Saturday, March 1, 2008

THE MOSQUE-GOER

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A Mosque go-er wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to Mosque. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 Lectures. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the Imams are wasting theirs by giving Lectures at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher.
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to Mosque for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

Handy HInts


First Aid:

Any time you cut your hand, finger, or any other part of the body, take a spoonful of sugar and sprinkle it in the cut. If you are bleeding, this will thicken the blood and besides that it will take the pain away. Perfect for paper cuts.

Smile Please


THE TAXI DRIVER

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A young passenger tapped the cab driver on the shoulder to hand him the money. The driver screamed; lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb and stopped just inches from a large plate glass window. For a few moments everything was silent in the cab, then the driver said, "Please, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me."

The passenger, who was also frightened, apologized and said he didn't realize that a tap on the shoulder could frighten him so much, to which the driver replied, "I'm sorry, it's really not your fault at all. Today is my first day driving a cab. I have been driving a hearse for the last 25 years."

"Page cannot be found"

Q:
I often get the error message of "Page cannot be found" when I visit certain Web sites. What is the cause of this and is there anything I can do to change it?

A:

There are actually several reasons why the "Page cannot be found" (also seen as "404 - Not Found") error message may come up. Here are a few of them explained.

1.) The Web page you're trying to view has been removed or renamed. This is one of the most common causes. In this case, you can try scaling the URL down a bit to see if that helps.
For example, if it's listed as www.worldstart.com/tips/nopage.htm, you may want to try www.worldstart.com/tips instead. Or, you could simply use www.worldstart.com. You can then look for the lost page from there. If you just keep going backwards with the URL, you'll eventually get to the page you want.

2.) Your Internet connection has gone dead. In this instance, simply try logging on again.

3.) Internet congestion during peak hours (this is especially common with dial-up) can also prevent Web pages from loading properly. If it takes too long for a page to be found, your browser may just give up. When that happens, you should just try the page again later (or you can hit the Refresh button).

4.) The Web page you want to see is getting a lot of traffic, so the server is bogged down. All you can really do in this case is try again later.

Handy Hints

Smelly Drains:
Boil 200ml vinegar and pour directly into drain leave for 10mins before using drain.

Do we need to defragment our flashdrives?

Q:
I have accumulated several flash drives over the years and I was just wondering if I should ever defragment them. I know we have to do it for our hard drives, but are flash drives the same? Please explain!

A:

The simple answer to today's question is: you should never defrag a flash drive. Does that surprise some of you? Well, let me explain! Let's first talk a little about hard drives. The files you have stored on your hard drive are usually saved in several little pieces, often in groups of 512 bytes. Now, those chunks of data are usually never placed next to each other or even remotely close to each other. Therefore, your files are generally spread out all over your hard drive, which is why defragging is so important.

The whole defrag process is done through a read/write head that rearranges your files and places them back together for you. That way, when you need to access a certain file, everything is put back together and your computer doesn't have to work as hard to find what you're looking for. Defragging simply helps speed up your system when you need to open a certain file. Yep, that's why it's so vital that you defrag on a regular basis (at least once a month or so).
On the other hand, flash drives do not have a read/write head, so if you were to defrag one, you wouldn't get any extra performance benefits from it whatsoever. Basically, without a read/write head, flash drives don't have to work any harder to find your files. Your files can be laid out in any order and your flash drive will still be just as fast when finding them for you. Still not convinced? Then keep reading!

Another reason why you should never defrag a flash drive is because flash memory wears out over time. Basically, the more you write (saving files, etc.) to your flash drive, the shorter its lifespan will be. And since defragging is a huge write process, every time you do it, you're adding thousands of extra writes to your device that just aren't necessary. So, if you've been continuously defragging your flash drives, you should stop. If you want your flash drive to last you a long while, simply stop the defrags. You won't get any benefit from it and you'll just end up with a broken down flash drive for no reason at all. Go and defrag your hard drive instead!

Taken from - www.worldstart.com

Israeli Missiles Silence Baby's Laughter in Gaza

By Sami Abu Salem writing from the occupied Gaza Strip

29/02/08 "Electronic Intifada" -- - The innocent laughter of six-month-old baby Mohammed al-Bor'i stopped forever on Wednesday night when shrapnel from an Israeli missile and rubble struck the infant in the head, minutes after he enjoyed his last meal.

"The baby sucked milk, he was playing with his mother; I was reading a book when a rocket hit the Ministry of Interior," said Nasser al-Bor'i, the baby's father.

With the first missile, the electricity was cut and darkness filled the ill-fated house. Stones and pieces of the asbestos ceiling fell onto the head of the laughing child. The explosions continued as two other missiles hit the building.

"I looked for my baby in the darkness between the rubble; I did not know where he was. When he cried once I followed the direction of his voice," Nasser al-Bor'i said. "My hands touched my baby who was breathing hard; I felt warm liquid on my two hands and realized that he was wounded."

Al-Bor'i carried his son to the nearby Shifa Hospital as the blood streamed from his tiny head. In the hospital, al-Bor'i became hysterical when he realized that his only child had been killed.

Tears poured from al-Bor'i's eyes when he saw Mohammed's shoes. "After five years of treatment for sterility, [my wife and] I had a baby. I can't imagine that I lost him in a second."

Toys, a plastic bike, a crib and clothes were covered by the heap of rubble inside Mohammed's bedroom. Cutout magazine pictures of laughing babies decorated the walls, a sad reminder of the joy lost in the strike.

Mohammed's mother sufered shock and fell unconscious when she realized that the child had died. She laid on a hospital bed while her baby was in the morgue. On Thursday morning she cried when she returned home from the hospital to see Mohammed's empty crib.

Mohammed al-Bor'i was not the only child to be killed in the series of Israeli air strikes across the Gaza strip on Wednesday. In the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalia, three other children, Anas al-Manama, 10, Bilal Hijazi, 11, and Mohammed Hamada, 11, were also killed in an Israeli air strike, Palestinian medical sources reported.

At least 19 Palestinian civilians and militants were killed and dozens wounded by the continuing Israeli air strikes on Gaza in the last two days.

Sami Abu Salem lives in Jabalia Refugee Camp and works as an English news and features writer at the Palestine News Agency (WAFA). He has also worked at the International Press Center of the Palestinian Authority State Information Service, and works as a freelance writer for local newspapers, focusing on literature and arts. This article was originally published by Ramattan News Agency and is republished with the author's permission.

Taken from - http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19441.htm

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Grasp your youth before you become old

Youth

The Holy Qur’ân states:

“O Allâh! Grant that our spouses and offspring be the coolness of our eyes and cause us to be a model for the righteous.”

"Say (O Prophet) "Come so that I may cite to you what Allah has forbidden for you: that you do not associate partners unto Him, that you be kind to your parents, …., and approach not any indecency…"

The Holy Qur’ân speaks of the youth who opposed a value system based on kufr and vanity, in the following words: "Behold, the youth betook themselves to the Cave, they said: "Our Lord, bestow on us mercy from Thyself and dispose for us our affair in the right manner … Indeed they were a group of youth who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance".

The Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:


- “Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Grasp five things before five others: your youth before you become old , your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death."

“There are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the day on which there is no shade except His shade: a just imam, a youth who grows up worshipping Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosque when he leaves it until he returns to it, two men who love each other in Allah and meet for that and part for that, a man who remembers Allah when he is alone and his eyes overflow with tears, a man who refuses the approaches of a noble, beautiful woman, saying "I fear Allah," and a man who gives sadaqa and conceals it so that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives.' "

Nabî Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam ‘Every child is born on Fitrah (a natural inclination towards Islam). It is his parents who turn him towards Judaism, Christianity or fire-worship’. (Mishkât). Every child is born in a state of pure innocence. It is his social upbringing, the values that his/her parents display that impact and influence his identity.

Parents thus have an enormous responsibility in moulding the character of their children. If they build a strong, trusting, and loving relationship with their children before the teenage years, their children will be less likely to go astray.

As with all blessings of Allah, children can be either a joy or a source of grave concern, a blessing or a curse – depending on how we mould and guide them. Children can be a source of enormous tranquility and self -fulfillment yet they can become the root of the greatest heartbreak, pain and sorrow. The very child that provides joy and happiness can also produce the greatest hurt and sorrow. Our great dreams for our children could suddenly turn into unimaginable nightmares. One of the most challenging and daunting tasks parents face today is that of developing a meaningful relationship with their children, especially teenagers who often rebel against their society and parents. According to a recent survey, 20% of children living in western society have not had a 10-minute conversation with a parent in a month. Their conversation is with TV, which acts as their mother, father, baby-sitter, and teacher. By the time they are teens, they have seen an estimated 18 000 violent murders on TV.

Alcohol, drugs, frequenting of movie houses and rave clubs and illicit sexual activity are but some of the hazards youth encounter in their quest for independence, joy, and adventure.

Teenagers are idealists, they want to change the world, and make it a better place. These are not bad ideals, and it is a great pity that adults have forgotten their own ideals in the rat race of daily life. It is up to the parents to point them in the right direction.

If we get teenagers involved in helping those in need, community projects, participating in Islamic programmes and camps and in working for important causes, their zeal could make a tremendous impact on their future and the shape of the world to come.


Youth have great potential. Remember:


• That the resistance of the youth served as a catalyst for the eventual demise of the oppressive regime in South Africa,

• That the youth of Afghanistan liberated their country from the Soviet Union and the Taliban have yet again revolted against corruption and civil strife,

• That the lonely defendants of Masjidul Aqsa are no more than the youth of Palestine,

• That the archenemy of Islam, Abu Jahl was killed by two youths barely in their teens.

• That the first male to believe in Nabi sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam was a ten old boy named Ali bin Talib Radiyallahu ‘anhu

• That Nabi sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam assigned a number of positions and responsibilities to the youth. He appointed a young man of twenty-one, Itab Ibn Usayd as the first governor of Makkah.

• That Muhammad ibn Qasim conquered Sind in India when he was only seventeen.

• The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam appointed Zaid ibn Harithah as the Amir of a Jamaat that included Abu Bakr and Umar Radiyallahu ‘anhu.

-Taken from Jamiatul Ulama Online Newsletter Vol: 3 No.: 08 - http://www.jamiat.co.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0308.htm

Friday, February 15, 2008

VALENTINE DAY, BIRTHDAYS, AND OTHER DAZE

What commercial and cultural propaganda presents as beautiful is rooted in ugly paganism but most blind followers do not know.
- By Khalid Baig
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There is a group of practices that we can consider as the twin sister of bid'ah (innovation). Like bid'ah they flourish on the twin foundations of ignorance and outside influence. Like bid'ah they entail rituals. But unlike bid'ah the rituals have not been given an Islamic face. They are followed because they are considered an acceptable cultural practice or the hottest imported "in" thing.

Most of those who indulge in them do not know what they are doing. They are just blind followers of their equally blind cultural leaders. Little do they realize that what they consider as innocent fun may in fact be rooted in paganism. That the symbols they embrace may be symbols of unbelief. That the ideas they borrow may be products of superstition. That all of these may be a negation of what Islam stands for.

Consider Valentine's Day, a day that after dying out a well deserved death in most of Europe (but surviving in Britain and United States of America) has suddenly started to emerge across a good swath of Muslim countries. Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Legends abound, as they do in all such cases, but this much is clear: Valentine's Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to honour the god Lupercus. The main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for "entertainment and pleasure" - until the next year's lottery. Among other equally despicable practices associated with this day was the lashing of young women by two young men, clad only in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin thongs, who had been smeared with blood of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the "sacred" thongs by these "holy men" was believed to make them better able to bear children.

As usual, Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. It first replaced the lottery of the names of women with a lottery of the names of the saints. The idea was that during the following year the young men would emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn. (The idea that you can preserve the appearance of a popular evil and yet somehow turn it to serve the purpose of virtue, has survived. Look at all those people who are still trying, helplessly, to use the formats of popular television entertainments to promote good. They might learn something from this bit of history. It failed miserably) Christianity ended up doing in Rome, and elsewhere, as the Romans did.

The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honour of some Saint Valentine. There are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends. Two of them are more famous, although their lives and characters are also shrouded in mystery. According to one legend, and the one more in line with the true nature of this celebration, St. Valentine was a "lovers'" saint, who had himself fallen in love with his jailer's daughter.

Due to serious troubles that accompanied such lottery, French government banned the practice in 1776. In Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany also the ritual vanished over the years. Earlier, it had been banned in England during the 17th century when the Puritans were strong. However in 1660 Charles II revived it. From there it also reached the New World, where enterprising Yankees spotted a good means of making money. Esther A. Howland, who produced one of the first commercial American Valentine's Day cards called - what else - valentines, in the 1840s, sold $5,000 worth - when $5,000 was a lot of money - the first year. The valentine industry has been booming ever since.

It is the same story with Halloween, which has otherwise normal human beings dressing like ghosts and goblins in a reenactment of an ancient pagan ritual of demon worship. Five star hotels in Muslim countries arrange Halloween parties so the rich can celebrate the superstitions of a distant period of ignorance that at one time even included the shameful practice of human sacrifice. The pagan name for that event was Samhain (pronounced sow-en). Just as in the case of Valentine's Day, Christianity changed its name, but not the pagan moorings.

Christmas is another story. Today Muslim shopkeepers sell and shoppers buy Christmas symbols in Islamabad or Dubai or Cairo. To engage in a known religious celebration of another religion is bad enough. What is worse is the fact that here is another pagan celebration (Saturnalia) that has been changed in name - and in little else - by Christianity.

Even the celebration considered most innocent might have pagan foundations. According to one account, in pagan cultures, people feared evil spirits - especially on their birthdays. It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. So family and friends surrounded the person with laughter and joy on their birthdays in order to protect them from evil.
How can anyone in his right mind think that Islam would be indifferent to practices seeped in anti-Islamic ideas and beliefs? Islam came to destroy paganism in all its forms and it cannot tolerate any trace of it in the lives of its followers.

Further, Islam is very sensitive about maintaining its purity and the unique identity of its followers. Islamic laws and teachings go to extra lengths to ensure it. Salat (Prayers) is forbidden at the precise times of sunrise, transition, and sunset to eliminate the possibility of confusion with the practice of sun worship. To the voluntary recommended fast on the tenth of Muharram, Muslims are required to add another day (9th or 11th) to differentiate it from the then prevalent Jewish practice. Muslims are forbidden to emulate the appearance of non-Muslims.

A Muslim is a Muslim for life. During joys and sorrows, during celebrations and sufferings, we must follow the one straight path - not many divergent paths. It is a great tragedy that under the constant barrage of commercial and cultural propaganda from the forces of globalization and the relentless media machine, Muslims have begun to embrace the Valentines, the Halloween ghost, and even the Santa Claus. Given our terrible and increasing surrender to paganism the only day we should be observing is a day of mourning. Better yet it should be a day of repentance that could liberate us from all these days. And all this daze.

HANDY HINT

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.