http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html1/jan.htm

“How can man, alienated from himself, bewitched by money, power, the machine, shirk, illusion, class, race, tyranny, the institutions governing life – how can man, turned into a wolf or fox, a mouse or a sheep, alienated from this world and the next, man who has ceased being man in every respect, who has become a stranger to himself – how can he rediscover himself, how can he return to his primordial and essential being, and become himself once again?


My answer is simple: by means of tawhid. But Tawhid understood as a concept of infinite scope, heavily laden with meanings and wonders, a word as weighty, rich and substantial as the entirety of existence. Mere words are, in fact, incapable of sustaining the weight of Tawhid, and the tongue is too lowly to express it without rendering it deficient, superficial and poor.


It may be precisely for this reason that the tongue of revelation, being obliged to use human vocabulary, has preferred to express Tawhid by means of a series of movements, not by means of words – Tawhid with all of its basic concepts, each one of which has in turn hundreds of different manifestations, Tawhid the rays of which shine on every feeling and sensation. Each of those movements is a symbol, a symbol that has far greater capacity than mere speech for conveying meaning and emotion, and for giving inspiration to man’s senses and perception.


Thus it is that Tawhid becomes objectively manifest, on a single great natural stage, provided by mountains, valleys, and plains, in the most simple and majestic form, by means of orderly, coherent movements that are bound up with time itself. It manifests itself in all four of its dimensions – worldview, history, sociology, anthropology – as ideological superstructure and ultimate goal of existence and purpose of man’s being. In order to understand tawhid, the pupil must experience it with all of his spirit and body, he must feel it in his thoughts and his feelings, his skin and his flesh.


Where does this take place? On the Hajj!”


(From: "The Hajj", by Dr. Ali Shari'ati)

Contradictions, improbabilities and incompatibilities one finds in the Old and New Testament with modern scientific data may be easily prove that these two books cannot be the Divine message. Jews and Christians are nevertheless very surprised when they realize this, so great have been the continuous and far-reaching efforts made until now by many official commentators to camouflage the very obvious results of modern studies, under cunning dialectical acrobatics orchestrated by apologetic lyricism. A case in point are the genealogies of Jesus given in Matthew and Luke, which were contradictory and scientifically unacceptable. John's Gospel has very important differences between it and the other three Gospels, especially with regard to the fact that his Gospel does not describe the institution of the Eucharist: this is not generally known.


The Qur'anic Revelation has a history which is fundamentally different from the other two. It spanned a period of some twenty years and, as soon as it was transmitted to Muhammad by Archangel Gabriel, Believers learned it by heart. It. was also written down during Muhammad's life. The last recensions of the Qur'an were effected under Caliph Uthman starting some twelve years after the Prophet's death and finishing twenty-four years after it. They had the advantage of being checked by people who already knew the text by heart, for they had learned it at the time of the Revelation itself and had subsequently recited it constantly. Since then, we know that the text has been scrupulously preserved. It does not give rise to any problems of authenticity.


The Qur'an follows on from the two Revelations that preceded it and is not only free from contradictions in its narrations, the sign of the various human manipulations to be found in the Gospels, but provides a quality all of its own for those who examine it objectively and in the light of science i.e. its complete agreement with modern scientific data. What is more, statements are to be found in it (as has been shown) that are connected with science: and yet it is unthinkable that a man of Muhammad's time could have been the author of them. Modern scientific knowledge therefore allows us to understand certain verses of the Qur'an which, until now, it has been impossible to interpret.


The comparison of several Biblical and Qur'anic narrations of the same subject shows the existence of fundamental differences between statements in the former, which are scientifically unacceptable, and declarations in the latter which are in perfect agreement with modern data: this was the case of the Creation and the Flood, for example. An extremely important complement to the Bible was found in the text of the Qur'an on the subject of the history of the Exodus, where the two texts were very much in agreement with archaeological findings, in the dating of the time of Moses. Besides, there are major differences between the Qur'an and the Bible on the other subjects: they serve to disprove all that has been maintained-without a scrap of evidence-concerning the allegation that Muhammad is supposed to have copied the Bible to produce the text of the Qur'an.


In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad's day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements In the Qur'an which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is, moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Qur'an as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.

Late December, within a few hours over 150,000 lives were lost. Natives from 11 different African and Asian countries died. They were Muslims (mostly), Hindus, Buddhists and Christians alike. In addition Jewish, Agnostic, Atheists and Christian tourists from the West, also died. Infants died. The fits and youthful died. The old and the infirm died. The water took, males, females, black, white and brown skinned people alike. The disaster affected millions of people and was indiscriminate in its violence.


“Five of the Believers are regarded as martyrs; they’re those who die because of plague, abdominal disease, drowning or falling building etc. – and the martyrs in Allah’s cause” – Al-Bukhari.


The disaster could be a reminder to the Atheists and Agnostics – as this incident in the past relates to. Imam J’afar Al-Sadiq once addressed a staunch Atheist saying: “Have you ever traveled on the sea?”


“Yes,” he replied.


“Have you experienced its terrors?” Asked Imam.


“Yes, indeed! One day while we were out at sea, a terrible hurricane blew up and smashed our ship. Several sailors perished. I clung to a rafter and the ship but soon it was snatched away. I was thrown about in the stormy sea but was eventually tossed up on the shore,” the man replied.


“When the storm broke,” the Imam commented, “perhaps you first relied on the ship and the sailors for your safety and then on the rafter which saved you for a while – but when all these went, did you resign yourself to death or did you still hope of safety?”


“I hoped for safety,” the Atheist answered.


“On whom did you hope for safety?” Asked the Imam.


The man did not respond this time. Then the Imam said: “The Creator is the one on whom you placed your hopes at that time; and He is the one who delivered you from drowning.”


After this conversation the Atheist was no longer an Atheist.

BE PATIENT


This is a true story which happened in the States.


A man came out of his home to admire his new truck.


To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck.


The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment.


When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands.


When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, " Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?"


The father went home & committed suicide.


Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't.


Too often we fail to recognise the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.


People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.


Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient. Forgive & forget. Love one and all.

Assalamu aleikum,


Just some reminders...


From Bukhari


Volume 7, Book 68, Number 454:


Narrated Anas bin Malik:


The Prophet said, "Whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, he just slaughtered it for himself, and whoever slaughtered it after the prayer, he slaughtered it at the right time and followed the tradition of the Muslims."


Volume 7, Book 68, Number 459:


Narrated Nafi':


'Abdullah (bin 'Umar) used to slaughter his sacrifice at the slaughtering place (i.e the slaughtering place of the Prophet ) . Ibn 'Umar said, "Allah's Apostle used to slaughter (camels and sheep, etc.,) as sacrifices at the Musalla."


Volume 7, Book 68, Number 465:


Narrated Anas:


The Prophet slaughtered two rams, black and white in color (as sacrifices), and I saw him putting his foot on their sides and mentioning Allah's Name and Takbir (Allahu Akbar). Then he slaughtered them with his own hands.


Volume 7, Book 68, Number 476:


Narrated Salama bin Al-Aqua':


The Prophet said, "Whoever has slaughtered a sacrifice should not keep anything of Its meat after three days." When it was the next year the people said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we do as we did last year?" He said, ' Eat of it and feed of it to others and store of it for in that year the people were having a hard time and I wanted you to help (the needy)."


Volume 7, Book 68, Number 478:


Narrated Abu 'Ubaid:


the freed slave of Ibn Azhar that he witnessed the Day of 'Id-al-Adha with 'Umar bin Al-Khattab. 'Umar offered the 'Id prayer before the sermon and then delivered the sermon before the people, saying, "O people! Allah's Apostle has forbidden you to fast (on the first day of) each of these two 'Ida, for one of them is the Day of breaking your fast, and the other is the one, on which you eat the meat of your sacrifices."

Did you know that humanitarian aid is normally proffered with strict requirements? For example, oftentimes a donor country will insist that up to 90% of the aid-package be provided by corporations from their own country. This means that the generosity of taxpayers is no more than a subsidy for big business.


However, this GOLDEN RULE doesn’t apply, when it comes to Zionist Israel. It receives between 6-14 billion dollars without any such ‘strings attached’. According to some independent foreign-aid experts, since 1950s, Israel has sucked over US$3 trillion from the US tax-payers – That’s not a small feat from the Israelis!


http://www.smirkingchimp.com/print.php?sid=19435

The book "Israel and the Sudanese liberation movement", written by ex-Mossad officer Colonel Moshe Fergie describes Israeli activities behind the success that the separatist movement in south Sudan achieved by transforming into a partner in rule in Khartoum. This movement and from its start was tool of Zionist Israel, which used it to achieve a long term strategic goal which was - weakening Egypt and threatening it from it's back. In the frames of such strategy mossad agents opened connections with such minorities, and in whose front line there are the Kurds in Iraq, Maronites in Lebanon and Southerners in Sudan.


The Sudanese front was the most important for many reasons most importantly it forms a backing and strategic deepness to Egypt which is the biggest Muslim country in the Middle East. In accordance to the Israeli military ideology Egypt represents the number one and most dangerous enemy in the area. For this reason the concentration on Egypt was extremely powerful.


The book explained in amazing detail all what Israel did to achieve its goal of weakening Egypt and threatening it from it's back, and how it spread in the heart of Africa (in the time from the year 1956 to 1977 Israel made relations with 32 African countries) to surround Sudan and break through it's south, then how it picked through the leaders of the separatist movement and tested John Garange, then prepared him and backed him militarily so that he challenges the government in Khartoum and impose himself on it, that in addition to pressuring Egypt.


Israeli's concentration on Sudan was part of it's strategy towards Sudan’s huge oil resources and an outlet through Red Sea. The writer pointed out how this project was started in the late 1950s. He also mentions how Israel sent its most active diplomats, experts and advisors connected with Mossad to Africa to find where Israel can place its footsteps to enter south Sudan, through Ethiopia and Congo (Zaire previously) then Uganda and Kenya. Ahron za'eer one of Mossad's most important men and the former chief of the defense forces, played the most important role in this containment policy, through sending more than 5000 experts and advisors in agriculture and building and construction in addition to military advisors, to train and organize and arm the armies of the countries surrounding Sudan.

No doubt that boycotting Israeli and American products is a religious obligation as well as a necessary human procedure to repel the aggressors, and it is a basic form of Jihad (i.e. economic Jihad). But it should never be viewed as an end, but a means to an end. To make it effective, we need to study all its economic aspects. We need to find answers to the following questions: Do we really need to apply this method? Will boycott have any impact on the Jewish State and the US for them to change their policy as regards the Palestinian issue?


If we say yes to the above questions, we need to know how to orientate people towards the intended policy in order to attract active and positive reactions from individuals as well groups.


It stands to reason that boycotting Israeli and American products have a very negative effect on the economy of the enemy just as it will help in pushing forward the wheel of national economy, even on the long run.


Dealing with the issue in detail, Dr. Hussein Shihata, Professor of Islamic economy at the Faculty of Commerce, Al-Azhar University, states the following:


First of all, I’d like to stress the fact that economic boycott is a religious obligation. It is a form of sincere obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Muslim jurists have also agreed that it is a necessity. Every Muslim, who really believes in Allah and His Messenger, should believe -in the depth of his heart- that the boycott is an act of worship or `Ibadah dedicated to Almighty Allah. This form of `Ibadah is not a binding formal decision issued by a statesman or a ruler, although the rulers and the subjects should cooperate to make the boycott much more effective.


If it happens that those at the helm oppose the boycott for a certain unknown reason, then this is not a pretext to abnegate Muslims from the responsibility of boycotting the enemy’s products.


I would like to state here that peoples have successfully taken an active role in boycotting the enemy’s products, even in the face of the opposition staged by their rulers. We cannot ignore the fact that individual Muslims, not rulers, are directly involved in boycotting the enemy’s products, because the individuals are directly involved in buying and selling. Hence, the Muslim who is eager to buy a certain product should first ask himself whether the commodity he is going to buy is a national commodity, produced in an Arab and Islamic country or not. With this intention, the Muslim will be rewarded.


However, if the Muslim follows his own whims and turned his back to national products, then he is considered a traitor to Allah’s Trust and His Messenger. Above all, such person has committed a serious sin of backing the enemy against his fellow Muslim brothers and their interests.


To call a spade a spade, I'd like to draw our attention to the results already yielded by the boycott, contrary to what some people think. The boycott has brought fruitful results to the extent that the estimated losses of the Jewish State have reached 100 billion US dollars, and the estimated monthly losses are about 460 million US dollars. So many US companies who suffered the nagging woes of the boycott have begun their pressure on the American government to reconsider its hostile policy against Arabs and Muslims.


It is not something strange to see Zionist and American firms rushing to wash their hands off the policy carried out by the States and the Jews in the Middle East, and circulating leaflets with which they deny having link with Zionism.


It is no wonder to see some American and Israeli companies declaring a strategy to finance the Muslim Pilgrimage to Makkah, for Hajj and `Umrah. In addition to that, package of financial aids was provided by these companies to Qur’anic schools in an attempt to attract sympathizers to their side. Not only that, but some of those companies are trying to make bargain with some of the syndicates and NGOs that champion the boycott in order to write off their names from the list of firms that are boycott targets.


In a nutshell, I can say that boycotting the enemy’s products is an effective weapon. It is the responsibility of individuals, peoples, governments as well as the responsibility of the whole Muslim Ummah. It is an individual obligation or Fard `Ayn and peoples have to take the issue seriously because boycotting is done, by and large, purely for Allah’s Sake. Any act a Muslim does solely for Allah’s Sake will be generously rewarded for it.

That Sunday afternoon what he was discussing that day was a document which had been circulating amongst the various members of his church, downloaded off the internet in which was contained an outline for subduing the whole of humanity to a totalitarian system run by Islamic extremists. No doubt, the individual who had brought the document to church that day had originally retrieved it from Worldnetdaily, Drudge, Limbaugh, Hannity or some other intellectual brothel that peddles the whorish agenda of Zionism for the benefit of Israel. As the elderly, conservative Christian man described this document which ran chills up and down his


spine, there wasn’t an ounce of doubt in his mind that it was genuine and that its contents portended the worst for the Christian West. He was visibly frightened at what he had read, as if he had been given the gift of prophecy and could see in a vision the nightmare that awaited him and his fellow Christians in the not too distant future. In this future, as he foresaw it, the Muslims would one day


seize political control of the Western world, come to dominate or at least manipulate its media and legal systems, and afterwards restrict or outlaw the precepts and practicing of the Christian faith.


Calming him down was of no use. Trying to make him understand that the religion of Islam is not inimical to Christianity in its central tenets was an exercise in


futility. Reading to him the treaties signed by Caliph Omar and the Christian leaders in Jerusalem and Damascus, centuries-old treaties which promised the Christians that they would be free to practice their religion without fear fell on deaf ears. Showing him passages of the Quran, wherein Christ is revered as the Messiah and wherein his blessed Mother is regarded as even more holy than even some Christians believe only made him angrier. Even for him, as a Catholic, pointing out the fact that in the Holy Land Muslims and Christians can be found side by side in processions honoring the saints in heaven and Christ’s mother meant nothing. It was of no use, he had made up his mind and didn’t want to be bothered with the details. In his world, Christianity was besieged by an enemy who was


encircling it minute by minute, and threatened by a fanaticism whose victories could be chronicled every day in what had become the constantly progressing destruction of Western Civilization. …….


http://www.themoderntribune.com/through_...f_a_muslim


_by_mark_glenn.htm