<b>Debate: The Sword Vs. The Pen</b>


by Zayn al-Dīn ‘Umar ibn al-Wirdī d. 749 Hijrī & by Abū Jandal al-Azdī


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In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful


The sword and the pen are instruments of action and speech. They are the support of nations; any nation bereaved of them will lack in strength. They are the pillars of authority that declare who shall be lowered and who shall be raised [in status], and at the forefront of the dispute that arises from them are what is implied and what has been stated. Thus, I thought about which of them is more worthy of pride and status, so I convened a court gathering to judge between them, wherein I portrayed them as being present for the litigation, granted them an equal footing of honour, and vocalized their inner state.


<b>The pen said:</b>


It shall move its course and set down anchor all in the Name of Allāh. By the day as it shows up [the sun’s[ brightness, and by the night as it conceals the sun. To proceed; All Praises are due to Allāh Alone, Who created the pen, Who honoured it with an oath, Who created it before all else, Who beautified the paper with its branch, just as He beautified branches with leaves. May prayers be on the one who said, “The pens have dried,” for the pen has gained mastery, and he who writes with seven pens is from the class of the book in the seven heavens. Fate and predestination have run their course, and have replaced the tongue in its commandments and forbiddances. How many more thrusts and jabs has it made than the blacks and the whites; it has fought those afar and sliced those anear enough to fill its eyelids – what matches the pen in how the people obey it, and how it walks to them ahead of all the rest?


<b>So the sword said:</b>


In the Name of Allāh Who lowers and raises, “and We have sent down iron wherein is mighty power and benefits. To proceed; All praise is to Allāh Who revealed the verse of the sword, by which He increased esteem for the wound, and secured the fear over lands. And may prayers be on the one who used the sword to implement what is written on the pages and who was served by the pens judging against the leaders, and on his family and Companions whose swords were sharpened and their edges were made by slicing the enemies. The sword has great power and strong authority, it wipes the lines of eloquence, and stands to face that cannot be faced; he who resorts to anything else to subdue the enemy will be tired away - and how not, when it’s edge defines the limit between seriousness and play?!


If the pen is a witness, then the sword is a judge; and if the pen approaches for disputation in a matter, the sword will break it with a swift motion. With it the religion came to light, and it is the means for suppressing the proud. The hand of our Prophet carried it to the exclusion of the pen, by which it was clearly honoured among the nations. Paradise is under its shade - especially when it is unsheathed so you see the torrents of blood flowing through it.


The sky of its sheath is ornamented by the stars, and he spoke the truth who said, “The sword brings more truthful news than others.” The carrier does not abuse it, nor does he handle it with the tips of his fingers like the pen. It is not like a pen that resembles a people who are disrobed of their garments, then turned on their heads as is said; rather, it is as though the sword was created from flowing water, or bright star, well-balanced. It is a precious gem that it cannot be bought for a paltry price, like the pen. It does not suffer as does the pen from blackness and obliteration. How much can it tell of traces of a reality, or the reality of a trace? In the sheathe of the people, the sword is the measure of a war, and thus it was fashioned in a form ready for war.


<b>So the pen said:</b>


Or it is that which is brought up in adornments, and in dispute cannot make itself clear? He is boasting while he is positioned to the left, and I am seated to the right?! I am the one concerned with the intellect, and you are concerned with the echoes - you are a tool of death! You only become soft after entering the flames, and you are only sharpened for a great sin. You are useful for an hour of time, while I spend my life in obedience. You are used for causing fear, and I am used for creating desire. If your vision is one of iron, then my vision is one of golden water. Where does your tradition rank from my efforts, and where does the impurity of your blood rank from the purity of my ink?


<b>The sword said:</b>


Do the likes of you reproach the likes of me for blood?! As long as I am able command my nestlings the knives, I am like the witches when they blow in the knots, O poor one. Your corpse has been removed from life, your nose has been split and your tongue broken. Woe to you! If you are used for composing poetry collections then you are a grieved teller, or for composition then you are the servant of a master, or for information then you are a censured sorcerer, or for the jurist then you are deficient in knowledge, or for the poet then you are a deprived beggar, or for the witness then you are a poisoned coward, or for the teacher then for the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting. As for me, I have a shining face, decoration, jewels, and awe when I am unsheathed. I ascend the pulpit, and I am possessed with authority, but you are like a hermit. I traverse the path and break the ties.


<b>So the pen said:</b>


Me, I am the son of the water from the sky, the companion of the creek, the ally of the air! But you, you are the son of the fire and smoke, the scatterer of years, the traitor of brothers! You separate that which should not be separated, and you break that which Allāh commanded to join. Indeed, the sword put on contemptuous airs, thickened its neck, and was given boiling water to drink that tore up its guts. O raven of disunion, O tool of death, O sick-eyed one, O two-faced one, how many have you annihilated and executed? And how many have you widowed and orphaned?


<b>The sword said:</b>


O son of mud! Are you not skinny when you are in mud?! How many times have you flowed the opposite way, and behaved in a diminishing manner, counterfeited and distorted, undefined and defined, written lines of satire and insult, and immortalized shames and slander?! Rejoice at your excessive splendour and the strength of your fear. If you measure the whiteness of my pages against the blackness of yours, then soften your speech for your life is for but a short time. Beautify your response for I have its force, and lessen your harshness, and turn your attention away from the blood in my face to the ugliness in yours. If not, then the softest strike from me shall uproot you and extract your origins, to irrigate whoever was absent from your woods, and as a pasture for the one who would slice your skin if they called you.


<b>So when the pen saw the sword getting angry, he softened his speech to him and said:</b>


Manners are learnt from me, and gentleness is taken from me. If you become soft, I become soft, and if you act well, then I act well. We are people of hearing and obedience, and thus a group of us gather together in the same inkwell. As for you, you are people of violence and disunity, thus two swords are never gathered together in the same sheathe.


<b>The sword said:</b>


Is this a trick under the guise of virtue? For a matter that has not cut off one in disdain! If you are – as you claim to be – one of manners, then you would not meet the head of a writer with the knot of sin. I am the one with the louder voice, and my edge is my tongue delivers the peculiarities of death. I am of fire, free of smoke, and the pen is of sounding clay like pottery. If the pen claims he is like me, I will command he who beats his head on my shoes.


<b>So the pen said:</b>


Speak not, for the possessor of a sword who has no wellbeing, is as he who is weaponless.


<b>The sword said:</b>


Be silent, for the pen of the eloquent without its portion is like a empty spindle.


<b>So the pen said:</b>


I am purer and more chaste.


<b>The sword said:</b>


I am more dazzling and radiant.


<b>So the owner of the pen recited to his pen:</b>





إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ


<b>Verily, We have granted you al-Kawthar [2]</b>


The owner of the sword recited to his sword:





فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ


<b>Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice [3]</b>


So the owner of the pen recited to his pen:


﴿إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الأَبْتَرُ﴾


<b>For he who makes you angry will be cut off. [4]</b>


It said:


But by my inscribed book, and my frequented house, and by the Torah and the Injīl, and the exalted Qur’ān, if you do not cease your violence with me, and make distant your proximity to me, I will write you among the deaf and dumb, and I will inscribe this ruling upon you with my pen.


<b>The sword said:</b>


By my firm back, my clear opening, my two moist tongues, and my two solid faces, if you do not keep your blackness away from my whiteness, I will rub your face in your ink! You have acquired your signature of insight and firmness from the lions in the jungle, and although I have not neglected to advise you, shall we pay no attention to your mention?


<b>So the pen said:</b>


Surrender! If you are higher then I am more knowledgeable, and if you are more beautiful then I am more clement, and if you are stronger then I am more straight, or if you are more crooked then I am more to blame, or if you are softer then I am more delightful, or if you are more expensive then I am more prevalent, or if you are more powerful then I am more admonishing, or if you are lethal, then I am sharper.


<b>The sword said:</b>


How can I not surpass you, when the such-and-such dwelling is supporting me?


<b>So the pen said:</b>


How can I not surpass you, when He (may His help be glorified) has taken charge of my affairs?


<b>The judge between the sword and pen said:</b>


When I saw the diligent arguments from both sides, with their opposing proofs, and when I knew that each of them had some truth to the nobility of their status and a supporting narration from the hadīth literature, I eased the situation and scrutinized the evidences, until I returned the pen to its cover and sheathed the sword. I did not give preference to one, and remained silent on which I felt was more correct, until each is judged for their deeds, their extreme anger is calmed, and the situation grants its own insight.


<b>Abū Jandal al-Azdī said:</b>


After this wonderful, exciting debate I pondered the annals of Islamic history and found that whoever raises the pen without the sword becomes lowly, and whoever who raises the sword without the pen goes astray and makes mistakes, but the one who raises them both together will be guided and reach his destination. May Allāh have mercy on Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah for he said, “The religion will only be established by a guiding book and a helping sword, and your Lord suffices for you as a Guide and Helper.”


<b>Allāh is the Greatest, and glory is for Allāh and Islām.</b>


<b>O Allāh,</b> grant victory to the believing Mujāhidīn everywhere


<b>O Allāh,</b> protect our Mujāhidīn brothers who are being pursued everywhere.


<b>O Allāh,</b> free our prisoners and the prisoners of the Muslims everywhere


<b>O Allāh,</b> drown America, destroy the Crusaders, the Jews, and the Arab and non-Arab tyrants everywhere.


Abū Jandal al-Azdī 9/10/1424 Hijrī


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[1] al-Hadīd, verse 25


[2] al-Kawthar, verse 1


[3] al-Kawthar, verse 2


[4] al-Kawthar, verse 3

Bismillah


I received this on an email and thought to share it


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One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive


colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom of the sea and has none


of these characteristics.


Both got acquainted with each other.


The flower said: "Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of


the family. And there are many other species that are various and


countless, each has a distinctive scent, appearance .etc."


Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower.


"Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are depressed?" The


pearl asked.


"Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don't grow


us for our sake but to get pleasure from our fragrance and beautiful


appearance. They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we


are dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and


fragrance" The flower sighed.


And then the flower said to the pearl: "Speak to me about your life!


How do you live? How do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of


the sea. "


The pearl answered: "Although I have none of your distinctive colors


and sweet scents, humans think I am precious. They do the impossible to


procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching


for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more


beautiful and brilliant I become. That's what upraises my value in


their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas.


However, I'm happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and


mischievous hands and still the humans consider me highly valuable"


Do you know what the flower and the pearl symbolize?


Think


Think


You will find that:


The flower is the unveiled woman (who shows her charms)


and the pearl is the veiled woman (who conceals her beauties) Think


about it!


Indeed Allah is gentle and loves gentleness, and gives due to


gentleness that which He does not give due to harshness - Muhammad


(salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [ibn Majah, ibn Hibban - Hasan]

Tips to Maintain Concentration in Salaah"


1. Before standing up for Prayer, try to deal with all the minor urgent matters which demand your attention. If you are pressed by hunger, eat first; if you are pressed to attend to the call of nature, relieve yourself; if you are the parent of an infant, feed him or her, or keep him or her busy.


2. Perform your wudu' (ablution) well, paying due care and attention.


3. Approach the Prayer with zest and passion as if it is the most important task in your life. Actually the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we could do nothing in this world that could ever surpass Prayer in merit and excellence.


4. Visualize that in your Prayer you are going to have a special audience with Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that you are enjoying a direct communion with Him-- This, in fact, is true.


5. Think of the Prayer you are performing as if it were the last Prayer of your life. In fact, it could very well be the last one, since no one is given a guarantee that he would live to perform another Prayer.


6. Picture the scene of the Last Day when people will be lined up into two groups, one destined for Heaven, and another for Hell, and ask yourself where you would be placed.


7. Focus your mind on what you are reading in your Prayer.


8. If, in spite of your best efforts, your mind is still wandering, seek refuge in Allah and bring your mind back to Prayer.


9. Pray to Allah and beg Him to grant you true the joy of concentrating in your Prayer and protection against the wanderings of your mind.

Mukhtaran Bibi



A Pakistani Rape Victim Fights Back


By GLORIA STEINEM


SUBSCRIBE TO TIMEPRINTE-MAILMORE BY AUTHOR


Posted Sunday, Apr. 30, 2006


Only a few leaders are alchemists who take the worst of human behavior and turn it into the best. Mukhtaran Bibi, a Pakistani woman raised in poverty and illiteracy, has responded to the violence and gender apartheid directed at her and other women with an insistence on justice and education. Her tragedy began in 2002 when her brother was accused of walking with a girl from a higher tribal group. <b>In a culture in which female bodies are battlegrounds for male honor, the village court ruled that he be punished with the rape of his sister. Bibi was assaulted by four men and paraded naked through the village. </b>


There are perhaps thousands of such "honor crimes" in Pakistan each year. Survivors are more likely to kill themselves or be killed by their families than turn to a legal system that requires four male adult Muslim eyewitnesses to testify to rape—otherwise the victim can be convicted of fornication and adultery. But Bibi went to court. Her bravery attracted support from international media and women's groups, and her attackers were convicted. With the compensation money plus contributions from people who read about her struggle, she created a girls' school. Now 33, she has become a skilled organizer and trusted leader, and a magnet for other women escaping violence.


But Bibi is far from safe. Only global pressure forced Pakistan to give her a passport so she could meet women abroad, and she still receives death threats from those who view her as a danger to the nation's image and social order. Like Nelson Mandela, another alchemist who redeemed human nature by example, she depends on ordinary supporters to keep herself and her work alive.


This is one brave woman I think. Was the tribe who forced her rape acting out of tribal rules or Islamic Law??? In other words, is it Islamic Law to have the sister of a suspect gang raped?

Jimmy Carter: Punishing the innocent is a crime


Jimmy Carter International Herald Tribune


SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2006


Innocent Palestinian people are being treated like animals, with the presumption that they are guilty of some crime. Because they voted for candidates who are members of Hamas, the United States government has become the driving force behind an apparently effective scheme of depriving the general public of income, access to the outside world and the necessities of life.


Overwhelmingly, these are school teachers, nurses, social workers, police officers, farm families, shopkeepers, and their employees and families who are just hoping for a better life. Public opinion polls conducted after the January parliamentary election show that 80 percent of Palestinians still want a peace agreement with Israel based on the international road map premises. Although Fatah party members refused to join Hamas in a coalition government, nearly 70 percent of Palestinians continue to support Fatah's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, as their president.


It is almost a miracle that the Palestinians have been able to orchestrate three elections during the past 10 years, all of which have been honest, fair, strongly contested, without violence and with the results accepted by winners and losers. Among the 62 elections that have been monitored by us at the Carter Center, these are among the best in portraying the will of the people.


One clear reason for the surprising Hamas victory for legislative seats was that the voters were in despair about prospects for peace. With American acquiescence, the Israelis had avoided any substantive peace talks for more than five years, regardless of who had been chosen to represent the Palestinian side as interlocutor.


The day after his party lost the election, Abbas told me that his own struggling government could not sustain itself financially with their daily lives and economy so severely disrupted, and access from Palestine to Israel and the outside world almost totally restricted. They were already $900 million in debt and had no way to meet the payroll for the following month. The additional restraints imposed on the new government are a planned and deliberate catastrophe for the citizens of the occupied territories, in hopes that Hamas will yield to the economic pressure.


With all their faults, Hamas leaders have continued to honor a temporary cease-fire, or hudna, during the past 18 months, and their spokesman told me that this "can be extended for two, 10 or even 50 years if the Israelis will reciprocate." Although Hamas leaders have refused to recognize the state of Israel while their territory is being occupied, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has expressed approval for peace talks between Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel. He added that if these negotiations result in an agreement that can be accepted by Palestinians, then the Hamas position regarding Israel would be changed.


Regardless of these intricate and long-term political interrelationships, it is unconscionable for Israel, the United States and others under their influence to continue punishing the innocent and already persecuted people of Palestine. The Israelis are withholding approximately $55 million a month in taxes and customs duties that, without dispute, belong to the Palestinians. Although some Arab nations have allocated funds for humanitarian purposes to alleviate human suffering, the U.S. government is threatening the financial existence of any Jordanian or other bank that dares to transfer this assistance into Palestine.


There is no way to predict what will happen in Palestine, but it would be a tragedy for the international community to abandon the hope that a peaceful coexistence of two states in the Holy Land is possible. Like Egypt and all other Arab nations before the Camp David Accords of 1978, and the Palestine Liberation Organization before the Oslo peace agreement of 1993, Hamas has so far refused to recognize the sovereign state of Israel as legitimate, with a right to live in peace. This is a matter of great concern to all of us, and the international community needs to probe for an acceptable way out of this quagmire. There is no doubt that Israelis and Palestinians both want a durable two-state solution, but depriving the people of Palestine of their basic human rights just to punish their elected leaders is not a path to peace.


(Former President Jimmy Carter is founder of the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization working for peace and health worldwide. )


http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/07/o...carter.php

Salaam, Namaste, Ola, greetings


Most people within the last 5 years have come to question, make judgements, rationalize, mock, defame, categorize, stereotype and define Islam largely after the events of 9/11.. (Most people knew zilch, prior to the media bombardment of Islam)


It is a Pity to see people so dogmatic in their negative views about Islam on the Internet, people who do not Practise, or have faith in Islam how can they do justice in commenting about this Deen of Ours. >> And I know the converse is true that People hate to see muslims so against Americans. lack of understanding begets alot of negativity


Its sad also to see a lot of “Muslims” (who are not very well versed with Islamic Law, Shariah Rules, and Quraan or Sunah , or who dot not Practise islam , imaans are weak)


Trying to answer the Kufar onslaught and Defend Islam.>> at least they are trying



Islam cannot and Will never be understood overnight, Islam is not a Religion , It is a Complete WAY of Living:


Details of Islam is how you Sleep, how you should work, how to pay your workers, ethics, how you eat, dress, talk, walk, have relations with people, Islam is about how you act, how to teach or be taught, how to use a bathroom, how to perform prayer, how to treat your parents,. …and ect….. Thought over the last 1000 years


Simply put I am sad to see how many online discussion and fights occur, people Cursing the prophet (SAW), swearing Allah, Mocking Islam as if they have an iota of understanding and respect for our Deen.


Why I write this is that I seen some internet users, day in day out, Hours of the day n eve bashing islam online. Both intellectual arguments and filthy comments, users with Uni Degrees or college drop outs, educated or not these people judge


May Allah protect everyone and restore peace to our people and lands.


May allah guide me and all brothers and sisters onto the path of Deen, and increase our imaan. May he give us death with Imaan and raise us with Imaan.

"Your Time is Your Life"


- extracts from Amr Khaled


Do you understand how precious time is? Muslim scholars appreciated their time


long before the West ever did, & this is how they achieved their revival. Their


sayings and practices bear testimony to this.


Ibn Mas`ud:


I never regretted anything except a day that passed by without having increased


my deeds.


Al-Hasan Al-Basri:


Every day the sun rises it calls upon us, "O people! I am a new day; I am an


observer of your actions. Take advantage of me for I will not return until the


Day of Judgment. O son of Adam, you are nothing but a few breaths. Once one


breath goes out, part of you goes with it. In the same way that part of you has


gone, soon all of you will go."


Ibn Al-Qayyim:


Every gulp of air that goes out in a cause other than the cause of Allah will


turn to sorrow & regret on the Day of Judgment.


A sign that Allah despises you is when you find yourself wasting your time with


trivial matters; in this way you miss your chance of going to Heaven. A sign


that Allah likes you is when you find yourself fulfilling more duties than you


have time for.


The devil makes work for idle thumbs. If you want to know whether Allah is


pleased with you, then think: Are you busy or idle?


Al-Muhasiby:


I wish that time could be acquired with money. If so, I would buy time from


wasteful and ungrateful people so that I could spend it serving Allah.


You should know where your time goes. When you do have extra time, don't waste


it - watching one soccer game is enough. You needn't watch six.


Abu-Yusuf, a prominent student of Abu Hanifah, once said, "Abu Hanifah was on


his deathbed when he asked for a paper and a pencil to solve a problem in


jurisprudence, saying, `If I have but one instant to live, I would spend it


doing something that pleases Allah.'"


We waste a great deal of time: For 8 hours we sleep & another 8 we use for meals


& personal needs. That's 2/3's wasted, & the remaining 1/3 is where productivity


can be achieved. Imagine that every breath you take is stored away in a locker and


that on the Day of Judgment these lockers will be opened. Can you see them


empty? Or do you see them full of service, help, invention, and worship? Picture


someone throwing $100,000 in the sea; he would be considered crazy. You do the


same if you waste your time, for your greatest assets are your breaths in this


limited life.


Now, are you ready for change or is it all talk & no commitment? Are you willing


to make adjustments to your time? If you are truly ready, here are some details


that will help you to organize your time:


1. Every day write down in a daily planner what you are planning to do the next


day.


2. Focus on your work & don't stop without reason. Time gets wasted because of


all the interruptions. Press hard on yourself & you will notice a great increase


in productivity.


3. Cut down on your sleeping hours; even an hour a day will add up to 365 hours


a year. You can use this time benificially.


4. Stay away from idle and careless people.


5. Do things in parallel; for example, while waiting at the doctor's office or


traveling on the bus, read a book. Instead of wasting your time waiting, take


advantage of that time and do something productive. A great example is Ibn


Al-Qayyim, who wrote his famous book Zad al-M`ad during his journey to Makkah


for Hajj.


6. Be cautious of all the free time you have; use it wisely.


7. Every night, ask yourself what you have accomplished that day, and soon you


will be thrilled with your results.


Finally, never forget that you can't utilize your time wisely unless you have a


goal in life.


When you do, you will be vigilant with your time and you will be able to divide


it so you can achieve your goal efficiently

Sunday, May 07, 2006


Settlers stone Hebron schoolchildren


Source: Al-Jazeera


Attacks on Palestinian schoolchildren by Jewish settlers continue in the southern West Bank.


On Saturday, messianic settlers affiliated with the Gush Emunim movement (block of faithful) from the small colony of Maon south of Hebron assaulted Palestinian children with stones twice, injuring four children.


One child suffered a head injury, according to Palestinian sources.


The settlers attacked children first in the morning when they went to school and again in the afternoon as they returned home.


The Israeli security forces did not arrest any of the attackers.


Settler strategy


The settlers, whose ultimate goal is to coerce Palestinian villagers to abandon their land, have in recent days escalated their attacks on Palestinians, especially the inhabitants of the small village of Tuwani.


Last week, children from the neighbouring village of Tuba were attacked by settlers on their way back from school.


The children waited at least three hours for an Israeli army escort as settlers blocked the road.


None of the settlers was arrested.


"They (the settlers) were carrying stones, clubs and some sharp objects. They behaved in a way suggesting that they would want to slaughter the children. These people are really sick," said Ahmed Hasan, the father of one of the stranded children.


In Hebron, Jewish settlers have been attacking Palestinian schoolchildren, especially in the vicinity of a Jewish settler building on the western edge of the old town, known as Dabboya.


Volunteers attacked


A fortnight ago, 15 settlers attacked the Cordoba (Cordova) Girls school. Students of the school are normally escorted by foreign peace volunteers.


According to two volunteers - Karin Laier from Germany and Tore Ottsen from Norway - the settlers threw stones at the girls and the volunteers. Laier and Ottsen were hit.


Three other peace activists working with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) were attacked by the same group of settlers. A 79-year-old activist was among those assaulted.


On April 1, settlers assaulted and seriously injured Silvana Hogg, a Swiss activist.


According to the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, which sends international volunteers to accompany Palestinian schoolchildren to and from school, the latest incidents are part of a wave of settler attacks in the region around Hebron.


The Israeli occupation army said it is doing everything it can to maintain law and order.


"The armed forces do everything they could to maintain the peace. However, settler behaviours and possible attacks on Palestinians and foreigners are for the police to deal with," a local Israeli civil administration official to Al Jazeera.net.


Israeli inaction


Arif al Jabari, the governor of Hebron, accused the army of "effectively conspiring with the settlers against the Palestinians".


"You see this city has an Arab population of 182,000 Arabs and some 450 fanatic Jewish settlers. The Israeli army, which deploys hundreds if not thousands of troops here, knows very well what the settlers are doing but does next to nothing to stop them.


"And when the victims go to the Israeli police to complain, they are told to produce miraculous evidence that would indict the settlers, like the name of the settlers involved in the attacks, their ID numbers."


Settler leaders in Hebron declined to be interviewed for this report.

<b>Moshiach: The Messiah </b>


<b>The Messianic Idea in Judaism</b>


Belief in the eventual coming of the moshiach is a basic and fundamental part of traditional Judaism. It is part of *Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith, the minimum requirements of Jewish belief. In the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, recited three times daily, we pray for all of the elements of the coming of the moshiach: ingathering of the exiles; restoration of the religious courts of justice; an end of wickedness, sin and heresy; reward to the righteous; rebuilding of Jerusalem; restoration of the line of King David; and restoration of Temple service.


Modern scholars suggest that the messianic concept was introduced later in the history of Judaism, during the age of the prophets. They note that the messianic concept is not mentioned anywhere in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible).


However, traditional Judaism maintains that the messianic idea has always been a part of Judaism. The moshiach is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, because the Torah was written in terms that all people could understand, and the abstract concept of a distant, spiritual, future reward was beyond the comprehension of some people. However, the Torah contains several references to "the End of Days" (achareet ha-yameem), which is the time of the moshiach; thus, the concept of moshiach was known in the most ancient times.


The term "moshiach" literally means "the anointed one," and refers to the ancient practice of anointing kings with oil when they took the throne. The moshiach is the one who will be anointed as king in the End of Days.


The word "moshiach" does not mean "savior." The notion of an innocent, divine or semi-divine being who will sacrifice himself to save us from the consequences of our own sins is a purely Christian concept that has no basis in Jewish thought. Unfortunately, this Christian concept has become so deeply ingrained in the English word "messiah" that this English word can no longer be used to refer to the Jewish concept. The word "moshiach" will be used throughout this page.


<b>The Moshiach</b>


The moshiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The moshiach is often referred to as "moshiach ben David" (moshiach, son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments. (Isaiah 11:2-5) He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being.


It has been said that in every generation, a person is born with the potential to be the moshiach. If the time is right for the messianic age within that person's lifetime, then that person will be the moshiach. But if that person dies before he completes the mission of the moshiach, then that person is not the moshiach.


<b>When Will the Moshiach Come?</b>


There are a wide variety of opinions on the subject of when the moshiach will come. Some of Judaism's greatest minds have cursed those who try to predict the time of the moshiach's coming, because errors in such predictions could cause people to lose faith in the messianic idea or in Judaism itself. This actually happened in the 17th century, when Shabbatai Tzvi claimed to be the moshiach. When Tzvi converted to Islam under threat of death, many Jews converted with him. Nevertheless, this prohibition has not stopped anyone from speculating about the time when the moshiach will come.


Although some scholars believed that G-d has set aside a specific date for the coming of the moshiach, most authority suggests that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the moshiach's coming. In general, it is believed that the moshiach will come in a time when he is most needed (because the world is so sinful), or in a time when he is most deserved (because the world is so good). For example, each of the following has been suggested as the time when the moshiach will come:


if Israel repented a single day;


if Israel observed a single Shabbat properly;


if Israel observed two Shabbats in a row properly;


in a generation that is totally innocent or totally guilty;


in a generation that loses hope;


in a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents and elders;


What Will the Moshiach Do?


Before the time of the moshiach, there shall be war and suffering (Ezekiel 38:16)


The moshiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing us back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5). He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1). He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18). He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15).


<b>Olam Ha-Ba: The Messianic Age</b>


The world after the messiah comes is often referred to in Jewish literature as Olam Ha-Ba (oh-LAHM hah-BAH), the World to Come. This term can cause some confusion, because it is also used to refer to a spiritual afterlife. In English, we commonly use the term "messianic age" to refer specifically to the time of the messiah.


Olam Ha-Ba will be characterized by the peaceful co-existence of all people. (Isaiah 2:4) Hatred, intolerance and war will cease to exist. Some authorities suggest that the laws of nature will change, so that predatory beasts will no longer seek prey and agriculture will bring forth supernatural abundance (Isaiah 11:6-11:9). Others, however, say that these statements are merely an allegory for peace and prosperity.


All of the Jewish people will return from their exile among the nations to their home in Israel (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5). The law of the Jubilee will be reinstated.


In the Olam Ha-Ba, the whole world will recognize the Jewish G-d as the only true G-d, and the Jewish religion as the only true religion (Isaiah 2:3; 11:10; Micah 4:2-3; Zechariah 14:9). There will be no murder, robbery, competition or jealousy. There will be no sin (Zephaniah 3:13). Sacrifices will continue to be brought in the Temple, but these will be limited to thanksgiving offerings, because there will be no further need for expiatory offerings.


<b>What About Jesus? </b>


Jews do not believe that Jesus was the moshiach. Assuming that he existed, and assuming that the Christian scriptures are accurate in describing him (both matters that are debatable), he simply did not fulfill the mission of the moshiach as it is described in the biblical passages cited above. Jesus did not do any of the things that the scriptures said the messiah would do.


On the contrary, another Jew born about a century later came far closer to fulfilling the messianic ideal than Jesus did. His name was Shimeon ben Kosiba, known as Bar Kochba (son of a star), and he was a charismatic, brilliant, but brutal warlord. Rabbi Akiba, one of the greatest scholars in Jewish history, believed that Bar Kochba was the moshiach. Bar Kochba fought a war against the Roman Empire, catching the Tenth Legion by surprise and retaking Jerusalem. He resumed sacrifices at the site of the Temple and made plans to rebuild the Temple. He established a provisional government and began to issue coins in its name. This is what the Jewish people were looking for in a moshiach; Jesus clearly does not fit into this mold. Ultimately, however, the Roman Empire crushed his revolt and killed Bar Kochba. After his death, all acknowledged that he was not the moshiach.


Throughout Jewish history, there have been many people who have claimed to be the moshiach, or whose followers have claimed that they were the moshiach: Shimeon Bar Kochba, Shabbatai Tzvi, Jesus, and many others too numerous to name. Leo Rosten reports some very entertaining accounts under the heading False Messiahs in his book, The Joys of Yiddish. But all of these people died without fulfilling the mission of the moshiach; therefore, none of them were the moshiach. The moshiach and the Olam Ha-Ba lie in the future, not in the past.


<b>Biblical Passages Referring to the Moshiach</b>


The following passages in the Jewish scriptures are the ones that Jews consider to be messianic in nature or relating to the end of days. These are the ones that we rely upon in developing our messianic concept:


Isaiah 2, 11, 42; 59:20


Jeremiah 23, 30, 33; 48:47; 49:39


Ezekiel 38:16


Hosea 3:4-3:5


Micah 4


Zephaniah 3:9


Zechariah 14:9


Daniel 10:14


*Rambam


Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, a medieval Jewish scholar. Also known as Maimonides


http://www.jewfaq.org/moshiach.htm

CABBIE RETURNS $2,085 TO PASSENGER


Kron 4, 5/4/06


http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=...9&nav=5D7l


ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Temptation wasn't a factor for a cab driver in Atlantic City when a


passenger left nearly 21-hundred dollars in 100-dollar bills in the back seat.


When the cabbie (Abdelmegid Emam) spotted the cash, he alerted his company and the doorman at


the Atlantic City Hilton yesterday.


It didn't take long for his fares to come running back from the city's Convention Center.


Bill Jesse of Dallas, Pennsylvania, handed the cabbie a 100-dollar bill.


The cab driver tells The Press of Atlantic City he is a Muslim and his faith forbids him to take


something that does not belong to him.


The Egyptian native says he has five kids and wants to raise them right.