[IslamCity] Russia does not need USA's help in building democracy - America neeeds the Russian help to stay alive.
Title: APFN Russia does not need USA's help in building democracy 02/16/2005 13:40 Now everyone acknowledges that John Kennedy's election was not legitimate, a half of America still thinks that the election of 2000 was fabricated About a hundred of Russian and American political and public figures wrote an open letter to the presidents of the two countries on the threshold of the Russia-USA Summit in Bratislava. The authors of the letter called upon Putin and Bush not to succumb to the pressure of those forces that are not interested in close ties between Russia and the USA, but to take new efforts to develop strategic partnership. The letter was particularly signed by Eduard Lozansky, the director of the American University in Russia, Sergei Markov, the chairman of the national civil council for international affairs, Gleb Pavlovsky, the president of the Efficient Politics Fund, and others. The letter touched upon three very important issues: Russia and USA's joint achievements in the field of the anti-terrorist struggle, the development of relations between the two countries, and certain suggestions to improve bilateral relations between Russia and the USA. "A lot of our colleagues are very concerned with a current disturbing trend, which shows a gap between declarations and the worsening of Russian-American relations on the level of their practical realization," Andrei Melvil from the Moscow International Affairs University believes. "One can witness a certain influence of a subtle political class in these relations. Both the Russian and the American societies take a smaller participation in political processes. We would like to get the civil society of the two states involved in Russian-American relations," Andrei Melvil added. "I would distinguish four levels: the relations between Russia and the USA are good on only one of them. The first one is the level of the presidents, who take the challenge closer, whom all countries see. The second one is bureaucracy, which cannot deal with the new agenda. The third level is the public opinion, which is too concentrated on internal problems. And finally, there are mass media that wage the "cold war." When you read what Western press writes about us, you realize that a lot of things written there are not true. One may see Russian journalists gloating over Iraq too, for example." The US administration's negative estimation of democratic processes in Russia is one of the most important contradictions between Russia and the USA for the time being. "I think that the export of democracy is inefficient. Iraq is a very fresh example to everyone. Needless to say that it cannot impress anyone. Estimating democratic processes is an issue of trust on the top level. Russia is being told that it will not be able to build anything alone. However, we have to say that all that we have achieved in terms of democracy, we achieved ourselves. Western consultants' activity is perceived as restrictively successful in Russia. This is an especially neurotic subject now, which does not receive any analytical attention. Will the USA or the EU be able to formulate a real program to support democracy on the post-Soviet space? Everything that they offer in this respect does not withstand any criticism from the point of view of those, who is aware of the Russian political process. Furthermore, even those countries, which experienced democratic revolutions, did not conduct their reforms according to the recipes of the USA and the EU. That is why it is not clear, what they can really offer," Gleb Pavlovsky said. Official political statements are usually of the propaganda character - they simply represent the art of talking, which can be rather dangerous art sometimes. Belarus can serve a good example of it. The Belarussian opposition looks like a group of informal clubs attached to a respectable cultural institution. It is a very small group of people, which does not give any reason to view them as democratic opposition. On the other hand, there is a regime, which maintains the security of energetic transit, which is extremely important for the European Union. One may see that Alexander Lukashenko's regime enjoys considerable popularity in Belarus. There are no reasons to say that the current state of things needs to be destabilized in the country. Neither Russian nor American outstanding public figures elaborate a single democratic line in the two societies. The director of the Am
[IslamCity] Fwd: [bangla_vision] What do today's Muslims need and what does Islam have to offer?
Devine Love <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]From: Devine Love <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 13:18:23 -0800 (PST)Subject: [bangla_vision] What do today's Muslims need and what does Islam have to offer? A brief introduction: This is an acclaimed Eid-ul-fitr khutba (edited) given by Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem Mohammad in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in early 1997. The article is oratorical as it was intended for a general audience in a mosque. It tells us one of the major reasons why Muslims are suffering today. Dr. Sherif Mohammad's articles (include published books) have intellectual depths and are focused yet they have great literary flows that make the reading pleasant and refreshing. He is a noted Islamic thinker-writer and historian. He is an academic who teaches engineering. Source: http://www.themodernreligion.com/basic/islam-offer.html Assalam'Alaikum brothers and sisters, Today, we are in fact celebrating our Islam, our being members of the greatest faith ever revealed to mankind, our being believers in the most beautiful and the most comprehensive scripture that ever descended from heaven to earth, our being followers of the greatest man that ever walked on the face of the earth, our being believers in Allah, the One and Only. Had we not been Muslims, we would have not been here today.We would have not known Ramadan, not experienced the sweetness of the fast, not tasted the beauty of the prayers, we would have not known that today is Eid. Today we are celebrating, first and foremost, that we are Muslims. We are celebrating the greatest blessing of our lives: our Islam. Islam is the faith that defines us, defines who we are, defines our identity. Islam is the religion that Allah has chosen for us, has perfected for us, and has granted us as the Quran has eloquently expressed "This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5:3) Islam is a favor, Islam is a privilege, Islam is a bounty from Allah. Islam does not need us. We need Islam. All we have to do is to be grateful for such a great blessing and say, "Praise be to Allah who has guided us to this: never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of Allah" (7:43) But why is it that we believe that Islam is such a tremendous bounty from Allah? Because there is nothing like Islam on earth: It is Islam that has taught human beings that the Lord their God is One and Only. That He has no partners, no wife, and no son, and that there can be no compromise on the unity of God. It is Islam that has taught human beings that they are all equal and that no Arab is superior to non-Arab, nor a non-Arab is superior to an Arab and that the best of all of us is the one who is most righteous. It is Islam that has taught human beings that they are all brothers and sisters created from a single pair of a male and a female. Therefore, Islam, unlike Hinduism, neither recognizes nor condones the idea of a caste system. Islam is a war on caste systems, on aristocracies, and hereditary social groups of all kinds. It is Islam that has taught humanity the value of the intellect, the importance of reflection, and the role of the mind in attaining faith. Christians teach that one can never become a believer except when the Holy Spirit mysteriously occupies one's heart. Islam teaches that faith is the fruit of reason and it is through continuous reflection on the wonders of creation that faith can be obtained, maintained, and nurtured. It is Islam that has has taught humanity that people of all races, all colors, all ethnicities are perfectly capable of attaining faith in the One and Only God. Hindus believe that Hinduism is just for those privileged to be born in the faith and therefore they do not invite the "less privileged" to embrace their faith. Jews believe that they are the chosen race and even when they accept others to embrace Judaism, those converts are always lower in rank than those born as Jews. Islam rejects all that and calls upon all people of all backgrounds to submit themselves to their Creator. Once they do, they automatically become members of the community of Islam with the same rights and duties as any other Muslim. Islam is not, and can never be, the monopoly of one race or a certain linguistic group. It is Islam that has taught humanity that God is absolutely Just and Merciful and that He will never punish one person for the sins of others. Christianity teaches that Adam and Eve had bequeathed their sin to all their descendants and thus all humans are born in this "Original Sin" and therefore Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed on the cross to redeem humanity of its 'original sin.' Islam says, NO. Humans are not born in sin. No person will be held accountable for another's mistakes. Every soul will pay for its own deeds, only. Divine justice is absolute. It is Islam that has taught humanity that righte
[IslamCity] Unity When Fasting and on the Day of the 'Eed
Unity When Fasting and on the Day of the 'Eed Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen Al-Albaanee Source: Silsilatul-Ahaadeeth As-Saheehah #224 (1/440-445) Translated by Abul-'Abbaas for www.bakkah.net [ In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, may His Salaah and Salaam be upon his final Messenger Muhammad, and upon all his family members and Companions, to proceed... ] Regarding the hadeeth: "Fasting begins on the day you all begin to fast, and Al-Fitr (the 'Eed) is the day when you all have broken your fasts." [1] At-Tirmithee, after mentioning this hadeeth, said, "And some of the people of knowledge explained this hadeeth, saying that fasting and breaking the fast are both to be done along with the main body and majority of the Muslims." And As-San'aanee said, "In it is evidence that proves that agreement of the people is needed for establishing the 'Eed, and that the one who is alone in his knowledge of the moon sighting must go along with the others, and their decision regarding the prayer, the breaking of the fast, and the day of slaughtering is binding on him." [2] And Ibnul-Qayyim, may Allaah have Mercy on him, explained this, saying, "And it has been said (by the people of knowledge) that there is a refutation in this for those who say that a person can fast and break his fast based on calculated estimations, without others having knowledge of this. And it has also been said that if a lone witness sights the moon, and the judge does not accept his sighting (for some reason), then he himself does not begin his fast based on it, nor do the people begin their fasts based on it." [3] And Abul-Hasan As-Sindee, after mentioning the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah found in At-Tirmithee's Sunan, said, "And what is apparent from the hadeeth's meaning is that these affairs are not for individuals, it is not for people to act alone in these affairs. Rather, the decision is to be made by the imaam and the main body of Muslims. It is obligatory for all individuals to follow the imaam and the main body of Muslims. So therefore, if one person sees the moon, and the imaam does not accept his testimony, then he has no right to go off on his own in these affairs, rather he must go along with the jamaa'ah." [4] I say (Al-Albaanee): This is what seems to be understood from the hadeeth. This understanding is supported by the way 'Aa'ishah used it (the hadeeth) as a proof against Masrooq when he did not want to fast on the day of 'Arafah, fearing that it may actually be the day of An-Nahr (the 'Eed). She clarified to him that his opinion has no weight, and that he must follow the jamaa'ah. She said, "The Day of An-Nahr ('Eed Al-Adh-haa, the day of slaughtering) is the day the people slaughter, and the Day of ('Eed) Al-Fitr is the day the people break their fasts." I say (Al-Albaanee): And this is what is befitting to the gracious Sharee'ah that seeks to bring the people together and unite their ranks, keeping them away from individual opinions that split their unity. So the Sharee'ah does not give weight to the opinion of an individual regarding acts of community worship like fasting, establishing the day of the 'Eed, and praying in congregation, even when the individual is correct as he sees it. Don't you see that the Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, used to pray behind each other, while some of them held that touching a woman or bleeding nullifies one's wudhoo', and others did not understand that? And some of them used to pray the entire prayer during their travels and others would shorten theirs? Their differing in these affairs and others did not prevent them from getting together to pray behind one imaam and being conscience of its importance. This is because they knew that division in the Religion is worse than differing over some opinions. Some of them ignored opinions that contradicted the leader's position in great gatherings like the one at Minaa, to the point that they would abandon their own position totally in such a large gathering, to escape the fitnah that might result in their actions based on their position. Aboo Daawood narrated that 'Uthmaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, prayed four rak'ahs (not shortening his prayer) in Minaa. 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood detested his action, saying, "I prayed two rak'ahs behind the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), two rak'ahs behind Aboo Bakr, two rak'ahs behind 'Umar, and I used to pray two rak'ahs behind 'Uthmaan in the beginning of his leadership, but then he began to complete the prayer (praying four rak'ahs), and thus the paths became divided. I only with that I could have two of the four rak'ahs accepted from me." Thereafter, Ibn Mas'ood prayed four rak'ahs! So it was said to him, "You blame 'Uthmaan and then you yourself pray four rak'ahs?!" He replied, "Differing is evil." [5] And Ahmad narrated this exact account on the authority of Aboo Tharr [6], may Allaah be pleased with all of them. So let the Muslims refl
[IslamCity] Worthy points about Allah
DO YOU LOVE ALLAH ?IMPORTANT POINTS ABOUT ALLAHAuthor: Syeda Muneeba Masood 1- Allah is the same God whom Christians call God.2- Allah is the Arabic name of God, even Arabic Christians call Allah when talking about God.3- Allah (God) is not a materialistic thing which could be divided. He is since forever and He will remain forever.4- He was not begotten, now He begot anyone.5- He made our private parts and put love in our hearts for our spouse. He has put the sense of sex in us. He made the system of marriage for human beings so that we grow our generations. 6- He does not eat, He does not Sleep, He does not feel Hungry, He does not walk, He does not run, He is not needy in any sense. He has made the sense of need in us to run this world, so that we realize His Greatness!7- He made the first person Adam with clay - without parents, then made Eve from the waist of Adam.8- He once again should His miracle by making Jesus from Marry without father.9- He himself was not made by anyone. He does not need any helper or partner.10- He is the Lord of Universe, the Creator of Heaven and Hell, the Creator of You and Me. A Power who created billions and uncountable planets in this Universe which is expanding every moment, how could that Power need any helper for Him!11- It is His insult if we tiny creatures think that He needs a partner for Himself ! 12- This Universe is in the fist of God. This Universe is so tiny that God is holding in His fist. He can crush it any time. He loves us 99 times more than a mother loves her child!13- We are so tiny for Him, you think as if we are in His hands, He is holding us, loving us. Thats why it is said 'God is dwelling in our hearts'.14- God says in the Holy Quran that God is nearer to us than our artery of life and souls.15- Only those who love God, feel the nearness of God in their hearts. Every Muslim even does not have this feeling. One who remains far from God, can never feel God in his/he heart. This all depends how one is closer to God, how one is remembering God, how one is worshipping God, how one is thinking about God.16- Dwelling in hearts does not mean that God will first be divided then He will dwell - No Never!17- He is so Powerful, He is so great, He is every where. Where you are alone, the second is God with you. Where there are 2 person, the third is God with them. Where there are 3 persons, the fourth is God among them.18- He is watching each and every thing. He knows what one is thinking at the moment, He knows what is inside a seed, He knows what is inside a mother's womb, He know what will happen next. For all these, He does not need to be divided.19- He created the Universe by saying 'Be' and it came into being!20- Why such Powerful Great Creator needs to be divided for dwelling in our hearts. 21- Tawheed means 'Oneness of God.' That is 'There is no God but Allah, He has no partner, no son, no daughter, no wife. He was not begotten nor he begot anyone'.22- Adam, Eve, Abraham, John, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad were His creatures. He sent His books with these Prophets so that we come out of darkness. So that we know about our God and His Power, His Greatness, His Mercy, His Anger.23- He does not need any son or daughter to help him. He created the feeling of sex in us to grow our generation. He is above these dirty thoughts.24- It is (shirk) greatest sin if we think like God had sex with anyone, or He begot a son.25- In all of His previous books like, Pentateuch, Gospel etc., He sent the message of His unity. The books were altered and the concept of His partner was added by satanic persons.26- When God created Adam, He asked all Angels and 'Iblees' (Satan) to prostrate to Adam. All Angels prostrated but Iblees refused. He has that he was created by fire and Adam was created by clay, he said he is better than Adam. God kicked out Iblees 'Satan' from the Heaven. Iblees asked God to grant him power over the generation of Adam so that he misguides them. God said to Iblees that he will able to misguide the children of Adam except Prophets, and that he will reside in the chests of the children of Adam and will circulate in their blood his generation will grow with the generation of Adam. When Adam heard this he said to God that his children will not be protected from Hell without the Mercy of God. Then God replied to Adam that He (God) will accept the repentance of Adam's children till their last breath.27- It is Satan who misguides the children of Adam. But God has given us the intelligence to think and realize the truth. Truth always has proofs and evidences. They are the dwellers of Hell who neglect the truth even after it is clear upon them.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamisuniversal Islam Is Universal(For Islam Learners & New Muslim Reverts)Subscribe at YahooSubscribe at MSN Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less. *** {Invite (m
[IslamCity] Malaysia: Israelis get rare invitation to KL peace meet (Straits Times Singapore)
From: ladingu Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 3:31 PM Subject: Israelis get rare invitation to KL peace meet (Straits Times Singapore) Israelis get rare invitation to KL peace meetPAS agrees to Umno decision to include four Israeli intellectualsBy Carolyn HongMALAYSIA CORRESPONDENTKUALA LUMPUR - EIGHT years ago when the Israeli cricket team visitedMalaysia, they were greeted by a wave of demonstrations around KualaLumpur led by Parti Islam SeMalaysia.SLAMMED OVER MEETING: Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was criticisedin 1999 for meeting Israeli counterpart Bernard Levy.The anger was directed at the implied recognition of the state ofIsrael, an emotional topic among Muslims who see the Palestinian causeas a symbol of the oppression of Islam.Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.But the ruling Umno party has gone ahead - with the blessings of PAS -to invite Israeli intellectuals for a Middle East peace conferencehere from March 28 to 30.The two political rivals' youth wings have joined hands for the Peacein Palestine conference organised under the auspices of PeaceMalaysia, a coalition of more than 1,000 non-governmental organisations.The four Israeli delegates will be given immigration waivers.Peace Malaysia coordinator Mukhriz Mahathir, a rising star in UmnoYouth, told The Straits Times the Foreign Ministry is assisting in theprocess.'It has been going well,' said Datuk Mukhriz, the youngest son offormer premier Tun Mahathir Mohamad.This is one of the rare occasions that Umno and PAS have stoodtogether for a common cause.It did not take long for PAS to be convinced of the advantage ofparticipation. Palestine is a topic with a strong appeal in Malaysia'sdomestic politics.'We did have our concerns about the Israeli participants but we havebeen assured that they are sympa- thetic to the Palestinian struggle,'said Mr Ahmad Sabki Yusof, the secretary of PAS central youth council.'There is no objection from our party as long as it is to achieve theaim of the conference.'He said PAS protested against the Israeli cricket team competing in atournament in Malaysia in 1997, only because it suggested some sort ofrelations with Israel.The fiery PAS leader Mahfuz Omar led the demonstrations, and was latercharged in court. He served some time in jail.Malaysia, which is keen to play a bigger role in the search for peacein the Middle East since it became chairman of the Organisation of theIslamic Conference in 2003, is treading carefully.It has only been two years since the then prime minister, Tun DrMahathir, sparked controversy over his views on Jewish world dominance.Government involvement in the conference is limited to immigration andsecurity, and an opening address by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.Datuk Mukhriz said there will be no other government speakers becausethe conference is pitched at the grassroots level.'We want to see if we can find a fresh perspective.'Speakers will include award-winning Israeli journalist Amira Haas andMr Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.The Israeli delegates are from the Israel Palestinian Centre forResearch and Information, The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotionof Dialogue and Democracy, Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group,and Peace Now.Sensitive issueWHEN it comes to contact with Israel, Malaysia walks on eggshellsbecause any incident can become fodder for political condemnation.This was amply demonstrated in the 1997 protests against the visitingIsraeli cricket team.And it happened again in 1999 when Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albarmet his Israeli counterpart David Levy at the United Nations in NewYork. Parti Islam SeMalaysia immediately attacked the session as adisgrace to Muslims and Malaysians, forcing Datuk Seri Syed Hamid toexplain that it was an informal meeting.Internationally, Malaysia has also been lambasted for former premierMahathir Mohamad's controversial views on Jews.The criticisms were made in 1997 when he called US Jewish billionaireGeorge Soros a rogue speculator, and again in 2003 when he said 'Jewsrule the world by proxy'.CAROLYN HONG *** {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 typ
[IslamCity] THE AWAKENING
fyi Peace, Curtis Sharif Houston, Texas A time comes into your life when you finally get it when, in the midst ofall your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere thevoice inside your head cries out ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying andblaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after atantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world throughnew eyes. This is your awakening. You realize it is time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change,or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the nexthorizon. You realize that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings,and that any guarantee of happily ever after must begin with you and in theprocess a sense of serenity is born of acceptance. You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone willalways love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are and that is OK.They are entitled to their own views and opinions. You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in theprocess a sense of newfound confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to youor didn't do for you and you learn that the only thing you can really counton is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they sayand that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn'talways about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in theprocess a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as theyare and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in theprocess a sense of peace and contentment is born in the forgiveness. You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really standfor. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin todiscard the doctrines and values you've outgrown or should never have boughtinto to begin with. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdatedideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundationupon which you must build a life. Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they reallyare and not as you would have them to be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importanceof setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it andtreat it with respect. You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so youtake more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuelsour soul. So you take more time to laugh and play. You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe youdeserve, and that much of life is truly a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and thatwishing for something to happen is different than working toward making ithappen. You also learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it is OK to riskasking for help. You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know thatwhatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give awaythe right to love life on your own terms. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you thinkyou deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, goodpeople and you learn not to always take it personally. You learn that nobody's punishing you and everything isn't always somebody'sfault. It's just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead ofwalls. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must beunderstood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you andpoison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things wetake for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can onlydream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, along hot shower. You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open toevery wonderful possibility. With courage in your heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, andyou begin to design the life you want to live as best you can. *** {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 B
[IslamCity] The Station of al-Khawf
The Station of al-Khawf (Fear) Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah The Al-Khawf or fear station is one of the most splendid stations of the road and the most beneficial to the heart. It is also mandatory upon everyone. Allah said, "So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are believers." [3:175], "And fear none but Me." [2:40], "So fear not men but fear Me." [5:44] Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, also praised His people in His book, saying, "Verily! Those who live in awe for fear of their Lord... It is these who race for the good deeds and they are foremost in them." [23:57-61] Aisha once asked the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, "O Messenger of Allah, when Allah says And those who give that (their charity) which they give with their hearts full of fear..." [23:60] is he the one who commits adultery, drinks alcohol or steals?" He said, "No, daughter of As-Siddeeq. It is the man who fasts, prays, and pays sadaqah. But he fears that none will be accepted from him." (Tirmithi and others) Al-Hasan al-Basri said, "By Allah, they performed the acts of obedience and struggled in them and they were afraid that their deeds will be rejected." The believer has combined good deeds and fear and the hypocrite has combined bad deeds and a sense of security. Other terms have similar meanings to al-khawf but are not synonymous, such as wajal, khashyah and rahbah. Abu Al-Qasim Al-Junaid said, "khawf is to expect punishment as long as you breathe." It has been said that khawf is the restlessness of the heart because of the remembrance of the cause of fear. It has also been said that khawf is the strength in knowledge of the rulings and decrees. This is the reason for khawf and not khawf itself. It was also said that khawf is the escape of the heart from the occurrence of adversity when the heart senses it. Khashyah is more specific than khawf. Khashyah is a quality that is particular of the people knowledgeable of Allah. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah." [35:28] As a result khashyah is associated with knowledge. The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, is reported to have said, "Indeed I have the most piety for Allah and have the greatest khashyah for Him." (Bukhari and Muslim) And he is the most knowledgeable of Allah. Khawf can be likened to a movement or a reaction but khashyah is involvement, action and tranquillity. A person who sees the enemy, floods or similar causes of fear will have one of the following two reactions: movement; i.e., running away from the cause, which is the state of khawf; or staying calm and staying in a place where the cause cannot reach him, and this is khashyah.Rahbah is diligence in running away from adversity. The opposite of this is raghbah or longing which involves the travel of the heart toward its desires. There is symmetry between raghbah and rahbah both in their pronunciation and meanings. Wajal is the shivering and breaking of the heart when remembering the One it fears, His authority, punishment or seeing Him. Haybah is khawf associated with glorification and reverence. It's peak is achieved when love and knowledge are strongly combined. Ijlaal is glorification associated with love. Khawf is for the common believers, while khashyah is for the knowledgeable and the scholars. Haybah is for those who love and Ijlaal is for those who are close (to Allah). The presence of Khawf and khashyah is according to how much knowledge is there, as the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "Indeed I am the most knowledgeable of Allah amongst you and have the most khashyah for Him." (Bukhari and Muslim) He also said, "If you would know what I know, you would laugh little and weep much. You would not have joy with your wives in bed and you would go out to high places and pray fervently to Allah, The Mighty." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi and others) The person with khawf resorts to fleeing and holding. The person with khashyah resorts to holding to knowledge. Their similitude is like a person who has no knowledge of medicine and a skilled, highly trained and educated physician. The former resorts to diet and escape for treatment of his ills while the doctor resorts to knowledge of diseases and medicines. Abu Hafs said, "Khawf is the whip of Allah. He corrects with it those straying from His door." He also said, "Khawf is a light in the heart, with it one can see the good and evil. Everyone you fear you run away from except Allah. When you fear Him, you run away to Him." The person with khawf is a person fleeing from His Lord to His Lord. Abu Sulaiman said, "When khawf departs from any heart, it falls apart." Ibrahim bin Sufyan said, "When khawf settles in the heart, it burns the places of vain desires within it and it kicks out the love for this world." Thun-Nun said, "People are on the road (meaning the Straight Path) as long as they have khawf. When they lose it, they stray from the road." Khawf is not sought itself. It is
[IslamCity] MY PALESTINIAN BROTHERS (POEM)
ÈÜÜÓã Çááå ÇáÑÍãä ÇáÑÍíÜã In The Name Of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh MY PALESTINIAN BROTHERS I wish to be born again In Palestine land To stay there And share the struggle with you Then I could cry with you Palestinian brothers all And call everyone to here the sound Allah-Hu-Akbar I wish I were like Mohammed Twelve years old, sacrificed to freedom Then I could die like him too, in Gaza And win our long-sought freedom Israel, listen Today is not the end For surely tomorrow comes again And many martyrs like Mohammed will come Allah always helping us Prophet Mohammed (s) our leader Baitul Aqsa our place to prayer There, we will pray forever You can stop us never We are on our way Then Palestine will be our motherland Arabic, our speech to tell the world We are Muslim, we are one One for all, all for one You can finish us never Kill a million, and two will take go on We strive for peace Just give us back our motherland And stop killing our brothers For each death, you will die too Share with me all Muslim brothers Wherever you are, over the world We have to get back our Palestine And show the world our power Do not scare, do not get back You all Palestinian people We are coming, we will share with you Surely, you are not alone COPYRIGHT©2004 SHUMAN MUMTAZ -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Allah is my Lord, Islam is my life, Al-Quran is my guide, The Sunnah is my practice, Jihad is my spirit, Righteousness is my character, Paradise is my goal, I will enjoin that which is right, Forbid that which is wrong, Fight against oppression, and will die to establish Islam, Insha-Allah! Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term' *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] What Is the Status of Women in Islam?
http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch3-13.htm Previous Contents Next Search This Site For Comments Home Page You are here: Islam Guide Home > Chapter 3, General Information on Islam > What Is the Status of Women in Islam? What Is the Status of Women in Islam? Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings without any guardianship over her (whether that be her father, husband, or anyone else). She has the right to buy and sell, give gifts and charity, and may spend her money as she pleases. A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her own family name rather than taking her husbands. Islam encourages the husband to treat his wife well, as the Prophet Muhammad said: {The best among you are those who are best to their wives.}1 Mothers in Islam are highly honored. Islam recommends treating them in the best way. A man came to the Prophet Muhammad and said, O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: {Your mother.} The man said, Then who? The Prophet said: {Then your mother.} The man further asked, Then who? The Prophet said: {Then your mother.} The man asked again, Then who? The Prophet said: {Then your father.}2 (For in-depth articles on women in Islam, please refer to the links at In-Depth Articles on Women in Islam.) Next: The Family in Islam _ Footnotes: (1) Narrated in Ibn Majah, #1978, and Al-Tirmizi, #3895. (2) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2548, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #5971. Previous Contents Next Home Page: www.islam-guide.com *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] Peak oil and Bush
Commander in chief:"What people need to hear loud and clear is that we're running out of energy in America," said Bush in May 2001.Deputy in thief:A national energy task force led by Vice President Dick Cheney notoriously devised a national energy policy, released in May 2001. The task force described America's energy situation in stark terms: "America in the year 2001 faces the most serious energy shortage since the oil embargoes of the 1970s. . . . A fundamental imbalance between supply and demand defines our nation's energy crisis." The whole charade of US governments and energy independence at http://www.reason.com/rb/rb072104.shtml Maybe he's not so dumb after all:According to Mr. Howard, the President and Mrs. Bush are very supportive of renewable energy and sustainable design and have incorporated a number of measures at their ranch in Crawford, Texas. The Bush family has installed a 25,000- gallon rainwater cistern for irrigation and planted native plants. The President is also busy removing invasive trees. The familys geothermal heating and cooling system sends water 300 feet into the ground to keep it at a constant 67 degree. The system uses 75 percent less electricity than traditional heating and air-conditioning systems, and it heats the outdoor pool so efficiently that the Bushes shelved their plans to install solar panels, he said. The Bush ranch also features passive solar heating and cooling, daylighting and enhanced insulation.http://www.solartoday.org/2003/may_june03/solar_wh.htm Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term' *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] Pathways to Peace
As Salaam Alaikum, I pray you will enjoy comtemplating these great attributes and words of wisdom. Peace, Curtis Sharif Houston, Texas : http://www.pathways-to-peace.com/ Turn your speakers on and enjoy! *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] God's Communication with Man
God's Communication with Man God communicated with man. This is the key concept of revelation upon which all religious belief if more than a mere philosophical attempt to explain man's relationship with the great 'unknown', the 'wholly other' is founded. There is no religious belief, however remote it may be in time or concept from the clear teachings of Islam, which can do without or has attempted to do without God's communication with man.www.masmn.org Islam Is Universal(For Islam Learners & New Muslim Reverts)Subscribe at YahooSubscribe at MSN Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more. *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] HIST: From Ismail to Husayn
Imam Husayn's martyrdom at Karbala provides evidence of the moral victory of right over wrong, of virtue over vice, of principle over compromise, of the oppressed over the oppressor, of the denied over the denier; the ultimate victory of blood over sword. From Ismail to Husayn 2/15/2005 - Religious - Article Ref: IC0303-1881By: Sadullah KhanIslamiCity* - Karbala, 50 km southeast of Baghdad We bid farewell to the old year by celebrating Prophet Ibrahim's commitment to God displayed through his willingness to sacrifice his patient son, Prophet Ismail; we welcome the new year by commemorating the migration of Prophet Muhammad to Madinah, which marked the beginning of a period of enlightenment for civilization. This is also the month where we remember the martyrdom of Prophet's beloved grandson, Imaam Husayn. WHO IS HUSAYN? Husayn is the son of Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet. The holy Prophet said of her, "she is among the leaders of the women of Paradise". The father of Husayn is Ali, who was a cousin and one of the most beloved and steadfast companions of the Prophet. Indeed, Ali is like the sun, Fatimah like the moon and Husayn a star in the galaxy of heroes. Together with his brother Hasan, Husayn is considered among "leaders of the youth of Paradise". We shall never forget how the Prophet descended from his pulpit to embrace and seat his grandson besides him before resuming his sermon, nor how he prolonged his prostration in order not to discomfort the other who had climbed on his back. The Prophet beseeched the Almighty; "O Allah, I love Hasan and Husayn, do love them and love those who love them". ASHURA The tenth of Muharam marks a significant day in the Muslim calendar; it is the day on which, among other events, Allah saved Prophet Musa from the tyrannical Pharaoh. To commemorate this event the Prophet recommended we fast on this day; a fast considered second only to the obligatory fast of Ramadan. Another a significant event occurred on that day in 61 AH, an event that serves as a milestone in the history of the faithfulÉ the martyrdom if Imaam Husayn at Karbala. A martyrdom at the hands of those who claimed to act in the name of Islam yet unremorsefully and shamelessly were prepared to obliterate its true exponent; those who (like so many of us) are prepared to kill for Islam yet are unable to live by it. Imam Husayn was martyred at the hands of those who considered themselves followers of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , and yet cut off the precious head of that dear grandson of the holy Prophet, a head which the Prophet so often stroked and kissed with affection. THE LESSON OF KARBALA Imam Husayn's martyrdom at Karbala provides evidence of the moral victory of right over wrong, of virtue over vice, of principle over compromise, of the oppressed over the oppressor, of the denied over the denier; the ultimate victory of blood over sword. Karbala teaches humankind through the inscription of blood on the scrolls of human history how Husayn explained to the world by his death, through martyrdom, the meaning of life; that living is truly of value that offers itself for a cause greater than its self, that to die with honor is better than living in subjugation to injustice. The lesson is not only that he was prepared to fight for what is right, but that he was willing to die for it; selflessness, not selfishness; humility not ego. The great spiritual master, Khaja Muinuddin Chisti said; "Husayn is king, truly the king is Husayn, the manifestation of Faith is Husayn and the protector of Faith is Husayn. Husayn gave his head in allegiance to God but not his hand in allegiance to Yazid.." THE LEGACY OF HUSAYN The memory of Husayn excites the spirit, the very name of Husayn evokes the tradition of resistance against tyranny and inequity. His colossal struggle and monumental martyrdom is so poignant that it continues to serve as a beacon of light to all the faithful who struggle for freedom and justice. In the words of Moulana Ali Gouhar, "The killing of Husayn is in fact the death knell of Yazid. Islam is revived after every such Karbala". For those consistently striving against injustice and oppression, EVERY DAY IS ASHURA AND EVERY PLACE IS KARBALA. Excerpted from "O Husayn, We Salute You" by Sadullah Khan http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0303-1881 Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term' *** {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
[IslamCity] Al Quran
In order to keep the size of email small, translation is dynamically loaded while being online, So open the message while being online, and then you can save it for later reference. May Allah Bless U All Remmber Me In Urs Prays & Dua ~Rehan Ahmed~Image by FlamingText.com How much mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo! Mail gives you 250MB! Get Yahoo! Mail *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] LIVE:Tomorrow:Shaykh Abdullah Al-Ghudyaan,@1:00pm EST(6:00pm GMT)
ALBaseerah Org <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Bismillaah Wal Hamdulillaah Wa As-Salatu wa As-Salamu 'Ala Rasoolillaah Wa Ba'd: Beloved brothers and sisters May Allaah Shower His Rahmah upon you Salaamun 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatuh.We ask Allaah that this email reaches you while you, your family and your community are in the best of Eemaan, health, and circumstances. Insha Allaah, Tomorrow -Saturday - February 19th, 2005 our honorable Scholar Shaykh Abdullaah Bin Abdur-Rehmaan Al-Ghudyaan will deliver live lecture about Obligation of As-Salaah. You may also broadcast this and future lecture live in your local Masjid free of charge. Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] for further info. If you have any questions for scholars, please email your questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Insha Allaah your questions will be presented to the Mashaaykh in the order received. We have also updated our audio lounge and have included all lectures. Please visit http://www.albaseerah.org/audio/index.htm Please note that weekly updates will be available thorough our mailing list. To recieve our weekly updates please register yourself at our mailing list http://www.albaseerah.org Or http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/albaseerah_org Live Lectures with Scholars 1st and 3rd Saturday of Every month @ 1:00 pm (EST) 6:00 pm (GMT) To maximize the benefit Please inform other Masaajid and Islamic centers in your community to take advantage of this golden opportunity and to learn from scholars. Upcoming Lecture details: Date: Saturday, February 19th, 2005 Time: 1:00 pm EST (6:00 pm GMT) Lecturer: Shaykh Abdullaah Ibn Abdur-Rehmaan Al-Ghudyaan (Member of Council of Senior Scholars, Member of Lajnah Ad-Daaimah lil Iftaa) Topic: Obligation of As-Salaah All lectures are translated live, wa lillaahil Hamd. Please contact your local Masjid to hold these classes LIVE in your Masjid or if you wish you may gather a group of Muslims at a convenient location. Please email your location details to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You will be provided access code promptly. Alternatively, non-groups and individuals may listen to these lectures LIVE on line by tuning in to http://www.albaseerah.org/live.htm To listen to the recorded lectures of previous weeks please visit http://www.albaseerah.org/audio.htm Dear brothers and sisters May Allaah multiply the reward of your good deeds - If you wish to take part in this noble project, earn your share of rewards, maximize the benefit and contribute to this effort, we humbly request that you print, copy, distribute and post the flyer in your Masaajid and community Centers. Flyer can be found @ http://www.albaseerah.org/weeklyflyer.doc You are also requested to post announcements and advertisement of this blessed effort in your local Masjid, different websites, chat rooms, and discussion boards. May Allaah reward you all and grant you the best of this Duniyaa and the best of hereafter. Please register yourself in our mailing list @ http://www.albaseerah.org/main.htm and be the first one to know the name of the lecturer (scholar) and topic for all future lectures. Please share with us your thoughts and suggestions. We welcome your feed back, comments, and constructive criticism. Individual Listeners please visit http://www.albaseerah.org/live.htm Lectures will be broadcasted live without the need of a password. Yours, ALBaseerah.Org Your Channel to Benefit and Learn from Scholars Visit our Audio Lounge and listen to all lectures of scholars absolutely FREE!!http:// www.albaseerah.org/audio.htm***-*** Live Lectures of Scholars ***-***http:// www.albaseerah.org/live.htm Emergency Appeal Southeast Asia http://www.islamic-relief.com/submenu/Appeal/southasiaquake.htm Sponsor an Orphan for less than a $ a day http://www.alyateem.com/ http://www.islamway.com/dscvrislam http://www.islamway.com http://thetruereligion.org http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Islam_is_Peace http://www.imanway.com Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term' *** {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 ca
[IslamCity] Creation is Material Evidence for God
Creation is Material Evidence for God Many now accept empiricism as their guiding principles and God gives ample evidence, material evidence, capable of verification by all empiricists, for His being and existence. The wide earth, the whole universe of creation, are evidence, material evidence, for God. No empiricist would deny that the earth and the universe do exist. It is only that he does not always perceive them as 'creation', for then he would have to argue from the material evidence that he has to a mighty and puissant cause, to reason and purpose behind it. Such an argument would by no means be in contradiction with his empiricist, rational and scientific line of thought, rather in perfect agreement with it.Continuewww.masmn.org Islam Is Universal(For Islam Learners & New Muslim Reverts)Subscribe at YahooSubscribe at MSN Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! What will yours do? *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] DO NOT BLAME MUSLIMS FOR ANTI-SEMITISM - By Dr. Mohamed Elmasry , president of the Canadian Islamic Congress
[My comments to this article is given at the end - ed]. == DO NOT BLAME MUSLIMS FOR ANTI-SEMITISM[By Dr. Mohamed Elmasry -- February 1, 2005]=In response to President Bushs Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of October16, 2004, the U.S. State Department released its "Report on Global anti-Semitism" early last month.The report cites Muslims as one of the four main sources for "global anti-Semitism in recent years" and blames western European Muslims -- especiallythose it calls "disadvantaged and disaffected Muslim youths."But the report does a gross disservice to the truth, beginning with aprejudicial hate-inciting statement that declares, "This trend appearslikely to persist as the number of Muslims in Europe continues to grow,while their level of education and economic prospects remain limited."As I was growing up in Egypt during the 1950s, we loved to watch a TVcomedy called "Hassan, Marcus and Cohen." Previously, it had played foryears in the theatre, delighting audiences with its humorous look at thedaily lives of three Egyptian men, a Muslim, a Coptic Christian and a Jew.Their families were all neighbours and the three men were good friends.When they got together, they would usually bitch about their wives, theirkids and government policies. We liked the show because it celebratedeveryday events with just the right mix of teenage problems, marriages,divorces, births and deaths. I believe that life itself is a comedy and itwas reflected brilliantly in the relationships among these Egyptian men andtheir families.At that time, Egypt had the largest number of Jews in the Muslim world.Most of our major department stores were owned by Jews, but Egyptians didnot discriminate in their shopping habits based on store ownership. Nor didthey discriminate in politics, for Jewish politicians became governmentministers in Egypt before their counterparts in Western countries. In fact,during the 1930s and 1940s, prominent Egyptian labour and socialistpolitical party leaders were Jewish.And that shouldn't be a surprise. After all, Moses was an Egyptian citizen,born and raised in Egypt, and educated at the best university of theancient world, the Pharaoh's palace. The Quran mentions Moses as a prophetand his story is told there several times. According to Islamic Law,Egyptian Jews were given autonomy in the administration of theirreligiously based family and personal laws dealing with marriage, divorce,inheritance, child custody, etc.Nothing like this Islamic form of advanced natural justice dealing withfamily law can be found today, even in liberal western democracies. In factEgyptian Jews never supported Zionism as a political ideology. Given theirhistory in Egypt, there was no reason to, none whatsoever.That's because Egyptians practiced their pluralism on the ground, not as anabstract concept. Some of the oldest Synagogues in the world still stand inCairo. And the tombs of Jewish mystics (like Abu Hasera) are stillprotected today by Egyptians and visited by Jews from all over the world,as well as Muslims and Christian Copts.Egyptians do not understand how to hate someone based on his or herreligion, because they simply never practiced it. If you ask, they explainthat it is politics, not religion, that causes conflict. And they areright.If it were not for the creation of Israel, Egypt and the Muslim world wouldnow claim the highest number of Jews outside the U.S.In fact, the Israeli government tried using financial incentives toencourage Egyptian Jews to emigrate. And when this strategy failed, Israelipoliticians launched a secret campaign of violence against Jewish businessand blamed Egyptians for it.I know one Egyptian Jew who resisted the pressure to move to Israel. Sheowns a successful bookstore and print shop in downtown Cairo, not far fromthe main Cairo Synagogue and is known to the locals as "al set alyahoodia," meaning simply "the Jewish lady." All her employees are Muslim.When I drop into her bookstore during my frequent visits to my birthcountry, I always ask for a discount like any typical Egyptian. She smilesand says, "But you are a Canadian now, you are not entitled to a discount."Then she gives me the discount anyway.However, there has been a trend among Egyptians to use the ancient term"yahood" i.e. Jews to refer to Israelis. This must change, and it isgradually changing, because Egyptians realize that language is veryimportant. For example, it is also no longer acceptable to say in Arabic"the so-called Holocaust," as if to imply there is doubt that this massatrocity actually happened. This is another sign of positive change thatshows there is no hatred against Jews in Egypt.I have used Egypt as my example, because it is the Muslim country with thelongest history of coexistence with the Jews living insid
[IslamCity] The Influence of Islamic Philosophy and Ethics on The Development of Medicine During the Islamic Renaissance
ï The Influence of Islamic Philosophy and Ethics on The Development ofMedicine During the Islamic RenaissanceBy Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal January, 9, 2005 Although Islamic philosophy is of great diversity and richness, it ischaracterized by certain features that are of special significance forboth an understanding of it and for an appraisal of its impact on theworld at large. One must remember that this philosophy existed at atime in which strict obedience to the Islamic religion was customary.Islamic philosophy was also concerned with the basic issue of therelation between human reasoning and the revelations provided to theMuslims in the holy Qur'an. As a result, all sorts of sciences werestudied in order to determine that relation between the universe andthe human being on one hand, and the creator of that universe, AllahMost High, on the other hand.The impact of Islamic philosophy on the Renaissance was enormous.First and foremost, Islamic philosophy originates from a time whenIslam had a great influence on everyday life. The mere fact thatIslamic philosophy was able to operate in such a fundamentalistenvironment greatly affected the Renaissance. It served as an exampleto the thinkers of that time on how to present new, radical ideaswithout angering religious fundamentalistsâat that time, the Church.Without Islam's example, the Renaissance thinkers may have presentedtheir ideas in a much more provocative form, setting them backhundreds of years due to widespread hate, distrust, and non-acceptanceof what people would perceive to be overly radical ideas.Secondly, in general, Islamic philosophy always leads to one mainconclusion, that the power of Allah Most High is supreme and that Hiswords are the absolute truth (although through differentunderstandings).Thirdly, many of the ideas of Renaissance philosophy are based onancient Greek, Persian, and Indian textsâwhich the Muslimstranslatedâas well as the philosophy of the Muslims themselves. TheMuslims were responsible for creating the foundation for the"building" of philosophy that the Renaissance thinkers would later"construct."Finally, Islamic philosophy greatly encouraged science, particularlymathematics and medicine. Without philosophy's constant encouraging ofscientific development, the large number of discoveries made by theMuslims may never have taken place.I will take medicine as an example and I will highlight the reasonsfor the excellent success of those Muslims in the field of medicine.Medical ethics is one of the hottest issues in medicine these days.Ethics can be described as a sub-branch of applied philosophy, whereone seeks the right and the wrong (the good and the bad) set ofbehaviors in any given circumstance. I will try to shed light on theinfluence of Islamic medical ethics on the advancement of medicineduring that Islamic golden era.Therefore, what were the factors behind the success of the Muslimscientists? How did Islamic philosophy encourage them to be leaders inmany branches of science, especially in the medical sciences?I. Islam and the Promotion of ScienceII. The Attitude and Contribution of the StateIII. Islamic PhysiciansIV. Medical Ethics in IslamI. Islam and the Promotion of ScienceAs the Muslims challenged the civilized world, they preserved thecultures of the conquered countries. On the other hand, when theIslamic empire became weak, most of the Islamic contributions in artand science were destroyed. This was done by the Mongols, who, out ofbarbarism, burnt Baghdad (CE 1258), and by the Spaniards, who, out ofhatred, demolished most of the Islamic heritage in Spain. Thedifference between the Arabs and these others were the teachings ofIslam. These teachings had played extensive roles by:Stressing the importance and respect of learning. For example, thefirst word revealed to Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be uponhim) was "read." In that time, a captured enemy was freed if he paid aransom or taught ten Muslims reading and writing. In the holy Qur'an,the importance of knowledge has been repeatedly stressed, as it says.Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those whodo not know?" (Az-Zummar 39:9)Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) stressed learningby saying, "One hour of teaching is better than a night of praying."The general philosophy in Islamic medicine is that the healer is AllahMost High and the doctor is the instrument that Allah uses to heal thepeople. The doctor-patient relationship is stronger in Islam than itis in modern medicine as he has responsibilities, which Allah on theDay of Judgment will ask about. The relationship now in the West ismedico-legal. The emphasis has become one that has slipped intomaterialism. Because the relationship between doctor and patient hasbecome one that is based more on money, the level of trust has beendecimated between the doctor and his or her patients.There is no cen
[IslamCity] Man denies God
Man denies God God's communication with man has always accompanied him, from the earliest period of his appearance on this planet, and throughout the ages until today. Men have often denied the communication from God or attributed it to something other than its true source and origin. More recently some have begun to deny God altogether, or to explain away man's preoccupation with God and the communication from Him as a preoccupation with delusion and fantasy. Yet even such people do not doubt that the preoccupation of man with God's communication is as old as man himself. Their reasoning is, they claim, based on material evidence. Following this line of thought they feel that they should deny God's existence, but are at the same time compelled to concede the point for material evidence is abundant that man has ever been preoccupied with thinking about God and the concept of God's communication with man. Empiricism and Realism. Their general approach to emphasize material evidence in the search for reality and truth, is surely commendable. Not only empiricist philosophy but also commonsense tell us that one should accept as real and existent what can be grasped empirically, that is, by direct experience, by seeing, hearing, touching and so on. While there may be in other systems of thought, other criteria for the evaluation of reality, at present it is a materialistic philosophy that rules the day, and though many people (especially the 'religious' type) are saddened by this and wish back the 'old days of idealism and rule of the creed', I personally think that we have to accept the present state of affairs not as ideal and unchangeable, but as our point of departure and moreover that doing so is of some advantage to us.www.masmn.org Islam Is Universal(For Islam Learners & New Muslim Reverts)Subscribe at YahooSubscribe at MSN Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term' *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] HUMOUR Declaration of Revocation to USA (by John Cleese)
Declaration of Revocation (by John Cleese) To the citizens of the United States of America, in the light of yourfailure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to governyourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of yourindependence, effective today.Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchicalduties over all states, commonwealths and other territories.Except Utah, which she does not fancy.Your new Prime Minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP for the97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a worldoutside your borders) will appoint a Minister for America without theneed for further elections.Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.Accordingly my government will invoke your Anti-Trust laws to break upthe monopolistic power of the former USA. The country will thereforebe broken up into separate entities as follows.Alaska will be sold back to the Russians. If they don't have the cashit will be offered to the Canadians and then the Japanese.Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and other colonies and dependencies will be returned to governance by their indigenous people.Florida will be given to Cuba. This achieves several things:1) it recompenses the Cubans for the economic blockade they haveendured for years, 2) a large percentage of the state's population isCuban and they'll feel at home, 3) as the people of Florida don't knowhow to vote properly it won't matter as they won't be able to vote inthe future.California, Texas, New Mexico and any other bits of former Mexico wonthrough war will be handed back to them.North and South Dakota and any other former territories taken from theAmerican Indians will be returned to them.A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether anyof you noticed.To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the followingrules are introduced with immediate effect:1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.2. There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft knowon your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to takeaccount of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "- ize."3. You should learn to distinguish the English and Australian accents. It really isn't that hard. English accents are not limited tocockney, upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier).4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors asthe good guys. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors toplay English characters.5. You should relearn your original national anthem, "God Save TheQueen", but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not wantyou to get confused and give up half way through.6. You should stop playing American "football". There is only one kindof football. What you refer to as American "football" is not a verygood game. The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a worldoutside your borders may have noticed that no one else plays"American" football. You should stop playing baseball. It is notreasonable to host an event called the 'World Series' for a game whichis not played outside of America. Since only 2.15% of you are awarethat there is a world beyond your borders, your error isunderstandable. Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play agirls' game called "rounders"- which is baseball without fancy teamstrip, oversized gloves, collector cards or hotdogs.7. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry guns. You will nolonger be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous in publicthan a vegetable peeler. Because we don't believe you are sensibleenough to handle potentially dangerous items, you will require apermit if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2nd will be a newnational holiday, but only in England. It will be called "IndecisiveDay".9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap, and it is foryour own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand whatwe mean.10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling "beer" is notactually beer at all, it is lager. From November 1st only properBritish Bitter will be referred to as "beer", and European brews ofknown and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager". Thesubstances formerly known as "American Beer" will henceforth bereferred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine", with the exception of theproduct of the American Budweiser company whose product will bereferred to as "Weak Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine". This will allow trueBudweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in the CzechRepublic) to be sold without risk of confusion.11. From November 10th the UK will harmonise petrol (or "gasoline", asyou will be permitted to keep calling it until April 1st 2005) priceswith the former USA. The UK will harmonise its prices to those of theformer USA and the Former USA will, in return, adopt UK petrol prices(roughly $6/US gallon -- get used to it).12. You will learn t
[IslamCity] ARTICLES "Negroponte's Dark Past, by David Corn", "Who stands to gain from Hariri's death?", Israel & Bible belt
"Negroponte's Dark Past, by David Corn"You can read this entry at:http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1081469.htm "Who stands to gain from Hariri's death?"You can read this entry at:http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1081378.htm = "Iraq was invaded 'to protect Israel' - US official"You can read this entry at:http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1081318.htm === http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&ItemID=7269ZNet February 17, 2005How Israel is once again redefining the terms of peace By Ramzy Baroud The recent and supposedly successful Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt onFebruary 8 was anything but a triumph, as far as Palestinians, the occupiedparty, and genuine peace-seeking Israelis are concerned. Leave out the spectacular view of the Red Sea resort, the impressivelymeticulous Egyptian hospitality, the heart-rending speeches and the toutingof the media thereafter, and youll have an off-putting view of the upcomingweeks and months: relative calm followed by the typically disproportionateviolence the region has known for years. But before we cast judgment on the summits initial outcome as laying theground for a lasting peace vs. presenting an interval of calm before theresumption of war we are dually obliged to examine the relative historiccontext of the present Palestinian uprising. Only then, one can begin tooffer an educated and critical analysis of what is likely to follow. Israeli governments have mastered the technique of pushing Palestinians tothe brink, through collective punishment, brutal military policies,house-destruction and so on. However, the implicit objective of the Israelipolicy has not been exclusively aimed at subduing Palestinians. Its ultimateaim has been the expropriation of Palestinian land in the OccupiedTerritories of the 1967 border. Being pushed to the brink, Palestinians resisted, violently and otherwise.Their resistance has occasionally produced a campaign of collective action,mostly spontaneous, but was often galvanized by local political movements toarticulate a well-defined program. Both Palestinian uprisings in 1987 and 2000 articulated a message thatlargely reflected the political aspirations of most Palestinians: a trulysovereign Palestinian state in all territories illegally occupied by Israelin 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem. One must also remember that even in the most radicalized and revolutionaryphases of their modern history, Palestinians demanded barely 22 percent ofthe total size of historic Palestine as was defined prior to the creation ofIsrael. These demands frustrated Israel, who continued to infuse false andoutlandish claims throughout the Western media that the lightly armedPalestinian uprisings (the 1987 Intifadas most universal weapons wereslingshots hurling rocks at Israeli attack-helicopters) posed a threat tothe very existence of the state of Israel. One can hardly claim that Israels position remained static throughout theyears. But it would be harder to argue that Israels change of position wasanything but cosmetic, symbolic and rhetorical. Without a doubt weve come along way since the days where the overriding consensus in Israel was toeradicate Palestinians as a nation by any means necessary. Also, long goneare the days where top Israeli officials labored to omit the historicimperative that a people called Palestinians even existed. Nonetheless, reality on the ground still serves the same set of beliefscarried by past Israeli governments as reflected in their policies. Forexample, despite the frequent utilization of the term peace by Israeliofficials, on both sides of the political spectrum, especially after thesigning of the Oslo accord in 1993, there was an intensive Israeli campaignto drive Palestinians out of their land, to expand the settlements, toexpropriate large chunks of the West Bank as security zones and to furtheralienate and completely fence off occupied East Jerusalem. According to therecords of Israels Peace Now movement, the number of illegal settlements inthe Occupied Territories has at least doubled since the signing of thehistoric Oslo agreement. Israel has never changed its ultimate objective. We know this becauseIsraels illegal practices on the ground have continued unabated. GrantingPalestinians long-denied rights, cohesive territorial sovereignty andhonoring international law was never on the Israeli agenda. Most likelythese issues will continue to be disregarded until the political imbalances(read the US governments dishonest role in the conflict) are rectified. Then, why bother talking peace to begin with? Israel has long reverted from its past policies of mass expulsion. Suchpolicies were simply bad publicity for Israel. They embarrassed devotedbenefactors in Washington and helped Palestinians garne
[IslamCity] DO NOT BE SAD - THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HAPPINESS
ÈÜÜÓã Çááå ÇáÑÍãä ÇáÑÍíÜã In The Name Of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh DO NOT BE SAD - THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HAPPINESS 1) Know that if you do not live within the scope of today, your thoughts will be scattered, your affairs will become confused, and your worrying will increase. This is the meaning of the hadith: "When you are in the morning, do not expect to see the evening, and when you are in the evening, do not expect to see the morning." 2) Forget the past and all that it contained. Being absorbed in things that are gone is sheer lunacy. 3) Do not be preoccupied with the future. Because the future is in the world of the unseen, do not let it bother you until it comes. 4) Do not be shaken by criticism; instead, be firm. Know that the level of people's criticism increases in proportion to your worth. 5) Faith in Allah and good deeds are the means of the good and happy life. 6) Whoever desires peace, tranquility, and comfort shall find it all in the remembrance of Allah. 7) One should know with certainty that everything is according to a divine decree. 8) Do not expect gratitude from anybody. 9) Train yourself to be ready and be prepared for the worst eventuality. 10) Perhaps what has happened is in your best interest (though you may not comprehend how that is so). 11) Everything that is decreed for the Muslim is best for him. 12) Enumerate the blessings (of Allah) and be thankful. 13) Whatever you have, are better than many others. 14) From one hour to the next comes relief. 15) In times of hardship, one turns to supplication and prayer. 16) Calamities should positively reshape your outlook and strengthen your heart. 17) Indeed, with each difficulty there is relief. 18) Do not let the trifles cause of your destruction. 19) Indeed, your Lord is Oft-Forgiving. 20) Do not be angry... Do not be angry... Do not be angry. 21) Life is bread, water, and shade, so do not be perturbed by a lack of any other material thing. 22) Remember the verse: {And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you are promised.}, (Qur'an 51:22) 23) Most evil that is supposed to happen never occurs. 24) Look at those who are afflicted and be thankful. 25) When Allah loves a people, He causes them to endure trials. 26) You should constantly repeat those supplications that the Prophet taught us to say during times of hardship. 27) Work hard and seriously in that which is fruitful, and cast off idleness. 28) Abandon spreading rumors and receiving rumors. Upon hearing them do not believe them. 29) Your malice and your striving to seek revenge is much more harmful to your health than it is to your antagonist. 30) The hardship that befalls you is expiation for your sins -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Allah is my Lord, Islam is my life, Al-Quran is my guide, The Sunnah is my practice, Jihad is my spirit, Righteousness is my character, Paradise is my goal, I will enjoin that which is right, Forbid that which is wrong, Fight against oppression, and will die to establish Islam, Insha-Allah! Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to
[IslamCity] Dogs as Pets
Dogs as Pets Author: Shakiel All praises are for Allah and may peace and blessings be upon all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah. Point One: What is worship? Allah said, I have not created the man or the jinn except for the purpose that they worship only Me [The Noble Quran 51:56] Whilst many religions are silent about the very purpose of our existence, the illustrious ayah above illustrates to us the purpose of our existence in this life, i.e. to worship only Allah. Worship in Islam is quite different from the worship of many other religions. Worship in Islam is not restricted to mere rituals or designated services on appointed days or times. In Islam, worship is a comprehensive term denoting all that Allah loves and/or approves of from amongst the hidden or apparent sayings or actions of an individual. By this, a person completely submits and subjects all of his actions and sayings to the approval of the Lord of the Worlds, the King of Kings- Allah, the Majestic. This is Islam, it encompasses intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual submission. If a saying is not loved by Allah, then it is not deemed as worship. And as a result, there is a deficiency in the person in fulfilling his purpose of existence. On the other hand, if a person says, All praises are for Allah or performs an act loved by Allah then it is qualified to be worship. We can only know if Allah loves or approves of something by He, Himself, informing us of it. And that is by what He has revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, i.e. the Quran and authentic Ahadeeth. Referring back to the Quran and authentic ahadeeth will give us the true understanding about an action, i.e. if Allah approves of it or not. Therefore, one should not say, I think God will approve of this or I feel God will not object. What God loves or approves of is based upon knowledge (the Quran and authentic ahadeeth) and not sheer emotion. Islam is the middle path - it encourages both knowledge and action. It warns one from having knowledge without action and acting without it being based upon knowledge. However, for an act of worship to be accepted by Allah, it must fulfill two conditions: 1. Ikhlas: the act must be done sincerely and purely for Allah, not for self-praise or showing off, etc. 2. Ittiba: the manner of the act of worship is to be according to the way prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The absence of any one of the above two conditions renders the act of worship invalid. Many proofs of this are mentioned in the Quraan and Sunnah regarding these conditions. They are not mentioned here for the sake of brevity. Furthermore, amongst the important characteristics that must accompany worship are love, fear, and hope. Love - Allaah is to be loved by the believer more than anything else. Fear - Allaah and His Punishment is to be feared such that one stays away from His Prohibitions. Hope - One hopes from Allaah His Mercy and Forgiveness. These characteristics are to be properly balanced in the believer. Point Two: The texts of Prohibition Prohibitions in the Quraan or Ahadeeth come in various forms Not all prohibitions are directly stated in the following terms: XYZ is prohibited for you or XYZ is haraam. In Usool-ul-Fiqh, the Principles of Jurisprudence, the various forms of prohibition have been elucidated. We find that the texts of prohibition in the Quran or Ahadeeth can include but are not limited to the following forms: 1. The usage of the word prohibition (or its various forms: prohibits, prohibited, etc.). Allaah said: Prohibited to you are the dead animals [The Noble Quran 5:3] 2. The form of Absolute Nahee (the prohibition command in Arabic). Allaah said, Do not come close to adultery [The Noble Quran 17:32], thus going close to adultery is prohibited. 3. The elucidation that an act is not permissible. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said. The blood of a Muslim may not be legally spilt except [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] 4. The establishment of a consequence (and/or punishment) for the performance of an action. In such a case, the action is deemed prohibited. Allah said, The male or female thief - cut their hands off [The Noble Quran 5:38], thus stealing is prohibited because of the associated punishment. [For further elaboration on these principles please refer to: Al-Jaami li masaail al-usool al-fiqh by Abdulkareem An-Namlah p.48, also see Al-Usool min Ilm al-Usool by Shaykh Uthaymeen p.25] Imaam Adh-Dhahabi said, when defining major sins, Whoever performs one of these great sins that has: 1. a prescribed punishment (in this world) like murder, adultery, and stealing or 2. has a mentioned Waeed (threat of punishment) in the Hereafter that includes punishment, anger, warning, or the performer of such an action being cursed by the tongue of the Prophet, peace be upon him, then such an action is amongs
[IslamCity] PETITION Call for a Special Prosecutor to Investigate U.S. Torture
From: "Lawyers Against The War" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> View Contact Details To: Undisclosed-Recipient@, Subject: Call for a Special Prosecutor to Investigate U.S. Torture Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:04:33 -0800 Join the American Center for International Law and and the Center for Constitutional Rights in demanding that Congress appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate high-ranking officials, like Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales, for their complicity in torture. Unless we demand that they're held accountable, heinous overseas acts of torture will continue to be the Bush administration's "unofficial" interrogation policy!Take action now at http://www.democracyinaction.org/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=394 Visit or Join:Niagara Palestinian Association http://groups.yahoo.com/group/niag_pal_news/Niagara Coalition for Peace http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NC4P/Howard-Azzeh Lawsuit http://www.caf.ca/caf.htm under What's New (Adobe)Post your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] Re: Muslims of Narita, Japan
Assalamualaikum To all, if anyone living in Japan, pls reply directly to the sister below... - Original Message - From: nazri khalijah - [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 5:23 PM Subject: Re: Muslims of Narita, Japan salam, i want find a halal food in Narita, Japan Who know, pls reply wassalamIslahonline <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: saiyed shahbazi Muslims of Tibet Muslims of TibetBy Masood ButtTibetan Bulletin Tibet had pockets of Muslims entrenched within its borders although there is no documentary evidence on how Muslims first came to settle there. In fact, information on Tibetan Muslims in general itself is scarce. But the existence of Tibet appears to be known to the Muslim world from the earliest period of recorded history. Arab historians like Yaqut Hamawi, Ibn Khaldun and Tabari mention Tibet in their writings. In fact, Yaqut Hamawihas, in his book Muajumal Buldan (encyclopaedia of countries), refers to Tibet in three different ways Tabbat, Tibet and Tubbet. During the reign of Umar bin Abdul Aziz (717-720) of the Persian Empire, it is believed that a delegation from Tibet and China requested him to send Islamic missionaries to their countries. Caliph Umar is said to have sent Salah bin Abdullah Hanafi to Tibet. The Abbasid rulers of Baghdad also maintained re1ations with Tibet in the eighth and the ninth centuries. Kashmir and Eastern Turkestan were the nearest Islamic regions bordering Tibet. It is said that Muslim migrants from Kashmir and Ladakh areas first entered Tibet around 12th century. Gradually, marriages and social interaction led to an increase in the population until a sizable community came up around Lhasa, Tibet's capital. There was no large-scale conversion to Islam though. Thomas Arnold, in his book, The Preaching of Islam, published in the early part of this century says, "Islam has also been carried into Tibet proper by Kashmiri merchants. Settlements of such merchants are to be found in all the chief cities of Tibet: they marry Tibetan women, who often adopt the religion of their husbands..." Tibetan Muslims trace their origin from immigrants from four main regions: China, Kashmir, Ladakh and Nepal. Islamic influence in Tibet also came from Persia and Turkestan. Muslims are known as Khache among Tibetans. This appear to be because the earliest Muslim settlers to Tibet were from Kashmir which was known as Khache Yul to Tibetans. The arrival of Muslims was followed by the construction of mosques in different parts of Tibet. There were four mosques in Lhasa, two in Shigatse and one in Tsethang. In recent years, one mosque in Lhasa has been renovated, with Tibetan Muslims from India sending religious inscriptions to it for use. Tibetan Muslims were mainly concentrated around the mosques that they constructed. These mosques were maintained well and were the centres of Muslim social life in Tibet. Tibetan Muslims led a reasonably free life in a Buddhist environment. In fact, during the time of the fifth Dalai Lama, Tibetan Muslims received the following special privileges: i) They were permitted to settle their affairs independently, according to the Shariat Laws. The government permitted the Muslim community to elect a five-man committee, known as 'Ponj' who looked after their interest. From among the Ponj, a leader - known as Mia to Muslims and Kbache Gopa - (Muslim headman) among non-Muslims - was elected. ii) Tibetan Muslims were free to set up commercial enterprises and were exempted from taxation. iii) Tibetan Muslims were also exempted from implementing the 'no meat rule' when such a restriction was imposed in Tibet every year during a holy Buddhist month. Muslims were also exempted from removing their caps to Buddhist priests during a period in a year when the priests held sway over the town. Muslims were also granted the Mina Dronbo (invitation to different communities) status to commemorate the assumption of spiritual and temporal authority by the fifth Dalai Lama. In addition, Muslims had their own burial place. There were two cemeteries around Lhasa: one at Gyanda Linka about 12 km from Lhasa town and the other at Kygasha about 15 km away. A portion of Gyanda Linka was turned into a garden and this became the place where the Muslim community organised their major functions. Gyanda Linka is said to contain unmarked graves believed to be those of foreigners who came to preach Islam to Tibet. Kygasha was mainly used by Muslims of Chinese origin. The above privileges were contained in a written document provided to the Tibetan Muslim community by the Tibetan government. These privileges were enjoyed until Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959. Tibetan Muslims confined themselves mainly to trade
[IslamCity] Re: NORTH KOREA HAS NUKES, TELLS ANTICHRIST TO GET LOST
regardless of this, IRAN still the next target? What would be the excuse this time, IRAN has illegal nukes? Why US still not invading North Korea even though they have openly admitted having NUKES? From: "Assalamu Aleikum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 1:34 PM Subject: NORTH KOREA HAS NUKES, TELLS ANTICHRIST TO GET LOST N.Korea Says It Has Nukes, Shuns TalksIslam OnlineFebruary 10, 2005http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2005-02/10/article01.shtml ---photos:File photo of North Korea's Yongbyon-1 nuclear powerplant. (Reuters)http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2005-02/10/images/pic01.jpgBush said "Iran" with a nuclear weapon would be a"very destabilizing" force. (Reuters) http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2005-02/10/images/pic01a.jpg--- PYONGYANG, February 10 (IslamOnline.net & NewsAgencies) - North Korea announced Thursday, February10, for the first time it possesses nuclear weapons toprotect itself against an increasingly hostile UnitedStates and suspended participation in the six-waytalks on dismantling its nuclear program."We had already taken the resolute action of pullingout of the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) andhave manufactured nukes to cope with the Bushadministration's evermore undisguised policy toisolate and stifle the DPRK," Reuters quoted NorthKorean as saying in a statement.The move raised the stakes in the two-year-old nuclearconfrontation between the communist country and theBush administration and sent shockwaves amongneighboring capitals."If in fact this is the case, then the North Koreansare only deepening their isolation because everyone... (has) been very clear that there needs to be nonuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula," US Secretaryof State Condoleezza Rice said, in an interviewThursday with RTL television during a visit toLuxembourg, the current EU president, according to theWashington Post.The North Korean statement carried by the state-runKorean Central News Agency, said the communist statepossessed nuclear weapons in self-defense against theUS attempts to overthrow its government.The statement, however, stressed that the North Koreannuclear arsenal was purely defensive, adding thatPyongyang still wanted to resort to dialogue to ridthe Korean peninsula of atomic weapons.It was the first official response to Bush's secondpresidential term and his team, especially Rice whobranded Pyongyang as an "outpost of tyranny" duringher confirmation hearing last month, according toReuters."The true intention of the second-term Bushadministration is not only to further its policy toisolate and stifle the DPRK pursued by the first-termoffice but to escalate it," the Foreign Ministry said.North Korea accuses Washington of planning aninvasion, reinforcing its 37,000 troops already inSouth Korea with B-1 and B-52 bombers that have beenordered to prepare for deployment to the Koreanpeninsula.Threatening Iran Bush has branded North Korea, Iran and Iraq - beforethe US invasion-turned-occupation of the Arab country- an "axis of evil", stepping up pressures on bothPyonyang and Tehran to dismantle their nuclearprograms under claims of being used for militarypurposes.The Korean admission came in defiance to Bush who saidWednesday that Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a"very destabilizing" force and that it was importantfor the world to speak with one voice against Tehran'sprogram."The Iranians just need to know that the free world isworking together to send a very clear message: Don'tdevelop a nuclear weapon," Bush said.No TalksNorth Korea further said it had no intention to engagein new rounds of the six-way talks on dismantling itsnuclear program amid bellicose signs from the Bushadministration."We have wanted the six-party talks but we arecompelled to suspend our participation in the talksfor an indefinite period till we have recognized thatthere is justification for us to attend the talks,"the Foreign Ministry's statement said, adding it wouldwait for conditions conducive to positive results."The Bush administration termed the DPRK, its dialoguepartner, an outpost of tyranny, putting into the shadeits hostile policy, and totally rejected it," theministry said."This deprived the DPRK of any justification toparticipate in the six-party talks," it said.The United States, China, South Korea, Japan andRussia have held three rounds of talks with NorthKorea since August 2003 and have been trying to coaxPyongyang back to the negotiations.The nuclear standoff erupted in October 2002 when theUnited States accused North Korea of operating aprogram based on highly enriched uranium, violating a1994 arms control agreement. Pyongyang denied thatcharge but restarted a plutonium program.Energy-starved North Korea has already said it neededto re-start nuclear activities to make up for ashortfall in energy supplies after a Washington-ledcoalition cut off fuel shipments late last year.
[IslamCity] Re: HINDUS BURN VALENTINE CARDS - HINDU MORAL OUTRAGE IS BELIED BY ANCIENT CULTURE
Assalamualaikum While the man made religion (Hindu) followers have already realised true fact of VALENTINES DAY, some Muslim still ignorantly following the christian celebration of valentines day. What a shame... From: Engr. Meer Sahib HINDUS BURN VALENTINE CARDS - HINDU MORAL OUTRAGE IS BELIED BY ANCIENT CULTURE [The practice of exchanging Valentine's cards and heart-shaped chocolates are on the rise, not only in India, but in Muslim and Arab countries too. In India, the Hindu fundamentalists are up in arms against this practice which they call a 'scourge'. They claim India is plagued by pornography, promiscuity, sexual perversion, STDs, AIDS, rapes, and other crimes, imported from the west. The movie makers, TV and media producers, and other commercial enterprises are exploiting this new trend for which, Indians hunger. Hindu fundamentalists are alarmed by the spread of this new culture. But vulgarity is not alien to Hinduism - a large number of Hindu temples exhibit various forms of deviant sexual behaviour in wall murals and sculptures, and even on chariots used to parade Hindu deities on 'yatra'. Most abominable among the erotic temples include the Vishvanath Temple, Lakshman Temple, Devi Jagdamba Temple and the Temples of Khajuraho. In these temples ancient carvings depict in considerable (pornographic) details, orgies, group sex, sodomy, child sex, homosexuality, incest, bestiality (where beasts are shown mounting women and men having intercourse with animals), and even sadhus (Hindu Holymen) engaged in various vulgar acts with Hindu devotees. These shameful sculptures represent lax morals of a decadent society from centuries immemorial. Muslim and even British rulers tried to civilize these savages, but without success. These sculptures are not aberrant; they represent stories found in the Hindu holy books. As a young man, I had to study Hindu 'purans' for my Tamil Literature exam (which was made compulsory upon us to graduate high school). I used to feel squeamish reading all the pornographic details of Hindu gods' sexual adventures. What these Hindu extremists are opposed to is the Western variety].ABC Online Valentine's Day branded 'cultural corruption'. 12/02/2005. ABC News Online [This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1301533.htm] Last Update: Saturday, February 12, 2005. 7:45pm (AEDT) Activists burn a Valentine's Day card. (File photo) (Reuters) Valentine's Day branded 'cultural corruption' Hardline Hindus have vowed to disrupt St Valentine's Day celebrations in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh, saying the Western love festival was a violation of India's traditional culture. St Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular in India in recent years, led by retailers selling red balloons, velvet pillows and teddy bears to mark the festival. But the growing popularity of the day in officially secular, but mainly Hindu, India has in recent years sparked countrywide protests which have sometimes turned violent. "We will oppose it tooth and nail because the concept of Valentine's Day celebrations has come from the West and through it an attempt is being made to spoil Indian culture," said Devendra Rawat, a member of the Bajrang Dal. "Our teams will visit all hotels and restaurants and stop Valentine's Day celebrations. The teams will also visit parks frequented by boys and girls." The Bajrang Dal said it had set up 16 teams of 25 activists each who would ensure that couples would not be able to celebrate the day in public in the state capital, Bhopal. Hardline groups have in the past made a bonfire of Valentine's Day cards and smashed shop windows to protest against what they describe as "cultural corruption" but that has not dampened the enthusiasm of youngsters who throng stores to buy St Valentine's Day gifts and cards. Groups like the Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena are part of a growing tribe of cultural vigilantes in India opposed to increasing Westernisation. Such groups have in the past stopped the screening of a controversial film about a love affair between two women and also stopped a film on the plight of widows forced into prostitution, saying they denigrated India's ancient traditions. -Reuters *** {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 H
[IslamCity] Man's Pride
Man's Pride I do not wish to discuss here in any detail why then, despite this, man denies God and disregards His communication with man. Suffice to say that the cause must be seen in man's self-perception, his arrogance and false pride. Having discovered that he and his kind constitute the peak of 'creation', he thinks himself autonomous, self-dependent, absolutely free and fully equipped to be master of the universe. Somehow, this self-perception too has been with man from his early days. He has always thought himself better than anything else. [The question of how evil came into the world has preoccupied many sincere seekers after the truth. The answer which the Qur'an gives is simple yet convincing if seen against all the evidence of historical and contemporary human civilization. At the root of all evil in this world is disobedience to God, resulting from the belief that one is superior to another. From this belief stems oppression of man by man discrimination, crime and all other evils that rule the day. The test lies in obedience to God, for seen against God, the 'wholly other', all creation is indeed on the other side and equal. In Sura al-A'raf (7) it is related that God asked all angels to bow before Adam, the first man. The angels obeyed, and observed God's will, except Iblis. When asked why he opposed God's will, he replied: 'ana khairun minhu' I (Iblis) am better than him (Adam), you created me from fire and created him from clay' (Al-Qur'an 7:12) . This then is the beginning of all evil, for it is Iblis who after this makes it his mission to incite men also to act against God's will.] Continue...www.masmn.org Islam Is Universal(For Islam Learners & New Muslim Reverts)Subscribe at YahooSubscribe at MSN Do you Yahoo!? All your favorites on one personal page Try My Yahoo! *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] Whose National Security are We Talking About? The Pedophiles'?
Whose National Security are We Talking About? The Pedophiles'? A Very Bad Pattern Whose National Security are We Talking About? By SUZAN MAZUR Feb 18, 2005 During three hours of conversation several weeks before 9/11 with a key Washington insider familiar with the national security establishment, I learned that one of the "founding fathers" of U.S. National Security sexually molested his own children.Out of respect for family members who have been victimized, I have chosen not to reveal identities. But the meeting convinced me that it was clearly time to examine the mindset of secrecy, lying and spying set in motion by this pedophile and his cronies in 1947 with the creation of the National Security Act. The American spy apparatus needs to be rolled back and dismantled -- soon -- not made more convoluted. Anguish not intelligence breeds in the cesspools of such secrecy, leading to unspeakable acts such as the Franklin Community Credit Union -- Boys Town "arrangement" in the 1980s, where politicians sexually preyed on children from orphanages in Omaha. Now we have Gannongate, the sex scandal involving one-time White House correspondent Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert. Continued: http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1082957.htm Video/Text: Promoting the 'Ambassador of Torture': Bush Nominates Negroponte for Intel Czar February 18, 2005 As President Bush nominates Ambassador John Negroponte, current U.S. ambassador to Iraq, as the first Director of National Intelligence, we look back at Negroponte's bloody history in Central America in the 1980s. [includes transcript] SISTER LAETITIA BORDES: Yes, I went to Honduras in May of 1982 on a fact-finding delegation. [Snip] When I heard the news yesterday, I must say I was devastated, absolutely devastated. I wondered, can things get any worse, really, and I am frightened for our own country. I think of what happened in Central America and countries like Honduras, like El Salvador, like Guatemala, where ordinary people organized for justice, for their basic rights and they disappeared. And I'm wondering if that's the road that we are on now, when we hear the President saying that John Negroponte's responsible for getting the information that we need and gathering all of the intelligence, and you know, stopping them before they stop us. That kind of language. It really frightens me. Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3 Watch 128k stream Watch 256 stream Continued at: http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1082965.htm US soldiers in Afghanistan posed before cameras while torturing detainees and took trophy shots of dead Afghanis. Then they destroyed the photos Afghan Photos Sparked Inquiry By Richard A. SerranoLos Angeles Times Staff WriterFebruary 18, 2005WASHINGTON In a case that echoes the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq, U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan posed before cameras while threatening to shoot prisoners in the head, shoving a detainee into a wall and punching another inmate. The troops also mugged for "trophy shots" with the corpse of an enemy fighter who had invaded their camp last year. Continued: http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1082591.htm New World Disorder Update: http://mparent.blog-city.com/index.cfm?m=2&y=2005 MARC PARENT Political tagssuch as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forthare never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. - Robert A HeinleinThe urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. - H.L. Mencken CRIMES AND CORRUPTIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS http://mparent.blog-city.com/Post your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals *** {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] --
[IslamCity] Hubbert's Prescription for Survival, A Steady State Economy
Published on 30 Dec 2004 by Hubbertpeak.com. Archived on 30 Dec 2004. http://www.energybulletin.net/3800.html?PHPSESSID=2bed89006d4a770d80b53472d736b3c5 Hubbert's Prescription for Survival, A Steady State Economy by Robert L. Hickerson RELATED NEWS: Thermodynamics of the Corn-Ethanol Biofuel cycle... Meditations on Collapse (a review of Jared Diamond's book)... Can Organic Farming "Feed the World"?... Living Within Limits... The End of Fossil Fuels: Part 2. Twilight or Dawn?... The late Dr. M. King Hubbert, a geophysicist, is well known as a world authority on the estimation of energy resources and on the prediction of their patterns of discovery and depletion.1. He was probably the best known geophysicist in the world to the general public because of his startling prediction, first made publicly in 1949, that the fossil fuel era would be of very short duration.2. His prediction in 1956 that U.S. oil production would peak in about 1970 and decline thereafter was scoffed at then but his analysis has since proved to be remarkably accurate. Less well known were Hubbert's studies since 1926 on the rate of industrial growth and of mineral and energy resources and their significance in the evolution of the world's present technological civilization. 3 Clark in "Geophysics" in February 1983 states ""In recent years, he (Hubbert) has assaulted a target -- which he labels the culture of money --that is gigantic even by Hubbert standards. His thesis is that society is seriously handicapped because its two most important intellectual underpinnings, the science of matter-energy and the historic system of finance, are incompatible. A reasonable co-existence is possible when both are growing at approximately the same rate. That, Hubbert says, has been happening since the start of the industrial revolution but it is soon going to end because the amount the matter-energy system can grow is limited while money's growth is not."I was in New York in the 30's. I had a box seat at the depression," Hubbert says. "I can assure you it was a very educational experience. We shut the country down because of monetary reasons. We had manpower and abundant raw materials. Yet we shut the country down. We're doing the same kind of thing now but with a different material outlook. We are not in the position we were in 1929-30 with regard to the future. Then the physical system was ready to roll. This time it's not. We are in a crisis in the evolution of human society. It's unique to both human and geologic history. It has never happened before and it can't possibly happen again. You can only use oil once. You can only use metals once. Soon all the oil is going to be burned and all the metals mined and scattered." That is obviously a scenario of catastrophe, a possibility Hubbert concedes. But it is not one he forecast. The man known to many as a pessimist is, in this case, quite hopeful. In fact, he could be the ultimate utopian. We have, he says, the necessary technology. All we have to do is completely overhaul our culture and find an alternative to money."We are not starting from zero," he emphasizes. "We have an enormous amount of existing technical knowledge. It's just a matter of putting it all together. We still have great flexibility but our maneuverability will diminish with time."A non-catastrophic solution is impossible, Hubbert feels, unless society is made stable. This means abandoning two axioms of our culture . . . the work ethic and the idea that growth is the normal state of affairs. Hubbert challenges the latter mathematically and concludes the exponential growth of the last two centuries is the opposite of the normal situation."It is an aberration. For most of human history the population doubled only once every 32,000 years. Now it's down to 35 years. That is dangerous. No biologic population can double more that a few times without getting seriously out of bounds. I think the world is seriously overpopulated right now. There can be no possible solutions to the world's problems that do not involve stabilization of the world's population."Hubbert's ideas about work are even more heretical. Work is becoming, he says, increasingly unimportant. He thinks it is conceivable that the future work week might be on the order of 10 hours. Indeed, because production will have to be limited by increasingly limited mineral resources, that might be inevitable. And that, Hubbert stresses, could be the foundation of an earthly paradise."Most employment now is merely pushing paper around," he says. "The actual work needed to keep a stable society running is a very small fraction of available manpower."The key to making this cultural alteration is to come up with a limitless supply of cheap energy. Hubbert feels the answer is obvious--solar power--and he does not feel more technological breakthroughs are needed before it can be made universally available. His faith is not that of a knee-jerk trendy but that of a doubter
[IslamCity] Gannongate threatens to expose a huge GOP pedophile and male prostitution ring
Folks, this is THE issue that can CRUCIFY the Bushite madmen. Get ahold of your local editors and stick these stories up their you know whats until this issue makes the mainstream. Gannongate threatens to expose a huge GOP pedophile and male prostitution ring By Wayne Madsen February 18, 2005Now that is has been discovered that "Jeff Gannon" (real name James D. Guckert), a "reporter" for Talon News Service, a front operation run by the conservative Republican-oriented GOPUSA.com, was using an alias as a cleared White House reporter, details are emerging that threaten to immerse the Bush administration in a major scandal. "Gannongate," which is only now being mentioned by the mainstream news media, threatens to expose a potentially damaging GOP pedophile and male prostitution ring dating back to the 1980s and the administration of George H. W. Bush. James D. Guckert, using the name Jeff Gannon and possibly other aliases, was also running gay porn sites, one with a U.S. Marine Corps theme that solicited males for prostitution. Continued: http://mparent.blog-city.com/read/1083156.htm The Bush pedos are covered extensively today at: http://mparent.blog-city.com/index.cfm?d=18&m=2&y=2005 MARC PARENT Political tagssuch as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forthare never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. - Robert A HeinleinThe urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. - H.L. Mencken CRIMES AND CORRUPTIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS http://mparent.blog-city.com/Post your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals *** {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] -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[IslamCity] Jesus Through a Muslim Lens
Jesus Through a Muslim LensMany may be surprised to learn that Muslims believe in Jesus' miracles. But this shared interest goes much further By new Muslim revert, Michael Wolfe Jesus of Nazareth is the most widely revered religious figure in the world. Not only is he central to Christianity, the largest religion in the world, he is also venerated throughout Islam, the world's second largest faith. Christians may be surprised to learn that Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth and Jesus' miracles. But this shared interest in his message goes much further. In our scientific age, the miraculous side of Jesus' story has greatly obscured his role in the prophetic tradition. In this sense, there may be more important questions for Muslims and Christians than whether he walked on water or raised the dead. In the Muslim view, Jesus' essential work was not to replicate magic bread or to test our credulity, but to complement the legalism of the Torah with a leavening compassion rarely expressed in the older testament. His actions and words introduce something new to monotheism: They develop the merciful spirit of God's nature. Jesus confirmed the Torah, stressing the continuity of his lineage, but he also developed the importance of compassion and self-purification as crucial links between learning the words of God's message and possessing the wisdom to carry it out. Oddly enough, some of the recent work by New Testament scholars seems to have reached a view of Christ not all that different from Muslims'. For us and for these scholars, Jesus appears not as a literal son of God in human form, but as an inspired human being, a teacher of wisdom with a talent for love drawn from an unbroken relationship to God. Both versions present him as a man who spoke to common people in universal terms. Two events in the life of the prophet Muhammad (SalAllaho Alaihi Wasallam) may help explain why Muslims revere the Christian Jesus. The first event involves an elder resident of Mecca named Waraqa bin Nawfal. This man was an early Arab Christian and an uncle of Muhammad's wife, Khadija. We know he could read Hebrew, that he was mystical by nature, and that he attended Khadija and Muhammad's wedding in about 595 C.E. Fifteen years later, a worried Khadija sought Waraqa out and brought her husband to him. At the time, Prophet Muhammad (SalAllaho Alaihi Wasallam) was a 40-year-old respected family man. He attended this "family therapy" session in a rare state of agitation. He was frightened. He had been meditating one evening in a cave on the outskirts of town. There, while half asleep, he had experienced something so disturbing that he feared he was possessed. A voice had spoken to him. Waraqa listened to his story, which Muslims will recognize as a description of Prophet Muhammad's first encounter with the angel Gabriel. When it was finished, Waraqa assured him he was not possessed. "What you have heard is the voice of the same spiritual messenger God sent to Moses. I wish I could be a young man when you become a prophet! I would like to be alive when your own people expel you." "Will they expel me?" Prophet Muhammad (SalAllaho Alaihi Wasallam) asked. "Yes," the old man said. "No one has ever brought his people the news you bring without meeting hostility. If I live to see the day, I will support you." Christians will recognize in Waraqa's remarks an aphorism associated with Jesus: "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." But that a Christian should first have verified Muhammad's role as a prophet may come as a surprise. The second important event concerning Islam and Christianity dates from 616, a few years after Prophet Muhammad (SalAllaho Alaihi Wasallam) began to preach publicly. This first attempt to reinstate the Abrahamic tradition in Mecca met (as Waraqa had warned) with violent opposition. Perhaps the Meccans resented Prophet Muhammad's special claim. Perhaps his message of a single, invisible, ever-present God threatened the economy of their city. A month's ride south from the centers of power in Syria and Persia, poor remote Mecca depended on long-distance trade and on seasonal pilgrims who came there each year to honor hundreds of pagan idols, paying a tax to do so. At any rate, Prophet Muhammad's disruptive suggestion that "God was One" and could be found anywhere did not sit well with the businessmen of Mecca. Many new Muslims were being tortured. Their livelihoods were threatened, their families persecuted. As matters grew worse, in 616 Muhammad sent a small band of followers across the Red Sea to seek shelter in the Christian kingdom of Axum. There, he told them, they would find a just ruler, the Negus, who could protect them. The Muslims found the Negus in his palace, somewhere in the borderland between modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. And protect them he did, after one Muslim recited to him some lines on the Virgin Mary from the Qur'an. The Negus wept at what he heard. Between Christians and
Fwd: [IslamCity] War in Jolo: ABIM calls for UN and OIC Intervention
Islahonline <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: To: "islamcity" From: "Islahonline" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 23:19:17 -Subject: [IslamCity] War in Jolo: ABIM calls for UN and OIC Intervention War In Jolo: ABIM Calls For UN And OIC Intervention February 16, 2005 - The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) calls for the active intervention by the United Nations Organization (UN) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on the on-going armed conflict in the Southern Philippines island of Jolo, Muslim Mindanao. Jolo, the capital of the former Sultanate of Sulu, has been the site of fierce fighting between the freedom fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and marines of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that has claimed hundreds of killed and wounded on both sides.The magnitude of the MNLF-AFP war that erupted recently engulfing almost the entire island province of Sulu needs the intervention by the United Nations. The OIC as Third Party to the Peace Accords between the protagonists know pretty well that the letter and spirit of the Accord has not only been inadvertently unimplemented, it is also not the suitable solution to the recurring conflict between the Moros and Filipinos. Inadequate relief assistance for refugeesThe international relief agencies and/or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also need to bring in humanitarian and relief assistance in order to save tens of thousands of civilians who are languishing in makeshift refugee centres without adequate supply of food and medicines and may get caught in the crossfire. The used of helicopter-fired missiles and bombings from aircrafts, battle tanks and artillery on the ground and naval bombardments from the sea, in addition to brigades and battalions of regular foot soldiers, including elite troops backed by American advisers, cannot be dismissed as an isolated case of war on terrorism. Moreover, the alleged discrepancies in the implementation of the Jakarta Peace Accord and the reported abuses of the Philippine Marines by indiscriminately killing civilians, that triggered the latest round of fighting, must be looked into more objectively in the interest of peace and stability in the region. In only a matter of days, reports of casualties have been staggeringly high, with high-ranking officers among those killed on both sides. The fresh turnout of Moro refugees have reportedly swelled to tens of thousands scattered all over the island province with not enough organized relief agency catering to their problems. There are reportedly acute shortages of food, sanitation and medicines, which could lead to possible outbreak of diseases and epidemics, and therefore another human disaster similar to a tsunami effect.Coordinated bombings The seemingly coordinated bombings in the cities of Metro-Manila, Davao and General Santos the other day that killed 7 and wounding 150 others, which was claimed by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), could hardly be construed as the work of the parties involved in the Jolo conflict. But rightly or wrongly, for as long as the Philippine Armed Forces are bogged down in Jolo, the miscreants would find it fair and beneficial to create mischief to either hurt the government or divert attention from the real issue. We, therefore, urge the Philippine government and the MNLF leadership to return to the negotiating table to resolve the crisis while it is still manageable, according to General Braganza, the chief of the AFP Southern Command, for peace and stability to return to the region.Role of IMTWe also call upon the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Conference, Malaysia in particular, to sue for a ceasefire and to enlarge the role of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) to include the province of Sulu, including Zamboanga, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi which are potential flash points to the conflict. Efforts should be taken to ensure that other interested groups are barred from taking the initiative to achieve their own sinister agenda to widen or divert the root causes of the conflict. Any new agreement should appropriately address the sentiments of the Moro masses and the roots of the long drawn out conflict, otherwise the cycle of violence will not end.Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) ***{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)Th
[IslamCity] Fwd: [ islam4all ] Life Sketch of Ummahtul Mominin 1
soft wind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]From: soft wind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 16:06:08 -0800 (PST)Subject: [ islam4all ] Life Sketch of Ummahtul Mominin 1 KHADIJAH-TUL-KUBRAH BINT KHUWAYLID Abdullah ibn Jafar reported that he heard Sayyiduna Ali say in Kufa that Allah's Messenger, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "The best of the women of her time was Maryam, daughter of Imran, and the bet of the women of her time was Khadijah, daughter of Khuwaylid." Is it not a great honor that the first person to embrace Islam was a woman? She was the first to bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that her husband was the Messenger of Allah. Her husband was our beloved Prophet Muhammad, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and she was called Khadijah, ( may Allah be pleased with her) She was also called Thaira, meaning 'pure'. Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, came from a noble family. Her father Khuwaylid had been one of the most honored leaders of their tribe until he was killed in battle. Her husband had also died, leaving her a very wealthy woman. When Muhammad (peace be upon him) was still a young man, she entrusted him with some of her wealth, asking him to trade with it in Syria on her behalf. He was already well known for his honesty, truthfulness and trustworthiness. He returned from Syria after having made a large profit for Khadijah. After hearing his account of the journey, she decided that he would make the best of the husbands, even though many of the most important nobles of the Quraish had already proposed to her and had been refused, and in due course she proposed to him. After the Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib, had given the proposed marriage his blessing, Muhammad and Khadijah were married. At the time of the marriage, the Prophet was twenty-five years old, while Khadijah was forty years old. For the next fifteen years they lived happily together, and Khadijah bore several children. Their first child, a son whom they named Qasim, died when he was only two years old. Two more sons, called Tayyib and Tahir, were also born, but they too died in their infancy. However, Muhammad and Khadijah also had four daughters who survived: Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. No one except Allah of course, knows more about a man than his wife, both his good and his bad qualities, his strengths and his weaknesses. The more Khadijah came to know about her husband, the more she loved and respected him. Everyone in Makka called him 'al-Amin', which means 'the trustworthy one', and she, more than anyone else, knew how fitting this name was. It became Muhammad's custom each year to spend the month of Ramadan in seclusion and reflection in a cave on the mountain of Hira, which is on the outskirts of Makka. Khadijah would always make sure that he was provided with food and drink during his retreat. Towards the end of one Ramadan, when he was forty and Khadijah fifty-five, Muhammad suddenly appeared at their house in the middle of the night, trembling with fear and saying, "Cover me up, cover me up!" Khadijah was very alarmed to see him in such a state. Quickly she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and, when he had calmed down, she asked him to describe exactly what had happened. He told her how a being whom he had never seen before - in fact it was the angel Jibril - had suddenly appeared to him while he was asleep and had said, "Read!" "But I cannot read," he had replied, for he was unlettered and could neither read or write. "Read!" the angel had repeated, clasping Muhammad close to his chest. "I cannot read," he had repeated. "Read!" the angel had repeated, firmly embracing him yet again. "What shall I read?" he had asked in desperation, and the angel had replied: Read, in the Name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot, Read, and your Lord is the Most Gracious, Who taught with the pen, taught man what he did not know. (Quran 96:1-5) Although Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not fully realize it at the time, this was the beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an; but in that first encounter with the angel Jibril, Muhammad was very frightened, for he did not know who the angel Jibril was or what was happening. He woke up and ran out of the cave only to find Jibril still in front of him, and whenever he turned away from him, there Jibril was in front of him yet again, filling the horizon with his mighty yet beautiful form. "Oh Muhammad," said Jibril eventually, "you are the Messenger of Allah and I am Jibril," and with these words he disappeared from Muhammad's sight. After the angel had disappeared Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had clambered down the mountain as fast as he could run, not knowing if he was going mad and imagining things, or if he had been possessed by one of the jinn. As she listened to Muhammad's words, Khadijah did not share any of these fears. She reali