Look At The World Around You…

Look at the world around you… Can’t you see so many tangible things and elements that are rather created? The existence of painting implies the existence of the painter, the existence of chair and table implies the existence of furniture factory, the existence of sculpture implies the existence of sculptor and so on. In fact, they are all made by the human hands. Then question arises. What about the human being and this universe particularly the world that we see before us? Look at the world around you..Don’t you think that all these are also subjected to the same principle..Don’t you think that the mountain, the cloud, the animal kingdom, the fountain and even men themselves are subjected to the same principle? I mean they are rather created by a Sole Creator and not existed by chance. It is worth to quote what one famous Turkish scholar has to say about this. He was quoted as saying:

“Every village must have its headman; every needle must have its manufacturer and craftsmen. And, as you know, every letter must be written by someone. How then, can it be that so extremely well-ordered a kingdom should have no ruler?”

MasyaAllah..Isn’t it true!. I know some would be sceptical, but don’t you think that there is a Prime Mover or some would say a Primum Mobile behind these. Don’t you agree? If you look at this world and the creations which possess a very detailed, precise and perfect characteristic, I know you would definitely agree with me..For instance, a slight distance from the sun would make the planet’s temperature different than those with a far distance from the sun. Same thing applies to the rule of gravity. Even if you look at the tiny little creature like ant, you would see how complex is the creation has been made into existence. It may be argued that, it’s all started with the Big Bang Theory or some would say the evolution theory.
Nonetheless, even if you look at these premises, don’t you think that in order for the Big Bang to take place and burst apart and spread to what is known as the universe, it needs some sort of “energy” to do so? Actually, where the energy came from?. As Dr. Brown puts it, let say that the Big Bang happened... well, a firecracker explodes, but who sets it off? With regard to the evolution theory, even if it happened, we know that it is a complex thing and definitely it cannot be initiated by a normal force. As for Muslim, we know that we are not evolving ourselves from monkey or ape, rather we originated from the very first man which is prophet Adam peace be upon him.
As stated in the Qur’an :

12. Man we did create from a quintessence (of clay);
13. Then we placed Him As (A drop of) sperm In a place of rest, firmly fixed;
14. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot we made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. so Blessed be Allah, the best to create!

Qur'an 23:12-14
AllahuA'lam (Allah knows Best)

Images :Google images & Pixdaus.com

Europe's First Hijab-Clad Lawmaker

Making history as Europe's first ever hijab-clad lawmaker, Belgian MP Mahinur Ozdemir hopes to shatter some of the misperceptions about the Muslim head cover.

"Underneath this veil there is a personality,"

Ozdemir told euronews on Wednesday, June 24.
She is the first and only lawmaker across Europe who dons the Muslim headscarf.
The swearing in ceremony was attended by MPs and members of the Muslim community who cheered her election as a step forward for the minority.Ozdemir wants to be recognized for her achievements and not her headwear.
Mahinur Ozdemir, a 26-year-old political science graduate was sworn in as a member of parliament in Brussels for the Humanist Democratic Centre, formerly the Francophone Christian Democrat party – wearing a Muslim headscarf, Belgian and Turkish media reported.
An attempt by the Liberal Party to introduce an amendment banning the wearing of religious symbols in parliament failed.

"Unfortunately, I have been reduced to nothing more than this scarf, and frankly it is hard to remove yourself from it," media reports quoted Ozdemir, who is of Turkish descent, as saying.

"Underneath this veil there is a personality, there is someone who is engaged, who wants things to change, who wants to move forward and execute lots of projects for the people of Brussels."

She said she intended continuing to wear the headscarf during her term in parliament.

Expatica.com said that in Antwerp, the wearing of headscarves and other religious symbols would be banned from the new term beginning in September 2009.

In France, which has seen continuing controversy about the wearing of headscarves – forbidden by the ban on religious symbols in schools – president Nicolas Sarkozy took a strong line on June 22, saying that the burqa was not a religious symbol but a "symbol of servitude and humiliation".Sarkozy told the national assembly that the burqa was not welcome on French soil.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Firstly, I wish all the best for Miss Mahinur Ozdemir. InsyaAllah, Muslims all over the world will pray for your success as you are the ambassador Of Islam as I see it..Secondly,for your information, regarding the Burqa ,it is not only controversial in France, but it's also happening in several countries as put by Times database :
— In France a law was passed in 2004 banning pupils from wearing "conspicuous" religious symbols at state schools, a move widely interpreted as aimed at the Muslim headscarf

— In Turkey where 99 per cent of the population is Muslim, all forms of Muslim headscarf have been banned in universities for decades under the secular government. In June 2008 the country's Consitutional Court overruled government attempts to lift the ban, prompting protests

— In Britain guidelines say that the full Islamic veil should not be worn in courts, but the final decision is up to judges. Schools may forge their own dress codes and in 2006, courts upheld the suspension of Aishah Azmi, a Muslim teaching assistant who refused to remove her veil in class

— German states have the option of choosing to ban teachers and other government employees from wearing Muslim headscarves; four have done so

—The Italian parliament in July 2005 approved anti-terrorist laws that make hiding one's features from the public — including through wearing the burla — an offence

— Tunisia, a Muslim country, has banned Islamic headscarves in public places since 1981. In 2006 authorities began a campaign against the headscarves and began strictly enforcing the ban

— The Dutch Government said in 2007 that it was drawing up legislation to ban burkas, but it was defeated in elections in November and the new centrist coalition said it had no plans to implement a ban

Nevertheless,it is to be noted that, In Islam,Hijab is not an oppression and with regard to Burqa, As far as I am concerned, it is not a compulsory thing to be practised..AllahuA'lam(Allah knows best)

Source :Islamonline.Net & http://sofiaecho.com/2009/06/24/742994_headscarf-wearing-belgian-mp-sworn-in

Napoleon : Once Leading A Fast Life but Then, What Triggered Him To Put A Break On It??

“I remember when I used to go to sleep at night by myself, I used to feel very depressed, how come I am not happy? I have money, I have houses, I have cars,…”

-Napoleon from the Outlawz-

“I would truly belief that if you don’t know why you’re created and you don’t know your Creator, you cannot be happy”

-Napoleon from theOutlawz-

Be a Basket Case…..

An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Qur’an.

His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day, the grandson asked, “Papa, I tried to read the Qur’an just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the Book. What good does reading the Qur’an do? ”

The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, “See Papa, it’s useless!”
“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

“Son, that’s what happens when you read the Qur’an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives.”

Image:http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/87629/1/Boy-With-A-Basket-C.-1745.jpg
Credit- for those who deserve it.

1 Litre Of Tears

A simple sentence yet it made me ponder and wonder as I see it from a different angle. What is so important about tears by the way???
Actually, this is a title for one of the Japanese series that my friend ‘forced’ me to watch =). Yup, ‘forced’. Anyway, for your info, I have many friends who are so crazy about Japanese series. ‘Thanks’ to them!!I’ve finished the series because they have influenced me a lot..Really, I couldn’t believe it! (It is totally not me to spend countless hours just to finish 1 series after another just like my friends do because I assume there are more beneficial things to do than watching Japanese series or whatever series you have!!)...In fact, I have this Turkish friend of mine who is so crazy about Japanese to the extent that he keeps looking for Japanese speaking person wherever he goes!.I don’t mind though because he seems to enjoy it =)..Yet, don’t misunderstand me. I do like Japanese people but not so crazy like my friends =)...Anyway, finish for that part…
A bit about the series, it’s all about a family relationship that stand firm & strong despite the fact that one of the family members is suffering from an incurable disease. Really, the disease is extremely complex and frightening.. In fact, it is based on a true story. I guess, that’s the reason why I watched it...Don’t ask me further about the series. I won’t tell you anything about it, but honestly, the series are extremely sad. .As my friend told me, if you don’t cry after watching it, there is a high possibility that there is something wrong with you! me??ohh noo..Please don’t ask! =) The thing that really caught my attention is the title itself...Yes, the title.. I want to relate the series with me, myself and you, yourself probably. Throughout the series, there are thousands of crying scenes. Yes, if not, they won’t make the title as one litre of tears right? However, it suddenly made me realize over something that I haven’t done enough. Something that is always missing yet I never try to treasure it. I asked myself, how much I have cried for Allah and how much I have cried for His creations? I mean, how much I have been crying because of fear of Allah and how much I have been crying for the sake of man,woman, or even for an animal?.
Astaghfirullah..O Allah,how sinful I am for not being a grateful servant to You..Yes, as Muslim and as human being, definitely we do cry a lot in times of sadness and grief. It is definitely a normal thing. However, sometimes maybe we have to think and deliberate again. Is it really worth to cry for trivial matters than to cry for our Lord? Is it really worth it? Worse, what if we don’t cry at all or never cry whenever we face our Creator? Don’t you think that it is a sign of something? Don’t you think that it indicates something? I still remember a friend used to send me a text message that struck deep inside me the moment I read it. It says that

“Whenever eyes are dry from tears because of fear of Allah, it is indeed the dryness indicates that the heart has turned to be hard and solid. Whereas, the heart which is very far from Allah is the one which is hard in its nature”.

I stumbled upon reading the message. I felt like everything had been motionless for a while... Ya Allah, what have I done all these while??Please forgive me Ya Allah…Truly, I haven’t done enough to seek your pleasure Ya Allah..Please do not make my eyes dry from tears of your remembrance my Lord..Now, I keep asking myself, has my tears reached to that level of one litre of tears?If it is more and ‘flowing like a river’ ,Alhamdulliah, but what if it doesn’t even reach to that level??What if it doesn’t come out at all my dear brothers and sisters.??Na’uzubillah….Ya Allah, please forgive me Ya Allah.

image:http://pixdaus.com

Word of the day-U-N-I-T-Y-

It’s all started with a BIG HUGE delay by the organizer which I definitely dislike it, yet I don’t think I want to miss this great opportunity to meet this young multi talented Australian Muslim which I knew from the magazine and internet a long time ago. Alhamdulillah, I managed to stay despite a tormenting waiting. The person that I’m referring to is Dr. Waleed Aly,the Board member of the Islamic Council of Victoria and also a lecturer at the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University Australia. An Australian citizen yet traces his origin back to Egypt. The topic that was given to him was “Bridging the Gap: Managing Cross Cultural Diversity”. A topic which I think extremely relevant in today’s world. Without any delay, he started his speech by pointing out that diversity is indeed an inevitable fact. Something that I couldn’t help myself, but to agree most. He then stressed that, though cliché, it is vividly true that our world has turned into a global village. It is basically a shrinking world. You like it or not, we are living in this world in a much diversified culture. You need not to go far but just look at the early Islamic history. For instance, the Umayyad Caliphate which has been ruling such a heterogeneous and multicultural regions yet they did not neglect or sideline the minorities. This is actually what the modern should have. Yes, PEACEFUL COEXISTENT!!.
He added, it basically exemplifies the idea of multiculturalism in which it says that the way a diverse country should be governed is to allow people to retain their cultural background and not to discriminate them. This basically gives them the opportunity to retain how they are. In fact, the early Muslims never tried to wipe out their identities. Meaning that, they never put aside their affiliation with their places of origin despite having embracing Islam. Just look at Al Qurtubhi, and Salman al Farisy which epitomized such idea. Even among the Muslim themselves, diversities are also being eliminated. He gave an example: a girl with a name of Rachel embraces Islam. Not so long after this, the people around her keep insisting that she had to use Ruqayyah as her name now. When the girl told her mum that I am Ruqayyah now. Her mum responded “What the heck is that thing??? I had given you such a beautiful name my dear!.Then question arises, is it really right to do that? Ask ourselves… Finally, I did say something during the Q&A session. It was sort of complimenting and expressing my disappointment I guess!(I think it was quite obvious then).I congratulated him and also the SALAM CAFÉ crew for having done such a great job in trying to reach out their fellow Aussies( Google the web if you want to know more). I even stated in front of all audience that I feel extremely sad that though we are living in a majority Muslims country, we never try to reach out our non Muslim fellows. We do have the means (the media esp.), but we never try to do something. What more to clear the misconceptions that fogging their heads. I guess all of you agree with me. right?. It’s hard to say, but it is the truth. Yes, we can achieve unity through diversity, but the question is, what have we done so far to achieve this target?. Only we ourselves know what we have done so far to create a better world to live .So, what are you waiting for my dear brothers &sisters?


Note: Salam Café is basically a talk show broadcasted on the national television in Australia. I don’t know their current position though. One thing that mesmerized me a lot is, their effort to bridge the gap between the Muslim and non Muslims of Australia. In fact, They have done such a great and tremendous job. You may try to watch one of the episodes here
What about Malaysia? Freaky Ghost Story??

An inspiring story from Dr Jerald F. Dirks(Abu Yahya)-A former Minister(deacon) of the United Methodist Church.

“There is some irony in the fact that the supposedly best, brightest and most idealistic of ministers to-be are selected for the very best of seminary education, e.g. that offered at that time at Harvard Divinity School. The irony is that, given such an education, the seminarian is exposed to…much…historical truth…As such, it is no real wonder that almost a majority of such seminary graduates leave seminary, not to “fill pulpits”, where they would be asked to preach that which they know is not true, but to enter the various counseling professions. Such was also the case for me, as I went on to earn a master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology”
"There is some irony in the fact that the supposedly best, brightest, and most idealistic of ministers-to-be are selected for the very best of seminary education

-Dr Jerald F.Dirks-
PART 1:

PART 2

Of Images, Artistry and We

19. Do They not observe the birds above them, spreading their wings and folding them in? None can uphold them except ((Allah)) Most gracious: truly ((Allah)) Most gracious: truly it is He that watches over all things. (Qur'an 67:19)

I always have this impression that images can give a profound impact and influence on one’s life. At least, how that particular individual looks at the very surrounding or milieu that he or she is living in. Indeed, a picture speaks a thousand words. Try to show a picture that you find fascinating, appealing and absorbing to you friend, and listen to his or her interpretation. It might be that he/she interprets that picture in a common ground as yours or it is also possible that, he/she might have a total reverse of interpretation from yours! That is why we say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder! People look at things differently.
A picture like this may tell you that:
1) I’m a British and I’m also a Muslim.
2) I love my country so much!!
3) Hijab is my right !
4) Is it true that I'm oppressed?
5) The list goes on….

Personally, I don’t consider myself as an artistic person or what. Yet, I would say that I am a person who appreciates art (I guess!! ). I remember having seen this image in a mini exhibition that I used to go long time ago. The image portrayed a niqabi(a veiled women) which happened to be a beautician and is busy preparing her client(a model) which is the total opposite of how she dresses. You know what I mean. Yes, I do have my own interpretation of such image, but it is not important here. The most important thing which I am trying to say is, you may deduce thousands of interpretations only with a simple yet striking image. It ignites your senses. It can tickle your heart; make you burst into tears, tranquil your heart, soothe you when you feel distressed and in deep sorrow and many others. Isn’t it great? The facts that the world we are living in is filled with many implicit elements require us to reflect them. Not to look at those images with a mere look, rather to look them from your third “eyes”. Meaning to say, if you want to look at something, it should come from the bottom of your heart. From your sixth sense I guess?? .Only then you would be able to reflect them.

Just look at how Allah has created His creations. Its all varied in terms of colors, shapes, looks, size and many other attributes-so that we human being may reflect why they are so. Don’t you think life would be dull if Allah created this world colourless (even black and white is color right?).It must be hard to imagine living in such world.!!That is why, Allah asks us to look at His artistic creations and reflect them. Indeed, there is wisdom behind it. The ‘images’ or ‘paintings’ that He has used to portray this very world is actually a signal that He wants to send a message to us. Whatever those messages are, only those who really reflect would understand them. My point here is that, why don’t we use the same methodology? It doesn’t matter what message that you want to send-be it message of humanity, world peace, environmental awareness and definitely for Muslim, truly there are lots of advantages of using images to portray the real picture and nature of Islam. Maybe people like Peter Sanders can be your role model I guess?.InsyaAllah, if we are really sincere in conveying the message, Allah will make it easy for us to do our part..
Allahu’Allam (Allah knows best)