srizals@gmail.com
Went outside for a stroll in the midnight rain just now. The roads are gone for tonight. They have been replaced with endless water. We're having an unusual wet season nowadays in the lands of the Malay. Maybe it has to do with the recent supermoon activity. While I was walking, looking for the golden frogs or Rana glandulosa that live side by side with me, I stumbled upon two 'chickens' not more than 10 feet away from me. I thought they were Gallus gallus, but their big glowing eyes gave them away. They are the night top flying predator around my neighbourhood, the owl. They were feasting on a frog. After a while staring at each other in the rain, they flew off, one at a time, with one of them carrying the frog between its claws. I’m not sure whether they were the Malay Eagle Owl or not since it was quite dark and raining. Hope they are. They have light coloured breasts which might indicate their identity. Will try to catch them with my canon after this. They are disappearing from the night sky of the lands of the Malay, since they are no longer the feared predator or ghost here. A few inconsiderate people are eating them up, erasing them from their beloved native surrounding.
I have to think of a way to make them stay. Maybe I should build an owl nest or something. They have been hunting around my house for more than a week now since I started to notice them. Before, there were gentle Large-tailed Nightjars hovering in the night, catching flying insects, entertaining me with their unique call to remind me they are hunting in front of my house. With the owls’ presence, the gentle, slow flying birds are nowhere to be seen. Hope the owls have not devoured them. The Malays called them 'tukang kayu' or carpenter for their weird and unique jarring calls that resembles a carpenter at work.
I also found out that the dead rotting trees around my house were not only eaten by termites but also by weird looking cockroaches. They dwell inside the rotting tree and consumed the decaying wood substance from the inside. Hope they would breed for my Malaysian giant scorpions' sake.
Haven't seen any Boiga around my house anymore. Hopefully these cat eyed snakes are still around to keep the frogs' population in check.
Several confused box tortoise found themselves trapped in my house compound to my children's amusement. Hope there won't be a flood though. Hope the abundant water will wash away all the filth that had accumulated the lands with time and man. How beautiful nature is. How beautiful and wise its Creator that has created such unmatched self-sustaining beauty.
I’ll try to post their pictures tomorrow. Need some sleep. The frogs are singing a beautiful lullaby for me.
http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/plantguides/guide_pdfs/053%20Malaysia%20v1.0.pdf
http://www.naturemalaysia.com/frogs.htm
http://conservationreport.com/2008/12/03/bushmeat-900-oven-ready-owls-seized-in-peninsular-malaysia/
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Jesus' Message
srizals@gmail.com
Do you know about the idea that Jesus talked about himself in the third person in the Bible? This would be very confusing of course, since in the real world, the world of the current and the present, one would not be seen as a worthy friendly conversationalist if he kept on referring himself in the third person when in fact he was obviously referring to himself, which is the first person that is doing the talking. Which would be of course, talking about himself, his dreams and desires, and most importantly, his intended message that he was thinking of communicating. He would of course, wouldn't want to confuse the person or persons that he is or was talking with. That would confuse the ordinary folks he was trying to talk to, especially those that only manage to think at only a layer of thought, never a triple layer of thoughts, recalling our own simple mindedness, of course. It would be very confusing for the easily confused listener or reader. And thus the need to communicate is therefore void itself and totally unnecessary, since the speaker is trying to confuse the listeners of what exactly he is talking about or what the message exactly was.
Confusing? Well, that is what srizals think and still believe in strongly. But srizals unlike everyone else, is living in a secluded and perfect dream world where the good, the bad and the ugly are so intensely intertwined in a nauseating power struggle that one would wonder if the belligerents have any working nerves connecting their dignity, honour and shame sensors. But srizals is getting confused by the day and he better stop referring himself in the third person, since he's starting to sound very strange and absurd.
Well, Muslims are following a sex cult anyway. That is why we don't have any luxurious porn or sex industries and our women wore thick multi-layered clothing system almost like a nun, to protect themselves from the elements, especially from hostile elements that could harm their modesty and especially compromising themselves in a grave physical, actual harm. That is why Muslim men marry women, treat them as mothers of their children, spending their hard earned money to support them and kept them safe from harm, inhuman manipulation and risky sexual diseases. We are ourselves, bad to the bone. That is why we treat our women with such dignity. Criminal and the ignorant speak for themselves.
And yes, we do consider girls that have reached their puberty, as boys, the equals of men and women. Since their bodily function glaringly said so, who are we to defy the natural way of a human being? We don’t want to defy nature and science. It would be very unnatural and totally unscientific to ignore the reality of the human beings that must breed as quickly and as long as possible, healthily, since we do not live that long, around 60 years to be precise, nor have the ability to bear a life in the womb, continuously, without the risk of having early menopause. So, we asked them to behave like adults and we treat them as equal adults, even though they are not seasoned adults. They must not go on as they please while still wearing baby clothing and think they still look cute in such tight, exposing garments. We wouldn't want to attract sexual predators that linger in our midst, looking positively harmless and benign on the outside, positively negative, animal-driven lust, sexual cannibals in the inside that tend to inhumanly manipulate and abuse as many as they can without the burden of being a good father and a modest husband. That is why we have such a harsh punishment for sexual offences, almost like in the Bible, after allowing men to marry women as easily they possibly can, without any difficulties or strict unreal laws, limited up to only four wives, never mistresses or prostitutes.
Adulterers are stoned to death with rocks and stones, so that they are knocked out unconscious quickly enough to embrace death. Virgins are whipped not like slaves, having their complete attire on while being whipped, to live another day. The punisher is not even allowed to raise the rattan higher than his head and opening his armpit to ensure the blow would not cut the skin severely. And the rattan is no bigger than his finger.
That is why we do not execute the verdict unless we have four, yes, four different reliable individuals that testify of witnessing the insertion of the man into the woman. And they must be of pious and righteous men! If they were peeping Toms, they wouldn't be righteous in the first place. That means only the man and woman that had degraded themselves to the level of the Gallus gallus domesticus that mates publicly in public, without any consideration, is highly likely to receive such worldly penalty. Failing to bring four reliable witnesses would meant that the accuser would end up being beaten 80 times with rattan for daring to accuse without appropriate proof.
What choice do we have? We are so obsessed with sex that we have strict laws governing and taxing them lawfully like in some highly civilised nations. We wouldn't want to be over-run by hundreds of thousands of baby corpses and fetuses on yearly basis. It would be a gruesome sight having to see all the torn-up limbs of little humans that resembles much like us in YouTube. That would be totally sick and revolting.
As for what Jesus had said in the Bible,
Mark 12:29
New Living Translation (©2007)
Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.
Mark 12:30
New Living Translation (©2007)
And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'
Now compare what he said in the Koran,
Al-Maidah, 5:116 - 119
After reminding him of these favors, Allah will say: "O Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Marry), Did you ever say to the people, "worship me and my mother as gods beside Allah?" He will answer: "Glory to You! How could I say what I had no right to say? If I had ever said so, you would have certainly known it. You know what is in my heart, but I know not what is in Yours; for You have full knowledge of all the unseen.
I never said anything other than what You commanded me to say, that is to worship Allah, Who is my Rabb (God) and your Rabb (God). I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them; but when You called me off, You were the Watcher over them and You are a Witness to everything.
If You punish them, they surely are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are Mighty, Wise."
Allah will say: "This is the day on which the truthful will profit from their truth; they shall have gardens beneath which rivers flow to live therein forever. Allah is well-pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. This is the mighty achievement."
http://www.alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/5/116/testimony-of-jesus-on-the-day-of-judgement-about-the-christians
Jesus was not a liar. He never was.
Do you know about the idea that Jesus talked about himself in the third person in the Bible? This would be very confusing of course, since in the real world, the world of the current and the present, one would not be seen as a worthy friendly conversationalist if he kept on referring himself in the third person when in fact he was obviously referring to himself, which is the first person that is doing the talking. Which would be of course, talking about himself, his dreams and desires, and most importantly, his intended message that he was thinking of communicating. He would of course, wouldn't want to confuse the person or persons that he is or was talking with. That would confuse the ordinary folks he was trying to talk to, especially those that only manage to think at only a layer of thought, never a triple layer of thoughts, recalling our own simple mindedness, of course. It would be very confusing for the easily confused listener or reader. And thus the need to communicate is therefore void itself and totally unnecessary, since the speaker is trying to confuse the listeners of what exactly he is talking about or what the message exactly was.
Confusing? Well, that is what srizals think and still believe in strongly. But srizals unlike everyone else, is living in a secluded and perfect dream world where the good, the bad and the ugly are so intensely intertwined in a nauseating power struggle that one would wonder if the belligerents have any working nerves connecting their dignity, honour and shame sensors. But srizals is getting confused by the day and he better stop referring himself in the third person, since he's starting to sound very strange and absurd.
Well, Muslims are following a sex cult anyway. That is why we don't have any luxurious porn or sex industries and our women wore thick multi-layered clothing system almost like a nun, to protect themselves from the elements, especially from hostile elements that could harm their modesty and especially compromising themselves in a grave physical, actual harm. That is why Muslim men marry women, treat them as mothers of their children, spending their hard earned money to support them and kept them safe from harm, inhuman manipulation and risky sexual diseases. We are ourselves, bad to the bone. That is why we treat our women with such dignity. Criminal and the ignorant speak for themselves.
And yes, we do consider girls that have reached their puberty, as boys, the equals of men and women. Since their bodily function glaringly said so, who are we to defy the natural way of a human being? We don’t want to defy nature and science. It would be very unnatural and totally unscientific to ignore the reality of the human beings that must breed as quickly and as long as possible, healthily, since we do not live that long, around 60 years to be precise, nor have the ability to bear a life in the womb, continuously, without the risk of having early menopause. So, we asked them to behave like adults and we treat them as equal adults, even though they are not seasoned adults. They must not go on as they please while still wearing baby clothing and think they still look cute in such tight, exposing garments. We wouldn't want to attract sexual predators that linger in our midst, looking positively harmless and benign on the outside, positively negative, animal-driven lust, sexual cannibals in the inside that tend to inhumanly manipulate and abuse as many as they can without the burden of being a good father and a modest husband. That is why we have such a harsh punishment for sexual offences, almost like in the Bible, after allowing men to marry women as easily they possibly can, without any difficulties or strict unreal laws, limited up to only four wives, never mistresses or prostitutes.
Adulterers are stoned to death with rocks and stones, so that they are knocked out unconscious quickly enough to embrace death. Virgins are whipped not like slaves, having their complete attire on while being whipped, to live another day. The punisher is not even allowed to raise the rattan higher than his head and opening his armpit to ensure the blow would not cut the skin severely. And the rattan is no bigger than his finger.
That is why we do not execute the verdict unless we have four, yes, four different reliable individuals that testify of witnessing the insertion of the man into the woman. And they must be of pious and righteous men! If they were peeping Toms, they wouldn't be righteous in the first place. That means only the man and woman that had degraded themselves to the level of the Gallus gallus domesticus that mates publicly in public, without any consideration, is highly likely to receive such worldly penalty. Failing to bring four reliable witnesses would meant that the accuser would end up being beaten 80 times with rattan for daring to accuse without appropriate proof.
What choice do we have? We are so obsessed with sex that we have strict laws governing and taxing them lawfully like in some highly civilised nations. We wouldn't want to be over-run by hundreds of thousands of baby corpses and fetuses on yearly basis. It would be a gruesome sight having to see all the torn-up limbs of little humans that resembles much like us in YouTube. That would be totally sick and revolting.
As for what Jesus had said in the Bible,
Mark 12:29
New Living Translation (©2007)
Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.
Mark 12:30
New Living Translation (©2007)
And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'
Now compare what he said in the Koran,
Al-Maidah, 5:116 - 119
After reminding him of these favors, Allah will say: "O Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Marry), Did you ever say to the people, "worship me and my mother as gods beside Allah?" He will answer: "Glory to You! How could I say what I had no right to say? If I had ever said so, you would have certainly known it. You know what is in my heart, but I know not what is in Yours; for You have full knowledge of all the unseen.
I never said anything other than what You commanded me to say, that is to worship Allah, Who is my Rabb (God) and your Rabb (God). I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them; but when You called me off, You were the Watcher over them and You are a Witness to everything.
If You punish them, they surely are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are Mighty, Wise."
Allah will say: "This is the day on which the truthful will profit from their truth; they shall have gardens beneath which rivers flow to live therein forever. Allah is well-pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. This is the mighty achievement."
http://www.alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/5/116/testimony-of-jesus-on-the-day-of-judgement-about-the-christians
Jesus was not a liar. He never was.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Waqar Akbar Cheema: Does Hadith say women are deficient in intelligence?
Does Hadith say women are deficient in intelligence?
Q: The Prophet of Islam is reported to have said in a Hadith that women are deficient in intelligence. Does this not show disregard to women and belittle them?
ANS:-Many anti-Islamic polemic writers specially the Christian Missionaries often quote a Hadith and yell obscenities about Islam and Holy Prophet (PBUH). The Hadith they quote is;
----Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Once Allah's Messenger went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) o 'Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Messenger?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Messenger! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion." (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 293)------
Two questions are raised about this Hadith. Firstly why does the Hadith say that women will majority in the hell and does it not condemn women this way? And secondly why did the Prophet say that women are deficient in intelligence and religion. As to first question, why the Hadith says women form the majority in the hell? You can find the answer Here.
Here we address the second question.
Context of the Hadith:
Firstly we need to see that this was said in a proper context, Holy Prophet (PBUH) was asking people to raise funds for Jihad at the eve of Eid (one of the two yearly Islamic festivals) so he asked women using a figure of speech called synecdoche (majaz mursal) i.e. using the whole for the part: intelligence to refer to the legal testimony and religion to refer to prayers and fasting in specific monthly days. Later part of the Hadith testifies this. The Prophet (PBUH) was actually inviting women to generously donate in the way of Allah as they were to miss the reward of practically waging Jihad. This can be well understood and its astounding affect can be observed if we refer to other Ahadith.
Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported: I observed prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the 'Id day. He commenced with prayer before the sermon without Adhan and Iqama. He then stood up leaning on Bilal, and he commanded (them) to be on guard (against evil for the sake of) Allah, and he exhorted (them) on obedience to Him, and he preached to the people and admonished them. He then walked on till he came to the women and preached to them and admonished them, and asked them to give alms, for most of them are the fuel for Hell. A woman having a dark spot on the cheek stood up and said: Why is it so, Messenger of Allah? He said: For you grumble often and show ingratitude to your spouse. And then they began to give alms out of their ornaments such as their earrings and rings which they threw on to the cloth of Bilal. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1467)
This makes it clear that the purpose of the saying those words to women was only to make them contribute more generously for the Noble Cause of Islam which they actually did.
Having clarified the context now we come to further details.
Are women actually somewhat deficient in intelligence?
This is a reality none can deny that men and women have differences regarding intellect and feelings. By intellect I only mean theoretical intellect or more simply; men are stronger then women in analytical, philosophical, hypothetical and socio-political aspects of intellect. This is why men are usually better then women in mathematics and pure sciences. That's why most of the research work and inventions come from men and most of the Noble Prize laureates are also men. According to a BBC Report, a research later published in British Journal of Psychology shows that on average men are five points ahead of women on I.Q. tests.
Women on the other hand are stronger in emotions by nature and this indeed is much important considering the fact that emotions influence all the human actions. A mother understands what her baby is up to in a way no father can ever. Briefly we can say that men have more I.Q. (Analytical and Logical intelligence) and women have more E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence). [According to a Research made by Multi-Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) women score better than men on most measures in E.Q. including Empathy, Social Responsibility and Interpersonal Relationships]
On the whole Man and Woman are equal:
Thus we see that both men and women excel in one thing and lack in another when compared among each other. So they are both in need of each other. Men need women because of their emotions and women need men by the way of their intelligence. That's why we read in Hadith;
Narrated Aisha, Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "Assuredly, women are the twin halves of men."(Jami' Tirmidhi, Book 1, Hadith 113)
So we see that what was said by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was true indeed and it was only emphasized in a particular context.
True Criterion of Excellence:
But one thing that needs to be remembered is that intelligence, whether Emotional or Logical, is no criteria to gauge a human being. The sole criterion is righteousness and piety. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
"Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you."(Al-Quran 49: 13)
INDEED ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST!
…by Waqar Akbar Cheema
ANS:-Many anti-Islamic polemic writers specially the Christian Missionaries often quote a Hadith and yell obscenities about Islam and Holy Prophet (PBUH). The Hadith they quote is;
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي أَضْحَى أَوْ فِطْرٍ إِلَى الْمُصَلَّى فَمَرَّ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ فَقَالَ يَا مَعْشَرَ النِّسَاءِ تَصَدَّقْنَ فَإِنِّي أُرِيتُكُنَّ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَقُلْنَ وَبِمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ تُكْثِرْنَ اللَّعْنَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْ نَاقِصَاتِ عَقْلٍ وَدِينٍ أَذْهَبَ لِلُبِّ الرَّجُلِ الْحَازِمِ مِنْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ قُلْنَ وَمَا نُقْصَانُ دِينِنَا وَعَقْلِنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ شَهَادَةُ الْمَرْأَةِ مِثْلَ نِصْفِ شَهَادَةِ الرَّجُلِ قُلْنَ بَلَى قَالَ فَذَلِكِ مِنْ نُقْصَانِ عَقْلِهَا أَلَيْسَ إِذَا حَاضَتْ لَمْ تُصَلِّ وَلَمْ تَصُمْ قُلْنَ بَلَى قَالَ فَذَلِكِ مِنْ نُقْصَانِ دِينِهَا
----Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Once Allah's Messenger went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) o 'Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Messenger?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Messenger! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion." (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 293)------
Two questions are raised about this Hadith. Firstly why does the Hadith say that women will majority in the hell and does it not condemn women this way? And secondly why did the Prophet say that women are deficient in intelligence and religion. As to first question, why the Hadith says women form the majority in the hell? You can find the answer Here.
Here we address the second question.
Context of the Hadith:
Firstly we need to see that this was said in a proper context, Holy Prophet (PBUH) was asking people to raise funds for Jihad at the eve of Eid (one of the two yearly Islamic festivals) so he asked women using a figure of speech called synecdoche (majaz mursal) i.e. using the whole for the part: intelligence to refer to the legal testimony and religion to refer to prayers and fasting in specific monthly days. Later part of the Hadith testifies this. The Prophet (PBUH) was actually inviting women to generously donate in the way of Allah as they were to miss the reward of practically waging Jihad. This can be well understood and its astounding affect can be observed if we refer to other Ahadith.
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ شَهِدْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الصَّلَاةَ يَوْمَ الْعِيدِ فَبَدَأَ بِالصَّلَاةِ قَبْلَ الْخُطْبَةِ بِغَيْرِ أَذَانٍ وَلَا إِقَامَةٍ ثُمَّ قَامَ مُتَوَكِّئًا عَلَى بِلَالٍ فَأَمَرَ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَحَثَّ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ وَوَعَظَ النَّاسَ وَذَكَّرَهُمْ ثُمَّ مَضَى حَتَّى أَتَى النِّسَاءَ فَوَعَظَهُنَّ وَذَكَّرَهُنَّ فَقَالَ تَصَدَّقْنَ فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَكُنَّ حَطَبُ جَهَنَّمَ فَقَامَتْ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ سِطَةِ النِّسَاءِ سَفْعَاءُ الْخَدَّيْنِ فَقَالَتْ لِمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ لِأَنَّكُنَّ تُكْثِرْنَ الشَّكَاةَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ قَالَ فَجَعَلْنَ يَتَصَدَّقْنَ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِنَّ يُلْقِينَ فِي ثَوْبِ بِلَالٍ مِنْ أَقْرِطَتِهِنَّ وَخَوَاتِمِهِنَّ
Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported: I observed prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the 'Id day. He commenced with prayer before the sermon without Adhan and Iqama. He then stood up leaning on Bilal, and he commanded (them) to be on guard (against evil for the sake of) Allah, and he exhorted (them) on obedience to Him, and he preached to the people and admonished them. He then walked on till he came to the women and preached to them and admonished them, and asked them to give alms, for most of them are the fuel for Hell. A woman having a dark spot on the cheek stood up and said: Why is it so, Messenger of Allah? He said: For you grumble often and show ingratitude to your spouse. And then they began to give alms out of their ornaments such as their earrings and rings which they threw on to the cloth of Bilal. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1467)
This makes it clear that the purpose of the saying those words to women was only to make them contribute more generously for the Noble Cause of Islam which they actually did.
Having clarified the context now we come to further details.
Are women actually somewhat deficient in intelligence?
This is a reality none can deny that men and women have differences regarding intellect and feelings. By intellect I only mean theoretical intellect or more simply; men are stronger then women in analytical, philosophical, hypothetical and socio-political aspects of intellect. This is why men are usually better then women in mathematics and pure sciences. That's why most of the research work and inventions come from men and most of the Noble Prize laureates are also men. According to a BBC Report, a research later published in British Journal of Psychology shows that on average men are five points ahead of women on I.Q. tests.
Women on the other hand are stronger in emotions by nature and this indeed is much important considering the fact that emotions influence all the human actions. A mother understands what her baby is up to in a way no father can ever. Briefly we can say that men have more I.Q. (Analytical and Logical intelligence) and women have more E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence). [According to a Research made by Multi-Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) women score better than men on most measures in E.Q. including Empathy, Social Responsibility and Interpersonal Relationships]
On the whole Man and Woman are equal:
Thus we see that both men and women excel in one thing and lack in another when compared among each other. So they are both in need of each other. Men need women because of their emotions and women need men by the way of their intelligence. That's why we read in Hadith;
عن عائشة ...قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نعم إن النساء شقائق الرجال
Narrated Aisha, Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "Assuredly, women are the twin halves of men."(Jami' Tirmidhi, Book 1, Hadith 113)
So we see that what was said by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was true indeed and it was only emphasized in a particular context.
True Criterion of Excellence:
But one thing that needs to be remembered is that intelligence, whether Emotional or Logical, is no criteria to gauge a human being. The sole criterion is righteousness and piety. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
"Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you."(Al-Quran 49: 13)
INDEED ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST!
…by Waqar Akbar Cheema
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Salman Al Farsi: Islamstory
Written by Islamstory
This is a story of a seeker of Truth, the story of Salman the Persian, gleaned, to begin with, from his own words:
I grew up in the town of Isfahan in Persia in the village of Jayyan. My father was the Dihqan or chief of the village. He was the richest person there and had the biggest house.
Since I was a child my father loved me, more than he loved any other. As time went by his love for me became so strong and overpowering that he feared to lose me or have anything happen to me. So he kept me at home, a veritable prisoner, in the same way that young girls were kept.
I became devoted to the Magian religion so much so that I attained the position of custodian of the fire which we worshipped. My duty was to see that the flames of the fire remained burning and that it did not go out for a single hour, day or night.
My father had a vast estate which yielded an abundant supply of crops. He himself looked after the estate and the harvest. One day he was very busy with his duties as dihqan in the village and he said to me:
"My son, as you see, I am too busy to go out to the estate now. Go and look after matters there for me today."
On my way to the estate, I passed a Christian church and the voices at prayer attracted my attention. I did not know anything about Christianity or about the followers of any other religion throughout the time my father kept me in the house away from people. When I heard the voices of the Christians I entered the church to see what they were doing. I was impressed by their manner of praying and felt drawn to their religion. "By God," I said, "this is better than ours. I shall not leave them until the sun sets."
I asked and was told that the Christian religion originated in Ash-Sham (Greater Syria). I did not go to my father's estate that day and at night, I returned home. My father met me and asked what I had done. I told him about my meeting with the Christians and how I was impressed by their religion. He was dismayed and said:
"My son, there is nothing good in that religion. Your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better."
"No, their religion is better than ours," I insisted.
My father became upset and afraid that I would leave our religion. So he kept me locked up in the house and put a chain on my feet. I managed however to send a message to the Christians asking them to inform me of any caravan going to Syria. Before long they got in touch with me and told me that a caravan was headed for Syria. I managed to unfetter myself and in disguise accompanied the caravan to Syria. There, I asked who was the leading person in the Christian religion and was directed to the bishop of the church. I went up to him and said:
"I want to become a Christian and would like to attach myself to your service, learn from you and pray with you."
The bishop agreed and I entered the church in his service. I soon found out, however, that the man was corrupt. He would order his followers to give money in charity while holding out the promise of blessings to them. When they gave anything to spend in the way of God, however, he would hoard it for himself and not give anything to the poor or needy. In this way he amassed a vast quantity of gold. When the bishop died and the Christians gathered to bury him, I told them of his corrupt practices and, at their request, showed them where he kept their donations. When they saw the large jars filled with gold and silver they said.
"By God, we shall not bury him." They nailed him on a cross and threw stones at him. I continued in the service of the person who replaced him. The new bishop was an ascetic who longed for the Hereafter and engaged in worship day and night. I was greatly devoted to him and spent a long time in his company.
(After his death, Salman attached himself to various Christian religious figures, in Mosul, Nisibis and elsewhere. The last one had told him about the appearance of a Prophet in the land of the Arabs who would have a reputation for strict honesty, one who would accept a gift but would never consume charity (sadaqah) for himself. Salman continues his story.)
A group of Arab leaders from the Kalb tribe passed through Ammuriyah and I asked them to take me with them to the land of the Arabs in return for whatever money I had. They agreed and I paid them. When we reached Wadi al-Qura (a place between Madinah and Syria), they broke their agreement and sold me to a Jew. I worked as a servant for him but eventually he sold me to a nephew of his belonging to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah. This nephew took me with him to Yathrib, the city of palm groves, which is how the Christian at Ammuriyah had described it.
At that time the Prophet was inviting his people in Makkah to Islam but I did not hear anything about him then because of the harsh duties which slavery imposed upon me.
When the Prophet reached Yathrib after his hijrah from Makkah, I was in fact at the top of a palm tree belonging to my master doing some work. My master was sitting under the tree. A nephew of his came up and said:
"May God declare war on the Aws and the Khazraj (the two main Arab tribes of Yathrib). By God, they are now gathering at Quba to meet a man who has today come from Makkah and who claims he is a Prophet."
I felt hot flushes as soon as I heard these words and I began to shiver so violently that I was afraid that I might fall on my master. I quickly got down from the tree and spoke to my master's nephew.
"What did you say? Repeat the news for me."
My master was very angry and gave me a terrible blow. "What does this matter to you'? Go back to what you were doing," he shouted.
That evening, I took some dates that I had gathered and went to the place where the Prophet had alighted. I went up to him and said:
"I have heard that you are a righteous man and that you have companions with you who are strangers and are in need. Here is something from me as sadaqah. I see that you are more deserving of it than others."
The Prophet ordered his companions to eat but he himself did not eat of it. I gathered some more dates and when the Prophet left Quba for Madinah I went to him and said: "I noticed that you did not eat of the sadaqah I gave. This however is a gift for you." Of this gift of dates, both he and his companions ate.
The strict honesty of the Prophet was one of the characteristics that led Salman to believe in him and accept Islam .
Salman was released from slavery by the Prophet who paid his Jewish slave-owner a stipulated price and who himself planted an agreed number of date palms to secure his manumission. After accepting Islam, Salman would say when asked whose son he was:
"I am Salman, the son of Islam from the children of Adam."
Salman was to play an important role in the struggles of the growing Muslim state. At the battle of Khandaq, he proved to be an innovator in military strategy. He suggested digging a ditch or khandaq around Madinah to keep the Quraysh army at bay. When Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Makkans, saw the ditch, he said, "This stratagem has not been employed by the Arabs before."
Salman became known as "Salman the Good". He was a scholar who lived a rough and ascetic life. He had one cloak which he wore and on which he slept. He would not seek the shelter of a roof but stayed under a tree or against a wall. A man once said to him:
"Shall I not build you a house in which to live?" "I have no need of a house," he replied. The man persisted and said, "I know the type of house that would suit you." "Describe it to me," said Salman. "I shall build you a house which if you stand up in it, its roof will hurt your head and if you stretch your legs the wall will hurt them."
Later, as a governor of al-Madain (Ctesiphon) near Baghdad, Salman received a stipend of five thousand dirhams. This he would distribute as sadaqah. He lived from the work of his own hands. When some people came to Madain and saw him working in the palm groves, they said, "You are the amir here and your sustenance is guaranteed and you do this work!"
"I like to eat from the work of my own hands," he replied. Salman however was not extreme in his asceticism. It is related that he once visited Abu ad-Dardaa with whom the Prophet had joined him in brotherhood. He found Abu ad-Dardaas wife in a miserable state and he asked, "What is the matter with you."
"Your brother has no need of anything in this world," she replied.
When Abu ad-Dardaa came, he welcomed Salman and gave him food. Salman told him to eat but Abu ad-Dardaa said, "I am fasting."
"I swear to you that I shall not eat until you eat also."
Salman spent the night there as well. During the night, Abu ad-Dardaa got up but Salman got hold of him and said:
"O Abu ad-Dardaa, your Lord has a right over you. Your family has a right over you and your body has a right over you. Give to each its due."
In the morning, they prayed together and then went out to meet the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Prophet supported Salman in what he had said.
As a scholar, Salman was noted for his vast knowledge and wisdom. Ali said of him that he was like Luqman the Wise. And Kab al-Ahbar said: "Salman is stuffed with knowledge and wisdom--an ocean that does not dry up." Salman had a knowledge of both the Christian scriptures and the Quran in addition to his earlier knowledge of the Zoroastrian religion. Salman in fact translated parts of the Quran into Persian during the life-time of the Prophet. He was thus the first person to translate the Quran into a foreign language.
Salman, because of the influential household in which he grew up, might easily have been a major figure in the sprawling Persian Empire of his time. His search for truth however led him, even before the Prophet had appeared, to renounce a comfortable and affluent life and even to suffer the indignities of slavery. According to the most reliable account, he died in the year thirty five after the hijrah, during the caliphate of Uthman, at Ctesiphon.
I grew up in the town of Isfahan in Persia in the village of Jayyan. My father was the Dihqan or chief of the village. He was the richest person there and had the biggest house.
Since I was a child my father loved me, more than he loved any other. As time went by his love for me became so strong and overpowering that he feared to lose me or have anything happen to me. So he kept me at home, a veritable prisoner, in the same way that young girls were kept.
I became devoted to the Magian religion so much so that I attained the position of custodian of the fire which we worshipped. My duty was to see that the flames of the fire remained burning and that it did not go out for a single hour, day or night.
My father had a vast estate which yielded an abundant supply of crops. He himself looked after the estate and the harvest. One day he was very busy with his duties as dihqan in the village and he said to me:
"My son, as you see, I am too busy to go out to the estate now. Go and look after matters there for me today."
On my way to the estate, I passed a Christian church and the voices at prayer attracted my attention. I did not know anything about Christianity or about the followers of any other religion throughout the time my father kept me in the house away from people. When I heard the voices of the Christians I entered the church to see what they were doing. I was impressed by their manner of praying and felt drawn to their religion. "By God," I said, "this is better than ours. I shall not leave them until the sun sets."
I asked and was told that the Christian religion originated in Ash-Sham (Greater Syria). I did not go to my father's estate that day and at night, I returned home. My father met me and asked what I had done. I told him about my meeting with the Christians and how I was impressed by their religion. He was dismayed and said:
"My son, there is nothing good in that religion. Your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better."
"No, their religion is better than ours," I insisted.
My father became upset and afraid that I would leave our religion. So he kept me locked up in the house and put a chain on my feet. I managed however to send a message to the Christians asking them to inform me of any caravan going to Syria. Before long they got in touch with me and told me that a caravan was headed for Syria. I managed to unfetter myself and in disguise accompanied the caravan to Syria. There, I asked who was the leading person in the Christian religion and was directed to the bishop of the church. I went up to him and said:
"I want to become a Christian and would like to attach myself to your service, learn from you and pray with you."
The bishop agreed and I entered the church in his service. I soon found out, however, that the man was corrupt. He would order his followers to give money in charity while holding out the promise of blessings to them. When they gave anything to spend in the way of God, however, he would hoard it for himself and not give anything to the poor or needy. In this way he amassed a vast quantity of gold. When the bishop died and the Christians gathered to bury him, I told them of his corrupt practices and, at their request, showed them where he kept their donations. When they saw the large jars filled with gold and silver they said.
"By God, we shall not bury him." They nailed him on a cross and threw stones at him. I continued in the service of the person who replaced him. The new bishop was an ascetic who longed for the Hereafter and engaged in worship day and night. I was greatly devoted to him and spent a long time in his company.
(After his death, Salman attached himself to various Christian religious figures, in Mosul, Nisibis and elsewhere. The last one had told him about the appearance of a Prophet in the land of the Arabs who would have a reputation for strict honesty, one who would accept a gift but would never consume charity (sadaqah) for himself. Salman continues his story.)
A group of Arab leaders from the Kalb tribe passed through Ammuriyah and I asked them to take me with them to the land of the Arabs in return for whatever money I had. They agreed and I paid them. When we reached Wadi al-Qura (a place between Madinah and Syria), they broke their agreement and sold me to a Jew. I worked as a servant for him but eventually he sold me to a nephew of his belonging to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah. This nephew took me with him to Yathrib, the city of palm groves, which is how the Christian at Ammuriyah had described it.
At that time the Prophet was inviting his people in Makkah to Islam but I did not hear anything about him then because of the harsh duties which slavery imposed upon me.
When the Prophet reached Yathrib after his hijrah from Makkah, I was in fact at the top of a palm tree belonging to my master doing some work. My master was sitting under the tree. A nephew of his came up and said:
"May God declare war on the Aws and the Khazraj (the two main Arab tribes of Yathrib). By God, they are now gathering at Quba to meet a man who has today come from Makkah and who claims he is a Prophet."
I felt hot flushes as soon as I heard these words and I began to shiver so violently that I was afraid that I might fall on my master. I quickly got down from the tree and spoke to my master's nephew.
"What did you say? Repeat the news for me."
My master was very angry and gave me a terrible blow. "What does this matter to you'? Go back to what you were doing," he shouted.
That evening, I took some dates that I had gathered and went to the place where the Prophet had alighted. I went up to him and said:
"I have heard that you are a righteous man and that you have companions with you who are strangers and are in need. Here is something from me as sadaqah. I see that you are more deserving of it than others."
The Prophet ordered his companions to eat but he himself did not eat of it. I gathered some more dates and when the Prophet left Quba for Madinah I went to him and said: "I noticed that you did not eat of the sadaqah I gave. This however is a gift for you." Of this gift of dates, both he and his companions ate.
The strict honesty of the Prophet was one of the characteristics that led Salman to believe in him and accept Islam .
Salman was released from slavery by the Prophet who paid his Jewish slave-owner a stipulated price and who himself planted an agreed number of date palms to secure his manumission. After accepting Islam, Salman would say when asked whose son he was:
"I am Salman, the son of Islam from the children of Adam."
Salman was to play an important role in the struggles of the growing Muslim state. At the battle of Khandaq, he proved to be an innovator in military strategy. He suggested digging a ditch or khandaq around Madinah to keep the Quraysh army at bay. When Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Makkans, saw the ditch, he said, "This stratagem has not been employed by the Arabs before."
Salman became known as "Salman the Good". He was a scholar who lived a rough and ascetic life. He had one cloak which he wore and on which he slept. He would not seek the shelter of a roof but stayed under a tree or against a wall. A man once said to him:
"Shall I not build you a house in which to live?" "I have no need of a house," he replied. The man persisted and said, "I know the type of house that would suit you." "Describe it to me," said Salman. "I shall build you a house which if you stand up in it, its roof will hurt your head and if you stretch your legs the wall will hurt them."
Later, as a governor of al-Madain (Ctesiphon) near Baghdad, Salman received a stipend of five thousand dirhams. This he would distribute as sadaqah. He lived from the work of his own hands. When some people came to Madain and saw him working in the palm groves, they said, "You are the amir here and your sustenance is guaranteed and you do this work!"
"I like to eat from the work of my own hands," he replied. Salman however was not extreme in his asceticism. It is related that he once visited Abu ad-Dardaa with whom the Prophet had joined him in brotherhood. He found Abu ad-Dardaas wife in a miserable state and he asked, "What is the matter with you."
"Your brother has no need of anything in this world," she replied.
When Abu ad-Dardaa came, he welcomed Salman and gave him food. Salman told him to eat but Abu ad-Dardaa said, "I am fasting."
"I swear to you that I shall not eat until you eat also."
Salman spent the night there as well. During the night, Abu ad-Dardaa got up but Salman got hold of him and said:
"O Abu ad-Dardaa, your Lord has a right over you. Your family has a right over you and your body has a right over you. Give to each its due."
In the morning, they prayed together and then went out to meet the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Prophet supported Salman in what he had said.
As a scholar, Salman was noted for his vast knowledge and wisdom. Ali said of him that he was like Luqman the Wise. And Kab al-Ahbar said: "Salman is stuffed with knowledge and wisdom--an ocean that does not dry up." Salman had a knowledge of both the Christian scriptures and the Quran in addition to his earlier knowledge of the Zoroastrian religion. Salman in fact translated parts of the Quran into Persian during the life-time of the Prophet. He was thus the first person to translate the Quran into a foreign language.
Salman, because of the influential household in which he grew up, might easily have been a major figure in the sprawling Persian Empire of his time. His search for truth however led him, even before the Prophet had appeared, to renounce a comfortable and affluent life and even to suffer the indignities of slavery. According to the most reliable account, he died in the year thirty five after the hijrah, during the caliphate of Uthman, at Ctesiphon.
John Biddle's Twelve Arguments
A Brief Biography of John Biddle (1615-1662)
John Biddle, the Father of Unitarianism in England, was born in 1615. He was a brilliant student and was described as a man who “outran his instructors and became tutor to himself”. He went to the University at Oxford n 1634, was made a B.A. in 1638 and an M.A. in 1641. After leaving Oxford, he was appointed as a teacher in Gloucester. It was here that he began to re-examine his religious views and began to doubt the validity of the doctrine of Trinity.
The Origins of the “Twelve Arguments” 1
After a close study of the Trinity, he published a pamphlet in 1644 entitled “Twelve Arguments Refuting the Deity of the Holy Spirit”, addressed to “the Christian reader”. In 1645, the manuscript of the “Twelve Arguments” was seized and Biddle was imprisoned. He was called to appear before Parliament, but he still refused to accept the Deity of the Holy Spirit. The pamphlet was reprinted in 1647. On the 6th of September of the same year, Parliament ordered the pamphlet to be burned. On the 2nd of May, 1648, a “Severe Ordinance” was passed, which stated that those who denied the Trinity or the divinity of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, would suffer death without the benefit of clergy.
The “Twelve Arguments”
Having seen how hard the Church tries to instill “blind faith” into those who opposes the Doctrine of Trinity, let us see the summary of the “Twelve Arguments”, the cause of such extreme measures, as follows.
1) He that is distinguished from God is not God.
The Holy Spirit is distinguished from God.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit is distinguished from God.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not God.
Biddle further explained this syllogism with these words:
The major premise is quite clear inasmuch as if we say that the Holy Spirit is God and yet distinguished from God then it implies a contradiction. The minor premise that the Holy Spirit is distinguished from God if it is taken personally and not essentially is against all reason:First, it is impossible for any man to distinguish the Person from the Essence of God, and not to frame two Beings or Things in his mind. Consequently, he will be forced to the conclusion that there are two Gods.Secondly, if the Person be distinguished from the Essence of God, the Person would be some Independent Thing. Therefore it would either be finite or infinite. If finite then God would be a finite thing since according to the Church everything in God is God Himself. So the conclusion is absurd. If infinite then there will be two infinites in God, and consequently the two Gods which is more absurd than the former argument.Thirdly, to speak of God taken impersonally is ridiculous, as it is admitted by everyone that God is the Name of a Person, who with absolute sovereignty rules over all. None but a person can rule over others therefore to take otherwise than personally is to take Him otherwise than He is.
2) He that gave the Holy Spirit to the Israelites is Jehova Alone.
Then the Holy Spirit is not Jehova or God.
Then the Holy Spirit is not Jehova or God.
3) He that speakest not for himself is not God.
The Holy Spirit speaks not for himself.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit speaks not for himself.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
4) He that is taught is not God.
He that hears from another what he shall speak is taught.
Christ speaks what he is told (John 8:26).
Therefore Christ is not God.
He that hears from another what he shall speak is taught.
Christ speaks what he is told (John 8:26).
Therefore Christ is not God.
5) In John 16:14 Jesus says: “God is He that giveth all things to all”.
He that receives from another is not God.
He that receives from another is not God.
6) He that is sent by another is not God.
The Holy Spirit is sent by God.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit is sent by God.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
7) He that is not the giver of all things is not God (Acts 17:25).
He that is the gift of God is not the giver of all things.
He that is the gift of God is himself given.
The gift is in the power and at the disposal of the giver.
It is therefore absurd to imagine that God can be in the power or at the disposal of another.
He that is the gift of God is not the giver of all things.
He that is the gift of God is himself given.
The gift is in the power and at the disposal of the giver.
It is therefore absurd to imagine that God can be in the power or at the disposal of another.
8) He that changes place is not God.
The Holy Spirit changes place.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit changes place.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
This syllogism was explained by Biddle as follows:
If God changes place then He would cease to be where He was before and begin to be where He was not before, which is against His Omnipresence and His Deity. Therefore it was not God who came to Jesus but an Angel sustaining the Person in the Name of God.
9) He that prays to Christ to come to judgement is not God.
The Holy Spirit does so.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit does so.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
10) In Romans 10:14 it reads, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard. He in whom men have not believed, yet were disciples”.
He who is not believed in is not God.
Men have not believed in the Holy Spirit, yet were disciples.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
He who is not believed in is not God.
Men have not believed in the Holy Spirit, yet were disciples.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
11) He that hears from God at the second hand, viz the Christ Jesus, what he shall speak has an understanding distinct from God.
He that heareth from God what he shall speak is taught of God.
The Holy Spirit does so.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
He that heareth from God what he shall speak is taught of God.
The Holy Spirit does so.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
12) He that has a will distinct in number from that of God is not God.
The Holy Spirit has a will distinct in number from God (Romans 8: 26-27).
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit has a will distinct in number from God (Romans 8: 26-27).
Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.
Conclusions
Opposition to Trinitarian doctrines had been ongoing since it was first established in 325 A.D. One would no doubt wonder why the Church resorted to burning John Biddle’s anti-Trinitarian writings instead of debating about it in a scholarly manner, if the Church is certain that the doctrine is undisputable and is indeed an inherent part of the Christian faith. 
Monday, March 21, 2011
Libya: Neutrality
srizals@gmail.com
The world is trying to show how just it is by starting a bombing campaign and a 'no fly zone' in Libya to protect innocent lives from a military oppression by bullies. Strangely, as always, these bullies, the sheriff and their deputies were best buddies just a few years back. Judging from previous good intention for beginning a bombardment of a foreign, sovereign country, this current move is surely making the concern nervous. There are too many assumptions and predictions going on. Some are afraid that Libya would end up like Somalia, most fear the cloning of another Iraq. The more obvious would be the concern about the price of oil and whether the world could afford another conflict being in where it is now. Would it ignite another spark of terrorism in an already hostile environment?
But one thing is clear, the smart bombs and precision bombings; they are both not that smart and not that precise. The innocents would die for sure. It is unavoidable in our current modern tactics and techniques of war. Our advancement had made us cruel and efficient terminators. Not unless a clear warning was given earlier for everyone to clear out the intended targets, just like previously in the Serbian-Bosnian-Croat civil war. Would the Libyans get the same warning like the Serbians? Or they can be sacrificed on the altar of freedom since no military might is behind them, like the lucky Serbians? And then there is a question of some using human shields if warnings were given, since a picture can be used to describe a thousand words.
I'm not sure whether Colonel Muamar Gaddafi and his supporting tribes were given enough space to consider different options. Were everyone given a better option? Have all the stages of negotiation and intervention been exhausted?
How sad it is in seeing yet another conflict between Muslims being resolved by others. Whatever happened to OIC? Maybe it is time OIC should consider a military alliance to settle problems in their own backyards. How sad is the Muslim nations. They have to rely on others to clean up their own mess.
One thing about a people of a nation, they would fight fiercely against any foreign intervention. The calling to defend the beloved motherland is a sacred call that would be hard to ignore, even by those who stands in the middle. Now, their conscience is clear. What would happen then?
Should we try at least to think outside of the box? We have end up where we are now with ‘might is right’ policy. I don’t think it worked that well before, why should it work now?
Friday, March 18, 2011
Expendable Citizens
srizals@gmail.com
Citizens are what made up a country or a nation. A nation cannot exist without citizens, it surely cannot exist solely on just a citizen, since a country also needs leaders to be appointed from its citizens, to lead the citizens and to ensure relative peace and prosperity for their fellow citizens, the very people that had appointed the selected groups of citizens to be a different group, a sub group of the citizens, to be the ruling elites, directly or indirectly. The ruling elites owe that much from the other average citizens that had granted them power over them in the first place. They have been granted the power to lead and decide by the very people that they lead. The citizens would follow and obey, whole-heartedly or half-heartedly.
Because the resources of a country is not that abundant actually or never is enough to feed some of the ruling elites and the rich in certain nations, they must be well managed to show to the citizens that their wealth is and was properly managed and distributed equally for the sake of the nation and the citizens themselves. An order of livelihood was thus declared; those who strived would get their fair share of that wealth, since dwindling sources would never be enough to be spend lavishly without measure for everyone on everything. So the rule is the more you give and contribute and sacrifice would mean the more the share of the wealth of the nation would be in your hands. In this way, the citizens would be motivated to improve themselves, competing among themselves in a healthy and positive manner that would in turn build a greater nation, a richer nation for everyone that live in that particular country.
It sounds too good to be true. The reality is the wealth of the nation is never equally distributed among the citizens. The wealth of the nation, no matter how abundant it is, will always be in the hands of the lucky selected few. It is mostly revolved and recycled itself among its manipulators; the few people that broke the cycle of citizenry to become ruthless and fat controllers of a monopoly system. The others can only watch from the outside. And so all the indicators of wealth and achievement of a country that would cause many mouths to open in amazement and eyes to stare enviously was not actually a blanket blessing to everyone in a wealthy nation. Maybe the twenty percent of the lucky citizens actually are living what the indicators of wealth of a nation shows or even more, but around sixty percent of the not so lucky, and twenty percent more unfortunate, would never see or live any of those said wealth their beloved country had gained or gain.
Their standard of living and livelihood would be very much the same. They would of course see more and more progress around them, more beautiful buildings with unnecessary fancy decorations to make the rich richer unnecessarily. I still remember a weird looking building that looked like a gate of a great fortress city of the medieval age. It would eat up hundreds of millions of hard earned money more to be completed ‘safely’. Millions more would be lost in repairing fancy road system made by the not so intelligent and honest that were 'blessed' with friendly contracts to ensure more rich people were created out of the blue, among the ordinary citizens to be shown as proof or indicators that the nation is really actually progressing and getting richer by the minute. We are having 50 more rich people among us, among the 100,000 average Joes that would be lucky enough to witness all their fancy wealth with envious mind.
In a system of capitalism, an absolute profit-oriented system, the benefit of the social interest or the citizens would come last. They are fed with chicken feed to make sure they would not die out or revolt against the ruling elites and the lavish elites of the society. This system is absolutely foreign and unsuited for most country that truly believe their citizens, every one of them, is also a part of an exclusive membership of the 'rich' country that has real wealth and assets unlike printed paper money or mere numbers on the screens of computers.
Please take care of your citizens, the poor, the in-between and the rich. Make sure everyone gets his fair share of the growing cake of economy. Don't be like Gaddafi, Ben Ali and Mubarak. Especially Gaddafi. For him, his citizens are expendable. Like most rulers of nations do.
Citizens are what made up a country or a nation. A nation cannot exist without citizens, it surely cannot exist solely on just a citizen, since a country also needs leaders to be appointed from its citizens, to lead the citizens and to ensure relative peace and prosperity for their fellow citizens, the very people that had appointed the selected groups of citizens to be a different group, a sub group of the citizens, to be the ruling elites, directly or indirectly. The ruling elites owe that much from the other average citizens that had granted them power over them in the first place. They have been granted the power to lead and decide by the very people that they lead. The citizens would follow and obey, whole-heartedly or half-heartedly.
Because the resources of a country is not that abundant actually or never is enough to feed some of the ruling elites and the rich in certain nations, they must be well managed to show to the citizens that their wealth is and was properly managed and distributed equally for the sake of the nation and the citizens themselves. An order of livelihood was thus declared; those who strived would get their fair share of that wealth, since dwindling sources would never be enough to be spend lavishly without measure for everyone on everything. So the rule is the more you give and contribute and sacrifice would mean the more the share of the wealth of the nation would be in your hands. In this way, the citizens would be motivated to improve themselves, competing among themselves in a healthy and positive manner that would in turn build a greater nation, a richer nation for everyone that live in that particular country.
It sounds too good to be true. The reality is the wealth of the nation is never equally distributed among the citizens. The wealth of the nation, no matter how abundant it is, will always be in the hands of the lucky selected few. It is mostly revolved and recycled itself among its manipulators; the few people that broke the cycle of citizenry to become ruthless and fat controllers of a monopoly system. The others can only watch from the outside. And so all the indicators of wealth and achievement of a country that would cause many mouths to open in amazement and eyes to stare enviously was not actually a blanket blessing to everyone in a wealthy nation. Maybe the twenty percent of the lucky citizens actually are living what the indicators of wealth of a nation shows or even more, but around sixty percent of the not so lucky, and twenty percent more unfortunate, would never see or live any of those said wealth their beloved country had gained or gain.
Their standard of living and livelihood would be very much the same. They would of course see more and more progress around them, more beautiful buildings with unnecessary fancy decorations to make the rich richer unnecessarily. I still remember a weird looking building that looked like a gate of a great fortress city of the medieval age. It would eat up hundreds of millions of hard earned money more to be completed ‘safely’. Millions more would be lost in repairing fancy road system made by the not so intelligent and honest that were 'blessed' with friendly contracts to ensure more rich people were created out of the blue, among the ordinary citizens to be shown as proof or indicators that the nation is really actually progressing and getting richer by the minute. We are having 50 more rich people among us, among the 100,000 average Joes that would be lucky enough to witness all their fancy wealth with envious mind.
In a system of capitalism, an absolute profit-oriented system, the benefit of the social interest or the citizens would come last. They are fed with chicken feed to make sure they would not die out or revolt against the ruling elites and the lavish elites of the society. This system is absolutely foreign and unsuited for most country that truly believe their citizens, every one of them, is also a part of an exclusive membership of the 'rich' country that has real wealth and assets unlike printed paper money or mere numbers on the screens of computers.
Please take care of your citizens, the poor, the in-between and the rich. Make sure everyone gets his fair share of the growing cake of economy. Don't be like Gaddafi, Ben Ali and Mubarak. Especially Gaddafi. For him, his citizens are expendable. Like most rulers of nations do.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Laughing at Other's Peril
srizals@gmail.com
I've never been embarrassed of myself when reading mainstream newspaper before. How unlucky I was. When everyone was anxiously reading about the recent tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan recently, some made the event as a turning point of their career to become an inconsiderate joker without a brain and any sensitivity nerves. I don't know what has been troubling in the back of the minds of these clowns. Could it be that they still can't forgive the Japanese for invading Malaysia, tens of years ago? Is it because of envy since Japanese cars dominated most of the tarmac in Malaysia? It beats me. I can't find any logical explanation instead of potent stupidity of some that tries to show just how smart they can get. I wonder what they would have felt if they knew about some sick humors of the likes of them when tsunami struck Indonesia.
For your information, the Japanese have repeatedly apologised for its war crimes to all and everyone. Some still pending of course, like the perils of the "comfort" women for the Japanese Imperial Armies, but it has been providing funds and help to almost all that had suffered its might, Malaysia not excluded. I don't recall any apology from Britain, Portugal and Holland for their past atrocities and crimes towards any of their victims. That is how honourable the Japanese are. My heart goes with them and all that were involved in such misfortune. My friends are there. Hope they are safe. Always.
A good man would always suffer with the suffering of his fellow humans. A lesser man would rejoice.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kita Hamba: Raihan
Raihan
We are merely human beings, given this gift of life not for eternity,
We are merely human beings, in reality, servants of Allah.
But why we keep on postponing when the time has come to pray to Him?
But why we keep on forgetting, the duties that we have as servants of Allah?
We are merely human beings, given this gift of life, not for eternity,
We are merely human beings, in reality, servants of Allah.
But why we keep on forgetting, the duties that we have, as servants of Allah?
And as for God, never He forgets to bless us with the beauties of this life,
Always willing to forgive all our sins, we did there before Him.
For those who realise and repent, and cleanse themselves of sins.
We are merely human beings granted this gift of life, not for eternity,
We are merely human beings, in reality, servants of Allah.
But why we keep on postponing, when the time has come to pray to Him?
But why we keep on forgetting, the duties that we have as servants of Allah?
And as for God, never He forgets to bless us with the beauties of this life,
Always willing to forgive all ours sins, we did before Him.
For those who realise and repent, and cleanse themselves of sins. 2x
Wake up in the silence of the night, to whisper personally to Him,
Ask for His love ,
And be safe, in this world and the next.
For those who realise and repent, and cleanse themselves of sins. (fading)
We are merely human beings, in reality, servants of Allah.
But why we keep on postponing when the time has come to pray to Him?
But why we keep on forgetting, the duties that we have as servants of Allah?
We are merely human beings, given this gift of life, not for eternity,
We are merely human beings, in reality, servants of Allah.
But why we keep on forgetting, the duties that we have, as servants of Allah?
And as for God, never He forgets to bless us with the beauties of this life,
Always willing to forgive all our sins, we did there before Him.
For those who realise and repent, and cleanse themselves of sins.
We are merely human beings granted this gift of life, not for eternity,
We are merely human beings, in reality, servants of Allah.
But why we keep on postponing, when the time has come to pray to Him?
But why we keep on forgetting, the duties that we have as servants of Allah?
And as for God, never He forgets to bless us with the beauties of this life,
Always willing to forgive all ours sins, we did before Him.
For those who realise and repent, and cleanse themselves of sins. 2x
Wake up in the silence of the night, to whisper personally to Him,
Ask for His love ,
And be safe, in this world and the next.
For those who realise and repent, and cleanse themselves of sins. (fading)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Why?
srizals@gmail.com
Why, you asked me?
How long has it been?
The oceans are dying
The leatherbacks are disappearing
We pollute with plastics
Choking the earth with smoke
By our greed,
Our never ending greed
There’s still hope for tomorrow
A hope for tomorrow
Let’s move forward
A little step at a time
Let’s remedy the earth
For the sake of our children
For us, your own little children
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Mughal and Massacres of the Hindu
srizals said...True, Len, there are sects distinctively different from the mainstream. Could you list the percentages of Christians according to their sects and numbers? The mainstream Muslims are Ahlus Sunnah wal jamaah, the minority groups are Syiah (which has 3 more distinctive groups), Ahmadiyyah. Only one nation of Islam is Syiah. As for Ahmadiyyah, they are considered astray as they have other final prophet after the actual final prophet. And other smaller sects are not even Muslims anymore, like the Sikhs and Baha’is. Who are the mainstream Christians?
Voyager, take a voyage in history or go back to the time of the dinosaurs. It would help improve your history skills, I hope.
Yes, the Arabs, Turks, Afghans and the Moghul invaded the mighty Hindu Rajputs and so almost did Alexander the Great. Muslim Moghul that unlike the pagan Mongol, were keen to build instead of obliterate, prospering the lands of the suicidal Hindus that had forgotten about their Kalki Avatar, but instead fell in love with Suttee and dehumanizing Caste system while blaming others for mentioning about it.
Could you please share your resources of the millions that perished in the Muslim conquest? Reliable one hopefully, since not enough true historians dared to suggest so. Hope you're not a deliberate liar. A confused liar I hope. My proof, the Hindus are aplenty nowadays as they once were, far outnumbering the decimated Christians and Jews. Could they have recovered in such a speedy way from an unchecked holocaust? Get real.
May I present a proof why I don't think that Muhammad s.a.w. was just a man.
Thawban – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Two groups of my umma Allah has protected from the hellfire: a group that will conquer India and a group that will be with ‘Isa b. Maryam – ‘alaihimas- salat was-salam.” Reported Ahmad, an-Nisa’i, and at-Tabarani
Voyager, take a voyage in history or go back to the time of the dinosaurs. It would help improve your history skills, I hope.
Yes, the Arabs, Turks, Afghans and the Moghul invaded the mighty Hindu Rajputs and so almost did Alexander the Great. Muslim Moghul that unlike the pagan Mongol, were keen to build instead of obliterate, prospering the lands of the suicidal Hindus that had forgotten about their Kalki Avatar, but instead fell in love with Suttee and dehumanizing Caste system while blaming others for mentioning about it.
Could you please share your resources of the millions that perished in the Muslim conquest? Reliable one hopefully, since not enough true historians dared to suggest so. Hope you're not a deliberate liar. A confused liar I hope. My proof, the Hindus are aplenty nowadays as they once were, far outnumbering the decimated Christians and Jews. Could they have recovered in such a speedy way from an unchecked holocaust? Get real.
May I present a proof why I don't think that Muhammad s.a.w. was just a man.
Thawban – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Two groups of my umma Allah has protected from the hellfire: a group that will conquer India and a group that will be with ‘Isa b. Maryam – ‘alaihimas- salat was-salam.” Reported Ahmad, an-Nisa’i, and at-Tabarani
srizals said...The prophecy on India was fulfilled while another one is pending, hopefully I would still be alive then, with all the nuclear bombs lying around in the hands of those who are scared of being killed, but not scared of killing, of course.
India prospered until the British Raj came and massacred more Hindus and Muslims and used them as slave soldiers throughout its empire. Hindu nobles even allied themselves with Muslim rulers. Could you honestly believe they would do so with their exterminators, in the age of the clashing swords?
"Communally focused critics of Mughal rule have often ignored how particular caste categories offered their services and allegiance to Mughal rules, and received tangible benefits in exchange. Kayasthas in particular experienced upward mobility as they rose from being scribes and junior record-keepers to hold important administrative posts, and achieved a social rank comparable to court Brahmins. Mercantile caste categories also had a stake in the success of Mughal rule. Hindu money-lenders and shop-keepers did quite well in the prosperous Mughal towns, and a majority of the top revenue administrators under the Mughals (even during the reign of Aurangzeb) were either Hindu Banias or Brahmins."
http://india_resource.tripod.com/mughal.html
India prospered until the British Raj came and massacred more Hindus and Muslims and used them as slave soldiers throughout its empire. Hindu nobles even allied themselves with Muslim rulers. Could you honestly believe they would do so with their exterminators, in the age of the clashing swords?
"Communally focused critics of Mughal rule have often ignored how particular caste categories offered their services and allegiance to Mughal rules, and received tangible benefits in exchange. Kayasthas in particular experienced upward mobility as they rose from being scribes and junior record-keepers to hold important administrative posts, and achieved a social rank comparable to court Brahmins. Mercantile caste categories also had a stake in the success of Mughal rule. Hindu money-lenders and shop-keepers did quite well in the prosperous Mughal towns, and a majority of the top revenue administrators under the Mughals (even during the reign of Aurangzeb) were either Hindu Banias or Brahmins."
http://india_resource.tripod.com/mughal.html
srizals said...If you're afraid of any Muslim becoming hostile towards you, outshame him out of himself by this saying from his prophet. Since the frequency of the attacks and the daily death tolls are nothing similar as suffered by the Afghanis, Iraqis and Pakistanis in the hands of the likes of you, I'm guessing the probability is quite low. Hope you do have a peace treaty with the Muslims, though. And if it is not too much to ask, could you please get out from their lands asap. And do take along your fancy weaponry that you used to kill their children.
And he said, "He who kills a non-Muslim who keeps a peace treaty with the Muslims will not smell the scent of Heaven, though its scent can be traced to as far as a march of 40 years"
[Imam Ahmad and Al-Bukhari in Al-Jizyah]
I don't recall anyone dared to abrogate this hadith, Johnny. Maybe some self-appointed scholars of Islam dared to abrogate them for you. Do you have the authority or even the knowledge to do so?
Len, Jesus speaks Aramaic, not Hebrew.
"One of the most striking Aramaic sentences found on the lips of Jesus in the Gospels is: eli eli lema sabachthani (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 uses eloi instead of eli). The sentence is then translated into Greek by Matthew and Mark, with the English meaning: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This, as it turns out, is a quotation from Psalm 22:1, which reads in Hebrew: 'eli 'eli lama 'azavtani. (Here you can see, by the way, an example of the similarity between Aramaic and Hebrew.) The fact that Matthew and Mark have Jesus speaking in Aramaic does suggest that this line was remembered by the early Christian community in its original language, namely, Aramaic."
Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/markdroberts/pages/series/what-language-did-jesus-speak-why-does-it-matter.html#ixzz1Fe4ATjlQ
And he said, "He who kills a non-Muslim who keeps a peace treaty with the Muslims will not smell the scent of Heaven, though its scent can be traced to as far as a march of 40 years"
[Imam Ahmad and Al-Bukhari in Al-Jizyah]
I don't recall anyone dared to abrogate this hadith, Johnny. Maybe some self-appointed scholars of Islam dared to abrogate them for you. Do you have the authority or even the knowledge to do so?
Len, Jesus speaks Aramaic, not Hebrew.
"One of the most striking Aramaic sentences found on the lips of Jesus in the Gospels is: eli eli lema sabachthani (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 uses eloi instead of eli). The sentence is then translated into Greek by Matthew and Mark, with the English meaning: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This, as it turns out, is a quotation from Psalm 22:1, which reads in Hebrew: 'eli 'eli lama 'azavtani. (Here you can see, by the way, an example of the similarity between Aramaic and Hebrew.) The fact that Matthew and Mark have Jesus speaking in Aramaic does suggest that this line was remembered by the early Christian community in its original language, namely, Aramaic."
Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/markdroberts/pages/series/what-language-did-jesus-speak-why-does-it-matter.html#ixzz1Fe4ATjlQ
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