Sorry for the lateness, i wasn't able to post this yesterday, so, Happy Islamic New Year: 1434! May Allah make this year full of happiness, joy, goodness and security for all the Muslims around the globe. O Allah, forgive us for our past sins, have mercy on us, guide us on the straight path and grant us sustenance. Ameen!

Year one and year were ok.

No different to what you would expecct them to be at that age.

The problem started in year three. Year threes were made to share the upper playground with the "big kids"

The big kids just looked so intimidating. At least it's not me they're actually picking on.

That Trevor guy was the biggest bully of them all.

He especially liked picking on the skinney kid in year four.

"That's going to be me next year" I recall thinking. I wasn't looking forward to being in year four. Up to now I'd looked forward to every day at school. I wan't so sure now. I didn't mind the safety of the classroom, it was only the playground I was scared of.

 Today, we're taught to loathe ourselves.

We are taught that the source of all evil

is the self. This isn't true.

 

Or rather, it need not be true.

 

And is primarily ONLY true because of the

self fulfilling prophecy of believing that it is true.

 

Islam came to free you and enrich your

self and spirit. Not to make you hate it.

Not to have you turn into a twisted

self-hating self-righteous sinner.

 

You might have heard that there are 3 types

of nafs (self):

 

- The commander of evil

So apparently theres a simple, mathematical way of figuring out whose religious and whose not. It worked for me, so maybe it will for you too.

Heres the problem:

If a cricketball and a bat cost £110, and the bat costs £100 more than the ball, how much does the ball cost?

I'll reveal the answer once everyons had a chance to reply. First answer is final, no going back and changing it.

The world before smartphones, digital TV and constant access to the internet was quite different.

People did not spend all their time in their bedrooms.

It was also more convenient to talk to people living in the same house as you than random people on the other side of the world.

And you sat in rooms and talked.

I prefer the new way.

This convert story bought me to tears.

(It's actually 37mins not 1 and 15mins) 

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8q6lqIGouU&sns=tw]

There's a few orange ball shaped fruits. Some seem perfectly round and others seem like they've been squashed and flattened. Some you cut with a knife, and with others, you peel the peel and eat the small segments. 

There's oranges, and tangerines, and then you have satsumas and clementines. (Theres probably more that exist but i haven't heard of them). I've always wanted to know what the difference is between them and what makes each one special. Why is a tangerine a tangerine and not a satsuma or clementine?

 

In fact, Islam reveres both Jesus and his mother, Mary (Joseph appears nowhere in the Islamic narrative of Christ's birth).

Is this true?