An indicator about how much it still goes on is the fact that race issues were at the forefront of political commentary when Obama was elected to office. If racism did not still exist, we never would have been discussing it as part of the political discourse.

It’s hard because when I try to be inspired and pull from other sources the choices for us are indeed slim. Considering the amount of time off the plantation, it really hasn’t been that long, for our imaginations to be in total free fruition.

You mentioned LOTR, there is a method to his writing, and great symbolism involving us… another topic*

Thats why when I look at African American children’s books, I see titles like, “Follow The Drinking Gourd” and ” What Slavery Means To Me” We are still in that “process” of self education and healing I guess.

Many of the African folktales I’ve seen are post colonization and have elements of Christian reform in them.

The funny thing about it all, is that sci fi genre is really talking about ppl of color… as most of the stories are pulled from out mysticism and our lore. We were always master orators and storytellers, we valued the oral tradition more then the printed word.

I would love to build and exchange words… maybe you can contact me. Peace**

Cordially,
John Dimes

wasalam

Salam.

I hope You are not one of their employees. I have some personal experience with G.F and Have heard many stories bout, How they are taking advantage of being So called” close to shariah compliant”.
May Allah Protect us all from Hell fire.

I am really surprising to hear about Guidance which is hard to believe because I finance twice with them and had excellent experience. also I know lots of friends who financed with Guidance and never heard anything bad and all are happy customer and always recommend others to finance with Guidance.
May All Guide us!

guidance only gives 30 days (this is even though they are clearly in need of clients/accounts).

when the appraisal ($450) was done of the house, the appraiser pointed out a small leaking problem in basement, and the underwriter (insurer for guidance) wanted us to fix it, and the agent told us we had to get an estimate on how much to fix the leak, and then they would hold 1.5 times the amount of the estimate from the refinance cash-out (because there is equity in the property, its worth $350,000, we owe $180,000, so equity amount = $350k – $180k = $170,000. guidance allows cash out up to $30,000. (by the way, they already tried to lay me off at ibm, but one account i supported fought to keep me on, so first round we won, but there’s a second round coming, thats why i need the cash out in case i become unemployed).

there was a huge snowstorm end of dec (worst in seattle in 40 yrs) that ended 1st week of jan, and after that there was flooding. we could NOT get any contractor to come out to give an estimate under end of 1st week of jan. then we found one honest contractor who came out and did some initial testing work, but after that he rescheduled twice because he had customers with flooding problem he had to fix.

meanwhile, guidance agent told me on 1/7 that rate will expire on jan 13 unless we extend, and i said ok we have to extend, and he replied he will help me extend for a “negligible fee”. on 1/7 also, i specifically asked him (this is all in writing/email), when is the deadline to complete the repairs, and he replied (in writing) : “no deadline. you do your due diligence, and i’ll do mine”.

we finally sent him estimate on 1/27. we scheduled with the contractor to do the repair in 2 stages, but he is a one-man service, so he couldn’t schedule the work right away.

then, on 1/29, agent emailed to say, rate will expire on feb 13, and if we don’t complete the repairs by 2/13, it will cost more to extend. in that email, he told me that he had charged us a “discounted” fee of $667.50 to extend the rate from jan 13 to feb 13, and that it would cost us more to extend from feb 13 to mar 13 (in the event the work could not be completed by feb 13). the scale of fees was $512 for 5 days extension, $717 for 10 days extension, $922 for 15 days, and $1,127 for 30 days!!!

i understand that islam does not limit “profit”, but not only are the fees OUTRAGEOUS, and other lenders have confirmed to me that they dont charge such fees, they give you 60 days for the rate, then after that something like $500 for 30 days extension.

i flipped out then. i disputed with the guidance agent : first, he NEVER told us work had to be completed by feb 13, i have numerous emails from him asking for estimate only, and never once did he say work had to be completed by feb 13 (or i would have rushed the contractor or found another one); second he said he would extend to fe 13 at “negligible” fee, and i dont consider $667.50 to be “negligible”. he also never communicated with us the fee amount, to ask for our agreement since it’s so high, and i reminded him quran says to enter into contract in writing with witnesses.

i have filed a complaint with the area Better Business Bureau. i cannot have compassion on them, because they never had compassion on me. i even contacted the CEO kal elsayed once, and asked why cant he post the “profit” rates on their website like other lenders post their “interest” rates on their website. his reply was : not in the budget. i know for a fact it is NOT a big deal to calculate your “profit” rate daily and then post on website. you just need one dedicated person to do that.

they just dont want to do it, and once as a test, i emailed this agent (who is in VA) to ask for the rate that day, and emailed the seattle agent for same info, and both came back with different rates! its like these muslim grocery stores, they dont post price of their halal meat, and this actually happened to me, they would give one price to one person, another price to another person, and sadly, they are always favoring their “brother” friends.

oh, and i forgot to mention that this agent lied to my roommate. he told her we should refinance now because they may pull out of state of WA in mar because they say the operating costs are too high (btw, guidance is one of 2 lenders that showed profit in 2008). later, when she asked him again, he said he never told her that, and she was like, “a’uudzubillah”, and then he quickly changed his position, and said “i only told you that because you’re a special customer”. his speech is like a used car salesman.

since he lied once, we stopped communicating with him with phone, we insisted all communication to be in writing.

may allah guide them!

Thank you for you nice words about our work and that of Sh. Jehad Ismail.

Just to clarify your post Sh. Jehad does not run this organization nor does he have any links to us. His lectures were recorded by us as we do with other lecturers.

Feel free to contact us at our website for more information.

Walaikum Asalaam

Thank you. We call it culling of the herd.

It is not Iran that has the track record of attacking other countries. It is the U.S. and Israel. My hope was (and still is) that we will put someone in office who will put an end to western imperialism and start talking to the “fundies” (as you so eloquently refer to them) rather than bombing them.

I understand the whole “lesser evil” argument and would certainly do what it takes to keep McCain out. My post is more of an expression of disappointment and frustration that yet another politician is so effortlessly lying to the American people.

Furthermore, what he said about Iran goes beyond just politics. It is dangerous. Bush will make Obama eat his words. If someone doesn’t vocally stand up and say no to attacking Iran (unless of course Iran were to attack us), Obama’s willingness for diplomacy may come too late.

You might want to look at Cynthia McKinney who is running on the Green Party ticket and is definitely more explicit about her proposed foreign policy with regard to Israel so *if you live in a “safe” state” I’d encourage you to vote for her. But if not then I would still say that Obama is still definitely better.

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Imagine cuddling up with your small child to look at a picture book together that is interactive, musical, responsive and talks to you?…

Is that HD widescreen has been supported in the new version of GeeXbox? The post you refer to is posted on may last year.

Charlie

May Allah (swt) accept your efforts, increase our closeness to him and make us amongst the true shi’a of ahl al bayt (as). Ya hussain!

My husband and I are considering adoption but are unclear on how the Islamic rulings apply to a US-context.

I think perhaps a lot of Muslims are under the impression that Islamic fostering and American adoption are incompatible. Clarifying this misconception will go a long way toward encouraging people to adopt.

Thanks!

Warmly,
Baraka

I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

free software for samsung d500 mobile…

* I say U.S. and not America, because I feel that it is egotistical and politically incorrect to call a nation by the continent on which it sits, unless the continent is the nation.

You never have once asked me to hem your shirts…
even though if you did…. I still probably wouldn’t LOL

But the point is, you’ve never asked… HMP

I would still say after all this: STICK/ORIENT TO “BASICS” FIRST/ALWAYS, AND MAKE POSSIBLE CALCULATED ADVANCES AS POSSIBLE, NOT LOSING OUT ON BASICS.

Aim for a state that u r able to do this. understand that its “constancy” and “wisdom” put to “net effect” that counts more in the sight of Allah than just plain outbursted single acts of devotion (although u may have to cross all these phases to reach that level of constancy).

If that sounded “complicated”, here’s how “simple” it is, in the form of examples/excerpts/similes etc from “quotes”:
(1) If Islaam was a “building”, level of foundation (eemaan) balancing strength of 5 pillars (shahaadat kalimaah,salaah,zakaah,sawm,hajj).sorry to say, without eemaan, no weightage to pillars.
(2)Allaah loves those more who strictly guard their daily prayers on a “constant” basis, rather than those who miss fardh sometimes but do a lot of fardh-guarding with extra sunnah prayers on other occassions.
(3)”progression” from animal to human being to muslim to mu’min — I think that should be the “guideline” to any human being.
u have to be “sensible” enough and “sensitive” enough, and properly “focussed”(without getting discouraged, and without exercising “undue” shyness/hesitation etc) to all of Allah’s creation in various “recommended” ways in order to practise “Islaam” on a “practical” basis (and not follow the policy of ignoring all other people and creatures other than those with beards who go to the mosques alone — come on , Allaah is the ulimate judge, and u don’t have a right to judge and act on judgement “wrongly”, except in ways which r clearly quoted in Qur’aan and Hadeeth/Sunnaah).
(4)More than the theoretical names, with a good “intention” (Holy Qur’aan — “Actions r but by intention and u shall be judged for ur intentions”; “the niyyaah of a mu’min is better than his actions” ), concentrate on practices which uphold the examples of Muhammad (saaws) and his Sahaabas (ra’a) (“star-equivalents”-Hadeeth) more than following the examples of “anyone else”. But for this, u can try and find out to learn the “practicality” of such practices in “present”-day situations from the “correlation” of positive results of their presence or the negative results of their absence. This way u will learn necessary ‘amal-oriented theory in a better and more lasting way (sth like a workshop or group discussion with necessary book-reference, rather than blindly mugging a book — Qur’aan — “closest to believers in faith – those devoted to knowledge,eg, true Christians” — Hadeeth — “Qur’aan-readers & readers books of knowledge”) .
This can grossly avoid a lot of “destructive argument” and focus(Hadeeth on Last Day regarding time-knowledge-wealth-self-life) can go to organised “1-way & 2-way discussion”, if u understand clearly what ur “priorities” r in correspondence/negation to others’ priorities. and don’t forget the necessity of mutual harmony, “no force/compulsion in religion”, “free will/ freedom for all” etc concepts in the process of doing this.this way u’ll be prone to invite to religion “in the most graceful of ways (Holy Qur’aan)”.
In short, “no differentiating” Shi’aa&Sunni / Mujaahid-Jama-ath-e-Islaami / Muslim-Christian-Hindu-Sikh-Buddha-Jain-et al/ and so on and so forth, except in the matter of what each person does and by “respecting but not necessarily believing” each others religious(way-of-life, I can quote more than 9 billion religions this way) sentiments on a general basis.

more to say, but have to hurry for ‘asr (as it is, I’m a lazy guy sometimes).let’s all hope for further improvement.

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful,

[6:19] Say, “Whose testimony is the greatest?” Say, “GOD’s. He is the witness between me and you that this Quran has been inspired to me, to preach it to you and whomever it reaches. Indeed, you bear witness that there are other gods beside GOD.” Say, “I do not testify as you do; there is only one god, and I disown your idolatry.”

The entire world must know! God responded in the most awesome manner to the disbelievers who assassinated Rashad Khalifa, the Messenger of the Covenant, and made it an awesome and incontrovertible sign for the present and future generations. Before the great miracle is revealed let us summarize a few things about Rashad Khalifa, his mission and the miracle he came with.
On the 31st of January, 1990, (31/01/1990) Rashad Khalifa, God’s messenger of the Covenant, was murdered at Masjid Tucson in Arizona, USA. He was stabbed 29 times by one or more disbelievers. Almost a year before, on February 19, 1989 a group of 38 so called “Muslim scholars” had met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue and position of Salman Rushdi. They issued a fatwa (a religious decree) that made the headline news in Muslim countries, as well as the Free world Media. The fatwa was very interesting: “both Rashad Khalifa and Salman Rushdi are apostates.” The world then knew Salman Rushdi but few knew who was Rashad Khalifa. In traditional, corrupted Islam, declaring in a fatwa that someone is an apostate is literally a sentence to death: Corrupted hadiths (so called sayings from the prophet Muhammad) declare an apostate should be executed. Consequently, the issued fatwas meant a calling for Rashad Khalifa’s assassination. According to the police, it appears that the assassins who killed Rashad belong to a terrorist group called al Furqan, very closely linked to al Qaeda.

[40:28] A believing man among Pharaoh’s people, who was concealing his belief, said, “How can you kill a man just for saying, `My Lord is GOD,’ and he has shown you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, that is his problem, and if he is truthful, you benefit from his promises. Surely, GOD does not guide any transgressor, liar.

in 1974, 1406 (19×74) lunar years after the revelation of the Quran, Rashad Khalifa, by God’s grace, discovered that the Quran was mathematically coded with “one of the greatest miracle”: the miracle of 19, mentioned only in sura 74, verse 30:
God declares that: “Over it (the Quran) is 19”.
In other words, “19” protects the Quran.
He became famous in the Muslim world in the 1970s and 1980s for unveiling the mathematical code protecting the Quran. First and foremost he realized that the mysterious 14 Arab initials opening 29 suras in various sets where actually a secret code with which God protected a very large part of the Quran. Each sets of initials are found in multiple of 19 throughout the verses of suras they open in a miraculous and sometimes intricate manner. For instance, Sura 19, opened by 5 initials, has 798, 19 x 42, such letters throughout the sura.
He also discovered numerous extraordinay features of the Quranic code, for instance:
There are 114 suras, 6 x 19 in the Quran
There are 6346 verses (19 x 334), and 6 +3 + 4 + 6 = 19
The word God occurs 2698 times (19 x 142)
The word Quran, refering to God, occurs 19 times
The expression “Wahdahou” (alone) refering to God (God alone!) is found in verses 7:70, 39:45, 40: 12 & 84, and 60:4. (7 + 70 + 39 + 45 + 40 + 12 + 84 + 60 + 4). When we add the numbers of suras and verses which refer to “GOD ALONE,” we get 361, 19 x 19.
Every sura, but one, is opened by the statement “In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful”, which occurs 114 times, 6 x 19, in the entire Quran. This statement is composed with 19 letters.
Every of the four key words (Name, God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful) in the opening statement are found in multiples of 19 in the Quran, without exception.
This is just a minute example of a comprehensive system designed by God protecting the Holy Quran with number 19.

Why 19?
Because it stands for the numerical value (each Arabic letter has a number assigned which is universally accepted), or gematrical value, of Waheed, “One” in Arabic واحد (و = W = ; ا = A = 1; ح = H = 8; د = D = 4; thus 6 + 1 + 8 + 4 = 19). The core message of the Quran is that:
God is One
Gematrical values in Arabic:
ا= 1
ي = 10 ط = 9 ح = 8 ز = 7 و = 6 ه = 5 د = 4 ج = 3 ب = 2
ق = 100 ص = 90 ف = 80 ع = 70 س = 60 ن = 50 م = 40 ل = 30 ك = 20
غ = 1000 ظ = 900 ض = 800 ذ = 700 خ = 600 ث = 500 ت = 400 ش = 300 ر = 200

Quran sings and praises the absolute oneness of God, coded with 19!
Rashad’s biggest contribution and divine inspiration was to proclaim to worship God alone based on God’s revelations alone and nothing else. He proclaimed that Muslims traditions, called hadiths and Sunnah, are man made innovations, which ridicule and put the shame on Islam and should be discarded simply because they are not part of Quran. So called words and traditions attributed to the prophet Muhammad are therefore idol worship. He declared that the true proclamation of faith in Islam is: ‘La elaha ela Allah” (There is no other god beside God).
Adding the name of Muhammad or any other name next to God is idol worship:

[39:45] When GOD ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned beside Him, they become satisfied.

Rashad Khalifa declared his messengership in accordance with God’s will. It was found that the root word Rashada occurs 19 times in the Quran as well as the fact both words Rashad and Khalifa combined generate multiples of 19 in the Quran as well.
The numerical (gematrical) value of Rashad is [ر = R = 200; ش = Sh = 300; ا = A = 1; د = D = 4 (505)] and Khalifa is [خ = Kh = 600; ل = L = 30; ي = Ya = 10; ف = F = 80; ﺓ = Ta marbuta or Ha (same value) = 5 (725)]. Therefore, Rashad Khalifa is 505 +725 = 1230.
Also Rashad Khalifa proved historically and mathematically with code 19, in the most incontrovertible manner, that verses 9:128-129 are not part of the Quran (See http://www.submission.org/tampering.html). Too much for the disbelievers.
The truth of Rashad’s message, proclaiming, “God is One”, was so beautiful and powerful that the fundamentalist Muslims could not stand it anymore. By God’s grace, Rashad was ready to fulfill his mission no matter what, and he stood and was ready to die for the truth.
The disbelievers plotted and scheme, the Ulamas ordered his assassination, and Rashad, God’s messenger of the Covenant, was horrendously martyred on the 31st of January 1990:

[3:54] They plotted and schemed, but so did GOD, and GOD is the best schemer.
[9:32] They want to put out GOD’s light with their mouths, but GOD insists upon perfecting His light, in spite of the disbelievers.
“Submission” Destined to Prevail
[9:33] He is the One who sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, and will make it dominate all religions, in spite of the idol worshipers.

God’s reply is awesome
A new era begins

What the disbelievers didn’t know is that God’s reply is absolutely terrible and unavoidable, in this world and in the hereafter. God’s reply is awesome and beautiful for the believers. The disbelievers didn’t know Rashad’s martyrdom would open a new era, with God manifesting through Rashad’s assassination a great miracle that would show the entire world the entire truth in a truly incontrovertible manner.

[27:50] They plotted and schemed, but we also plotted and schemed, while they did not perceive.

Shortly before his martyrdom, Rashad Khalifa proclaimed:
Through Gabriel: I was commanded to make this announcement:
AFTER I DIE MILLIONS OF BELIEVERS WILL KNOW
That I represent the Messiah the Jews have been waiting for, the Christ Christians have been expecting, the Mehdi the Muslims have been praying for…
I am God’s Messenger of the Covenant [Malachi 3:1-8, Quran 3:81]

God’s reply to Rashad’s martyrdom by fundamentalist muslims was to code mathematically with the miracle of 19 and a superhuman system Rashad’s date of martyrdom on 31/01/1990:

31011990 = 19 x 1230 x 1327

Miracle of 19 Rashad Khalifa’s numerical value A prime number with heavy significance

God’s profound message is clear:

31011990 = 19 x 1230 x 1327
Through Rashad’s date of martyrdom on the 31st of January 1990, God bears witness that: the Miracle of 19 Confirms Rashad Khalifa (numerical value = 1230) As a messenger who has been rejected in spite of the great miracle he was sent with:
Verse 13:27 in the Quran

[13:27] Those who disbelieve would say, “If only a miracle could come down to him from his Lord (we would then believe).” Say, “GOD sends astray whomever He wills, and guides to Him only those who obey.”

3 verses later (Verse 13:30) in the Quran, God confirms God’s Messenger of the Covenant:

[13:30] We have sent you (O Rashad) to this community, just as we did for other communities in the past. You shall recite to them what we reveal to you, for they have disbelieved in the Most Gracious. Say, “He is my Lord. There is no god except He. I put my trust in Him alone; to Him is my ultimate destiny.”

Whose testimony is the greatest? (6:19)
Through Rashad’s date of martyrdom, God bears witness that Rashad Khalifa (gematrical value 1230, who was sent with the miracle of 19) is a messenger of God who was rejected as we can witness in verse 13:27.
In the context of this profound miracle, Number 1327 is a warning to the human race: Rashad Khalifa, God’s messenger of the Covenant was indeed sent with “One of the greatest miracles, the miracle of 19, but he was rejected, ridiculed, despised and eventually martyred in the most horrendous manner. Ironically, people rejected the miracle of 19, one of the greatest miracles (74:35), when it was right in their eyes, and still dared to ask for a miracle!

Probably Rashad’s most momentous discovery unveiling the miracle of 19 was the discovery of the meaning of the Quranic initials starting 29 suras of the last revelation. With Rashad’s date of martyrdom, we witness an awesome system pointing at sura 19, first verse and last verse of the sura: the 1230th verse in the Quran in initialed suras from the beginning of the Quran, is verse 1 of sura 19, (1230 is also the gematrical value of Rashad Khalifa) the 1327th verse in initialed suras, from the beginning of the Quran, is the last verse of sura 19! Thus, sura 19 is symbolically surrounded by numbers 1230 and 1327!
31011990 = 19 x 1230 x 1327: We also witness the fact that 19 referring to 1230 and 1327 again reflects the miracle of 19:
1230 and 1327: 1 + 2 + 3 + 0 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 7 = 19

Rashad has been stabbed to death by one or more disbelievers 29 times:
31011990 = 19 x 1230 x 1327 = 1 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 0 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 7 = 29.
The criminals can run, but they can’t hide from God Almighty.
29 also happens to be the number of the 29 Quranic initials which display a miraculous pattern of multiples of 19 and protect the Quran mathematically.
Rashad’s death points at Sura 19, first verse and last verse. Sura 19 is an initialed sura, and contains 5 Quranic initials (the largest number of Quranic initials in the Quran) and such initials are found 798 times in sura 19, 798 = 19 x 42. Rashad Khalifa, who unveiled the miracle of 19, was Born in Egypt on the 19th of November 1935, and spent 19798 days on earth, 19798 = 19 x 1042. What else do you need!

31011990 = 19 x 1230 x 1327

[6:19] Say, “Whose testimony is the greatest?” Say, “GOD’s.
God has issued His judgment
– Case closed !!!!! –
[55:16] Which of your Lord’s marvels can you deny?

After such a miracle no one can deny the truth, victory for Islam is coming, and most human beings on earth are going to embrace Islam, the Religion of Peace is going to prevail:

[110:0] In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
[110:1] When triumph comes from GOD, and victory.
[110:2] You will see the people embracing GOD’s religion in throngs.
[110:3] You shall glorify and praise your Lord, and implore Him for forgiveness. He is the Redeemer.

Your choice:
After God’s awesome confirmation of Rashad’s messengership through his martyrdom, do you want to be:

A rejecter of the truth:
[7:132] They said, “No matter what kind of sign you show us, to dupe us with your magic, we will not believe.”
[6:25] Some of them listen to you, but we place veils on their hearts to prevent them from understanding, and deafness in their ears. Thus, no matter what kind of proof they see, they cannot believe. Thus, when they come to argue with you, the disbelievers say, “These are tales from the past.”
[71:7] “Whenever I invited them to be forgiven by You, they placed their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their clothes, insisted, and turned arrogant.
[32:22] Who is more evil than one who is reminded of these revelations of his Lord, then insists upon disregarding them? We will certainly punish the guilty.
The terrorists who plotted to assassinate Rashad will be in the following situation when they hear about the miracle:
[2:19] Another example: a rainstorm from the sky in which there is darkness, thunder, and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears, to evade death. GOD is fully aware of the disbelievers.
[5:70] We have taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we sent to them messengers. Whenever a messenger went to them with anything they disliked, some of them they rejected, and some they killed.

A believer:
[2:131] When his Lord said to him, “Submit,” he said, “I submit to the Lord of the universe.”
[31:22] Those who submit completely to GOD, while leading a righteous life, have gotten hold of the strongest bond. For GOD is in full control of all things.
[5:16] With it, GOD guides those who seek His approval. He guides them to the paths of peace, leads them out of darkness into the light by His leave, and guides them in a straight path.
[4:13] These are GOD’s laws. Those who obey GOD and His messenger, He will admit them into gardens with flowing streams, wherein they abide forever. This is the greatest triumph.
[5:12] GOD had taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we raised among them twelve patriarchs. And GOD said, “I am with you, so long as you observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and believe in My messengers and respect them, and continue to lend GOD a loan of righteousness. I will then remit your sins, and admit you into gardens with flowing streams. Anyone who disbelieves after this, has indeed strayed off the right path.”
[33:43] He is the One who helps you, together with His angels, to lead you out of darkness into the light. He is Most Merciful towards the believers.

War against terrorism:
We have witnessed God’s awesome reply and judgment against the terrorists apparently linked to al Qaeda who assassinated Rashad Khalifa, the messenger of the Covenant, a man of peace. Very soon, God willing, the fundamentalist disbelievers will be aware of the miracle of God proving Rashad’s messengership in such an incontrovertible manner. It is the duty for anyone who hopes to save his soul and serve God and knows anything about who killed Rashad and who participated in the plot to alert the police so the assassins can be brought to justice and judged.
Anyone who hopes to save his soul and knows where Osama Ben Laden and his lieutenants hide must pledge alliance to God and reveal where they hide: they are not believers, they are the worst enemies of Islam. They cannot escape from God.
Islam is truly the religion of peace and it is now time for real Muslims to show how beautiful, respectful and peaceful Islam is. In the meantime we declare an all out war against terrorism and hatred: God is on our side, and is supporting us with heavy miracles: with His help, we will prevail.

Warning to the believers:
I was blessed, by God’s grace, to witness for the first time that Rashad’s date of martyrdom confirms his messengership in a miraculous way. I believe there is a reason: It is my duty as a simple believer to declare that Rashad is not perfect. After such a miracle many people will be tempted to idolize Rashad Khalifa, declare him the last messenger, declare that his translation of the Quran is perfect, that all his religious opinions are perfect, that the way he used to pray was perfect and so on… Actually this has already happened among some of the believers of the miracle of 19.
All what matters is for us to purify ourselves and follow Quran alone. Quran is the perfect messenger, not Rashad or anyone else.
Beware of celebrating the date of his martyrdom or birthday: this would be blatant and disgusting idol worship, unfortunately I am pretty sure it is going to happen. May God protect us and have mercy on us.
Also I want to warn everyone that it is very damaging to anyone’s soul to play with gematrical values involving people’s names. Rashad calculated his gematrical value because he was a messenger of God, because he received confirmation from Gabriel(!), no less, and because he was a messenger supported by many other signs. If anyone claims to be a messenger, he must, must, must receive first confirmation from God Himself, Gabriel or Michael or God’s angels and have miracles to support his claim as well. There are so many false messengers: beware of them.

In my case I did witness great signs from God and miracles but that is most definitely not enough:
• When I was around 20, I had a spiritual dream, I dreamt I was enjoying perfect happiness with friends. I loved them so much, I really could feel so much love in my heart. Then everyone got separated and went his own way. It was really very sad. But at the end of the dream, as I was walking in the countryside I reached an intersection, and all of a sudden, very unexpectedly, all my friends reached the same intersection and we were reunited. It was so beautiful and we loved each other so much, everyone was crying because it was so beautiful.
I believe the great reunion is going to happen, God willing.
• God manifested to me a great miracle involving numbers 619 (see verse 6:19 and 61:9), 114 and 57. It is heavy with significance. The fact God guided me to witness the miracles about Rashad’s martyrdom is in itself a confirmation, God willing just the beginning of a confirmation, of verses 6:19 and 61:9. (6 + 19 + 61 + 9 = 19 x 5)
• God made his name (Allah) appear as I was constructing a door and a wall in France. The door was facing the United States, facing west, where I am now living. As the work was finished I stepped back and realized the name “Allah” (in Arabic) was written very clearly right above the door.
• One night in 2003, my wife and I witnessed a Shepherd Angel in the sky heading in the direction of Mecca in the very same shape as the Shepherd I had just finished sculpting the very same night. It is heavy with significance: it shows we shall pray towards the sacred Masjid located in the valley of Mecca. Also I believe it shows true Muslims are going to purify Mecca from the current idol worship which is going on right now in God’s temple.

Neither God, nor Gabriel, nor Michael, nor God’s angels have ever announced me anything concerning any kind messengership. Case closed. At one point, a few years ago I was really astray and thought I was, but I am simply not. I am a simple believer who strives to save his soul and wants to see Islam, the true religion of God prevail on earth. I want to serve God.

Also I want to thank God for supporting me writing this article with the findings of many believers concerning the miracle of 19 (the overwhelming majority of discoveries are simply not mine), on 19.org, and around the world. The miracle belongs to God alone, and the believers are all in awe witnessing it.

I believe in God. I believe in the Quran, his last revelation.
God’s promise is true and Christianity, Judaism, traditional Islam (Shiites, Sunnis and else) and all other religions are soon going to collapse: Mankind is going to embrace true Islam in throngs, God willing. No one will ever be forced to embrace Islam, because in true Islam, there is no compulsion whatsoever. Anyone who wants to keep his/her faith and not become a Muslim, there is absolutely no problem. We all want to live in peace, and love and respect each other.
Islam is truly a religion of peace, love, mercy, kindness, respect, beauty and so much more.

God, thank you so very much for ever and ever for so much beauty and truth, you are the Almighty, the Most Beautiful.
Praise God, Lord of the universe! La elaha ela Allah! (There is no other god beside God!)

[61:8] They wish to put out GOD’s light with their mouths. But GOD insists upon perfecting His light, in spite of the disbelievers.
[61:9] He has sent His messenger with the guidance and the true religion, and will make it dominate all religions, in spite of the idol worshipers.

Pierre Boyreau

I read “The Story of Babak, the Lost Dervish”. I really liked your usage of metaphor but I especially like how the message “finding yourself” was simply realized and illustrated. Keep up the good work, and Ive added you to my blogroll.

Wa Salaam

I think you forgot JFK assassination and the murder of Mr. Body in the study with the candlestick.

On the real, dude has done some serious boogying with shaitan, but some of those confessions (the bali bombing, i don’t think so) were def. the result of torture imo.

I surfed in to remind you about jumah prayer today. If you can’t make it to your local masjid come by my blog for my 2 pence in a khutbah series:

http://nuhgondek.blogspot.com/

Be well.

Wa salaama,

nuh ibn

This is another piece of good article

I recently posted an article to the African Muslim Website http://www.esinislam.com to deal with this important point. good of you. Keep it up!

…

shoe

Look at my example. Far more people died in the African slave trade than in the holocaust, yet western scholars often go to great lengths to “analyze the numbers.” Why is it so different when it comes to the holocaust?

You are right, it does not justify occupation of Palestine, but that is exactly what the Zionists have used it for, and the majority of the western world has been duped into accepting this false justification.

There is no question that the Holocaust was horrible and wrong, but it is even more horrible and wrong to cheapen the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust by exploiting its real meaning for the purpose of oppressing others.

Now how about them Colts!

Happy anniversary to you both! SubhanAllah. May Allah continue to bless you both and your family, and take you both to Jannatul Firdaws together, ameen.

Don Lapre Albert
webmaster@estudiantesporlademocracia.org
http://www.estudiantesporlademocracia.org

This is why people tend to balk so at ANY attempt to declare exaggeration with regards to the Holocaust — it’s too difficult to separate genuine inquiry from the pain of denial after denial. And when you think about it, what purpose or reason does Ahmadinejad really have to do this? Isn’t this more the task of a scholar than a world leader, seeing as it shouldn’t (in principle) affect policy? I agree that however Israel behaves now should be more or less regardless of the horrors of the past, save when it comes to the real culprits; that said, it is precisely because of those horrors that a haven must be preserved at as low a life cost (e.g. 0) as possible.

Don Lapre Zach
webmaster@john-don-lapre-world.com
http://www.john-don-lapre-world.com

I sent you an email, sister.

Stupid guys!!!! G-r-r-r-r!!!

I have a question for you.
Were you raised Christian?
If so, I’d like to ask your opinion on something.
I know a guy who is a Christian and is showing some interest in learning more…Any suggestions? I gave him a Qu’ran but I was wondering if you know of any other books etc. that helped you in the beginning of your journey?
My email is: hajars_outreach@yahoo.com

Eid Mubarak to you and SoulElixer and the kidlings! Hope you guys had a great Holiday!!!

Congratulations to the whole family!

shoe

(Tahira is one of my favourite names!!!)

Masha’Allah, what a cutie! Big and healthy, too. Many blessings for you, your family and this new little one. Hey, Zahra’s a big sis now huh?

Indeed, he is my favourite too. But does our gifted Professor Hajj Hassanain RajabAli have an official webiste ?

Does anyone know his E-mail ?

Thank you !

He’s actually in Dearborn, MI now.

shoe

I think you have some valid points. Even though he was using the Byzantine emperor’s comment about our beloved Prophet, salla Allahu ‘alayhi wassallam, and he did say it was a quote, most agree that he shouldn’t have used it at all.

You might be interested in this article by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, about this pope and his views on Islam, Benedict XVI and Islam: the first year

Also Juan Cole’s, Informed Comment website has an interesting post about the comment, Pope’s Trip to Turkey in Doubt
Protests Grow

Anyway, congratulations, and the pics of the house look beautiful… Enjoy it!

shoe

Bro. Abbas, there are many reasons why we might disagree with scholars, and it is important to analyze each one:

1. Our nafs. We simply have desires that go against what the scholars have prescribed. In this case, of course, one should follow the scholar.
2. Our understanding. We might not understand the reasons behind the scholar’s ruling. In this case, we should study and try to find out the reasons for such a ruling.
3. Time-space considerations. A certain ruling might not apply to you. This is particularly important when one is dealing with a mujtahid who lives in a completely different environment that you.
4. The mujtahid is simply wrong. This is rare, and for one to be able to prove it, you’d have to undergo quite a bit of research and consultation with other mujtahids. In that case, you could follow the ruling of another mujtahid, or, if it’s so obvious (i.e. it’s a complete contradiction of the Qur’an), then Allah’s book always comes first.
5. Following the ruling might be too difficult. Now, in some cases, this can be a sin, but in others, there might be legitimate hardship that would prevent one from following a ruling. Often times, asking the mujtahid to consider your specific case will resolve such an issue.

There is a certain science to following scholars, and I think many people get turned off by it when they’ve been taught to follow the scholars blindly, without trying to find out the reasoning behind various rulings. Being followers does not excuse us from being seekers of knowledge.

Great post brother. Keep it up.

“It is important that we apply our own understanding to both revelation and to knowledge presented to us by learned people.”

Can you give us an example? What if we do not agree with the learned people after our understanding?

wa salaam,
Abbas

Traditional Islam…. well and 12er shi’ism specifically, I don’t think it’s quite as concrete or rooted specific scholars as in some other schools of thought. There’s been so many movements and developments over time in light of fique, the concept of taqlid, jurisprudence, and theory of government, that even though it’d be easy to say that 12er ithna asheri usuli 20th century whatnot really is the “same thing” as how 12er shi;ism was viewed, say, centuries ago… (u know what I mean, vern?)

Leila

I do agree with your understanding of doctors, and that’s why I was careful to use the word “advice” when referring to jurists as oppose to “dictation.” It is important that we apply our own understanding to both revelation and to knowledge presented to us by learned people. Actually, someone who does taqlid properly does not just blindly follow. They research, study, and come to conclusions based on scholarly views. The wise among them, do not even limit themselves to just one scholar, but are able to discern truth by studying many rulings and views on issues.

I was once told that you really have to know yourself even to go to a doctor. Know your body and how to explain what is really wrong with you. If you tell the doctor the wrong thing, they’re more likely to give the wrong diagnosis (not saying they’re not to blame, because they don’t take the time to get to know you). The same is true with religion. “He who knows himself, knows his Lord.”

Interesting…. but so do so many of the conservatives, too, just using different vocabulary…

As for the Doctor reference, I’ve never really found that to be such a hot analogy due to doctors also being just as likely to make a poor diagnosis as a marja. Hence, I still think there’s something to be said about one’s intuition and own aql as well. I think there’s got to be a balance of our own judgement inserted into the picture as well, don’t you think? Curious to hear your response…

Assalaamu’alaikum,

Very beautiful and insightful post. Masha’Allah, it was very good. May Allah reward you for sharing such knowledge with us all. Love ya

I like the fact of highlighting the role and contributions and status of women in Islamic history and I think that’s vitally important for the ummah. I’m not sure that I would say this is a sunni-shia thing (although I”ve heard that before).

Some Sunni scholars, for instance would say that Mary (as) was a prophet as well and so was also capable of reaching the highest stations for human beings..

http://www.zawaj.com/articles/nubuwwa.html

But yes, the problems in this area are basically social/cultural rather than religious.

“There is a narrow passage between the wall (Hajar’s skirt) and Kaaba. When circumambulating around Kaaba, Allah commanded that you must go around the wall (not through the passage) otherwise your Hajj will not be accepted.

“Those who believe in monotheism and those who have accepted Allah’s invitation to go to Hajj must touch this skirt when circumambulating the Kaaba. The grave of a black African maid and a good mother is now a part of Kaaba; it will be circumambulated by man forever!”

That kills three birds with one stone: 1. racism 2. sexism 3. and those who say that praying in the precincts of a grave is forbidden.

This is one of the very first things I noticed when I became shi’a. Even in the masjid I noticed an instant difference in the level of respect women received in every day interactions. This is not to say that there is not plenty of sexism and twisted interpretations of the deen amongst shi’a, but the examples of Fatima (as) and Sayyida Zaynab (saa) have a profound impact on our deen.

Thanx for this – yes, the historical differences between Shi’a and Sunnis has led to more than just a difference in fiqh – it has resulted in an ignorance about major aspects of Islamic history. And, of-course, ignorance about our history has led to an understanding of Islam that is very incomplete.

One of the problems I have with traditional Sunnis in the United States – is that there is so much talk about being different, and by implication “better” than folks in “Muslim majority countries” –

Yet, in many respects – the way Shi’a history, and fiqh (and Shi’as) are treated in the United States by Sunnis is the same, and in some respects worse than in Muslim countries. The same making Shi’as invisible by not acknowledging our presence (or doing so in very negative ways) – the same, not mentioning the contributions of the ahlul-bayt, and very unfortunately creating Muslim institutions that explicitly do not allow Shi’a traditions to be taught, and marginalization of Shi’a scholars.

As such, there is nothing more than a duplication of sectarianism… and, by extension, a duplication of an incomplete understanding of Islam.

This is absolutely fascinating!

I’ve often been curious about the lack of focus on the ahl e bayt amongst Sunnis so this is very helpful. Jazak Allah khair.

Warmly,
Baraka

Masha-Allah a beautiful article and one I really needed to read…it jolted me into a deeper sense of gratitude.

Jazak Allah khair,
Baraka

I am happy to read this. My first thought was that in the scriptures of all religions there are things that were inspiration to the scientists. That is for me one proof that the scriptures were therefore, inspired by God Himself. Writers like Harun Yahya are quite good. I would like to give here few of my most favorite links you might also find interesting

- Intelligent Design or Evolution? Why the Origin of Life Implies Design
http://www.theory-of-evolution.net/chap16/cambrian-explosion.php

- The Hare Krishna Views On Science
http://www.freewebtown.com/bhaktivedanta108

- Science Against Evolution
http://www.scienceagainstevolution.org/

- An Invitation To the Truth
http://www.harunyahya.com/

With best regards
Nitai

I’m tested how OpenOffice 2.0.2 (2.0.1) works in KDE 3.5.3 (3.5.2) and found some problem. If you start start OpenOffice with full KDE integration, all UI elements (menu, toolbars) rendered very slow and mouse response unacceptable. If I’m …

We have sold out of the first edition and have gone into a second edition – a majority of which will be for free distribution to non-Muslims and others who are interested.

If you are into reading, I would suggest that you look through the following site for more books which you may not have seen before:

http://ieb.world-federation.org/Publications/ieb_current.htm

Both of our mouths
Can fit upon this flute I carry.

My music will sound
So much sweeter that way

With your breath and my breath
Poking each other in the ribs
And kissing.

I saw two birds on a limb this morning
Laughing with the sun.

They reminded me of how
We will one day exist.

My dear,
Keep thinking about God,

Keep thinking about the Beloved
And soon our nest will be the
Whole firmament.

Forget about all your desires for truth,
We have gone far beyond that,
For now it is just
Pure need.

Both our hearts are meant to sing.
Both our souls are destined to touch

And kiss
Upon this holy flute
God carries.