Friday, March 31, 2006
السلام عليكم ورحمت الله وبركاته
Last week at the National library, a book caught my attention.It was The Story of the Prophets by Imam Ibn Kathir. So..here goes...my sypnosis of Nabi Adam a.s., as written by Ibn Kathir. _______________________________________________________________ Allah told the Angels that He will create Adam(mankind).The Angels asked Allah, why would He create mankind when they will rebel against Allah .At That time, the Angels had just faught with the Djinns on earth for being mischievious.The Djinns were expelled into jungles and remote islands.The Angels were not questioning Allah's authority, but it was just a sincere curious question. Allah told the Angels that He knows of what the Angels dont. Hence, Allah created Adam,with His own hands using clay. Before Divine Spirit was blown into Adam's body, the Angels always get scared when they bypass Adam's body.One day,the Satan (not banished from Heaven yet), entered Adam's body...and came out.He mentioned to the Angels that they have nothing to fear of Adam. On the chosen day, Allah breathed His Spirit into Adam's body.The spirit enters from the mouth ...and slowly moves towards the feet.When the spirit has entered the head,Adam sneezed, and the Angels said "Say: Praise to Allah"Adam hence repeated "All praise belongs to Allah" .And Allah replied "Your Lord has granted you mercy" .After that, Adam saw the fruits of the Paradise and rushed towards it...eventhough his legs were still inanimate.Hence Allah mentioned in the Qur'an.."Man is created of haste". Allah taught Adam the knowledge of all types.At one occasion, Allah asked the Angels to identify an object, but the Angels didnt know what it was.He asked Adam to identify it, and Adam mentioned what it was.The Angels said, ""Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise."" Some scholars has commented that if the knowledge of Adam was put on on side of the balance, and the accumulated knowledge of all his children (from his time to the end of time,hence includes Einstein,Bill Gates,Isaac Newton, Al-Jabr,Ibn Sina ..etc)....Adam's knowledge will be greater. And as well all know, the Angels and the Iblees were ordered to prostrate before Adam.The Angels prostrated.This is not to be taken as a sign that they worship Adam. However, due to arrogance, the Iblees refused to obey Allah's order and prostrate before Adam.He felt him self superior to Adam as he was made from fire while Adam's from clay.This invoked Allah's anger, but due to their previous obedience to Allah, Allah gave them respite.They were expelled from the heavens and were given allowed to try to divert Adam's creed from the Allah's path. However,the Iblees will have no power over those who stay steadfast and have strong faith in Allah. One day, Adam was sleeping in the gardens of the Heaven and when he awoke,there was a lady sitting beside him.He asked her who she was, and she replied that she is Hawa (Eve).The Angels asked Adam who the lady was when they saw him with her, he replied, "She's Hawa". As we know, eventually after some time, the Iblees managed to persuade Hawa to eat the fruit from the Forbidden tree, the one tree that Allah has forbidden Adam.She in turn managed to persuade Adam to eat the fruit.Adam took a bite of it.And just as the fruit was swallowed (i.e. in Adam's throat), he felt his heart to be contricted, and all the music and songs around him stopped playing.His eyes opened and he saw that he and his wife were naked.Just then, Allah called Adam, and Adam ran and hid himself. Allah asked Adam if Adam's trying to hide from Allah, Adam replied that he wasnt but he was very ashamed of himself. Allah knew Adam and Hawa had eaten the Forbidden Fruit.And He was angry.As He was scolding Adam, Adam sneezed, and said "All praise belongs to Allah" Allah instantly replied, "Your Lord has granted you mercy" . This made Adam say that Allah's mercy is greater then His Anger. A weak Hadith also mentioned that Adam asked for the Forgiveness of Allah 'for the sake of Muhammad" Allah asked Adam how did he know of Muhammad. Adam said that during one of his lessons from Allah, he noticed the words "لااله الله محمدرسل الله" (There's no God but Allah, Muhammad is Allah's Messanger) written on Allah's throne.So Adam figured that Muhammad must be some one very loved by Allah that his name should be put side by side with the name of the Lord of the Worlds.Allah replied that Muhammad is indeed His most beloved man, who is to be the final messanger to mankind,and Allah added that had it not been for Muhammad,He would not have created mankind. I'ld like to remind you that the narration above is weak in credibility. So...as God had predestined, Adam and Hawa were sent down to heavan.Some say Adam was sent to India and Hawa to Arabia, but this issue is not important.What certain is that both of them were united at the feild of Arafat.However, before they were united, Adam spent decades crying,seeking forgiveness from Allah.He was pardoned, for God is Most Merciful. An Angel was sent to teach them how to live on their new environment. That was basically the story of Adam, of course there's much more...the story of Abil and Qabil...his near death experience and so on.But I'm going to stop here for now. REMINDER: Everything good you earned from here is from Allah, and everything bad is from me.
Monday, March 27, 2006
For attractive lips, Speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise, Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody. Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, The figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, And the beauty of a woman with passing years-only grows . . .
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Salaamaleykum, (2) commentsThat day, I was watching this talkshow where the director (who's the host of the show) invites 2 actors/actresses each week to be interviewed..and have a chit chat. That day...both the actresses were North Indian soap opera actresses i've never heard of.oh by the way..this is a bollywood program,not hollywood. at one point the host asked one of his guest... "How do you feel being just a small-time actress in a soap opera...below dozens of other actresses?" the reply was extremely mesmeric... "You're looking from the above....there are dozens better than me.But if you look from the bottom,there are hundreds of actresses who are struggling to even be a small-time actress like me."
Sunday, March 12, 2006
   HighlightsConference: A 2-day conference involving prominent speakers and scholars worldwide discussing education, economy and Muslim issues worldwide. Business Dialogue Session with various Ministries Business Matching Trade Mission Product Presentations Product and Service Launching Performance /Concerts: An evening of dinner and Islamic entertainment. Exhibition Rates: Booth System- Standard Booth - RM 3'800(US$1,200)/unit Raw Space/Pavillion - RM50'000(USD15'000) Conference Package: (9th and 10th June 2006) Corp./Private: RM1'000(US$250) Government: RM500(US$135) Student: RM250 (US$70) Exhibitor; RM250(US$70) Venue, Date and Opening Hours: Hall 4, Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 9th to 11th June 2006 Daily from 10am to 9 pm.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Salaamaleykum But what is a dervish, and why do they whirl? The word "dervish" comes from the Persian "darvish", meaning a poor man. (In fact, in Toronto there is an Iranian restaurant called "Darvish" and its logo is a man carrying a hobo stick.) The whirling dervishes are one of various brotherhoods of Sufis. Since the early days of Islam, some Muslims have attempted to get as close to God as possible. Some deprived themselves of food or sleep in an attempt to leave the everyday world behind. They came to be called Sufis because they wore a rough woolen robe: "soof" is Arabic for "wool". Various brotherhoods were established, each following the teachings or example of a Sufi master with their own special way of reaching towards God: some chant, some breathe rhythmically, others dance. The most famous are the Mevlevi dervishes, who whirl.
Maybe you whirled when you were a child, just because it felt good, or because you liked the dizzy sensation once you stopped. But is it possible to whirl for a long time - say more than ten minutes - without suffering vertigo? And is it really possible to experience elation? The answer to both questions is yes! Start with a warm-up exercise. Close your eyes, and with arms at your side, turn slowly in whichever direction feels more natural. When you feel comfortable, try rotating your head. Do this for a minute or so, then try it in the other direction. Now you're ready to try whirling. If turning clockwise felt more natural, then stretch your right arm in front of your body, with your hand outstretched and roughly in front of your heart. Extend your left arm up toward heaven. Fix your gaze on your front hand, and begin turning slowly. This concept of focusing the gaze on a stationary object is similar to the idea of gazing at the horizon if you have motion-sickness. Now you can whirl as long as it pleases you. If you should start to feel a bit dizzy, just slow down. To come out of the whirl, slow down gradually, then spend a few quiet moments either standing still, or sitting or lying on the floor. Experiment! You may find it easier to pivot on the heel rather than the ball of the foot. Try rotating your head as before, perhaps in the same direction as you're spinning, perhaps not. You can also try reversing your gaze from your hand, or even closing your eyes. But be careful! Traditionally, turning clockwise has an outward-flowing feeling, a sensation of "yang", while counter-clockwise spinning has a "yin" flavor, one of inward-channeling. It's helpful to use music; this will aid in regulating your turning. Something that's dreamy and/or new-age, that builds up gradually, would work well. WHIRL WHIRL WHIRL AWAY!!!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
You know u're born in the 80's if .... You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!" You can sing the rap to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey from "Blossom" and that "How Rude!" comes from Stephanie from "Full House" You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons. You got super excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school. You remember reading "Goosebumps" You were there for the Yo-Yo craze and had to have the Bumble Bee You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, wax off" You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school. You remember the craze then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence...Not... You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green Ranger were meant to be together. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up" You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates You ever got injured on a Slip 'n' Slide You remember when almost every guy owned a skateboard and the video game tony hawk. You wore socks over leggings scrunched down " Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black, with silver buttons, buttons, buttons, all down her back, back, back" SHE ASKED HER MOTHER MOTHER MOTHER FOR FIFTY CENTS CENTS CENTS TO SEE THE ELEPHANTS ELEPHANTS ELEPHANTS JUMP OVER THE FENCE THE FENCE THE FENCE" he jumped so high high high he touched the sky sky sky and he didnt come back back back til the forth of july ly ly he jumped so low ow ow he stumbed he's toe oe oe and thats the end end end of the elephants show ow ow You remember boom boxes vs. cd players You knew what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare" You remember Alf, the little brown alien from Melmac and Vicki the Robot from "MY Little Wonder" You remember New Kids on The Block when they were cool You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell" You played and or collected "Pogs" and had to have the best "slammer" You used to pretend to be a MIGHTY MORPHIN Power Ranger and you owned a Skip It You had at least one GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere You watched the original Care Bears, and Ninja Turtles Yikes pencils and erasers were the shit. You remember when the new Beanie Babies were always sold out. You remember a time before the WB. You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" You thought it would be so cool to be Alex Mack. You know the Macarena by heart.. LOL " Talk to the hand" ... enough said You thought Brain would finally take over the world You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!" and best of all you remember the computers with black screens and green letters. <<Home About:  Strada Placido means 'Placid Road'. The holistic nature of this 'road' will venture to areas of all type. Politics, religion, self-improvements, cultures, etc.
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