Death of someone dear

A fond goodbye to someone very dear

Although in distance he was never near

Yet he seems to have gone to a faraway place

No longer this world will he grace

Youth was on his side

But by the Creator’s decision we abide

How can he not be always in our prayer

For that is one way to show we care

For a loved one we hold dear

Fond memories of him will keep him near

But alas this world is for him no more

A reminder that we too will that fate endure.

May the Almighty grant him and all our deceased His mercy

The Comforter

As reader of my blog questioned my assertion that the Bible prophecises the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Below (in red) are his comments and I respond lower down.

Muslims have been told that Jesus predicted the coming of Mohammad. If one looks at the context of what Jesus said, one can see that he meant someone else.

Muslims are told that the Comforter to come that Jesus promised was Mohammad. Let us see what Jesus really said.

Who is the Comforter that Jesus promised?

Jhn 14:16: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

Jhn 14:26: But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jhn 15:26: But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jhn 16:7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Comments
1. The Comforter will abide with them “forever.” Mohammad did not live then, and could not do this – be with them. Now that he has come and gone, he is not with anyone forever.

2. The Comforter is the Holy Ghost, not a man, who will “teach all things.” No man knows “all things,” only God.

3. The Comforter is a Spirit of Truth. Mohammad was a man, not a spirit.

4. Jesus had to leave so that the Comforter could come. That implied he was coming soon after Jesus left. Also, Jesus said that HE was sending the Comforter. Mohammad never claimed that Jesus sent him.
-
The disciples are to wait for the “promise” in Jerusalem.

Luk 24:49: And, behold, I [Jesus] send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Luk 24:51: And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he [Jesus] was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

Comment
1. The “coming” of the Comforter occurred in Jerusalem. That is not where Mohammad was when he felt “called.”

2. The disciples were waiting and expecting the Comforter in about 33 AD. They could not wait until the 500s AD for Mohammad, because they could not live that long.

3. The promise would give them power.

When did the Comforter come?
Act 2:1: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Act 2:2: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Act 2:3: And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Act 2:4: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Comment

1. Jesus died at Passover. He appeared after his resurrection 3 days later, and was with them about 30 days. He then ascended into heaven. Pentecost occurs about 45 days after Passover.

2. The disciples were given the power of the Holy Ghost.
Mohammad, again, could not have come at this time, and he gave no supernatural power to anyone.

Reply to this Comment 

Dear Jim

It is indeed true that Allaah Almighty knows best and thus I am very grateful Him who has guided me and made me a Muslim – one who submits to His Oneness.

As Muslims were are fortunate to have with us His final revelation. This revelation confirms what came before it and the message of all the Prophets that there is but One God worthy of worship.  So while we are well exposed to Christians and their doctrine, these are mentioned in Quran. However, you may have limited exposure to Muslims and perhaps have not had the opportunity to properly research the Quran.  Certainly, when you understand that it is the word of our Creator, mine and yours, the Lord of Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them), then the denial of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a Prophet of Allaah, God Almighty, will not be at issue. When you understand that Quran is the word of Allaah, you will understand that Muhammad  (peace be upon him) is the messenger of Allaah. The relevance of the prophecies in the Bible, both Old and New Testatment,  will not strengthen the belief of a Muslim – for he believes already.  As mentioned that we have Quran and the life history of Muhammad (peace be upon him) which makes the quotations releatively easy to understand.

Before we get to these verses, may I remind you that both Jews and Christains, many of them, acknowledged that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the Prophet mentioned in the scriptures of the Jews and Christians – many accepted and many rejected. Quran even makes mention of this.

As to your points on the “Comforter”:  let’s start with three points:

1.       “Soon” – how long is “soon”.  It may indeed be a figure of speech.  For instance, God created all things in  6 days.  6 human days? – if you went to Planet mercury, a year will be something like 29 earth days. And on more distant planets the days will be extremely long in earth time. So “soon” did not mean soon, as in watch your clock. There was no indication that it was going to happen in their lifetime. Soon was just for them to convey the message that a Prophet was to come.
Time is a creation of God Almighty – read Quran to understand this better.

2.       Did not Paul write a few chapters/books in the New Testament? Was he present during the Pentacost? If not how was he inspired by the Holy Ghost “soon”. Did Peter have a licence from the Holy Ghost to inspire Paul to be an important author/scribe of the New Testament.
You said: When did the Comforter come?Act 2:1: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
So was Paul there?

3.       Does the New Testament hold anything new to what Jesus (peace be upon him) taught? For does your Bible not say quoting Jesus (peace be upon him): “I have yet many things to say, but ye cannot bear it all now.....”
If so, what was new?
Muhammad (peace be upon him)  brought us Quran, as revealed to him from God Almighty though Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him). Quran teaches us what we ought to know and what was intended by Almighty God for us to know. Everything has its relevance.

4.       Jhn 14:16: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;So the “comforter” – the one you claim to be the comforter – is with us now?
Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought a message that is abiding with us and will abide with us until the end of time.  When his wife was asked about him, his life, she replied his life was the Quran. In us following him (peace be upon him) he teachings abide with us and will so until the end of time.

Yes, I have already said much and to not prolong this much further, suffice to say that I do not know if anything was lost in the translation of what is in the Bible you quoted.  I suggest that if you possibly read Quran it will add to what i have stated above.  The Quran is preserved by millions in their hearts, having memorised this Glorious Book  - a miracle indeed.

Btw – to which denomination do you belong.

PS! Quran states about Jesus PBUH:

1.       Miraculaous birth from virgin mother

2.       Spoke in cradle

3.       Performed miracles such as forming bird with clay and blowing into in and bird becomes alive – by the Permission of God Almighty

4.       He is a Prophet and not one of three (btw Bible does not speak of Trinity?)

5.       He was not crucified

6.       He was raised up by God Almighty.

 I pray that Almighty accepts your sincerity and rewards you for it.

Ettiquette

Really why don’t I blog more often … one gets busy and does one blog for the sake of blogging.

Something happened and I was not sure of the ideal forum to respond – so I blog again :)

So yesterday I watch a video on youtube – it was of a religious nature – and is my nature that I often can’t resist commenting. But I try to add meaningful comments. Yet what is disturbing is that the response to my comment is vulgar, from a person supposedly defending his religiously viewpoint. Now I take no personal affront to this as insults since I am merely a creation of Almighty Allaah. However, it is not uncommon to find this type of responses on religious (and political) forums. Perhaps it is such that some people go onto these forums not to engage in discussion/debate but only to hurl insults and abuse. This has sadly lead to the closure of some forums where good discussion did take place, but sadly hijacked by those who have no meaningful way to express themselves except being crude and vulgar.

As stated earlier, that personal insults one can take, but then these people go beyond that and start abusing aspects of the religion itself. We may have opinions and we may thus differ on important aspects of religion, but certainly that can be done in civil manner. Yes, I do admit that sometimes one can type something and the reader may infer something from the tone – but that may be a perception and it may be the reader itself having a particular frame of mind at that time.

So as a Muslim I would find it difficult if a fellow Muslim becomes abusive regarding another religion or even adherents to that religion. We may though find that certain questions or comments may have connotations of ridicule but may such comments or questions may be better understood through further engagement. This is rather different from someone making blatant comments in a threatening way.

Islam, through the Quran and the practices and teaches of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), teaches us that clearly. As Muslims we accept all the Prophets before him, Muhammad (peace be upon him), and we send our greeting upon them all. It is blasphemous to speak ill of any of them and among them are Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist and Jesus – peace be upon them all. Some of these Prophets (peace be upon them) were given scriptures which we as Muslim acknowledge. We further acknowledge that they – peace be upon them – all taught the same message of the worship of One God.

There are meaningful ways of finding out about Islam and engaging Muslims. The snippets in news broadcasts and the print media and the portrayal of Muslims in movies do not do justice to the religion in any way.

 Let's talk and respect each other - lets have some ettiquette

The End of the World ...?

So much talk about doomsday ... what is the Muslim take on it .. below is a condensed response - by a Muslim religious scholar - to a related question....

Signs of the Hour

Question: There are various sites regarding prophesies on the last days . The sites give very precise locations and happenings before the last day. Are they true ? . However in Quran there are prophesies but it does not mention the places. If there are any clear indications in Quran or in Hadith about Last Days, can you kindly tell.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Signs of the Hour are the signs that will precede Yawm al-Qiyaamah (the Day of Judgement) and indicate that it is nigh.

The Hour (al-Saa'ah) means the time of reckoning, and is either:

1. Saa'ah sughra (the lesser hour), which is a person's death, whereupon his reckoning starts when he leaves this world and passes into the Hereafter;

2. Or Saa'ah kubraa (the greater Hour), which is when mankind will be resurrected from their graves to be judged and rewarded or punished accordingly.

When the word al-saa'ah is used on its own in the Qur'aan, it refers to the greater reckoning (the Day of Judgement), as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "People ask you concerning the Hour…" [al-Ahzaab 33:63]

The Signs of the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgement) are of two types:

1.    Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Sughra (Minor signs of the Hour)

These are signs that will appear a long time before the Hour approaches, such as the decline of knowledge, the spread of ignorance, drinking of wine or alcohol, competition in the construction of tall buildings, and many others. The scholars have listed almost sixty signs, some of which will accompany the major signs, or will appear afterwards.

2.    Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Kubraa (Major Signs of the Hour)

These are major signs that will appear shortly before the Day of Judgement comes. These extraordinary events will be:

*******************************************************************************************************************

(1)    The appearance of the Mahdi.

At the end of time, a man from the descendents of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will appear, and Allaah will help him to make His religion prevail. He will take control of the land (or the earth) and fill it with justice just as it had previously been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Under his rule, the ummah will be blessed as it has never been blessed before.

This man's name will be like the name of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his father's namewill be like the Messenger's father's name. He will be a descendant of Faatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), through the line of al-Hasan ibn 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). He will appear from the East

(2)    Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal (The "Antichrist")

Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is a man from the sons of Aadam. He has a number of features which were mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth, including the following: he will be a young man with a ruddy complexion and curly hair, and will be one-eyed, with his right eye looking like a floating grape. Between his eyes will be written "ka' fa' ra'" (in unjoined letters) or "kaafir" (disbeliever), which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Another of his attributes will be that he is sterile, and will have no children. Among the ahaadeeth that describe him are the following:

The fitnah (trial, tribulation) of the Dajjaal will be the greatest fitnah ever, seen from the time that Allaah created Aadam until the onset of the Day of Judgement, and this will be because of the power that Allaah will permit him to have, of working great miracles that will amaze and confuse the people. There are ahaadeeth that describe how he will have a "paradise" and a "hell", but his paradise will in fact be a hell, and vice versa. He will have rivers of water and mountains of bread. He will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth its produce, and it will bring forth its produce. The treasures of the earth will follow him, and he will travel though the earth at great speed, like rain driven by the wind.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught his ummah how they can protect themselves from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjaal, as is reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When any one of you pronounces the Shahaadah, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four things, and let him say: “O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the tribulation of the Dajjaal)." (Reported by Muslim, 5/87).

Another way of protecting oneself is by memorizing the first aayaat of Soorat al-Kahf.

(3)    The descent of 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace

After the Dajjaal has appeared and spread corruption throughout the earth, Allaah will send 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, who will descend to the earth, coming down to the white minaret in the East of Damascus, Syria, resting his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, drops will fall, and when he raises it, drops like large pearls will fall (these are like grains of silver in the shape of big pearls, and it means that drops of water as pure as pearls will fall. The water is described as pearls because of its purity). No kaafir will smell his breath except he will die, and his breath will reach as far as his eyes can see. He will come down to the victorious group that is fighting for the truth and has come together to fight the Dajjaal. He will descend at the time when the iqaamah for prayer is being given, and he will pray behind the leader of that group.

(4)    Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog)

Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are human beings, descended from Aadam and Hawwa, upon whom be peace. According to the descriptions of them given in the ahaadeeth, they belong to the Turkic Mongol race, having small eyes, small, flat noses and wide faces. Their faces look like hammered-out shields (their faces are likened to shields because they are wide and round).

Their appearance at the end of time is one of the signs of the Hour, as indicated in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "Until, when Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are let loose (from their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every mound. And the true promise (Day of Resurrection) shall draw near (to fulfilment). Then (when mankind is resurrected from their graves, you shall see the eyes of the disbelievers fixedly stare in horror. (They will say): 'Woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this; nay, but we were zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)." [al-Anbiyaa' 21:96-97]

In the story of Dhoo'l-Qarnayn, Allaah tells us (interpretation of the meaning): "Then he followed (another) way, until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: 'O Dhoo'l-Qarnayn! Verily! Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?' He said: 'That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) or iron,' then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said, 'Blow,' till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said, 'Bring me molten copper to pour over it.' So they [Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. (Dhoo'l-Qarnayn) said: 'This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.' And on that Day [i.e., the day Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together." [al-Kahf 18:92-99]

Al-Nawaas ibn Sam'aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported a long hadeeth describing several signs of the Hour. In this hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… and Allaah will send Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, swiftly swarming from every mound. They will pass the lake of Tiberias [in Palestine] and will drink everything that is in it. Then the last of them will pass by and will say, 'There used to be water here once.' The Prophet of Allaah, 'Eesaa, and his companions, will be besieged until a bull's head will be more precious to one of them than a hundred dinars are to any of you today. 'Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and Allaah will send a kind of worm (like that found in the noses of camels and sheep) on their (Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj) necks, and they will fall down dead, all at once. Then 'Eesaa and his companions will come down out of the place where they were besieged, and they will find hardly a handspan of land that is not filled with the stench (of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj), so 'Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and He will send birds like the necks of camels to carry them away and throw them wherever Allaah wills." (Reported by Muslim, 18/68).

(5)    The swallowing up of the earth

This means that a place is swallowed up in the earth and disappears into it, as is described in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place…" [al-Qasas 28:81]. Among the major signs of the Hour will be three such events, as described in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until you see ten signs… (including) three events where the earth swallows up, one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula." (Reported by Muslim, 18/27).

These events, like other major signs of the Hour, have not happened yet. Although other instances of places being swallowed up by the earth have occurred at various times and in various places, they did not cover so wide an area as to include both East and West. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "There have been instances of places being swallowed up by the ear, but it could be that what is meant by the three events referred to is events that are worse than anything yet seen, which could be more intense and cover a larger area." (Fath al-Baari, 13/84).

(6)    The smoke

Another of the major signs of the Hour will be the appearance of the smoke. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke, covering the people, this is a painful torment." [al-Dhukhaan 44:10-11].

A definition of the smoke was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas, who explained that it is one of the Signs of the Day of Judgement, as was narrated by Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi Haatim from 'Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Maleekah, who said: "I went to Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) one day, and he said: 'I did not sleep at all last night.' I asked him, 'Why not?' He said, 'They said that a star with a tail (a comet) had appeared, and I was afraid that the smoke had started, so I could not sleep at all.'"

Among the ahaadeeth that describe the appearance of the smoke as one of the signs of the Hour is the following:

1.      Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Hasten to do good deeds before six things appear: the Dajjaal, the smoke…" (Reported by Muslim, 18/87)

(7)    The rising of the sun from the West

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "… The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith…" [al-An'aam 6:158]. Most of the mufassireen (commentators) state that one of these signs is the rising of the sun from the West. Among the reports that indicate this are:

1. The hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until the sun rises from the West, and when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, but that will be when it will do a person no good to believe, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 11/352, and Muslim, 2/194).

2. The hadeeth of 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who said: "I learned from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a hadeeth that I have never forgotten since. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: 'The first of the signs of the Hour to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West.'" (Reported by Muslim, 18/78).

(8)    The appearance of the Beast

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And when the Word (of torment) is fulfilled against them, We shall bring out from the earth a beast to them, which will speak to them because mankind believed not with certainty in our aayaat." [al-Naml 27:82]

 (9)    The fire which will gather the people together

Another of the signs of the Hour is the great fire which will appear from the direction of Yemen, from the bottom of 'Aden, from the Sea of Hadramawt. Among the ahaadeeth that describe this are the following:

1. The hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd which mentions the major signs of the Hour, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… The last of them will be a fire which will emerge from Yemen, and will drive the people to their gathering place." According to another report: "… and a fire which will emerge from the bottom of 'Aden and drive the people (ahead of it)." (Reported by Muslim, 18/27).

Finally, it should be noted that belief in the signs of the Hour is part of our belief in the Unseen (al-ghayb), without which the belief of the Muslim is incomplete. And Allaah is the Source of Strength..

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Friday off - Oh Good

“….Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful."”
Quran 2:111)

I love chocolate, I like spicy food and buns and i like to be home on a Friday. Really Good ...
Certainly, a sense of decadence and perhaps luxury. Thinking about it, commercially it makes good sense. This time of the year brings to mind recent books like that of Dan Brown and movies like the Passion of the Christ and of course the Bible, not forgetting the Torah. I am also familiar with another book that has shed further light on some matters discussed in all of the aforementioned.

This book confirms the revelation of the Torah and Gospel and the high status of such people as Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them both).  This book tells us much of these two people as well as their predecessors, foremost of whom was Abraham, peace be upon him.

Some of the most important points in this book are:
1. The worship of One God
2. To not associate partners with God, Almighty
3. That there is life after this life on earth
4. That God Almighty sent many prophets and messengers (peace be upon them all)
5. That He has the power over all things
The further interesting aspect is that He, God Almighty, has created “man” in four different ways:

1. Without parents – i.e. Adam (peace be upon him)
2. Without a mother (but from a man) – Eve
3. Without a father (but only a mother) – Jesus (peace be upon him)
4. With a mother and father – generally all of us.
So His power exceed our understanding, but the creation in any of the above is easy for him, for if you could create man from nothing, it is easy for Him, God Almighty, to create a man from a mother only, without a father.
And so, there were a group of people who persecuted the Prophets sent by God Almighty and killed them. Then these people went on to claim the killing of Jesus (peace be upon him). But He, who has the power over all things, most definitely did not allow that to happen, as Christians too testify that Jesus (peace be upon him) ascended to Heaven alive. So they disputed on who was on the right path- but the book i mentioned, gives a good expose and confirms a few things concerning Jesus (peace be upon him)

1. Jesus (peace be upon ) was born of a virgin mother
2. Jesus (peace be upon performed miracles
3. Jesus (peace be upon ) did not claim to be God or the son of God or used the word Trinity (as the deity of worship) in any way
4. Jesus (peace be upon ) did NOT die on the cross
5. Jesus (peace be upon ) ascended to heaven alive
6. Jesus was neither a Jew nor a Christian
In Jesus’s time and even the time immediately after him, there was no bunnies or spicy buns related to any form of worship or remembrance of Jesus (peace be upon him) – Thus it clearly is not part of his teachings.

We follow the final revelation, which came to confirm which came before it. As Muslims, having the highest respect for Jesus (peace be upon him) – being the topic of discussion, and as followers of the final messenger of Allah, Muhammad – peace be upon him – we have a responsibility to speak the truth on Jesus – peace be upon him. We have a responsibility to convey the message of the Prophets which also Jesus (peace be upon him) conveyed – to worship the God of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

So my love for chocolate remains, but I will be a hypocrite to indulge in symbols associated with this period which has nothing to do with the good name of Jesus (peace be upon him).

So my like for spicy food remains, but I will be a hypocrite to indulge in symbols associated with this period which has nothing to do with the good name of Jesus (peace be upon him).

Muslims are awaiting the return of Jesus –peace be upon him. We love him and acknowledge his contribution to delivering the message of his Creator – his Lord and Our Lord.

In conclusion: This is all to be found in a book wherein there no doubt, a book of guidance.

2011 - Here we are

2010 - wow!!! what a year - what with the 2010 SWC all in South Arica - wow ... Hey what about Tiger's (as in Tiger Woods)confession, wikileaks, Pakistani cheating in Cricket? etc etc etc. ******************************************

A great year - mmmm ************************************************

The SWC 2010 - came and is gone - euphoria then gloom - you saw it the before and after - anything change. Well its because sports at that level is a kind of a drug, its mass hysteria, you forget reality of life and what is important - you enter a religion of CONSUMERISM and worship FIFA - you are poorer except for some memorabilia who really has little value right now. Yeah a few pics but the gloom is still there is it not. Sports is good, but much of it is designed to be a kind of drug that get even non-sports people to act beyond themselves..............

My great-grandfather is reported to have said that sports is gambling - was the SWC gambling with one's principles? well if that is not clear yet, then consider that while Islam prohibits alcohol, that the 2022 SWC was awarded to a "Muslim" country (Qatar) with a proviso they lift the BAN on alcohol for the period in and around the SWC 2022 - gampbling with one's principles? .... ...........................

The Pakistani match-fixing: guilty or not is not the issue - its that sports in general is fertile ground for gambling. Swayed by money? Gambling? ..............................................

Tiger Woods - ah ... naughty boy - but alas he is not the only one is he ... and sure there are quite a few like him ... so he was more like a rabbit (bouncing around) or was he more like Tigger (bouncing around) .....................

But then there is a group of people who have LONG-STANDING extra-marital affairs. Perhaps if it was not for the harsh laws prohibiting polygamy, these people would not be adulterers but rather polygamist, married and a greater sense of stability to communities. While Islam has always permitted polygamy, women in the west are more and more inclining to this concept since it gives them self-esteeem and security among others benefits. While polygamy is permitted in Islam, the percentage of men who have polygamous marriages are in the single digits. Divorce rates are low. And permitting polygamy will not open the floodgates but rather bring HONOUR to essentially the woman. And so we can go on and on....................................

Wikileaks - will you be ok if somebody is spreading stuff about you? Where will this all stop? ....................................

The reality is that while you are considering yourself and/or your New Year's resolutions - consider yourself in every facet - Success, time management, fitness, health, family obligations, friendship - I have a good book for you to read.. or else we may engage further.. ...................................

So my wishes for you is all that is good and something to make your happy forever. .......................... Be good :) .................................

and for your viewing pleasure:.............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD8AWqMUv18

Yvonne Ridley Explains Why She Converted to Islam