Holy Qur'an

                                  Translation by Dr. T. B. Irving

2. The Cow

THIS CHAPTER of 286 verses is arranged in forty sections. It, as well as Chapter 3 and Chapters 29-32 inclusive, begin with the mystic initials A.L.M. It dates from the first year after the Hijra or Transfer from Mecca to Madina, or around the year 623 A.D. It was revealed before Chapter 8 Booty, except for verse 281 (XXXVII) which was revealed at Mina, a suburb just east of Mecca, during the Farewell Pilgrimage shortly before the Prophet passed away. The title is taken from the Cow, or the Golden Calf, the story of which appears in section VIII below, and which Moses wanted the Children of Israel to sacrifice to God Alone.

THE JOYS OF RAMADAN FASTING
Fasting an exercise in self-restraint  
By Shahid Athar, M.D., F.A.C.E., F.A.C.P.

Ramadan--the month of righteousness, reflection and giving is here. Allah swt called it His Month. This is a special time to ask for His Mercy. May we benefit from this month to reinforce our Islarmic identity and connection to Allah. May we pray to Allah to grant us pardon and well-being in this world and the next. Happy Ramadan to all our readers,

Al-huda Foundation

Alphabets of happiness !
courtesy: Roshanalie, Maryland

A--Accept
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.

B--Break Away
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.

C--Create

Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.

NAHJUL-BALAGHA
( Peak of Eloquence )
by Dr. Syed Haider Hussain Shamsi
excerpt from his book, " and the message continues "

      
         The book known as Nahjul-Balagha (consisting of letters and epistles of Imam Ali ) was compiled and named by Abul Hasan Syed Muhammad Razi, generally known as Syed Sharif al-Razi (359-406AH). 

         He was a brilliant student of the great jurist Abu Abd Allah Sheikh Mufid. Before his death, he had produced forty other works of reference on al-Qur'an and Hadith.  However his masterpiece remains the compilation of the book Nahjul-Balagha.

Sinking Ship
by Hilary Collins

The ship was sinking---and sinking fast. The captain told the passengers and crew, "We've got to get the lifeboats in the water right away."

But the crew said, "First we have to end capitalist oppression of the working class. Then we'll take care of the lifeboats."

Then the women said, "First we want equal pay for equal work. The lifeboats can wait."

The racial minorities said, "First we need to end racial discrimination. Then seating in the lifeboats will be allotted fairly."

Man's Success Through Tawhid 

by Jawadi Amuli
courtesy: Ali Abbas Qureshi

          The most essential right of man is existence. The factor that sets up harmony between thought and action is called "existence". A being which does not think is not alive; or a being which does think but which is inactive is not alive. Or, if a being thinks and is active but his thought is not imminent over his actions, he, too, is not alive. If, in his action, the being does not seek help from his thoughts, he is not alive either.

Welcome Ramadan
By Sheik Ahmad Al-Qattan, Kuwait

         Ramadan is the month of blessings and returning to Allah in repentance. Two months before Ramadan, i.e., in the month of Rajab, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to pray to Allah to make him witness the month of Ramadan. He used to say: “O Allah, bestow Your blessings on us during the months of Rajab and Sha`ban, and make us witness Ramadan.” The Prophet said that out of his deep love and appreciation for the rank of the holy month of Ramadan in the Sight of Allah.

Ramadan
by Okasha Naqvi, New Jersey, 13 years

I stood up slowly from my sleep,
the sky was barely lit,
I tore from the temptation of sleep with all my might.
I dragged myself down the stairs, the aroma of food filled the air,
my family was getting ready for sahoor,
looking half asleep,
I walked into the kitchen slowly,
making sure not to make a peep,
and quickly gobbled down my food ,
hoping to get some sleep,
I prayed with all my heart,
for God to help on this day,
to keep me aware of what was bad,
and never to go astray.

Rumi Page

Modernity, Islam, and the West

by Tamara Sonn

          Modernity" is a word whose denotation is often obscured by its many connotations. Fazlur Rahman wrote an entire book, Islam and Modernity, without ever defining the term. Like many people, he used it interchangeably with "modernism," a related term but with a different technical definition. In the West, where the terms developed, "modernism" means a philosophical approach to certainty which relies primarily on reason rather than revelation. It began with Descartes' effort to overcome doubt by identifying self-evident principles, but it is usually identified with Kant's critical analysis of epistemological, ethical, and aesthetic judgments. This intellectual approach to certainty is recognized as the basis of the flowering of Western science, the "scientific revolution" responsible for the phenomenal technological developments usually associated with the modern age. These scientific and technological developments, along with the sociopolitical transformation of Europe resulting from a similar shift from reliance on religio-political authority to democracy, are usually taken as the key characteristics of "modernity".

Islam Denounces Terrorism
by Harun Yahya

God calls to the Abode of Peace and He guides whom He wills to a straight path. 

(Qur'an, 10:25)  

Introduction:
          God commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur'an, 16:90)

          As Muslims, we strongly condemn the terrorist attacks on two major cities of the United States of America on September 11, 2001, which caused the death and injury of thousands of innocent people, and we offer our condolences to the American nation. These attacks propelled the important issue of the true source of terrorism to the top of the world agenda. Thus, it has been announced to the entire world that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance that summons
individuals to compassion and justice. Many world leaders, leading media organizations, television and radio stations said that true Islam forbids violence, and encourages peace between people and between nations. The Western circles that have come to a full grasp of the religion of Islam and are well-informed about Islam as commanded by God in the Qur'an noted clearly that the words "Islam" and "terror" cannot stand side by side, and that no divine religion permits violence.

THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

"what the Scientists say about it"

by Harun Yahya

"The explosive vigour of the universe is thus matched with almost unbelievable accuracy to its gravitating power. The big bang was not evidently, any old bang, but an explosion of exquisitely arranged magnitude." 
 
Paul Davies, Super force: The Search for a Grand Unified Theory of Nature, 1984, p. 184
 
 “If the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have re collapsed before it ever reached its present size.”

Stephen Hawking, A Brief History Of Time, Bantam Press, London: 1988, p. 121-125

 "…Something else has to be behind things, somehow guiding them. And that, one might say, is a kind of mathematical proof of divinity." Guy Marchie, American Science Writer
 
 Guy Murchie, The Seven Mysteries of Life, Boston: The Houghton Mifflin Company, 1978, p. 598
 
 "If the world's finest minds can unravel only with difficulty the deeper workings of nature, how could it be supposed that those workings are merely a mindless accident, a product of blind chance?"