La Tahzan Wa La Khauf

Learn from professional Chef Karam and bake your own macarons today! #taylors #milkadeal

2011-12-28T06:47:00.000+08:00

Learn from professional Chef Karam and bake your own macarons today! #taylors #milkadeal

How does getting rewarded through sharing sounds like to you? Join #ChurpChurp today and bring more friends to the community!

2011-05-17T18:56:00.000+08:00

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Rich Muslims, Poor Muslims

2011-05-01T15:56:00.000+08:00

Topic: Rich Muslims, Poor Muslims

- A duty of a Muslim to spend his wealth firstly for his own expenditures, then his family members, then his immediate relatives and other persons who are under his care.

- Zakat is obligatory. Non-mandatory spending includes spending for sadaqah, tabarru’, waqf, wasiyyah, hibah (gift) or award and even lending money (qard) and other goods for charitable purposes.

- The concept of reasonable wealth for a Muslim, especially for a businessman or a professional, has therefore to fulfil the following criteria:
1. wealth which is more than what is required to satisfy a Muslim and his family’s daily needs;
2. sufficient to provide a reasonably comfortable life in a reasonably clean and beautiful environment;
3. sufficient to provide for the children’s religious as well as worldly education;
4. sufficient to expand his business in order to provide more and better services to his customers;
5. adequate to free him from unnecessary anxiety for the future so that he has ample time for the following pursuits:
a. to perform spiritual duties to Allah;
b. to provide love and care to his family;
c. to increase his professional knowledge.

- First of all, it is important to note that if a financially able person performed Hajj and he has extra money to give in charity for those who are financially unable to perform Hajj and at the same time he gives money to poor and indebted Muslims, then he will be abundantly rewarded for these great deeds.

- It is reported that Prophet (Pbuh) said: “untill four questions have been asked, no one will be allowed to move on the Day of Resurrection. Two of these are: How did you earn and how did you spend? Sovereignty of the property rests in Allah and mankind is only its custodian”.

Prophet (Pbuh) said.
“ He who has land should cultivate it. If he will not or cannot, he should give it free to a (poor) brother and not rent it to him”. (Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet said:
“An honest businessman will be gathered (on the Day of Judgment) together with Prophets, those who are true, those who uphold and fight for Islam and those are pious.” (Al-Tarmizi)

Remember what the Prophet stated:
“You do better to leave you heirs rich than to leave them poor and dependent on the help of other people.” (Narrated by Al-bukhari and Muslim)

Allah also advises the rich not to circulate their wealth only among themselves but as widely as possible among the community.

Allah reveals:
“And in their wealth. And possessions (was remembered). The right of the (needy), Him who asked, and him Who (for some reason) was Prevented (from asking). (Al-Dhariyat 51:19)

“So give what is due to kindred, the needy, and the wayfarer. That is best for those who seek the Countenance of Allah,..” (Al-Rum 30:38)

“Bandingan seorang mukmin dengan seorang mukmin yang lain bagaikan satu bagunan, kuat menguatkan antara satu sama lain.” (riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim)

Sport: Selangor Stretch Lead On Top Of Table

2011-04-30T07:13:00.001+08:00

April 30, 2011 00:11 AM

Selangor Stretch Lead On Top Of Table

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- Selangor stretched their lead on top of the Super League table despite being held 1-1 by Terengganu at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, Kuala Terengganu Friday night.

The Red Giants collected 33 points from 16 matches, one point ahead of Terengganu.

Selangor opened scoring in the 42nd minute through Safiq Rahim before Terengganu equalised through Ismail Faruqi in the 62nd minute.

In Ipoh, Kedah beat 3-1 at the Perak Stadium.

Kedah led 3-0 through Mohd Khyril Muhaimin (30th minute), Mohd Firdaus Mohd Faudzi (75th) and owned goal by Perak's Mohd Syazwan Roslan (83rd) while the home team scored a consolation goal through Mohamad Noor Hazrul (90th).

In the Premier League, Selangor PKNS continued their top position with 36 points from 14 matches after trouncing SDM Navy 6-0 at the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council Stadium.

In Kuching, Sarawak also routed MP Muar 6-0 at the State Stadium to trail the leaders in the second spot with 29 points from 14 matches.

Sarawak goals were scored by Zamri Morshidi (7th minute), Bobby Ganzales (40th, 68th), Ashri ChuChu (46th, 74th) and Mohd Shahrol Saperi (67th).

In Penang, USM FC beat Penang 5-2 at the Batu Kawan Stadium.

USM FC's goals were scored by Muhammad Afzan Zainal Abidin (20th), Mohd Failee Mohamad Ghazali (30th, 32nd, 52nd) and Mohd Hazrul Shah Mohd Abdul Hakim (69th) while reduced the deficit through Arsyah Mohd Ayob (71st) and Khairul Azri Jamal Haziq (85th)

In Johor Baharu, Johor were held to a scoreless draw by the armed forces at the Tan Sri Dato' Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium and Sime Darby beat Pos Malaysia 2-0 at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium.

-- BERNAMA

Football: Kelantan Reclaim Top Spot As Leader Selangor Humbled By T'Team

2011-04-10T07:49:00.000+08:00

Football: Kelantan Reclaim Top Spot As Leader Selangor Humbled By T'Team

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- Kelantan regained top spot in style after whipping Felda United 6-0 in their Super League match at the Sultan Mohammed IV, in Kota Baharu as Selangor were humbled 0-2 by T'Team.

Incidentally, T'Team who beat Kelantan to knock them off the leader board, did a big favour by pulling off another upset to down Selangor at their own fort, long regarded as stronghold of the Red Giants.

The win today saw Kelantan collect 20 points, the same as Selangor, but moved to the top with a better goal advantage.

Mohd Shakir Shaari opened the flood gates for Kelantan in the 33rd minute while Nurshahrul Idlan Talaha (40th min), Mohd Nizad Ayub (60th min), Mohd Rizad Ayub (71st min), Danial Fadzley (82nd min) and Mohd Azuan Solahudin put the icing on the cake in the 89th minute.

At the Shah Alam Stadium, high riding Selangor brought down to earth with a thud by T'Team who were clearly the better side of the day while Selangor were a pale shadow with stray passes and muffed chances the order of the day.

Selangor's missed chances early in the match came back to haunt them when T-Team struck the first blow in the 50th minuet through a Mohd Norfarhan Muhammad header while Indra Putra Mahayuddin ensured all three points with an 84th minute strike.

In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah also pulled off an upset by beating previously second placed Perak 2-1 at the Likas Stadium despite trailing by a 16th minute goal from Mohd Shafiq Jamal.

Sabah who are second from bottom of the table, equalised through Zuraindey Jumai in the 48th minute before Leopold Alfonso Otong turned hero with a 62nd minute winning goal.

At the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu, home side Terengganu convincingly beat Harimau Muda A 3-1 while Kuala Lumpur and Pahang played to a goalless draw at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium.

Johor FC and Negeri Sembilan also shared the spoils and points after a goalless draw at the JCORP Stadium in Pasir Gudang.

-- BERNAMA

Petronas Dagangan Introduces Primax 95 Xtra To Replace Ron 95

2011-04-10T07:48:00.000+08:00

Petronas Dagangan Introduces Primax 95 Xtra To Replace Ron 95

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB) today launched Primax 95 Xtra, a F1 technology inspired fuel, which will replace Ron 95.

The company said the new fuel would be sold at the regulated price of RON 95 fuel despite its marked superior quality and performance.

The Primax 95 Xtra was launched in conjunction with the unveiling of PDB's new brand tagline "All The Way" by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here Saturday night.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Amir Hamzah Azizan said the launch of Primax 95 Xtra, showcased the importance of continuing research and improvement to the Primax line of products.

"We also believe that growth cannot only be in terms of the number of Petronas service stations we have but also in continuously improving the quality of our fuel," he said in a statement.

The new fuel is available at over 950 Petronas service stations nationwide, replacing the previous Primax 95.

-- BERNAMA

Prove it was not you in sex video, Chua tells Anwar

2011-03-26T10:33:00.001+08:00

KOTA BARU: Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has called on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other opposition leaders to cooperate with the police in their investigations into the sex video case.

The MCA president said Anwar, who has been implicated as one of the actors in the video, should come clean on the matter.

“The matter is in the hands of the police and we hope they conduct the investigation professionally.

“The onus is on Anwar to prove that he is not involved in the video and it is a golden opportunity for him to prove that he is innocent and give his fullest cooperation to the police in the course of the investigation,” Dr Chua told reporters after attending the MCA 1Medical fund-raising dinner at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce hall here last night.

Also present was Kelantan MCA committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Dr Chua said the video issue should not be politicised, adding that the people should leave the matter to the police to investigate.

On another matter, he said he would lead an MCA delegation to meet Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat on April 3 to get the PAS spiritual leader's explanation on why the Kelantan government had banned the sale of lottery tickets.

“Nik Aziz has agreed to meet us although I have not discussed with party members on who should attend the meeting scheduled in the afternoon.

“MCA only wants to get a clear explanation on the reasons why the state government had banned the sale of the lottery tickets that is clearly infringing on the rights of the Chinese in Kelantan,” he added.

MCA had criticised the Kelantan government's move to ban the sale of Big Sweep lottery tickets after two bookshop owners were slapped with compound fines for selling them on Feb 26.

Turkey issues urgent warning to citizens in Syria

2011-03-26T10:30:00.000+08:00

Turkey issues urgent warning to citizens in Syria

Turkish Embassy in Syria warned citizens to stay away from protest sites amid growing protests in the country against Syrian government.

Turkish Embassy in Damascus made an urgent announcement on its internet site, saying there was civil disorder in parts of the country.

It said most violent protests were held in the southern city of Daraa.

Earlier media reports said Syrian troops opened fire on protesters in Daraa where thousands flooded Assad Square chanting for "freedom." Residents said at least 20 protestors have been killed.

Embassy officials also had a meeting with Turkish students and businessmen living in Syria and warned about recent unrest in the country.

Police record Shuaib’s statement over sex video scandal

2011-03-26T10:28:00.000+08:00

By LOURDES CHARLES and M. KUMAR
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Shuaib Lazim, the last member of the Datuk T trio who exposed a sex video showing a man resembling Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a foreign prostitute, has had his statement recorded.

Shuaib, who is Perkasa treasurer, arrived at Bukit Aman at 5.30pm yesterday - 24 hours after two other members of the trio, former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah - gave their statements to police.

Both Abdul Rahim and Eskay handed over the video recording as well as an Omega watch to the police as evidence.

Resignation demand: A group of PKR Youth members staging a demonstration after Friday prayers Friday in front of the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) headquarters at Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Led by Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, the group demanded Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik step down as Risda chairman following his involvement in screening the much-talked about sex video.

Royal Malaysian Police Secretary Deputy Comm Datuk Ghazali Md Amin said in a statement yesterday police had arrested two men and obtained several items as evidence from them. He also said the two were released on bail.

He did not reveal their identities, giving rise to speculation that it was Abdul Rahim and Eskay.

He went on to say that one of them even disclosed to police the location where the alleged sex video was filmed.

“A team of investigators including a forensics team went to the location and conducted their investigation,'' he added.

However, both Abdul Rahim and Eskay have vehemently denied that they were arrested by police when they went to give their statements.

They said they were not told by the officers investigating the case or those who recorded their statements that they were arrested.

The men also claimed they did not sign any documents pertaining to their alleged arrest or release.

Inspector-General of police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said police were trying to determine the identity of the people seen in the video as well the person who recorded it.

“There are a few things we are looking into right now,” he said when speaking to reporters after attending the 204th Police Day celebration at Pulapol, here, yesterday.

As to why the trio were not arrested, Ismail replied: “What offence (did they commit), you tell me?”

However, he added that if investigations showed that the trio was involved and if there was sufficient evidence, then police would arrest them.

“Let us determine if they have broken the law first. We can always arrest them later,” he said.

Ismail also urge the public not to speculate on the case and let police investigate the case.

“Give us time to do our job. We are working on it as thoroughly and quickly as possible,” he added.

Besides the trio, the police also recorded statements from senior news editors and journalist from the media and news portals who were invited to view the sex tape by the trio at the Carcosa Sri Negara on Monday.

Police reports filed against trio behind 'Datuk T'

2011-03-26T10:26:00.000+08:00

Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah (L) and Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik (R). -- PHOTO: NSTP

KUALA LUMPUR - TWO police reports were lodged against the three individuals who said they were responsible for showing a sex video implicating opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The reports claimed the trio had broken the law by possessing and distributing pornographic material under Section 292 of the Penal Code and Section 5 of the Censorship Act.

The reports were lodged by Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne and a representative of the Selective Prosecution Movement (Gapet), a non-governmental organisation.

In both reports, they urged the police to arrest Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik, Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Datuk Shuib Lazim and investigate the matter thoroughly.

In the report, Mr Loh also said the trio had threatened Datuk Anwar and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ahmad saying the video would be made public if they did not step down.

Gapet representative, Khairul Anuar Othman said they want police and Internal Security Ministry to investigate the matter without the involvement of Umno and Perkasa. -- THE STAR/ANN

Sex Video: Umno Not Involved, Says Najib

2011-03-26T10:24:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that Umno had nothing to do with the sex video alleged to involve an opposition leader.

"The question is whether the tape is authentic or not because if it is genuine, a sin had been committed. This is what has to be determined first," the Prime Minister and Umno president said.

"There are those inclined towards conspiracy theories which distract from the core question of whether this sinful act occurred and was recorded," he told reporters after chairing an Umno supreme council meeting here, Friday.

On the call for a royal commission to be set up to investigate the authenticity of the video, he said this was up to the government to decide.

Najib said that police must carry out an investigation that was thorough and professional, with experts brought in to help.

Najib said that the experts could help ascertain whether the video had been doctored.

"It is very easy to see and verify if a video had been doctored," he added.

Thursday, former Melaka Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah handed to the police at Bukit Aman the video together with an Omega gold watch, alleged to belong to the person seen in the video.

Najib said the meeting also discussed the party membership which now totalled 3,233,586.

He also said the meeting decided to lift the suspension imposed in 2009 on state assemblyman for Usukan in Sabah Datuk Japlin Akim for involvement in money politics.

-- BERNAMA

Syria: Four killed in Deraa as protests spread across south

2011-03-24T05:56:00.000+08:00

Katherine Marsh in Damascus
The Guardian, Wednesday 23 March 2011
Article history

Hundreds of protesters gather in the southern Syrian city of Deraa. Photograph: Khaled Al-Hariri/Reuters

Syria faces the most serious unrest in the 11-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad as protests continue across the south.

Several hundred demonstrators reportedly took to the streets in the governorate of Deraa in the fifth consecutive day of clashes.

Last night there were reports that Syrian security forces killed four people on an attack on the Omari mosque in Deraa. Protesters calling for political freedoms and an end to corruption had said earlier that they were going to remain in the mosque until their demands were met.

Unrest has spread to the nearby towns of Inkhil, Jasim and Nawa, and rural areas around Damascus, witnesses said. The protesters have stopped short of calling for the overthrow of Assad. "The protests started in small numbers and with local grievances but have expanded as people have been killed," said an activist in Damascus, who asked for anonymity. "The use of force has made people angrier and encouraged large groups to turn out for the funerals."

On Friday, the security forces shot dead four people in Deraa, and on Sunday they fired teargas and live ammunition; one demonstrator was killed and scores were injured. An 11-year-old boy also died in hospital after inhaling teargas, according to local human rights monitors.

Security forces have reportedly softened their tactics, letting protests in smaller towns to proceed, but have stepped up arrests. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said scores of those party to the protests had been detained."Many bloggers, rights campaigners and journalists have been locked up," said the activist in Damascus. The US, UN and rights groups have condemned Syria's reaction to the largely peaceful protests.

In Deraa buildings have been set on fire and vandalised, and the city has been cordoned off by troops. Identity cards are being checked and phone and internet connections have been interrupted.

In addition to cracking down, The government has responded by organising pro-Assad rallies.

distributing propaganda. It has blamed the unrest on saboteurs, from Israeli agents to Palestinian extremists, and has claimed infiltrators dressed up as high-ranking officials are giving permission to forces to shoot. It has also made concessions. Faisal Kalthoum, governor of Deraa, has been dismissed. Sources told the Guardian that Deraa's head of political security has also been transferred.

Unrest broke out in several cities across the country on Friday but has since concentrated in Deraa and the suroundingsed in Deraa and the surrounding countryside, which suffers from high levels of poverty.

The surrounding tribal areas were upset by the detention of 15 children for political graffiti; their leaders have demanded the release of political prisoners in Deraa, an end to corruption, and the right to buy and sell property without permission, forbidden under emergency law currently forbidden under emergency law.

If these demands are not met, analysts predict, the protests could escalate. "People's demands are growing. If numbers rise, we are concerned about the use of violence to quash them," said Mohammed al-Abdullah, a Syrian human rights activist exiled in the US.

Syria has been under emergency law since 1963. Its extensive security forces are known for keeping a tight grip on the country and reacting with force. In March 2004, at least 36 people, mainly Kurds, were killed during unrest in the north-east.

• Katherine Marsh is a pseudonym for a journalist who lives in Damascus

Syrian police shoot nine people dead in attack on area sheltering protesters

2011-03-24T05:50:00.000+08:00

Tyres burn in the street in Deraa, Syria, hours after police shot at least nine anti-government protesters. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP

Syrian police launched an assault on a neighbourhood sheltering anti-government protesters, fatally shooting at least nine in an operation that lasted nearly 24 hours, witnesses said.

At least six were said to have been killed in an early morning attack on the al-Omari mosque in the southern agricultural city of Deraa, where protesters have taken to the streets to calls for reform and political freedoms. An activist in contact with people in the city said police shot three other protesters in the city centre after dusk.

Inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests around the region, the uprising in Deraa and at least four villages nearby has become the biggest domestic challenge since the 1970s to the Syrian government, one of the most repressive in the Middle East. Security forces have responded with water cannon, teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. The total death toll now stands at 16.

Democracy activists used social-networking sites to call for massive demonstrations across the country on Friday, a day they dubbed Dignity Friday.

An activist in Damascus in contact with people in Deraa said six had died in the raid on the mosque. A witness in the city said five people had been killed, including a woman who looked out of her window to see what was happening during the operation, which began after midnight and lasted for about three hours.

Heavy shooting rattled the city until at least the early afternoon, when bursts of semi-automatic gunfire could be heard echoing in its old centre.

State TV said an "armed gang" attacked an ambulance and security forces killed four attackers and wounded others and was chasing others who fled. It denied security forces had stormed the mosque, but also showed footage of guns, AK47s, hand grenades, ammunition and money it said had been seized from inside.

Mobile phone connections to the city were cut and checkpoints throughout Deraa were manned by soldiers in camouflage uniforms and plainclothes security agents with rifles. Anti-terrorism police wearing dark blue uniforms were also on the streets.

The witness said hundreds of anti-terrorism police had surrounded the mosque.

The unrest started with the arrest last week of a group of students who sprayed anti-government graffiti on walls in Deraa.

The war against Libya has begun; US, UK launch cruise missiles

2011-03-20T21:35:00.000+08:00

The US and the UK hit Libya’s air defense systems with 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles as French fighter jets took out tanks around Benghazi in the first day military action to prevent Muammar Gaddafi from attacking rebels. The missiles were, fired from US and UK’s ships and submarines in the Mediterranean Sea and hit 20 air defense and communication systems in the western parts of the country, and near the capital Tripoli.

The purpose of the cruise missile attacks was to “shape the battle space” to be able to enforce the no-fly zone mandated over Libya by a UN Security Council resolution, said US military.

“Today I authorized the Armed Forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians,:” said Barack Obama in Brazil, where he is on a two-day visit.

“That action has now begun.” It is called Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Libya called the attacks barbaric. Strongman Muammar Gaddafi said these unprovoked attacks have turned the Mediterranean into a battle area. He called for all Arab and Muslim states to join him in this “large scale crusade”.

Libya on Sunday said it regarded as invalid a UN resolution ordering a ceasefire by its forces and demanded an urgent meeting of the Security Council after its territory was attacked by Western forces.

A number of these Arab states – and the Arab League -- are a part, however, of the coalition arrayed against Gaddafi. Their leaders met counterparts from the UK, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Lithuania and other countries met in Paris earlier Saturday.

There was some confusion in the coalition as France went off the block the first, sending fighter jets over Libya. They destroyed four tanks and returned. Within an hour the US and the US were raining cruise missiles on Libya.

“We are creating the conditions to be able to set up the no-fly zone, and once we have established and confirmed that the conditions are right then we will move forward into the next,” said US vice admiral William Gortney at a news briefing.

The attacks are being led by US commanders now, but will be led by coalition commanders in the coming days. Obama is very clear he doesn’t want to own this conflict, saying it will be conducted by a coalition.

The US military said the strikes were the first phase of a multi-phase operation and were intended to destroy Libya’s air defense systems making it easier for coalition planes to enforce the no-fly zone.

The US used two destroyers, three submarines and three other ships for the strikes; the UK contributed one submarine. Gortney couldn’t tell immediately the effect of the strikes saying it could take hours to know.

Muammar Gaddafi has condemned the uprising in Tunisia

2011-02-26T23:25:00.001+08:00

The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has condemned the uprising in neighbouring Tunisia amid reports today of unrest on the streets of Libya.

In a speech last night Gaddafi, an ally of the ousted president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, said he was "pained" by the fall of the Tunisian government. He claimed protesters had been led astray by WikiLeaks disclosures detailing the corruption in Ben Ali's family and his repressive regime.

The leaked cables were written by "ambassadors in order to create chaos", Deutsche Press-Agentur reported Gaddafi as saying.

His remarks came as Tunisian politicians hold talks to form a unity government to help maintain a fragile calm two days after violent protests forced Ben Ali from office.

Tanks were stationed around the capital, Tunis, and soldiers were guarding public buildings, but after a day of drive-by shootings and jailbreaks in which dozens of inmates were killed, residents said they were starting to feel more secure.

"Last night we surrounded our neighbourhood with roadblocks and had teams checking cars. Now we are in the process of lifting the roadblocks and getting life back to normal," said Imed, a resident of the city's Intilaka suburb.

Gaddafi's comments reflect a nervousness among other long-serving Arab leaders that the uprising in Tunisia will embolden anti-government protests elsewhere in the region.

There were reports today, backed up by video evidence, of protests in the Libyan city of al-Bayda, according to the Guardian's Middle Eastspecialist Brian Whitaker, writing on his blog al-bab.com. Protesters clashed with police and attacked government offices, in a demonstration about housing conditions, according to an opposition website.

Whitaker writes: "We can expect to see many more incidents like this over the coming months in various Arab countries. Inspired by the Tunisian uprising, people are going to be more assertive about their grievances and start probing, to see how far they can push the authorities. In the light of Tunisia we can also expect a tendency, each time disturbances happen, to suggest (or hope) that they are the start of some new Arab revolution. The reality, though, is that almost all of them will quickly fizzle out or get crushed."

In Egypt, a human rights activist, Hossam Bahgat, said the protests in Tunisia had encouraged those opposed to the regime of the long-time Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. "I feel like we are a giant step closer to our own liberation," he said. "What's significant about Tunisia is that literally days ago the regime seemed unshakable, and then eventually democracy prevailed without a single western state lifting a finger."

Writing on Twitter, the Egyptian opposition leader and former chief UN weapons inspector, Mohamed ElBaradei said: "Violence in Tunisia now is a product of decades of repression. Regime in Egypt must understand that peaceful change is only way out."

In his statement, broadcast last night on Libyan TV, Gaddafi said: "Tunisia now lives in fear. Families could be raided and slaughtered in their bedrooms and the citizens in the street killed as if it was the Bolshevik or the American revolution."

In attempt to placate protesters Ben Ali had pledged to stand down in 2014 before he decided to flee to Saudi Arabia.

"What is this for? To change Zine al-Abidine? Hasn't he told you he would step down after three years? Be patient for three years and your son stays alive," Gaddafi said.

Gaddafi, who has been Libyan leader since 1969, urged Tunisia to adopt Libyan model of government. He said this model "marks the final destination for the peoples' quest for democracy. If this is what the events [in Tunisia] are for, then it has to be made clear".

Source: Guardian Newspaper UK

Leaders of Libya and Yemen meet protests with deadly force

2011-02-20T06:15:00.001+08:00

As revolt spreads through the Arab world, Libyan President Moammar Kadafi and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh take brutal steps to retain power.

Anti-government protesters flee as government backers repel their attack during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen. (Khaled Abdullah / Reuters / February 19, 2011)

Reporting from Cairo and Sana, Yemen —

Two of the Arab world's most ruthless leaders have been spooked by revolts gaining momentum in Libya and Yemen as security forces intensified attacks on dissidents and protesters dug scores of fresh graves amid the rattle of gunfire.

The unrest convulsing the region has swept through Libya and Yemen, where demonstrators have grown fearless against the tear gas and bullets of entrenched police states. But even if the scenario is similar to the narrative played out in the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, it is far from certain whether demonstrations can dislodge Libyan President Moammar Kadafi and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Unlike Egypt, Libya and Yemen are tribal nations, and the two leaders have skillfully manipulated clan loyalties for decades.

With his eccentric, often inscrutable personality, Kadafi has ruled Libya, one of the world's largest oil producers, for 41 years through a mix of repression, patronage and shrewd tribal alliances. Saleh, who once described ruling Yemen as "dancing on the heads of snakes," has stayed in power for 32 years in much the same manner.

The heart of the revolt in Libya is in the eastern city of Benghazi, where dozens of people have died in recent days and tens of thousands of protesters have taken control of many neighborhoods. The army moved to crush dissent Friday, but by Saturday afternoon one witness said soldiers had abandoned two tanks in front of the courthouse and security forces had fallen back to bases.

"Kadafi is not in control of Benghazi," said the son of a former diplomat and military officer who asked not to be named. "By tomorrow, the city will belong to the people. There are no police here. But we've been isolated and shut off. The Internet is down. Cellphones are not working properly. Ten people were killed last night and we carried their coffins through town and buried them."

The tenor changed dramatically by Saturday evening, when reports emerged that security forces, including snipers, had opened fire on protesters and mourners. A doctor told the Al Jazeera network that he had glimpsed dozens of corpses at the city's hospital, which was on the brink of running out of blood for transfusions to treat the wounded.

"I have seen it on my own eyes: At least 70 bodies at the hospital," Wuwufaq al-Zuwail told the network. He said security forces had blocked ambulances from reaching the injured on the protest lines.

It was impossible to independently verify what has been unfolding in Benghazi, the country's second-largest city, which has been cut off to foreign media. The eastern region has long been marginalized by Kadafi, and anger has been growing over failed economic reforms, especially for the jobless young. There is also lingering hostility over the 1996 deaths of hundreds of inmates from the east killed in a massacre at Abu Salim prison in Tripoli.

"Libya is more like a black hole. It's very hard to see inside at all," said Joe Stork, deputy director for North Africa and the Middle East for Human Rights Watch. "Libya's police have in the past shown zero tolerance for any dissent. Especially public dissent. People have been locked up for years for organizing even small protests. What's new here is that large numbers of people are still coming out."

The Libyan protests are not the "beginning of a revolution," said Mustafa Labbad, head of Al Sharq Center for Political Studies in Cairo. "Libya is a tribal country and what happens in a certain area isn't necessarily accepted by or adopted by other tribes.... We've got all the protests in the east where the poorest of Libyans live and resent Kadafi the most. However, you need much more than just one part of a country to revolt," he said.

But U.S. diplomatic cables released recently by WikiLeaks reveal growing internal discontent with Kadafi.

"Static state salaries and inflation, particularly with respect to prices for food and key staples, have hit ordinary Libyans hard in the last two years," states a 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable. "Conspicuous consumption by regime elites, has not sat well with the silent majority.... The fact that many young men are forced by lack of means to delay marriage is another pressing economic issue in a conservative society in which marriage is a key social anchor."

In Yemen's southern coastal city of Aden, police in recent days relinquished parts of the town to protesters. It was uncertain whether security forces gained control Saturday after mobs attacked and burned police stations during the nation's ninth consecutive day of demonstrations.

Two protesters were killed and dozens injured when gunmen shot into the crowd from nearby rooftops and from a passing vehicle, according to local reports. Protesters in Aden said the gunmen were government security officers. Government officials denied the claim.

The rising violence points to years of frustration in Yemen — the Arab world's poorest country — and to Saleh's strained relations with tribal leaders. Saleh is confronting a secessionist movement in the south and a network of Al Qaeda militants on tribal lands beyond the capital, Sana. He recently attempted to buy off tribal leaders with cars and cash, according to local media.

"Politicians have always played the tribes card, and they will now that there are threats from the south and from the protesters," said Ali Saif Hassan, director of Yemen's Political Development Forum. "The tribes are a powerful force, and their loyalty will certainly be used to blackmail Saleh."

The danger the president faces was evident Saturday afternoon when a small band of pro-government supporters dressed in traditional clothing fired Kalashnikov rifles into a crowd of more than a thousand protesters gathered in front of Sana University. Protesters said the gunmen were security officers acting on orders from the government. Government officials denied any involvement in the shootings.

"I ask you, if my government is democratic, why am I afraid to go out on the street? Why am I afraid my government will put bullets in me?" said Kamal Daifalah, a doctor and an anti-government protester in Sana, who gave his great-grandfather's name for fear of reprisals from police. "This is not democracy. This is state terrorism."

Another anti-government protester, Farooq Abdulmalik, said he was willing to die for his freedom. "To live without freedom is another form of death," the 22-year-old student said. "We are not afraid."

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com

Bahrain Main Opposition Rejects Dialogue Offer: TV

2011-02-20T06:14:00.001+08:00

MANAMA, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq rejected an offer of dialogue floated by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa with all parties to end unrest and protests that swept the tiny Gulf nation and left six people dead, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Dubai- based Al-Arabiya TV report Saturday.

The King has issued a royal decree in which he tasked Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to lead the dialogue with all parties.

Al-Wefaq, which holds 18 seats in the 40-member parliament, conditioned military tanks to be withdrawn from the capital Manama's Pearl Square.

In a knee jerk to the use of force by police to end protests, Al-Wefaq has suspended its participation in Bahrain's parliament.

Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family where the majority Shiite population says they are facing discrimination in jobs and other services.

The kingdom denies such claims.

Bahrain with a population of some 738,000, is the only Gulf nation along with Kuwait with an elected parliament, but laws must be approved by the king-appointed Shura Council, the upper chamber of Bahrain's parliament.

-- BERNAMA

Bahrain Takes the Stage With a Raucous Protest

2011-02-20T06:06:00.001+08:00

By MICHAEL SLACKMAN

Published: February 15, 2011

MANAMA, Bahrain — Thousands of protesters poured into this nation’s symbolic center, Pearl Square, late Tuesday in a raucous rally that again demonstrated the power of popular movements that are transforming the political landscape of the Middle East.

In a matter of hours, this small, strategically important monarchy experienced the now familiar sequence of events that has rocked the Arab world. What started as an online call for a “Day of Rage” progressed within 24 hours to an exuberant group of demonstrators, cheering, waving flags, setting up tents and taking over the grassy traffic circle beneath the towering monument of a pearl in the heart of Manama, the capital.

The crowd grew bolder as it grew larger, and as in Tunisia and Egypt, modest concessions from the government only raised expectations among the protesters, who by day’s end were talking about tearing the whole system down, monarchy and all.

Then as momentum built up behind the protests on Tuesday, the 18 members of Parliament from the Islamic National Accord Association, the traditional opposition, announced that they were suspending participation in the legislature.

The mood of exhilaration stood in marked contrast to a day that began in sorrow and violence, when mourners who had gathered to bury a young man killed the night before by the police clashed again with the security forces.

In that melee, a second young man was killed, also by the police.

“We are going to get our demands,” said Hussein Ramadan, 32, a political activist and organizer who helped lead the crowds from the burial site to Pearl Square. “The people are angry, but we will control our anger, we will not burn a single tire or throw a single rock. We will not go home until we succeed. They want us to be violent. We will not.”

Bahrain is best known as a Persian Gulf base for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet and as a playground for residents of Saudi Arabia who can drive over a causeway to enjoy the nightclubs and bars of the far more permissive kingdom. Its ruler, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, is an important ally of the United States in fighting terrorism and countering Iranian influence in the region.

It is far too soon to tell where Bahrain’s popular political uprising will go. The demands are economic — people want jobs — as well as political, in that most would like to see the nation transformed from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one. But the events here, inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, have altered the dynamics in a nation where political expression has long been tamed by harsh police tactics and prison terms.

In a rare speech to the nation, the king expressed his regret on national television over the two young men killed by the police and called for an investigation into the deaths. But in an unparalleled move he also instructed his police force to allow more than 10,000 demonstrators to claim Pearl Square as their own.

As night fell Tuesday and a cold wind blew off the Persian Gulf, thousands of demonstrators occupied the square or watched from a highway overpass, cheering. Where a day earlier the police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at any gatherings that tried to protest, no matter how small, or peaceful, people now waved the red and white flag of Bahrain, gave speeches, chanted slogans and shared food.

The police massed on the other side of a bridge leading to the square. A police helicopter never stopped circling, but took no action, to the protesters’ surprise.

By 10 p.m., many of the people headed home from the square, with many saying they had plans to return the next day. A core group planned to spend the night there in tents.

“Now the people are the real players, not the government, not the opposition,” said Matar Ibrahim Matar, 34, an opposition member of Parliament who joined the crowd gathered beneath the mammoth statue. “I don’t think anyone expected this, not the government, not us.”

Hosni Mubarak resigns as president - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

2011-02-12T09:38:00.000+08:00

Hosni Mubarak resigns as president - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square have vowed to take the protests to a 'last and final stage' [AFP]

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has resigned from his post, handing over power to the armed forces.

Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, announced in a televised address that the president was "waiving" his office, and had handed over authority to the Supreme Council of the armed forces.

Suleiman's short statement was received with a roar of approval and by celebratory chanting and flag-waving from a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as well by pro-democracy campaigners who attended protests across the country on Friday.

The crowd in Tahrir chanted "We have brought down the regime", while many were seen crying, cheering and embracing one another.

Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader, hailed the moment as being the "greatest day of my life", in comments to the Associated Press news agency.

"The country has been liberated after decades of repression,'' he said.

"Tonight, after all of these weeks of frustration, of violence, of intimidation ... today the people of Egypt undoubtedly [feel they] have been heard, not only by the president, but by people all around the world," our correspondent at Tahrir Square reported, following the announcement.

"The sense of euphoria is simply indescribable," our correspondent at Mubarak's Heliopolis presidential palace, where at least ten thousand pro-democracy activists had gathered, said.

"I have waited, I have worked all my adult life to see the power of the people come to the fore and show itself. I am speechless." Dina Magdi, a pro-democracy campaigner in Tahrir Square told Al Jazeera.

"The moment is not only about Mubarak stepping down, it is also about people's power to bring about the change that no-one ... thought possible."

In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, our correspondent described an "explosion of emotion". He said that hundreds of thousands were celebrating in the streets.

Pro-democracy activists in the Egyptian capital and elsewhere had earlier marched on presidential palaces, state television buildings and other government installations on Friday, the 18th consecutive day of protests.

Anger at state television

At the state television building earlier in the day, thousands had blocked people from entering or leaving, accusing the broadcaster of supporting the current government and of not truthfully reporting on the protests.

"The military has stood aside and people are flooding through [a gap where barbed wire has been moved aside]," Al Jazeera's correspondent at the state television building reported.

He said that "a lot of anger [was] generated" after Mubarak's speech last night, where he repeated his vow to complete his term as president.

'Gaining momentum'

Outside the palace in Heliopolis, where at least ten thousand protesters had gathered in Cairo, another Al Jazeera correspondent reported that there was a strong military presence, but that there was "no indication that the military want[ed] to crack down on protesters".

Click here for more of Al Jazeera's special coverage

She said that army officers had engaged in dialogue with protesters, and that remarks had been largely "friendly".

Tanks and military personnel had been deployed to bolster barricades around the palace.

Our correspondent said the crowd in Heliopolis was "gaining momentum by the moment", and that the crowd had gone into a frenzy when two helicopters were seen in the air around the palace grounds.

"By all accounts this is a highly civilised gathering. people are separated from the palace by merely a barbed wire ... but nobody has even attempted to cross that wire," she said.

As crowds grew outside the palace, Mubarak left Cairo on Friday for the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Shaikh, according to sources who spoke to Al Jazeera.

In Tahrir Square, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered, chanting slogans against Mubarak and calling for the military to join them in their demands.

Our correspondent at the square said the "masses" of pro-democracy campaigners there appeared to have "clear resolution" and "bigger resolve" to achieve their goals than ever before.

However, he also said that protesters were "confused by mixed messages" coming from the army, which has at times told them that their demands will be met, yet in communiques and other statements supported Mubarak's staying in power until at least September.

Army statement

In a statement read out on state television at midday on Friday, the military announced that it would lift a 30-year-old emergency law but only "as soon as the current circumstances end".

IN VIDEO

Thousands are laying siege to state television's office

The military said it would also guarantee changes to the constitution as well as a free and fair election, and it called for normal business activity to resume.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tahrir Square said people there were hugely disappointed with that army statement, and had vowed to take the protests to "a last and final stage".

"They're frustrated, they're angry, and they say protests need to go beyond Liberation [Tahrir] Square, to the doorstep of political institutions," she said.

Protest organisers have called for 20 million people to come out on "Farewell Friday" in a final attempt to force Mubarak to step down.

Alexandria protests

Hossam El Hamalawy, a pro-democracy organiser and member of the Socialist Studies Centre, said protesters were heading towards the presidential palace from multiple directions, calling on the army to side with them and remove Mubarak.

"People are extremely angry after yesterday's speech," he told Al Jazeera. "Anything can happen at the moment. There is self-restraint all over but at the same time I honestly can't tell you what the next step will be ... At this time, we don't trust them [the army commanders] at all."

An Al Jazeera reporter overlooking Tahrir said the side streets leading into the square were filling up with crowds.

"It's an incredible scene. From what I can judge, there are more people here today than yesterday night," she said.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters havehered
in the port city of Alexandria [AFP]

"The military has not gone into the square except some top commanders, one asking people to go home ... I don't see any kind of tensions between the people and the army but all of this might change very soon if the army is seen as not being on the side of the people."

Hundreds of thousands were participating in Friday prayers outside a mosque in downtown Alexandria, Egypt's second biggest city.

Thousands of pro-democracy campaigners also gathered outside a presidential palace in Alexandria.

Egyptian television reported that large angry crowds were heading from Giza, adjacent to Cairo, towards Tahrir Square and some would march on the presidential palace.

Protests are also being held in the cities of Mansoura, Mahala, Tanta, Ismailia, and Suez, with thousands in attendance.

Violence was reported in the north Sinai town of el-Arish, where protesters attempted to storm a police station. At least one person was killed, and 20 wounded in that attack, our correspondent said.

Dismay at earlier statement

In a televised address to the nation on Thursday, Mubarak said he was handing "the functions of the president" to Vice-President Omar Suleiman. But the move means he retains his title of president.

Halfway through his much-awaited speech late at night, anticipation turned into anger among protesters camped in Tahrir Square who began taking off their shoes and waving them in the air.

Immediately after Mubarak's speech, Suleiman called on the protesters to "go home" and asked Egyptians to "unite and look to the future."

Union workers have joined the protests over the past few days, effectively crippling transportation and several industries, and dealing a sharper blow to Mubarak’s embattled regime.

Motivation Wealth

2011-02-11T13:01:00.000+08:00

By Lyn J Rayner

Most people will consider their wealth as monetary, but truly there is wealth to be found in our other possessions, and motivation wealth could be considered as one. Anyone that is truly knowledgeable in a subject, then possesses a wealth of knowledge. This can be a most valuable tool.

This type of asset can be easily turned into a financial asset if one so chooses. Many of the famous successful entrepreneurs of today put themselves into a very lucrative financial position because they utilized motivation wealth assets that they had built up first.

So really how did they accomplish this? They did it step by step, and by the way if you are going to give this motivational thing a try be prepared for a few failures along the way. If you are smart though you can make those failures work for you to make you all the more determined to go after your motivation wealth.

What is motivation wealth?

Is the accumulation of all the knowledge you can possible gather about motivation. The more you have to work with the more successful you are going to be at motivating yourself.

Motivating yourself is going to lead you to your success in other areas. We often talk about money as being the number one thing and desire in everyone's life but it really isn't in many cases. There are some that would love to have a good strong personal relationship. Others want that big promotion at work.

Whatever it is that you truly want in life amounts up to your personal wealth. The truth of the matter is, if you have not built your motivation wealth account up, chances are you aren't going to get it.

Motivation is one of those rare things in life that is free yet we don't take advantage of it. We all have it within us we just don't know how get it to grow. It is like anything in life, if you want it to grow you have to feed it. How do you feed it? With knowledge!

In order to do this you need to build up your knowledge in motivation. Then you will have yourself a motivational arsenal that you can put into full action and get what you want out of life.

Often the problem that many of us are guilty of is biting off more than we can chew so to speak. We dive into new adventures and then as soon as the novelty wears off we are back to square one. Changing the approach and the way of thinking though when it comes to motivation wealth, is like building your arsenal up slowly and methodically. In fact you need to concentrate on holding yourself back so you don't burn out with over enthusiasm.

For a complete arsenal of motivational tools then visit http://www.livinglifearticles.org and for more inspiring articles then http://www.livinglifearticles.com is the place to go!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lyn_J_Rayner

Anak Mubarak bawa 97 beg besar ke Britain

2011-02-01T23:58:00.001+08:00

2011/02/01

Gamal Mubarak

LONDON: Anggota keluarga Presiden Mesir, Hosni Mubarak dilaporkan sudah keluar dari Mesir menuju ke kediaman keluarga itu di London, lapor akhbar The Sun, semalam.

Anak lelaki presiden itu, Gamal, 47, dikatakan bertolak dengan pesawat peribadi bersama keluarganya dan 97 beg besar.

Keluarga itu dikatakan menginap di rumah agam enam tingkat milik mereka bernilai £8.5 juta (RM41 juta) berdekatan pusat beli-belah terkemuka Harrods di Knightsbridge, barat London.

Khabar angin turut bertiup kencang bahawa Mubarak dan isterinya, Suzanne, 69, bercadang ke London.

Pengendali bagasi penerbangan Mesir di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Heathrow berkata Wanita Pertama negara itu, turut dilihat tiba di London.
Mubarak dikatakan mempunyai aset £25 bilion (RM120 bilion) sejak berkuasa pada 1981.

Suzanne, Gamal dan anak sulung Mubarak, Alaa, 49, menjadi simbol kekayaan dan rasuah di Mesir. Suzanne turut digelar Marie Antoinette kerana bersikap umpama ratu yang dipancung di zaman revolusi Perancis.

Wanita Pertama Mesir itu turut memegang pasport Britain kerana ibunya, Lily May Palmer adalah wanita Inggeris dan bapanya berasal dari Mesir.

Lily bekerja sebagai jururawat bertemu jodoh dengan pelajar perubatan dari Mesir, Saleh Thabet di utara London pada 1934. Mereka kemudian berpindah ke Mesir dan Suzanne dilahirkan pada 1941. – Agensi

Bharian online

Egypt: Mubarak sacks cabinet and defends security role

2011-01-29T10:45:00.000+08:00

Hosni Mubarak: "I have asked the government to tender its resignation today"

Egypt Unrest

President Hosni Mubarak has defended the role of Egypt's security forces in suppressing anti-government protests which have rocked the country.

Mr Mubarak also dismissed his government and said a new cabinet would be announced on Saturday.

It was his first statement since the protests - in which at least 26 have died with hundreds injured - began.

Tens of thousands took part in protests in Cairo, Suez, Alexandria and other cities.

Protesters set fire to the headquarters of the governing NDP party and besieged state TV and the foreign ministry.

At least 13 people were killed in Suez on Friday, while in Cairo, five people died, according to medical sources.

That brings the death toll to at least 26 since the protests began on Tuesday.

"I have asked the government to present its resignation today," Mr Mubarak said, adding that he would appoint a new government on Saturday.

He also said he understood the protesters' grievances but that a thin line divided liberty from chaos and he would not allow Egypt to be destabilised.

In a televised address shortly after Mr Mubarak spoke, US President Barack Obama said he had spoken at length with the Egyptian president and urged him to turn "a moment of volatility" into "a moment of promise".

“Start Quote

Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away”

End Quote Barack Obama US President

The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says there had clearly been a lot of discussion behind the scenes before Mr Mubarak spoke to the country.

But his comments will probably just provoke further unrest, says our correspondent - the people on the streets will be both infuriated by his accusations that they are seeking to destabilise the country and inspired that, having wrung some concessions from him, they could yet manage to oust him.

After Mr Mubarak spoke, a sustained volley was heard from central Cairo, which our correspondent said could have been either tear gas or live fire.

The Reuters news agency later quoted witnesses as saying more than 20 military vehicles rolled in to central Tahrir Square shortly after midnight, scattering protesters into the sidestreets.

'Concrete steps'

After days of unrest, protests erupted again on Friday, as tens of thousands of protesters across the country turned out after Friday prayers shouting "Down, down with Mubarak" and, "The people want the regime to fall".

In pictures: Tens of thousands continue protests

The authorities announced a curfew from 1800 to 0700 local time (1600-0500 GMT), but it was immediately and widely flouted.

At several locations, riot police responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas, and by using water cannon.

The headquarters of the governing NDP party was set ablaze, while protesters also besieged the state broadcaster and the foreign ministry.

Internet and phone services - both mobile and landline - have been severely disrupted, although protesters are using proxies to work around the restrictions.

The BBC said it would forcefully protest to the Egyptian authorities after a reporter for BBC Arabic, Assad Sawey, arrested and beaten by plainclothes policemen in Cairo.

Mr Obama said he had told Mr Mubarak to respect the rights of the Egyptian people and refrain from using violence against peaceful protesters - but he said the protesters also had a responsibility to express themselves peacefully.

Analysis

Magdi Abdelhadi BBC Middle East analyst

Hosni Mubarak looked composed and determined to survive his worst crisis since coming to power 30 years ago.

There was both a carrot and a stick - he acknowledged that the demands of the protesters were legitimate, but accused them of resorting to violence to destabilise Egypt.

Such an accusation is likely to infuriate them, and possibly increase their determination to challenge him even more.

Mr Mubarak defended his record in government, the very thing that is in doubt in the eyes of the hundreds of thousands who have taken to the streets in the past four days.

He promised to continue with democratic reforms, but as far as the opposition is concerned, they have heard it all before. He did make however one big concession: he sacked his entire cabinet. The question is whether this will be enough to calm the protesters or embolden them to ask for more.

He urged the Egyptian leader to take "concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people" and deliver on the promises of reform in his address.

"Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people. And suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away," he said.

"Surely, there will be difficult days to come, but the United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future that is more just, more free and more hopeful."

The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington said there is no immediate suggestion that the White House is cutting its ties with its long-time ally Mr Mubarak.

But it is clearly giving him the chance to turn the unrest into what Mr Obama described as "a moment of promise", says our correspondent.

Earlier, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Washington would review its aid to Egypt based on events in the coming days.

Egypt is the fourth largest recipient of American aid, after Afghanistan, Pakistan and Israel.

Britain, the US and France are all advising against non-essential travel to Egypt.

The unrest follows an uprising in Tunisia two weeks ago, in which President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled after 23 years in power.

The Tunisian upheaval began with anger over rising food prices, high unemployment and anger at official corruption - problems which also left many people Egypt feeling frustrated and resentful of their leadership.

What Can the Protests in Egypt Achieve?

2011-01-29T10:31:00.001+08:00

Updated January 28, 2011 07:37 PM

What Can the Protests in Egypt Achieve?

Introduction

Khaled El Fiqi/European Pressphoto Agency Protesters in downtown Cairo on Jan. 27. View more photographs.

Thousands of demonstrators calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak poured from mosques in Cairo after noon prayers on Friday, as anti-government protests continued for a fourth day across Egypt. In Cairo and other cities, the police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. Mr. Mubarak later appeared on television and ordered his government to resign, but did not offer to step down himself. He has backed the military's attempts to contain the unrest around the country.

President Obama held a press conference on Friday to say that he had spoken with Mr. Mubarak, who has ruled for nearly 30 years, and called on the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters. Mr. Obama also said that his administration has pressed the Mr. Mubarak to enact political reforms.

The Lede: Latest Updates on Protests in Egypt

Can these protests, which seem to involve people from many walks of life and with many different motivations, form the foundation of a strong opposition movement? What should the world and the West be watching for?

Egyptian Hopes Converge in Fight for Cairo Bridge

2011-01-29T10:25:00.001+08:00

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Security forces with water cannons and tear gas confronted protesters heading to a central square and pushed them back across the Kasr al-Nil Bridge in Cairo, part of a battle that lasted hours.

By KAREEM FAHIM

Published: January 28, 2011

CAIRO — The battle had gone on for hours, and the end of the bridge was in sight. Somewhere past the green armored cars and through the smoke was Liberation Square. For miles the protesters had marched peacefully, shouting at balconies for their neighbors to join them.

But water cannons and tear gas halted the march, for a time. Atef Badr, 28, turned to the retreating protesters with tears stirred by the moment, not the gas. “I’m begging you,” he screamed. “All of you in the back, come forward!”

A few tear gas canisters got caught in the wind and drifted away toward the river: an opportunity. The protesters surged forward, chanting, “Overthrow Mubarak!” They gained ground and then lost it, when the dull metal gas canisters started falling again.

So it went all afternoon on the Kasr al-Nil Bridge, as thousands of protesters tried again and again to get past the riot police, who were just as determined to keep them at bay: first with gas and water cannons, and then by beating them with truncheons.

The long struggle for the bridge set the tone for the momentous events throughout the country on Friday. Egyptians slowly shed their fear of President Hosni Mubarak’s police state and confronted its power, a few halting steps at a time.

The protesters came from every social class and included even wealthy Egyptians, who are often dismissed as apolitical, or too comfortable to mobilize. For some of them in the crowd on Friday, the brutality of the security forces was a revelation. “Dogs!” they yelled at the riot police, as they saw bloodied protesters dragged away. “These people are Egyptians!”

The protests started around noon, miles from the bridge, with prayer at a mosque and a sermon praising the young protesters. Anticipating the clashes, a police officer adjusted his riot helmet. A restaurant shuttered its doors.

Everyone seemed nervous. Nasser al-Sherif, 24, looked for his friends, who were late. It was his first protest in Egypt. “I’m just here to say no,” he said. “Once things get rough and violent, I might leave.”

Ibrahim al-Missiri, 36, looked at the crowd, which included two famous actors. “This is the class that never spoke out before,” he said. “I want the right to vote.”

The prayer ended, and the protesters, herded by a ring of riot police officers, started walking away down a side street and then stopped, turning back for their first confrontation of the day.

The police let them pass.

On a broad avenue, hundreds swelled to thousands. Three young men, old school friends, marched among them. Two of them worked at a call center for the Expedia Web site, earning a little more than $400 a month. They had all been intending to leave Egypt. The protests were changing their minds.

“We’ve had enough time stolen,” said Ali Bilal, 23. “We want to take control of the situation.”

Friends pushed a man in a wheelchair. A fruit vendor begged off calls to join the protests, pointing out that he would have to leave his donkey. On a balcony, an elderly woman looked at the crowd and threw her hands in the air. On other balconies, there was applause.

“Peaceful,” the marchers shouted. At the foot of the bridge, the security services were waiting, with other plans.

When the first tear gas canisters landed, Ziad Ali wondered whether the march would go on. “I’m 35; he’s been the president since I was 5,” he said of Mr. Mubarak. “I hope we can make it this time.”

At key moments young men inspired the marchers. A man with a red scarf wrapped around his face stood on a statue near the foot of the bridge, defiantly, as the tear gas clouds swirled around him.

Another man yelled into a bullhorn, telling protesters it was fine to fall back but not to retreat. A third managed to climb on top of one of the four green personnel carriers blocking the bridge, as the riot police fell back. The crowd cheered and advanced, as the first hurdle fell.

Abandoned by their comrades, the officers still in the transport trucks, no longer fearsome, sobbed as the protesters occupied the bridge for the first time. A local police chief was carried off the bridge bleeding from the head, joined by many people wounded by the falling canisters. When the bursts from the tear gas launchers quickened, the protesters retreated, until the young men at the front told them to come back.

The nearby 6 October Bridge filled with people, and the marchers on Kasr al-Nil cheered. The plan was to march to Tahrir, or Liberation, Square, in downtown Cairo, to link up with other groups of protesters. In the distance, a building burned.

“This is the first time I’ve seen collective action,” said Omar Barazi, 44, pondering the future. “I think there will be chaos and losses.”

That moment came quickly. Police officers watched the assault from boats. Hundreds of riot officers stormed the bridge, throwing benches and a police hut into the Nile and beating anyone who did not run. By late afternoon, they had retaken Kasr al-Nil and penned in a group of protesters next to a park.

Officers fired tear gas toward an opera house as the young men ran away, and for the protesters, everything seemed to be lost. Nadine Sherif walked among badly wounded comrades, despondent. “I hope he gets the message,” she said of Mr. Mubarak. “He’s not wanted.”

A few officers lit cigarettes, relaxed and chatted easily with the protesters, thinking they were done.

They were not. Night fell, and the protesters finally took the bridge.

A version of this article appeared in print on January 29, 2011, on page A9 of the National edition.

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2011-01-29T10:19:00.001+08:00

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2011-01-18T18:15:00.000+08:00

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The Miracle of Iron

2011-01-09T08:54:00.001+08:00

Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Quran. In the chapter known Al-Hadeed, meaning Iron, we are informed:

“And We also sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind…” (Quran 57:25)

The word “anzalna,” translated as "sent down" and used for iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical meaning to explain that iron has been given to benefit people. But, when we take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, "being physically sent down from the sky, as this word usage had not been employed in the Quran except literally, like the descending of the rain or revelation, we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle. Because, modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from giant stars in outer space.[1]

Not only the iron on earth, but also the iron in the entire Solar System, comes from outer space, since the temperature in the Sun is inadequate for the formation of iron. The sun has a surface temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius, and a core temperature of approximately 20 million degrees. Iron can only be produced in much larger stars than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it, and it eventually explodes in what is called a "nova" or a "supernova." These explosions make it possible for iron to be given off into space.[2]

One scientific source provides the following information on this subject:

“There is also evidence for older supernova events: Enhanced levels of iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have been interpreted as indications that a supernova explosion occurred within 90 light-years of the sun about 5 million years ago. Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron, formed in supernova explosions, which decays with a half life of 1.5 million years. An enhanced presence of this isotope in a geologic layer indicates the recent nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space and their subsequent transport to the earth (perhaps as part of dust grains).”[3]

All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but was carried from Supernovas, and was "sent down," as stated in the verse. It is clear that this fact could not have been known in the 7^th century, when the Quran was revealed. Nevertheless, this fact is related in the Quran, the Word of God, Who encompasses all things in His infinite knowledge.

The fact that the verse specifically mentions iron is quite astounding, considering that these discoveries were made at the end of the 20th century. In his book Nature’s Destiny, the well-known microbiologist Michael Denton emphasizes the importance of iron:

“Of all the metals there is none more essential to life than iron. It is the accumulation of iron in the center of a star which triggers a supernova explosion and the subsequent scattering of the vital atoms of life throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing by gravity of iron atoms to the center of the primeval earth that generated the heat which caused the initial chemical differentiation of the earth, the outgassing of the early atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the hydrosphere. It is molten iron in the center of the earth which, acting like a gigantic dynamo, generates the earth’s magnetic field, which in turn creates the Van Allen radiation belts that shield the earth’s surface from destructive high-energy-penetrating cosmic radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer from cosmic ray destruction…

“Without the iron atom, there would be no carbon-based life in the cosmos; no supernovae, no heating of the primitive earth, no atmosphere or hydrosphere. There would be no protective magnetic field, no Van Allen radiation belts, no ozone layer, no metal to make hemoglobin [in human blood], no metal to tame the reactivity of oxygen, and no oxidative metabolism.

“The intriguing and intimate relationship between life and iron, between the red color of blood and the dying of some distant star, not only indicates the relevance of metals to biology but also the biocentricity of the cosmos…”[4]

This account clearly indicates the importance of the iron atom. The fact that particular attention is drawn to iron in the Quran also emphasizes the importance of the element.

Moreover, iron oxide particles were used in a cancer treatment in recent months and positive developments were observed. A team led by Dr. Andreas Jordan, at the world famous Charité Hospital in Germany, succeeded in destroying cancer cells with this new technique developed for the treatment of cancer—magnetic fluid hyperthermia (high temperature magnetic liquid). As a result of this technique, first performed on the 26-year-old Nikolaus H., no new cancer cells were observed in the patient in the following three months.

This method of treatment can be summarized as follows:

1. A liquid containing iron oxide particles is injected into the tumour by means of a special syringe. These particles spread throughout the tumour cells. This liquid consists of thousands of millions of particles, 1,000 times smaller than the red blood corpuscles, of iron oxide in 1 cm3 that can easily flow through all blood vessels. [5]

2. The patient is then placed in a machine with a powerful magnetic field.

3. This magnetic field, applied externally, begins to set the iron particles in the tumour in motion. During this time the temperature in the tumour containing the iron oxide particles rises by up to 45 degrees.

4. In a few minutes the cancer cells, unable to protect themselves from the heat, are either weakened or destroyed. The tumour may then be completely eradicated with subsequent chemotherapy.[6]

In this treatment it is only the cancer cells that are affected by the magnetic field, since only they contain the iron oxide particles. The spread of this technique is a major development in the treatment of this potentially lethal disease. Iron has also been found to be a cure for people suffering from anemia. In the treatment of such a widespread diseases, the use of the expression “iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind” (Quran, 57:25) in the Quran is particularly noteworthy. Indeed, in that verse, the Quran may be indicating the benefits of iron even for human health. (God knows best.)

source http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/562/

How to Convert to Islam and Become a Muslim

2011-01-09T08:24:00.000+08:00

The word “Muslim” means one who submits to the will of God, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background. Becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process that requires no pre-requisites. One may convert alone in privacy, or he/she may do so in the presence of others.

If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion of God, then, all one needs to do is pronounce the “Shahada”, the testimony of faith, without further delay. The “Shahada” is the first and most important of the five pillars of Islam.

With the pronunciation of this testimony, or “Shahada”, with sincere belief and conviction, one enters the fold of Islam.

Upon entering the fold of Islam purely for the Pleasure of God, all of one’s previous sins are forgiven, and one starts a new life of piety and righteousness. The Prophet said to a person who had placed the condition upon the Prophet in accepting Islam that God would forgive his sins:

“Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys all sins which come before it?” (Saheeh Muslim)

When one accepts Islam, they in essence repent from the ways and beliefs of their previous life. One need not be overburdened by sins committed before their acceptance. The person’s record is clean, and it is as if he was just born from his mother’s womb. One should try as much as possible to keep his records clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible.

The Holy Quran and Hadeeth (prophetic sayings) both stress the importance of following Islam. God states:

“...The only religion in the sight of God is Islam...” (Quran 3:19)

In another verse of the Holy Quran, God states:

“If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (their selves in the Hellfire).” (Quran 3:85)

In another saying, Muhammad, the Prophet of God, said:

“Whoever testifies that there in none worthy of being worshipped but God, Who has no partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and Prophet, and that Jesus is the Slave of God, His Prophet, and His word[1] which He bestowed in Mary and a spirit created from Him; and that Paradise (Heaven) is true, and that the Hellfire is true, God will eventually admit him into Paradise, according to his deeds.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet of God, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him, also reported:

“Indeed God has forbidden to reside eternally in Hell the person who says: “I testify that none has the right to worship except Allah (God),’ seeking thereby the Face of God.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

The Declaration of the Testimony (Shahada)

To convert to Islam and become a Muslim a person needs to pronounce the below testimony with conviction and understanding its meaning:

I testify “La ilah illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”

The translation of which is:

“I testify that there is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and that Muhammad is a Messenger (Prophet) of God.”

To hear it click here or click on “Live Help” above for assistance by chat.

When someone pronounces the testimony with conviction, then he/she has become a Muslim. It can be done alone, but it is much better to be done with an adviser through the “Live Help” at top, so we may help you in pronouncing it right and to provide you with important resources for new Muslims.

The first part of the testimony consists of the most important truth that God revealed to mankind: that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God. God states in the Holy Quran:

“We did not send the Messenger before you without revealing to him: ‘none has the right to be worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.’” (Quran 21:25)

This conveys that all forms of worship, whether it be praying, fasting, invoking, seeking refuge in, and offering an animal as sacrifice, must be directed to God and to God alone. Directing any form of worship to other than God (whether it be an angel, a messenger, Jesus, Muhammad, a saint, an idol, the sun, the moon, a tree) is seen as a contradiction to the fundamental message of Islam, and it is an unforgivable sin unless it is repented from before one dies. All forms of worship must be directed to God only.

Worship means the performance of deeds and sayings that please God, things which He commanded or encouraged to be performed, either by direct textual proof or by analogy. Thus, worship is not restricted to the implementation of the five pillars of Islam, but also includes every aspect of life. Providing food for one’s family, and saying something pleasant to cheer a person up are also considered acts of worship, if such is done with the intention of pleasing God. This means that, to be accepted, all acts of worship must be carried out sincerely for the Sake of God alone.

The second part of the testimony means that Prophet Muhammad is the servant and chosen messenger of God. This implies that one obeys and follows the commands of the Prophet. One must believe in what he has said, practice his teachings and avoid what he has forbidden. One must therefore worship God only according to his teaching alone, for all the teachings of the Prophet were in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by God.

One must try to mold their lives and character and emulate the Prophet, as he was a living example for humans to follow. God says:

“And indeed you are upon a high standard of moral character.” (Quran 68:4)

God also said:

“And in deed you have a good and upright example in the Messenger of God, for those who hope in the meeting of God and the Hereafter, and mentions God much.” (Quran 33:21)

He was sent in order to practically implement the Quran, in his saying, deeds, legislation as well as all other facets of life. Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, when asked about the character of the Prophet, replied:

“His character was that of the Quran.” (As-Suyooti)

To truly adhere to the second part of the Shahada is to follow his example in all walks of life. God says:

“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love God, then follow me.’” (Quran 3:31)

It also means that Muhammad is the Final Prophet and Messenger of God, and that no (true) Prophet can come after him.

“Muhammad is not the father of any man among you but he is the Messenger of God and the last (end) of the Prophets and God is Ever All-Aware of everything.” (Quran 33:40)

All who claim to be prophets or receive revelation after Muhammad are imposters, and to acknowledge them would be tantamount to disbelief.

We welcome you to Islam, congratulate you for your decision, and will try to help you in any way we can.

Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Quran

2011-01-08T08:51:00.000+08:00

The following are some comments of scientists[1] on the scientific miracles in the Holy Quran. All of these comments have been taken from the videotape entitled This is the Truth. In this videotape, you can see and hear the scientists while they are giving the following comments. (To view the RealPlayer video of a comment, click on the link at the end of that comment. For a copy of this videotape, please visit this page.)

1) Dr. T. V. N. Persaud is Professor of Anatomy, Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, and Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There, he was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy for 16 years. He is well-known in his field. He is the author or editor of 22 textbooks and has published over 181 scientific papers. In 1991, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. When he was asked about the scientific miracles in the Quran which he has researched, he stated the following:

“The way it was explained to me is that Muhammad was a very ordinary man. He could not read, didn’t know [how] to write. In fact, he was an illiterate. And we’re talking about twelve [actually about fourteen] hundred years ago. You have someone illiterate making profound pronouncements and statements and that are amazingly accurate about scientific nature. And I personally can’t see how this could be a mere chance. There are too many accuracies and, like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which led him to these statements.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

Professor Persaud has included some Quranic verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, in some of his books. He has also presented these verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad at several conferences.

2) Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson is the Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Formerly, he was Professor of Ob-Gyn and the Chairman of the Department of Ob-Gyn at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He was also the President of the American Fertility Society. He has received many awards, including the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology Public Recognition Award in 1992. Professor Simpson studied the following two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad:

“In every one of you, all components of your creation are collected together in your mother’s womb by forty days...”[2]

“If forty-two nights have passed over the embryo, God sends an angel to it, who shapes it and creates its hearing, vision, skin, flesh, and bones....”[3]

He studied these two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad extensively, noting that the first forty days constitute a clearly distinguishable stage of embryo-genesis. He was particularly impressed by the absolute precision and accuracy of those sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Then, during one conference, he gave the following opinion:

“So that the two hadeeths (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) that have been noted provide us with a specific time table for the main embryological development before forty days. Again, the point has been made, I think, repeatedly by other speakers this morning: these hadeeths could not have been obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was available [at] the time of their writing . . . . It follows, I think, that not only there is no conflict between genetics and religion but, in fact, religion can guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific approaches, that there exist statements in the Quran shown centuries later to be valid, which support knowledge in the Quran having been derived from God.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

3) Dr. E. Marshall Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. There, for 22 years he was Professor of Anatomy, the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute. He was also the President of the Teratology Society. He has authored more than 200 publications. In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Johnson said in the presentation of his research paper:

“Summary: The Quran describes not only the development of external form, but emphasizes also the internal stages, the stages inside the embryo, of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

Also he said: “As a scientist, I can only deal with things which I can specifically see. I can understand embryology and developmental biology. I can understand the words that are translated to me from the Quran. As I gave the example before, if I were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I knew today and describing things, I could not describe the things which were described. I see no evidence for the fact to refute the concept that this individual, Muhammad, had to be developing this information from some place. So I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved in what he was able to write.”[4] (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

4) Dr. William W. Hay is a well-known marine scientist. He is Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA. He was formerly the Dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. After a discussion with Professor Hay about the Quran’s mention of recently discovered facts on seas, he said:

“I find it very interesting that this sort of information is in the ancient scriptures of the Holy Quran, and I have no way of knowing where they would come from, but I think it is extremely interesting that they are there and that this work is going on to discover it, the meaning of some of the passages.” And when he was asked about the source of the Quran, he replied: “Well, I would think it must be the divine being.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

5) Dr. Gerald C. Goeringer is Course Director and Associate Professor of Medical Embryology at the Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. During the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor Goeringer stated the following in the presentation of his research paper:

“In a relatively few aayahs (Quranic verses) is contained a rather comprehensive description of human development from the time of commingling of the gametes through organogenesis. No such distinct and complete record of human development, such as classification, terminology, and description, existed previously. In most, if not all, instances, this description antedates by many centuries the recording of the various stages of human embryonic and fetal development recorded in the traditional scientific literature.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

6) Dr. Yoshihide Kozai is Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University, Hongo, Tokyo, Japan, and was the Director of the National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. He said:

“I am very much impressed by finding true astronomical facts in [the] Quran, and for us the modern astronomers have been studying very small pieces of the universe. We’ve concentrated our efforts for understanding of [a] very small part. Because by using telescopes, we can see only very few parts [of] the sky without thinking [about the] whole universe. So, by reading [the] Quran and by answering to the questions, I think I can find my future way for investigation of the universe.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

7) Professor Tejatat Tejasen is the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Previously, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the same university. During the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor Tejasen stood up and said:

“During the last three years, I became interested in the Quran . . . . From my study and what I have learned from this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Quran fourteen hundred years ago must be the truth, that can be proved by the scientific means. Since the Prophet Muhammad could neither read nor write, Muhammad must be a messenger who relayed this truth, which was revealed to him as an enlightenment by the one who is eligible [as the] creator. This creator must be God. Therefore, I think this is the time to say La ilaha illa Allah, there is no god to worship except Allah (God), Muhammadur rasoolu Allah, Muhammad is Messenger (Prophet) of Allah (God). Lastly, I must congratulate for the excellent and highly successful arrangement for this conference . . . . I have gained not only from the scientific point of view and religious point of view but also the great chance of meeting many well-known scientists and making many new friends among the participants. The most precious thing of all that I have gained by coming to this place is La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah, and to have become a Muslim.” (View the RealPlayer video of this comment)

After all these examples we have seen about the scientific miracles in the Holy Quran and all these scientists’ comments on this, let us ask ourselves these questions:

· Could it be a coincidence that all this recently discovered scientific information from different fields was mentioned in the Quran, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago?

· Could this Quran have been authored by Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, or by any other human being?

The only possible answer is that this Quran must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him.

The Quran on Clouds

2011-01-08T08:44:00.000+08:00

Scientists have studied cloud types and have realized that rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and certain steps connected with certain types of wind and clouds.

One kind of rain cloud is the cumulonimbus cloud. Meteorologists have studied how cumulonimbus clouds are formed and how they produce rain, hail, and lightning.

They have found that cumulonimbus clouds go through the following steps to produce rain:

1) The clouds are pushed by the wind: Cumulonimbus clouds begin to form when wind pushes some small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) to an area where these clouds converge (see figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1: Satellite photo showing the clouds moving towards the convergence areas B, C, and D. The arrows indicate the directions of the wind. (The Use of Satellite Pictures in Weather Analysis and Forecasting, Anderson and others, p. 188.)

Figure 2: Small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) moving towards a convergence zone near the horizon, where we can see a large cumulonimbus cloud. (Clouds and Storms, Ludlam, plate 7.4.)

2) Joining: Then the small clouds join together forming a larger cloud[1] (see figures 1 and 2).

Figure 2: (A) Isolated small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds). (B) When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase, so the cloud is stacked up. Water drops are indicated by ·. (The Atmosphere, Anthes and others, p. 269.)

3) Stacking: When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the center of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges.[2] These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up (see figures 2 (B), 3, and 4). This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.[3]

Figure 3: A cumulonimbus cloud. After the cloud is stacked up, rain comes out of it. (Weather and Climate, Bodin, p.123.)

Figure 4: A cumulonimbus cloud. (A Colour Guide to Clouds, Scorer and Wexler, p. 23.)

God has said in the Quran:

“Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it....” (Quran 24:43)

Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and other equipment, to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.[4]

The preceding verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, speaks about hail and lightning:

“....And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight.” (Quran 24:43)

Meteorologists have found that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 ft (4.7 to 5.7 miles),[5] like mountains, as the Quran said, “...And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky...” (see figure 4 above).

This verse may raise a question. Why does the verse say “its lightning” in a reference to the hail? Does this mean that hail is the major factor in producing lightning? Let us see what the book entitled Meteorology Today says about this. It says that a cloud becomes electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of supercooled droplets and ice crystals.

As liquid droplets collide with a hailstone, they freeze on contact and release latent heat. This keeps the surface of the hailstone warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals. When the hailstone comes in contact with an ice crystal, an important phenomenon occurs: electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer object. Hence, the hailstone becomes negatively charged. The same effect occurs when supercooled droplets come in contact with a hailstone and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break off. These lighter positively charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts. The hail, left with a negative charge, falls towards the bottom of the cloud, thus the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged as lightning.[6] We conclude from this that hail is the major factor in producing lightning.

This information on lightning was discovered recently. Until 1600 AD, Aristotle’s ideas on meteorology were dominant. For example, he said that the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry. He also said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire.[7] These are some of the ideas on meteorology that were dominant at the time of the Quran’s revelation, fourteen centuries ago.

The Quran on Deep Seas and Internal Waves

2011-01-07T08:43:00.000+08:00

God has said in the Quran:

“Or (the unbelievers’ state) is like the darkness in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds. Darknesses, one above another. If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it....” (Quran 24:40)

This verse mentions the darkness found in deep seas and oceans, where if a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it. The darkness in deep seas and oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters and below. At this depth, there is almost no light (see figure 1). Below a depth of 1000 meters there is no light at all.[1] Human beings are not able to dive more than forty meters without the aid of submarines or special equipment. Human beings cannot survive unaided in the deep dark part of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters.

Figure 1: Between 3 and 30 percent of the sunlight is reflected at the sea surface. Then almost all of the seven colors of the light spectrum are absorbed one after another in the first 200 meters, except the blue light. (Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.)

Scientists have recently discovered this darkness by means of special equipment and submarines that have enabled them to dive into the depths of the oceans.

We can also understand from the following sentences in the previous verse, “...in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds....”, that the deep waters of seas and oceans are covered by waves, and above these waves are other waves. It is clear that the second set of waves are the surface waves that we see, because the verse mentions that above the second waves there are clouds. But what about the first waves? Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.”[2] (see figure 2).

Figure 2: Internal waves at interface between two layers of water of different densities. One is dense (the lower one), the other one is less dense (the upper one). (Oceanography, Gross, p. 204.)

The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break, just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location.[3]

The Quran on Seas and Rivers

2011-01-06T08:40:00.000+08:00

Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density.[1] For example, Mediterranean sea water is warm, saline, and less dense, compared to Atlantic ocean water. When Mediterranean sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1000 meters with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics. The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth[2] (see figure 1).

Figure 1: The Mediterranean sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C°). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p. 43, with a slight enhancement.)

Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.

The Holy Quran mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress. God has said:

“He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress.” (Quran 55:19-20)

But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier. God has said in the Quran:

“He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.” (Quran 25:53)

One may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas?

Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”[3] This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water[4] (see figure 2).

Figure 2: Longitudinal section showing salinity (parts per thousand ‰) in an estuary. We can see here the partition (zone of separation) between the fresh and the salt water. (Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, p. 301, with a slight enhancement.)

This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet, rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).

The Quran on the Cerebrum

2011-01-05T08:36:00.000+08:00

God has said in the Quran about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, from praying at the Kaaba:

“No! If he does not stop, We will take him by the naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!” (Quran 96:15-16)

Why did the Quran describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn’t the Quran say that the person was lying and sinful? What is the relationship between the front of the head and lying and sinfulness?

If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum (see figure 1). What does physiology tell us about the function of this area? A book entitled Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology says about this area, “The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association cortex...”[1] Also the book says, “In relation to its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression....”[2]

Figure 1: Functional regions of the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex. The prefrontal area is located at the front of the cerebral cortex. (Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 210.)

So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinful behavior and is responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth. Thus, it is proper to describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or commits a sin, as the Quran has said, “...A lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!”

Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore.[3]

The Quran on the Origin of the Universe

2011-01-04T08:31:00.001+08:00

The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of ‘smoke’ (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition).[1] This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’ (see figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1: A new star forming out of a cloud of gas and dust (nebula), which is one of the remnants of the ‘smoke’ that was the origin of the whole universe. (The Space Atlas, Heather and Henbest, p. 50.)

Figure 2: The Lagoon nebula is a cloud of gas and dust, about 60 light years in diameter. It is excited by the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk. (Horizons, Exploring the Universe, Seeds, plate 9, from Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.)

The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that ‘smoke’ material. God has said in the Quran:

“Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke...” (Quran 41:11)

Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun, the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same ‘smoke,’ we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. Then out of this homogeneous ‘smoke,’ they formed and separated from each other. God has said in the Quran:

“Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?...” (Quran 21:30)

Dr. Alfred Kroner is one of the world’s renowned geologists. He is Professor of Geology and the Chairman of the Department of Geology at the Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. He said: “Thinking where Muhammad came from . . . I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is the case.”[2] (To view the RealPlayer video of this comment click here). Also he said: “Somebody who did not know something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin.”[3] (View the RealPlayer video of this comment).

The Quran on Mountains

2011-01-03T08:30:00.000+08:00

A book entitled Earth is a basic reference textbook in many universities around the world. One of its two authors is Professor Emeritus Frank Press. He was the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter, and for 12 years was the President of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. His book says that mountains have underlying roots.[1] These roots are deeply embedded in the ground, thus, mountains have a shape like a peg (see figures 1, 2, and 3).

Figure 1: Mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground. (Earth, Press and Siever, p. 413.)

Figure 2: Schematic section. The mountains, like pegs, have deep roots embedded in the ground. (Anatomy of the Earth, Cailleux, p. 220.)

Figure 3: Another illustration shows how the mountains are peg-like in shape, due to their deep roots. (Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 158.)

This is how the Quran has described mountains. God has said in the Quran:

“Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs?” (Quran 78:6-7)

Modern earth sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground (see figure 3) and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground.[2] So the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word ‘peg,’ since most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground. The history of science tells us that the theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in the latter half of the nineteenth century.[3]

Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth.[4] They hinder the shaking of the earth. God has said in the Quran:

“And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you...” (Quran 16:15)

Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960’s.[5]

Could anyone during the time of the Prophet Muhammad have known of the true shape of mountains? Could anyone imagine that the solid massive mountain which he sees before him actually extends deep into the earth and has a root, as scientists assert? A large number of books of geology, when discussing mountains, only describe that part which is above the surface of the earth. This is because these books were not written by specialists in geology. However, modern geology has confirmed the truth of the Quranic verses.

The Quran on Human Embryonic Development

2011-01-02T08:29:00.000+08:00

In the Holy Quran, God speaks about the stages of man’s embryonic development:

“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed substance)…” (Quran 23:12-14)

Literally, the Arabic word alaqah has three meanings: (1) leech, (2) suspended thing, and (3) blood clot.

In comparing a leech to an embryo in the alaqah stage, we find similarity between the two[1] as we can see in figure 1. Also, the embryo at this stage obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech, which feeds on the blood of others.[2]

Figure 1: Drawings illustrating the similarities in appearance between a leech and a human embryo at the alaqah stage. (Leech drawing from Human Development as Described in the Quran and Sunnah, Moore and others, p. 37, modified from Integrated Principles of Zoology, Hickman and others. Embryo drawing from The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 73.)

The second meaning of the word alaqah is “suspended thing.” This is what we can see in figures 2 and 3, the suspension of the embryo, during the alaqah stage, in the womb of the mother.

Figure 2: We can see in this diagram the suspension of an embryo during the alaqah stage in the womb (uterus) of the mother. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 66.)

Figure 3: In this photomicrograph, we can see the suspension of an embryo (marked B) during the alaqah stage (about 15 days old) in the womb of the mother. The actual size of the embryo is about 0.6 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore, 3rd ed., p. 66, from Histology, Leeson and Leeson.)

The third meaning of the word alaqah is “blood clot.” We find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the alaqah stage is similar to that of a blood clot. This is due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage[3] (see figure 4). Also during this stage, the blood in the embryo does not circulate until the end of the third week.[4] Thus, the embryo at this stage is like a clot of blood.

Figure 4: Diagram of the primitive cardiovascular system in an embryo during the alaqah stage. The external appearance of the embryo and its sacs is similar to that of a blood clot, due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo. (The Developing Human, Moore, 5th ed., p. 65.)

So the three meanings of the word alaqah correspond accurately to the descriptions of the embryo at the alaqah stage.

The next stage mentioned in the verse is the mudghah stage. The Arabic word mudghah means “chewed substance.” If one were to take a piece of gum and chew it in his or her mouth and then compare it with an embryo at the mudghah stage, we would conclude that the embryo at the mudghah stage acquires the appearance of a chewed substance. This is because of the somites at the back of the embryo that “somewhat resemble teethmarks in a chewed substance.”[5] (see figures 5 and 6).

Figure 5: Photograph of an embryo at the mudghah stage (28 days old). The embryo at this stage acquires the appearance of a chewed substance, because the somites at the back of the embryo somewhat resemble teeth marks in a chewed substance. The actual size of the embryo is 4 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 82, from Professor Hideo Nishimura, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.)

Figure 6: When comparing the appearance of an embryo at the mudghah stage with a piece of gum that has been chewed, we find similarity between the two.

A) Drawing of an embryo at the mudghah stage. We can see here the somites at the back of the embryo that look like teeth marks. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 79.)

B) Photograph of a piece of gum that has been chewed.

How could Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, have possibly known all this 1400 years ago, when scientists have only recently discovered this using advanced equipment and powerful microscopes which did not exist at that time? Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells (spermatozoa) using an improved microscope in 1677 (more than 1000 years after Muhammad). They mistakenly thought that the sperm cell contained a miniature preformed human being that grew when it was deposited in the female genital tract.[6]

Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore[7] is one of the world’s most prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology and is the author of the book entitled The Developing Human, which has been translated into eight languages. This book is a scientific reference work and was chosen by a special committee in the United States as the best book authored by one person. Dr. Keith Moore is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. There, he was Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and for 8 years was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy. In 1984, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. He has directed many international associations, such as the Canadian and American Association of Anatomists and the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences.

In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Moore said: “It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God.”[8] (To view the RealPlayer video of this comment click here).

Consequently, Professor Moore was asked the following question: “Does this mean that you believe that the Quran is the word of God?” He replied: “I find no difficulty in accepting this.”[9]

During one conference, Professor Moore stated: “....Because the staging of human embryos is complex, owing to the continuous process of change during development, it is proposed that a new system of classification could be developed using the terms mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah (what Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said, did, or approved of). The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, and conforms with present embryological knowledge. The intensive studies of the Quran and hadeeth (reliably transmitted reports by the Prophet Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of) in the last four years have revealed a system for classifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the seventh century A.D. Although Aristotle, the founder of the science of embryology, realized that chick embryos developed in stages from his studies of hen’s eggs in the fourth century B.C., he did not give any details about these stages. As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos until the twentieth century. For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Quran cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the seventh century. The only reasonable conclusion is: these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad from God. He could not have known such details because he was an illiterate man with absolutely no scientific training.”[10] (View the RealPlayer video of this comment).

The Earth’s Atmosphere

2011-01-01T08:26:00.000+08:00

“By the sky which returns.” (Quran 86:11)

“[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling…” (Quran 2:22)

In the first verse God swears by the sky[1] and its function of ‘returning’ without specifying what it ‘returns.’ In Islamic doctrine, a divine oath signifies the magnitude of importance of a special relation to the Creator, and manifests His majesty and the supreme Truth in a special way.

The second verse describes the Divine Act that made the sky a ‘ceiling’ for the dwellers of earth.

Let us see what modern atmospheric science has to say about the role and function of the sky.

The atmosphere is a word which denotes all the air surrounding the earth, from the ground all the way up to the edge from which space starts. The atmosphere is composed of several layers, each defined because of the various phenomena which occur within the layer.

This image shows the average temperature profile through the Earth’s atmosphere. Temperatures in the thermosphere are very sensitive to solar activity and can vary from 500°C to 1500°C. Source: Windows to the Universe, (http://www.windows.ucar.edu), the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). ©1995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan; ©2000-04 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

Rain, for one, is ‘returned’ to Earth by the clouds in the atmosphere. Explaining the hydrologic cycle, Encyclopedia Britannica writes:

“Water evaporates from both the aquatic and terrestrial environments as it is heated by the Sun’s energy. The rates of evaporation and precipitation depend on solar energy, as do the patterns of circulation of moisture in the air and currents in the ocean. Evaporation exceeds precipitation over the oceans, and this water vapor is transported by the wind over land, where it returns to the land through precipitation.”[2]

Not only does the atmosphere return what was on the surface back to the surface, but it reflects back into space that which might damage the flora and fauna the earth sustains, such as excessive radiant heat. In the 1990’s, collaborations between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of Japan resulted in the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) Science Initiative. Polar, Wind and Geotail are a part of this initiative, combining resources and scientific communities to obtain coordinated, simultaneous investigations of the Sun-Earth space environment over an extended period of time. They have an excellent explanation of how the atmosphere returns solar heat to space.[3]

Besides ‘returning’ rain, heat and radio waves, the atmosphere protects us like a ceiling above our heads by filtering out deadly cosmic rays, powerful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun, and even meteorites on collision course with Earth.[4]

Pennsylvania State Public Broadcasting tells us:

“The sunlight that we can see represents one group of wavelengths, visible light. Other wavelengths emitted by the sun include x-rays and ultraviolet radiation. X-rays and some ultraviolet light waves are absorbed high in Earth’s atmosphere. They heat the thin layer of gas there to very high temperatures. Ultraviolet light waves are the rays that can cause sunburn. Most ultraviolet light waves are absorbed by a thicker layer of gas closer to Earth called the ozone layer. By soaking up the deadly ultraviolet and x-rays, the atmosphere acts as a protective shield around the planet. Like a giant thermal blanket, the atmosphere also keeps temperatures from getting too hot or too cold. In addition, the atmosphere also protects us from constant bombardment by meteoroids, bits of rock and dust that travel at high speeds throughout the solar system. The falling stars we see at night are not stars at all; they are actually meteoroids burning up in our atmosphere due to the extreme heating they undergo.”[5]

This is an image of Earth’s polar stratospheric clouds. These clouds are involved in the creation of Earth’s ozone hole. Source: Windows to the Universe, (http://www.windows.ucar.edu/) at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). ©1995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan; ©2000-04 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

Encyclopedia Britannica, describing the role of Stratosphere, tells us about its protective role in absorbing dangerous ultraviolet radiation:

“In the upper stratospheric regions, absorption of ultraviolet light from the Sun breaks down oxygen molecules; recombination of oxygen atoms with O2 molecules into ozone (O3) creates the ozone layer, which shields the lower ecosphere from harmful short-wavelength radiation…More disturbing, however, is the discovery of a growing depletion of ozone over temperate latitudes, where a large percentage of the world’s population resides, since the ozone layer serves as a shield against ultraviolet radiation, which has been found to cause skin cancer.”[6]

The mesosphere is the layer in which many meteors burn up while entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Imagine a baseball zipping along at 30,000 miles per hour. That’s how big and fast many meteors are. When they plow through the atmosphere, meteors are heated to more than 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, and they glow. A meteor compresses air in front of it. The air heats up, in turn heating the meteor.[7]

This is an image which shows the Earth and its atmosphere. The mesosphere would be the dark blue edge located on the far top of the image underneath the back.
(Image courtesy of NASA)

Earth is surrounded by a magnetic force field - a bubble in space called “the magnetosphere” tens of thousands of miles wide. The magnetosphere acts as a shield that protects us from solar storms. However, according to new observations from NASA’s IMAGE spacecraft and the joint NASA/European Space Agency Cluster satellites, immense cracks sometimes develop in Earth’s magnetosphere and remain open for hours. This allows the solar wind to gush through and power stormy space weather. Fortunately, these cracks do not expose Earth’s surface to the solar wind. Our atmosphere protects us, even when our magnetic field does not.[8]

An artist’s rendition of NASA’s IMAGE satellite flying through a ‘crack’ in Earth’s magnetic field.

How would it be possible for a fourteenth century desert dweller to describe the sky in a manner so precise that only recent scientific discoveries have confirmed it? The only way is if he received revelation from the Creator of the sky.

source: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1/

Hadith About Sport : Islam/boxing as a sports in islam

2010-12-28T10:53:00.001+08:00

Question
salam walekum,
i am into ameture boxing since my school days,i just joined it as a sporting activity,for fitness and strength its been almost ten years i am in to this sports, i a have won many state and national championships. some of my friends told me that boxing is haram in islam please expalin how is boxing is a haram in islam when it is just a sport like any other and there r many muslim in ameture and profesnals boxers in this sport.
jazakalla khair

Answer
Wa `Alaykum As-Salaam Waramatullah Wabarakatuh!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah Almighty and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

First of all, we’d like to voice our appreciation for the great confidence you repose in us. May Allah Almighty help us to let our endeavor come up to your expectation, Amen.

As regards your question, we’d like to cite for you the fatwa issued by the European Council for Fatwa and Research. It goes as follows:

"According to a juristic rule in Islam stating “Taking a lawful act as profession is permissible, save what’s made exceptional by a clear proof”, sport is basically permissible in Islam, if not obligatory. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, urged his followers to practice some sort of sport and exercise that help keep the body fit, as long as that it doesn’t entail harm.

As for boxing, it is permissible if it’s taken as a mere hobby to train oneself on how to practice this sport, without taking a human being as a target (i.e., one should direct the fists to a punch bag and not to a person). But, one should not think of adopting it as profession. This is not permissible, due to the great harm and untold risk it involves, especially to the body and life of the victim. Islam never allows inflicting harm on any person; Muslim or non-Muslim. This is based on the juristic rule: “There should be neither harm nor reciprocating injury”.

Besides, boxing entails directing blows to the head and face. This is forbidden in Islam, according to the Hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “If anyone of you fights (or, in another version, beats) a person, he should not hit him in the face." (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

If you have any further comments, please don't hesitate to write back!

May Allah guide you to the straight path, and guide you to that which pleases Him, Amen.

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Sc...

'Sport' in the Hadith

2010-12-28T10:49:00.000+08:00

'Sport' in the Hadith

The term 'sport' is used to denote the activities which the Holy Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) encouraged, such as archery, swimming, horse-riding, etc. The reason for this will be explained later.

(a) Horse Riding

Allâh (Azza wa jall) says in the Holy Qurân: "And (He created) horses, mules, and donkeys for you to ride and as an adornment...(Al Quraan 16:8)

Uqbah bin Âmir reported that the messenger of Allâh (Azza wa jall) said: Everything with which a man plays is unlawful except his shooting with arrows, and his training his horse, and his sporting with his wife; and verily these are of the truths. (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawoo,Ibn Majah)

The Holy Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) is reported to have said: "There is blessing in the forelocks of horses."(Ahmad)

(b) Archery

Hazrat Uqbah Bin Âmir (Radiallâhu anhu) also narrates that he heard Rasulullah (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) saying:

"Whoever gives up archery after having learnt it, is not of us..."(Muslim)

On another occasion, the Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) once passed by a group of his Companions who were competing in archery. He encouraged them saying, "Shoot and I am with you."(Bukhari)

(c) Swimming

Hazrat Ibn Umar (R.A) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) said: "Teach your sons swimming and archery and teach your daughters sewing."(Baihaqi)

With regard to the participation of the Sahaba in the above activities, the jurists write:

a. "Anything done simply for futile pleasures or merely 'for fun' has no basis in Shariah as every action of a believer is orchestrated by the supreme command of Allâh and orientated towards attaining His pleasure only. And it is the culmination and perfection of faith wherein the servant attains pleasure only in fulfilling the command of His Master and his heart ingests and aspires at all times to ascertain the command of Allâh. When this becomes second-nature within man, then all his pleasures are converted and directed accordingly.

Hence, the encouragement of Rasulullah (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) to the Sahaba and their participation in such activities was not to appease their personal motives or to derive any worldly pleasures thereby, but to gain the pleasure of Allâh and strive to fulfil His command and physically and mentally prepare for the propagation thereof in every way possible, even though it meant laying down their lives for it, which they practically demonstrated to mankind."

b. "The racing, wrestling and archery which Rasulullah (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) encouraged should not be viewed as sport in the way people of this time understand sport. Since these were activities associated with Jihad, he encouraged them."

c. "Their primary objective was to prepare themselves for Jihâd and the worldly benefits were secondary."

d. "For this, on the basis of Hadith, the Ulema have stated that horse-racing, donkey-racing, mule-racing and human race competitions should be held with the intention of preparing for jihad. This is mustahab (praiseworthy) and for this, one will be recompensated. Similarly, sword-fighting, archery and in today's times, practising with modern weapons like firearms, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, tanks, submarines, planes, etc. on land, sea and air, and the time and money spent on them will gain recompense, provided the intention is for jihad. If such exercises and competitions are held and prizes are given so that people are more and more induced to be ready for defending and protecting their religion and country, or one-sided bets are offered, it is all permissible; i.e. he who completes the race first or excels others in a competition will be given a prize. However betting from both sides is not permissible, it is haram."(8)
(d) Footracing

The Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) himself raced with his wife. Hazrat Ayesha said: "I raced with the Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) and beat him in the race. Later when I had put on some weight, we raced again and he won. Then he said, 'This cancels that', referring to the previous occasion."(Ahmad, Abu Dawood)

Regarding this Hadith the jurists write:

a. "The Hadith regarding Nabi's (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) race with Hazrat Aishah (R.A) cannot be cited as a basis for encouraging sport because in his entire life, Rasulullah (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) raced with her only on two occasions. When he did so, he instructed the others to leave the place so that the race could take place in privacy."

b. "The Hadith relating that Nabi (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) ran a race with Hazrat Aishah R.A. once while they were on a journey wherein Hazrat Aisha R.A. outshone Nabi (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) and sometime later wherein Nabi (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) beat her to the draw was a manifestation of the affectionate bond of love that existed between them and how matrimonial rights should be conducted as discussed under the chapter of Conjugal Rights and Intimacy between husband and wife in the books of Hadith. And this is actually a practical demonstration of another Hadith wherein Nabi (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) had reiterated:

'Every such engagement of man which entails play and amusement is null and void except archery, training one's horse and playing with one's wife, for these things constitute righteousness.' "

c. "As for the race with Ayesha (Radiallâhu anha), this is narrated only by her and no other Sahâbi (Radiallâhu anhu). This makes it obvious that this was in absolute privacy. Actually this race was not in the form of some sport. Rather, it was more in the form of playfulness and a manner of mirthful activity as is common in a healthy husband and wife relationship. If one practices this sunnah in the same manner (i.e. in absolute privacy) with one's wife, by all means. However, it cannot be used to justify the indulgence in modern day sports.
(e) Wrestling

The Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) once wrestled with a man called Rukanah who was well-known for his strength, throwing him down more than once. (Abu Dawood).

This Hadith has been explained as follows:

"The Hadith mentioning Rasulullah's wrestling with Rukanah is not encouragement for sport because the event took place at the request of Rukanah who wanted to ascertain whether Muhammed (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) was a Nabi or not. Rasulullah's victory over Rukanah was by way of Mu'jizah. This Hadith is not an encouragement for sport."

Top
Relaxing the Mind and Body

At the outset, it is important to outline the Islamic stance on relaxation. With regard to relaxing the mind and body, there seems to be a general consensus amongst the different Ulama. The following are the views of four prominent South African jurists:

a. "Says the Qurân: 'Undoubtedly it is only through the Remembrance of Allâh that the hearts find contentment and satisfaction.' Ar-Ra'ad verse 28.

Says the Hadith: 'And your body also has a right over you." Bukhari

Hence to relax the body and mind and to maintain its physical well-being has been acceded to in Shariah, however, remaining within the limits of Shariah thereby and without exceeding the bounds and not engaging in any such activity which will make one unmindful and heedless of Allâh."

b. "Islam recognizes that Allâh has created human beings with needs and desires, so that, as they need to eat and drink, they also need to relax. The following incident substantiates that in Islam there is a time and place for everything permissible. Hazrat Hanzalah (R.A) states: Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A) met me and asked, "How are you, Hanzalah?" I replied, "Hanzalah has become a hypocrite." He said, "SubhanAllâh! What are you saying?" I replied, "When we are with Allâh's Messenger (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam), he mentions the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we can see them. But when we leave Nabi's (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) company and play with our wives and children or busy ourselves with our properties, we forget much." Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A) said, "By Allâh, I have experienced the same thing." He and I then went to visit Nabi (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) and I said, "O Messenger of Allâh (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam), when we are with you, you talk about the Fire and Garden until it is as if we can see them. Then we go out and play with our wives and the children and deal with our properties, and we forget much. Nabi (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) then said, "By Him in Whose Hands is my soul, if you were to continue at the same level at which you were when with me in remembering Allâh, the angels would shake hands with you when you are resting and when you walk about, but, O Hanzalah, there is a time (for this) and time (for that)." He repeated this phrase three times. (Mishkat pg.197-198)

Hazrat Ali (R.A) said: "Minds get tired as do bodies, so treat them with humour" and "Refresh your minds from time to time, for a tired mind becomes blind."

Pastimes are permissible provided that they provide the participant with relaxation and exercise and at the same time none of the laws of Shariah are compromised eg. dress, intermingling of sexes, gambling and betting etc."

c. "...in terms of the Shariah, it is permissible for Muslims to relax the mind and body provided it does not interfere with the basic obligatory and compulsory Islamic duties placed upon him/her. However it is declared Makrooh (abominable) in Shariah to engage in meaningless pastimes."

d. "Relaxing the body and mind are not just permissible; they are a requirement. The reason is obvious. With a refreshed body and mind one can engage in one's object more earnestly. However, the relaxation must not be in such a way which results in transgression of the laws of Shariah or in diversion from one's object of life.

Top
Prohibited Sports

A number of sports have been explicitly prohibited by the Qurân and Hadith. These include:
a. Playing with dice

The Prophet (Sallallâhu alaihi wasallam) is reported to have said: "He who plays with dice is like the one who handles the flesh and blood of swine."(Muslim, Abu Dawood, Ahmad)
b. Games of Chance and Card - playing

Abdullah bin Amr reported that the messenger of Allâh (Azza wa jall) prohibited intoxicants, games of chance, card - playing and Gabairah (a kind of wine).(Abu Dawood)

A Hadith Regarding Sports

2010-12-28T10:47:00.000+08:00

In a lengthy Hadith narrated by `Uqbah ibn Aamir (Radhiallaahu Anhu), Nabi
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said, 'Every Lahw
(amusements, pastimes, games, etc.) a man involves himself in is in vain
except practice of archery with his bow, teaching (breaking, training, etc.)
his horse and playing with his wife. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud,
Daarimi; Mishkaat vol.1 pg.332; Qadeemi)

In another Hadith recorded by Tabrani (RA), narrated by Hadhrat Jabir
(Radhiallaahu Anhu) who reports of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) to
have said, 'Everything devoid of the remembrance of Allah Ta'ala is Lahw
save four actions; a) Walking between 2 targets (while practicing archery),
b) Training or disciplining of one's horse, c) Amusing oneself with the
company of one's wife, d) Learning of the art of swimming. (Targheeb Wa
Tarheeb vol.2 pg.389; Dar Ihya al-Turaath)

Doa Kesembuhan Sakit & Penyakit

2010-12-20T14:50:00.000+08:00

Oleh

Zaharuddin Abd Rahman

www.zaharuddin.net

sami yusuf healing with lyric by zaharuddin.net from dakwahislami on Vimeo.

Kehidupan sebagai manusia tidak dapat dielakkan dari ditimpa pelbagai sakit dan penyakit, ada yang bersifat kejiwaan, pemikiran dan juga tentunya fizikal. Kesakitan fizikal boleh mengganggu prestasi fizikal. Namun agak terhad kepada dirinya sahaja. Lebih merbahaya, penyakit jiwa, dimana kejahatannya boleh menimpa kepada orang lain dan persekitarannya.

Di dalam kejahilan umat Islam hari ini, agak dukacita melihat bomoh dan perawatan jampi dengan bacaan pelik, menurun, tangkal hikmah yang tidak tahu apa isinya kerap menjadi pilihan. Kononnya sebagai ikhtiyar, malangnya tidak disedari tindakan bertemu bomoh dan perawat sedemikian dengan mudah membawa syirik.

Jika di dalam rumah dan pejabat kita sering ada first aid kit yang boleh dimanfaatkan ketika terdapat kemalangan dan pesakit di sekeliling. Dalam tulisan ini ringkas ini, saya sertakan beberapa rawatan awal yang boleh kita selaku Muslim yang mukmin lakukan kepada pasangan, anak dan diri kita apabila ditimpa pelbagai jenis kesakitan. Namun jangan dilupa, bertemu doktor itu PERLU.

Bacalah doa-doa ini semasa menghadapi sakit fizikal, moga ia juga berkesan untuk ketenangan mental dan iman kita. Doanya berwarna BIRU dan selebihnya yakinilah kuasa Allah yang mengawal seluruh alam dan makhluk, Maha Penyembuh.

Sebenarnya banyak lagi ayat Al-Quran dan doa dari hadis yang boleh dibaca, namuan untuk tidak membebankan pemikiran pembaca, cukuplah kita memilih beberapa terlebih dahulu.

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا اشتكى منا إنسان مسحه بيمينه ثم قال اِذْهَبِ البَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ وَاشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لاَ شِفَاءً إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَماً

Ertinya : Nabi s.a.w ketika didatangi aduan (sakit) oleh seseorang, nabi akan menyapunya dengan tangan kanan baginda sambil membaca " Jauhkanlah dia dari kesakitan, wahai Tuhan sekalian manusia, sembuhkanlah dia, dan engkaulah maha penyembuh yang tidak akan datang kesembuhan kecuali datang dariMu, kesembuhan dari jenis yang tidak akan kembali penyakitnya"( Riwayat Muslim)

كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يعوذ الحسن والحسين ويقول : إن أباكما كان يعوذ بها إسماعيل وإٍسحاق أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطاَنٍ وَهَامَّةٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّة (رواه البخاري)

Ertinya : Nabi s.a.w ketika sedang meminta perlindungan untuk Al-Hasan dan Al-Husain berkata : Sesungguhnya kedua-dua ibu bapamu meminta perlindungan dengan (bacaan) yang dibuat oleh Nabi Ismail dan Ishak iaitu : "Aku berlindung dengan kalimah-kalimah Allah yang sempurna, daripada setiap Syaitan dan mahkluk berbisa dan dari setiap pandangan mata dengki & hasad yang berniat jahat" ( Riwayat Al-Bukhari)

أن جبرائيل أتى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال يا محمد اشتكيت ؟ قال نعم , قال : بِسْمِ اللهِ أُرْقِيْكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْئٍ يُؤْذِيْكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْعَيْنٍ أَوْ حَاسِدٍ , اللهُ يُشْفِيْكَ بِسْمِ اللهِ أُرْقِيْكَ

Ertinya : Telah datang Jibrail kepada nabi sa.w dan berkata : Wahai Muhammad, adakah kamu mengadu kerana sakit? . Jawab Nabi " Ya". Jibrail membalas " Bacalah "Dengan nama Allah yang mengubatimu, dari segala perkara yang menyakitimu, dan juga dari kejahatan setiap jiwa,mata dan hasad. Allah akan menyembuhkanya dan dengan namaNya engkau disembuhkan"

Baca tujuh kali dengan tangan diletak di tempat sakit , kemudian baca Bismillah tiga kali dan terus baca doa berwarna biru :

أنه شكا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وجعا يجده في جسده منذ أسلم فقال له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ضع يدك على الذي تألم من جسدك وقل باسم الله ثلاثا , وقل سبع مرات : أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ

Ertinya : Seorang sahabat datang mengadu kepada Nabi berkenaan kesakaitan yang terdapat ditubuhnya sejak dari ia masuk Islam, lalu nabi mengajarkan berkata : " Letakkan tanganmu ditempat yang kamu merasai sakit itu dan bacalah Bismillah tiga kali dan kemudian bacalah tujuh kali : " Aku berlindung dengan kuasa Allah dari segala kejahatan yang telah menimpaku dan yang aku ingin hindari. ( Riwayat Muslim)

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من عاد مريضا لم يحضر اجله فقال عنده سبع مرارٍ أَسْأَلُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ رَبَّ العَرْشِ العَظِيْمِ أَنْ يُشْفِيَكَ إلا عافاه الله من ذلك المرض

Ertinya : Nabi telah berkata " Barangsiapa melawat orang yang sakit yang belum kelihatan akan tiba ajalnya (sakit yang dikira boleh sembuh), bacalah di sisinya tujuh kali : " Aku memohon kepada Allah yang maha agung, tuhan bagi arasy yang agung agar menyembuhkanmu". Tiadalah dibacakah itu kecuali akan disembuhkan dengan izin Allah dari sakit tersebut. ( At-Tirmidzi : hadis Sohih)

Imam Ibn Qayyim berkata “dari kaedah pelindung dan penyembuh dari hasad mata dan yang sepertinya adalah membaca dau Qul ( Surah An-Naas dan Al-Al-Falaq) dan Al-fatihah, ayat Kursi dan lain-lain doa dari hadis nabi” iaitu antaranya seperti di atas. (At-Tibb al-Nabawi, hlm 168)

Semoga sakit yang dideritai beransur sembuh. Termasuklah penyakit malas solat, panas baran, ketagih porno dan sebagainya. Cubalah amalkan doa-doa di atas juga.

Sekian

Zaharuddin Abd Rahman

www.zaharuddin.blogspot.com

www.zaharuddin.net

28 Oktober 2010

Doa-doa lain

1. أعوذ بكلمات الله التامة التى لايجاوزهن بر ولا فاجر من شر ما ينزل من السماء، ومن شر مايعرج فيها، ومن شر ما ذرأ فى الأرض،ومن شر مايخرج منها ومن فتن الليل والنهار ، ومن شر طوارق الليل والنهار إلاطارقا يطرق بخير يارحمن (رواه الترمذى وإسناده صحيح(

2. أعوذ بكلمات الله التامات من غضبه وعقابه ومن شر عباده ومن شر همزات الشياطين وأن يحضرون (أخرجه وحسنه الألبانى(

3. حسبى الله لاإله إلا هو عليه توكلت وهو رب العرش العظيم (سبع مرات ) (رواه أبوداود(

4. بسم الله الذى لايضر مع اسمه شىء فى الأرض ولا فى السماء وهو السميع العليم (ثلاثا) (رواه أبوداود وهو حديث صحيح(

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2010-11-28T13:31:00.000+08:00

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Khadijah bint Khuwailid: The First Lady of Islam

2010-04-22T20:20:00.000+08:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

KHADIJAH (radiallahu ‘anhaa)

She was Khadijah bint Khuwailid ibn Asad ibn 'Abd al-'Uzza ibn Qusay ibn Kilab (from one of the notable clans of the Quraish). Her mother was Fatima bint Za'ida who was descended from another of the clans of the Quraish:The genealogists of the Arabs describe the Prophet as Muhammad ibn'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Qusay ibn Kilab. He was therefore one of her cousins, or more precisely, one of her nephews, through a mutual great-grandfather Qusay ibn Kilab.

Since the Prophet belonged to the younger generation and lived in a quarter of Makkah far removed from hers, she was unacquainted with this young man, who had only in the recent past started his career as a trader and commission agent. Khadijah was herself a lady of dignity and opulence.

From two of her husbands she had inherited much wealth and many commercial banking houses. She sometimes lent money to reliable Quraish merchants on a profit-sharing basis. Sometimes she invested the capital of her creditors in trade caravans. In fact, Khadijah had heard of the honesty, trustworthiness, high moral character and clean habits of Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him). She also realized something of his spiritual capacities, and, as we may unmistakably say, these attracted her.

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him) was popularly known as al-Amin (the Trust-worthy), and also by another fitting title al-Sadiq (the Truthful). She belonged to a respectable upper middle-class family of Makkah, and that in the past she had been married to two men. Khadijah was a lady of middle age, just forty. She had never taken the risk of entrusting her fleet of camels to someone that might disappear with it into the deserts of Syria and never be heard of any more.

To look after domestic affairs, she kept a slave-girl; and a slave called Maysara was also in her service. She was a true believer and steadfast. She was devout. She performed all the rituals of Islam. She observed the stipulated Salat with Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him). She was always the first to learn the Qur'an and Commandments of Allah. She fasted as Muhammad did. She gave alms. She gave in the cause of Allah all the wealth she had. On no occasion did she think of retaining the slightest bit of wealth for herself. She had, in fact, sacrificed her ease and comfort for the sake of Allah and His Messenger.

Khadijah was a typical Makkan lady of the Quraish, fair and modest in her general demeanour and meticulously submissive and obedient to her husband. She was a devoted wife. She loved Muhammad. She had a great attachment to him. She admired his genuinely transcendental qualities. She revered him for his superb and sublime thoughts. She adored him for having been blessed with divine achievements. With full earnestness, she recognised the awe-inspire. atmosphere that hallowed his personality. She acted accordingly. She looked after him. She took care of him. She helped him. She cooperated with him. She made all types of sacrifices for him. Yet she was able to console and comfort him in distress in his early days of prophethood. KhadIjah, the First of the Believers When the Prophet came home after receiving the revelation and told her about the story, she calmed him, and then she took her overgarment and set forth to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal. There she related to him all that her husband Muhammad had told her of what he had seen and heard. "Quddus, quddus (grand, grand!)-, exclaimed Waraqa, "O Khadijah, it is a very good news! Certainly by Him in Whose Hand is Waraqa's soul, if what you have related to me is true, O Khadijah, there has, after all, come unto him the Great Namus (Jibril or Gabriel) who came to Moses. And certainly he is the Prophet of this people. Congratulate him. Let him now be steadfast".

With this message, Khadijah hurried back home and told her husband what Waraqa had said. This calmed his fears somewhat. Khadijah was now a convinced believer. She was a true believer. She was a devoted believer. She was indeed the first believer.

Most of the biographers of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him) dismiss the early period of the "Call" in a few pages. In fact, this period is intimately associated with the sagacity of Khadijah and her faith in Allah and His Messenger and also with the unremitting encouragement that she gave to Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him). The history of the early Revelations is rich in information about the mutual relationship between Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him) and his first wife, Khadijah. By simply putting together scraps of source material, as they occur in the various exegetical works (i.e., Tafsir literature) and the compilations of traditions, we can easily evolve an image of the personality of Khadijah. Khadijah falls ill and dies The period of boycott, during which the Hashmites (Bani Hashim) remained almost shut away from the outer world, was a period of great ordeal. The conditions to which they had been subjected told upon the general health of the women and children. Khadijah who had already been worn down by the hardships in Shi'b Abi Talib, to which she had never been used, fell ill. It was some time in December, 619 A.D. that she died after a brief illness of three days.

HER VIRTUES:

This was Khadijah, whom Muhammad always remembered with feelings of love and affection, even when he was later the Sole ruler of Arabia and had many beautiful wives around him at Medinah. Abu Hurairah reported that Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, "Allah's Messenger, here is Khadijah who has come bringing a vessel containing food. When she comes, give her a greeting from her Lord and from me, and give her the good news that in Paradise she will have a house of brilliant pearls". (Bukhari and Muslim).

The intensity of the Prophet’s love and regard for Khadijah is shown by the following incident. A'isha reported that once she hurt his feelings on this issue and he replied, "Allah has blessed me with her love."

On another occasion A'isha asked him if she had been the only woman worthy of his love, and Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him) replied in an honest burst of tenderness." She believed in me when nobody else did, she embraced Islam when people disbelieved me and she helped me and comforted me when there was none to lend me a helping hand." This incident is described by Carlyle in these words: "He never forget this good Khadijah. Long afterwards, A'isha, his young and favorite wife, a woman who indeed distinguished herself among the Muslims by all manner of qualities through her whole life; this young and brilliant A'isha was, one day, questioning him. Now am I not better than Khadijah? She was a widow; old, and had lost her looks; you love me better than you did her? 'No, by God!' answered Muhammad, she believed in me when none else would believe. In the whole world I had but one friend, and she was that. "2 He adds, "He seems to have lived in a most affectionate, peaceable, wholesome way with this wedded benefaction, loving her truly, and her alone. "2 There are many incidents in the books of hadith and tarikh which throw some light on the depth of the feeling of natural love and affection between Muhammad (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him) and Khadijah.

It is narrated by A'isha that the sister of Khadijah, Halah bint Khuwailid, asked for permission to see the Prophet. (Peace & Prayers Be Upon Him). He remembered the act of permission of Khadijah for he recognised her voice which resembled that of Khadijah. He was pleased and said that was Halah bint Khuwailid. A'isha said that, hearing that, she felt envious and remarked," Do you mean one of the women of the Quraish, whose legs were lean and who died long ago? Allah has given you a better companion instead." (Muslim). She also reported that when the Quraish of Makkah paid compensation to free their captives from the battle of Badr, the Prophet's daughter Zainab also made arrangements to free her husband, Abu Al-As. She sent some cash which also contained a necklace given to her by her mother Khadijah in her wedding gifts. Seeing this necklace of Khadijah, the prophet was deeply moved and asked his companions, "If you consider it proper, you may release her husband for her sake and also return her necklace. They all accepted this with pleasure and released Abu Al-A’as and also returned the necklace to Zainab.

When the Wife is unhappy with her Husband

2010-03-28T06:52:00.002+08:00

by Dr. Ahmad Shafaat (1984)

Qur'an 4:34 (Surah Nisa, aya't 4) gives some guidance as to how to deal with marriage difficulties when husbands feel that their wives are being deliberately nasty to them. The Holy Qur'an also gives guidance for cases when it is the wife who thinks that she is being mistreated and feels unhappy about it.

In this connection it must, first of all, be clearly understood by all Muslims that the Holy Qur'an unequivocally prohibits keeping women in wedlock against their will. In Surah al-Baqarah, verse 231, it is said:

"And do not retain them (i.e. women) in wedlock against their will in order to hurt them. He who does such a thing indeed sins against himself. And do not take the signs of God lightly..."

And in Surah an-Nisa verse 19 we read:

"O YOU who have attained to faith! It is not lawful for you to [try to] become heirs of your wives [by holding onto them] against their will."

These verses appear in some particular contexts but they clearly contain the principle (also found in Hadith) that women can be brought into the marriage relationship and kept in that relationship only if they want to do so.

In some cultures, including parts of the Muslim world, women are sometimes beaten by their relatives into marrying men of the relatives' own choice or beaten to stay in the marriage bond. Those who do that commit a sin and unless forgiven by the women concerned will be punished by hell-fire in the hereafter.

It is true, as we have seen in another article, that husbands can lightly beat their wives when they show prolonged and deliberately nasty behaviour but such beating can be done only when the intention to stay in the marriage bond is intact on the part of both the husband and the wife. The moment the wife makes up her mind that she does not wish to remain in the marriage bond and she clearly expresses this decision on her part, the husband ceases to have any justification in the sight of God to beat her.

It is not only by physical force that women are sometimes kept in marriage against their will. More often it is social or economic pressures that are used, consciously or unconsciously, to keep them tied in the unwanted relationship. In Surah an-Nisa' the Book of God combats such social and economic pressures:

"If a woman fears ill-treatment (mushuz) or indifference (i'radh) from her husband, it is not wrong if (at her initiative) the two set things peacefully to right between themselves; for, peace is best, and selfishness is ever present in human souls. But if you do good and are conscious of Him, behold, God is aware of all that you do... If the two break up, God provides everyone out of His abundance, for God is resourceful, wise." (4:128-130)

In many cultures, including the Muslim culture, it is considered taboo on the part of a woman, especially if she is of "noble" (sharif) descent, to express unhappiness with marriage and to try to do something about it (except in cases of extreme cruelty on the part of the husband). This type of attitude is part of the social pressure which is used to keep women suppressed. The Qur'an says that if a woman feels that her husband is too indifferent to her, i.e. does not give enough love to her or mistreats her and she is therefore unhappy, there is nothing wrong if she initiates steps to change the situation.

It should be noted that whenever the Qur'an says "there is nothing wrong" or "it is not wrong" (la junaha), it means to fight certain social taboos and established psychological attitudes. In the above passage it is fighting the attitude which expects women to continue in the marriage bond as the husbands keep them regardless of whether the wife is reasonably happy or not.

The first step that a woman should take to change her marriage situation, if she is unhappy with it, is, of course, to "talk it out" with her husband. This may lead to one of two things: a greater understanding between the two resulting in a satisfactory change in the husband's attitude or a mutual decision to dissolve the marriage bond (with the wife possibly returning par of the dowry (2:229)). Such peaceful settling of matters is beautifully encouraged in the words

"peace is best, and selfishness is ever present in human soul. But if you do good and are conscious of God, behold, God is aware of all that you do."

Selfishness is accepted here as an inevitable condition of the human soul, so we are not expected to altogether get rid of it. What we are expected to do is to balance our selfishness with God consciousness and consideration for others. This means that we should pursue our self-interests within the limits set by God for our own good and also do something for others instead of being all the time concerned with ourselves.

It is in such a spirit that the husband and wife should discuss their marriage difficulties. Both have the right to expect happiness from the marriage relationship but each of them should seek happiness with consciousness of God and some concern for the happiness of the other partner in marriage. If the husband is not inclined to discuss things in this spirit and continues to mistreat the wife, then the wife can go to an Islamic court which must then impose a settlement on the husband on just terms. This is because it is the duty of Islamic courts to enforce the law of God and deal with all forms of zulm (injustice).

The Holy Qur'an wishes to make it socially acceptable for a wife to seek a change in her marriage situation if she feels that her husband mistreats her or is indifferent to her. But social acceptability alone is not enough; for, as noted earlier, tied with social taboos are economic considerations that often pressure the woman to accept her unhappy marriage situation. The Qur'an says that this should not be the case. It reminds all the concerned persons - the wife, the husband and relatives that:

"God provides everyone out of His abundance, for God is resourceful, wise" (4:130)

If all attempts on the part of the wife to establish a reasonably happy and dignified relationship with her husband fail and breakup of the marriage is the only option, then this option should not be rejected only for economic reasons. Let the wife and her relatives trust in God who is the real provider of all. Marriage should be viewed primarily as a love relationship (30:21) and not as an economic relationship.

The reminder that God is the provider of all is also meant for the husband. It tells him that he should not be too stingily and try to get back every penny that he might have spent on the wife but rather settle on equitable, if not generous, terms. God, who provided him all that he spent on his wife, may provide him yet more out of His infinite abundance.

It is instructive to note a couple of differences between the passage considered above and verse 34 of the same Surah an-Nisa' dealing with the case when it is the husband who is unhappy with the wife. In the latter case it is simply said: "If you (i.e. husbands) part" whereas in the above passage it is said "If a woman fears nushuz or i'radh on her husbands part." The addition of i'radh meaning turning away or becoming indifferent in case of a husband and its omission in the case of a wife is significant. This is a recognition that in love and sex relationship man's role is a more active one in the sense that he is the one who makes most of the first moves [Anjum Jaleel's Comments: Is it also true in case of the Western women?] and therefore as a rule he alone can do i'radh: she can, as a rule, only refuse to respond (which if done willfully and too often would come under nushuz and would be dealt with as such).

Another difference between the two cases is that when the husband fears nushuz on the part of the wife he can, after due admonition and talking, separate the wife in bed and then lightly beat her while such measures are not suggested to the wife if she is the one who fears nushuz or i'drah from the husband. This is, of course, not because the Qur'an sees anything wrong in principle with the wife separating herself in bed from the ill-treating husband or even beating him. The reason rather is that the Qur'an recognizes the well-observed fact that as a rule women are physically weaker than men and therefore it would be difficult for her to implement such measures against the husband. Unlike the sentimental feminists, the Qur'an is wise enough and realistic enough to first admit that in general women are indeed physically weaker than men and then to realize that it would be totally unhelpful to ask a weaker partner to use forceful methods against a stronger one, especially if that stronger partner is already mistreating her.

But this does not mean that Islam leaves women at the mercy of their husbands. If despite being a Muslim a husband fails to respect the principles outlined in the Qur'an and instead of peacefully settling matters with the wife shows neither the inclination to treat her as a husband should treat a wife nor lets her go in a maruf (just and public) way, then it is the collective duty of the Muslim society to step in and, through a suitable legal system, enforce the law of God by imposing a settlement on the husband on terms judged equitable by an impartial court. It is regrettable that Muslim societies have not yet evolved such a suitable legal system to give women adequate protection against their stronger marriage partners should these stronger partners abandon love and tenderness and turn nasty.

Women, Polygamy and Islam

2010-02-08T11:34:00.000+08:00

It has been considered for years that Islam does not give equal rights to men and women, and consider women only subject of comfort for males. This opinion has been delivered time and time again by renowned women activists but their basis of arguments being only the alleged facts. Their main argument is against the permission given towards polygamy in Islam. But many scholars who have gone through the pain in studying what Islam actually says have different opinion. They agree, in general, that Islam's approach to polygamy is most balanced and rational and is based on the moral, psychological and physiological demands of men and women (The Independent 13).

It should be remembered that taking more than one wife is only permissible, not ordained by the Quran - as some 'progressive' activist would like to believe. The Quranic verse that allows polygamy should be read in the context it was revealed. The Verse says, "And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards orphans, then marry such women as seem good to you, two, three and four, but if you fear that you may not do justice to them, then (marry) only one" (4: 3). This verse was revealed after the battle of Uhud. In that battle, many Muslim men died and as such a great social problem for the protection of widows and orphans arose, necessitating an institutionalized polygamy for a convenient solution of the problem.

Some of the eminent Western scholars who actually studied Islam, quite blatantly criticized the Western and other self proclaimed writers for venting their opinion as facts. In her book The Life and Teachings of Muhammed, Dr. Annie Besant, the renowned English leader of Theosophical Movement, says: " There is pretended monogamy in the West, but in reality, there is polygamy without responsibility; the mistress is cast off when the man is weary of her ... the first lover has no responsibility for her future, and she is a hundred times worst off then the sheltered wife in a polygamous home. "When we see thousands of miserable women who crowd the streets of Western towns during the night, we must surely feel that it does not lie in the Western mouth to reproach Islam for polygamy. It is better for woman, happier for woman, more respectable for woman to live in polygamy, united to one man, only with a legitimate child in her arms and surrounded with respect, than to be seduced and then cast out into the streets perhaps with illegitimate child outside the rule of law, uncared, unsheltered, to become victim of any passer-by, night after night, rendered incapable of motherhood despised by all. "You can find others," continues Annie Besant, "stating that religion Islam is evil because it sanctions a limited polygamy. But you do not hear as a rule the criticism ... that monogamy with a blended mass of prostitution was a hypocrisy and more degrading than a limited polygamy. "... it must be remembered that the law of Islam in relation to women was until lately, when parts of it was imitated initiated in England, the most just law, as far as women are concerned, to be found in the world. Dealing with property, ...rights of succession,... cases of divorce, it was far beyond the law of the West, in the respect which was paid to the rights of women. Those things are forgotten while people are hypnotized by the words monogamy and polygamy and do not look at what lies behind it in the West - the frightful degradation of women..."

Divorce in Islam

The next point of confrontation regarding women is the issue of divorce. It is a well accepted thought that Islam allows the husband to get rid of his wife on his free will, any time he likes by uttering a particular word three times repeatedly. This idea is totally baseless and has got nothing to do with Islam is quite clear when one takes the pain of studying it. first of all, the marriage in Islam is a social contract, and it can be dissolved if it proves, in any way, injurious or incompatible to the wife or to the husband. The wife has been given as much right to obtain the divorce as the husband. But the process of divorce has been set with a time limit of three months, so that a major decision like this is not taken in a moment of anger, and then both of them reproaches it after their anger vents out. This has been clearly instructed in the Holy Quran, but made unnecessarily confused by some elite class to suite their own purpose. On the Timing of divorce: " O Prophet! if ye do divorce woman, divorce them at their prescribed periods, and count (accurately) their prescribed periods: And fear Allah, your Lord: And turn them not out of your houses, nor shall they (themselves) leave, except in case they are guilty of open lewdness " (LXV: 1). On waiting periods for divorced women: " Divorced woman must wait three monthly courses. And it is not lawful for them to hide what Allah has created in their wombs, if they sincerely believe in Allah and the last day..." (2:228) Thus a clear three months period is mandatory before the final pronouncement is to be given. Each pronouncement of Talaq has to be made with a month's increment between it, so that their is chance that the couple repents and decide to continue their life together. After all, the prophet's saying goes 'Divorce is most disliked by Allah among all permissible things.' As women have got full rights to decide on to their separations, they also have full rights to chose partners in marriage, which is against what the 'learned' class would like to believe. No marriage in Islam is valid unless the bride and the bride-groom give their verbal consents regarding their marriage.

Status of Women in Islam

The status given to the women by Islam is another point of conflict as most of the "literate lots" would very much like to believe that women in Islam are still unliberated. However, it would be pointless to defend Islam by saying that Islam did give Women full equality in all respect to men (as some scholars defending Islam tried to do), as in reality, Islam does recognize the fact that women and men have their differences on the basis of their physical and physiological aspects, which is clearly stated in the Holy Quran in the following verses: "... Wives have the same rights as the husbands have on them in accordance with the generally known principles. Ofcourse, men are a degree above them in status, and above all is Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise" (2: 228). "Men are in charge of women because Allah has made the one superior to the other and because men spend their wealth on women" (4: 34).

Thus, in Islam, men and women have absolute equality in stature, but with a complete difference in labor. Being subjected to the responsibility of taking care of the house-holds, is considered somewhat degrading nowadays, forwarding the possible idea that Islam has kept women away from nation building. But if we are to consider Napoleon's saying that 'Give me a good mother; I will give you a good nation', then we can see that in reality nation building starts at home, and failure to learn correct guidance at home would lead the generations to degrade, without even being concerned over it. In fact the Islamic concept of household is that it is the smallest unit in the greater organization of the Nation as a whole. The home is a little kingdom where authority is exercised by both husband and wife.

Never Say Never

2010-02-07T11:32:00.000+08:00

by A Muslim Sister

As an American woman embracing Islam, there are often hurdles and challenges to be met. One of the most difficult aspects of Islam for me to accept was the permissibility of polygyny. The very thought of it seemed so bizarre and I chose to ignore it rather than accept it or to ever take part in it.

I embraced Islam about 7 years ago. This was also the beginning of a long struggle in search of the perfect husband and father figure for my children and me. I was provided a Wali from my community in order to handle this matter in the correct manner as to avoid mixing unnecessarily with other men, as well as to protect my best interests. It was a difficult process as most of the Brothers whom showed interest in marriage to me were looking for a second wife. It seemed that there were no single Brothers looking for a wife who already had children.

Almost a year of searching (I was feeling very desperate!), my Wali was approached by another Brother. Of course he too was searching for a second wife after moving to this country because of political/economic reasons. My Wali informed me that he seemed very sincere. He needed another wife as he planned on being in the US for several years and wanted to avoid living in haram. The Brother came here in hopes of providing better for his family overseas. To my dismay he had several children, didn't speak English, and did not have any formal education as he started working from the time he was 13 years old. He was even older than I preferred. However, I was informed that he is a good provider and a hard, skilled worker.

I still refused to meet with him because I did not want any part of a plural marriage. How could I share a man with another woman? How could I compete with the bond that they must share having several children together? Where would I fit in and how could I compete with all that it entails? Besides, he wasn't even educated! I couldn't imagine how he could possibly support the large family he already had as well as another family! Not to mention he was not a legal resident and I feared he was looking for a green card. It did not matter that I was desperate, I still would not agree to such circumstances. I would just continue to wait for the right person to come along.

Al hamdulillah! A couple of weeks later, another Brother was interested in meeting with me! He was only a couple of years older than I, never married, and no children. Not only that, he was educated (working on his Ph.D.), fluent in English and a legal resident! I was so excited to meet him I could hardly wait! He sounded like the ideal husband!

Right away, we met with each other and talked (with my Wali present of course). We both felt that we were perfect for each other. We were eventually married and we both felt very blessed. All of my prayers were being answered and my search had finally come to an end. I was so relieved and excited to begin a new life with my new husband. We packed all my belongings and moved to the state he resided in. I felt that my life could not be more perfect than it was now!

Well, Sisters, I couldn't be more wrong. After the move, my life started to fall apart really fast. Almost immediately, I could see signs of conflict between us. I couldn't believe it! My world came crashing down on me! I could actually see it happening right in front of my face but I could not stop it from happening. Two people never clashed as much as we did! How could this be happening to me? We disagreed about everything! We simply were not compatible. However, I was determined not to lose this marriage! I never wanted anything more badly than I wanted this marriage! I couldn't understand why this was happening when our marriage was based on Islam. We continued talking but neither one of us could understand what the other was saying. Eventually we were like enemies and it was getting really ugly. I began despising the way he talked, walked, laughed, etc. (I am sure he felt the same way.) At this point we both felt that divorce was the only answer. I felt like a total failure and I was so ashamed! I could never return home and be the talk of the community! My Iman had dropped very low. I only wanted to disappear.

I contacted my Wali's wife and she gave me the number to a very nice Sister in another state. I called her (Maashaallah) and she agreed to help me relocate to where she lived. (This state was even further away!). Consider me crazy but I decided to go for it! I felt that I had nothing else to lose. I loaded all of my belongings in the back of a U-Haul trailer and we left for our new home. I was really scared. The drive was about 17 hours long and I had never driven for more than 3 hours by myself. I would just have to think of it as an adventure and say Bismillah!

The next day, I arrived at my final destination. I found the home of this very sweet Muslim Sister (Maashaallah). Previously, I had spoken to her briefly on the phone and never actually met her in person. I was pleasantly surprised to see a Sister in niqab come out and greet me so warmly. I was so exhausted from driving (especially on the freeways in this large city). My niqaabi Sister was so enthusiastic; I soon forgot my troubles. She drove me all over the city in search of an apartment. Al hamdulillah by the end of the day Allah (S) provided me with an apartment in a really nice community with several other Muslim families. The apartment manager skipped the credit check, as that would have taken more time! Everything happened so smoothly with such ease, that I knew that this was what Allah (S) wanted for me. I felt I had made the right choice by moving there.

The very next day, Allah (S) provided me with a job! I started right away. My employer was Muslim and didn't mind that I wore hijab. For once I felt happy and at peace with myself. I started to feel that maybe it wasn't meant for me to be married and that I was probably better off single. I started making many friends right away. I met so many nice Sisters and my Iman was getting stronger once again.

After my Iddah, a Muslim Sister approached me from my apartment complex. She wanted to know if I was interested in getting married again. She insisted that she had the perfect Brother for me. (How about that!?) A little reluctant, I listened to what she had to say. She explained to me that he lived in my home state and that he was a hard worker and a good Muslim. He was very, close friends with her husband so he wasn't a complete stranger. Then she came to the "he's looking for a second wife part." (Not that again!!!) I immediately told her I was not interested in a polygynous relationship. She understood how I felt and did not pressure me any further.

That very evening, I went to bed thinking how awful it would feel to be a woman and share your husband with another woman. I could never be a part of that! I felt that I was too jealous and selfish of a person. I felt so angry that men could do that to their wives. I couldn't even imagine how these women must feel.

The next morning I awoke thinking about the Brother who wanted a second wife. Somehow, Subhanallah, my heart felt lighter thinking about it. I actually began contemplating marriage as a second wife! (Imagine that!) I started thinking of all the positives that could result from this marriage. After all, he did have previous experience with women and children (a major problem in my previous marriage). Because of his experience and age (maturity) I felt that he might be better prepared to deal with my children and me.

That same morning I contacted the Sister and asked her for more information about this Brother and told her that I might be interested. (And Sisters, the entire time I was thinking that I must be out of my mind!) The Sister explained to me that this very sincere Brother was looking for a good Muslim (practicing) wife. He wanted her to be a part of his family and eventually return home with him to his native country. She went on to tell me that he does not speak any English and is not formally educated. He had been a hard worker from the time he was 13 years old. (Wait a minute! This sounds too familiar!!! Could this possibly be the same Brother I refused to meet over one and a half years ago?! That would be impossible considering, that this Sister is not familiar with any of my friends' back home - over 4 states away!) After inquiring, she informed me of his name and where he worked. After our conversation ended, I immediately called a friend of mine whose husband knew the Brother I previously refused to meet.

Subhanallah! It was the very same Brother! I was totally shocked! (Could this be a sign from Allah (T)?) I knew now that I had to meet with him. I shared the news with my friend and she immediately arranged for her husband to talk with the Brother and arrange a meeting. The Brother drove to meet me (a 17 hour drive) a couple of days later. Upon meeting him, I knew right away that this Brother was for me! We were both very pleased with each other. Two days later we were married at the masjid.

Alhamdulillah we have now been married going on 4 years now and I can honestly say that I have no regrets. Allah (T) has filled our hearts with love for each other that continuously grows. I previously believed that I would have to make too many sacrifices being part of a plural marriage. I now know that I have gained more than I have lost alhamdulillah! My life is now richer than it has ever been. I now have a wonderful, large family who love and care for my children and me. My children adore their stepfather and he adores them. My husband's other wife (Maashaallah) is my Sister and friend and I love her dearly. Her children are like my own - I love them and they love me as well. We all have the same goals and want what is best for all of us.

And yes, alhamdulillah my husband loves his other wife tremendously, and for that I love and respect him even more. I wouldn't want it any other way! He informs us that he loves both of us in the same way that a mother has room in her heart to love all of her children-differently (because we are both different), but at the same time -- equally (as can be expected). He only speaks kind words about each of us and at the same time is careful to try not to create jealousy or animosity between us. Of course I was jealous at first, (and so was she) as this is normal, however those feelings eventually turned into love and compassion for my Sister.

Allah (T) has been so good to me alhamdulillah! My husband (Maashaallah) supports all of us financially with Allah's help! (Even without a college degree and high paying corporal job). I have to admit that there were some difficulties at times when it comes to language barriers, but nothing we can't overcome with patience. My husband now speaks English well, and my knowledge of Arabic has greatly increased.

So Sisters, I just wanted to share my experience with you. Never say "never" because if it's Allah's will -- you can't avoid it. You can run (like I did) but you can't hide from what Allah (T) has planned for you. The most important thing to do is to put your faith in Allah (T) and surrender to Him. He has the ability to change and soften our hearts in any matter. Allah (T) knows best and may He continue to guide us all on the right path. Ameen.

Taken from Muslimah Inspirations.

Links of Islam and Economics

2010-01-29T17:19:00.001+08:00

Links of Islam and Economics

Islam and Economics

	Islamic Banking - By Mohamed Ariff
	Islamic Financial System - By Ravil Hairetdinov
	The Role of the Government in an Islamic Economy - by Shah Abdul Hannan
	Mortgage - by Jamal Badawi
	Mythology of Islamic Economics and Theology of east Asian Economic Miracle - M. A. Muqtedar Khan
	Islamic Economics & Banking - By Tariq Talib Al-Anjari
	Principles Of Islamic Banking - Nida-ul-Islam
	Islamic Funding Structures And Financing Vehicles - Nida-ul-Islam
	The Economic Challenge for the Ummah - Mufti Taqi Usmani
	Forward Sales and Manufacturing Contracts - Mufti Taqi Usmani
	Islamic Banking - By A.L.M. Abdul Gafoor
	Islamic Economics & Banking - By Tariq Talib Al-Anjari
	Islamic Epistemological Question Applied to Normative Issues of Trade and Development in the Muslim World
	Seeking Halal Earning - By Khalid Baig
	Principles of Shariah Governing Islamic Investment Funds - Mufti Taqi Usmani
	The Text of the Historic Judgment on Interest Given by the Supreme Court of Pakistan - Mufti Taqi Usmani in PDF
	Mudaraba-based Investment and Finance - by A.L.M. Abdul Gafoor
	Islamic Money against the Euro and Dollar

Principles of Islamic Economy

2010-01-29T17:16:00.000+08:00

Principles of Islamic Economy

Islam did not introduce independent economic principles which were divorced from other aspects of life, in the manner of positive concepts. Islam has a realistic view towards life. In its opinion, all aspects of life are inter-dependent and its materialist side has to rely on its spiritual side. For this reason, Islam's economic principles are mixed with others which may be material, social or educational.

Nor does Islam, treat economics superficially, it makes a deep study of it, and in all other matters, it tries to find out the secrets of each problem. In The Holy Book and The Sunna these sound principles, based on a natural and realistic footing, are to be found everywhere. They are mentioned in these two sources in a way which follows the latest principles of education. This makes them directives for good behavior which can be easily assimilated and not just set principles which cannot reach the heart and which are difficult to apply except through violence and authority.

Islam allows ownership and gives this right to everybody, provided no harm is to be done to individuals or groups of individuals. It left to society the regularizing of its affairs within these limits according to environment and circumstances related to time and space. If the application of these principles is carried out properly and precisely, Islam is confident of their good results.

It is easy for everyone studying The Holy Book and The Sunna to realize how Islam deals with economy. Islam's way of approaching this can be summarized under the following points:
1 - Developing man's mind :

The Relation between man's mind and the economy is a powerful one, since the human mind is a sound measurement which man has to exploit not leave idle Allah says what means :

" In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, and the ships that run in the sea with that which profits men, and the water that Allah sends down from the sky, then gives therewith to the earth after its death and spreads in it all (kinds of) animals and the changing of the winds and the clouds made subservient between heaven and earth, there are surely signs for a people who understanding. (The Holy Quran)

The Quran repeats this meaning many times and in many chapters. It teaches man how to contemplate, and then how to order his relation with his world, in order that he may start on his own from the beginning, without any disturbance or distortion.

2- Faith in Allah is essential for man :

If man thinks deeply he will soon have faith in Allah. if such a man continues contemplation and thought, endeavoring to know about time and space and whatever numberless and changing worlds they include, he will feel that he is an atom in these worlds, which are ordered by sound and steady laws and which aim at certain objectives known to none except Allah. Submissively and quietly, he recognized only Allah and fears neither poverty nor harm. Allah says what means :

Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Now surely in Allah's remembrance do hearts find rest. Those who believe and do good a good final state is theirs and goodly return And might belongs to Allah and His Messenger and the believers, but the hypocrites know not. (The Holy Quran)

3- Recognition of Private Ownership:

(i) Man must recognize and admit this principle. Allah says what means:

" Who make the earth a resting place for you and the heavens a structure, and sends down rain from the clouds then brings forth with it fruits for your sustenance; so do not set up rivals to Allah while you know. And make not over your property, which Allah has made a (mean of) support for you, to the weak of understanding, and maintain them out of it, and clothe them and give them a good education. (The Holy Quran)

The verses of The Holy Quran which deal with this point are numerous and there is insufficient space to deal with them here.

(ii) Combating of divergent opportunities regarding ownership : There should not be discrimination regarding, ownership due to birth, race, color or wealth. persons, are equal and only by the merit and worth of work can a man be superior. Allah says what means:

"And that man can have nothing but what he strives for. O people, keep your duty to Allah, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind), and spread from these two many men and women. And keep your duty to Allah, by Whom you demand one of another (your rights), and (to) the ties of relationship. Surely Allah is ever a Watcher over you. O mankind, surely We have created you from a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other. Surely the noblest of you with Allah is the most dutiful of you. Surely Allah is Knowing, Aware. (The Holy Quran)

(iii) Delineation of the means for acquiring possessions : To have money is not a goal in itself, but a means by which life becomes stable and prosperous. In this respect, the fundamental principle of ownership that man can own anything without resorting to violence, should be taken into account. Man is forbidden from using force in obtaining ownership. Beyond this man is free to own anything. Allah says what means :

Say : The bad and the good are not equal, though the abundance of the bad may please thee. So keep your duty to Allah, O men of understanding, that you may succeed. Say Allah forbids only indecencies, such of them as are apparent and such as are concealed, and sin and unjust rebellion, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and that you say of Allah what you know not. (The Holy Quran)

To achieve that goal, Islam ordains the following:

(i) Individuals are forbidden to acquire money through gambling because to gamble is to usurp another's money without reward and because it constitutes an infringement of the rights of society, as opposed to the individual. It makes a member of particular society unable to perform his duties towards the community he lives in. Society requires from every member the offering of productive work. Allah says what means :

"O you who believe, intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the devil's work; so shun it that you may succeed. The devil desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. will you then keep back? (The Holy Quran)

(ii) People are forbidden from colleting money through usury. Usury increases the value of capital and encourages people with money not to work. In addition to that, it harbors hatred in the souls of the needy. In such a ease, the community cannot be stabilized and individuals feel no safety. Allah says what means:

" Those except as he arises who swallow usury cannot arises whom the devil prostrates by (his) touch. That is because they say, Trading is only like usury. And Allah has allowed trading and forbidden usury. To whomsoever then the admonition has come from Allah, and he desists, he shall have what has already passed. And his affair is in the hands of Allah. And whoever returns (to it) - these are the companions of the Fire : therein they will allude - Allah will blot out usury, and lie causes charity to prosper. And Allah loves not any ungrateful sinner. And whatever you lay out at usury, so that it may increase in the property of man it increases not with Allah; and whatever you give in charity, desiring Allah's pleasure, these will get manifold. (The Holy Quran)

(iii) Islam prevents the accumulation of wealth by plundering and exploiting the weakness of others. Allah says what means:

" And swallow not up your property surely Allah is ever Aware of what you do among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain access thereby to the judges, so that you may swallow up a part of the property of men wrongfully while you luiow. O you who believe, devour not your property among yourselves by illegal methods except that it be trading by your mutual consent. And kill not your people. Surely Allah is ever Merciful to you. Those who swallow the property of the orphans unjustly they swallow only fire into their bellies. And they will burn in blazing fire. Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to those worthy of them, and that when you judge between people you judge with justice. Surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent. Surely Allah is ever Hearing. Seeing. O you who believe, be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness for Allah, even though it be against your own selves or (your) parents or near relatives - whether he be rich or poor, Allah has a better right over them both. So follow not (your) low desires, lest you deviate. And if you distort or turn away from (truth), surely Allah is ever Aware of what you do. (The Holy Quran)

(iv) The organization of relations between employees and employers. Islam ordains that such relations must be founded on a basis of the mutual exchange of services and equality between all. Allah says what means :

" Do they apportion the mercy of Allah? We portion out among them their live hood in the life of this world, and We exalt some of them above others in rank that some of them may take others in service. And the mercy of thy Lord is better than that which they amass". (The Holy Quran)

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, says on this point (The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim he should not do injustice to his brother nor leave him to the mercy of others). By adopting this principle, the morale of the worker rises and the employer's attitude towards him becomes free from any sense of exploitation or monopoly. Everybody has to offer something in order to obtain for himself whatever he is able or needs to obtain. Relations between both parties are to be based on collaboration, following the Prophet's words "There should be no harm for anyone".

(v) Islam combats man's excessive desire for ownership which may oblige one to resort to objectionable means or spend beyond his capacity in order to acquire something he does not need. Ownership is not an aim but a means for achieving cooperation between peoples in an attempt to secure happiness and welfare. The Holy Quran has a number of verses which explain that wealth and riches, like anything else, are determined by Allah and no power other than Allah's can increase or decrease what He decides for each human being. Allah says what means:

" Or who is it that will give you sustenance if he should withhold His sustenance? Nay, they persist in disdain and aversion. Is he who goes prone upon his face better guided or he who walks upright on a straight path? (The Holy Quran)

The Prophet also warns people against going to extremes.

As a practical religion, Islam guarantees for people their necessities. In case man should become unable to meet his requirements through his personal effort, the society in which he lives has to look after him. In such a case, Islam allows such a man to obtain money from the state treasury (Beit al Mal). Allah says what means:" Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer it, for those whose hearts are to be propitiated, for the captives for those in debt and in the way of Allah and for the wayfarer - an ordinance from Allah. And Allah is Knowing, Wise. (The Holy Quran).

(vi) Islam defines the ways in which a man may enjoy whatever he possesses. In doing so, it never restricts man's liberty, but it sets up a barrier between man and excess in enjoying himself lest he should forget the others who live with him in the same community, or tends to usurp their rights. In this context Islam introduced some prohibitions and imposed restriction. Allah says what means:

" O ,men, eat the lawful and good things from what is in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil, Surely he is an open enemy to you. O you who believe, forbid not the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and exceed not the limits Surely Allah loves not those who exceed the limits. And eat of the lawful and good (things) that Allah has given you, and keep your duty to Allah, in Whom you believe. (The Holy Quran)

The Quran not only asks people to be reasonable in enjoying themselves, but warns those who deviate from the right path and tells them that they will go astray. Allah says what means :

"They are losers indeed who kill their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid that which Allah has provided for them, forging a he against Allah. They indeed go astray, and are not guided. And He it is who produces gardens, trellised and untrellised, and palms and seed - produce of which the fruits are of various sorts, and olive and pomegranates, like and unlike. Eat of its fruit when it bears fruit, and pay the due of it on the day of its reaping, and be not prodigal. Surely He loves not the prodigals. And of the cattle (He has created) some for burden and some for slaughter. Eat of that which Allah has given you and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely he is your open enemy. Eight in pairs of the sheep two and of the goats two. Say Has He forbidden the two males or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Inform me with knowledge, if you are truthful; and of the camels two and of the cows two. Say : Has He forbidden the males or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses when Allah enjoined you this? Who is then more unjust and he who forges a lie against Allah to lead men astray without knowledge? Surely Allah guides not the iniquitous people. (The Holy Quran)

(vii) Islam develops in man the spirit of Cooperation with others. It ordains that every man should give the needy a specified proportion of his wealth. By doing this, hatred against the wealthy people cannot be harbored by the poor. This is in accordance with Islam's aim which enjoins the achievement of security and order. Allah says what means:

"And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and bow down with those who bow down. Only Allah is your Friend and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayer and pay the poor rate, and they bow down. Take alms out of their property thou wouldst cleanse them and purify them thereby - and pray for them. Surely thy prayer is a relief to them. And Allah is Hearing, Knowing. (The Holy Quran)

(viii) Islam safe and protects man's property. This is done in the following ways

(a) It protects peoples' properties from being stolen or pillaged by deterrent punishments. Allah says what means :

"The only punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is that they should be murdered, or crucified, or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides, or they should be imprisoned. This shall be a disgrace for them in this world, and in the Hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement. And (as for) the man and the woman addicted to theft, cut off their hands as a punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. (The Holy Quran)

(b) Islam also protects people against fraud by forbidding anybody from using the property of another without any legal claim. Allah says what means

"And swallow not up your property among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain access thereby to the judges, so that you may swallow up a part of The property of men wrongfully while you know. (The Holy Quran)

(c) Islam prohibits man from wastefully spending money, even for charity. Allah says what means:

" O men, eat the lawful and good things from what is in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely he is an open enemy to you. And give to the near of kin his due and (to) the needy and squander not wastefully. Surely the squanderers are the devil's brethren. And the devil is ever ungrateful to his Allah. And if thou turn away from them to seek mercy from Allah which thou hopest for, speak to them a gentle word. And make not thy hand to be shakied to thy neck, nor stretch it forth to the utmost (limit) of his stretching forth, lest thou sit down blamed, stripped off. And they who, when they spend are neither extravagant nor parsimonious, and the just means is ever between these. (The Holy Quran)

(ix) Islam creates the incentives to ownership since the absence of these incentives may lead to disinterestedness and frustration with the rigors of life. An individual is to leave his property to his relatives and this property serves also as a further incentive which requires from man not to give up an active life because he has reached the stage of self-sufficiency. To achieve this goals, Islam provided the inheritance laws. Allah says what means :

"For men is a share of what the parents and the near relatives leave, and for women a share of what the parents and the near relatives leave, whether it be little or much - an appointed share. And when relatives and the orphans and the needy are present at the division give them out of it and speak to them kind words. (The Holy Quran)

4 - Respect for the community:

Islam enjoins strengthening of family relations between its members since it believes that the family is the basis on which the society is founded. It also requires all members of every family to respect the rights and obligations towards the family and to consider the duties of rearing, protecting and looking after children. Allah says what means :

"And serve Allah, and associate naught with Him, and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the neighbor of (your) kin and the alien neighbor, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess. Surely Allah loves not such as are proud, boastful, who are niggardly and bid people to be niggardly and hide that which Allah has given them out of His grace. And We have prepared for the disbelievers an abasing chastisement. And mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years, for him who desires to complete the time of suckling. And their maintenance and their clothing must be borne by the father according to usage. No soul shall be burdened beyond its capacity. Neither shall a mother be made to suffer harm on account of her child, nor a father on account of his child, and the similar duty devolved on the (father's) heir. And Allah has decreed that you serve none but Him, and do good to parents If either or both of them reach old age with thee, say not (Fie)to them, nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and say Allah, have mercy on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little. (The Holy Quran)

By these decrees the Holy Quran not only aims at the protection of the family, which is the basis of the society but it also protects the society against the following

(i) The accumulation of wealth. By the law of inheritance The Holy Quran decrees that big holdings be divided in a way which protects society against economic inflation and the accumulation of wealth by one single family, since it will harm society both in relation to its individual members in its general character and structure.

(ii) Selfishness dominating the members of society. Selfishness removes the element of harmony and cohesion in a society. Allah says what means :

"If your fathers and your brethren and your wives and your kinsfolk and the wealth you have acquired, and trade whose dullness you fear, and dwellings you love, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way, then wait till Allah brings His command to pass. And Allah guides not the transgressing people. Go forth, light and heavy, and strive hard in Allah's way without your wealth and your lives. This is better for you, if you know. (The Holy Quran)

The restiveness of either the individual or the family and their deviation from the proper way is due to the dominance of the love of money, which they conceive of as a goal and not a means. Islam, in more than one of the verses of The Holy Quran, explains that wealth is not the means for securing stability and order-this is a fact which experience endorses. Allah says what means :

"Let not then their wealth nor their children excite thine admiration. Allah only wishes to chastise them there with in this world's life and (that) their souls may de part while they are disbelievers. Quran was surely of the people of Moses, but he oppressed them, and we gave him treasures, so much so that his hoards of wealth would weigh down a body of strong men. When his people said to him Exult not; surely Allah loves not the exultant. And seek the abode of the Hereafter by means of what Allah has given thee, and neglect not thy portion of the world, and do good (to others) as Allah has done good to thee, and seek not to make mischief in the land. Surely Allah loves not the mischief mackers. He said I have been given this only on account of the knowledge I have. Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations who were mightier in strength than he and greater in assemblage? And the guilty are not questioned about their sins. And it is not your wealth, nor your children, that brings you near to Us in rank, but whoever believes and does good, for such is a double reward for what they do, and they are secure in the highest places. (The Holy Quran)

(iii) The domination of materialism and disappearance of idealism destroy the most powerful communities. Islam demands that should be given to people of limited incomes; this raises the normale of such people and safeguards others against loss in case they become incapacitated due to illness. Allah says what means:

" It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteous is the one who believes in Allah, and the last Day, and the angels, and the Book and the Prophets, and gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask and to set slaves free and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their pronuse when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in the time of conflict. These are they who are truthful; and those are they who keep their duty. Alms is only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer it, and those whose hearts are made to incline (to truth), and (to free) the captives, and those in debt, and in the way of Allah and for the wayfarer - on ordinance from Allah And Allah is Knowing, Wise. (The Holy Quran)

Islam, by attractive promises, also persuades men to help others by granting them loans, without interest, seeking only the graciousness of Allah. Allah says what means :

Who is it that will offer to Allah a goodly gift, so He multiplies it to him manifold? And Allah receives and amplifies, and to Him you shall be returned. (The Holy Quran).

In respecting the collective identity of the community Islam not only protects them from aggression by individuals, but it gives preference, in case of conflict, to the community interest. Should it be necessary, the interest of the individual must be set aside in favor of the inter ests of the community.

Islam stipulates:

a) That individuals and their properties are to be placed in the service of the community. Sometimes, Islam persuades individuals to make sacrifices in this respect. Allah says what means :

"Surely Allan has bought from the believers their persons and their property - theirs (in return) is the Garden. They fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain. It is a promise which is binding on Him in The Torah and The Gospel and The Quran. And who is more truthful to his promise than Allah? Rejoice therefore m your bargain which you have made. And that is the mighty achievement. (The Holy Quran).

In case persuasion does not work, Islam gives it the shape of an order. The Holy Quran says what means:

" And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands and do good (to others). Surely Allah loves the doers of good. (The Holy Quran)

(b) Function which are of general utility are to be exercised by the community. They have to be controlled by the community through its rulers, as a means of giving everyone an equitable share in them. Allah says what means :

He it is Who sends down water from the clouds for you; it gives drink, and by it (grow) the trees on which you feed. And He it is Who made the sea subservient that you may eat fresh fish from it and bring forth from it ornaments which you wear. And thou seest the ships cleaving through it, so that you seek of His bounty and that you may give thanks He it is Who made the earth subservient to you, so go about in the spacious sides thereof, and eat of His sustenance. And to Him is the rising (after death). Allah is He Who made subservient to you the sea that the ships may glide therein by His command, and that you may seek of His grace, and that you may give thanks. And He has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all from Himself. Surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect. (The Holy Quran)

Seeking Halal Earnings

2010-01-12T17:25:00.001+08:00

Seeking Halal Earning
By Khalid Baig

According to Abdullah ibn Masud, Radi-Allahu unhu, The Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Seeking halal earning is a duty after the duty.' In other words working to earn a halal living is itself a religious obligation second in importance after the primary religious obligations like prayers, fasting and hajj.

This brief hadith contains three very important messages. First, it points to the Islamic way out of the apparent dichotomy between the material and the spiritual worlds. We often see them working in opposite directions. Indulgence in the material world does lead one away from the spiritual world. Spiritual uplifting seems to accompany a tendency to distance oneself from the material pleasures. There is a conflict, but is there a contradiction also? Is it possible to resolve the conflict in a way that one can take care of both? Or are they mutually exclusive? This has been a central question for all religions and many in the past suggested the second answer, making hermits as the ideal for the humanity. Unfortunately not much humanity is left when one moves too far in this direction. One can read today the horror stories of Christian and Hindu monks, among others, who tried to seek spiritual purification this way.

As a reaction, others took the other course, making material pleasures the goal of this life. The western civilization today is the prime example of that. Its toll on human spirit and morality is well known and is a constant reminder that something is wrong here as well.

In between the two extremes Islam points out the Straight Path. Man is both a material and a spiritual being. The solution does not lie in denying the material needs and desires but in denying their claim to primacy. They are part of being but not the reason or goal of being. As long as they are kept in place, they are an important part of our life. The problem is not money but the love of it. Wealth itself is not bad. In fact Qur'an refers to it as ' ... your wealth which Allah has made for you a means of support.' [Al-Nisa, 4:5]. And another hadith praises the merits of 'the halal wealth of a pious person.' The effort to earn a living is not only not against spirituality, it is a religious obligation!

But this earning must be through halal means. This is the second message of this hadith. Our obligation is not just to make money but to make halal money. This is a broad statement that is the basis for Islamization of a society's economic life. Not every business idea or possible business enterprise is good for the society. And the decision regarding right and wrong here cannot be left to the so-called market forces. Right and wrong in the economic life, as in all life, must be determined by a higher source. Shariah guides us as to the halal and haram business enterprises and practices, and at both individual and collective levels we must follow that guidance.

At times that guidance may conflict with the prevailing practices. For example riba (interest), gambling, pornography, and liquor are haram, and no matter how attractive the financial rewards of engaging in those enterprises may seem to be, a Muslim must refrain from them. This is the economic struggle of a believer, and it is obvious why it should be carried out as a religious obligation. At the individual level the obligation is to engage is halal professions and businesses. At the collective level the obligation is to establish a system that facilitates such individual efforts and discourages their opposite.

Sometimes we lose the balance between obligations at the two levels. Obviously our ultimate responsibility is at the individual level; in the hereafter we will be asked about what we did in our personal lives. At the same time, in the era of multi-national companies, CNN, IMF, World bank, and GATT, it is obvious that individual efforts alone cannot steer the economic life of a society in the direction of halal. Why avoiding interest has become so difficult today? Not because of its inherent merits as a healthy financial instrument but because it is entrenched in the system. Can we build an Islamic life style when the CNN is advertising a western life style in the most enticing ways 24 hours a day in our homes? Can we resolve the issues of halal and haram in taxation in Muslim countries when the national budgets and tax decisions are dictated to these countries by the IMF and the World Bank? (Jurists say that taxes may be permissible if they are necessary, reasonable, fair, within the ability of the payers, and if the means of collection are not harsh. Otherwise they are unjust and haram). Obviously the struggle to avoid haram individually must, of necessity, include the struggle to change the system that forces haram.

Third, all this effort for halal earning should not eclipse our primary religious obligations. Indulgence even in a purely halal enterprise should not make us miss our Salat, or hajj, for example.

This point is more important than we may realize at first. In this century, some Islamic movements made the error of suggesting that the primary acts of worship. like Salat were not meant for their own sake, but were there to prepare us for the real challenge of establishing an Islamic state. It was stated to persuade the audiences to join such movements but the speakers had gone carried away and in effect it would result in an inversion of the relationship between the two. The result is that those drawn to collective struggles, in political or economic arenas, sometimes may ignore their primary religious responsibilities, in favor of the 'bigger' struggle. This hadith may help us set our priorities right: The economic endeavor is a duty after the primary duties. And let us remember: In economics, as well as in religion, getting the priorities right is part of being right.

Music on Wedding Ceremonies

2010-01-09T06:56:00.000+08:00

Narrates Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘A’ishah (rta) arranged the marriage of a close Ansari girl. The Holy Prophet (sws) also came to attend the ceremony. He inquired from the people: ‘Have you sent forth the bride?’ ‘Yes’, they replied. ‘Did you send any singer with her?’ He asked. ‘A’ishah (rta) replied in the negative. The Holy Prophet (sws) then remarked: ‘The Ansar cherish singing. It would be better that you sent along with her a singer who would sing’4
‘We have come to you; we have joined you. Peace be upon us. Peace be upon you.’5 (Ibn Majah, No: 1900)

The narrative delineates the following points:
• The way the Holy Prophet (sws) inquired about singing and playing music on this occasion reveals that it was customary for the Arabs to send a singer with the bride when sent to join the bridegroom.
• The Holy Prophet (sws) was not pleased to hear that the custom was abandoned on that occasion.
• He encouraged people to adhere to the custom.
• He suggested some couplets to be recited on such occasions though he did not sing them.
• He referred to the characteristics of the Ansar and did not express his disapproval of the same.

The narrative proves that the Holy Prophet (sws) approved of singing and playing music on marriage ceremonies. Some other versions of the narrative reveal that the Prophet (sws) noticed that there was no singing or music being played in the house where the marriage ceremony was being conducted. He felt strange and inquired about the reason. Consider the following text of the narrative:

‘A’ishah (rta) reports: An Ansari girl lived under my guardianship and I arranged her marriage. The Holy Prophet (sws) came to my house on the day she was married and did not hear any songs or any other joyful activities. [Observing this] he asked of me: ‘Did you people sing to her or not?’ ‘This is the tribe of the Ansar who like singing,’ he added. (Ibn Hibban, No: 5875)

Relationship between children and parents

2010-01-02T10:43:00.000+08:00

Family is very crucial in an Islamic society. In a family institution, there are many elements that keep a family together like love, sacrifice, loyalty and obedience. A family essentially comprises the husband, the wife and children.

Family relationships focus on relationships between husband and wife and parents to children.

In the Qur’an, it was mentioned: “He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find rest in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy.” (30-21)

The Prophet Muhammad SAW emphasized on this when he said: “The best among you are those who are best to their families and I am the best of you to my family.” At an occasion a man approached the Prophet and enquired: “Who is the person who is most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet answered your mother, your mother, your mother then your father. That is why Islam made Paradise under the feet of mothers.”

Parents are expected to raise their children carefully that is why children should be obedient and good to their parents. What this means, parents should perform their duty first prior to asking for their rights.

If not, they can expect rebellion and hatred from their children. In the Qur’an, Allah mentioned, “Allah has decreed that you worship none other but Him, and that (you show) kindness to parents. Should one or both of them attain to old age with you, Say not "Fie" unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word. And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy and say: My Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little. Your Lord is best aware of what is in yourselves. If you are righteous, then Lo! He was ever forgiving unto those who turn unto Him. (17: 23-25).

The relationship is based on the belief in Allah SWT, and feeling that He observes all what we do and that we are accountable to Him even in the anger that we may release against our parents. Even this has to be controlled.

Another mention in the Qur’an about this is, “We have enjoined unto man kindness toward parents. His mother bears him with reluctance and delivers him with reluctance. His bearing and weaning are thirty months, till when he attains full strength and reaches forty years, he says: My Lord! Arouse me that I may give thanks for the favour where with you have favoured my parents, and me and I may do right acceptable unto you. And be gracious unto me concerning my seed. I have turned unto you repentant and Lo! I am one of Muslims.

In relation to this verse, Allah SWT has this to say to these kinds of children, those are they from whom We accept the best of what they do, and We overlook their evil deeds among the owners of Paradise. This is the true promise, which they used to be promised (in the world).

There are also Muslim parents who ask their children to rebel against Allah SWT and raise their children in a family lack of Islamic teachings. The Qur’an says, “We have enjoined on man kindness to parents. And should they strive to make you join with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto me is your return and I shall tell you what you used to do". (29:8).

Parents such as this should not be obeyed but continue to be good to them is still required.

Since a family is essential in Islam, relationships between husbands, wife and children should be guided by the Qur’an, only with this a family institution can succeed.

BROKEN MARRIAGES

2010-01-01T11:48:00.000+08:00

BROKEN MARRIAGES

Based on the experience of the past years, now it is time to halt the ever-mounting tide of divorces among Muslims. It is not unusual today to find Muslim women who by the time they are 30-35 years old, have been married three or four times and their children keeps suffering from the trauma of fatherless and broken homes.
Question may arise here? Why, every year, the number of Muslim couples registered for divorce keeps growing? Is there nothing that can be done to avoid this to ever be happened again in the future?
As a wise creation that been created by Allah and as we had been given the specialty from other creatures, ‘aql that we possessed, of course there is the solution to this problem. It can be done into three phases, before marriage, during the marriage and if it happened, after the end of a marriage, how to fix it back.
The process of choosing a partner for a companion in this life should not be taken lightly by all Muslims. This is because it is concerns about the future of both side and the future of the generation that comes after them. Here some essentials points that should be observed by all before take a decision to start a life with someone, in order to make it bless full and long lasting.
First, always ask help and guidance from Allah, Most High as only Him know what is the best for His slaves. Consult your heart and always listen to your inner voice. It is likely to be more correct that your mind which often plays tricks and can rationalize almost anything.
Next, find out the reason why this person wants to marry you? Is it for love or money? Then, try to get to know your partner but always remember that it should within the limits permissible in Islam, before deciding on marriage. Try to understand his/her nature, what makes him/her tick, his/her temperament etc.
Talk to several people who know him/her, not just one, but have someone that you can trust to listen. Find out about his family and try to understand each other expectations. The most important thing that should be taken into account is find out the degree of his understanding about Islam and whether it is compatible with your own.
So many marriages have broken because the partners are in such haste that they don’t take time such vital checks and rush into things. Ask yourself, Do I want to marry this man/woman? If you are not sure, think it again. Last, never allow yourself to be pressured into a marriage and should be never agreed to engage in a contract marriage because it is sinful.
If these guidelines are followed, Insyaallah the chances of making mistakes which may lead to the broken marriage can be minimized. Choosing a marriage partner is a most serious matter, perhaps the most important decision you will ever make in your life since your partner can cause you either to be successful of to fail miserably.
How to deal with problems that aroused after marriage? The most important skill needed here is communication skill and the spirit of tolerance. If any conflicts occur, couples should handle it wisely and patiently, do not let the anger controlling you and your partner. Discover what the disagreement is about and try to understand and fix it out. In any relationships, one should not always give or take but one should do both, give and take.
A broken marriage cannot be repaired by magic without first investing some time and effort to find out what it will take. Then you have to really want to do it. To make it successful, both side, husband and wife should agreed to fix it back and try harder to achieve it.
Marriage is a sacred contract and it was never meant to be taken lightly. Keep your eyes open and take your time. Since marriage is for life, for eternity, hurrying into it for any reason whatsoever is the act of a foolish or careless person who has only himself or herself to blame if things go wrong. May God guide us always?

What are women's rights in Islam?

2009-12-31T09:44:00.000+08:00

Courtesy of Islamic.Org

In a truely Islamic society women have the following rights in Islam:
1. The right and duty to obtain education.
2. The right to have their own independent property.
3. The right to work to earn money if they need it or want it.
4. Equality of reward for equal deeds.
5. The right to express their opinion and be heard.
6. The right to provisions from the husband for all her needs and more.
7. The right to negotiate marriage terms of her choice.
8. The right to obtain divorce from her husband, even on the grounds that she simply can't stand him. (pls note that God deeply frowns upon divorce as a solution unless there is hardly any other alternative but it does not mean that men have more right to divorce their wives than women do.)
9. The right to keep all her own money (she is not responsible to maintain any relations).
10. The right to get sexual satisfaction from her husband.
11. custody of their children after divorce.
12. to refuse any marriage that does not please them
and more...
Here is an article taken from a speech which details some of these rights: Ideals and role models for women in Islam

DEFECTS IN AN ITEM

2009-12-08T06:47:00.000+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

Defects in an item

1. When selling an item, it is wajib on the person to show all the defects that may be found in it. It is harâm to conceal the defects and to convince the person into buying such an item.

2. After purchasing an item, a person noticed a defect in it, e.g. a woman notices that a cloth has been eaten up, a shawl has some moths in it or she notices any other defect. She now has the choice of keeping the item as it is, or returning it to the seller. However, if she decides to keep it, she will have to pay the full price of the item. It is not permissible for her to reduce an amount from the total price as a compensation for the defect. But if the seller agrees to reduce the price because of the defect, it will be permissible for her to pay less.

3. A person had purchased some fabric and kept it aside. A child ripped off a corner of that fabric or cut it with a pair of scissors. Thereafter, he noticed that it is damaged from the inside as well and that a rat has eaten it at several places. The person cannot return this item because one additional defect took place at his house (i.e. when the child had cut it). However, he can have the price reduced as a compensation for the defect that took place at the shopkeeper's place (i.e. the several places that had been eaten by a rat). People who know the value of the item should be asked to estimate its present value and the price reduced accordingly.

4. Similarly, if a defect is noticed after a fabric has been purchased and already cut, it cannot be returned but the price will be reduced. However, if the seller says : "Return the cut fabric and take a full refund, I am not going to reduce the price", he has the right to ask for it and the buyer cannot refuse to return it.

If the fabric has been cut and also sewn and thereafter a defect is noticed, the price will be reduced as a compensation for the defect. In such a case, the seller cannot take his fabric back.

If the buyer sells that fabric or cuts it with the intention of sewing something for her immature child and at the same time making a firm resolution of giving it to the child, and thereafter a defect is noticed, then the price cannot be reduced. But if she cut it with the intention of sewing something for her mature child, the price can be reduced.

5. A person purchased eggs and paid a certain price per egg. When the eggs were broken, all of them turned out to be rotten. The buyer can take all his money back and it will be regarded as if he did not purchase the eggs at all. If a few turn out to be rotten, he can claim the money for those that are rotten.

If a person purchases several eggs which have all been priced together (i.e. he does not pay a certain price per egg), then we will have to see how many rotten eggs come out from the entire lot. If five or six eggs are rotten out of a total of 100 eggs, it will not be considered. But if more than this turns out to be rotten, he can claim the money for those that are rotten.

6. A person purchased cucumbers, sweet-melons, water-melons, pumpkins, almonds, walnuts, etc. When they were cut open or broken open, he noticed that they are rotten. In such a case, check whether they could be used, or they are so bad that they are absolutely useless and have to be thrown away. If they are absolutely useless, this transaction will not be valid and the person must claim all his money back. But if they can be used in some way, he must pay the market value of such items. The full price will not be paid.

7. If, out of 100 almonds, four or five are rotten it will not be considered. But if more than these turn out to be rotten, the person has the choice to reduce the price accordingly.

8. A person purchased 150 grams of wheat for R1 or 100 grams of ghee for R1. A portion of both these items was good, while the balance turned out to be bad. It is not permissible to keep the good and return the bad. If he decides to keep them, he will have to keep all. And if he decides to return them, he will have to return all. However, if the seller agrees to take back all the bad and give you the good, it will be permissible to do so. The buyer cannot do this without the consent of the seller.

9. When there is any defect in an item, the person will only have the right to return it when it is established that there is no indication that the person is happy about taking the defective item. However, once a person agrees to purchase an item after seeing the defect, he does not have the right to return that item. But if the seller takes it back happily, it will be permissible. For example, a person purchased a goat or cow. When he went home with it, he realized that it is sick or there is a wound on its body. Once he notices this defect and expresses his consent and says to himself : "Well, it's okay. I've bought a defective animal", he will no longer have the right to return it. If he does not say anything verbally, but carries out certain actions which show that he is satisfied with the animal, then too will he no longer have the right to return it. For example, if he starts treating its wound and gives it some medication, he will no longer have the right to return it.

10. A person purchased goat's meat. When he went home, he realized that it is the meat of a sheep. He has the right to return it.

11. A woman purchased a pearl necklace or some other jewellery and also wore it at some time or the other. Alternatively, she purchased a pair of shoes and began walking around with it. Now she cannot return these items if she finds any defect in them. However, if she wears the shoes in order to check whether they fit her properly and that she does not experience any discomfort by wearing them, there will be no harm in wearing them for a little while in order to test them and she still has the right to return them if she wishes to do so.

Similarly, if a person purchases a flat-couch (refers to a flat wooden type of bed) or bed and lays them down out of necessity or begins to offer salâh on that couch or uses the bed in some way or the other, he will no longer have the right to return the bed or couch. Other items could be understood in the same manner. That is, once they are used for any purpose, they cannot be returned.

12. At the time of selling an item, a person said : "You better check it properly before you buy it. Later if you find any defect in it, I will not be responsible." Despite the seller saying this, the person purchased the item. Later, he cannot return it irrespective of how many defects it may have. It is permissible for the seller to sell an item in this manner and it is no longer wajib on him to show the defect that may be in the item.

Written By
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahmatullah Alaihi
Taken From: http://www.nazmay.com

PURCHASING AN ITEM WITHOUT SEEING IT

2009-12-07T13:32:00.000+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

Purchasing an item without seeing it

1. A person purchases an item without having seen it. This transaction is valid. However, once he sees the item, he has the right to return it or keep it. This is irrespective of whether there is any defect in the item or not. Even if the item is exactly as he had envisaged it to be, he still has the right to return it or keep it.

2. A person sold an item without even looking at it. This person who sells the item does not have the right to take it back after he sees it. Only the buyer has the right of returning an item after seeing it.

3. A hawker came selling peas. The top of the heap had all good quality peas. Upon seeing this, the buyer bought the entire basket of peas. However, the peas that were in the bottom of the heap were of an inferior quality. He still has the right to return them. However, if all the produce is of the same quality, it will be sufficient to see a few. Once he does this, he forfeits the right to return them irrespective of whether he sees all the produce or not.

4. A person bought guavas, pomegranates, coconuts or anything else which is generally not all the same. As long as the person does not see all the fruit, he will have the right to return them. By his seeing a few of the fruit, he does not forfeit the right to return.

5. If a person purchases something that is to be consumed (either by eating it or drinking it), he does not forfeit his right to return by merely seeing it. He should also taste it. If he does not like it, he has the right to return it.

6. A person had seen an item long ago. He purchased it today but did not look at it at the time of purchasing it (thinking that there is no need to do so since he had seen it previously). When he took it home, it was exactly as he had seen it a long time ago. After seeing it, he does not have the right to return it. However, if, after seeing it after so long, he notices some difference in it, he has the choice of keeping it or returning it.

Written By
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahmatullah Alaihi
Taken From: http://www.nazmay.com

Khiyârush Shart - THE RIGHT TO RETURN GOODS

2009-12-06T13:30:00.001+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

Khiyârush Shart - The Right To Return Goods

1. At the time of purchasing an item, a person says : "I have the right to take or return this item within one day, two days or three days. If I wish, I will keep it, if not, I will return it to you." This is permissible. He has the choice of returning the item within the period that he specifies or of keeping it.

2. A person says : "I have the right to take or return this item within three days." Three days expired and this person did not say anything nor did he return it. He will now have to take that item. He does not have the right to return it. However, if the seller permits him to do so, it will be permissible. He cannot return it without obtaining the consent of the seller.

3. It is not permissible to make such a condition for more than three days. If a person makes a condition for four or five days, we will have to see whether he makes a decision within three days or not. If he returns the item within three days, it will be considered to be returned. If he decides to keep it, the transaction will be valid. If three days pass without knowing whether he is going to keep the item or return it, the transaction will become invalid.

4. Similarly, the person selling the item also has the right to say : "I have the choice of taking my item back within three days." This is also permissible.

5. At the time of purchasing an item, a person says : "I have the right of returning this item within three days." The next day he comes and says : "I have decided to keep this item and I am not returning it." Once he says this, his right will be forfeited and he cannot return that item. In fact, even if he goes to his own house and says that he has decided to keep that item, his right will be forfeited. When a person wishes to cancel his transaction or return the item, he will have to do it in front of the seller, he cannot do it behind his back or in his absence.

6. A woman says : "My mother has the right - if she says that I should keep it, I will do so, if not, I will return it." This is permissible. This woman or her mother can return the item within three days. If this woman or her mother come and inform the seller that she has decided to keep the item, this right will now be forfeited and the item cannot be returned.

7. A person takes two or three pieces of cloth and says : "I have the right for three days. Whichever one I like, I will pay R10 per piece and keep it." This is permissible and he can select one piece of cloth within three days. But if the person takes four or five pieces of cloth (i.e. more than three) and says that he will select one from them, this transaction will be invalid.

8. A person had stipulated the right to return the item within three days. Thereafter, he began using it at home, e.g. if it is something that is used to cover himself, he began covering himself with it. If it is something that is worn he began wearing it. If it is something to lay out, he began laying it out. In all these cases, the right to return the item will now be forfeited.

9. However, if a person uses an item merely to see whether it is suitable or not, e.g. a woman purchases a dress, sheet or carpet. Thereafter, she puts on the dress to check whether it fits her well or not and removes it immediately thereafter, wraps the sheet around her to check whether its length and width is suitable or not, or spreads the carpet to see whether its length and breadth is suitable or not. In all these cases, she still has the right to return these items if she wishes to do so.

Written By
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahmatullah Alaihi
Taken From: http://www.nazmay.com

PURCHASING ON CREDIT

2009-12-05T19:12:00.000+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

Purchasing on credit

1. It is permissible to purchase an item on credit. However, it is necessary to specify a period of time, i.e. you will pay the amount after 15 days, after one month or after four months - whatever the case may be. If a person does not specify any period but merely says : "I don't have the money now, I will pay you later", this has two aspects to it : (i) He says : "I will purchase this on condition that I will pay you later." In such a case the transaction will be invalid (faasid). (ii) If the person does not include this condition in the actual transaction, but after purchasing it he says : "I will pay you later", this will be permissible.

If he did not mention anything within the transaction nor anything after the transaction, the sale will be valid and in both these instances he will have to pay cash for the item. If the seller gives on credit on his own accord, it will be permissible. But if he asks for the money immediately, the person will have to give it.

2. At the time of purchasing an item a person says :

(a) "Give me that item, once I get my money I will pay it to you."

(b) "When my brother comes, I will pay you."

(c) "Once the orchard bears its fruit, I will pay you."

(d) Alternatively, the seller says : "Take the item now, and you can pay me whenever you wish."

In all these cases, the transaction will be invalid. One has to specify a period of time and then purchase the item. If the person purchases the item and then says any of the above, the transaction will be valid and the seller has the right to ask for the money immediately. The exception is that the seller cannot demand for the money before the orchard can bear its fruit.

3. When paying in cash, the price of 200 grams of wheat is R1. But if the person buys on credit, he receives only 150 grams. This transaction is valid on the condition that the buyer is informed of this at that very time.

4. The above rule applies when the seller asked the buyer whether he is going to pay cash or take it on credit. When he replied that he is going to pay cash, the seller gave him 200 grams. And when he said credit, the seller gave him 150 grams. But if the seller says : "If you pay cash, this will be the price, and if you take it on credit, this will be the price", then such a transaction will not be valid (since the buyer has not specified his intention of paying cash of taking on credit).

5. A person purchased an item after promising to pay for it after one month. On the expiry of one month he went to the seller and told him that he must give him a respite for another 15 days, after which he will pay him his money. If the seller agrees, it will be permissible. However, he also has the right to demand the money immediately.

6. Once the person has the money, it is not permissible to delay in paying. He cannot say : "I won't give you today, I'll give it to you tomorrow", "Don't come to collect it now, come at such-and-such time", "I don't have change now, once I get some change I will pay you". All this is harâm. Once the person asks for the money, you should make the change and give him his money immediately.

However, if the person purchases something on credit and promises to pay after a certain period of time, then once the time expires, it will be wâjib on him to pay the money. It is not permissible to delay or make the person "run" for his money once the specified time expires. But if the person does not have the money nor was he able to obtain it from someone else, then he has no alternative but to pay it the moment he receives the money. Once he receives the money, he cannot delay in fulfilling his debt.

HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE ITEM THAT IS TO BE PURCHASED

2009-12-04T06:58:00.000+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

Having knowledge of the item that is to be purchased

1. When purchasing dry groceries, seeds, etc. a person has the choice of purchasing it after having it properly weighed or he could say : "I am buying a certain amount of wheat for R1." Alternatively, he could purchase it as it is (i.e. without having it weighed nor specifying any amount) and say : "I am buying this heap of wheat for R1." No matter how much of wheat may be in that heap, all will belong to him (once he purchases it).

2. When purchasing, mangoes, guavas, oranges, etc. one has the choice of purchasing them by merely counting them or purchasing them in heaps. If a person purchases all the mangoes that are in a basket for R2 without knowing how many there are in it, the transaction will be valid. All the mangoes will be his irrespective of how many come out from that basket.

3. A woman came around selling fruit. The person said to her : "Give me some fruit equal to this brick in weight for R1." The woman agreed to sell the fruit by using the brick as a weight. However, none of them know the weight of the brick itself. Despite this, the transaction will be valid.

4. A person purchased an entire basket of mangoes, guavas, oranges or any other fruit for R100 on the condition that there are 400 mangoes (or whatever other fruit there may be) in that basket. When the mangoes were counted, there were only 300. The person purchasing the mangoes has the choice of taking them as they are or not buying them. If he buys the entire basket, he does not have to give R100. Instead, he will have to pay for only 75% of the total amount. If there are 350 mangoes, he will have to pay for 88% of the total amount. In short, the fewer the mangoes, the lesser he will have to pay.

If, after counting, more than 400 mangoes come out, the balance will belong to the seller. The buyer does not have the right to take more than 400. But if the buyer purchases the entire basket without specifying how many there are, then whatever number comes out will be his; whether they are more or less.

5. A person purchased a head-covering which is made of such a fabric that if a part of it is torn, the entire garment will become spoilt and useless. At the time of purchasing it, the person made this condition that it is 3 metres in length. When it was measured, it turned out to be less than 3 metres. In such a case, the price of this fabric will not be reduced. Instead, the buyer will have to pay the full price that had been agreed upon. However, in such a case, the only concession that they will have is that despite their agreeing on a price, the buyer has the right to take the item or leave it. If more than 3 metres are found in that length of fabric, it will belong to the buyer. He does not have to pay any additional amount of money for it.

6. A woman purchased two silk belts at night. The following morning she noticed that one of the belts is made of cotton. The transaction with regard to both these belts is not permissible; neither the one made of silk nor the one made of cotton. Similarly, if a person purchased two rings on the condition that they are made of turquoise, and later he learns that one of them is not made of turquoise but of something else, the transaction with regard to both is not permissible. If the person still wishes to purchase one of the two or both of them, then the method of doing this is that they should commence the transaction all over again and thereafter the buyer can purchase whichever one he wants.

FINDING OUT THE PRICE OF AN ITEM

2009-12-03T18:52:00.000+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

Finding out the price of an item

1. A person closed the palm of his hand and says : "Give me that particular item for whatever money is in my hand." And it is not known what is in his hand; whether he has dollars, rands, cents, a gold coin; whether he has one, two or many. Such a transaction is not permissible.

2. In a certain city, two different currencies are in vogue. The person will have to inform the seller that he intends buying a particular item with a particular currency. If the person does not inform him and says that he is selling a particular item for a particular price and the buyer says he will take it, then we will have to see which currency is more in use in that place. The currency that is more in use will have to be given as payment. If both the currencies are used equally, the transaction will not be valid and will be fâsid, i.e. imperfect.

3. A person has some money in his hand, he opens his hand, shows it to the seller and asks him to sell him a particular item for all that money. The seller saw the money in his hand and handed over the item but did not know the exact amount of money that was in the buyer's hand. This transaction is valid.

Similarly, if the buyer places a heap of money before the seller on a mat, etc. and the latter agrees to sell him the item for that heap of money, the sale is valid even if he does not know the exact amount kept before him..

In short, once the seller sees the money, it is not necessary to tell him how much money there is. But if he does not see the money with his own eyes, it is necessary to specify the exact amount. A person says : "I will take this item for 10 coins." If in such a case, he does not specify the total amount of money and the matter is not settled, this transaction will not be valid.

4. A person says :

(a) "Take this item, what is the need to agree on a price? Whatever the price will be, I will collect it from you. How can I take extra from you?"

(b) "You can take this item away. I will find out the price from home and let you know later."

(c) "Someone else had taken a similar item. You can pay me whatever that person had paid."

(d) "Pay me whatever you wish, I will not refuse it. I will accept whatever you give me."

(e) "Find out the price in the bazaar and then pay me whatever the market price is."

(g) "Go and show this item to a certain person and you can pay me whatever he quotes you."

The transaction will be invalid in all the above instances. However, if the price of the item is made known at that very place and the cause which had made the transaction invalid is no more found, the transaction will become valid. If the price was made known after there was a change in their places, then the first transaction will be invalid. However, once the price is made known, they can recommence the transaction.

5. There is a particular shopkeeper from whom one orders whatever one needs and the goods are delivered to the person's home. Today he might order some betel nut, tomorrow he might order some catechu (a vegetable extract eaten with betel leaves), some other day he might order a few coconuts, etc. and when purchasing these items he did not bother to ask about the price and thought to himself that whenever the account comes he will pay whatever he has to pay. Such a transaction is permissible.

Similarly, a person sent a prescription to a chemist requesting for some medicine but did not ask for the price thinking to himself that once he recovers from his sickness he will go and pay whatever he is owing. This is also permissible.

6. A person has got R1 in his hand and says : "I am buying this item for this R1." He has the choice of giving that same R1 or he could take out another R1 and hand it over to the seller. The only condition is that it must not be counterfeit.

7. A person purchased an item for R1. He has the choice of giving a R1 coin, two 50c coins, five 20c coins, etc. As long as they total R1, the seller cannot refuse to accept that money. However, if the person does not give such coins but gives 1c and 2c coins, the seller has the right to accept or refuse. If he does not wish to accept any coins, the buyer will have to pay in notes.

8. A person sold a writing case or a suitcase. The key for both these items will also be considered to be sold. He cannot charge separately for the key of the writing or suit case nor can he withhold the key.

Source: Maktaba al-Ashrafia

Principles Of Busines in Islam
Written By
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahmatullah Alaihi
Taken From: http://www.nazmay.com

BUYING AND SELLING

2009-12-02T19:20:00.000+08:00

Principles Of Busines in Islam

BUYING AND SELLING

1. When a person says : "I have sold this item for so much" and another person says : "I have bought it", that item will be sold and the person who purchased it will be its owner. If the seller decides not to sell or the purchaser decides not to buy it, they will not be able to do so. The former will have to hand it over and the latter will have to accept it. This act of selling an item is known as a sale.

2. A person says : "I have sold this item to you for R2." The other person replies : "I accept", "I am happy with that price" or "Okay, I've taken it." By replying in any of these ways, the item will be sold. Now, neither does the seller have the choice of not handing over the item nor does the buyer have the choice of not purchasing it. However, this rule will only apply when this conversation takes place between both parties in one place or in one sitting. If one of them says : "I have sold this item to you for R4" and the other person remains silent on hearing this price, stands up from his place, goes away to buy the item from someone else or goes away for some other reason, and in carrying out all these actions he changed his place and then he replies : "Okay, I'll buy it for R4", in such a case that item will not be considered to be sold. However, if thereafter, the seller, grocer, etc. says : "Okay, I give it to you" or "Okay, take it", in such a case it will be sold.

Similarly, if the seller, grocer, etc. stands up or goes away for some other work, and the buyer says : "Okay, I've taken it", even then it will not be regarded as sold. In short, if both the parties reach an agreement in one place, only then will the item be considered to be sold.

3. A person says : "Give me this item for R1." The other person replies : "I’ve given it." In saying this, the sale will not take place. However, if thereafter, the buyer again says : "I’ve taken it", it will be sold.

4. A person says : "I am taking this item for R1" and the other person replies : "Take it"; the sale will take place.

5. After checking the price of an item, a person handed the money to the seller and took the item away. The seller accepted the money happily. The seller did not say anything verbally as to how much he is selling the item nor did the buyer say that he is buying it. In such a case, by merely taking an item and handing over the money for it, the item is considered to be sold and the sale is valid.

6. A hawker came selling guavas. Without asking him anything, the person took out four big guavas from his basket and placed R1 in the hawker's hand. The hawker accepted this money happily. This sale is valid irrespective of whether they uttered any words or not.

7. A person said : "I am selling this string of pearls for R10." The buyer replied : "I’ve taken five from the string of pearls" or "I’ve taken half the string of pearls." As long as the seller does not agree, the sale will not take place. This is because, he offered the entire string of pearls for sale and as long as he does not agree, the buyer does not have the right to buy a part of it and leave out the other part. If she wishes to purchase it, she will have to buy the entire string. However, if the seller says : "I am selling each pearl for R1", and the person says that he has taken five pearls, then five pearls will be considered to be sold.

8. A person is selling four different items and says that he is selling the lot for R4. Without obtaining his agreement, the buyer cannot purchase one or two items and leave out the others because he wishes to sell all the items together. But if the seller gives the price of each item individually, it will be permissible for the buyer to purchase one or two items and leave out the rest.

9. When buying and selling an item, it is also necessary to show the item properly and spell out the terms clearly. The seller should abstain from speaking in vague terms which could result in problems and arguments. Similarly, the price has to be clearly laid down and agreed upon. Even if one of these factors is not made clear and agreed upon, the sale will not be valid.

10. A person purchases an item with money. The seller says : "Hand the money over to me first and then I will give you the item." The buyer replies : "Hand the item over to me first and then I will give you the money." In such a case, the money will have to be given first and then only will the item be given to the buyer. The seller has the right to refuse to hand over the item until he receives the money for it.

However, if he purchases an item in return for another item, changes money in return for money or a person purchases clothing in return for clothing, and in all these cases this sort of argument takes place, then each one will be asked to place his hand on the others hand and then the exchange will take place.

BUSINESS IN ISLAM

2009-12-01T19:17:00.000+08:00

Since the development of man’s earthly life, business in the form of exchanging or bartering essential commodities has been an integral aspect of the daily lives of human beings.

Their very subsistence depended upon this form of trade and exchange. Almighty Allah, the Creator and Provider of man’s needs, established the principle of interdependence in man’s life. The basic, essential needs of man are food, drink, clothing and shelter. These primary needs, which are crucial to man’s survival on earth as well as to the improvement of his living conditions, are only obtainable through the institution of business and trade.

It is virtually impossible for one person to satisfy all these needs alone by producing them or manufacturing them himself. Man is, therefore, forced to purchase these items of need from the various individuals or companies who produce them, and this results in the practice of buying and selling on a very expansive scale. Islam has, therefore, attached great importance to trade and commerce as the relevant citations appearing further on shall conclusively indicate.

Had there been no means of buying items essential to one’s existence, people would then have been compelled out of desperation to acquire these through force and violence, thus leading to murder and bloodshed. In this manner the entire world order as set up by Almighty Allah would have been severely disrupted.

Establishing a system of trade is one thing, ensuring that it runs smoothly and efficiently is another. Over the passing of time man’s needs increased tremendously. This meant an escalation in the volume and rate of business. Initially man concentrated on needs only. Then came the wants or secondary needs.

As the means of acquiring needs and wants became more simplified and convenient, man began yearning for luxuries and comforts. Moreover, as mankind produced and reproduced, populations increased rapidly. All this meant more needs, higher standards of living, and, needless to say, greatly increased business activity.

Furthermore, Almighty Allah has incorporated into man’s spiritual being both good and bad qualities, as the Holy Quran clearly states:
“So He introduced into it (the soul) its good and evil.”
(Surah Shams)

As society became more affluent, spiritual and moral degradation generally increased. Man’s high standard of worldly life began eroding his Rooh or spiritual self. From a mere means of fulfilling needs and wants, business, and more accurately, the accumulation of wealth and riches, now became an end in itself. And all this violently conflicts with what Islam taught and desired for its followers. As far as Islam is concerned business fulfilled a need, and had to be kept as such.

In view of increased business activity and an on-going decline in man’s spiritual life and morality there were bound to be problems. To encounter and overcome these problems Islam, through the Holy Quran and Hadeeth, had devised an elaborate set of laws governing trade and commerce. These laws were to fulfil a variety of objectives:

•To counter man’s greed and consequent abuse of the rights of others;
•To ensure that the earnings of man are halaal and pure;
•To create a harmonious atmosphere among people, something which can be utterly destroyed by man’s desire for wealth and position.

Among these, the second factor is vitally important to the Muslim individual, since the acceptance of all man’s ibadat and service is largely dependent upon the consumption of Halaal food and the utilisation of Halaal goods and products.

There is definitely an integral link between man’s earnings, which entail business dealings, and his ibadat unto Allah Ta’ala. This one factor alone underscores in no uncertain terms the significance and emphasis Islam has laid on correct and valid business dealings.

Fear of Death

2009-11-29T19:58:00.000+08:00

By Shariffah Carlo

This week has been a difficult week for me. I have had to deal with the internal turmoils of knowing that Allah's promise is true and knowing how to apply this to my life.

On sunday night, the two year old son of a very close friend was killed in a freak accident. This has actually had me thinking a lot about life and death in general and my beliefs in specific. I believe Allah prepares us for our future roles and experieinces. I have always known that I wanted to raise a good Muslim son who would, inshallah, fight for the sake of Allah. I also know that inshallah, I want to be from those good women who are proud to have sons or husbands be shaheed. Yet, when all this occured, all I could think about was the fear of losing my son - who is not even born yet. It made me realize the immensity of the deeds these women have done in giving up their beloved children for the sake of Allah. These women raised, taught and played with their children. They knew the faces and the personalities. They loved these boys, but they were able to be not just patient with their son's death but actually happy for the news of shahadah. It made me wonder if I could one day be the same.

I think about women who spend a lifetime carefully preparing their sons to be good Muslim men, good Muslim soldiers, and I wonder if I will ever be able to finally let go.

Because of this, I decided to make today's class about death. We all know that we will die. We know this not only from experience, but also from the words of Allah and his Prophet, who taught us the actual significance of this knowledge,
Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception. (3:185)

Allah warns us that we are supposed to care about the next life more so than this life which is but "goods and chattels". Unfortunately, we are so attached to this life and the accumulation of wealth (which includes our families and our children) that we forget the ultimate purpose. Allah warns,
Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you; Until ye come to the graves. Nay, but ye will come to know! (102:1-3)

I think of the many times in countless hadiths that I read that people said to our beloved prophet, "My parents be sacrificed for you." They are not merely saying insignificant words. This is powerful stuff. My gut reaction is to fear saying such words, for fear they may come true. But these companions found it so easy, May Allah reward them, because of their strong faith in Allah and His Messenger.

Allah has shown us the way to true salvation and jannah. It is the way of the previous Prophets,
And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; "Oh my sons! Allah hath chosen the Faith for you; then die not except in the Faith of Islam." (2:132)

It is the way of the seal of the prophet's Muhammad (SAWS). It is the way detailed in the Quraan al Kareem,
...And if any of you Turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein. (2:217)
Those who reject Faith, and die rejecting,- on them is Allah's curse, and the curse of angels, and of all mankind; (2:161)

It is the complete acceptance of Allah, His deen and his Qadr. We are supposed to welcome death as a release from this prison. We are supposed to hope and pray for the shahadah or at the very least for al Jannah, so that when we see death, we are neither afraid nor saddened by it. We can miss those who preceed us, but we should not be disheartened by the death of someone close to us. If they are Muslims, we know that Jannah will eventually be theres and ours, and we shall meet again, inshallah.

The unbelievers of old feared death. Allah says,
Or like abundant rain from the cloud in which is utter darkness and thunder and lightning; they put their fingers into their ears because of the thunder peal, for fear of death, and Allah encompasses the unbelievers. (2:19)

And the Jews prayed to avoid it, wishing for life,
And you will most certainly find them the greediest of men for life (greedier) than even those who are polytheists; every one of them loves that he should be granted a life of a thousand years, and his being granted a long life will in no way remove him further off from the chastisement, and Allah sees what they do. (2:96)

I have personally seen the fear that the non-believers have of death. A group of students I used to have actually went to the dean to complain that I was scaring them by having asked them to write an essay on dying. They were so scared of the prospect they could not even contemplate it or write about it. may Allah guide them. We have been commanded by Allah and his prophet to reflect on death. It is by this reflection that we will realize the true meaning of life, to worship Allah so He will grant us Jannah.

The Muslim is supposed to realize that death is simply a passage from this life to the next, better life. We will be tested. We may suffer a bit, but we know that as long as we believe and live La ilaha il Allah, we will see al jannah and experieince it forever. This is the promise of Allah.

Narrated Mu'adh bin Jabal: The Prophet said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's Right upon His slaves is?" I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "To worship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah). Do you know what their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "Not to punish them (if they do so)." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 9, Book 93, Number 470.

We can not fear death. We must be of those ready to welcome it fighting in Allah's cause. We must be of those who fight to gain Allah's pleasure and make His word supreme while not fearing that death may be a consequence of this fight.

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Somebody asked, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is the best among the people?" Allah's Apostle replied "A believer who strives his utmost in Allah's Cause with his life and property..." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 45.

We must recognize that all of us are born and will die and that the importance and significance of this lies in our beliefs and in how we live and die.

How can ye reject the faith in Allah?- seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return. (2:28)

We are not to speculate that our death could be any different that what Allah has ordained, nor can we assume that we will live a long life. We may die very old, we may die tomorrow. We must recognize that this is from the unseen and we must therefore prepare for death.

O you who believe! be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren when they travel in the earth or engage in fighting: Had they been with us, they would not have died and they would not have been slain; so Allah makes this to be an intense regret in their hearts; and Allah gives life and causes death and Allah sees what you do. (3:156)

Say: Allah gives you life, then He makes you die, then will He gather you to the day of resurrection wherein is no doubt, but most people do not know. (45:26)

...We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age,...(22:5)

...no soul knoweth in what land it will die. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. (31:34)

Narrated Abdullah: Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, "(as regards your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for an other forty days, and then a piece of flesh for an other forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into his body. Sahih Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 55, Number 549

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "Keys of the unseen knowledge are five which nobody knows but Allah . . . nobody knows what will happen tomorrow; nobody knows what is in the womb; nobody knows what he will gain tomorrow; nobody knows at what place he will die; and nobody knows when it will rain." Sahih Bukhari:Volume 2, Book 17, Number 149:
We do not know when we will die nor do we know when our children or our parents or our friends will die. We must prepare ourselves and them for this occuring at anytime and be grateful for whatever Allah ordains. The prophet warned us,
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah's Apostle said, "When carried to his grave, a dead person is followed by three, two of which return (after his burial) and one remains with him: his relative, his property, and his deeds follow him; relatives and his property go back while his deeds remain with him." Sahih Bukhari:Volume 8, Book 76, Number 521.

Our deeds are all that will remain with us, so we must be sure that they, inshallah are good deeds. We must further remember the prophet's saying, "O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter..." (Narrated by Anas in sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 422)

This entire experience has made me appreciate our purpose on this earth and the scaricity of time that we have. None of us knows when, where or how we will die, all we know is that we will die, and after that death we will be judged and questioned about this life. We must assure ourselves that we have done all that we can to make this life a success for ourselves, our family and for our muslim brothers and sisters.. As Allah says,
These are Allah's limits, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them; and this is the great success. (4:13)

He will put your deeds into a right state for you, and forgive you your faults; and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he indeed achieves a mighty success. (33:71)

May Allah give us the His Qadr with true hoping for the ultimate success: Jannah. Ameen.

La Tahzan Wa La Khauf

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