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The highest aim in life - To worship Allah and do His will The most enriching good habit - Complimenting others The most destructive bad habit - Worry The greatest joy - Giving The greatest loss - Loss of self-respect The most satisfying work - Helping others The ugliest personality trait - Selfishness The most endangered species - Dedicated leaders Our greatest natural resource - Our youth The ugliest look - A frown The greatest "shot in the arm" - Encouragement The greatest problem to overcome - Fear The most effective sleeping pill - Peace of mind The most crippling failure disease - Excuses The surest way to displease God - Unbelief The most powerful forces in life - Love The most dangerous piranha - A gossiper The Greatest Life-Giver - The Creator The worlds most incredible computer - The brain The worst thing to be without - Hope The deadliest weapon - The tongue The two most power-filled words - "I Can" The greatest asset - Faith The most worthless emotion - Self-pity The most beautiful attire - A SMILE! The most prized possession - Self esteem The most powerful channel of communication - Prayer The most contagious spirit - Enthusiasm The most urgent need - SALVATION The greatest attribute of the prophets - Obedience The GREATEST - Allah SWT... ALLAHU AKBAR! |
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Let's Go Fruit Picking
Work of Brother Zulkifli Khair [Thanks!]
Despite the end of strawberry season, there are apple, grapes and many more to come - fruits harvesting season during summertime in the north hemisphere. Don’t miss out. Plucking and eating the sweet juicy plum under its tree is really a remarkable experience, especially if it is your first time. So, let’s go fruit picking, as well as fruit eating!
By the way, there are plenty signs of the Creator on fruits. For instance, fruits of diverse colours, tastes, fragrances and sizes produced from the same soil and climate. In the mean time, I used to pick reddish apple, greenly pear and yellowish plum in the same farm. Once at the tropical farm, I used to eat yellowish banana, reddish and hairy rambutan and blackish mangosteen in the same farm.
On the other hand, God creates varieties of single fruit. For example, subhanAllah, the varieties of apple are in the following table, which in the seasonal order:
Picking time Variety
Early August George Cave
Early August Grenadier
End August Merton Knave
Mid to end August Discovery
Early September James Grieve
Early September Worcester Pearmain
Mid-September Laxton’s Fortune
Mid-September Ellison’s Orange
Mid- September St. Edmund Russet
Late September Lord Lambourne
Late September Egremont Russet
Late September Golden Noble
End September Sunset
Early October Kidd’s Orange Red
Early October Cox’s Orange Pippin
Early October Bramley’s Seedling
Early October Howgate Wonder
Early October Lane’s Prince Albert
Early October Spartan
Mid-October Golden Delicious
Mid to end October Idared
Late October Orlean’s Reinette
The wide range of various fruits is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an:
"It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date palm and its spathe come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety and taste). Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe." (Al-An’am, 6: 99)
So many verses about fruits in the Qur’an with several terms like thamar, thamarat, fakihah, fawakih and jana (fruits), nakhl and nakhil (dates), ‘inab and a’nab (grapes), rumman (pomegranates), teen (figs) and zaitun (olives). There is also thalh (banana tree) as in Ar-Rahman. However, it never limits the vast variety of fruits in the world, the great favour from God.
It is also very amazing by thinking of fruits juicy flesh that originally comes from the tasteless and without Vitamin C fresh water of rain. Definitely, through photosynthesis, fruits determined by the rain, by the nature, which is governed by God:
"And We sent down from the sky water (rain) in (due) measure, and We gave it lodging in the earth, and verily, We are Able to take it away. Then We brought forth for you therewith gardens of date-palms and grapes, wherein is much fruit for you, and whereof you eat. And a tree (olive) that springs forth from Mount Sinai, that grows oil, and (it is a) relish for the eaters." (Al-Mu’minun, 23: 18-20)
Thence, God Himself makes a challenge, asking human to send down water from sky as in al-Waqi’ah, 56: 68-69 and al-Mulk, 67: 30. The story of Saba in the Qur’an (Saba, 34: 15-17), lays a great lesson. Since the civilised Sabaean people turned away from Allah, the flood of Arim finally destroyed their great civilization including their gardens and fruits farms. Allah replaced their sweet juicy fruits with the bitter fruits. The utmost conclusion here is fruits are from God. Man sows, plants, sprays, prunes etc, but God gives life for it to grow, develop and ripe.
While you are picking and eating the ready-to-eat food made by God, try to visualize that you are able to do it in your kitchen, dining room and bedroom. What such of paradise life! Says Allah: "Reclining upon the couches lined with silk brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will be near at hand." (Ar-Rahman, 55: 54)
In another passage, Allah states:
"And the shade thereof is close upon them, and the bunches of fruits thereof will hang low within their reach (to be picked)." (Al-Insan, 76: 14)
Now, imagine you are now inside the fruit farm, eating juicy oranges or plum or whatever juicy or thirst quenching fruits you are most like. The juicy flesh mixes with the saliva, stimulating the microvilli on your tongue, which then start making nerve signals. After that, accelerating the signals towards brain.
The brain interprets the signals and identifies the taste. Later they are translated into _expression_ such as "aaah, it’s lovely juicy" or "so delicious, so tangy!" Nevertheless, this is only a tiny speck of provision compared to the universe of provisions in the truly paradise. Paradise life is beyond the dimension of space and time, beyond our imagination.
There is Greatness of God behind fruit picking. There are beauties of paradise in hereafter behind fruit picking too. Thus, to reflect ourselves about this impermanent life. Either in the backyard or fruit farm, enjoy fruit picking with our heart and mind! Allaahu Akbar!
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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