So i decide to put this as my status:

‎"O people of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion, nor utter anything concerning God save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of God, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and do not say 'Three'. Desist, it will be better for you. God is only One God. The Messiah would never have scorned to be a slave of God." Surah al-Nisa, 171-2

And next thing I know, my Christian friend changes her status to:

‎"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6)

And I thought lol! And i had this urge to put up every other ayah that mentioned something similar to the first but decided against that because I didn't want to over do it with the same message. Also some really are against Christians e.g

From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the day of judgment. And soon will Allah show them what it is they have done.

Anyway, I then felt like using a quote from the Bible - one that shows Jesus (AS) saying he is not God. But someone goes it would be better to use a quote which is a prophecy for the coming of Muhammad (SAW).

So I did.

But in between all that, I felt bad cuz I felt like I would be offending people. But then I thought "I'm spreading the truth though"

Was it ok to do that? Or was it wrong?

Everyone knows Henry VIII.

Everyone knows his first wife Catherine of Aragon.

She was born in Spain.

Catherine's parents: Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.

But regarding Ferdinand II of Aragon:

Ferdinand violated the 1492 Alhambra Decree peace treaty in 1502, by dismissing the clearly guaranteed religious freedom for Mudéjar Muslims. Ferdinand forced all Muslims in Castile and Aragon to convert, converso Moriscos, to Catholicism , or else be expelled. Some Muslims that remained were mudéjar artisans, who could design and build in the Moorish style. This was also practiced by the Spanish inquisitors on the converso Marrano Jewish population of Spain. .The main architect behind the Spanish Inquisition was King Ferdinand II. Ferdinand destroyed over ten thousand Arabic manuscripts in Granada alone, burning them. He also converted the Great Mosque of Córdoba into a church, by inserting a chapel in the middle of the mosque.

Importance Of Durood Shareef for Muslims Reading Quran Online

Divine blessings on Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) is the highest and the most meritorious act in our Deen. This "Divine Blessings" is called Durood Shareef.

When Almighty Allah sends Durood and Salaams upon Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim), He is actually blessing him. When the Malaa'ikah and the Muslims send Durood and Salaams to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim), they are actually showing Almighty Allah their respect for the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim).
Muslims hope that, through the blessings of the Durood and Salaams, Almighty Allah will forgive them of their sins and increase their status in this world and in the Aakirah. The Malaa'ikah hope that Almighty Allah will increase their status.

Durood is a sure means of Allah Ta'ala granting blessings, peace, prosperity and favours of great magnitude on one who recites Durood Shareef on the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim). The reciter of Durood Shareef receives all the benefits in this world and utmost gain in the next world with addition to the love of the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim).

The invocation of Blessings on the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) is styled in Arabic as "Salawat", in Persian as "Durood", and in Urdu as "Salawat-o-Salaam".

The regular recitation of Durood Shareef on Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) lifts up our hearts on to a plane of comprehension where we gaze in our new found peace and moral armour.

The reciter of Durood Shareef will, after some time, come to realize by himself that it is the spontaneous outpouring of his heart before the Great Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) of Islam, whose love and attachment is needed to get all the present day problems solved and obtain mercy in the next world.

The more Durood Shareef we recite, the greater the gain and benefit will be achieved in both the worlds. Hazrat Shaikh-e-Akbar Mo'inuddin ibn Arabi (radi Allahu anhu) has stated that, "Those who claim to love and revere the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) should increase their recital of the Durood Shareef in patience and perseverance until, through the mercy of Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim), they have the opportunity of witnessing his blessed countenance"

Listen to Quran online

The special and exclusive aspect of this prayer is that Durood Shareef is immediately accepted by Allah Ta'ala. No one can doubt its acceptance, as Durood Shareef is being recited by Allah Ta'ala too. Not only this, but He has revealed this secret in the Holy Quran by saying:

"Wara fa'na laka zikrah " (Surah Al-Inshirah, V-4) ."
Translation: “And We have exalted for you your remembrance”

Muslims are a very fortunate people. Allah Ta'ala chose for them the name of Islam as a religion, declared to be comprehensive and final for mankind. The person chose to deliver this message in this specific form and extra-ordinary style of love and hope was the most beloved of Allah Ta'ala and became the Light of Divinity to be shed upon the entire universe. This Light devastated all the domains of darkness and depression. By reciting Durood Shareef (Salawat) we invite Light and drive away all darkness from our inner soul. Our mind becomes soft and love saturated. If there is softness in everything, it tends beauty to it. People become ugly owing to lack of this essential beauty of the inner part of the mind. This ugliness cannot be glossed over by any amount of cosmetics. It is the Durood Shareef on the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) which works wonders.

In the same manner, the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) taught us Durood Shareef to attain salvation, perfect peace and maximum gain in this world as well as the next. The soul is the soil where the faith of Allah is to be implanted firmly and faithfully which requires continuous recitation of Durood Shareef to thrive and flourish.

We have been told by Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) that Durood Shareef is itself Light and when Light enters the soul every aspiration is achieved and every goal is won. Nothing remains thereafter to worry about.

Human spirit today is depressed everywhere and mankind has come to the edge of destruction, decay and devastation. Everyone is engulfed in untold miseries and tragedies of a very great magnitude. Troubles and tortures, pain, poverty, hunger, ill-health, frustrations and accidents have broken the back of a human being. All this can evaporate with the recitation of Durood Shareef on the Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) who has clearly proclaimed that Durood Shareef is the panacea of all ills and that if any one comes across a calamity he should recite Durood Shareef in the maximum number. Allah Ta'ala has promised that if anyone recites Durood only once, He showers ten blessings on the reciter immediately.

It is narrated that once Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) walked a very long distance in the desert during summer at noon. He fainted due to thirst and hunger. After a while, when he regained his consciousness, Allah Ta'ala sent Hazrat Jibrael (alaihis salaam) to go and inquire from Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) if he was thirsty or not. Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) replied that he was thirsty. Allah Ta'ala told him that the thirst on the Day of Judgement will be a million times more than what Hazrat Moosa (alaihis salaam) experienced. Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) was told that if he wished to get rid of that thirst on the hottest Day of Judgement, he would have to do one thing. When Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) enquired as to what should be done, Allah Ta'ala told him that he should recite Durood Shareef in abundance on His last Prophet, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim). Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) thanked Allah Ta'ala and immediately began reciting Durood Shareef on the Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim).

From the above fact it is quite clear that Allah Ta'ala has given orders even to his Ambiya to recite Salawat on the last and final Prophet of Islam, and that Durood Shareef is not only panacea and a solution to the ills of this world but in the next too.
In another story, it is narrated that when Hazrat Adam (alaihis salaam) saw Bibi Hawa (radi Allahu anha) he wanted to be close to her, but Allah Ta'ala sent Hazrat Jibrael (alaihis salaam) to stop him. Allah Ta'ala told him that if he wanted to take Bibi Hawa (radi Allahu anha) as his wife, he should first pay Mahr (dowry). On his inquiry as to what the Mahr was, Allah Ta'ala told Hazrat Jibrael (alaihis salaam) to inform him that the best way of paying the dowry is for him to recite Durood Shareef 3 times on His last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim). Hazrat Adam (alaihis salaam) did so, Bibi Hawa (radi Allahu anha) was granted to him as his legal and legitimate wife.

The highest blessings which Islam has conferred on man is the concept of Tauheed or Unity of Allah in its purest form. This has been furnished to mankind through Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim), the last of the Prophets. It is a cardinal duty of every Muslim man and woman, young and old to entertain the highest respect, regard, love and esteem for the Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) and his family. It should be clear that obedience to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) is always to be charged with intense love and highest regard for him, for it is through love and esteem that truth can be comprehended and communion with the Creator can be vouch-safed. In fact, love is the motive force, reverence dissolves and implicit obedience to the Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) which is the natural outcome. It is therefore incumbent on those who love him, to pray to Allah Ta'ala and His Angels in wishing for him peace according to the Divine Command. This will reshape the life which is otherwise infested with turmoil. The reciter will get countless and matchless benefits in both the Worlds and can claim to be the lover of Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim).

As Muslims we should recite Durood Shareef in the Arabic language. Islam seeks to create a unified outlook and it is in the Arabic language alone which welds all Muslims into one great brotherhood. Besides, Arabic is the language of Heaven, it is the language of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim), it is the language of the Angels and it is the language of Hazrat Abu-Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman and Hazrat Ali (radi Allahu Anhumma).

The daily recitation of Durood Shareef has a tremendous effect on the human head, heart, mind and person. It purifies thoughts and intensifies actions. It makes passages for perfect peace and personal satisfaction.

THE EXCELLENCE OF DUROOD SHAREEF AS EXPLAINED IN THE AHADITH, inislamicworld

"Hadith" is an Arabic word which means "Holy Sayings". It is the narration of all the affectionate words of advice uttered by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Salim) from time to time. These sayings (Ahadith) are instructions offered for the guidance of mankind, and to follow them is as important as daily prayers.
The famous books of Hadith are the following: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Muwatta, Nisaai', Ibn-Majah, Darmi, Baihaqi and Miskhaat Shareef.

Imam Bukhari (radi Allahu anhu), the compiler of Bukhari Shareef, took the greatest and painstaking precautions in making his collections of Ahadith and exerted to his utmost to achieve all accuracy and reliability as possible. Hence, Ahadith quoted by Imam Bukhari (radi Allahu anhu) and his work on Ahadith stands as one of the wonders of intellectual achievement in Islamic History. He wrote all Ahadith in the sacred Haram of Madina Munawwarah. It is, therefore, that most of the Ahadith have been taken from the book of Bukhari Shareef.

idealism is for the young - who can afford to be foolish

why did that make me slightly angry & defensive?

Save a Life Today

In Islam, life trumps all, yet Muslims are ignoring a simple and effective life-saving initiative.

“If anyone saves a life, it shall be as though they have saved the lives of all humanity.” (Qur’an 5:32)

This verse of the Qur’an seems so heroic that it almost feels impossible, and outside the reach of us mere mortals. And yet, there is a very simple way to save someone’s life. It is so simple, that it takes no more than an hour of your time, but could potentially save the life of a mother giving birth, a cancer patient , or a crash victim. The simple act of giving blood, which your body will then replenish, could save the life of a whole host of people; and if done with the intention of pleasing God could gain you the reward of saving the whole of humanity.

Given such potential reward, it’s amazing to think how simple it actually is to give blood. After filling in a short health form, a small blood sample is taken to make sure you are not anaemic. You will then sit back and chat to a donor carer, whilst you donate around 470ml of blood. After a few minutes rest, with tea and biscuits to accompany, you’ll be good to go back to work or home.

Despite the prospect of spiritual reward and the ease of achieving it, there is still a shortage of Muslims signing up to give blood in the UK. This is particularly worrying as they potentially have rare blood groups. Given the ethnic demographic of most Muslims in the UK (70% of Muslims in the UK come from a South Asian demographic/15%+ from Arab descent) their blood type is essential. 25% of South Asians and Arabs are blood group B, compared to only 9% of Caucasians. Indeed at the moment, there is a desperate need for people with blood group B- to come forward. Despite the need for these rare blood groups only 200 people from such ethnic backgrounds give blood. Indeed just 1% of UK blood donations come from people of south Asian origin. With certain conditions which require regular transfusions such as Thalassaemia Major significantly affectingly more people from the South Asian community, this can be a real problem when cross-matching for transfusion.

Islamic scholars have agreed that blood donation is not only allowed on the basis of its life saving potential, some say it is fard kifaya - a duty imposed on the whole community of believers. With fard kifaya, although not every individual is required to perform the duty as long as a sufficient number of community members fulfil it, at the moment sufficient numbers are not coming forward to meet demand and thus giving blood becomes a duty on us all.

With a difficult winter upon us, it’s time for Muslims to step forward and save a life, and God-willing, save the whole of humanity.

Abdul Azim Ahmed
I’ve been donating blood for around three years now. Initially, I was just trying it out because I wanted to go along with friends. But then I started to realise the significance of what I was doing and began to fully understand the value blood donation holds. My Grandmother fell very sick once and had to receive a blood transfusion. That entire process instantly struck a chord within me. I was seeing someone on the receiving end, someone who needed blood to stay alive. That experience definitely put blood donation in perspective for me.

As a Muslim, I find there is an even greater need to give blood. Islamically, the idea of supporting someone in need and giving charity is a fundamental principle. So, I am saddened when I hear some Muslims denounce blood donation and use the justification that your blood may end up in a non-Muslim as an excuse. There is no distinction when it comes to someone in need. Similarly, I have never personally heard any Muslim scholar object to blood donation. Where I live, some imams have even said that instead of hijamah- cupping, one should give blood.

I usually give blood at my University, when the blood drive vans arrive on campus which is usually every three months. The entire process takes about an hour. However, if it’s your first time giving blood, it may be a little longer as the donor carer may insist you rest more before leaving.

I recommend that you read up on the tangible benefits of blood donation before going in, so you can fully appreciate and acknowledge what you’re contributing to someone in need.
If you’re not a big fan of needles, as many people aren’t, I suppose it can be a little uncomfortable, but the whole process is a lot less painful than people might imagine. Blood donor centres have specially trained carers who are there to put you at ease and answer any questions you may have.

Near me, a family has been organising a blood donation session in the mosque in an effort to find rare blood types who can donate and potentially help save someone’s life.
We often don’t realise but blood donation from ethnic minorities is of great need, and thus I would recommend that you sign up to save someone’s life today.

To find your nearest session and to book an appointment to donate in England and North Wales, call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk/VIP

Source: http://www.emel.com/article?id=74&a_id=2061

[quote="Boris"]It may be that in the next hours and days we have to step up our de-icing, our gritting and our shovelling. So let me seize this brief gap in the aerial bombardment to pose a question that is bugging me. Why did the Met Office forecast a "mild winter"?[/quote]

Here.

Yep.

A few more days now.

And then it's 2011.

Who's looking forward to it?

Plans for the new year?

I know I've made some 🙂

John Pilger investigates the media's role in war. He traces the history of 'embedded' and independent reporting from the carnage of WWI to the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

This was first broadcast on Tuesday 14 December 2010. Did anyone watch it? what do you make of it all?

Watch on itvPlayer, available until around 13 January 2011.

The question is in the title.

Can't make up my mind.

- Is it always good to be the 'better person' in a situation, however negative the consequences of your decision may make you feel? .

- Are we allowed to sometimes be immature with decisions just because we feel like it?

- Also, who's the most twisted person you've met? And why? If it's someone on TheRevival, please anonymise (we don't want any tension, do we?).

Your answers can be backed up with Islamic or moral justifications. I can see the answer to the second question being....'well, what do you think?'