> <p><span class="story_byline"><b>By ELAN PERUMAL and STUART MICHAEL</b></span></p> <p> <b>Photos by SAMUEL ONG</b> </p><p> A WALK along the five-foot-ways of a main street at Pusat Bandar Utara Selayang in Kuala Lumpur behind Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur can make one forget that one is actually in Malaysia. </p><p> It was an interesting discovery as, during the busy hours of the day when offices and banks are busy operating, the scene at the corridor of Jalan 2/3A is a depiction of Myanmarese community life. </p><p> <table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="7" width="314"> <tbody><tr><td> <img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/7/23/central/m_02restaurant.jpg" alt="" border="0" /> </td></tr> <tr><td><div class="caption">Snack time: One of the Myanmarese restaurants in the area.</div></td></tr> </tbody></table> The sight of children running around and playing, elderly people chatting and women shopping for vegetables and daily sundry items is common there. </p><p> The presence of numerous female peddlers selling various petty items like betel leaves and nuts, snacks almost synonymous to the Myanmarese is too obvious to be missed. </p><p> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="7" width="154"> <tbody><tr><td> <img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/7/23/central/m_02beetlenut.jpg" alt="" border="0" /> </td></tr> <tr><td><div class="caption">Intense preparation: A trader preparing betel leaves for a customer.</div></td></tr> </tbody></table> A tip-off resulted in the interesting discovery of the place which can be called Little Myanmar in the midst of Kuala Lumpur. </p><p> At the colony, one can find people selling all kinds of items including clothing, imitation jewellery, fruits, vegetables and sundry items. </p><p> The businesses on the street, including its back alley which separates the three-storey building and the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale market, have been conquered by the enterprising Myanmarese community in order to serve the daily needs of thousands of people who reside in the blocks of shophouses. </p><p> “Seven Myanmar restaurants that fully employ or are operated by foreigners can be found here. </p><p> “Almost all the retail and service orientated businesses like textile shops, tailoring outlets, internet cafes, snooker centres and even a hotel in the street are also serving this population.” said a local businessman who spoke on the condition of anonymity. </p><p> In fact, he claimed they even had the services of an unofficial bank through which money is channelled back to Myanmar. </p><p> Another man who wished to be unidentified told <i>StarMetro </i>that the Myanmar population in the area was too big and they practically lived in their own world. </p><p> “They feel very at home here since they have businesses that support their daily needs,” he said. </p><p> While their men worked in the market and other places in the area, he said the womenfolk were involved in various kinds of petty businesses. </p><p> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="7" width="214"> <tbody><tr><td> <img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/7/23/central/m_02fruits.jpg" alt="" border="0" /> </td></tr> <tr><td><div class="caption">On display: A Myanmarese trader arranging fruits at a stall on the five-footway.</div></td></tr> </tbody></table> He said the Myanmar nationals have created such an impact that their businesses were being conducted round the clock. </p><p> “The backlane comes alive at night with stalls selling snacks, drinks, phone cards and various other items until 7am,” he said </p><p> In recent years, the man said the Myanmar community had taken over many of the food businesses and he felt the situation was threatening. </p><p> He said their presence was too strong and many locals had been forced out of business. </p><p> “We wonder if foreigners are allowed to operate retail businesses, and also on how many of them have legal travel documents or permits to work here. </p><p> “Local businessmen are also worried over the rising crime rate in the area and we hope the authorities will step in before it is too late,” he said. </p><p> When contacted, Sentul OCPD Asst Comm K. Kumaran confirmed that Police have detained several drug peddlers in recent raids on the Myanmarese. </p><p> He said they have also recovered weapons like swords and knives from them on several other incidents related to violent crime such as assaults and murder. </p><p> “We have been monitoring the area very closely and welcome information from the public if they know of any illegal activity taking place there,'' he said. </p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4236157806745490007?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DwDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00295705315074150604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-35930838848067101622007-07-20T10:11:00.000+08:002007-07-20T12:39:42.225+08:00A rare booklet paying tribute to U Razak, o&shy;ne of the Burmese leaders assassinated alongside Gen Aung San in 1947, was issued o&shy;n Thursday, the anniversary of his death and commemorated in Burma as Martyr’s Day.<br /><br />The collection of 10 articles, "U Razak of Burma: A Teacher, a Leader, a Martyr," is distributed by his grandson, Myat Htoo Razak.<br /><br />Although a Muslim, Razak won the high regard of many Burmese nationalists, including Gen Aung San, father of the detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.<br /><br />"Writings in English about Burma and related to U Razak usually say something along the lines of ‘Razak, a Muslim politician,’” said Myat Htoo Razak. “That is not an incorrect description, but alone it does not do justice to the rich contribution U Razak made to our country and to future generations.”<br /><br />The book is translated from a Burmese language version, "Sayagyi U Razak As Retold By His Pupils,” published in September 1995 by the Mandalay Association.<br /><br />The original book in Burmese contains 28 articles, each written by a former pupil of U Razak, who was headmaster of the Central National High School in Mandalay.<br /><br />The o&shy;nline version of the book is available at <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs4/U_Razak_of_Burma.pdf">http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs4/U_Razak_of_Burma.pdf</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3593083884806710162?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>walihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882135106930116967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-42072408684790707852007-07-16T15:23:00.000+08:002007-07-16T15:25:19.488+08:00The Prophet’s guidance with regard to food is perfect guidance.<br />It was described by Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah as follows:<br />1. When he put his hand in the food, he would say, “Bismillaah (in the Name of Allaah), and he told people to say this when eating. He said, “When any one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allaah. If he forgets to mention the name of Allaah at the beginning, let him say Bismillaahi fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (in the name of Allaah at its beginning and at its end).” Saheeh hadeeth, narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1859) and Aboo Dawood (3767).<br />The correct view is that it is obligatory to mention the name of Allaah (say Bismillaah) when eating. The ahaadeeth which state this are saheeh and are clear, with no contradictions in them.<br />2. When he raised the food to his mouth, he would say, “Al-hamdu Lillaahi hamdan katheeran tayyiban mubaarakan fihi ghayri makfiyyin wa laa muwadda’ wa laa mustaghni ‘anhu Rabbanaa ‘azza wa jall (Allaah be praised with an abundant, beautiful, blessed praise. He is the One Who is Sufficient, Who feeds and is never fed, The One Who is longed for, along with that which is with Him, and the One Who is needed. He is Our Lord, may He be glorified). Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5142).<br />3. He never criticized food at all. If he liked it, he would eat it, and if he did not like it, he would leave it and not say anything. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3370) and Muslim (2064).<span id="fullpost"><br />Or he would say, “I do not feel like eating this.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5076) and Muslim (1946).<br />4. Sometimes he would praise the food, as when he asked his family for food, and they said, “We have nothing but vinegar.” He asked for it and started to eat it, saying, “What a good food is vinegar.” Narrated by Muslim (2052)<br />5. He used to talk whilst he was eating, as is seen from the report quoted above about vinegar.<br />And he said to his step-son ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah when he was eating with him: “Say Bismillaah and eat from that which is in front of you in the dish*.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5061) and Muslim (2022). [*At the time of the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam people used to eat together from one dish, and children would sometimes forget the correct etiquette. - Translator]<br />6. He would repeatedly urge his guests to eat, as generous hosts do, and as is seen in the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah, narrated by al-Bukhaari, about the story of drinking milk, where he repeatedly said to him, “Drink!” and he kept telling him to drink until he (the guest) said, “By the One Who sent you with the truth, I have no more room for it!” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6087).<br />7. When he ate with others, he would not leave until he had made du’aa’ for them. He made du’aa in the house of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Bisr, and said: “O Allaah, bless for them that which You have provided for them, forgive them and have mercy on them.” Narrated by Muslim (2042).<br />8. He commanded people to eat with their right hands and forbade them to eat with their left hands. He said, “The Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.” Narrated by Muslim (2020). This implies that eating with the left hand is haraam, and this is the correct view, because the one who eats with his left hand is either a shaytaan (a devil), or he is imitating the Shaytaan.<br />It was also reported in a saheeh hadeeth that he told a man who was eating with his left hand in his presence, “Eat with your right hand!” The man said, “I cannot.” He said, “May you never be able to!” – and the man never lifted his right hand to his mouth after that. Narrated by Muslim (2021). If it was permissible (to eat with the left hand), he would not have prayed against him for doing so. It was the man’s stubborn arrogance that made him refuse to obey the command, and this is the utmost disobedience which deserved this prayer against him.<br />9. He commanded those who complained that they never felt full to eat together and not separately, and to mention the name of Allaah (say Bismillaah) over the food so that He might bless it for them.” Narrated by Aboo Dawood (3764) and Ibn Maajah (3286).<br />See Zaad al-Ma’aad, 2/397-406<br />10. It was also reported that he said, “I do not eat reclining.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5083.<br />11. He used to eat using the first three fingers (of his right hand), which is the best way of eating.<br />See Zaad al-Ma’aad, 220-222.<br />The Prophet’s guidance regarding diet:<br />1. The Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam used to know what he was eating.<br />2. He used to eat what was good for him.<br />3. He used to eat enough to keep him going, but no so much as to make him fat. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said: “The believer eats in one stomach whilst the kaafir eats in seven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5081) and Muslim (2060).<br />4. He taught his Ummah something to protect them from diseases caused by eating and drinking. He said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265).</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4207240868479070785?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-71096374193756641642007-07-13T15:44:00.000+08:002007-07-13T16:07:17.244+08:00<em>But Some Teens Choose It<br /></em>You remember the scene all too well. Each weekend, the Islamic school class starts off slowly, with the teacher reading from his notes about the importance of learning, of believing, and of practicing what we learn and believe. No problems yet. Then the teacher asks the students for their homework assignments and a young girl exclaims that homework is just another technique to extend the teacher’s control outside the classroom and into her private life. She says if Allaah is in charge, then He would have made her get up and do her homework. The teacher is always troubled by her comments and reacts in exactly the same way, telling her to fear Allaah and to seek refuge in Allaah from the devil. The other students giggle nervously and she feels emboldened to take on the teacher and to further frustrate him.<br />The teacher, an uncle in the community who is very passionate about Islam, is visibly upset because he is always being interrupted by the young girl who keeps questioning the existence of Allaah and the teachings of the Qur`aan. He is a sincere individual but has little or no formal training either in teaching or in dealing with youth. She is 14 years old, wears the hijaab in the masjid because her mother tells her to do so, and has managed to get her ear lobes, nose, and tongue pierced. When the teacher looks away, she proudly tries to show the other students the nightclub stamp on the back of her hand from the night before, when she attended a punk Muslim concert. Welcome to the world of rebellion, alienation, and isolation.<br />All is not well in the Muslim community, at least when it comes to the state of a portion of our youth population. Various studies indicate that the population of young Muslims, those under the age of 25, is rising all over the world (Pew Forum). And yet there is little indication that the Muslim community at large has either prepared for this demographic shift or has a realistic assessment of the challenges confronting these youth as they come of age. Beyond anecdotal, sensationalized exchanges at social gatherings, our community seems not to want to admit that youth who do not fit in because they are struggling with their faith and beliefs have no outlet, no comfort zone, where they can sit, be themselves, and explore out loud what they are feeling and experiencing.<br />Left with few or no options to socialize within the circles of young practicing Muslims, some youth choose to rebel, and at great cost to their personal, spiritual, emotional, financial, and social lives. While the majority of Muslim youth do emerge from their teenage years unscathed and with a firm conviction in Islamic beliefs and teachings, we focus our attention in this essay on those few youth who seem to fall between the cracks and choose rebellion as their coping technique.<span id="fullpost"><br />Simplistic Blame<br />The first reaction, which you must be much too familiar with, is that we adults blame you the youth, for rebelling and essentially giving Islam a bad name. We find it detestable that you do not heed the advice of your other well-meaning young Muslim friends, who remind you of your Islamic obligations not to date, drink alcohol, consume drugs, or listen to music. We suggest often that the Muslim community is doing everything it possibly can and more to help you, but that you are in fact beyond receiving help, and it is you who are to blame.<br />Some of us confuse our cultural practices for Islamic teachings and end up attempting to have you conform to culture as if doing so was the equivalent of being a good Muslim. Some of us interpret Islamic teachings very narrow-mindedly, and the result is that we are harsh and unforgiving towards you. Sometimes you are asking questions about Islam because you are sincerely seeking out clarification, trying in earnest to understand why it is you who are being asked to do this and to not do that. Sometimes you are experimenting with clothing styles, hairstyles, your sexuality, and even your mannerisms, and we simply do not have the patience and the wherewithal to allow you some latitude within the Islamic framework.<br />And you react, saying that what drives you to rebel and to seek to isolate yourself from the Muslim community is that many of the Muslim youth, and most of the elders, tend to reflect a “holier than thou” attitude. You feel pushed away by us and seek out friends who do not judge you and who accept you for who you are. And in the process of moving away from us, you are tested by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala with opportunities to befriend young people, some of them Muslims who have similarly felt rejected by the Muslim community and who have sought to carve out their own groups, formed along special interests like hip-hop music, punk music, all-black clothing, funky hairstyles, and body piercing, just to name a few (Fariborz).<br />Some of the choices you end up making are clearly not permissible according to Islamic teachings. You know that and we know that. However, in your attempts to find friendships and companionships, and to feel a sense of belonging, you place less value on following Islamic teachings and more value on fitting in. And sooner or later, you do come to your senses and realize on your own the beauty of Islam, away from all of the cultural corruption that we have imposed upon it.<br />On the one hand, we are being overly simplistic by blaming you and not calling ourselves to account for not having the foresight and vision to anticipate your random behavior. On the other hand, you are being unrealistic by choosing to rebel, because the temporary gain you feel by being accepted and appearing to fit in, does not justify the long-term consequences of your choices such as dropping out of school, a negative impact on your health and mind, broken family ties, and, of course, punishment from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala should you choose not to repent for your youthful indiscretions.<br />Virtual Communities<br />The latest fad is that when you are left with no options to find like-minded friends in your own community, you join virtual communities and develop friendships online. While in principle there is no problem with your having an online presence, there are few if any safeguards to ensure that you are not exposing yourself to emotional or physical harm through your online friendships. Virtual identities are impossible to verify. Some people with ill intentions could pose as Muslim youth wanting to rebel just like you, wanting to act out against their parents and the Muslim community. Being vulnerable and feeling alienated from your own parents and community, you might incline eagerly towards these individuals, only to find your trust violated. Think twice, be careful, and exercise caution so that you are only maintaining an online presence with people whose identity you have been able to verify independently.<br />Final Thoughts<br />Rebellion is not a 21st century phenomenon. Young people have rebelled against their families, their friends, and their communities throughout time. However, for some unknown reason, whenever and wherever young people rebel these days, the adults almost always treat youthful rebellion as if it has never happened before in history and as if the world is about to end. As the population of Muslim youth around the world continues to increase, young people and adults alike should be thinking ahead to ensure that extra special attention is given to those youth who seem least likely to fit in and who might choose to rebel. If you are reading this essay and you are either one of those youth who are in the midst of a rebellion or are considering rebelling, think again.<br />Hating those who misunderstand you and trying to act out against those who seem to limit your search for an identity might seem like viable options at the moment they are conceived. But if you pause and reflect, you will realize that Islam has so much to offer you — much more than the narrow-minded interpretations sometimes provided by our families, friends, and, yes, sometimes even religious leaders. This religion of yours is beautiful and Allaah Most High has blessed you by willing that you be born into the religion. Now all you have to do is to get to the message of Islam, to internalize it, and to live your life according to its teachings.<br />If you are reading this essay and you are friends with someone who is rebelling or acting out, be there for them, win their trust and confidence, and reassure them that they can always count on you for support. And then, be there so that in sha’ Allaah, your friend will not choose rebellion as an option</span><br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Rest of your post<br /><br /></span><span id="fullpost"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7109637419375664164?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-72552975490365036522007-07-05T00:59:00.000+08:002007-07-05T01:00:58.425+08:00Fifth: Correcting Misguidance and Corruption in the Life of the People<br />When people live in ignorant societies that are not ruled by the Deen of Allaah and are not guided by the legislation of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, their societies get corrupted, and this corruption reaches the depth of their dealings. So, it is a must that someone reforms these societies and makes them live according to the Deen of Allaah the Almighty.<br />Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala made this difficult task from the tasks of the great messengers, that they uprooted corruption that spread in the societies and fought it because it is a transgression and oppression. <span id="fullpost"> So, every messenger that Allaah sent used to call his people to follow the straight path, the path of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. And to clarify it to them and guide them to it. This is common among all the messengers; their first slogan was, "O’ People submit yourself to Allaah only, surely you don’t have a Lord other than him."<br />After this call and based on it, we find every messenger uprooting all kinds of corruption in his society.<br />We see the Prophet Hood (Hud)`alayhissalaam denying his people the arrogance on the earth and oppression. So, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala said in Soorat Ash-Shu’araa, (Verses 128-131) that Hood`alayhissalaam said, what can be translated as, "Do you build high palaces on ever high place, while you do not live in them? And do you get for yourselves palaces as if you will live therein forever. And when you seize, you seize as tyrants. Now fear Allaah, keep your duty to Him, and obey me."<br />We see the Prophet Saalih`alayhissalaa m denying his people the corruption on the earth and following those who do mischief. So, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala said in Soorat Al-Araf, (Verse 74), what Saleeh said to his people, what can be translated as, "…So remember the graces from Allaah, and do not go about making mischief on the earth." And Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also says in Soorat Ash-Shu’araa, (Verses 150-153), what can be translated as, "So fear Allaah, keep you duty to Him, and obey me. And do not obey the command of Al-Musrifen (i.e. their chiefs, leaders who were polytheists, criminals and sinners against the law of Allaah). Who make mischief in the land, and do not reform.<br />We see the Prophet Loot (Lot)`alayhissalaam denying his people the despicable act of homosexuality that spread among them. So, He Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala said about this story in Soorat Al-Ara’f, (Verses 80-81), what can be translated as, "And (remember) Loot when he said to his people: "Do you commit the worst sin such as none preceding your has committed in the Alameen (mankind and jinn)? Verily, you practice you lusts on men instead of women. Nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds (by committing great sins.)." Also Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-Ankaboot, (Verse 29), what can be translated as, "Verily, you perform sodomy with men, and rob the wayfarer (travelers etc.)! And practice Al-Munkar in your club…"<br />We see the Prophet Shu'ayb`alayhissala am denying his people the crime of cheating when using the weight scale. So, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala said in Soorat Ash-Shu’araa, (Verses 181-183), what Shu’ayb`alayhissalaa m said to his people, what can be translates as, "Give full measure, and cause no loss (to others). And weigh with the true and straight balance. And do not defraud the people by reducing their things, nor do evil, making corruption and mischief in the earth."<br />We see the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam denying his people the crime of killing innocent children, and legislating for themselves what Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has not permitted. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-An’am, (Verse 140), what can be translated as, "Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, from folly, without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allaah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allaah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided." He, Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also says to them in Soorat Al-Maa`idah, (Verse 103), what can be translated as, "Allaah has not instituted things like Bahira (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it) or a Sa’iba (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for their false gods), or a Wasila (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel with its second delivery) or a Haam (a stallion-camel freed from work for their idols, after it had finished a number of copulations assigned for it, all these animals were liberated in honor of idols as practiced by pagan Arabs in Pre-Islamic times). But those who disbelieve invent lies against Allaah, and most of them have no understanding. "<br />The sixth task is to run our affairs as Muslims according to the laws of Allaah<br />If the people accept and embrace the message of the messengers, they become one Jama’aah (group of people) and this Jama’aah progress and develop to become an Ummah, and this Ummah needs someone who can run its affairs and lead it. The great messengers were the ones who took on this great responsibility and ruled the people with the rules of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and His legislations. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-Baqarah (Verse 213), what can be translated as, "Mankind was one Ummah (nation) and Allaah sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed…"<br />Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala proclaims the mission of the Prophet Dawood (David)`alayhissala am on earth, so he said in Soorat Saad, (Verse 26), what can be translated as, "O’ David! Verily! We have placed you as Khaleefah (a successor) on earth, so judge between people in truth and do not follow the desire - for it will mislead you from the Path of Allaah…"<br />The Prophets of the children of Israel used to rule their people with the Torah. The Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam says in a Hadeeth reported by Imaam Bukhaari, Muslim and others, "The children of Israel used to be ruled by the prophets; when a prophet perished, another prophet arose (to rule them)." Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala speaks about this in Soorat Al-Maa`idah, (Verse 44), what can be translated as, "Verily, We did send down the Torah (to Moses), therein was guidance and light, by which the prophets, who submitted themselves to Allaah’s Will, ruled the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests (too ruled the Jews by the Torah after those prophets) for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaah’s Book." Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also says about the Christians; the people of Injeel in the same Soorah in (Verse 47), what can be translated as, “Let the People of the Gospel rule by what Allaah has revealed therein. And whosoever does not rule by what Allaah has revealed (then) such (people) are the Fasiqoon (disobedient) .”<br />Then, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says to the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam in the same Soorah, (Verse 48), what can be translated as "And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book (this Qur`aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Mohayminan (trustworthy in highness) over it (old Scriptures). So judge between them by what Allaah has revealed, and do not follow their vain desires, diverging away from that which has come to you…" He also says to the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, in Soorat An-Nisaa’, (Verse 105), what can be translated as "Surely, We have sent down to you (O’ Muhammad) the Book (this Qur`aan) in truth that you might judge between people by that which Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has shown you…"<br />Finally, we summarize that our role today is the same as the role of the blessed messengers of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, because we are their successors till the day of judgment:<br />First - conveying the message of Islam in the clearest way.<br />Second - calling all people to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.<br />Third - giving glad tidings and warnings, which were given to us by Allaah.<br />Fourth - reforming and purifying the souls of the people.<br />Fifth - correcting misguidance and corruption in the life of the people.<br />Sixth - is to run our affairs as Muslims according to the laws of Allaah.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7255297549036503652?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-13358002767970666422007-07-05T00:49:00.000+08:002007-07-05T00:52:17.302+08:00It is hard to be good, kind, and tolerant when you feel bad about yourself. It is so much better to face life with a positive attitude, but how can you do that if you feel negative? Can you imagine a happy, self-confident, positive person being violent? No! So the importance of having good self-esteem is very clear. But how can you improve your self-esteem?<br />First of all, tell yourself “I like you.” Look in the mirror and say this. Keep doing this until you believe yourself, but make sure you do it when you are thinking good things and have been behaving nicely in the recent past.<br />Believe in yourself; that whatever challenge you face you can deal with, with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's help. Do not talk negatively to yourself. Don’t use words like “you are stupid,” “Why did you do that,” and so on.<br />A friend of mine used to tell me that if I do not talk well about myself, who else will? People will evaluate me like I evaluate myself.<br />Keep the following points in mind: <span id="fullpost"><br />Do Not Isolate Yourself<br />Perhaps you tend to be a loner and prefer to keep away from the crowd. If you do it too much, this can leave you open to negative thoughts and feelings and you will find no one to bounce these thoughts and feelings off. When you talk about things to friends and family, it helps to put things into context and perspective. If you keep something to yourself, you often perceive it as bigger and more complicated than it really is. So keep with the crowd, but make sure it is a good crowd. It takes a brave person to mix with people, especially if you tend to be shy, but try, because it is important for your health and development.<br />“Verily Shaytaan is the wolf of a man just as the wolf is (the enemy) of the flock. He seizes the solitary sheep going astray from the flock or going aside from the flock. So avoid the branching paths, it is essential for you to remain along with the community.” (Imaam Ahmad)<br />Keep Good Company<br />Hang around with friends who encourage you and do not put you down. At the same time, do not be afraid to accept criticism (positive criticism) and do not feel ashamed to acknowledge that you have shortcomings— we all have them. It is a part of life, and what makes life so interesting and challenging is the fact that we can rise above the challenges and the weaknesses within ourselves.<br />Failing Is a Part of Life<br />If you happen to fail at something, it does not mean you are weak or bad or stupid. Everyone fails at things from time to time and that is how we learn. My friend told me that her father used to say to her, “If people learn by their mistakes, you should be a genius by now!” Allah tests us on how we handle failure. Do we get back up if life knocks us down? How easily do we give up when the going gets tough? I heard in a film once, Katherine Hepburn said, “The world stands back and makes way for the person who knows where they are going.” Now that person will fail from time to time but will keep going and never give up. That is how we should try to be.<br />We need to accept that sometimes we will fail. It reminds us of our limitations of being a human being. We might get carried away with this worldly life and we might become arrogant or snobbish, so sometimes Allah lets us fail, to keep us humble and to develop good character in us. Everything is for the good of the believer.<br />Make Realistic Goals<br />Set realistic goals for yourself. Do not be ambitious about achieving everything at the same time and then kicking yourself when you are not able to.<br />Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says that He will give us back what we give out to others and this is proven so often in life. You will find that if you are positive and encouraging to other people, most times people will be the same to you. This is very important to developing and maintaining our self-esteem.<br />The Importance of Good Self-Esteem?<br />If you do not have good self-esteem—that means feeling good and hopeful about yourself—Satan will take advantage of the situation and feed us with negative thoughts and feelings until we reach for anything that will make us feel better: that can be alcohol, drugs, suicide, or being violent to people. So you see, low self-esteem is a road that leads to nowhere. It leads to destruction and misery for the person and the others around him/her and Shaytaan laughs because he has won another foolish human being and he will not be lonely in the Afterlife; he’ll keep the company of those who followed him and listened to his destructive, evil whisperings.<br />Do Not Be a Statistic<br />Make up your mind not to be a statistic. You know the world today keeps records of just about everything we do, when we are born; when we die; who takes drugs; who marries when, where, and who; who dies of a drug overdose; who commits suicide; and who commits crimes and how long they stay in jail. Do not be a statistic in someone’s computer file, of a young person who did not make it through adolescence because they thought negatively about themselves.<br />Everyone Has Potential<br />Every human being is born with great potential, with deep, unfathomable insight, but few unfortunately achieve their true potential. Why? Because they give up too soon and too easily because they do not realize they have this potential; or they listen to people tell them they are useless, lazy, or whatever, and so hide their heads in the sands of life like ostriches. Life passes these people by and they live their lives as failures and die as failures. This may seem a sad and depressing note in this article, however, I write it because I know for sure that it is easy to be a failure and it is also easy to be a success. It does not take a lot of time and energy to talk to yourself so negatively that you actually believe yourself, but if you simply choose to look at life from a positive angle and believe in yourself, trust in Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, and follow His Commands, you will find that the tables will turn and you will succeed.<br />It is up to you to take the first step!</span><br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Rest of your post<br /><br /></span><span id="fullpost"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1335800276797066642?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-49874728334555441002007-06-28T03:28:00.000+08:002007-06-28T03:31:45.055+08:00<em>Keeping It Halaal</em><br />Every summer young Muslim students go through stressful times trying to find a means of earning that is decent, professional, yet Islamically lawful. In a period of perpetual economic recession, especially in the IT industry, such as the one we are currently witnessing, it is indeed challenging to find such a combo. While many do land good and halaal jobs, others resort to any sort of work or industry, often out of desperation or hopes of ‘quick and big cash’, that may not necessarily be pleasing to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, the source of all our Rizq (wealth, sustenance and blessings).<br />It is important that we, the Muslim youth, work hard and honestly to earn money, instead of sitting idle at home or stealing other’s money. Our Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam once reminded us, “It is better that a person should a take a rope and bring bundles of wood on his back to sell so that Allaah may preserve his honour, than that he should beg from people.” [Bukhaari & Muslim]<span id="fullpost"> Consumerism’s Promise: You will never be ‘Content’<br />However, while we strive hard to sustain ourselves with part time jobs, we need to also learn the ethics of ‘right’ and ‘pure’ earning and spending. How many youth are out there whose sole purpose of earning is to buy a new set of shoes, pair of trousers, or nail polish, every week! This is indeed the destructive outcome of our consumer teen culture.<br />Why is it crucial not to be corrupted by the greed of our materialistic society? The Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has told us, "Riches are sweet, and a source of blessing to those who acquire them (lawfully) by the way; but those who seek them out of greed are like people who eat but are never full (or satisfied)." <br />Therefore, this kind of greed to have ‘everything cool or every fad out there’ will never satisfy you, no matter how much of it you have. Ever wonder, why the music and film industry never loses money? The idea is to keep every young person in our society ‘hooked’ on the music, lyrics, and the ‘stars’, that are strategically released to the public gradually, in stages, so that everyone keeps coming back for ‘more’.<br />Reality of ‘Entertainment’ and your Employment<br />At the end of the day, a music or movie addict realizes how hollow and temporary this ‘entertainment’ is--- something that destroys one’s soul by taking his or her mind and feelings to another realm of fantasy, only to realize that he or she is back to the same harsh realities of this life as soon as the tape is turn off!<br />The way we ‘kill our time’ in our leisure activities has a great influence on what type of job we would look for. If our priority in life is to serve our family, community and Islam, as well as improving our own relationship with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, then certainly we would look for a job or profession that accommodates all such commitments.<br />It helps to keep in mind the following portrayal of reality by our Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “Whoever sets this world as his goal, Allaah divides his affairs for him. He will place poverty between his eyes, and nothing will come to him from this world except what Allaah has written for him. Whoever sets the Hereafter as his goal, Allaah gathers his affairs for him, gives him richness of the heart and the world will come to him grudgingly and submissively.” [Ibn Majah & Ibn Hibban] <br />“It is not poverty which I fear....”<br />Is it any wonder that the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam commented, "It is not poverty which I fear for you, but that you might desire the world as others before you desired it, and it might destry you, as it destroyed them,"<br />How do we suppress our desire or love for this world? We can certainly do so by spending less on ourselves and contributing as much as possible to those in need. Even a regular, nominal donation to your local masjid, charity organization, youth group, Islamic publication, or a poor person would greatly bless your limited income from employment as a student; it will also serve a profound reminder to cut the greed. Your regular contribution to other’s well-being will make you think, every time you are widow shopping in a mall, “Do I really need it? Or am I tempted to buy this shirt or game because my friend always talks about it?<br />Reasons to avoid working for Ribaa (interest/usuary) based institutions<br />Ribaa involves earning income without actually working to earn it;<br />Ribaa based companies involve taking advantage of the need or financial circumstances of the borrower of loan;<br />Taking Ribaa, or working for institutions that promote it, contribute to great injustice and devastation, as we have already witnessed, both at individual and global level, such as, bankruptcy, corporate scandals, economic recession, inability to repay loans, and staggering unemployment to name a few;<br />Daily toil has become a never-ending struggle to pay off interest on mortgages or business loans, and societies have become class-ridden structures in which huge wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few;<br />As Shaykh Salih Al-Munajjid argues, “Perhaps all this is a manifestation of the war threatened by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala to those who deal in Ribaa....The least harm that a job involving Ribaa does is to destroy the blessing (Barakah) of the money, even if a person’s income is great. The Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, "Even if Ribaa is much, it will end up being a small amount." [Al-Hakim] <br />Employment Search: Tips on keeping it Halaal<br /><br />This summer, when you go out searching for employment, please make sure to accept a job that is pure and Halaal, and that it’s work-environment allows you to maintain your Islamic identity, including time and space for 5 daily prayers, allowance to observe Hijaab or Islamically modest clothing, and a minimum level of modesty (Hayaa) among the co-workers. Sr. Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood in her book 'Living with Teenagers' and Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi in his research work ‘The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam’ provide the following useful tips on what type of job/work to stay away from:<br />any form of activity deriving money from pornography, prostitution and indecency (such as theatres, movie stores, clubs....etc. ), as Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala reminds us, "And do not come near Zinaa (fornication) ; indeed it is an abomination and an evil way". [Al Israa' 17:32];<br />any form of drama or dance entertainment that is deliberately or suggestive;<br />making statues of living creatures or photography that is sexually provocative, as the Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, "Allaah will punish anyone who makes figures (of living beings), until he breathes spirit into them, which he can never do. [Bukhaari;]<br />manufacturing, trading, or serving intoxicants and drugs;<br /> working in a bar, off-licence, nightclub, dance hall, etc.;<br /> being involved in armed forces fighting against other Muslims or killing innocent people;<br />working in banks, stock exchanges, futures markets, insurance companies, and other usurious or Ribaa-based institutions.<br />How do I tell?<br />How do we tell what is Haraam (unlawful) or Halaal (lawful) type of work? A general principle, as Sr. Ruqaiyyah explains, “is that if anybody’s means of earning a living hurts another, or results in another’s loss or corruption, then it is Haraam. If it is fair and beneficial to others as well, then it is Halaal. Obviously, any business or job that involves dishonesty, bribery, gambling, cheating (do deceptive marketing strategies ring a bell?), fraud, sexual degradation, or any other means of making a profit by exploiting others (such as lottery/raffle tickets), is forbidden to us Muslims.<br />The best practice to ignore or leave any job opportunity that seems to fall in the grey area. The Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam advised us, “Leave alone what puts you in doubt and turn toward what does not create any doubt.” [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]. This is perhaps the most practical tool or tip to use in employment search.<br />The Road Ahead<br />Before you give up all the hope of finding a good halaal job, after reading the list of warnings and restrictions, remember that there are literally innumerable sources of employment, including Muslim and non-Muslim owned businesses, that offer a decent, honorable, professional, and above all halaal, environment. You may begin your job search with your local Muslim business directory!<br />You would never despair if you realized the truth of a statement from our Prophet’s sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam's collection of sayings, "If you give up something for sake of Allaah, He will replace something (even) better." <br />Let the following words of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala etched in your heart:<br />“Whoever has Taqwa (consciousness) of Allaah, He will make a way out for him” [At Talaaq 65:3].<br />This verse gives a boost to the confidence, faith, and optimism in the hearts of all the young Muslims striving to adopt a pure, Islamic lifestyle and to benefit their society as responsible citizens.<br /> </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4987472833455544100?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-53460733830976203162007-06-26T17:04:00.000+08:002007-06-26T17:10:33.337+08:00Today, we will continue discussing the other tasks of the messengers so that we will know our role and tasks.<br />Fourth: Reforming and purifying the People's Souls<span id="fullpost"><br /></span>When people live in ignorant societies, that are not ruled by the Deen of Allaah and are not guided by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's legislation, they get corrupted, and corruption reaches the depth of their thoughts, their visions, their manners, and morals. So, it is a must that someone reform and purify these souls, and bring them back to their pure natural state that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala created them with.<br />Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala made this difficult task from the tasks of the great messengers; that is reforming and purifying the souls of those people who accepted and embraced Islam as a way of life.<br />We see the Prophet Moosa (Moses)`alayhissala am when Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala sent him to the Pharaoh with a clear task. So, Allaah said in Soorat An-Nazi’aat, (Verses 17-19), what can be translated as, "Go to Pharaoh, verily, he has transgressed all bounds. And say to him: "Would you purify yourself (from the sin of disbelief). And that I guide you to your Lord, so you should fear Him."<br />We also see the Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham)`alayhissa laam, after he finished building Allaah's House, supplicating to Allaah to send in his progeny after him someone who will purify them. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala said in Soorat Al-Baqarah, (Verse 129), what can be translated as, "Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them Your Verses and teach them the Book (this Qur`aan) and Al-Hikmah (Wisdom), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala responded to his supplication by sending the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also said in Soorat Al-Jumu’ah, (Verse 2), what can be translated as, "He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book (this Qur`aan) and Al-Hikmah (Wisdom). And verily, they had been before in manifest error."<br />Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala made success or failure a result of purified souls or unpurified ones. So, he said in Soorat Ash-Shams, (Verses 9-10), what can be translated as, "Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself. And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself. He also said in Soorat Al-A`la, (Verse 14), what can be translated as, "Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success." Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also made entering Paradise and living in it forever a reward for the one who purified himself/herself. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Ta-Ha (Verse 76), what can be translated as, " Everlasting Gardens under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever: such is the reward of those who purify themselves."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5346073383097620316?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-70680012080404687632007-06-21T14:40:00.000+08:002007-06-21T14:41:51.273+08:00The third task is giving glad tidings and warnings<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />The Da’wah of the messengers to their people was always associated with glad tidings and warnings; it is the way that does not separate from the Da’wah, and because they are so associated with each other, because of that we find the Holy Qur`aan in some verses clarifying the task of the messengers as giving glad tidings and warnings. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-Kahf, (Verse 56), what can be translated as, "And we send not the Messengers except as giver of glad tidings and warners."<br />The Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam gave an example about himself in a Hadeeth that was reported by Imaam Bukhaari and Imaam Muslim, "my example and the example of what Allaah has sent me with is like a man who came to a people and said: Oh people, I have seen the army of the enemy with my own eyes, and I am the naked warner, so save yourself, save yourself, so a group among his people obeyed him, so they moved early before dawn, they withdrew slowly and saved themselves from the enemy. And the other group among his people disbelieved in him and remained in their places, and in the early morning the army of the enemy got to them, destroyed them and ran all over them. So this is the example of the one who obeyed me and followed what I was sent with, and the example of the one who disobeyed me and disbelieved the truth that I came with."<br />The messengers, when giving glad tidings and warnings to the people, they were applicable to this life and the Hereafter. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat An-Nahl, (Verse 97), what can be translated as, "Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer verily, to him We will give a good life (meaning in this worldly life)," and also the Messengers gave glad tidings to the obedients and promised them with dignity, power, and peace in this life. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also says in Soorat An-Noor, (Verse 55), what can be translated as, "Allaah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practice their D<br />een, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear. They submit to me and do not associate anything with Me…", Also, on the other hand, the messengers warn the disobedients of hardship and punishment in this life before the Hereafter. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Ta-ha, (Verse 124), what can be translated as, "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (this Qur`aan) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection. " Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also says to the Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam in Soorat Fussilat, (Verse 13), what can be translated as, "But if they turn away, then say (O’ Mohammad): "I have warned you of a Sa’iqa (a destructive awful cry, torment, hit a thunder-bolt) like the Sa’iqa which overtook Ad and Thamud (people).<br />Giving glad tiding and warning like the messengers did is the key to the human soul because the good soul is naturally always seeking the good things for itself and keeping the bad and harm away from itself. If the messengers and the Da’eeyah (caller for Allaah) show the people the good that they will gain from belief and the righteous deed, the people would hurry to gain that good. On the other hand, when it is shown to the people the great harm that would befall a person as a result of disbelief, misguidance and remaining away from the path of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, the people would get scared and hurry to leave all of that.<br />So, we should not forget the importance of this issue when we play our role in this world. Also we should start with conveying the message in the clearest way, then calling the people to Islam, then giving glad tidings and warnings, and this should be practiced in a balanced careful way without extremes.<br />Next week, with the help of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, we will continue to learn about the tasks of the great messengers of the past, that is in fact our role and task today. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7068001208040468763?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-66624394467443767052007-06-19T20:29:00.000+08:002007-06-19T20:31:04.832+08:00We addressed the question in Part 1: What is our role today in this society? We concluded that our role is the same as the role of the great past messengers whom Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala sent to humanity. This is because we are the messengers’ heirs till the Day of Judgment, and we know that their first task was conveying the message in the clearest way. We know that conveying the message requires courage and not fearing the people. We also learned that conveying the message can be done by reciting the Holy Qur`aan that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala revealed and by clarifying the divine revelations to the people.<br />Today, we will continue with the other tasks of the blessed messengers so that we can know our role and tasks today<span id="fullpost"><br />The second task is giving Da’wah (calling) the people to Allaah<br />The messengers’ task does not end with clarifying the truth to the people and conveying it to them. They also have to call the people to adopt what they are calling them for and submit to it, and apply it in their lives with conviction, both verbally and with action.<br />All the messengers`alayhimu ssalaam had the same perspective when calling the people to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala; They said to the people: You are the creation of Allaah and are his servants, and Allaah alone is your creator, your Lord and your God, and Allaah has sent us to you to show you how you should submit your life to him alone, so you should obey us in this matter... and the verses are abundant in this context, for example, in Soorat An-Nahl, (Verse 36), what can be translated as, "And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming) : "Submit to Allaah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) taghoot (all false deities etc…)…"" And Allaah speaks to his Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam in Soorat Al-Anbiyaa, (Verse 25), what can be translated as, "And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Mohammad) but We inspired him (saying): Laa ilaaha illaa Ana (none has the right to be submitted to but I Allaah), so submit to Me (Alone and none else)" Every messenger that Allaah sent to the people, said to them, "Fear Allaah and Obey Me" This appears in the Qur`aan in more than ten different places.<br />The blessed messengers made so much effort for the sake of calling the people to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala that it took them their whole life. We find many details about that in the Holy Qur`aan. For example, the first messenger, Nooh, `alayhissalaam who spent with his people 950 years calling them to the way of Allaah. He spent all of his life, day and night, in different ways of approaching the people, secretly and openly, by alluring them, and making them fear Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, by encouraging and warning them. The prophet Nooh`alayhissalaam had tried his best to open their minds and their hearts and direct them to the great signs in the universe that indicate the greatness of the Creator Allaah, the Exatled but they turned away from h is call, and no one believed in him except very few people. Read his story in the Holy Qur`aan in Soorat Nooh and in other places to know the greatness of the Da’wah to the people for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.<br />Also, the life of the Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam was all Da’wah for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and he used through it all means available to him and at all levels, inside Makkah and outside. The books of the Seerah are the best source for details about this.<br />The angels Jibreel (Gabriel) and Mike’eel (Michael) showed the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam an example that clarified to him and us his role and his task. In the Hadeeth reported by Imaam Al-Bukhaari and At-Tirmithi, that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said, "I saw in my dream that Jibreel was at my head, and Mike’eel was at my feet; one of them saying to the other: give him an example of himself, so he said: ‘listen, may Allaah help you hear, and may Allaah make your heart to understand, Your example and the example of your Ummah is as the king who got some land, and built on it a house, then brought in it a table with food on it, then he sent a messenger to invite the people to his food, some of them accepted the invitation and came, and others rejected the invitation and turned away.’ ‘Allaah is the King, the land is Islam, the house is the Paradise, and you O`Mohammad are the messenger, and the one who accepted the invitation and came, they entered Islam, and whoever enters Islam, they enter Paradise, and whoever enters Paradise, they will eat what is in it."<br />So, we should invite people to Islam, the Deen of Allaah that He sent down to the Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, and whoever accepts our invitation will enter Paradise, and whoever enters Paradise, they will eat what is in it. This is our second task.<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6662439446744376705?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-44522528711090799132007-06-15T15:56:00.001+08:002007-06-15T16:05:17.776+08:00<div align="center">Words of Wisdom<br />If you plant honesty, You will reap trust</div><div align="center"> If you plant goodness, You will reap friends<br />If you plant humility, You will reap greatness </div><div align="center">If you plant perseverance, You will reap victory</div><div align="center">If you plant consideration, You will reap harmony</div><div align="center"> If you plant hard work, You will reap success</div><div align="center">If you plant forgiveness, You will reap reconciliation </div><div align="center">If you plant openness, You will reap intimacy</div><div align="center">If you plant patience, You will reap improvements </div><div align="center">If you plant faith, You will reap blessings.</div><div align="center">But ......</div><div align="center">If you plant dishonesty, You will reap distrust </div><div align="center">If you plant selfishness, You will reap loneliness </div><div align="center">If you plant pride, You will reap destruction </div><div align="center">If you plant envy, You will reap trouble </div><div align="center">If you plant laziness, You will reap stagnation. </div><div align="center">If you plant bitterness, You will reap isolation </div><div align="center">If you plant greed, You will reap loss</div><div align="center">If you plant gossip, You will reap enemies </div><div align="center">If you plant worries, You will reap wrinkles</div><div align="center">If you plant sin, You will reap guilt.<br /><br /><br />May Allaah Subhaanahau wa Ta`aala keep us on the Straight Path.<br />Aameen.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4452252871109079913?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-54555194181633403232007-06-15T15:32:00.000+08:002007-06-15T15:55:26.942+08:00<span id="fullpost"> I wonder how much we realize the impact that our actions may have on other people. Our actions are living proof of who we really are, what we really think and what we really believe... and by our actions we are either respected or disrespected. We often fail to realize how fragile that respect really is, and how long it took to build it. But in our arrogance and haughtiness we are sometimes blinded to the fact that it takes only a short time to crumble walls that stood for so long. The reason is because by our actions, our arrogance and disrespect for others, we end up tearing ourselves down, exposing ourselves for what is truly in our hearts and in the end we are the ones that end up the loser. <span id="fullpost"> Some of us may feel that we have earned respect, but if one has earned respect, one must continue to act in ways that beckon people to continue that respect, otherwise brick by brick the wall will become weak, and will eventually become nothing more than dust. If we become so arrogant that we feel we have the right to talk rudely to our elders, whether they be male or female and be disrespectful to mothers and wives - the educators of our Ummah, then we must also be ready to suffer the loss of our own respect, the respect of others and the loss of our honor, as we are no longer worthy of such position and dignity. If by helping others accomplish goals for the sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, we find ourselves throwing this help back in face of those that asked for it...we must be ready to lose that opportunity to ever again of being asked to help for the sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, and to lose the rewards that accompany it as well. Not only in regards to Islam have we lost a true blessing, but also we have acted in extremely bad taste. In ways that many non-Muslims would abhor.<br /><br />We must realize that we are not indefensible, we are not invincible. We must also come to the realization that in this world there are many that would jump at the chance to earn more blessings and work for the sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. Many that would never feel as arrogant as we did to throw it back in the face of those that asked for your help. If we become so arrogant, so haughty that we feel we have the authority to question others' eemaan (faith), we must be ready ourselves to be questioned, as it strongly says something about ourselves that we would have so much arrogance to judge other people levels of faith. For anyone to assume that they know whether one has high eemaan or low eemaan, is to commit shirk, as this knowledge is only with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. The only way in which to repair the damage that has been done is to first repent to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and then to ask forgiveness of the brothers and sisters that our actions have so negatively affected. And then the building must begin, but we must remember that because the damage that we have afflicted ourselves with, it will take much time to re-build our wall, our respect, our honour and our dignity. We must be sincere and change our ways of arrogance, humble ourselves and make du'aa to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala for His help, for Only He Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala can truly help us. We must never forget that respect is something that cannot be demanded and cannot be forced onto others. Respect is a luxury that none can afford. Respect can only be earned, and by our actions we either deserve it or don't. </span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5455519418163340323?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-76101211176369060112007-06-14T13:54:00.000+08:002007-06-14T14:01:52.542+08:00If you can keep your head when all about you<br />Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,<br />If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you<br />But make allowance for their doubting too,<br />If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,<br />Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,<br />Or being hated, don't give way to hating,<br />And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:<br /><br /><br />If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,<br />If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;<br />If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster<br />And treat those two impostors just the same;<br />If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken<br />Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,<br />Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,<br />And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:<br /><br /><br />If you can make one heap of all your winnings<br />And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,<br />And lose, and start again at your beginnings<br />And never breath a word about your loss;<br />If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew<br />To serve your turn long after they are gone,<br />And so hold on when there is nothing in you<br />Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"<br /><br /><br />If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,<br />Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,<br />If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;<br />If all men count with you, but none too much,<br />If you can fill the unforgiving minute<br />With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,<br /><strong>Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,</strong><br /><strong>And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!</strong><br /><br /><br />--Rudyard Kipling<br /><br /><span id="fullpost"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7610121117636906011?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061966345942562302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-7074956461739648882007-06-13T16:12:00.000+08:002007-06-13T16:13:16.326+08:00Summary<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Rest of your post<br /></span> An engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. Peter checks<br /> his dossier and says, "Ah, you're an engineer -- you're in the wrong<br /> place."<br /><br /> So, the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is let in. Pretty<br /> soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in<br /> hell, and starts designing and building improvements. After awhile,<br /> they've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and the<br /> engineer is a pretty popular guy.<br /><br /> One day, God calls Satan up on the telephone and says with a sneer,<br /> "So, how's it going down there in hell?"<br /><br /> Satan replies, "Hey, things are going great. We've got air<br /> conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there's no telling<br /> what this engineer is going to come up with next."<br /><br /> God replies, "What??? You've got an engineer? That's a mistake -- he<br /> should never have gotten down there; send him up here."<br /><br /> Satan says, "No way. I like having an engineer on the staff, and I'm<br /> keeping him."<br /><br /> God says, "Send him back up here or I'll sue."<br /><br /> Satan laughs uproariously and answers, "Yeah, right. And just where<br /> are YOU going to get a lawyer?"<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-707495646173964888?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DwDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00295705315074150604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-59175007840153360532007-06-12T12:58:00.000+08:002007-06-12T13:03:30.750+08:00With reference to your query <<< “is there any tangible proof for the existence of Jinns and Syaitan.” >>> it should be noted that the world of the jinn is the world of the unseen, and we do not know anything about it except that which Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has told us in His Book, the Qur`aan or on the lips of His Messenger sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. Based on this, we cannot say anything about them except that which has been narrated in the texts of Islam; anything other than that is hidden from us. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says (interpretation of the meaning):<br />“And follow not (O man, i.e., say not, or do not, or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allaah)” [al-Israa' 17:36] <br />It should also be noted that what information Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has given us about the jinn and other creatures are for our benefit, and what He Ta`aala has concealed from us we do not need to know. If knowing that was essential for us, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala would have told us. Hence we should not concern ourselves with such matters or look for tangible proof/mysteries of the jinn which can only be known through Revelation.<br />Below are some information pertaining to the matter of your query:<br />1. A brief summary about the Jinn and the Shaytaan, and their respective nature and characteristics, excerpted from the book`Aalim al-Jinn wa`l-Shayateen written by Dr.`Umar Sulaymaan al-Ashqar. If you wish to have more information, on this topic, you can purchase this book (in English) entitled “The World of the Jinn and Devils in the Light of the Qur`aan and Sunnah” published as Vol. 3 of the Islamic Creed Series by the International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh , Saudi Arabia .<br />2. Some further information on the Shaytaan's existence from (Imaam al-Shawkaani' s tafseer) by Shaykh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (Islam Q&A)<br />Allaah is the Best of protectors and we ask Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala to protect us and forgive us our sins and to bless us with beneficial knowledge and guide us to do righteous deeds. Aameen<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5917500784015336053?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-61040679749803465172007-06-10T19:11:00.000+08:002007-06-10T19:22:10.731+08:00Many of us wonder today: What is our role as Muslims in this non-Islamic society? Asking this question is a good thing in itself because it indicates the beginning of the awareness in the mind of the Muslims, after a long absence.<br />This is an important and a dangerous question because it searches for an answer for a fundamental and a vital issue in our lives; if the correct answer is not found, then we will end up with the wrong one which may threaten our future and the future of Islam in America .<br /><span id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost"><br />There is a good chance that the wrong answer will be found because of many factors:<br />The ignorance of many Muslims in the reality of Islam and its role in saving humanity.<br />The lack of awareness of the reality of this age, the status of the Muslim Ummah, the events that occur on the world level, the conspiracies of the enemies to put down and destroy Islam and end its role in the world or give it a marginal role by redefining Islam with a new fake definition.<br />The defeated mentality is dominant among many Muslims today. This came as a result of defeat and the absolute astonishment at what the non-Muslims have as civilization, technologies, and even culture.<br />The vain desires, the love of this worldly life and the hatred of death, by undervaluing the hereafter, influenced the minds and personality of many Muslims.<br />The many misguiding and forced solutions presented to Muslims by their enemies who work very hard in a deceiving manner to tell us what is our role today in this society. These enemies forced the wrong and false answers onto us deceivingly in many ways. They also removed the correct original answers and attacked it by describing it and the people who believe and carry this answer with the worst descriptions. This is so that the Muslim will get away from them and hate the correct answer instead of adopting it and working to establish it. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-Anfaal, (Verse 30), what can be translated as, "They were plotting and Allaah too was planning, and Allaah is the Best of the planners."<br />What makes things more complicated and the vision more erroneous is that some loyal sincere Muslims fell into the trap that the enemies of Islam have set up and skillfully designed. These sincere Muslims with their followers and those whom they influence took the wrong way that was defined for them. These Muslims became the fuel and the workers in a conspiracy that they did not plan and will not benefit from either in the short term or the long term. Furthermore, if someone pointed out their mistakes, that they are adopting, they would find justification for the errors in the religious texts that justifies their position. This is done without deep investigation and verification until we become like the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said in a trial that makes the intellectuals confused.<br />What is our role in this age and in this society as Muslims?<br />To answer this question, first of all, we do not need to devise a new role. This is because our role had already been defined to us by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala a long time ago. Many great messengers played that role, and achieved many reforms and saved the humanity throughout the course of history.<br />All we need today is to rediscover and explore this role and know its characteristics by removing the ruins and debris away from it until we can clear its beautiful picture, and then to adopt it and behave according to it. If we do that, then we will save ourselves and the entire humanity with the help of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala like the messengers do.<br />All of us know and believe that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala the One who created the creations did not leave people without guidance; on the contrary, he devised to all humanity a complete and comprehensive system of life. Which was carried by the messengers from one generation to the next. This role of the messengers had never changed or altered with the differences of age or place that they were sent in from Noah`alayhissalaam until the Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam; the seal of all Prophets and messengers.<br />Today, Muslims are in fact the followers and true inheritors of those messengers and are the extension of truthfulness. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has sealed the messages and the messengers with the Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam and made their role to be played by the messengers' heirs who are the Muslims till the Day of Judgment.<br />This role has not changed with time nor has it changed with place; its phases, goals and ends have remained unchanged. What have changed are its means and tools that may differ according to time and place.<br />Now, I will present the role of the messengers and their tasks so that we know our role in this life.<br />First, is conveying the message in the clearest way <br />The messengers are the ambassadors of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala to his servants and the carriers of his revelations. Their first task is to deliver and convey this trust, which they carried to the servants of Allaah. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-Maa`idah, (Verse 67), what can be translated as, "O’ Messenger (Mohammad)! Proclaim (the message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message."<br />Conveying the message needs courage and not to fear the people. This is needed because the person will deliver to them what is completely different and conflicts with their Aqeedah, their status, and desires that they have lived with for a long time. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-Ahzab, (Verse 39), what can be translated as, "Those who convey the Message of Allaah and fear Him, and fear none except Allaah…"<br />Conveying the message should be done by reciting the verses that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has revealed no more or less. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says, commanding the Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, in Soorat Al-Ankaboot, (Verse 45), what can be translated as, "Recite (O Mohammad) what has been revealed to you of the Book (the Qur`aan)…" Allaah also says in another verse, (151), Soorat Al-Baqarah, what can be translated as, "Similarly We have sent among you a Messenger (Mohammad) of your own, reciting to you Our Verses the (Qur`aan)…" So, if the revelation is not a divine text that is to be recited meaning the Prophet’s tradition (Sunnah), then conveying the message is by clarifying the commands and the prohibitions and the meanings and the knowledge that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala had revealed no more no less.<br />From conveying the message the messenger should clarify and explain clearly the meaning and goals of the revelation that Allaah had sent down to His servants. This is because he, the messenger sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, knows better than anyone else about what Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala means from His Revelation.<br />In this context, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat An-Nahl, (Verse 44), what can be translated as, "… And We have also sent down unto you (O’ Mohammad) the reminder and the advice (the Qur`aan) that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them…" The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam may clarify the meaning of the revelation by his saying, doing, or consent. From here came the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam to clarify many Qur`aanic verses.<br />If it happens that the people turned away from the messengers' call, the messengers can not do anything except to convey the message. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says in Soorat Al-`Imraan, (Verse 20), what can be translated as, "…But if they turn away, your duty is only to convey the Message…" Allaah also says to the people in Soorat Al-Maa`idah, (Verse 92), what can be translated as "...Then if you (people) turn away, you should know that it is Our Messenger’s duty to convey (the message) in the clearest way.", and in another verse, He Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala also says to His Prophet Mohammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam in Soorat As-Shoora, (Verse 48), what can be translated as, "But if they turn away (O Mohammad)…We have not sent you as a hafeez (protector) over them. Your duty is to convey the message…"<br />So the first task and role of the great messengers is conveying the message in the clearest way to the people. And this is our first task in our role today and it should not be changed or altered.<br />Next week with the help of Allaah we will learn more about our tasks so that we will better know our true role as Muslims today.</span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6104067974980346517?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-64943215508684082442007-06-09T20:23:00.000+08:002007-06-09T20:26:15.650+08:00Whether the day is gray or<br />whether it is sunny,<br />you can make a difference.<br />If others support you or<br />if they conspire to stand in your way,<br />you can make a difference.<br />If you have plenty of resources available to you or<br /> if you have very few,<br />you can make a difference.<br />If momentum is on your side or if it is not,<br />you can make a difference.<br />You can wait and hope for things to go your way.<br /> Or you can get busy and<br />make it happen.<br />You can complain that life has been terribly unfair.<br />Or you can move ahead anyway and achieve what you intend,<br />no matter what the obstacles may be.<br />You can plead with others to give you a break.<br />Or you can go ahead and<br />forge your own path to success.<br />Wherever you may be,<br />whatever may have happened,<br />you can make a positive difference.<br />Live with commitment,<br />decide to move forward no matter what,<br /> and you will.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6494321550868408244?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Nafisahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03273710240716394691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-57545203038568442542007-06-05T15:38:00.001+08:002007-06-05T15:44:06.624+08:00<span id="fullpost">The Tongue The tongue: a mere piece of meat with no bones in it.but like a work-horse, it carries you forward–it speeds you to Paradise , or dumps you into Hell. Take control of it, or it takes control of you.<br />So how do you steer this beast? Read on!<br />Pick your teeth! Backbiting: one of the greatest sins, yet something we fall into, time after time, often without realizing. You chat away with your friends, you mention somebody else, and suddenly, the horse is out of control.<br />Our societies revolve around shows like “Friends” and “Sienfeld”, shows based on lying, backbiting and cheating. But look to the best generation instead: when one of the companions spoke badly about someone who wasn't there, the Prophet, the Prophet said to him: "Pick your teeth!" The companion said "but I haven't eaten anything!" The Prophet said "You have eaten the flesh of your dead brother!"<br />As Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala tells us in the Qur'aan: "Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?” [Hujuraat, verse 12]. The number three combo, a double McRotty, extra putrified, with a side order of squirmy white maggots? “No, you would hate it." <span id="fullpost">But they deserve it!Ok, back up a second. Is it still backbiting if it's true? What if it's only half true?Or what if they deserved it? They're just mean, vicious little creatures who ruined your entire day with their attitude, their demands, or something else--and you just had to tell somebody!<br />Well, the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam made it clear for us: "backbiting is to say something about someone they wouldn't like said about them. [...] If what bad you said about them is true, then you have backbitten them, and if it is false, then you have slandered them!" [Saheeh Muslim]<br />”So what,” you might say, “it's not a big deal. Everybody does it!”<br />On the night of Miraaj (the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's ascension to heaven), he passed by some people with metal hooks in their hands who clawed at their faces and their necks with them. When he inquired about them, Jibreel said, 'These are the people who eat the flesh of human beings and disgrace them.'" [Aboo Dawood].<br />So don't worry about “everybody” yet. Worry about yourself first!<br />Just teasing! Maybe we think it's funny to trash-talk someone to their face. Maybe their clothes smell like curry, or maybe their beard needs a weed-whacker, or maybe niqaab actually makes them look better!<br />Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala warns us about this type of rudeness directly in the Qur'aan, when He says in soorah Hujuraat verse 11 (the interpretation of the meaning):<br />"O you who believe, let not some a party of you laugh at others, it may be the (latter) are better than you (former). Nor abuse each other, nor be sarcastic to each other by using offensive nicknames ... And whosoever does not repent (from these things), then such are the wrong-doers."<br />Besides, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala made us the way we are. Humans have no control over their height, their flappy ears, or their pug-noses. What's more, one of the characteristics of munafiquwn (hypocrites) is that they mocked the believers. So when your tongue insists on remembering other people's shortcomings, remember your own shortcomings to keep it in line.<br />You know, it's cool to swear ...If you listen to some of your friends (or maybe yourself!) speak one day—you may notice, nearly every other sentence contains swear words. Maybe you think it's cool to swear, to copy the idols of TV and the cinema. Is it really “cool” to swear? The Hellfire is far from being cool--people will wish they were cool then, rather than being cool in this world! Remember: an angel writes down every single word you say, and one day, you will have to answer for all of it.<br />Sometimes you're so angry with someone, the only way to express yourself is to swear at them or hit them. The solution?<br />Be strong. Our Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said: the strong man is not the one with the best Kung-Fu, but the one who controls himself in a fit of rage. [Muslim]<br />It's ok to feel angry. But learn to channel it properly. If someone angers you or swears at you, step back. Take deep breaths. Walk away, if you have to. Make woodhu with icy-cold water and go pray.<br />When you feel better, then respond in a better way, as Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says: "Repel evil with what is better. Then he who was your worst enemy will become your best friend!" [Fussilat verse 34]<br />Moi? I never said that! How often do we say "I was only kidding" or “just joking”? We treat the biggest lies like the smallest flies, gnats to be waved away until we get caught out. By then, it won't matter, right?<br />Wrong! The angel on your left shoulder is scribbling, scribbling, writing everything you say and do against yourself. Even if you're the only person on the Earth who knows, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala the All-Seeing and All-Knowing is watching you.<br />One of the companions of the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam asked, straight-up: “Can a Muslim be a liar?” He said “No! A Muslim can never be a liar!” [Malik's Muwatta]<br />He also said: "Truth leads to virtue and virtue leads to Paradise [...] lying leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire. And a person may keep telling lies until he is recorded as a liar." [Saheeh Bukhaari]<br />One lie leads to ten. Ten lead to 100. More and more and more lies, until you're caught in a web that not even you can remember the truth about. Save yourself now! Don't be recorded a liar in your eternal biography!<br />But it's only words!You're just flapping your gums, right? What -- you don't mean any of it! What does it matter?<br />Remember: people enter into Islam through words (the shahadah), and leave Islam through words (of disbelief). The power of words seals marriage between two unrelated people, or shatters their relationship forever in. All through words.<br />So if you think you won't be held accountable for your words, think again: the Messenger of Allaah sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam told us that people will be flung face-down into the Hellfire, only on account to what they said! [Tirmidhi]<br />I must be doomed!"I lie, backbite, and swear all the time. I must be going to Hell!" A one-way ticket to a place where they serve you boiling water and devils-heads for sustainance. You're doomed, right?<br />No! Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala tells us in the Qur'aan: "O my servants who have wronged themselves, never despair of the mercy of Allaah, for truly He forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." [Az-Zumar, verse 53]<br />If you repent and turn back to Allaah, and promise not to commit the sin again, never ever, for as long as you live, and mean it, then He will forgive you. And whose mercy is greater than Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's?<br />Make amends! If you've backbitten someone, go and tell the person, apologize sincerely, and ask them to forgive you. (If they say “no”, don't worry about it—you've done what you can.)<br />But, if you think that might worsen the situation, then turn sincerely to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and beg for His forgiveness. Then to make up for what you said--go and speak good of the person behind their back.<br />Key to ParadiseIf you control your tongue and speak good, Paradise can be yours, there to abide forever.<br />The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever can guarantee me two things I can guarantee them Paradise : what lies between his two jaw-bones (his tongue) and what lies between his two legs." [Bukhaari]<br />Even more amazing, he sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said: whoever prevents sending gossip against his brother, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala puts down a right upon Himself to relieve that person from the Hellfire.<br />So remember next time you feel like spouting at or about someone: if you remain patient, Paradise can be yours. All it takes is willpower and practice!<br />A Shovelful of Good DeedsYour tongue can be a shovel. You now know all the ways to shovel the bad stuff, and get yourself in deep, deep doo. But how can you use it shovel up piles and mountains of good deeds for yourself?<br />Dhikr: Keep your tongue soaked in the rememberence of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. Whether a five-minute walk down the street or an hour-long drive, remember Allaah, and glorify Him (tasbeeh—SubhaanAlla ah, Alhamdulillaah, and Allaahu Akbar). Remember His Names and Attributes—the Most Merciful, the Just, the All-Knowing.<br />Defend and Explain Islam: When Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala tests us, as He promised He will, be ready to step up to the challenge. Often, you can unlock people’s misconceptions with just a five-minute explaination on what Islam is really about.<br />Naseehah: Give people you know sincere, heart-felt advice. (Make sure you do so in a gentle way--“yes, I really think your clothes smell like curry” won't work too well.) Think it through before you say it, and make sure it sounds soft, not harsh. That makes it easier for them to accept.<br />One Tongue to Rule them AllFinally, if you remember anything, remember this one statement. It will ensure the protection of your tongue, bi idhnillah!<br />Are you ready for it?<br />Here it is: the Messenger of Allaah sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever believes in Allaah and the Last day, let him either speak good or keep silent!" [agreed upon]<br /></span><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-5754520303856844254?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-90521787403363873102007-06-03T16:36:00.000+08:002007-06-03T16:39:09.672+08:00What deed is better than giving gold and silver? According to our beloved Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, it is dhikr, which means remembrance of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.<br />Dhikr is a form of worship that in importance comes only after the ritual Prayer (salaah) and reading Qur`aan. While salaah has to be performed at certain times and under certain conditions of purity, dhikr can be made any time, in any place. It can be done by repeating certain formulas to extol and praise Allaah, or it can be just thoughts of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in one's heart and mind.<br />Students are greatly blessed in that they have many excellent opportunities every day to perform dhikr. In school all day long students are being given knowledge by their teachers. I am specifically referring to academic courses such as math, physics, social studies, history, languages, and all others rather than religious courses; although this can apply in religious courses also.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Consider what happens now in those academic courses. The teacher tells the students many true facts every day, or the students read new facts from books, and the students remember some number of those facts; but, seldom is Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala mentioned, and I would guess that seldom is Allaah remembered. This is not the way it should be. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala should be remembered always.<br />I would like to suggest a programme of dhikr that would take very little time, be of great spiritual benefit to students, help ensure a close personal relationship with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, and probably even help students learn the academic subjects better. If this dhikr would do all that how could any Muslim student not want to at least try this method.<br />To understand the purpose of this dhikr you must first know that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has given us two important sources of revelation, the Qur`aan and His Physical Creation. We are told we must 'read' each of these two sources in a balance if we are to correctly understand the right way of life (Deen) in Islam, which Allaah has given us.<br />There are many ways to learn the knowledge of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's Physical Creation. For students one of the best sources of knowledge of Allaah's Physical Creation is the knowledge being taught in the various academic courses at school. All true knowledge is Islamic knowledge. For example, even the simple fact that 2+2=4 is Islamic knowledge. Allaah has made His Physical Creation such that for us to succeed and progress in the world He has created for us it is necessary to know such simple truths.<br />So, how does this relate to dhikr? Every time you hear some new fact about Allaah's Physical Creation this provides an ideal opportunity to remember Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. You could use being given each new bit of information as a cue to remember Allaah. Of course it will be very hard in the beginning to always remember Allaah, so at first you should try to use hearing new bits of information as cues to remember Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala as often as possible.<br />Be sure not to get too upset with yourself if you sometimes forget to remember Allaah each time you are given some new bit of information, but always try to tell yourself in your mind what a wonderful thing you have done when you do remember Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. If you do this you will find yourself remembering Allaah more and more often, and you will feel happier and happier that you are remembering Allaah.<br />What kind of things should we say in our thoughts when we remember Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in this kind of dhikr? In the example above about 2+2=4, you could say such things as, "Thank you Allaah for letting me know that 2+2=4" or "Oh Allaah, it is wonderful how you have made numbers and math so we can count and measure". You could say these things or even better you can think of other things on your own to say, to tell Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala how much you appreciate Him and His Creation.<br />If you were in a physics class and it was explained to you how levers work you might remember Allaah by saying such things as, "Oh Allaah, I am so thankful that you make hard work easier for us by giving us levers", or "Wow, levers are so cool, thank you Allaah for this knowledge."<br />If you were studying a foreign language and you are learning new words in that language you might say, "It is wonderful, Allaah, how You have allowed people so many different ways to say the same thing", or "I love all the different people and languages that You have placed on the Earth, Allaah".<br />As you can easily see there are a huge number of things you will be taught in your classes that can serve as cues for you to remember Allaah, each of these is dhikr; and, the kinds of things you could say in remembrance of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in these situations are virtually unlimited. In the things you say in remembrance of Allaah it is usually best to give thanks, to show caring, to feel excited, and to be specific about how the knowledge you have learned is connected to Allaah's Plan for all His Creation.<br />The reasons for doing this kind of dhikr are many and they are very important. In today's world we so often take the knowledge we are taught in school for granted. We usually don't consider the knowledge we learn in academic subjects to be part of our spiritual obligation to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. We often consider this objective knowledge of Allaah's Physical Creation that we learn in academic courses to be separate from the knowledge of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala we learn in religious courses. In truth, there is no separation between these two kinds of knowledge.<br />For us to truly understand the Islam which Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala gave us as the right way of life, we must come to see that everything is from Allaah, there is nothing in life but that which Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has Created. Alhamdulillaah. We must come to love the knowledge we are given in academic courses as much as we love the knowledge we get from our religious courses; both sources of knowledge bring us closer to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.<br />When we live our lives in today's busy world it is very easy to forget that everything we do is part of our relationship with Allaah. Constant remembrance of Allaah is the ideal, but few of us ever achieve that high spiritual level. This dhikr for students provides a simple, easy way to increase your remembrance of Allaah, and therefore to improve your relationship with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.<br />When knowledge is offered in academic courses it is easy to ignore the knowledge or forget it, since many times we are given this knowledge without being told how this knowledge will be valuable to us throughout our lives. If knowledge is not linked with something very important we often don't care very much about it; what could be more important than acknowledging the link of all true knowledge to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala?<br />By discussing in our minds the knowledge we have just learned when we do this form of dhikr we are also giving special attention to that knowledge so that it is more likely we will remember it in the future. Any new knowledge you think about after you first learn it will be more firmly fixed in memory. Also as we come to see the connections between knowledge from the different academic areas we will better understand how knowing the truths of Allaah's Physical Creation can aid us to become better Muslims in every way.<br />Another important benefit from this student dhikr, which has so many valuable benefits, is that students remembering Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in this way will come to view their teachers in a different, more positive manner. Unfortunately, in schools today students sometimes see teachers as adults who are trying to force useless knowledge down their throats. When teachers are instead seen as well meaning, caring adults who are trying to help students better understand the Islam which Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala gave us as the right way of life, and who are attempting to give us knowledge that will result in a closer personal relationship with Allaah, students will almost certainly develop a greater love and respect for their teachers.<br />When students and teachers love and respect each other everything improves in the classroom environment. Everyone is happier, everyone works harder, everyone works more efficiently, and everyone learns more. Allaah Almighty has made it very clear through revelation how much he values education and the gaining of knowledge. To gain knowledge is one of our primary responsibilities as Muslims. How then could we rightly do anything but learn as much as possible of the knowledge so generously offered during our student years?<br />Isn't it wonderful that as we fulfill our responsibility to gain knowledge of Allaah's Physical Creation during our years in school that we can at the same time perform dhikr so that we increase our ability to benefit from that knowledge and become ever closer in our personal relationship with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala?<br />Remembrance of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala through our student years can be the means for us to grow into Muslims of excellent character, who can make right the many wrongs in today's world, who can eventually live in a fully and truly Islamic world, and who on Judgment Day will have a very good chance of being granted entry into Paradise.<br />Alhamdulillaah!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-9052178740336387310?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-71704144260750466842007-05-31T10:50:00.000+08:002007-05-31T10:55:08.555+08:00Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah<br />Imam Ahmad reported that Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) passed by a man who was lying on his stomach, so he poked him with his leg and said, ‘This is a posture that Allah the Mighty and Majestic does not like.’” It was also reported by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and there are many other hadiths in the major collections that support this.<br />Because of this, it is mentioned in Imam al-Barkawi’s manual on the path of taqwa, al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya:<br />“And it is disliked to lie on one’s stomach without an excuse..”<span id="fullpost"> <span id="fullpost"><br />Imam al-Khadimi added in his commentary:<br />“Sleeping on one’s back is the sleep of the prophets, who contemplate the creation of the heavens and earth [f: when without a roof on their heads]; sleep on the right side is the sleep of scholars and worshippers; sleep on the left is the sleep of kings to digest food; and sleeping on one’s face is the sleep of devils and the unbelievers.” ( al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya fi Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya, 4: 177)<br />In the Fatawa al-Hindiyya, a brilliant collection of relied upon positions within the Hanafi school, gathered by a committee of scholars commissioned by the righteous Moghul emperor, Aurangzeb, it is stated that,<br /><br />“It is recommended to take advantage of the afternoon nap (qaylula), for the Prophet (Allah bless him &amp; give him peace) said, “Take afternoon naps, for the devils do not take afternoon naps,” as mentioned in al-Ghayathiyya… It is recommended for one to sleep in a state of ritual purity, and to lie on one’s right side, facing the qibla for a while [f: at least, and then, if it is difficult to fall asleep on one’s right] then one may sleep on one’s left side [f: without it being considered sub-optimal], as mentioned in al-Sirajiyya.<br />It is disliked to sleep early in the morning, and between maghrib and isha [f: because it would normally lead to one missing isha in congregation, otherwise, it is not disliked though still better not to do]. It has been mentioned in some works that no sleep was more beloved to Sayyiduna Ali (Allah be pleased with him) than sleep [right] after isha before the last of the night. One’s sleep should be on a bed that is mid-way between being soft and hard [f: as this prevents excessively deep sleep that could make one miss prayer or tahajjud, while being reasonably comfortable]. One should take one’s right hand as a pillow under one’s cheek. One should bring to mind that one will be [similarly] placed in the grave, lying on one’s side, alone with nothing but one’s works… If one is full and fears stomach pain, it is not wrong to place a pillow under one’s stomach and to sleep on it.<br />One should make remembrance of Allah (dhikr) when going to sleep, saying the tahlil (‘la ilaha illa Allah’), tahmid (‘alhamdu lillah’) and tasbih (‘subhan Allah’) [f: after having recited the specific Prophetic invocations recommended before sleep] until sleep overcomes one, for the sleeper is resurrected according to how he fell asleep and the one who dies according to the state he died in.<br />One should get up before fajr, for the earth complains to Allah from the ghusl of the adulterer, and from blood unlawfully spilled on it, and from sleep after fajr time [comes in].<br />One should wake up making remembrance of Allah [f: the best of which are the specific Prophetic invocations], and with a firm resolve to have taqwa from that which Allah has prohibited, and determined not to wrong any of Allah’s servants, as mentioned in al-Ghara’ib. "[ al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5: 376]<br />Among the sunnas of waking are:<br />1. To say ‘La Ilaha illa Allah’, then ‘Alhamdulillah’ three times, then Alhamdulillahi alladhi ahyana ba`da ma amatana wa ilayhi an-nushur (All praise is to Allah who gave us life after death, and to Him is the final return). [Bukhari, Abu Dawud, and others]<br />2. It is good to rub the face and eyes with both hands, to get rid of the effects of sleep, as mentioned in Shama’il al-Tirmidhi<br />3. It is recommended to brush one’s teeth, ideally using a tooth-stick (miswak), because of hadiths to this effect in Ahmad’s Musnad in in Abu Dawud’s Sunan.<br />And all good, in this world and the next, may be found in following the way of the Beloved of Allah (upon him be the best of blessings and most perfect of peace). And all success is from Allah.<br />Wassalam.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7170414426075046684?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-60674318813449812222007-05-30T22:43:00.000+08:002007-05-31T10:55:38.871+08:00Unable to stay awake after completing the Fajr prayer? Struggling to barely make it through the day?<br />Do you find yourself nodding off at your desk during idle moments at work? Are midday meetings becoming your favorite naptimes?<br />The hustle and bustle of our fast-paced lives leaves little time for rest. While college students are perhaps among the most sleep-deprived, more and more people are failing to get enough sleep. And for Muslims, living in a society that does not revolve around prayer timings poses an additional challenge.<br />Despite it being such a crucial part of our 24-hour day, we pay little attention to this often taken-for-granted activity. How many of us have seriously contemplated questions such as, "How much sleep do I need?" "What can I do who about insomnia?" "Can I really catch up on sleep?"<br />Believe it or not, there is actually an organization called the National Sleep Foundation (<a href="http://www.sleepfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.sleepfoundation.org/</a>) that is dedicated to "improving the quality of life for the millions of Americans who suffer from sleep disorders, and to the prevention of catastrophic accidents related to sleep deprivation or sleep disorders."<br /><span id="fullpost">Sleep has been mentioned by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in Sura An-Naba (78), verse 9, "And We have appointed your sleep for repose." And indeed, Prophet Muhammad (Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam) himself emphasized that our bodies have a right over us. The carefully recorded biographies of the Prophet inform us that he spent most of the day in service to his community and most of his night in prayer to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. It is said that the Prophet slept very little during the night, but encouraged a short nap between the Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers. One wonders how it was possible for the Prophet to function with such little sleep; however, having had prophethood bestowed upon him, he was commanded by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala to prepare and train himself for that tremendous mission.<br />Stage 1 Muscles relax, irregular, rapid brain wavesStage 2 Larger waves, bursts of electrical activityStage 3 Large, slow waves (delta)Stage 4 Continuation of large, slow waves (delta)Stage 5 1 hour or later, REM - rapid eye movement (brain waves as active as if one were awake. Dreams occur.Stage 6 Recurring REM cycles until one awakens 75% Non-REM sleep, 25% REM (dreaming)<br />In today's society, people devote little effort to monitoring their sleep patterns. Indeed, most of us do not know what actually happens during sleep (refer to diagram). We do know, however, that if we do not get enough sleep, we can feel irritable and drowsy. Consider a typical summer day when daylight hours are long, and nights are short. In North America , the beginning time for Fajr prayer can be as early as 4:30 am while the time for 'Isha prayer can be as late as 10 pm. By the time we wrap up the day and go to bed, it may be after midnight - technically, the next day. Waking up for Fajr prayer under these circumstances can be a struggle, to say the least.<br />And then, what does one do after completing the prayer? This can actually be the real dilemma. Consider this scenario: if you complete Fajr prayer at 5 am, yet you do not have to prepare for work (which starts at 9 am) until 7:30, what do you do during those 2-1/2 hours? Chances are you haven't had enough sleep so you'd like to return to bed; however, you feel uneasy, recalling that the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam frowned on the habit of sleeping after the Fajr prayer.<br />Try, though, as we may to follow the Prophet Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's Sunnah, for many of us, those extra hours of sleep in the morning have become a source of revitalization. If you are fortunate enough to be able to fall asleep again, you may feel more rested and ready to take on a full day of work. If, however, it takes you a half hour or more to fall back to sleep, you may actually find yourself awakening later feeling groggy.<br />This scenario is just one of many, and addresses the individual who doesn't make it to bed until late but still wakes for prayer. What about the individual who does not wake for prayer? The fact is that many of us, for a combination of reasons, rarely get a good night's sleep.<br />We will now discuss the dangers of sleep deprivation, recommendations for sleep management, and the wisdom behind the habits of the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. Scientists have conducted various studies on sleep patterns in which the most common finding is that not getting enough sleep is a threat to both our physical and mental health. A typical work day lasts approximately 9 hours. Adding another hour or so for commuting time means the average person requires at least 10 hours a day of alertness, notwithstanding family responsibilities and extra-curricular activities after work. A working mom may find it necessary to stay awake continuously for 18 hours or more, making it impossible for her to get more than 5-6 hours of sleep every night. And we're assuming that her sleep is not disrupted by stress or any other physical ailments. As this cycle repeats itself over the duration of the workweek, it is not uncommon for many people to suffer from sleep deprivation. Many Muslims experience increased bouts of sleep deprivation during the month of Ramadhaan. Waking up an hour before the Fajr prayer, eating suhoor, staying awake through the day until iftaar, praying the Taraweeh prayers, and repeating this cycle for an entire month can cause shock to a body that is unprepared. Are You Sleep Deprived? Do you want to know if you are sleep-deprived? One simple test is to see how fast you are able to fall asleep. Spouses of people who are sleep-deprived report that they fall asleep almost immediately after their heads touch the pillow. They often cannot sit still during prolonged meetings else they risk falling asleep. And often, the irony is that they are sleep deprived because of intense periods of activity without breaks or pauses. As mentioned above, sleep deprivation poses risks for both physical and mental health. For example, research has shown that two out of three road accidents in the U.S. may be linked to drivers who are sleep-deprived. Slower reactions combined with an inability to think clearly often puts sleep-deprived drivers at a higher risk for road rage and, even worse, of missing important cues such as slowed traffic or unsafe road conditions.<br />Recent studies in the West have also reported that starting schools later in the morning may help reduce discipline problems while increasing academic performance. This finding sits at odds with the traditional notion in the Islamic culture which emphasizes rising early for Fajr prayer, and memorizing Qur`aan, for example, in the early hours of the morning.<br />Sleep and Teenagers<br />Sleep deprivation is not uncommon among teenagers as well. Ever wonder why teenagers enjoy slumber parties so much… during which they comfortably stay awake all hours of the night and sleep in until the Dhuhr prayer? Over the past few years, various studies have indicated that adolescents, in their prime years of development, need more sleep than they are getting. Some scientists have based this finding on the possibility that teenagers have internal clocks that prompt them to stay awake late at night and sleep later in the morning (Washington Post, 10/19/00). Recent studies in the West have also reported that starting schools later in the morning may help reduce discipline problems while increasing academic performance. This finding sits at odds with the traditional notion in the Islamic culture which emphasizes rising early for Fajr prayer, and memorizing Qur`aan, for example, in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps one explanation could be that in Islamic cultures, typically very little activity takes place between the 'Isha and Fajr prayers. A household that abides by this tradition is likely to produce youth who are more alert and effective in the early mornings. On the other hand, non-Islamic lifestyles socialize the youth to stay awake for hours on end after the 'Isha prayer. In this lifestyle, the night comes to life - ceasing to be a time for rest. Sleep and University Students University students are perhaps among the most vulnerable to sleep disruption and deprivation. Muslim students try especially hard to juggle strenuous schoolwork, Islamic study circles, and extracurricular and social activities. We asked two seniors and a first year student at Georgetown University about their own sleeping habits. The three students averaged approximately five-and-a-half hours of sleep per night. Admittedly, senior Shaheen Kazi added that her six to seven hours of sleep a night are reduced drastically during peak exam times. As vice-president of the campus Muslim Student Association, and coordinator of the Muslim Housing Co-op, Kazi has to maintain a delicate balance between excelling academically while fulfilling her obligations to the Georgetown Muslim community. But exactly how do such students make it through the day with such little sleep? Rehenuma Asmi, a first-year student majoring in Arabic and pre-medicine says she does not usually have to take a nap during the day. Kazi and her roommate, senior Nadia Chaudhri indicate that they take power naps (20-30 minutes) during the day. Prophet Muhammad's Sleep Patterns The Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam was known to sleep very little. There are several authentic reports regarding his sleeping habits. During the early period of revelation, he was commanded to spend most of the night or some part of the night in prayer. After the initial years of revelation, the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam continued the night prayers in the last third of the night. He would stop, and rest lying on his right side until his companion and the caller to prayer, Bilal, came to wake him for the Fajr prayer. He did not sleep after Fajr prayer, but we learn from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam that he recommended a nap between Dhuhr and 'Asr prayer. Indeed, the reader is invited to further explore the blessed habits of the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam in the various books of seerah and throughout the books of Hadeeth. Overall, we would all agree that our bodies deserve their share of rest. As Muslims, we are reminded by Prophet Muhammad Sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam that our bodies have a right over us. We must monitor our daily activities to ensure that we are getting enough sleep. Most of all, our sleep patterns should not make us miss either Fajr or 'Isha, as they mark the beginning and the end of our days. So make sure that from time to time, you ask yourself, "Am I getting enough sleep?" Editor's Note: There are several sleep disorders (like insomnia, parasomnia, or hypersomnia for example) and the reader is invited to visit the American Sleep Disorders Association at <a href="http://www.asda.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.asda.com/</a> to learn more about them.<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6067431881344981222?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-33205935403995172692007-05-28T16:10:00.000+08:002007-05-28T16:13:40.526+08:00<div align="left"> </div><div align="left">The beating of war drums generates worry, tension, and confusion in the hearts. It keeps one from enjoying sleep, food, family, because of being continuously tense and frightened. But we say to the Muslim youth: Your role did not start just now, but rather started from the beginning of your maturity and awareness. And it will not end by the end of a given event, but rather by your death. So take the initiative and start to perform your role now. It is neither of sound judgment nor of proper zeal for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala’s religion to sleep like the People of the Cave and wake up at every crisis that requires a solution, whereupon we ask about our role, and then sleep again until the next one. These feelings of worry and tension only overwhelm the people of weak faith. In order to overcome such feelings, one has to do the following: </div><span id="fullpost"> <a rel="nofollow" name="1"></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="1">First: Refining and Renewing One’s Faith in the Oneness of Allaah</a><br />Almighty Allaah is the Lord and Sustainer of the universe; everything occurs by His Command, and to Him belongs all creation and decisions. "Every day He exerciseth (universal) power" [Ar-Rahman, 29] Therefore, every Muslim must renew his faith, confidence, and reliance on his Lord, for He is more careful to preserve His religion and His believing servants than anyone else is. "Lo! Allaah defendeth those who believe] [Al-Hajj: 38] The Muslim should also affirm his absolute faith in divine decree, and in the fact that nothing occurs except by the Will and Predestination of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, whether it be important or insignificant. "No calamity befalleth save by Allaah's leave" [At-Taghabun, 64:11] "Lo! We have created everything by measure: [Al-Qamar 54:49] "Say: Naught befalleth us save that which Allaah hath decreed for us. He is our protecting helper. In Allaah let believers put their trust!" [At-Tawbah: 51]<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="2">Second: Repentance. Asking Allaah’s Forgiveness and Glorifying Him</a><br />"And had he not been one of those who glorify (Allaah); He would have tarried in its belly till the day when they are raised" [As-Saffat, 143-144] Al`Abbas and `Ali (radhiallaahu anhum) said, “No calamity occurs except because of a wrongdoing, and no relief after a calamity comes except through repentance.”<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="3">Third: Worship and Doing Good</a><br />Muslim reported in his collection, Saheeh Muslim, Book of Al-Fitan (Afflications) that Ma`qil Ibn Yasar narrated that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said, “Worship during the period of widespread turmoil is like an immigration to me (i.e. in reward).” This hadeeth highlights two important aspects: The true Muslim should occupy himself with fruitful matters such as the performance of prayer, remembering Allaah often, invoking Allaah fervently, fasting, giving in charity, being keen to call on Allaah, and so on. Such matters are far better for the Muslim than being engaged in meaningless talk and fruitless discussions, which are not likely to lead to anything useful, but rather occupy the mind and worry the soul. It is essential to regain the peace of one’s soul through those tranquilizing doses of obeying and remembering Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, so that one may think and behave correctly.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="4"></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="4">Fourth: Patience</a><br />There is no faith without patience. Therefore, we, as Muslims, should never tire of advising one another to be patient, as patience is the cure of many chronic problems. (Hastiness is from Shaytaan and deliberateness is from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.) Patience and deliberateness make him consider his decisions carefully and see to his affairs with understanding and correct vision, which prevent him from acting haphazardly or aimlessly. Al-Bukhaari and Muslim reported that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said, “The strong person is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but the strong person is the one who controls himself while in anger.” In another narration of the same hadeeth, it is reported that he sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said, “The strong person is the one who defeats his anger.” This represents the highest form of courage and is a feature of human perfection.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="5"></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="5">Fifth: Abandonment of Dispute and Dissension</a><br />The Almighty says, "…and dispute not one with another lest ye falter and your strength departs from you; but be steadfast! Lo! Allaah is with the steadfast" [Al-Anfal, 8:46]<br /><br />Dispute causes failure, weakness, and dispersal of efforts, and may cause some people to become preoccupied with themselves rather than with their enemies. Almighty Allaah has criticized the People of the Book before us, as well as whoever follows in their footsteps from this nation, because of the disagreements and disputes rampant among them. Allaah says, "Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are divers. That is because they are a folk who have no sense" [Al-Hashr, 59:14]The true Muslim does his best to reconcile the different sects that make up the Muslim community.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="6"></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="6">Sixth: Optimism</a><br />The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam used to like a good omen. Anas radhiallaahu anhu said, “The Prophet was the best and the bravest amongst the people. Once the people of Madeenah were terrified at night, so they went in the direction of the sound (that terrified them). The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam met them (on his way back) after he had found out the truth. He was riding an unsaddled horse belonging to Aboo Talhah and a sword was slung around his neck, and he was saying, ‘Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!’” Thus, the feelings of weakness and inability engulfing the hearts of a significant number of Muslims need urgent attention. Although we all agree on the gravity of the events and their serious consequences, we should bear in mind the established facts which prove that this nation shall continue to exist until the end of time. For example, the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam invoked Allaah Almighty not to make his nation entirely perish by famine. This invocation was accepted by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. Thus, this nation withstood the test of time and survived all disasters and calamities; it may fall ill but will never die. For these reasons, we wonder at the panic overwhelming some people. Where is the steadfastness of the true believers? Where is the firmness of determined Muslims? This nation suffered from greater calamities but it never surrendered or gave in. Rather it held on and set great examples of patience and endurance. One should not forget what happened to the Muslims during the days of the Tatar invasion which conquered all the Islamic countries and demolished the capital of the Muslim nation. Anyone who tries to perceive those events and imagine living during that epoch will surely feel that the Last Day has come, that Islam has perished, and that its nation has vanished from existence. However, that did not happen at all. After two centuries only the Muslims conquered Constantinople and reached Vienna . Thus, O people of Islam! Receive glad tidings and have whatever hopes you wish to have. Your nation will never die by a deathblow.Nevertheless, the legal optimism in Islam is that positive, active, and productive kind which buoys up and motivates one’s spirits. Unfortunately, a group of people resorted to expecting miracles, waiting for the supernatural, and such false dependence which neglects the causes and waits for marvels. We know for sure that miracles ended with the end of the messengers and that we are living in the realm of reality where we should make use of all available means, depending and putting our confidence in Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. During hardship, the right attitude is to be steadfast, patient, and to deal with events from the viewpoint of the firm content believer, without any feeling of inability or false dependence. Muslims should approach ongoing events with a realistic perception, accounting profit and loss, and preserving interests, and minimizing evils. Also, it should be far from weakness and recklessness. The laws enforced by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in the universe are applicable even to prophets; the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam and the Muslims triumphed in the Battle of Badr, but were defeated in Uhud. They concluded a peace treaty in Hudaybiyah, conquered Mecca and turned away in Hunain. Also we should not be hasty or impatient. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says: "…but there is an appointed term from which they will find no escape.a" [Al-Kahf: 58]<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="7"></a><a rel="nofollow" name="7"></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="7">Seventh: The establishment of Muslim brotherhood in its noblest form</a><br />This should be reflected on one's feelings, words, and actions. The following are the features of brotherhood: Being loyal to the believers and not helping the disbelievers against them. The judgment concerning helping disbelievers against the Muslims is as clear as day. It is explained in various verses in the Qur`aan, like for example, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's saying, "O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allaah guideth not wrongdoing folk" [Al-Maa'idah: 51] The Almighty also says, "O ye who believe! Choose not My enemy and your enemy for friends" [Al-Mumtahanah: 1] Allaah Almighty says, "He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them" [Al-Maa’idah: 51]Therefore, Muslims are required to establish brotherhood among them and help one another. The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam says, “A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor lets him down nor looks down upon him. It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith: his blood, his wealth and his honor.” Furthermore, in the Farewell Sermon, he sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam said, “Verily! Your blood, property and honor are sacred to one another (i.e. Muslims) like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this city of yours.” Thus, our support and affiliation to our Muslim brethren should not be temporary or momentary. Unfortunately, our sense of responsibility to our brethren never awakens except in times of crises, when we hurry to help them and then go back to our sleep after the crisis has subsided. Among the aspects of this brotherhood is hurrying to relieve the victims of catastrophes, such as children, old people, women, and the homeless. Muslims are supposed to be the first to help their brothers in faith, not the Red Cross Organization, the International Food Program, or any eastern or western country. We know that millions of Afghani people originally live in camps in Pakistan . With the new circumstances, the number of refugees has increased. Their conditions are catastrophic as regards health, food, and livelihood. Every Muslim should be very cautious not to fall into the snares represented in the stupor of shock or excessive enthusiasm. What we need most in many affairs of our lives is balance and having a base of established facts; we should not let actions and reactions make us lose our required balance. Furthermore, we do not need to exert much effort to realize that many of our mistakes have resulted from a deviation in perception away from the required balance and moderation. Feelings can be provoked and stirred, but actions should be done in accordance with the guidance of the Qur`aan and the Sunnah as well as the objectives of Islam, taking into consideration the potential advantages and disadvantages which cannot be realized except through consulting prominent pious scholars who do not flatter the public or pursue their personal interests. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala says, "… whereas if they had referred it to the messenger and such of them as are in authority, those among them who are able to think out the matter would have known it" [An-Nisaa’: 83]Thus, the best advice to be given concerning ongoing events is to restrain feelings lest they result in some erroneous judgments, which may cause harm for the Muslims and their interests. Because of their strong passion and their strong liability to be swayed, the youth are especially advised to have insight when handling matters and dealing with grave events that entail serious consequences. Neither should agitation lead us to rashness nor should zeal lead us to recklessness. Youthful enthusiasm can be an active productive energy if directed to the right way. So every youth should not make his enthusiasm a tank of fuel that can be inflamed by any mischievous person. The important thing is not to give vent to one's feelings, but rather to realize interests and prevent evils. In fact, Muslim nations cannot endure more hardship and unrest; therefore, it is our duty to act in a responsible disciplined way in such hard circumstances until the hardship is eased and the nation is relieved. Indeed, the call to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala flourishes in the atmosphere of tranquility and stability. That was why Az-Zuhri said after the Al-Hudaybiyah peace treaty, “People trusted each other, so anyone who was convinced with Islam embraced it. Thus, the people who embraced Islam after the peace treaty and before the Conquest of Makkah were many times more than those who embraced Islam before that. The Messenger of Allaah sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam came to conclude the peace treaty accompanied by about one hundred and fourteen men, then he came to conquer Makkah accompanied by more than ten thousand, though the span of time between the two events was short.”We ask Allaah Almighty to ordain for this nation an age of guidance where the people who obey Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala are honored while the people who disobey Him are debased. We ask Him to strengthen Islam, grant Muslims victory, unite them on the truth, and protect them from disasters and calamities. Aameen.<br /></span><br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /></span><span id="fullpost"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3320593540399517269?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-43506485332011785452007-05-28T15:24:00.000+08:002007-05-28T15:28:01.928+08:00Summary<br /><font id="fullpost"><br />Rest of your post<br /></font><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding-bottom: 10px;"><map name="storytools"><area shape="rect" coords="-8,-3,61,106" href="http://www.space.com/php/stf/mailtofriend.php?url=%2Fspacewatch%2F070525_ns_blue_moon.html"><area shape="rect" coords="61,-3,118,139" href="https://www.space.com/php/members/register.php"><area shape="rect" coords="117,-3,186,61" href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.space.com%2Fspacewatch%2F070525_ns_blue_moon.html"><area shape="rect" coords="184,-3,250,64" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070525_ns_blue_moon.html&amp;title=The+Truth+Behind+This+Month%27s+Blue+Moon&bodytext=With+two+full+Moons+this+month%2C+the+second+is+blue.+Why%3F"><area shape="rect" coords="322,-4,492,164" href="http://www.space.com/php/siteinfo/RSSinfo.php"><area shape="rect" coords="249,-4,323,63" href="http://www.space2phone.com/mobile_news.do"></map> <br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="125"><img src="http://a52.g.akamaitech.net/f/52/827/1d/www.space.com/images/ns_bluemoon_070525_01.jpg" border="0"> </td> <td align="left" valign="top" width="355"> <font color="#1b4872" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b>The Truth Behind This Month's Blue Moon </b><br /><img src="http://a1484.g.akamaitech.net/f/1484/827/1h/www.space.com/template_images/2005/dd_nightsky_logo.gif" border="0"><br /><font color="#333333" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><b>By <a href="mailto:skywayinc@aol.com">Joe Rao</a></b><br />SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist<br /></font></font><font color="#330066" face="arial,helvetica" size="1">posted: 25 May 2007<br />06:59 am ET</font><br /> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <a name="beginstory"></a> <font face="arial" size="2"> <font face="arial"> </font></font> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">Thursday, May 31 brings us the second of two full Moons for North Americans this month. Some almanacs and calendars assert that when two full Moons occur within a calendar month, that the second full Moon is called the "Blue Moon." </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">The <a href="http://www.space.com/fullmoonfever/">full Moon</a> that night will likely look no different than any other full Moon. But the Moon can change color in certain conditions. </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, <a href="http://www.space.com/moon/">the Moon</a> can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere can sometimes make the Moon appear bluish. Smoke from widespread forest fire activity in western Canada created a blue Moon across eastern North America in late September 1950. In the aftermath of the massive <a href="http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/050815_volcano_different.html">eruption of Mount Pinatubo</a> in the Philippines in June 1991 there were reports of blue moons (and even blue Suns) worldwide. </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial"><b>Origin of the term</b></font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">The phrase "Once in a blue Moon" was first noted in 1824 and refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not truly rare. Yet, to have two full Moons in the same month is not as uncommon as one might think. In fact, it occurs, on average, about every 32 months. And in the year 1999, it occurred twice in a span of just three months! </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">For the longest time no one seemed to have a clue as to where the "Blue Moon Rule" originated. Many years ago in the pages of Natural History magazine, I speculated that the rule might have evolved out of the fact that the word "belewe" came from the Old English, meaning, "to betray." "Perhaps," I suggested, "the second full Moon is 'belewe' because it betrays the usual perception of one full moon per month." </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">But as innovative as my explanation was, it turned out to be completely wrong.</font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial"><b>More mistakes</b></font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">It was not until the year 1999 that the origin of the calendrical term "Blue Moon" was at long last discovered. It was during the time frame from 1932 through 1957 that the Maine Farmers' Almanac suggested that if one of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/mysteries/060925_seasons.html">the four seasons</a> (winter, spring, summer or fall) contained four full Moons instead of the usual three, that the third full Moon should be called a "Blue Moon." </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">But thanks to a couple of misinterpretations of this arcane rule, first by a writer in a 1946 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, and much later, in 1980 in a syndicated radio program, it now appears that the second full Moon in a month is the one that's now popularly accepted as the definition of a "Blue Moon." </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">This time around, the Moon will turn full on May 31 at 9:04 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (6:04 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time). </font></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial">But for those living in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, that same full <a href="http://www.space.com/moon/">Moon</a> occurs after midnight, on the calendar date of June 1. So in these regions of world, this will not be second of two full Moons in May, but the first of two full Moons in June. So, if (for example) you live London, you'll have to wait until June 30 to declare that the Moon is "officially" blue.</font></font></p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-4350648533201178545?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DwDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00295705315074150604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-67071245841648074842007-05-23T21:14:00.000+08:002007-05-23T21:16:46.254+08:00Relationships are central to the existence of every human being. Allaah Most High has enjoined some relationships as purely natural, such as those between parents, children, and other immediate and extended family members. Other relationships are based on solemn contracts, such as a marriage. Through a marriage contract, a man and a woman who are ordinarily impermissible to each other become permissible to each other. Some relationships are based on familiarity and social ties at the community level. Other relationships are based on business contracts. All of these relationships are based on the fulfillment of rights and responsibilities. Summary<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><span id="fullpost">In His ultimate wisdom, Allaah Most High has placed Himself at the heart of every relationship. To love Allaah, to know Allaah, and to want to please Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in our daily lives, we must have functional and healthy relationships with our parents, siblings, friends, and community members. We do not have the option to remove either Allaah or human beings from our lives. The love, mercy, and compassion that characterize our interactions with others are a blessing from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. He created us and endowed us with these sublime qualities. It is only sheer arrogance that would make us attempt to remove Allaah from any of our relationships.<br /><br />The main reason that Muslims place Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala at the heart of every relationship is because these rights and responsibilities emanate from Allaah and the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. We learn of our rights and responsibilities through Islamic teachings as explicated in the Qur`aan and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. Fulfilling one's responsibilities requires knowledge of what those responsibilities are. Similarly, one cannot expect to demand one's rights without knowing first what those rights are.<br /><br />Anytime a relationship goes sour, one must stop first to ask what the basis of the relationship is and if in fact the relationship existed for the sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. A businessman who cheats others is wantonly defying the teachings of Islam. At the moment when he cheats another person, he is also allowing his personal greed to override his fear of Allaah Most High. A husband who raises his hands to hurt his wife or their children is defying the teachings of Islam. At the moment of his violent outburst, he is allowing his personal anger to override his fear of Allaah Most High. There can be no moment in which Allaah Most High is not at the heart of a relationship. It is an unfortunate existence, and indeed a miserable existence, for the one whose personal whims and desires end up placing him or her at the center of the relationship.<br /><br />Let us consider a day in the life of a young man named Khalid.<br /><br />Khalid sat up in bed, unable to fall asleep. What had started as just a small disagreement with his parents had deteriorated quickly into a shouting match. Khalid hurled the final volley, saying, "I don't care what you or anyone else says; I don't need you, I don't need anyone; I have Allaah to help me." Slamming the door to his room shut, Khalid felt sure that he could survive on his own. After all, at the prime of his life as a 15-year-old, why did he need his parents? They just kept getting in his way. Why did he need his brothers and sisters? They never understood him. Why did he need his friends? They never went along with him. As long as he had Allaah, he was set. He was complete. He needed no one else.<br /><br />As he sank into bed for the night and slipped under the warm covers, he felt sure that tomorrow would be different. From tomorrow onwards, he would need no one else, no other relationship except the one he had with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. He tossed and turned but he was restless and unable to bring himself to sleep. Why? These covers are so warm, so comfortable, why can't I get to sleep? The peaceful night was interrupted. He sat up in bed. In the bedroom next door, he could hear his father consoling his mother who was sobbing uncontrollably. The strong-headed Khalid was no more.<br /><br />Only a few hours ago he knew exactly what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go. He knew he needed no one else except Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. But now, hearing his mother crying had confused him. He was unsure of himself. Unsure of what he felt. If he had Allaah, why did anyone else matter? So what if mom or the siblings were sad? So what if his friends and the community looked down on him for his behavior? He struggled to put himself to sleep that night. Unable to sleep, he turned to talk to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. Picking up the Qur`aan, he thumbed through the pages and came across a few that seemed to be wrinkled, used more often than the others. He could not believe his eyes and as he read the verses out loud, the meaning of the verses seemed to shoot directly to his heart.<br /><br />[Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy mercy even as they cherished me in childhood." Your Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts: If ye do deeds of righteousness, verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence).] (Al-Israa’ 17:23-25)<br /><br />Here it was, loud and clear. Any people who thought they could have a relationship only with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and cut off their ties with parents, siblings, and friends were mistaken. Khalid knew that he had hurt his mother and his father with his "I don't care" and "whatever" one-liners. He also knew that he did care and he loved them both dearly. And he was very much aware of the fact that as annoying as his brothers and sisters were, they were his true friends — people he could count on to love him no matter what!<br /><br />Khalid read and reread these verses in which Allaah Most High, after decreeing that Muslims worship no one but Allaah, decreed kindness to parents. The mention of mercy, honor, humility, righteousness, forgiveness, and repentance had a calming effect on Khalid. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to go and tell his parents he was sorry. He wanted to give them their right to advise him, to counsel him, and to assist him through these teenage years. He wanted most of to repent to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala for raising his voice at his parents!<br /><br />Final Thoughts<br /><br />As we go through life, Allaah Most High tests us with various challenges, and perhaps the most difficult of these tests are those that involve human relationships. Increasing our awareness of our rights and responsibilities is a very critical component of our lives. Remembering to be conscious of Allaah Most High helps us to fight any desires that arise out of a purely selfish orientation. We do not live alone or in a vacuum. We are just one of the many actors in this human drama of life and the earth is our stage. The script has already been written by Allaah, and our goal is to toil on this earth, conscious of our rights and responsibilities towards Allaah and towards those around us. Our goal should be to please Allaah through establishing functional and healthy relationships with our family, friends, and community members. Ultimately, we can only achieve true success when Allaah Most High is at the heart of all of our relationships. An apt reminder in closing is when Allaah Most High addresses all of mankind, saying:<br /><br />[O mankind, be conscious of your duty to Allaah, Who created you from a single soul and from him He created his mate, and from them both, He created many men and women; and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your (mutual rights) and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs; surely Allaah is ever an All-watcher over you.] (An-Nisaa' 4:1) </span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6707124584164807484?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-18671876531916135532007-05-23T14:51:00.000+08:002007-05-23T14:52:59.429+08:001) Never expect things to happen, struggle and make them happen. Never expect yourself to be given a good value, create a value of your own.<br /><br />2) If a drop of water falls in lake there is no identity. But if it falls on a leaf of lotus it shines like a pearl. So choose the best place where you would shine.<br /><br />3) Falling down is not defeat, real defeat is when you are refusing to get up.<br /><br />4) Ship is always safe at shore, but it is not built for it.<br /><br />5) When you are successful your well-wishers know who you are, but when you are unsuccessful you know who your well-wishers are.<br /><br />6) Never take some one for granted, hold every person close to your Heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones.<br /><br />7) The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions!<br /><br />8) Knowledge is like a fruit. When a fruit grows on a branch of a tree, its weight causes that branch to bend and bow. Similarly, when knowledge increases in a person, it causes him to become humble and not Mutakabbir (proud and boastful).<br /><br />9) Under the shade there is always darkness.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-1867187653191613553?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Nafisahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03273710240716394691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-29777809058597015192007-05-23T14:40:00.000+08:002007-05-23T14:50:24.289+08:00An old man was sitting in the courtyard of his house along with his son who had received a high education. Suddenly a crow perched on a wall of the house. The father asked the son: What is this? The son replied: It is a crow. After a little while the father again asked the son: What is this? The son said: It is a crow.<br /><br />After a few minutes the father asked his son the third time: What is this? The son said: Father, I have just now told you that this is a crow. After a little while the old father again asked his son the fourth time: what is this? By this time some statement of irritation was felt in the son's tone when he rebuffed his father: Father! It is a crow, a crow. A little after the father again asked his son: What is this? This time the son replied to his father with a vein of temper. Father: You are always repeating the same question; although I have told you so many times that it is a crow. Are you not able to understand this?<br /><br />The father went to his room and came back with an old diary. Opening a page he asked his son to read what was written. What the son read were the following words written in the diary:<br />'Today my little son was sitting with me in the courtyard, when a crow came there. My son asked me twenty-five times what it was and I told him twenty-five times that it was a crow and I did not at all feel irritated. I rather felt affection for my innocent child.'<br />The father then explained to his son the difference between a father's and a son's attitude. While you were a little child you asked me this question twenty-five times and I felt no irritation in replying to the question twenty-five times and when today I asked you the same question only five times, you felt irritated, annoyed and impatient with me.<br /><br />Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) mentions in Noble Qur'an:<br />"And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) "Ugh" nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word. And make yourself submissively gentle to them with compassion, and say: O my Lord! Have compassion on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little." Noble Qur'an (17:23-24)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ezsoftech.com/stories/imamsajjad3.asp">Imam Zainul Abideen (pbuh)</a> says: "It is also said that once a man came to the <a href="http://www.ezsoftech.com/stories/rasool6.asp">Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)</a> and asked: "I feed my parents, carry them on my back and clean them, have I fulfilled my duty towards them? The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) answered: No, because, you are serving them in anticipation for their death while they served you wishing you a long life".<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-2977780905859701519?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Nafisahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03273710240716394691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-66222170286861953622007-05-22T14:12:00.001+08:002007-05-23T21:48:49.489+08:00<div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://services.islamicfinder.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=25&pos=121"></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Rage Italic;font-size:130%;color:#aa4d4e;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:#993366;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:12;color:#996600;"><div align="center"><span style="color:#993366;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><strong>The Making of a Muslim</strong></span></span></span></span></span></div></span></div></span></span><br /><div align="center"><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong></strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><o><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>HOW TO SACRIFICE?</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Part 2</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong></strong></span></span></o></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><o><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong></strong></span><o></o></span></o></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><div align="center"><div align="center"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><o><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#996600;"><o></o><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></o></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="color:#438059;"><span class="titre"><span style="color:#993366;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>By Khurram Murad</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span style="color:#585e82;"><span style="color:#585e82;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span style="color:#585e82;"><span style="color:#585e82;"><span style="color:#556688;"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#d25b7f;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#993366;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#d25b7f;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><div align="center"><div align="center"><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#556688;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="color:#000000;"></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color:#996600;"></span></strong></div></div></div></div><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"><o></o></span></span></strong></span></div><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Inner Urge</strong></span></div></span></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#996600;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The primary motivating force that drives you to make sacrifices must lie inside your own self. The urge should come from within. The roots must lie deep in heart and soul. Neither group approval, nor conformity, nor organizational discipline, nor any other external pressure, should provide the compulsion to come forward with your sacrifice. Each one of them is important and has an important role to play in shaping our conduct. But if sacrifices are offered for any reason other than Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's pleasure, it would be extremely difficult to offer large sacrifices, or offer them continually, under all circumstances. The will and spirit to sacrifice must be internalized.<span id="fullpost"></span></span></strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Willing Choice</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Choice to sacrifice should be made willingly. This means that you should, by your own choice, come forward to offer whatever you can to secure Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's pleasure. Your will should harmonize with His will.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>This does not mean that one should not feel any pain or discomfort while making a sacrifice. Once you give up your love or your desire or your value, to feel pain is only human. Indeed, if you feel no pain in giving up something, that giving up may not be worth being called a sacrifice. You are throwing away something which is of no value to you. Rather, the greater the pain, the greater the worth of the sacrifice. But pain ought to be followed by contentment; contentment for having given up something you considered valuable for Allaah's pleasure which is really the most valuable, for having willingly borne pain for the sake of your love for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala which supersedes every other love.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Two Basic Aids</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>We have been given two basic aids to help us develop all those inner resources which I have put before you. I can only mention them in passing, for each deserves to be treated in detail in its own right.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>'O Believers! Seek help with Sabr and Salaat'</em> (Al-Baqarah 2:153).</span></strong></span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>What is Salaat? Salaat of course is a ritual worship. It consists of certain physical postures. It also consists of certain words which we utter from beginning to end. But the whole purpose of Salaat is to remember and to be conscious of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. This is what the Qur'aan very clearly states: </strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>'Establish Prayer to remember Me'</em> (Ta Ha 20:14).</span></strong></span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>What is Sabr? It is very comprehensive in meaning. Literally Sabr means to bind and restrain. In the Qur'aan it encompasses qualities as wide as restraint and resolve, patience and the will to sacrifice, discipline and steadfastness. It binds you to your pledge to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, to your brothers, to your good in the Hereafter.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Hold on to Salaat and Sabr and you will gain the strength you need to offer sacrifices.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Two Models</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Let us, finally, look at two models of sacrifice.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>One is Ibraheem`alayhissal<wbr>aam: He was tried and tested in every conceivable way. His father, his family, the priestly and political powers all were opposed to him. He forsook them. He was thrown in the fire. He was banished from his home. He wandered through deserts and forests. And, ultimately, he put the knife on the throat of his son.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>This was perhaps the most difficult thing to do. It involved not only the sacrifice of a beloved son; it asked for the sacrifice of a recognized basic human ethics. Yet, in final analysis, all ethics and morality are rooted in Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's Will. Pleasing Him is the ultimate criterion. But, of course, only a Messenger in direct communication with Allaah can be in a position to override an ethics laid down by Allaah and give Him this extreme sacrifice. Each one of us, however, may at times, have to suspend his 'personal' ethical judgement in the face of a clear injunction from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Only after offering all these sacrifices, and the ultimate sacrifice, was Ibraheem proclaimed as the 'leader of mankind'.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>'And when his Lord tested Ibraheem by various commandments and he fulfilled all of them, He said, Behold, I make you a leader of mankind'</em> (Al-Baqarah 2:124).</span></strong></span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>If we profess and proclaim that we stand for a revival of Islam, where Islam will be the leader of all mankind, then we should, individually and collectively, follow and emulate; that noble model of Ibraheem.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>The second model is that of the Prophet Muhammad, sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. Whether it was in the valley of Makkah where thorns were laid in his path or in the valley of Taif where stones were thrown at him, on the battlefield of Uhud where he lost his teeth or in the streets of Madeenah where his enemies raised all sorts of slanderous campaigns and propaganda against him, he has left for us the best examples of sacrifice. So did his followers and Companions.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Root Principles</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Sacrifice, as we saw earlier, primarily means slaughter of an animal. To remember the examples of Ibraheem`alayhissal<wbr>aam and Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, you sacrifice an animal each year on the day after Hajj; Hajj itself being a worship rite which incorporates the most intense and sustained sacrifices. Here we must remember two important lessons:</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>One: What finds acceptance with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala is not the sacrificial animal, but our willingness and preparedness to sacrifice, His love in our hearts, our obedience to Him. Never lose sight of this root principle; never be content with 'form' without spirit; nor, though, ever give up forms. </strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#996600;"><em>'</em></span><span style="color:#996600;"><em>The flesh of them shall not reach Allaah, neither their blood, but Godliness from you shall reach Him'.</em> (Al-Hajj 22:37).</span></span></strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Two: The supreme sacrifice is the sacrifice of life. By giving away your physical life in the way of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, you die once. And that is the ultimate sacrifice. But you are required to die every day and every moment as you overcome your deeply-rooted loves, as you offer yourself totally to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, as you obey Him against all opposition from within and without. Thus you lay down your life, not just once, but again and again. That is the supreme sacrifice.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>'Say: My Prayer and my sacrifice, my living and my dying belong to Allaah, the Lord of all the worlds'</em>. (Al-An'aam 6:162).</span></strong></span></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"><o></o></span></span></strong></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>'Not equal is he among you who spent, and who fought, before the victory; those are higher in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards'</em> (Al-Hadeed 57:10).</span></strong></span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Let me say, in conclusion, that all sacrifices are required of us because we have to shoulder the immense responsibility of fulfilling the mission that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's Messengers were charged with: <em>'That you be witnesses unto mankind.'</em> We must be true slaves of our Lord, and be selfless servants of mankind. It is to serve mankind that we have been constituted into an <em>Ummah</em>. That calling requires that we prepare ourselves for one of the most difficult tasks in life.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Without making sacrifices the revival of Islam will always remain a matter of speeches or a matter of dreams. To actualize it, we will have to give up our time and wealth, our life and resources, our personal likes and dislikes.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"><strong>Even our best efforts, however, may not be perfect. We may waver and falter, we may fail and despair. But this is only human. What Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala looks at is our intention and effort. So let us turn to Him to help us lest our human frailties overwhelm us when sacrifices are demanded of us, and to seek His forgiveness for all our shortcomings and failures.</strong></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:#996600;">'Our Lord! Take us not to task if we forget, or make mistakes. </span></em><em><span style="color:#996600;">Our Lord! Lay not upon us a burden such as Thou didst lay upon those before us. </span></em><em><span style="color:#996600;">Our Lord! Do Thou not burden us beyond what we have strength to bear. </span></em><em><span style="color:#996600;">And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. </span></em><em><span style="color:#996600;">Thou art our Master; help us, then, against people who deny the truth'. </span></em><span style="color:#996600;">(Al-Baqarah 2:286) </span></span></strong></span></span></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:#996600;"></div></span></blockquote></blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6622217028686195362?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-34597731041965861772007-05-17T10:37:00.001+08:002007-05-23T21:51:30.609+08:00<div align="center"><div class="MsoNormal" align="center"><strong><span style="color:#996600;"></span></strong></div></div><div align="center"><a href="http://services.islamicfinder.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=25&pos=121" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Rage Italic;font-size:130%;color:#aa4d4e;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:#993366;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:12;color:#996600;"><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#993366;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Rage Italic;font-size:130%;">The Making of a Muslim</span></span></span></span></span></div></span></div></span></span><br /><div align="center"><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">HOW TO SACRIFICE?</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">Part 1</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">Love for Allaah</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">Remembering Allaah</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">Living in His Presence</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">Meeting Allaah</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">Grateful and Humble</span></div></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></span></div><div align="center"><div align="center"><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#438059;"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#993366;"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#996600;">By Khurram Murad</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style="font-family:Rage Italic;"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:Garamond;color:#585e82;"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#585e82;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span style="color:#585e82;"><span style="color:#585e82;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;color:#556688;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#d25b7f;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#993366;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style="font-family:Rage Italic;"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="titre"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;color:#d25b7f;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><div align="center"><div align="center"><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;color:#556688;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;"></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#004000;"></span></span></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;"></span></span></span></div><blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">HOW TO SACRIFICE?</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#996600;">How to draw from within yourselves the inner resources which would generate, nourish and sustain your spirit and capacity to sacrifice? How can you become, and remain, willing and prepared to offer sacrifices required of you?</span></div></span></span></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">You have come to know some of the ways while we have been discussing various types of sacrifices. There are, how ever, certain fundamental inner resources which need to be emphasized and remembered, which you must try to generate within yourselves.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">But first let us recapitulate certain basic principles on which these resources depend.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">One, a sacrifice is a sacrifice only when you give up something which you love or value or desire. You can give it up only for the sake of something which you love more or value and desire more, or which is more important or urgent to you. Two, whatever the outer form of sacrifice - time, wealth, life, likes and dislikes, opinions - what you really sacrifice is the love and value you attach to it, and not the form. Three, you will therefore become more willing and pre pared to offer a sacrifice in the way of Allaah as your love for </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Allaah and His rewards increases in depth, intensity and strength and as the value you attach to the objects of sacrifice diminishes in your sight.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Love for Allaah</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Thus love lies at the root of everything. You can therefore realize what you need most to help you gain the inner strength necessary for offering sacrifices. It is your love for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. How much do you love him? Do you love Him more than everything else?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">That is why the Qur'aan says: <em>'The [true] believers love Allaah more than all else' </em>(Al-Baqarah 2:165). </span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">That is why it confronts every Muslim with one simple but profound question: </span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><em>Whom do you love more? Allaah, His Messenger and Jihaad in His way, or fathers, sons, wives, brothers, wealth, houses, commerce, careers?</em> (al-Tawbah 9:24).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Only with such love for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala will sacrifice turn into an inner urge,rather than remaining a motion of compliance with an external exhortation. Then you will derive the true delight and pleasure in fulfilling the demands of Eemaan. Remember: there are two types of Eemaan. One remains on our lips and that is the Eemaan which becomes a burden to us. There is another Eemaan which penetrates into the heart that is the Eemaan which becomes a pleasure, a delight, a joy. Once you have this Eemaan, if you are required to give time, money, life or sacrifice,likes and dislikes, opinions, you do it gladly. The Prophet, sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, said: 'There are three things, only the one who has them will taste the sweetness of Eemaan: [first of them is] that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and His Messenger sall Allaahu1alayhi wa sallam he loves more than any other thing beside them . . .' (Bukhaari, Muslim).</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">How to attain love for Allaah which exceeds every other love? There are not, and cannot be, any precise formula for this purpose. But a few things will help. And each in turn will become a rich inner resource you will need to fulfill the demands of sacrificing.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Remembering Allaah</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Remember how He Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has created you, provided you with everything you need; how infinitely Merciful He is. Look at your existence, look at the universe around you, and everywhere you will see His mercy and care, His wisdom and majesty. As you reflect and ponder over 'His signs', which are everywhere, your love for Him will increase.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Part of remembering Him is to turn to Him and seek His help in loving Him. The Prophet, sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, has taught us many ways of doing so. Two are:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">I ask of Thee, Allaah, Thy love, love of those who love Thee, and the (doing of) deeds which may bring Thy love to me. Make my love for Thee greater than my love for myself, for my wealth, for my family, for cold water. (Tirmidhi, Muslim).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Allaah, make Thy love greater than every other love, Thy fear greater than every other fear. Make my eagerness to meet Thee cut across all my worldly desires. Place my pleasure in worshipping Thee while Thou gives the worldly their pleasure in this world.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Remembering Him Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala as often as you can is essential and fundamental. It will help you not only to attain love, but all other resources you need to develop your spirit and capacity of sacrifice: mindful of living in His presence, attaching real value to meeting Him and receiving His rewards, understanding the worth and place of this-worldly life, grateful and humble before Him, fearful of never having done enough, prepared and willing to obey His commands.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Living in His Presence</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Live as if you are in His presence. Remember that <em>'He is with you wherever you may be'</em> (Al-Hadeed 57:4). </span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">When you are called upon to make a sacrifice, or you prepare to make it of your own accord, remember that you are before His eyes. That is what He asks us to be mindful of: <em>'Surely you are before Our eyes'</em> (Al-Tur 52:48).</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Coupled with your conviction that whatever you are sacrificing belongs to the One who is seeing you, and His reward would be manifold and eternal, this should give you some measure of that inner urge and strength essential to you.</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">This consciousness of being in His presence, of His Eyes being upon us, of Him listening to us, of doing our duty as our Master is with us, praising us generously, rewarding us kindly, is a prime source for creating the spirit of sacrifice. This also creates trust in Him, because once you know that you are with Him, you can entrust all your affairs to Him.</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Meeting Allaah</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Every one of us has to die (Aali-`Imraan 3:185). Death is not the end of everything, it is only a transition into the next phase. In that phase we will stand face to face with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">None of us likes to die; it is only human. But die we must, and only after death will the doors open to eternal life and blessings. If you understand the nature and reality of this-worldly life, if you know that you can receive your fair wages only upon meeting Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, then you will develop two feelings. One, a desire to meet Him, however you may fear Him on account of your own misdeeds. Two, the preparedness to sacrifice everything that belongs to this-world for what you will earn in reward in the Hereafter.</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">One of the du'aas the Prophet, sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, used to make says:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Allaah! Grant me the delight of looking at Thy noble face and a longing to meet Thee (</span><span id="lw_1179368113_1" style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed; HEIGHT: 1emfont-size:130%;" >Nasa</span><span style="font-size:130%;">'i, Ahmad, Hakim).</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Grateful and Humble</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Whatever the nature of sacrifice, and whether big or small tangible or intangible, offer it in gratitude and humility. It so often happens that one begins to get weary and tired of giving in the way of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. One, then, begins to say, 'We have already spent so much time; we have already given so much money; how much more shall we give?; we have already made so many sacrifices; what else is required of us?' This will happen only if you are making sacrifices not to please Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala alone; but then you are motivated by something else. Or, when you do not realize that you should indeed be grateful to Him for every opportunity you get to offer some sacrifice. Also offer every sacrifice in all humility.</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Let us be very clear that whatever things you sacrifice, you do not give it to some person, nor to some organization. Nor do you give it to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, though He is Merciful and Generous enough to say that whatever you give is a loan to Him, which shall be repaid manifold. You give everything to yourselves. Does one ever get tired of giving more and more to himself?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Now this is not selfishness. It only means that we believe that our ultimate prosperity lies in submission to the will of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. Through sacrifice we seek our betterment in this life and we desire a successful, eternal life in the Hereafter. At the same time, every sacrifice we make, everything we give in the way of Allaah Almighty, makes our community stronger.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Therefore be grateful to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala for having given you the opportunity to sacrifice, for having called upon you to serve Him, for having blessed you with the ability to offer something in His way. Things might have been otherwise. We might have been left wandering astray: we might not have been given the opportunity to sacrifice wealth and thus reap eternal reward. You should therefore give every sacrifice in the spirit of gratitude. To Him you should look for acceptance.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">And also humility. You should never have the feeling of having done enough. Once the disease creeps into your heart that you have done enough, then all is lost. You should always think that whatever sacrifice you may offer, it is still nothing compared to the obligations you have to discharge towards Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;"></span><span style="color:#996600;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#996600;">Being fearful of never having given away enough is very fundamental to your sacrifice. The Qur'aan says: <em>'They give what they give, but their hearts tremble'</em> (al-Mu'minoon 23:60).</span><br /></span></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3459773104196586177?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Usman Ghanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-73692317885602649942007-05-16T18:12:00.000+08:002007-05-16T18:14:35.794+08:00One day Ibrahim Adham was passing through the bazaar in the city of Basra when he was surrounded by people who said to him: "O Ibrahim! Allah has stated in the miraculous Qur'an that: "Call Me and thou shall be answered"; we call upon Him bout our prayer is not answered.<br />Ibrahim said: "The reason is because your hearts have died due to ten things so that your supplications have no sincerity as your hearts are not pure and free of contamination."<br />They asked: "What are those ten issues?" He replied:<br /><br />01:- First and foremost you have accepted Allah but have not repaid His claim.<br />02:- You have recited the miraculous Qur'an but have not practised it.<br />03:- You profess your love of the Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.), but are opposed to his Household (A.S.).<br />04:- You claim to have enmity with Satan but in practice you are in agreement with him.<br />05:- You say that you are fond of heaven but in order to enter heaven you have not done anything.<br />06:- You said that you were afraid of the Fire of Hell, but have thrown your bodies in to it.<br />07:- You were busy slandering and criticizing people but were ignorant of your own shortcomings and faults.<br />08:- You said that you didn't like the world but are greedily following it.<br />09:- You confess to the reality of death but don't prepare yourself for it.<br />10:- You have buried the dead but haven't taken a lesson or guidance from it.<br /><br />These are the 10 practices (Ten Reasons) which cause prayers to remain unanswered.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /></span><span id="fullpost"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-7369231788560264994?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Nafisahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03273710240716394691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-34464908134251864042007-05-16T11:44:00.001+08:002007-05-18T16:23:13.855+08:00<p class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;">SOS = <b>S</b>ave <b>O</b>ur <b>S</b>ouls </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;">SOS signal ဆိုတာ ကမာၻေပၚရွိ အသက္ကယ္ အဖြဲ့ အားလုံး နားလည္တဲ့ အသက္ကယ္ အခ်က္ေပးျခင္း တစ္မ်ိဳးပါ။ အႏၱရာယ္ တစ္ခုခု ၾကဳံလာျပီဆိုလွ်င္္ (ဥပမာ - သေဘာၤပ်က္ရင္၊ ေတာထဲမွာ လမ္းေပ်ာက္သြားရင္) SOS signal ေပးလိုက္မယ္ဆိုရင္ အနီးဆုံး အသက္ကယ္ အဖြဲ့ တစ္ဖြဲ့က လာကယ္ပါလိမ့္မယ္ (သူတို့ အနီးအနားမွာ ရွိရင္ေပါ့)။</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;"><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>SOS signal ဘယ္လို ေပးမလဲ… အရင္ေခတ္ Morse code (သံၾကိဳးရိုက္သည့္ေခတ္) က<b> . . . _ _ _ . . . </b>(အစက္သုံးစက္၊ dash သုံးခု၊ အစက္သုံးစက္) အမွတ္အသားနဲ့ ေပးပို့ေလ့ ရွိခဲ့သည္။ အသံနဲ့ အခ်က္ေပးမယ္ဆိုရင္ (ဘယ္လိုေျပာရမလဲ မသိဘူး။) ေဒါက္ေဒါက္ေဒါက္ ေဒါက္..ေဒါက္..ေဒါက္ ေဒါက္ေဒါက္ေဒါက္ ဆိုျပီး ပထမသုံးခ်က္ကို တစ္ဆက္တည္း၊ ဒုတိယ သုံးခ်က္ကို နည္းနည္းဆြဲျပီး တတိယ သုံးခ်က္ကို တစ္ဆက္တည္း ေပးလို့ ရပါတယ္။ အမ်ားဆုံး သုံးတာကေတာ့ မီးေရာင္နဲ့ အခ်က္ျပတာပါ။ အမ်ားအားျဖင့္ လက္ႏွိပ္ဓာတ္မီးေပါ့။ မီးကို ဖြင့္လိုက္ ပိတ္လိုက္ မွိတ္တုတ္မွိတ္တုတ္ ျဖစ္ေအာင္ လုပ္ျပီး အခ်က္ျပလို့ ရပါတယ္။ ထုံးစံအတိုင္း ပထမ သုံးေခါက္ကို ႏွစ္စကၠန့္ ဖြင့္ ႏွစ္စကၠန့္ပိတ္မယ္ဆိုရင္ ဒုတိယ သုံးေခါက္ကို ငါးစကၠန့္ေလာက္ ျခားျပီး အဖြင့္ အပိတ္ လုပ္ရပါမယ္။ ျပီးရင္ တတိယ သုံးေခါက္ကို ပထမ သုံးေခါက္လုပ္ပါတဲ့။ </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Zawgyi-One;">အရင္တုန္းက ရုပ္ရွင္ေတြထဲမွာေတာ့ ၾကည့္ဖူးမွာပါ။ အခုမွ အတိအက်သိလို့ ေရးၾကည့္တာ။<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS</a></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-3446490813425186404?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-62060032477323613292007-05-14T14:38:00.000+08:002007-05-18T16:24:21.478+08:00<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/RkgEIxErfRI/AAAAAAAAABw/i3cPOY1DfJg/s1600-h/coffeebean.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064302329636551954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D7Xqh0tCZXw/RkgEIxErfRI/AAAAAAAAABw/i3cPOY1DfJg/s320/coffeebean.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br />THE TRICK IS TO FIND THE MAN IN THE COFFEE BEANS:<br /><br />This is bizarre -- after you find the guy -- it's so obvious. Once you find him, it's embarrassing, and you think, why didn't I see him immediately?<br /><br />Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!<br /><br />And, yes, the man is really there!!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6789625437587625258-6206003247732361329?l=msuia.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Thinzarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03721761603795788347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789625437587625258.post-875967043932065312007-05-10T20:50:00.001+08:002007-05-10T20:50:22.374+08:00<DIV class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT color=#000000><SPAN class=nolink><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Maiandra GD'"><SPAN><SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=center> <DIV dir=ltr align=center><FONT color=#000000><SPAN class=titre><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"><SPAN class=titre><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"><SPAN class=titre><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"><SPAN class=nolink><SPAN class=nolink><SPAN class=nolink><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 28pt; COLOR: #a50021; FONT-FAMILY: 'Rage Italic'"><FONT color=#000000><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: maroon; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: maroon; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #990033; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT face="Maiandra GD" size=1> <div class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN class=titre><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Maiandra GD'">A Pioneer&nbsp;of the Environment</SPAN></SPAN></B></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 28pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Rage Italic'"><O></O></SPAN></div></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV align=center><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT color=#000000></FONT></SPAN></B>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV align=center><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT color=#008000>By Francesca De Chatel</FONT></SPAN></B></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=1></FONT></O></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=1><FONT face=Verdana size=2><FONT color=#000000><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #003300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT color=#006600 size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">&nbsp;</SPAN><O><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>&nbsp;</FONT></O></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"There is none amongst the believers who plants a tree, or sows a seed, and then a bird, or a person, or an animal eats thereof, but it is regarded as having given a charitable gift [for which there is great recompense]." </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">[Al-Bukhaari, III:513].<U1> <O></O></SPAN></div></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The idea of the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam as a pioneer of environmentalism will initially strike many as strange: indeed, the term "environment" and related concepts like "ecology", "environmental awareness" and "sustainability"<WBR>, are modern-day inventions, terms that were formulated in the face of the growing concerns about the contemporary state of the natural world around us. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">And yet a closer reading of the <SPAN>hadeeth</SPAN>, the body of work that recounts significant events in the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's life, reveals that he was a staunch advocate of environmental protection. One could say he was an "environmentalist <I>avant la lettre</I>",<I> </I>a pioneer in the domain of conservation, sustainable development and resource management, and one who constantly sought to maintain a harmonious balance between man and nature. From all accounts of his life and deeds, we read that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam had a profound respect for fauna and flora, as well as an almost visceral connection to the four elements, earth, water, fire and air. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">He was a strong proponent of the sustainable use and cultivation of land and water, proper treatment of animals, plants and birds, and the equal rights of users. In this context the modernity of the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's view of the environment and the concepts he introduced to his followers is particularly striking; certain passages of the <SPAN>hadeeth </SPAN>could easily be mistaken for discussions about contemporary environmental issues.<U1> </SPAN></U1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #990033; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><U1></div> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><FONT color=#000000><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><STRONG>Three Principles</STRONG></SPAN>&nbsp;<O></O></FONT></SPAN></DIV></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's environmental philosophy is first of all holistic: it assumes a fundamental link and interdependency between all natural elements and bases its teachings on the premise that if man abuses or exhausts one element, the natural world as a whole will suffer direct consequences. This belief is nowhere formulated in one concise phrase; it is rather an underlying principle that forms the foundation of all the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's actions and words, a life philosophy that defined him as a person.<U1> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The three most important principles of the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's philosophy of nature are based on the Qur`aanic teachings and the concepts of T<SPAN>awheed </SPAN>(unity), K<SPAN>haleefa</SPAN> (stewardship) and A<SPAN>maana </SPAN>(trust). </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Tawheed</SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">, the oneness of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala,<I> </I>is a cornerstone of the Islamic faith. It recognizes the fact that there is one absolute Creator and that man is responsible to Him for all his actions: <O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"To Allaah belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, for Allaah encompasses everything </SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">[4:126]."</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><SPAN>&nbsp; </SPAN><O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam acknowledges that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's knowledge and power covers everything. Therefore abusing one of his creations, whether it is a living being or a natural resource, is a sin. The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam considered all of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's creations to be equal before Allaah and he believed animals, but also land, forests and watercourses should have rights. <SPAN>&nbsp;</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><U1></U1><O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The concepts of K<SPAN>haleefa</SPAN>, Stewardship,<SPAN> </SPAN>and A<SPAN>maana</SPAN>, Trust,<SPAN> </SPAN>emerge from the principle of T<SPAN>awheed.<I> </I></SPAN>The Qur`aan explains that mankind holds a privileged position among Allaah's creations on earth: he is chosen as K<SPAN>haleefa</SPAN>, "vice-regent" and carries the responsibility of caring for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's earthly creations. Each individual is given this task and privilege in the form of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's trust. But the Qur`aan repeatedly warns believers against arrogance: they are no better than other creatures.<SPAN>&nbsp; </SPAN><O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"No creature is there on earth nor a bird flying with its wings but they are nations like you </SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">[6:38]";<O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of man; but most people know not". </SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">[40:57]</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam believed that the universe and the creations in it – animals, plants, water, land – were not created for mankind. Man is allowed to use the resources but he can never own them. Thus while Islam allows land ownership, it has limitations: an owner can, for example, only own land if he uses it; once he ceases to use it, he has to part with his possession.<U1> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam recognized man's responsibility to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala but always maintained humility. Thus he said: <I>"When doomsday comes, if someone has a palm shoot in his hand, he should plant it,"</I> suggesting that even when all hope is lost for mankind, one should sustain nature's growth. He believed that nature remains a good in itself, even if man does not benefit from it. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Similarly, the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam incited believers to share the earth's resources. He said:<I> "Muslims share alike in three things – water, herbage and fire," </I>and he considered it a sin to withhold water from the thirsty. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"<I>No one can refuse surplus water without sinning against Allaah and against man</I>". <SPAN>[Mishkat al Masabih].<I> </I></SPAN><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's attitude towards sustainable use of land, conservation of water and the treatment of animals is a further illustration of the humility of his environmental philosophy. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1><FONT color=#000000><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #990033; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT color=#000000> <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><STRONG>Sustainable Use of Land</STRONG> <O></O></SPAN></DIV> <DIV class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"The earth has been created for me as a mosque and as a means of purification." </SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">[Al-Bukhaari I:331]<I> </I></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">With these words the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam emphasizes the sacred nature of earth or soil, not only as a pure entity but also as a purifying agent. This reverence towards soil is also demonstrated in the ritual of <SPAN>tayammum</SPAN>, or "dry <SPAN>wudoo</SPAN>" which permits the use of dust in the performance of ritual purification before prayer when water is not available. </SPAN></DIV></FONT></SPAN></FONT> <DIV></DIV> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam saw earth as subservient to man, but recognised that it should not be overexploited or abused, and that it had rights, like the trees and wildlife living on it. In order to protect land, forests and wildlife, the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam created inviolable zones known as <SPAN>himaa</SPAN> and <SPAN>haraam</SPAN>, in which resources were to be left untouched. Both are still in use today: <SPAN>haraam </SPAN>areas are often drawn up around wells and water sources to protect the groundwater table from over-pumping. <SPAN>Himaa<I> </I></SPAN>applies particularly to wildlife and forestry and usually designates an area of land where grazing and woodcutting are restricted, or where certain animal species are protected.<U1> </U1></SPAN></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam not only encouraged the sustainable use of fertile lands, he also told his followers of the benefits of making unused land productive: planting a tree, sowing a seed and irrigating dry land were all regarded as charitable deeds. <I>"Whoever brings dead land to life, that is, cultivates wasteland, for him is a reward therein." </I><SPAN>&nbsp;</SPAN>Thus any person who irrigates a plot of "dead", or desert land becomes its rightful owner.<U1> </SPAN></U1><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT color=#000000><O></div> <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><STRONG>Conservation of Water</STRONG> </SPAN></O></DIV></FONT></SPAN> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">In the harsh desert environment where the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam lived, water was synonymous to life. Water was a gift from Allaah, the source of all life on earth as is testified in the Qur`aan: <O></O></SPAN></div></SPAN> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><SPAN>&nbsp;</SPAN>"<I>We made from water every living thing" </I><SPAN>[21:30]</SPAN>. <O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Qur`aan constantly reminds believers that they are but the guardians of Allaah </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">'s creation on earth and that they should never take this creation for granted: <O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"Consider the water which you drink. Was it you that brought it down from the rain cloud or We? If We had pleased, We could make it bitter</SPAN></I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"<I> </I><SPAN>[56:68-70].</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><U1> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></U1><O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Saving water and safeguarding its purity were two important issues for the Prophet:</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> we have seen that his concern about the sustainable use of water led to the creation of <SPAN>haraam<I> </I></SPAN>zones in the vicinity of water sources. But even when water was abundant, he advocated thriftiness: thus he recommended that believers perform <SPAN>wudoo<I> </I></SPAN>no more than three times, even if they were near to a flowing spring or river. <O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Imaam Al-Bukhaari added: <I>"The men of science disapprove of exaggeration and also of exceeding the number of ablutions of the Prophet." </I><O></O></SPAN></div> <DIV class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam also warned against water pollution by forbidding urination in stagnant water. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div> <H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Treatment of Animals<O></O></SPAN></H1><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"If anyone wrongfully kills even a sparrow</SPAN>&nbsp;let alone anything greater, he will face Allaah's interrogation" [Mishkat al Masabih]. <SPAN>&nbsp;</SPAN>These words reflect the great reverence, respect and love that the Prophet always showed towards animals. He believed that as part of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's creation, animals should be treated with dignity, and the hadeeth contains a large collection of traditions, admonitions and stories about his relationship to animals. It shows that he had particular consideration for horses and camels: to him they were valiant companions during journey and battle, and he found great solace and wisdom in their presence as the following tradition reveals: <O></O></SPAN></DIV> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"In the forehead of horses are tied up welfare and bliss until the Day of Resurrection." <SPAN>&nbsp;</SPAN><U1></U1></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Even in the slaughter of animals, the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam showed great gentleness and sensitivity. While he did not practice vegetarianism, the a<SPAN>hadeeth</SPAN> clearly show that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam was extremely sensitive to the suffering of animals, almost as though he shared their pain viscerally. Thus he recommends using sharp knives and a good method so that the animal can die a quick death with as little pain as possible. He also warned against slaughtering an animal in the presence of other animals, or letting the animal witness the sharpening of blades: to him that was equal to "slaughtering the animal twice" and he emphatically condemned such practices as "abominable".&nbsp;</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #990033; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><U1>&nbsp;<O></O></SPAN></div></U1><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT color=#000000> <H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #cc6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Conclusion <O></O></SPAN></H1></FONT></SPAN> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify>It is impossible to do justice to the full scope and significance of Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam's environmental philosophy in this short article. His holistic view of nature and his understanding of man's place within the natural world pioneered environmental awareness within the Muslim community. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><O></O></SPAN></div><U1></U1> <div class=MsoBodyText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align=justify><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Sadly, the harmony that th