Apparently Christmas doesn't do much for my popularity

Go figure...

 

"Remember This: by Joshua Foer (National Geographic)

Fascinating National Geographic article about a man who can't remember anything for more than a few mins (think "Memento") and a woman who remembers *everything*. Pretty interesting. Go read it.

Remember This: In The Archives of The Brain, Our Lives Linger or Disappear

Top 10 Jalen Rose Quotes

I think Jalen lost (or lessened) his sense of humor once he became a knick... but really, can you blame him?

Via The "Top Ten" Blog

1. "Like I told the guys earlier, once he turns 21 and is able to drink, it's over. "
After LeBron James scored 56 points against his team, the Toronto Raptors.

2. "There's always going to be criticism when your name is Jalen. You have to wear a bulletproof vest and be ready for it."

3. "It must have been two in the morning when we got to Detroit, 'cause nothing was open but hospitals, jails, and legs."

4. "He probably was a little tired from All-Star Weekend. While he was running up and down the court throwing it off the backboard, I was laying on the beach drinking a fruity drink with an umbrella. So I probably gave myself an unfair advantage on that one."
Explaining why he outplayed Carter two days after the All-Star Game.

5. "I put together our roster on "NBA Live" and we're pretty good."
On explaining his surprise over the Knicks' horrible 23-59 record

6. "I reckon I have a chance if my team goes 82-0 and I do well."
On being repeatedly ignored for the All-Star game.

7. "Maybe I just didn't want Bush to win. I would have voted for you (the reporter) if you were running. Can't be any worse than what we've got. "
Explaining his donation in 2004 to the Democratic Party.

8. "I've got to stop this. My entourages are getting entourages."
On the trouble finding tickets for everyone when he returns to Detroit

9. "I'm a GM in fantasy basketball and I'm a GM on PlayStation, so on PlayStation I probably would have got a little more, but this is real life, so I don’t know."
On the Vince Carter trade.

10. "He was counting. All I heard him say was ,'One one-thousand,' but I think he forgot the other four."
On getting a costly 5-second call near the end of a game.

Arrested Development T-shirts

My fav has to be Tobias' "I just blue myself" shirt, but in all honesty, these shirts don't seem that wearable.

If you're still interested:
Tobias Funke (business card-esque)
Gob's Illusions
Buster's "Hey Brother"

"Strike Beard"

Late Night with Conan O'Brien returns on Jan. 2nd, but if you can't wait, you can head over to http://www.latenightunderground.com/ to get your Conan fix. You can learn about Conan's strike beard, or who draws that Conan O'Brien doodle you see everywhere, or just see the daily (bored) antics of the few writers left on staff. Ah, television. How I miss thee.

(Kinda. I only occasionally catch Conan's monologue nowadays.).

http://www.latenightunderground.com/

"Husband and wife find joy living apart — together"

Interesting. A married couple with children, living happily in two separate apartments in NYC.

Article

We do find each other essential; it’s just that, like many couples, we find each other deeply annoying, too.

Authors@Google: Randall Munroe

Interesting for anyone who's an avid reader of xkcd comics, but in all honesty, I had absolutely no idea what half of his geek jokes meant. Nice, in a "leave-on-in-the-background" kinda way. I actually enjoyed a few of his jokes because he was pretty... unpolished. And a little awkward. Like... any other normal geek guy friend I have. And if he ever reads this post, it should be pretty weird to explain.

Video

Randall Munroe is the creator of xkcd, a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. Munroe on Munroe: "I'm just this guy, you know? I'm a CNU graduate with a degree in physics. Before starting xkcd, I worked on robots at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. As of June 2007 I live in Massachusetts. In my spare time I climb things, open strange doors, and go to goth clubs dressed as a frat guy so I can stand around and look terribly uncomfortable. At frat parties I do the same thing, but the other way around."

This Authors@Google event took place December 7, 2007 at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

http://www.xkcd.com

Forty Little-known NBA Facts

Awesomeness.


Link

Reuters Pictures of the Year 2007

Self explanatory.

http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?collectionId=1067

Dr. Jackson speaks at MANA 2007

Dr. Sherman Abdul Hakim Jackson addresses the black Muslim community at the 2007 MANA Conference (videos courtesy of Islamic Perspective). In reality though, I think it's pretty good advice for the Muslim community in general, particularly those who are living the US. Yes, I'm annoyed that I can't find Part 3.

Part 1
Part 2
Imagine there's a Part 3
Part 4
Part 5 (final)


Highlights:

(I didn't take any notes during the lecture itself, so these are kinda just off the top of my head. Naturally, though, bear in mind that it means the things that I remember are the things that probably apply most to myself and my own understanding).

- Dr. Jackson talks about how the black Muslim needs to realize that Allah swt has a plan for us, and to embrace that plan. He brings up the example of a black youth raised in the ghettos of Philly, who grows up and one day, he'll be sitting among like... princes. And he thinks to himself "what am I DOING here?!". Dr. J urges us to hear the voice that MUST come back, "God PUT you there!" and to realize the reason we're there, and strive to make the best of our situation.

- In his estimation, the two greatest problems that plague the Black American Muslim community are: sexual immorality and education. Really? I think that extends to the American Muslim community in general. He says we need to develop a way to raise our children and maintain our household in a way that our families and community provide can provide them with the emotional and psychological support that we need. Also, we NEED to get back to education because in a 21st century economy, it's almost impossible to maintain a family without a strong educational background.

- He brings up an extremely interesting point, I thought, about the roles of being a leader and a follower. He says that we've maintained this idea of leadership is "to be **served**," whereas true leadership is about service in the cause of Allah through serving the interest of the community. Then he brings up that there's a problem with the followers as well, where our community has embraced "super hyper-individuality," in which we all want the community to strive, but we all want to do our own thing in Islam without any kind of collective commitment.. In the end, we blame leadership when things don't get done. Dr. J mentions, "where do you think the Prophet (saw) would have been without the Sahaba? People who were willing to set their personal interests aside to serve the mission of the Prophet (saw)." He urges us to realize our own role, to put aside or our personal interests to do what is best for the community. <3

- If Dr. J actually contacts and yells at me for this post, I may cry. I'm sorry! I'll take it down :(

--------------------

I consider this a nice follow-up the the NYT article about the gap between the black American Muslim community and the immigrant American Muslim Community.

Daily Show and Colbert Report to Return in January

You seriously underestimate how attached I am to them.

In a joint statement, the hosts said: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."

The WGA reacted angrily to the announcement, saying: "Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they've come to expect."

Source

Lessons in Photographic Idiocy; #1

When photographing fog, turn off your flash.

 

"Hm. This appears to be stupid."

 

"Odd. Still retarded."

 

"Much better."

TDS -- "Secular Central"

There is seriously a dearth of Jaan Stewart in my life. So I browse the archives for memories past.

Apparently, the liberal, secular fags at Comedy Central have fired a devastating year old, 6 second long joke that barely makes sense anymore, across the bow of Christianity.

The original Sam Bee thing from 2004.

Warriors 2007 Playoffs Fanvid

I don't know why I didn't post this before. But it's definitely amusing. Enjoy it, especially since I may go on vacation for a few days; whenever anyone sends me an article or link to read, I get nauseous. Not very conducive to my kind of blog.




Via TrueHoop.

A Secret History by Carla Power (NYT)

I've heard stories of a few female scholars, starting from the wives of the Prophet (saw), but I honestly hadn't thought there'd be more than a couple hundred through the history of Islam. But au contraire! Apparently the female scholarship IS numerable (or, at least, estimate-able), as the New York Times released an article about an upcoming book which highlights the lives and accomplishments some 8,000 female scholars of Islam. Highlights of the NYT article below.

For more, check Shazia's post about Sh. Habib's lecture on women and scholarship, or Danya's re-post of Sh. Abdallah Adhami discussing a similar topic.


Article

Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a 43-year-old Sunni alim, or religious scholar, has rediscovered a long-lost tradition of Muslim women teaching the Koran, transmitting hadith (deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and even making Islamic law as jurists.

“I thought I’d find maybe 20 or 30 [female hadith scholars],” he says. To date, he has found 8,000 of them, dating back 1,400 years, and his dictionary now fills 40 volumes.

It’s after the 16th century that citations of women scholars dwindle. Some historians venture that this is because Islamic education grew more formal, excluding women as it became increasingly oriented toward establishing careers in the courts and mosques.

Neverthless, Akram says he hopes that uncovering past hadith scholars could help reform present-day Islamic culture. Many Muslims see historical precedents — particularly when they date back to the golden age of Muhammad — as blueprints for sound modern societies and look to scholars to evaluate and interpret those precedents.

The erosion of women’s religious education in recent times, Akram says, reflects “decline in every aspect of Islam.” Flabby leadership and a focus on politics rather than scholarship has left Muslims ignorant of their own history. Islam’s current cultural insecurity has been bad for both its scholarship and its women, Akram says.

When Akram lectures, he dryly notes, women are more excited by this history than men. To persuade reluctant Muslims to educate their girls, Akram employs a potent debating strategy: he compares the status quo to the age of al jahiliya, the Arabic term for the barbaric state of pre-Islamic Arabia.

Does U.S. tolerate anti-Muslim speech? By Omar Sacirbey (Christian Science Monitor)

Article

Seemingly inspired by the Michael Savage (Weiner) issue. I hadn't really thought much of the article until I got to page 2, the majority of which is featured below, which delved more into examples of politicians utilizing anti-Muslim speech without much hint of reprimand. That scares me. And since politicians are, ideally speaking, representatives of people, that bloooooows (for me).

Highlights:

Indeed, anti-Muslim feeling in the United States, far from cooling since the immediate aftermath of 9/11, has edged higher, polls suggest.

For example: 35 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Muslims, up from 29 percent in March 2002, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. The same survey shows a rise in the number of people who say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence: 45 percent in 2007 versus 25 percent in 2002, although that figure has fluctuated over time.

"While anti-Semitism and racism against African-Americans, Latinos, and other groups still exists, Mr. Wessler and other observers say that well-known figures who say offensive and inflammatory things against these groups are almost certain to suffer consequences.

For example, Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson resigned his post as head of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York after suggesting in October that black people are less intelligent than other races. ABC executives decided this year not to invite actor Isaiah Washington back to the cast of the hit TV show "Grey's Anatomy" after he allegedly used an antigay slur. When presidential candidate Jesse Jackson failed to distance himself from anti-Semitic remarks made by Louis Farrakhan in 1983, his campaign suffered. Sen. Trent Lott (R) of Mississippi resigned as majority leader in 2002 after jokingly suggesting that America would be better off today had Strom Thurmond, the late South Carolina senator, won the presidency in 1948, when he campaigned as a segregationist.

On the other hand, presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani has endured little scrutiny for touting an endorsement this month from TV evangelist and onetime presidential candidate Pat Robertson, who has called Islam "Satanic" and the prophet Muhammad "a wild-eyed fanatic."

Several other radio and TV commentators regularly use similar language against Muslims without consequences, while conservative politicians have, in the view of some observers, sought to exploit anti-Muslim sentiment. Last year, US Rep. Virgil Goode (R) of Virginia sent supporters a letter expressing alarm that Rep. Keith Ellison (D) of Minnesota would take his ceremonial oath of office using a Koran.

Today's anti-Muslim sentiment is similar to American attitudes toward Japanese-Americans during World War II, says Jack Levin, a hate-speech expert at Northeastern University in Boston."

"At least twice, anti-Muslim comments have gotten media personalities fired. The National Review magazine dropped columnist Ann Coulter shortly after 9/11. In 2005, WMAL in Washington, D.C., fired radio host Michael Graham for calling Islam a "terrorist organization."

Nigeria Turns From Harsher Side of Islamic Law by Lydia Polgreen (NYT)

<3, if it's true. I'd love to learn more about true shariah, since it's rarely (if ever?) implemented in even a shadow of its ideal form (or so I'm told). Pray for ALIM this summer, please.

Article

Highlights:

"Shariah needs to be practical," said Bala Abdullahi, a civil servant here. "We are a developing country, so there is a kind of moderation between the ideas of the West and traditional Islamic values. We try to weigh it so there is no contradiction."

The change has little to do with religious attitudes — northern Nigeria remains one of the most pious Muslim regions in Africa, as it has been since the camel caravans across the Sahara first brought Islam here centuries ago. In Kano, the main city of Kano State, thousands of men spill out in neat rows onto the city’s main boulevards on Friday afternoon, an overflow of devotion for the week’s most important prayer, and virtually all Muslim women are veiled.

The shift reflects the fact that religious law did not transform society. Indeed, some of the most ardent Shariah-promoting politicians now find themselves under investigation for embezzling millions of dollars. Many early proponents of Shariah feel duped by politicians who rode its popular wave but failed to live by its tenets, enriching themselves and neglecting to improve the lives of ordinary people.

"Politicians started seeing Shariah as a gateway to political power," said Abba Adam Koki, a conservative cleric here who has criticized the local government's application of Shariah. "But they were insincere. We have been disappointed and never got what we had hoped."

"Shariah is not only about the cutting off of wrists," said Muzammil Sani Hanga, a member of Kano State's Shariah Commission and a legal expert who helped draft the state's Islamic code. "It is a complete way of life."

New programs have sprung up to encourage parents to send their daughters to hybrid public elementary schools that offer traditional Islamic education along with math and reading, in keeping with Islamic principles that call for the education of girls. In many of these classrooms, girls outnumber boys, and the United States Agency for International Development is so impressed with the potential of these programs that one third of the schools it supports across Nigeria are integrated Islamic and secular, according to officials at the agency.

State officials are using Islamic exhortations on cleanliness to encourage recycling of the plastic bags that choke landfills and gutters. One governor, citing the Islamic duty to care for the indigent, recently instituted a monthly stipend for disabled beggars.

“The idea of Shariah is to promote social justice, not create religious conflict,” Mr. Azuka said. “Shariah is not about violence.”

"Why Do We Pray?" By Sameh Strauch

Abridged from: "Why Do We Pray?" by Dr. Suhaib Hasan, Zayed Centre for New Muslims, P.O. Box 16090, Al-Ain, U.A.E. Phone (9713) 829191 Fax (9713) 645816

Article

Highlights:

The Prophet said: "The prayer is the Mi`raaj of the Believer." It gives every Muslim the chance to communicate with his Lord. During each prayer, the Muslim recites Soorah Al-Faatihah: This recitation is not a dull monologue by the Believer, but Allaah promises that it is a conversation between Him and the worshipper. The Messenger of Allaah reported that Allaah, the Almighty says: ‘When my slave says in his prayer: "All praise is for Allaah, the Lord of the worlds," I say: "My slave has praised Me" When he says: "The Merciful, the Compassionate, Master of the Day of Judgement," I say: "My slave has glorified Me." When he says: "You Alone we worship and your Aid we seek," I say: "This is between Me and My slave." When he says: "Show us the Straight Path," I say: "This is for My slave, and I give My slave what he wants."

The Messenger of Allaah once said: "Prayer is the pillar of religion." (Narrated by Al-Baihaqi) He also informed us that Islaam is built upon five pillars, the second being to establish prayer five times a day. (Narrated by Al-Bukhaari) This makes the image very clear: Islaam is like a building supported by five columns; remove just one column and the entire building weakens. In the same way, when a person stops praying, his faith becomes weak, and the mildest blows can cause it to crumble. The prayer is so very important that the Prophet said: "Verily, between man and polytheism and disbelief is abandoning prayer." (Narrated by Muslim)

Allaah says, concerning the plight of the disbelievers on the Day of Judgement, that they will be asked by the Believers: { "What led you into the Hell-fire?" They will say: "We were not of those who prayed." } (Soorah 74:42-43). Allaah also says: { Successful indeed are the Believers, those who humble themselves in their prayers } (Soorah 23:1-2), and: { And those who guard [strictly] their worship, such will be the honoured ones in the Gardens [of Bliss] } (Soorah 70: 34-35).

First 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah

I honestly don't know when Dhul-Hijjah started/starts; (I've thus far heard Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I guess I'll just go with my masjid (which, apparently, means I'm late in the game here):

The High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia has announced that Monday, December 10, 2007 will be Dhul-Hijjah 1, 1428 and that the Muslims performing Hajj will be in 'Arafah on Tuesday, December 18, 2007(Dhul-Hijjah 9, 1428).

As per the resolution of the Shura Council of ICCM,
Eid al-Adha will follow the Day of Hajj as announced in Makkah - Wednesday, December 19, 2007.

I'll try to find/post an article with more specifics as to why these days are sacred. If anyone has a good one, holla. In the meantime, things we should do these 10 days...

From an article extolling the benefits of the first 10 Day of Dhul Hijjah.

Ibn 'Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days [meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah]." The companions asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, not even jihad in the way of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihad, except for the man who puts his life and wealth in danger [for Allaah's sake] and returns with neither of them." [This is related by the group except Muslim and an-Nasa'i]

Ahmad and at-Tabarani record from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "There is no day more honorable in Allaah's sight and no acts more beloved therein to Allaah than those in these ten days. So say tahlil (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah : Laa ilaaha illallaah), takbir (Allaah is the greatest : Allaahu Akbar) and tahmid (All praise is due to Allaah : alhumdulillaah) a lot [on those days]." [Reported by Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated it is saheeh]

Abu Hurairah relates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "There are no days more loved to Allaah for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Dhul Hijja. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud (late-night prayer) during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of power. [i.e., Lailatul Qadr]." [This is related by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Baihaqi]

But this article is probably more easily readable:

Why do they matter?

Even for those not performing the pilgrimage, Hajj, the first ten days of this month are considered very sacred and a time for increased reflection, seeking Allah's forgiveness, doing good and various other forms of worship.

Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) has said about the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah: There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing."
[Sahih al-Bukhari].

So sacred are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah that Allah swears an oath by them when He says in the Quran: "By the dawn; by the ten nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. Swearing an oath by something indicates its importance and great benefit.


What kinds of worship should be performed?

While any good deed done for the sake of Allah according to the way He approves will be rewarded immensely during the first ten days, InshaAllah, some of the more specific actions mentioned in the traditions of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) are fasting and verbal Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah.


Fasting
In terms of fasting, it is particularly encouraged to fast on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, known in Arabic as Yawm Arafah. The Prophet used to fast on this day [an Nisai and Abu Dawud]. Fasting on this day will expiate a Muslim's sins for two years.

Abu Qatadah reported that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
Fasting the Day of Arafah will be credited with Allah by forgiving one's sins of the previous year and the following year.
[Muslim]

One of the wives of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: Allah’s Messenger used to fast the (first) nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of Ashura, and three days of each month.
[Sahih Sunan Abu Dawud #2129]

The day of Arafah is the day when the pilgrims stand in worship on the Mountain of Arafah. It is the best day of the Whole Year.

Fasting the day of Arafah expiates the [minor] sins of two years: a past one and a coming one. And fasting the day of Ashura expiates the sins of the past year.
[Muslim]

There is no day on which Allah frees people from the Fire as He does no the day of Arafah. He comes close (to those standing on Arafah) and then revels before His angels, saying: "What are these people seeking?"
[Muslim]


Dhikr
The verbal remembrance of Allah is another meritorious act during these first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
"And mention the name of Allah on the appointed days"
[12:28].

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) encouraged Muslims to recite a lot of Tasbeeh (SubhanAllah), Tahmeed (Alhamdulillah) and Takbeer (Allahu-Akbar) during this time.
The Takbeer may include the words "Allahu-Akbar, Allahu-Akbar, la ilaha ill-Allah; wa Allahu akbar wa Lillahil-hamd (Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, there is no god but Allah; Allah is Most Great and to Allah be praise)," as well as other phrases.
Men are encouraged to recite these phrases out loud and women quietly.

Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer individually when they heard them.


Good Deeds
Generally, all good deeds are rewarded highly at this blessed time. These actions include praying, reading Quran, making Du'a (supplication), giving in charity and being good to our families, and other voluntary (nafl) righteous deeds of worship. These are amongst the deeds that are multiplied in these days.


Seek Allah's Forgiveness and Repentance
In addition, seeking Allah's forgiveness (istighfar) and Tawbah (repentance) at this time is also encouraged. This means more than just a verbal statement of sorrow for past misdeeds. It also requires a firm resolution to avoid making the same mistakes in the future by giving up bad habits, and behavior while sincerely turning to Allah.

A High Price for Healthy Food by Tara Parker-Pope (NYT)

Article

Highlights:

The survey also showed that low-calorie foods were more likely to increase in price, surging 19.5 percent over the two-year study period. High-calorie foods remained a relative bargain, dropping in price by 1.8 percent.

Based on his findings, a 2,000-calorie diet would cost just $3.52 a day if it consisted of junk food, compared with $36.32 a day for a diet of low-energy dense foods. However, most people eat a mix of foods. The average American spends about $7 a day on food, although low-income people spend about $4, says Dr. Drewnowski.

How to Boost Your Willpower by Tara Parker-Pope (NYT)

So many links. Let's fly through them.

Article

Highlights:

Studies now show that self-control is a limited resource that may be strengthened by the foods we eat. Laughter and conjuring up powerful memories may also help boost a person’s self-control. And, some research suggests, we can improve self-control through practice, testing ourselves on small tasks in order to strengthen our willpower for bigger challenges.

By the foods we eat, eh? Perfect. PERFECT.

Last month, Dr. Baumeister reported on laboratory studies that showed a relationship between self-control and blood glucose levels. In one study, participants watched a video, but some were asked to suppress smiles and other facial reactions. After the film, blood glucose levels had dropped among those who had exerted self-control to stifle their reactions, but stayed the same among the film watchers who were free to react, according to the report in Personality and Social Psychology Review.

But the researchers also found that restoring glucose levels appears to replenish self-control. Study subjects who drank sugar-sweetened lemonade, which raises glucose levels quickly, performed better on self-control tests than those who drank artificially-sweetened beverages, which have no effect on glucose.

The findings make sense because it’s long been known that glucose fuels many brain functions. Having a bite to eat appears to help boost a person’s willpower, and may explain why smokers trying to quit or students trying to focus on studying often turn to food to sustain themselves.

“Self-control is a limited resource. People make all these different New Year’s resolutions, but they are all pulling off from the same pool of your willpower. It’s better to make one resolution and stick to it than make five.'’

Harun Yahya's Hadith Corner (Part 5)

Final section.

Source: http://www.harunyahya.com/hadith_corner.php

Highlights:

Convey my teaching to the people even if it were a single sentence. (Bukhari)

Should I not inform you of that which I fear for you even more than the dangers of Dajjal? It is the hidden idolatry: A person stands to pray and he beautifies his prayer because he sees the people looking at him. (Sunan Ibn Majah)

Idolatry is more hidden in my Ummah than the creeping of ants across a great smooth stone on a black night... (Tirmidhi)

Rejoice and hope for what will please you! By Allah, I am not afraid of your poverty but I am afraid that you will lead a life of luxury as past nations did, whereupon you will compete with each other for it, as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them. (Bukhari)

Do not turn away a poor man...even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you...Allah will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection. (Tirmidhi)

When the dwellers of Paradise enter Paradise, an announcer will call: (you have a promise from Allah that) you will live therein and you will never die; you will stay healthy therein and you will never fall ill; you will stay young and you will never become old; you will be under a constant bliss and you will never feel miserable. (Muslim)

Rap Music, Presented Graphically

Yes, I know it's old news now... but I forgot to post it earlier.

http://jamphat.com/rap/

I love that if you click on the graph/chart, it'll take you to a youtube vid of the song from which the graph/chart was inspired.

"The Secret to Raising Smart Kids" By Carol S. Dweck

Really interesting article from Scientific American Mind which talks about how our mindset in regards to our own intelligence (is it innate or learned?) can have a tremendous impact on our ability to learn and success in almost every aspect of our life. Brings up quite a few experiments involving children and college students in regards to their schooling, but also briefly discusses the effect a person's mindset can have on their careers or personal relationships. Basically: don't think you're smart, but realize that everyone has the ability to become it; our mistakes help us grow, so long as we learn from them.

Highlights:

Our society worships talent, and many people assume that possessing superior intelligence or ability—along with confidence in that ability—is a recipe for success. In fact, however, more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings.

Praising children’s innate abilities, as Jonathan’s parents did, reinforces this mind-set, which can also prevent young athletes or people in the workforce and even marriages from living up to their potential. On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life.

Subsequent studies revealed that the most persistent students do not ruminate about their own failure much at all but instead think of mistakes as problems to be solved. At the University of Illinois in the 1970s I, along with my then graduate student Carol Diener, asked 60 fifth graders to think out loud while they solved very difficult pattern-recognition problems. Some students reacted defensively to mistakes, denigrating their skills with comments such as “I never did have a good rememory,” and their problem-solving strategies deteriorated.

Others, meanwhile, focused on fixing errors and honing their skills. One advised himself: “I should slow down and try to figure this out.” Two schoolchildren were particularly inspiring. One, in the wake of difficulty, pulled up his chair, rubbed his hands together, smacked his lips and said, “I love a challenge!” The other, also confronting the hard problems, looked up at the experimenter and approvingly declared, “I was hoping this would be informative!” Predictably, the students with this attitude outperformed their cohorts in these studies.

The helpless ones believe that intelligence is a fixed trait: you have only a certain amount, and that’s that. I call this a “fixed mind-set.” Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change.

The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence is malleable and can be developed through education and hard work. They want to learn above all else. After all, if you believe that you can expand your intellectual skills, you want to do just that. Because slipups stem from a lack of effort, not ability, they can be remedied by more effort. Challenges are energizing rather than intimidating; they offer opportunities to learn. Students with such a growth mind-set, we predicted, were destined for greater academic success and were quite likely to outperform their counterparts.

At the start of junior high, the math achievement test scores of the students with a growth mind-set were comparable to those of students who displayed a fixed mind-set. But as the work became more difficult, the students with a growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of the other students by the end of the first semester—and the gap between the two groups continued to widen during the two years we followed them.

Mind-set can affect the quality and longevity of personal relationships as well, through people’s willingness—or unwillingness—to deal with difficulties. Those with a fixed mind-set are less likely than those with a growth mind-set to broach problems in their relationships and to try to solve them, according to a 2006 study I conducted with psychologist Lara Kammrath of Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. After all, if you think that human personality traits are more or less fixed, relationship repair seems largely futile. Individuals who believe people can change and grow, however, are more confident that confronting concerns in their relationships will lead to resolutions.

How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by telling stories about achievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about math geniuses who were more or less born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of great mathematicians who fell in love with math and developed amazing skills engenders a growth mind-set, our studies have shown. People also communicate mind-sets through praise. Although many, if not most, parents believe that they should build up a child by telling him or her how brilliant and talented he or she is, our research suggests that this is misguided.

In the growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled “You Can Grow Your Brain.” They were taught that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and that learning prompts neurons in the brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students began to see themselves as agents of their own brain development. Students who had been disruptive or bored sat still and took note. One particularly unruly boy looked up during the discussion and said, “You mean I don’t have to be dumb?”

We have now encapsulated such instruction in an interactive computer program called “Brain­ology,” which should be more widely available by mid-2008. Its six modules teach students about the brain—what it does and how to make it work better. In a virtual brain lab, users can click on brain regions to determine their functions or on nerve endings to see how connections form when people learn. Users can also advise virtual students with problems as a way of practicing how to handle schoolwork difficulties; additionally, users keep an online journal of their study practices.

Australia's Surfing Imam (BBC)

Imam Haisam Farache is part of a new wave of home-grown Islamic clerics who are transforming the religion in Australia.

Video Link

<3 I love that there's seemingly a growing number of Muslims born and raised in non-Muslim nations who still manage to live the educated Muslim lifestyle without completely separating themselves from the world. We have our own batch in the US; I heart them too.

Harun Yahya's Hadith Corner (Part 4)

Source: http://www.harunyahya.com/hadith_corner.php

Highlights:

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As: Allah’s Messenger said, “Those who act justly will be seated upon pulpits of light before Allah. They will be those who do justice in their decisions, in matters relating to their families, and in all that is referred to them.” (Muslim)

Verily, I have left amongst you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Apostle which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray. (Bukhari)

Whoever seeks Allah's pleasure at the expense of men's displeasure, will win Allah's Pleasure and Allah will cause men to be pleased with him. And whoever seeks to please men at the expense of Allah's displeasure, will win the displeasure of Allah and Allah will cause men to be displeased with him. (Ibn Hibban, Saheeh)

Ponder on death a lot. Allah opens the heart of that person who thinks about death a lot and makes death easy for him. (Narrated by Abu Huraira)

Abdullah bin Umar narrated that Allah's Messenger (saas) said, "Do not wish to be like anybody except in two cases: The case of a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way; and that of a man whom Allah has given religious wisdom (i.e., the Qur'an and Sunnah) and he gives his verdicts according to it, and teaches it to others." (Bukhari)

The Prophet (saas)'s nature was the Qur'an. (Muslim)

"Between Black and Immigrant Muslims, an Uneasy Alliance" -- NYT

Uneasy and embarrassing as it may be, no one can deny the enormous racial rift between Muslims in the US. Though I've heard innumerable complaints about Desi-Arab masjid politics, the African-American Muslim population is extremely ignored in comparison. Let's hope these are all gaps we can bridge in the coming years.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)said: "An Arab is no better than a non-Arab. In return, a non-Arab is no better than an Arab. A red raced man was not better than a black one except in piety. Mankind are all Adam's children and Adam was created out of clay." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Musa]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)said: “Every nation has its fitnah (trial or temptation), and the fitnah of my Ummah is wealth.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2336).


The article's about 5 pages long and I didn't want to make the highlights TOO lengthy, so they only cover through the beginning of the third page, ish. Read it all, if you're interested in the future of Islam in the US.

As a sidenote, how sad is it that I was barely even aware that MANA (Muslim Alliance in North America) even existed, and after reading the article, I desperately want to be a part of it (assuming, of course, that said organization's actions and objectives are correctly identified in the article.

Highlights:

For many African-American converts, Islam is an experience both spiritual and political, an expression of empowerment in a country they feel is dominated by a white elite. For many immigrant Muslims, Islam is an inherited identity, and America a place of assimilation and prosperity.

For decades, these two Muslim worlds remained largely separate. But last fall, Imam Talib hoped to cross that distance in a venture that has become increasingly common since Sept. 11. Black Muslims have begun advising immigrants on how to mount a civil rights campaign. Foreign-born Muslims are giving African-Americans roles of leadership in some of their largest organizations. The two groups have joined forces politically, forming coalitions and backing the same candidates.

It is a tentative and uneasy union, seen more typically among leaders at the pulpit than along the prayer line. But it is critical, a growing number of Muslims believe, to surviving a hostile new era.

Perhaps nowhere else in the world are Muslims from so many racial, cultural and theological backgrounds trying their hands at coexistence. Only in Mecca, during the obligatory hajj, or pilgrimage, does such diversity in the faith come to life, between black and white, rich and poor, Sunni and Shiite.

For many African-Americans, conversion to Islam has meant parting with mainstream culture, while Muslim immigrants have tended toward assimilation. Black converts often take Arabic names, only to find foreign-born Muslims introducing themselves as “Moe” instead of “Mohammed.”

The tensions are also economic. Like Dr. Khan, many Muslim immigrants came to the United States with advanced degrees and quickly prospered, settling in the suburbs. For decades, African-Americans watched with frustration as immigrants sent donations to causes overseas, largely ignoring the problems of poor Muslims in the United States.

Every year in Chicago, the two largest Muslim conventions in the country — one sponsored by an immigrant organization and the other by Mr. Mohammed [ son of Nation of Islam founder Warith Deen Mohammed and the man who brought the Nation in line with traditional Sunni Islam]’s — take place on the same weekend, in separate parts of the city.

...when Imam Talib vented his frustration at a meeting with immigrant leaders in Washington, a South Asian man turned to him, he recalled, and said, “I don’t understand why all of you African-American Muslims are always so angry about everything.”

Imam Talib searched for an answer he thought the man could understand.

“African-Americans are like the Palestinians of this land,” he finally said. “We’re not just some angry black people. We’re legitimately outraged and angry.”

The room fell silent.

Harun Yahya's Hadith Corner (Part 3)

Source: http://www.harunyahya.com/hadith_corner.php

Highlights:

Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: Someone asked Allah’s Messenger: “Who is the best man?” He answered, “A believer who strives in the Cause of Allah with his life and his wealth.” The man asked: “Who is the next?” He said, “One who retires into a narrow valley and worship his Lord.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Narrated Salamah bin Al-Akwa’: Allah’s Messenger said, “A person continues to display haughtiness and arrogance till he is recorded among the arrogant and will be therefore afflicted with what afflicts them.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Narrated Abud-Darda: Allah’s Messenger said, “The heaviest thing to be placed in the balance of a believing slave on the Day of Judgement will be good behaviour.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Narrated Jabir: Allah’s Messenger said, “The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in conduct; and the most abhorrent among you to me and the farthest of you from will be the pompous boastful braggarts, and Al-Mutafaihiqun.” The Companions asked him: “O Allah’s Messenger! We know about the pompous boastful braggarts, but we do not know who Al-Mutafaihiqun are.” He replied: “The arrogant people.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Narrated Jarir bin ‘Abdullah: Allah’s Messenger said, “He who is deprived of kindness and gentleness is, in fact, deprived of all good.” (Muslim)

Monkeys Are Smarter Than Me

And probably you, too.

Link.

Watch both vids, especially the second one.

What Makes Us Moral By Jeffrey Kluger (Time Magazine)

What Makes Us Moral

Brief highlight of various experiments dealing with morality and empathy and their connections to activity in different sections of the brain. Interesting, if for no other reason than to get a superficial idea about the results experiments that are being done.

Highlights:

The deepest foundation on which morality is built is the phenomenon of empathy, the understanding that what hurts me would feel the same way to you. And human ego notwithstanding, it's a quality other species share.

While it's impossible to directly measure empathy in animals, in humans it's another matter. Hauser cites a study in which spouses or unmarried couples underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they were subjected to mild pain. They were warned before each time the painful stimulus was administered, and their brains lit up in a characteristic way signaling mild dread. They were then told that they were not going to feel the discomfort but that their partner was. Even when they couldn't see their partner, the brains of the subjects lit up precisely as if they were about to experience the pain themselves. "This is very much an 'I feel your pain' experience," says Hauser.

This made me sad:

Schulman, the psychologist and author, works with delinquent adolescents at a residential treatment center in Yonkers, New York, and was struck one day by the outrage that swept through the place when the residents learned that three of the boys had mugged an elderly woman. "I wouldn't mug an old lady. That could be my grandmother," one said. Schulman asked whom it would be O.K. to mug. The boy answered, "A Chinese delivery guy." Explains Schulman: "The old lady is someone they could empathize with. The Chinese delivery guy is alien, literally and figuratively, to them."

Harun Yahya's Hadith Corner (Part 2)

Source: http://www.harunyahya.com/hadith_corner.php

Highlights:

Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah’s Messenger said, “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah the Exalted will say: ‘Where are those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory? Today I shall shelter them in My Shade when there is no shade but Mine.”’ ( Muslim )

Narrated Abu Barzah: Allah’s Messenger said, “A slave of Allah will remain standing on the Day of Judgement till he is questioned about (four things) his life on earth and how he spent it, and about his knowledge and how he utilized it, and his wealth and how he acquired it and in what way did he spend it, and about his body and how he wore it out.” (At-Tirmidhi )

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar: The Prophet took hold of my shoulders and said, “Be in the world as if you were a stranger or a wayfarer.” Ibn ‘Umar used to say: “When you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive till the morning; and when you survive till the morning do not except to be alive till the evening; (Do good deeds) when your are in good health before you fall sick, and (do good deeds) as long as you are alive before death strikes.” (Al-Bukhari)

Narrated K’ab bin Malik: Allah’s Messenger said, “Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are not more destructive to them than a man’s greed for wealth and fame is to his religion.” ( At-Tirmidhi)

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As: A man asked Allah’s Messenger, “Which act in Islam is the best?” He replied, “To feed (the poor and the needy) and to salute everyone, whether you are acquainted with them or not.” ( Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Desi Girls, How Marriable Are you?

You are 51% marriageable!

 

You're doing pretty well. You might not be 'First Class Number One' but you have a pretty good chance of catching a handsome Asian lad in the next few years. If that sounds like your worst nightmare, try being rude to aunties on a regular basis - word will soon get around.

Girls, how marriagable are you? *desi style!*
Make Your Own Quiz

Thaaaat explains it!

30 Days as a Muslim

Hey look, it's (legally) online!

30 Days as a Muslim is the third episode of season 1 of the reality television show 30 days which produced by FX Networks created and introduced by Morgan Spurlock. It talks about a devoted Christian who had to spend 30 days with a Muslim family. See what is his point of view after and before this experience.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4381533152220779419

I mostly endorse this video (I watched ages ago; I think my only complaint was the harshness of one of the imams, but I really don't remember anymore).

The History of the Decline and Fall of the New York Knickerbockers By Sean Cunningham

I wasn't really gonna post this, but given last night's nationally televised disaster, I think this deserves some attention.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the New York Knickerbockers (Esquire)

10 Divinely Designed Churches

http://www.neatorama.com/2007/05/07/10-divinely-designed-churches/

Gorgeous.

Harun Yahya's Hadith Corner (Part 1)

Source: http://www.harunyahya.com/hadith_corner.php

Highlights:

Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah’s Messenger said, “Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a believer in the morning and turn to disbelief in the evening, or he would be a believer in the evening and turn disbeliever in the morning, and would sell his Faith for worldly goods.” (Muslim)

Narrated Ibn Abbas: Allah’s Messenger said, “There are two blessings in which many people incur loss. (They are) health and free time (for doing good).” (Al-Bukhari )

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet said, “The religion (of Islam) is easy, and whoever makes the religion a rigour, it will overpower him. So, follow a middle course (in worship); if you can’t do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) at morn and at dusk and some part of night.” (Al-Bukhari)

Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah’s Messenger said, “A Muslim is brother to a Muslim. He should neither deceive him nor accuse him of lying, nor leave him without assistance. Everything belonging to a Muslim is inviolable for a Muslim; his honour, his blood and property. Piety is here (and he pointed out to his chest thrice). Despising one’s Muslim brother is enough evil for a person.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Narrated Harithah bin Wahb: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying, “Shall I not inform you about those who are entitled to Paradise? It is every person who is, modest and humble (before Allah), a person who is accounted weak and is looked down upon but if he swears (hoping for Allah’s Bounty), Allah will certainly give him what he desires. Now shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, impertinent and proud man.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Everyday Normal Guy Rap Song by Jon Lajoie

<3



Warning: Explicit (and hilarious) lyrics/language

"The Etiquette of Disagreement" by Dr. Sherman Abdul Hakim Jackson

Don't get me wrong, I adore Dr. Jackson. The problem is that his arguments are often lengthy, and methodical that he's incredibly hard to highlight. I'd make this a top priority read/implementation for *every* Muslim, in its entirety. Seriously.

Link: http://www.famsy.com/salam/Etiquette.htm

Highlights:

Some of us believe that a topic like "The Etiquette of Disagreement" is one of those topics that scholars and the ulamaa up in some ivory tower discuss and that it has very little to do with our everyday life, on the level of our everyday activities. What I want to propose to you tonight is that what we’re really talking about is a lesson in Islamic Civics.

...

These are lessons that are designed to prepare students to grow up to be citizens; to live in a society in such a way that they will be productive. That they will be able to contribute to the society — they will be a positive addition to the society and that they will promote the interest of the society as defined by the society’s leaders. What I want to propose tonight is that we need to get back to Islamic Civics, of how we as Muslims can function as productive individuals in groups in society in such a way that we promote the interests of Islam

"This is all well and good, to talk about being a jamaa’ah, but what about the fact that there are people who have ideas that we don’t agree with. What about the fact that there are people who endorse notions that we believe to be haram, what about the fact that there are people who advocate doctrines that we believe to be antithetical to Islam, that we believe to be against Islam? How can we maintain a jamaa’ah with these kinds of ideas in our midst? And it’s here that we come to the whole point of Islamic Civics, and what all of us in this room, in fact all of us who say laa ilaaha illallah Muhamadu rasulullah, what all of us have to remember is that this Deen is not our personal property. This Deen is the Deen of Allah (swt). And it is supposed to be practiced as Allah (swt) has commanded us to practice it. And Allah has commanded us, not asked us, commanded us in many ayat to be united, to have love and compassion among us. "

When we try to make everything in Islam a matter of consensus, we are going against the way of our pious ancestors no matter what we call ourselves. This is a fact, and another fact is that our pious ancestors differed on more than they agreed on. There was one scholar named ibn Al-Mundhir who died in the year 310H. Ibn Al-Mundhir wrote a book called Kitabul-Ijmaa’, this was a book that included everything that the ulamaa agreed upon up until his death. This book is only about 250 pages big. The rest was all subject to ongoing debate, ongoing discussion. But the Muslims then had rules for discussion and that is why they could discuss and continue to debate and even change their minds without it leading to hatred and distrust and someone accusing the other of not being a pious Muslim.

Wallahi (By Allah), sometimes we take a brother who says laa ilaaha illallah Muhammadu rasullallah and then he doesn’t have a beard and we treat him like he is a kaafir, subhanallah! What priority does this have? We know the hadith of rasullallah (s), he said on the Day of Judgement there’s one man who took a card written on it Laa illaha illallah, on one side of the scale, put all his other bad deeds on the other side of the scale and what happened? This card outweighed all the other deeds. This is not my words, this is the word of the Prophet (s), whether we like it or not, this is the deen that the Prophet (s) taught us. And he taught us that for a reason.

There is a hadith of the Prophet (s) in Sahih Muslim, Shaikh ul Islam Ibn Taymiya talks about this hadith in some detail. A man at the time of the Prophet (s) used to drink wine and would get caught and was whipped. He would drink again and be whipped again. One day they caught him drunk again and brought him before the Prophet (s) and after punishing began to curse him. Do you know what the Prophet (s) said to them? He (s) said: "Do not curse him because he loves Allah and the Prophet." There are weak Believers and strong Believers and not all Believers are strong. This does not mean that they are not Believers. And this is what the Prophet (s) has taught us. If we continue to act in the way that the Prophet (s) taught us to act toward our brothers and our sisters may be next year, five years or ten years from now they will evolve into a much better Muslim. And the Prophet (s) said, "Gentleness and kindness was never a part of anything except that it made it beautiful, and harshness was never a part of anything except that it made it ugly."

There's a LOT more. Seriously, go read it.

A Man in the Attic by Ali Imran Zaidi

Source: http://current.com/items/87571021_a_man_in_the_attic



A bit melodramatic, but I appreciated it regardless.

Jim Denevan Artwork

Source: http://design-milk.com/artist-jim-denevan/

Jim Denevan makes freehand art in sand using a piece of driftwood, sometimes for up to 7 hours. Then the water washes it away. Talk about the journey and not the result. See more images at his website below.

Gallery

"The Content of Character" (Part 8)

"The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)"
Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf
Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui

---


A final few notes.

I didn't intend to highlight the last section of the book, and I won't, unless someone specifically requests it. The post-hadith section of the book first discusses the classification of hadith (in regards to strength) and then more specifically talks about many of the weaker hadith included in the compilation. Sh. Hamza contends (while quoting various scholars who agree with this opinion) that the use of weaker hadith is permitted for various reasons, specifically:

- If a hadith is weak in its chain of narration, it can be strengthened by numerous different chains narrating a similar hadith.
- It is in line with already proven principles of Islam.
- The hadith is not extremely unreliable.
- Those who act on the hadith do so "without believing it is absolutely established" [Imam Suyuti summarization; p. 55 in Content of Character]

---

Finally, Sh. Hamza includes a biography of many of the narrators/collectors of the hadith included in his compilation. What absolutely amazed me while sifting through the stories was how far these men and women traveled in their acquisition of knowledge. In the biographies, it wasn't uncommon to hear about them traveling through Syria, Iraq, Egypt and even so far as China (particularly striking, considering the hadith "Pursue knowledge even to China, for its pursuance is the sacred duty of every Muslim." [Ibn 'Abdal-Barr]) in order to collect hadith or to learn from the most knowledgeable scholars.

The second striking quality that was common in all the narrators was their strong memory. There were narrators who had memorized THOUSANDS of hadith and were able to recall not only their exact phrasing, but also their chains of narration off the top of their head. One man was reported to have such a strong memory that he could memorize an entire book after just one reading. Imam Tirmidhi's memory was extraordinary, even late in his life when he had gone blind; it's said that once, after his blindness set in, he was walking down a path and bent low at one section to avoid a low tree branch he had once encountered there before.

All in all, it's really an amazing small and simple book. Go buy it. Seriously.
f

Humility in Knowledge, Arrogance in Ignorance

Humility among our leaders, I think, encourages humility in our populace. Sad, that both seem so difficult to find, especially since humility is such a huge base for adab. I'd love a(n accessible and somewhat concise) article on the importance of Islamic scholarship; if anyone happens to have one, please share. salaam.
f

Humility in Knowledge, Arrogance in Ignorance

Highlights:

In the best traditions of this Ummah Imam Malik considered his knowledge as a trust. When he knew something to be right or wrong, no intimidation could stop him from declaring so. It was his fatwa that divorce given under compulsion is invalid, that earned him the wrath of the ruler (as it implied that pledge of allegiance given under compulsion was also invalid). He was punished with lashes and at every strike he said, "I am Malik bin Anas and I declare that divorce given under compulsion is invalid."

Yet it was the same Imam Malik who was more likely to say "la adree" (I don't know) or "la ahsin" (I don't know it very well) in response to the constant flow of queries directed toward him. Once a person approached him and told him that he had come from Marrakesh --- after a six month journey --- only to ask a question. "My people back home are waiting for your answer," he said. After hearing the question Imam Malik replied, "Please tell your people that I do not know the answer to your question." In one case he was asked forty-eight questions and in response to thirty-two of them he said, "I don't know." It was commonly said that if somebody wrote down Imam Malik's answers to questions, he could easily fill pages with "I don't know" before writing a real answer.

The reason for this extraordinary care was nothing but a deep sense of accountability before Allah. It was the caution of a person who was standing between Hell and Heaven, fearful that one wrong step could lead him to the former. "Before you answer a question about religious law, visualize that you are standing at the gates of Hell and Heaven," he used to advise others.

They knew very well the tremendous burden inherent in a statement that begins "Allah says", or "The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, says". For here stating something that is not so means that a person is attributing something to Allah or the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, that is not true. What can be a greater sin than that! They always remembered that it is Haram to give fatwa without knowledge. They always remembered the Hadith, "Whoever interprets the Qur'an without knowledge should make his abode in Hell."

"audiences today readily confuse eloquence with scholarship."

Today one can find all sorts of un-Islamic ideas and practices, conjectures, whims, and desires finding approval in the "Ijtihaddom" that has been concocted. What is more we also make a virtue out of this catastrophe by bragging that we have broken the "shackles of blind following" and opened direct access to the original sources of Islamic teachings. But no amount of bragging can hide the fact that this is the equivalent of allowing unlicensed and untrained people to practice medicine. Although in this case the resulting death and injury is not physical and is therefore less visible.

"A pseudo doctor is danger to life. A pseudo religious scholar is danger to faith." Do we know the danger?

Patients Per Doctor Map of the World

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/185-the-doctorspatients-map-of-the-world/

Countries with the highest ratio of patients to doctors:

Burundi 33,500
Ethiopia 33,500
Liberia 33,500
Mozambique 33,500
Malawi 50,000
Tanzania 50,000

The scariest part of that list is comparing it to countries with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_HIV/AIDS_adult_prevalence_rate

Tanzania, Malawai and Mozambique are among the countries with the highest AIDS prevalence/populations (# 12, 8, 10 by prevalence; # 5, 12, 7 by population size).

Chema Madoz Photography

http://www.chemamadoz.com/

Despite the site being in some indistinguishable non-English language, I enjoyed.

Randy Pausch Gives Exuberant "Last Lecture"

Randy Pausch:

Almost all of us have childhood dreams: for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don't achieve theirs, and I think that's a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I've actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center (etc.cmu.edu), of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams. This talk will discuss how I achieved my childhood dreams (being in zero gravity, designing theme park rides for Disney, and a few others), and will contain realistic advice on how *you* can live your life so that you can make your childhood dreams come true, too.

Fantastic Lecture.

Watch here.

Muslim Player Thrives With Nourished Spirit by Neil MacFarquhar (NYT)

Old, but whatever.

Link.

Highlights:

“I have had some of my best games during Ramadan,” [Hamza]Abdullah [of the Denver Broncos], a 24-year-old safety, said in an interview. “I got my first and only interception while I was fasting.”

It does not work for everyone. His teammate Ryan Harris, 22, a rookie offensive tackle from Notre Dame, lasted only six days, saying he decided to break the fast between a heavy workout in the morning, when he repeatedly bench-pressed about 275 pounds, and an afternoon practice.

“When your stomach is full, you get tired and lazy and too relaxed,” said [Hakeem] Olajuwon, who retired from the Houston Rockets in 2002. “You get tremendous energy from fasting. Everything is crisp. When your stomach is empty, you get a lot of oxygen and you can breathe.”

Abdullah credits the whole idea of Ramadan with helping push into the background all the distractions from daily life that might interfere with his concentration while playing. “You are focused on the things that matter in your life,” he said. “You are not worried about extracurricular activities with the guys that you usually get caught up in. I don’t hang out at all hours of the night, I don’t listen to music and play video games.”

The hardest parts of the day come during lunch time, he said, when he heads to the locker room to hang out while everyone else is in the cafeteria eating, and between afternoon practice or a game and sunset. To help make the time pass, Abdullah sits in a cool tub in one of the therapy rooms or goes home early to play with his young daughter.

Abdullah was born into a Muslim family, as was Olajuwon, but Harris converted in the eighth grade, drawn to the humility that is a key tenet of the faith, he said.

Islam teaches that if you cannot fast for some reason, you can either try to make it up some other time or pay for food for the hungry. Abdullah pointed out that Harris has been helping to support meals at a Denver homeless shelter.

“When you fast, you feel a sense of being part of a community, you are part of something bigger than yourself,” Harris said. “You learn how unbelievably lucky you are to be able to have a meal.”

"The Content of Character" (Part 7)

"The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)"
Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf
Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui

last part:

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120. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "He who sins laughing enters Hell crying." [Abu Nu'aym]

122. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Whoever pleases his parents has pleased God, and whoever angers them has angered God." [Ibn an-Najjar]

123. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Anyone who sees a believer degraded, and, being able to defend him, does not, is degraded by God on the Day of Judgement."

124. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "One aspect of manliness is for a fellow to listen attentively to his brother should he address him." [Al-Khatib]

129. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "God removes faith from one who engages in illicit sex or consumes intoxicans just as a man removes his shirt when pulling it over his head." [Al-Hakim]

All of The Daily Show. Ever.

http://www.thedailyshow.com

Which means I'll have to go back and update my old links pretty soon. I love it. Love. Heart.

Source: Sahar via New York Times

"The Content of Character" (Part 6)

"The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)"
Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf
Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui

---

103. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "The most complete in faith are those best in character and kindest to their families." [At-Tirmidhi]

105. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Speak the truth even though it be bitter." [Ibn Hibban]

107. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Fulfillment is not plenty of goods; rather, it is self-fulfillment." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

108. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Gentleness never accompanies anything without enhancing t, nor is it ever removed from anything without demeaning it." [Al-Bayhaqi]

110. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Never do in private what you would conceal from others in public." [Ibn Majah]

115. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Beautiful Islam entails minding one's own business." [At-Tirmidhi]

117. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Whoever does you a favor, repay him; and if you are unable to, then at least pray for him." [At-Tabarani]

119. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "A person who teaches goodness to others while neglecting his own soul is like an oil lamp, which illumines others while burning itself out."

Chad Ford Revisits PeacePlayers

http://www.playingforpeace.org/

Henry Abbot of TrueHoop talks about how awesome it is.

And it is, in fact, pretty awesome.

I love it. Go give them money.

The Hanukas

I thought I had written about at least Tomer Hanuka before, but apparently not.

Israeli identical twin brothers Tomer and Asaf Hanuka co-create Bipolar for Alternative Comics. I have no more insight into anything comic related.

Tomer Hanuka (WARNING: cartoon nudity)
- i'm definitely a fan, especially of his "Life of Pi" drawings. Most of his work seems to be illustrations for novels or music, so it's amusing to pick out the inspirations.

Asaf Hanuka
- slightly different style, but they're both pretty similar to each other.
- labels his featured art a lot better than Tomer does

More on the Hanukas

Walmart to Pwn India

Source.

Highlights:

Thousands of shopkeepers rallied Wednesday here to protest the advent of large retail stores, saying companies like Wal-Mart and Reliance Retail would destroy their livelihoods.

“This is a do-or-die battle for us. Either they go or the small traders and farmers perish,” said Dharmendra Kumar, director of India FDI Watch, which is leading the campaign against the big companies that are trying to bring big-box style stores and supermarkets to India. He said 200 million Indians depend for their livelihood on the highly fragmented retail industry, which is dominated by about 12 million small mom and pop stores. Organized retail accounts for 3% of an industry estimated at $350 billion.

India FDI Watch maintains that the small fry are on track to lose almost 20% of their business to corporate retailers in the next four years.

In August, Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) launched a partnership with India's Bharti Enterprises to build a chain of wholesale outlets that would buy produce and merchandise from farmers and small manufacturers and sell it on to retailers.

ps - Newflash: Walmart's still evil. kbye.

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak everyone! Eid was awesome; shrimpy IHOP followed the prayer. Eid calls and Eid naps composed my afternoon a party at night and conversations with the parentals (and others) capped off the evening.

Hope all you stalkers' Eid was fun as well :) Call me, especially if we haven't talked in a while. Eid makes me social :)

Snooze or Lose by Po Bronson (NY Magazine)

Sleep is for the weak! *shakes fist at bed* or for the... week. I prefer the latter, but usually end up abiding by the former.

Article stole from Chen. Lots of highlights because I need motivation to move my laptop out of my room (and there, hopefully, sleep more).

Highlights:

According to surveys by the National Sleep Foundation, 90 percent of American parents think their child is getting enough sleep. The kids themselves say otherwise. In those same surveys, 60 percent of high schoolers report extreme daytime sleepiness. In another study, a quarter admit their grades have dropped because of it. Over 25 percent fall asleep in class at least once a week.

sleep scientists have recently been able to isolate and measure the impact of this single lost hour. Because children’s brains are a work-in-progress until the age of 21, and because much of that work is done while a child is asleep, this lost hour appears to have an exponential impact on children that it simply doesn’t have on adults.

The performance gap caused by an hour’s difference in sleep was bigger than the normal gap between a fourth-grader and a sixth-grader. Which is another way of saying that a slightly sleepy sixth-grader will perform in class like a mere fourth-grader.

Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom of the University of Minnesota surveyed more than 7,000 high schoolers in Minnesota about their sleep habits and grades. Teens who received A’s averaged about fifteen more minutes sleep than the B students, who in turn averaged eleven more minutes than the C’s, and the C’s had ten more minutes than the D’s.

Tired children can’t remember what they just learned, for instance, because neurons lose their plasticity, becoming incapable of forming the synaptic connections necessary to encode a memory.

The best known of these is in Edina, Minnesota, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where the high school start time was changed from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30. The results were startling. In the year preceding the time change, math and verbal SAT scores for the top 10 percent of Edina’s students averaged 1288. A year later, the top 10 percent averaged 1500, an increase that couldn’t be attributed to any other variable.

After the time change, teenage car accidents in Lexington were down 16 percent. The rest of the state showed a 9 percent rise.

Dr. Matthew Walker of UC Berkeley explains that during sleep, the brain shifts what it learned that day to more efficient storage regions of the brain. ... The more you learned during the day, the more you need to sleep that night.

Perhaps most fascinating, the emotional context of a memory affects where it gets processed. Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories get processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine.

Dr. Eve Van Cauter at the University of Chicago discovered a “neuroendocrine cascade” that links sleep to obesity.

Sleep loss increases the hormone ghrelin, which signals hunger, and decreases its metabolic opposite, leptin, which suppresses appetite. Sleep loss also elevates the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is lipogenic, meaning it stimulates your body to make fat. Human growth hormone is also disrupted. Normally secreted as a big pulse at the beginning of sleep, growth hormone is essential for the breakdown of fat.

Vandewater analyzed the best large data set available, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which has extensively surveyed 8,000 families since 1968. She found that obese kids watch no more television than kids who aren’t obese. All the thin kids watch massive amounts of television, too. There was no statistical correlation between obesity and media use, period. “It’s just not the smoking gun we assumed it to be.”

Vandewater examined the children’s time diaries, and she realized why the earlier research had got it wrong. “Children trade functionally equivalent things. If the television’s off, they don’t go play soccer,” she says. “They do some other sedentary behavior.”

Sleep is a biological imperative for every species on Earth. But humans alone try to resist its pull. Instead, we see sleep not as a physical need but a statement of character. It’s considered a sign of weakness to admit fatigue, and it’s a sign of strength to refuse to succumb to slumber. Sleep is for wusses.

The University of Pennsylvania’s David Dinges did an experiment shortening adults’ sleep to six hours a night. After two weeks, they reported they were doing okay. Yet on a battery of tests, they proved to be just as impaired as someone who has stayed awake for 24 hours straight.

Chris Jordan Photography

I saw him on The Colbert Report (10/11/07) and adore him. Chris Jordan's work "explores the phenomenon of American consumerism." Definitely check out his website for more, but I think his Colbert interview (below) gives a better feel for scale. Also, he really DOES look like Clark Kent, which is fun to see. Superman hates consumerism.



Go recycle your... everything.

"The Content of Character" (Part 5)

"The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)"
Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf
Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui

---

76. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "A Muslim never gives a fellow Muslim a better gift than wisdom through which God increases him in guidance or turns him away from harmful behavior." [Al-Bayhaqi]

77. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "If a Muslim consoles his brother during some crisis, God will adorn him in garments of grace on the Day of Judgement." [Ibn Majah]

81. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Veiling the faults of the faithful is akin to restoring life to the dead." [At-Tabarani]

89. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "If a man's actions slow him down, his good name will not speed him up." [Muslim]

90. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "A person's spiritual practice is only as good as that of his close friends; so consider well whom you befriend." [At-Tirmidhi]

97. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Recall the good qualities of your dead, and refrain from mentioning their shortcomings." [At-Tirmidhi]

98. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Do not drink liquor, for it is the key to every evil." [Ibn Majah]

99. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Never strike your maids over broken dishes, for dishes, like people, have pre-determined life spans." [Abu Nu'aym]

Empire State Building Goes Green for Eid

Source

:)

NEW YORK (AFP) - New York's iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.
ADVERTISEMENT

"This is the first time that the Empire State Building will be illuminated for Eid, and the lighting will become an annual event in the same tradition of the yearly lightings for Christmas and Hannukah," according to a statement.

Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month, is expected to be celebrated in New York from Friday, depending on when the new moon is sighted, and the city's tallest skyscraper will remain green until Sunday.

Built in the early 1930s, the 443-meter-tall (1,454-feet-tall) Empire State Building was first lit up with colored lighting in 1976, when red, white and blue lights were used to mark the American Bicentennial.

TIME - The Murals of Philadelphia

A public art project which encourages local artists to create works utilizing the city's architecture has beautified the City of Brotherly Love and created an enduring cultural legacy.

Photo Gallery

Our Moral Footprint by By Vaclav Havel (NYT)

Written by the former president of the Czech Republic and Translated by Gerald Turner. Coolies.

Article

Highlights:

"Maybe we should start considering our sojourn on earth as a loan. "

"Whenever I reflect on the problems of today's world, whether they concern the economy, society, culture, security, ecology or civilization in general, I always end up confronting the moral question: what action is responsible or acceptable? The moral order, our conscience and human rights — these are the most important issues at the beginning of the third millennium."

"The end of the world has been anticipated many times and has never come, of course. And it won't come this time either. We need not fear for our planet. It was here before us and most likely will be here after us. But that doesn't mean that the human race is not at serious risk. As a result of our endeavors and our irresponsibility our climate might leave no place for us. If we drag our feet, the scope for decision-making — and hence for our individual freedom — could be considerably reduced."

Tragic Retraction

Contrary to popular belief, apparently Baron Davis ISN'T shaving his beard. woo and such.

"I'm gettin' my beard lined up so when I grow it, it'll be nice and full" [Source, 10/3/07] (from the video)

FTB, def glad you respect my gridn and the old skool style, ya dig. I may rock a design in the beard this year…Let me know what I should do. Lol.

[Source, 10/8/07]

--

Old news, on the beard front:

The boy who never troubled his grandmother is in a state of rebellion. She has pleaded with him, chastised him, told him how ridiculous he looks with that awful beard.

It's overgrown. It covers half his face. It makes him seem so menacing, she says. But Baron Davis isn't budging. He refuses to get rid of his "grind," no matter how much the most important woman in his life tells him to.

"She don't understand -- I'm in grind mode," Davis says. "It's what I do in the summer. I grind. I hustle. I don't have time to get no haircut."

Time for a haircut? Davis would sooner speed up his schedule than surrender his grind.

"I told him yesterday," [his grandma] says firmly, " 'Get that beard off.' "

[Source for the aboves, 8/25/05]

"The Content of Character" (Part 4)

"The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)"
Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf
Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui

---


53. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Every Muslim has five rights over every other Muslim: The right to a reply, should he greet him; an acceptance, should he invite him; a visit, should he fall ill; a prayer, should he sneeze; a presence at his funeral, should he die." [Ibn Majah]

56. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "He who directs others to a good deed is as the one who did it; and, assuredly, God loves the act of aiding the distressed." [Ibn Abi ad-Dunya]

58. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Those who show mercy have God's mercy shown to them. Have mercy on those here on earth, and the One there in Heaven will have mercy on you." [Imam Ahmad]

62. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Prayer is the central pillar of religion; prayer is the key to every good." [Al-Hakim]

72. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "A believer is not one who eats his fill while his next door neighbor goes hungry." [Al-Bukhari]

73. The Messenger of God (saw) said, "Whoever fails to care for our youth, respect our aged, enjoin right, and denounce wrong is not counted among us." [Imam Ahmad]

Jon Stewart Quotables

After seeing how warm and fuzzy inside this list of Jon Stewart/The Daily Show quotables made me feel, I had to go read both sources in their entirety.

Enjoy!

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/8174