new vid? it's hofficial!
if the video for David Hasselhoff's "Hooked on a Feeling" wasn't enough reason to make me laugh by itself (and i assure you, i heartily lol'ed throughout that video), i was even more amused when i discovered a certain NBA star hums tunes by The Hoff while he's taking his free throws. so really, it's practically mandatory for me to post Hasselhoff's latest video:
and now i'll have to imagine dirk nowitzki humming along to this all game.
f
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Purification of the Heart - Envy
*Excerpts from "Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Curses of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart," a translation of Imam al-Mawlud's Matharat al-Qulub, by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf*
Envy
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(p 39-40)
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(p. 41) [ bold is my own edit ]
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Treatment.
(p 43)
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Envy
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"Whatever rank envy occupies in the hierarchy of diseases, most scholars will agree that it is the first manifestation of wrongdoing and the first cause of disobedience against God, when Satan (Iblis) refused to obey God when commanded to bow down before the new creation, Adam, the first human being. Nothing prevented Iblis from bowing down except his envy of Adam, for God chose Adam to be his vicegerent on earth instead of Iblis. Iblis grew arrogant and objected to the command that he show Adam any honor, for Iblis saw himself, a creation from fire, superior to this clay creature. When confronted with his disobedience, Satan did not seek forgiveness from God. Enviers develop a mindset that makes it impossible for them to admit they are wrong. To manifest envy is to manifest one of the characteristics of the most wretched creature, Satan."
(p 39-40)
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"A blessing (ni'ma) is something that God bestows. One of God's names is al-Mun'im, the Giver of Blessing. Envy, then, is desiring that a person lose what God has given him or her. It is tantamount to saying that God should not have given this person a blessing or, worse yet, that He was wrong to do so "because I deserve it more."
"There is a well known story about al-Asma'i, the famous Arab philologist and anthologer of poetry, when he once came upon a Bedouin and was invited to enter his tent. In Bedouin culture, the women serve guests in the presence of their husbands. This Beouin happened to have a very beautiful wife, though he himself was quite unattractive. And when the men went out to prepare a lamb for a meal, the guest couldn't resist saying to this woman, "How did such a beautiful woman like you marry such an ugly man like that?" The woman said, "Fear God! Perhaps he had done good works accepted by his Lord and I am his reward."
"God is all-wise in what He gives to people. If one questions the blessing a person has received, then he or she is actually questioning the Giver. Thsi makes envy reprehensible and forbidden.
(p. 41) [ bold is my own edit ]
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Treatment.
As a rememedy to the type of envy that prods one to bring about harm to another person, Imam mawlud suggests that one contradict his temptation, that is, do something that will benefit the person who is envied. For example, give that person a gift or do a favor. This defies the commands of one's whims, gains the pleasure of God, and protects against envy. The Imam suggests also that one may praise the person toward whom one feels the urge to slander. There is no hypocrisy in this recommendation. The purpose is to starve envy of the negative thoughts it requires to thrive. Being beneficient to a person against whom one feels envy often makes that person incline towards the envier. In general, good people are inclined to love those who show them good.
Another treatment is to know with certainty that holding envy against another person brings harm to oneself. Human nature's most primordial instinct is to avoid harm. It is easier for a person to repel negative feelings when he or she realizes these feelings hurt the soul."
(p 43)
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Tuesday, August 08, 2006
George Galloway interviews with Sky News
if you watch no other video on my blog, watch this one. even if you don't agree with what he says, it's amusing (to say the least) how he handles the reporter.
gotta love how the reporter sidesteps half the "rhetorical" questions he brings up. sizzigh.
f
George Galloway has spoken out in support of Lebanon, saying he believes Hizbollah is justified in defending Lebanon against Israeli attacks . The Respect MP also lambasted media coverage of the war and said the UN resolution means nothing.
gotta love how the reporter sidesteps half the "rhetorical" questions he brings up. sizzigh.
f
Zaytuna VideoCast 2
Zaytuna Institute is apparently releasing monthly videocasts featuring reflections from Sh. Hamza yusuf. the first one can be viewed here; the second is below.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf discusses the current situation on the Israeli led war on Lebanon.
Monday, August 07, 2006
re: israel.
having seen far too many people fall victim to blind hatred in the name of islam, i've always tried to be extremely cautious lest i be guilty of the same thing. it's one of the reasons i've been so hesitant about involving myself in any type of politics that is (even, at least, superficially) interlaced with islam. i've seen soo many people with vast amounts of knowledge wither to stuttering, incoherent hatred of another group who's in opposition to their own, regardless of which side's actions are more just or moral.
regardless of the stories and of the propaganda spewed by BOTH sides, i've tried, i've TRIED so damn hard, to try to view any situation involving israel impartially. though i try to give muslims the benefit of doubt in most situations, i have to choose to support the islamic principles of justice, equality, morality and peace rather than blindly root for the muslims in all scenarios.
so i've tried and i've tried and i've tried to understand israel's actions... not just in the last 4 weeks, but in the past few decades... and i can't. i gave up trying to view it impartially; i chose, instead, to just look at things from the israeli perspective. and while i can understand the fear and pain and the paranoia of the people, i simply can't justify the actions of the government. the atrocities its commited against people, against humanity, againt goodness, against kindness... it brings tears to my eyes. and while i will never say all acts of retaliation against that state are justified, i urge everyone to take a step back from our inevitable biases to search for the truth. take the time to actively search (and yes, it takes time and energy and doesnt come easy) and filter through the propoganda spewed from either side and to truly define terrorism and to honestly see who and what is wrong.
it's very easy for two parties in a situation to be wrong... don't maintain the typical "if you're not with us, you're against us" attitude. we all have a duty and an obligation to seek out truth... not just as muslims, but as people.
i'm done ranting. back to links. laters/salaam,
f
regardless of the stories and of the propaganda spewed by BOTH sides, i've tried, i've TRIED so damn hard, to try to view any situation involving israel impartially. though i try to give muslims the benefit of doubt in most situations, i have to choose to support the islamic principles of justice, equality, morality and peace rather than blindly root for the muslims in all scenarios.
so i've tried and i've tried and i've tried to understand israel's actions... not just in the last 4 weeks, but in the past few decades... and i can't. i gave up trying to view it impartially; i chose, instead, to just look at things from the israeli perspective. and while i can understand the fear and pain and the paranoia of the people, i simply can't justify the actions of the government. the atrocities its commited against people, against humanity, againt goodness, against kindness... it brings tears to my eyes. and while i will never say all acts of retaliation against that state are justified, i urge everyone to take a step back from our inevitable biases to search for the truth. take the time to actively search (and yes, it takes time and energy and doesnt come easy) and filter through the propoganda spewed from either side and to truly define terrorism and to honestly see who and what is wrong.
it's very easy for two parties in a situation to be wrong... don't maintain the typical "if you're not with us, you're against us" attitude. we all have a duty and an obligation to seek out truth... not just as muslims, but as people.
i'm done ranting. back to links. laters/salaam,
f
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Purification of the Heart - Hatred
reading "Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Curse of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart" by Sh. Hamza Yusuf. He's basically translating and commenting on a poem written by Imam al-Mawluds, "Matharat al-Qulub"
amazing book to read for anyone in search of spiritual fulfilment. though it's written from an islamic standpoint, a lot of the advice (ie, the treatments for each spiritual ailment) would be useful to anyone who's searching for peace in his/her heart. but i guess that's the beauty and purpose behind many religions -- finding peace (by striving to please God).
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*(saw) is shorthand for the arabic term "salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam," which roughly translates to "May Allah bless him and grant him peace," or, alternately "peace be upon him (pbuh)." Muslims are required to to utter this phrase after mentioning Prophet Muhammad (saw)
:)
f
amazing book to read for anyone in search of spiritual fulfilment. though it's written from an islamic standpoint, a lot of the advice (ie, the treatments for each spiritual ailment) would be useful to anyone who's searching for peace in his/her heart. but i guess that's the beauty and purpose behind many religions -- finding peace (by striving to please God).
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Hatred or strong dislike of a person for no legitimate reason is the disease of bughd [ hatred]. The Prophet (saw) * once said to his Compansions, "Do you want to see a man of Paradise?" A man then passed by and the Prophet (saw) said, "That man is one of the people of Paradise." So a Companion of the Prophet (saw) decided to learn what it was about this man that earned him such commendation from the Messenger of God (saw). He spent time with this man and observed him closely. he noticed that he did not perform the Night Prayer vigil (Tahajjud) or anything extraordinary. He appeared to be an average man of Madinah. The companion finally told the man what the Prophet (saw) had said about him and asked him if he did anything special. And the man replied, "The only thing that i can think of, other than what everybody else does, is that i make sure that i never sleep with any rancor in my heart towards another." That was his secret.
"The cure for hatred is straightforward. One should pray for the person toward whom he feels hatred; make specific supplications mentioning this person by name, asking God to give this person good things in this life and the next. When one does this with sincerity, hearts mend." ~ p 30-31
"In a profound and beautiful hadith, the Prophet (saw) said, "None of you has achieved faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." ~ p 31.
*(saw) is shorthand for the arabic term "salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam," which roughly translates to "May Allah bless him and grant him peace," or, alternately "peace be upon him (pbuh)." Muslims are required to to utter this phrase after mentioning Prophet Muhammad (saw)
:)
f
The Retail Alphabet (v4)
this'll drive you nuts. match the letter with the company logo it's stolen from. versions 1-3 have answers; 4 requires you to purchase the answers.
http://www.joeykatzen.com/alpha/ver4/
f
http://www.joeykatzen.com/alpha/ver4/
f
Lebron James - Full Court Shots (commercial)
looks pretty fake, but still cool. the look on the reporter's face at the end is classic.
EDIT: Powerade commercial.
EDIT: Powerade commercial.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The Lives of Man by Imam Al Haddad
amazing book. pick it up, if you have the chance.
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"And the Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him, included among the seven that God will shade with His shade 'on the day when no shade shall exist save His,' a 'young man who grew up in the service of God." It has been related that God the Exalted said: "O young man, who has abandoned his passions for My sake: you are to Me as are some of My angels."
later, Imam al Haddad continues: "Ibn al-Jawazi divides the human lifespan into five periods. The first, childhood, ends at the age of fifteen; the second, youth, extends to the age of thirty five..." and "Other scholars provide more or less similar divisions."
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"The lifespans of the [Muslim] Nation are among the shortest they have been. Some people in bygone nations lived near to or in excess of a thousand years. Some scholars have said that in some long-vanished communities, puberty was reached at the age of eighty. It is also said that one of Adam's sons died aged two hundred, and other people felt sorry for him having had such a brief life; and that Abraham the Friend, upon whom be peace, was circumcised at the age of eighty at God's command. And it is related that when the Messenger of God, upon whom be blessings and peace, considered the lifespans of his nation short in comparison to other nations, he implored and beseeched God on their behalf, for if their days were short, then their time spent in obedience and in preparation for their Hereafter would be short likewise, and they would thus miss many of the rewards and high degrees granted by God. So He gave him the Night of Destiny [ laylat al-qadr], which is better than a thousand months, [97:3] thus [in effect] extending their lives and multiplying their rewards so that any one of them who spends it in religioius observance during this night will be as if he had done so for a thousand months: namely, for eighty-three years and four months. If he does this every Night of Destiny for twelve years, for instance it would be as if he had lived one thousand years or more in God's obedience. Reflect on these calculations, for they are evident! This is what God has given this Nation through the baraka of His Messenger and the greatness and honour in His sight, and because of the tremendous concern which the Prophet has, upon him be blessings and peace, for his Nation, and his zeal to see them obtain what is good."
~ The Lives of Man, p. 25-26
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"And the Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him, included among the seven that God will shade with His shade 'on the day when no shade shall exist save His,' a 'young man who grew up in the service of God." It has been related that God the Exalted said: "O young man, who has abandoned his passions for My sake: you are to Me as are some of My angels."
later, Imam al Haddad continues: "Ibn al-Jawazi divides the human lifespan into five periods. The first, childhood, ends at the age of fifteen; the second, youth, extends to the age of thirty five..." and "Other scholars provide more or less similar divisions."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"The lifespans of the [Muslim] Nation are among the shortest they have been. Some people in bygone nations lived near to or in excess of a thousand years. Some scholars have said that in some long-vanished communities, puberty was reached at the age of eighty. It is also said that one of Adam's sons died aged two hundred, and other people felt sorry for him having had such a brief life; and that Abraham the Friend, upon whom be peace, was circumcised at the age of eighty at God's command. And it is related that when the Messenger of God, upon whom be blessings and peace, considered the lifespans of his nation short in comparison to other nations, he implored and beseeched God on their behalf, for if their days were short, then their time spent in obedience and in preparation for their Hereafter would be short likewise, and they would thus miss many of the rewards and high degrees granted by God. So He gave him the Night of Destiny [ laylat al-qadr], which is better than a thousand months, [97:3] thus [in effect] extending their lives and multiplying their rewards so that any one of them who spends it in religioius observance during this night will be as if he had done so for a thousand months: namely, for eighty-three years and four months. If he does this every Night of Destiny for twelve years, for instance it would be as if he had lived one thousand years or more in God's obedience. Reflect on these calculations, for they are evident! This is what God has given this Nation through the baraka of His Messenger and the greatness and honour in His sight, and because of the tremendous concern which the Prophet has, upon him be blessings and peace, for his Nation, and his zeal to see them obtain what is good."
~ The Lives of Man, p. 25-26
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