-
...since its discovery real soon, so don't make any plans for that day!
Pluto was discovered in 1930, and has an orbit of 248 Earth years. Incredible to think of little Pluto, way out there in space, not even having completed a single orbit since we discovered it, while Earth has completed 83 orbits.
-
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 | ISSN 1556-5696
← Share this eSkeptic with friends and family.
Comment on it on the archived version.
); BORDER-BOTTOM: #666 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #666 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: white; MARGIN: 0px 0px 6px; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; PADDING-RIGHT: 20px; DISPLAY: block; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x; FONT: 13px/20px Verdana , sans-serif; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px bottom; COLOR: #3b3f38; BORDER-TOP: #666 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #666 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 20px">
Greatest TAM Ever!
South Point Casino, Las Vegas
July 11–14, 2013
Michael Shermer on The Amazing Meeting 2013
Once again the Skeptics Society is proud to be a sponsor of the greatest skeptical gathering in the galaxy…The Amazing Meeting (TAM), featuring a stellar line up of speakers including and especially, of course, the Amazing One himself, James Randi.
The lineup of speakers this year is the best I’ve ever seen and includes Susan Jacoby, Dan Ariely, Susan Blackmore, Jerry Coyne, Susan Haack, Marty Klein, Cara Santa Maria, Steven Novella, and around 50 others as well! I am thrilled to see that climate scientist Michael Mann will also be speaking about climate denial and how to answer the critics of climate science. For my talk I’ve got all new material that I’ve been working on for my next book on how morality can be grounded in science and how humans are being more moral.
Best of all, however, in addition to all this intellectual stimulation, TAM includes countless opportunities for socializing and connecting with like-minded people—those who prefer to live in a reality-based world, those who love science and reason, and especially those who celebrate the human spirit…sometimes enhanced by good food and adult beverages available throughout the host hotel in Las Vegas over the weekend of July 11–14.
—Michael Shermer, the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, Director of the Skeptics Society, and the author of The Believing Brain.
What are you waiting for? Don’t be skeptical!
Register for TAM 2013 today!
Dr. Michael Webber
What The Frak!?
SKEPTICALITY EPISODE 208
This week on
Skepticality, Derek spends some time talking to Dr. Michael Webber, an alternative energy expert and advocate, based out of Austin Texas. Webber describes some of the current issues he sees related to power generation and consumption. In a time when everyone seems interested in better ways to gather and produce energy for an increasingly power-hungry world, it is good to assess all potential energy solutions—weighing their pros and cons—in the search of the silver bullet that will keep the lights on in the future.
LISTEN TO EPISODE 208
Get the Skepticality App
Get the
Skepticality App — the Official Podcast App of
Skeptic Magazine and the Skeptics Society, so you can enjoy your science fix and engaging interviews on the go! Available for
Android,
iPhone,
iPad, and
iPod Touch.
Skepticality was the 2007 Parsec Award winner for Best “Speculative Fiction News” Podcast.
World Trade Center 7 stands amid the rubble of the recently collapsed Twin Towers.
(Photograph by New York Office of Emergency Management)
); BORDER-BOTTOM: #666 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #666 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: white; MARGIN: 0px 0px 6px; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; PADDING-RIGHT: 20px; DISPLAY: block; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x; FONT: 14px/22px Verdana, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px bottom; COLOR: #3b3f38; BORDER-TOP: #666 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #666 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 20px">
World Trade Center 7 Report Puts
9/11 Conspiracy Theory to Rest
Conspiracy theorists have long claimed that explosives downed
World Trade Center 7, north of the Twin Towers. The long-awaited report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conclusively rebuts those claims. Fire alone brought down the building, the report concludes, pointing to thermal expansion of key structural members as the culprit. The report also raises concerns that other large buildings might be more vulnerable to fire-induced structural failure than previously thought. —
Arianne Cohen,
Popular Mechanics
Read more about the NIST report
About this week’s eSkeptic
On April 21, 2003, the day before her 17th birthday, Amanda Berry was kidnapped in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2004, on an episode of the Montel Williams show, “psychic” Sylvia Browne told Amanda’s mother that Amanda was dead. Sylvia Browne’s “psychic powers” failed miserably that day. Amanda Berry is alive today, having escaped from the house where she had been held for 10 years. In this week’s
eSkeptic, in light of these recent events, Ingrid Hansen Smythe reviews Sylvia Browne’s latest book
Past Lives of the Rich and Famous in order to glean some insight into the mind of the “great psychic.”
Ingrid Hansen Smythe (BMus, BA, MA) is a freelance writer, playwright, and the author of three books—
Dwynwen’s Feast,
Stories for Animals, and
Poetry for Animals. Visit her at
www.ihsmythe.ca.
Sylvia Browne Takes The Case!
by Ingrid Hansen Smythe
Spiritual teacher and psychic Sylvia Browne is in the news once again in the aftermath of yet another failed prediction. Poor Sylvia! It can’t be easy having a make-believe-super-power and knowing, surely, that you’re doomed to be wrong again and again, and that only when you’re wrong will you make the headlines, at which point everyone will hate you. This is a terrible job to have, and you have to be frankly amazed at the constitution of a woman who knows that repeated public humiliation on a grand scale just goes with the territory, but who puts up with the appalling working conditions nonetheless.
Case in point: Amanda Berry, who was kidnapped and held captive by a madman—a madman who, at the time of this writing, plans to plead not guilty, even though there were chains found embedded in the walls of his basement and dog collars hanging from the ceiling. On a 2004 episode of the Montel Williams show Sylvia Browne told Amanda’s mother that her daughter was “in heaven and on the other side” and that her predictably banal and maudlin final words were “goodbye, mom, I love you.”1 (My last words would have been the name of the killer.) Browne has since apologized for her error and is ever so happy she was wrong, but other people aren’t so happy and firmly believe that telling someone their child is dead when their child isn’t dead is a despicable thing to do and, really, there ought to be a law. Was Browne’s prediction a contributing factor in Amanda Berry’s mother’s death from heart failure a year later? Who’s to know, although I just have to say right up front that if it were me and my child was missing—and Sylvia Browne told me that my child’s body would be found in a field, and then it was found in that very field—I’m afraid I’d be not-at-all inclined to believe that Sylvia Browne was psychic, and far more inclined to believe that Sylvia Browne did it.
But am I really being fair? After all, a quick tour of YouTube videos featuring Browne clearly shows that, when she’s not being debunked by some sourpuss skeptic, she’s very often right. Of course the skeptic will say that the results are being cherry-picked to include only the hits and not the misses—but the believer can turn the tables and accuse the skeptic of the very same thing, counting only the misses and not the hits. It’s a confirmation-bias problem for both sides and so I wondered, what if we temporarily ignore the issue of hits and misses and focus instead on the knowledge and wisdom Browne has to impart? I began to think that if we just gave her a chance, maybe we’d find that Sylvia Browne isn’t so bad after all. Like the above-mentioned madman who assures us he’s not guilty, maybe, I thought, poor Sylvia Browne is just misunderstood.
Thus it was in this spirit of generosity that I picked up Browne’s latest book—
Past Lives of the Rich and Famous—in order to glean some insight into the mind and metaphysics of the great psychic. “Why should I not give Browne the benefit of the doubt?” I wondered. “Maybe her book is filled with tirelessly documented double-blind experiments, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, for which the only possible explanation is reincarnation.” Anything’s
not possible, obviously, but I was willing to believe her claims
might be true. Willing, that is, for the first part of Browne’s book. I admit that after the first half of the first sentence things went downhill in the suspension-of-disbelief department. But I was determined and, like a lion tamer snapping his whip at the beast in his charge, I held my disbelief at bay. Besides, once the question had been raised, I found I wanted to know what, say, Steve Jobs had been doing before he was born. I imagined he might have been an apple vendor (“Get yer MacIntoshes here!”), or perhaps he wasn’t even human; perhaps he was a pea or a whale in one of their respective pods. But no. Steve Jobs was, in actual fact, Galileo, and Browne’s retelling of Galileo’s life story is as uplifting and inspiring as the picture book it paraphrases.
Just in case your own skepticism has gotten in the way of spiritual enlightenment, allow me to sum up Browne’s position. I begin with a quote:
I have an explanation … and I will never understand why there’s such reluctance among so many to embrace and celebrate that explanation, because it confirms the promise God made to all of us at the moment our souls were created—very simply, that we are eternal. It doesn’t just mean that we always will be from now on. It means we always have been.2
Are
you one of those reluctant people? If so, I suspect it’s because you’re just not mentally flexible enough to seriously believe two contradictory claims. You need to be the sort of person who’s agile enough to believe that you were created in a single moment, and also that you were
not created in a single moment, as Browne claims in the very same sentence. If this sort of belief is beyond you, I’m afraid you’re in for a looooooong eternity. Browne’s book itself may also seem like an eternal slog, especially because the above quote is taken from page two and, believe it or not, the truth claims only get more fantastical from there.
For example, on page three we read that we’ve been living multiple, successive lives, both in our Home On The Other Side and here in the real world—but these lives of ours on Earth are no accident, my friend. No, while at Home, each of us designs “literally every aspect of our lives”
3—our rapes, our hobbies, our weddings, our addictions—
every aspect. We chart these labyrinthine details meticulously on parchment scrolls, and these charts are preserved in the magnificent Hall of Records, which, by the way, is “one of the first buildings we see when we return Home”.
4 (Thanks, Google Street View!) Browne doesn’t go into detail about how this intricate dance between all seven billion of us could possibly be choreographed, and I’d wager there are some pretty fierce arguments back Home between, say, people who want to be cannibals and the people they want to eat (“Listen buddy, you got to eat me last time, right?”)—but like homosexuals who are encouraged to “Pray away the gay”, skeptics should be encouraged to “Pray away the nay.” It’s best to just accept that all seven billion of us have designed our staggeringly complicated lives to play out exactly as they are—which means that if you feel like killing your mother-in-law later today, you probably shouldn’t hesitate. Don’t worry! You designed yourself to be a murderer back Home, and the stupid old bitch decided to die slowly and painfully over a period of weeks barricaded behind a brick wall in your cellar. It’s all good!
There’s a lot of homespun metaphysics in Browne’s book, like the jolly old chestnut “God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle.”
5 That’s a good one and, perversely perhaps, I want to cup my hands around my mouth and shout this bit of wisdom at, say, the next hiker who finds himself alone, wedged in a 50 foot crevasse, dying from hypothermia and asphyxiation. “It’s okay!” I’ll yell, “God wouldn’t give you anything you can’t handle! Hey, buddy, you even charted it for yourself! I’ll bet you’re regretting that one now, aren’t you?! Ha! Ah well, better luck next life!” It sounds just a bit cruel to imagine kneeling on the cold kitchen tiles, putting your head next to the woman who’s about to get the shit kicked out of her by her drunken spouse, and yelling, “It’s fine! Everything happens for a reason! You chose it so you can handle it! Ouch! Oooh, that’s gotta hurt.” I think it’s glaringly obvious that there are lots of situations we can’t handle, which is why we have rescue squads, drugs, and suicide.
Other chestnuts abound, but adopting a more scientificky tone, Browne explains how it is that we carry the marks of our past lives into our current life. It’s all down to cell memory. Browne explains:
The cells that make up our physical bodies are living, thinking, feeling organisms, which react with literal precision to the information they receive from our subconscious minds, where our spirit minds live and hold every moment and every memory of every one of our past lives.6
Who was Browne’s high school biology teacher I wonder? I’m thinking Richard Dawkins might want a word. Maybe bio classes were different in Kansas City back in the 1950s—or maybe there’s a clue in Browne’s book that explains her tendency to disregard reality and slip off to Cloud Cuckooland.
I would often sit in my classes trying not to doze off and thinking, “What on earth do square roots, or the primary export of Brazil, or the number of teeth in the mouth of the average frog have to do with preparing me for my future?”7
In other words, What do math, solid information about objective reality, and actual knowledge of the natural world have to do with anything? Browne goes on to ask another truly unfortunate, leading question: “Am I psychic, or nuts, or both?”
8 she wonders, and I think many of us are biting our tongues right now, desperate to hazard a guess. Browne answers her own question, saying that, “The answer, of course, [is] neither. My Spirit Guide, Francine, gave me the in-depth explanation….”
9 This woman hands these gems to her critics on a silver platter, and I think it’s fair to say that Browne’s response only lends weight to the second answer (nuts)—but once again, am I really being fair?
Because, let’s face it: there are lots of questions that science just can’t answer. What’s the difference between a duck? Why are cakes? How is a raven like a writing desk?
10 Browne herself wrestles science to the mat by asking some pretty pointed questions, like how do you explain a three-year-old child born and raised in Alaska (Alaska!!!) who develops a lifelong, passionate curiosity about the American Civil War? How is it that you were born with preferences? Why are you afraid of things? And perhaps most devastatingly of all, why would a six-year-old thank his mother for breakfast, saying, “You’re the best of all twelve moms I’ve ever had?”
11
Browne tells us that if you pose these questions to scientists, theologians, psychologists, and other experts, “[t]hey’re likely to reply with either a blank stare, some double-talk that makes no sense at all, or that common, meaningless response, ‘It just happens.’” This is truly shocking, but one has to wonder what class of expert Browne is engaging, and if they majored in Sack of Hammers when they got their credentials from Lenny’s Half-Baked Drive-Through University And Lube. “Oh my god!” Browne is hoping we’ll say in response to her questions. “I can’t imagine
any explanation other than reincarnation!” but I think I’ve got some alternative answers for Browne and I’m guessing you do too—and crazily enough, not even one of them involves postulating Life Charts written on parchment scrolls. (Scrolls?
Parchment? They haven’t heard of computers in the Great Beyond? What’s Steve Jobs doing with his afterlife anyway?)
Now—rather than just being a skeptical wet blanket, I
had intended to include some of Browne’s accounts of the past lives of the rich and famous. But as I read them, I noticed that all of the stories had a blandly sensational quality that made them sound like the plot summaries of a bunch of made-for-TV-movies. Anwar Sadat was chief advisor to King Tut, Katherine Hepburn was a dancer in King Solomon’s court, Steve McQueen was a Knight Templar, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior were brothers in 6th century China, Marilyn Monroe was sold to a travelling band of gypsies but rescued by her uncle who became her husband in her next life (Ew!), and so on. Plus, there were confusing plot holes in many of them—Lana Turner, for example, was born Mary Somebody-Or-Other (Francine doesn’t usually supply surnames)
12 in about 1860 and lived to be 83—but the most recent Lana Turner was born in 1921, thereby creating an overlap of around 22 years. No wonder poor Lana was such a mess, marrying seven men and having one child when she meant to do it the other way around!
13
The chapter on Joseph Campbell, who was Plato in a past life, was particularly rich with howlers. Like a grade 6 student asked to compose a social studies essay on an aspect of Ancient Greece, Browne writes: “Plato was opposed to the Athenian democracy of the time and was tried and convicted of religious heresy and the corruption of youth.” Whoops. Francine, who communicates via “high-pitched chirping”,
14 seems to have chirped “Plato!” when she meant to chirp “Socrates!”. Browne’s unschooled, folksy, down-home approach is especially entertaining when she says, “Plato, of course, was one of this world’s earliest philosophers and the source of one of my favorite quotes: ‘We are nothing here but the shadows on the wall of the cave.’”
15 Oh yeah, I love that one too. Her lack of sophistication is almost cute somehow, and certainly no one could accuse Browne of writing like an academic.
I admit that my reading became increasingly slipshod as the book progressed (“progressed” is too flattering a term really) but I’m fairly certain that not one of Browne’s subjects was gay or bisexual in a past life. You’d imagine that you might find greater variety, but the book is chock full of straight white Christians. This is very odd indeed, and after a few chapters it almost felt to me as if these stories were limited in scope by the imagination of a single person—as if they were being invented by a single mind—by a woman who could have found honest work in this life as a romance novelist or an obituary writer.
But she didn’t find honest work, did she, and this has to make you wonder.
If Browne’s metaphysics is sound, and
if she’s right about everything, and she really
did design every aspect of her life—then why did she design
herself to be such a wingnut? Seriously, she could have been someone who wasn’t convicted of investment fraud and grand theft in 1992, someone without three failed marriages, someone without a (predictably) long list of failed predictions—a list that would get any carnival guesser thrown out on his ass.
And she could have designed herself to be right about Amanda Berry.
After all the failed predictions and metaphysical mumbo jumbo, how is it that people still believe in Sylvia Browne? That’s the real mystery, but I’m guessing that any grownup who actually takes Browne’s stupefyingly harebrained superpowers seriously was very probably—and very cruelly—deprived of
Scooby Doo as a child (as well as the
Hardy Boys,
Nancy Drew, and
Encyclopedia Brown.
16) The original Scooby Gang made it crystal clear that the explanation to the mystery is
never the supernatural. “Francine”
never turns out to be a spiritual entity. She is always at the other end of the concealed speakers or a side effect of the medication. And she is always—without exception—a product of human imagination.
I’ll be sure to pick up Sylvia Browne’s next book just in case there are new developments in the labs and government facilities and particle accelerators of reincarnation scientists around the world. And I’ll continue to feel a bit sorry for a woman whose choice of career is bound to make her despised by millions. It’s a risk she takes every time she takes a case—but I suspect the fact that we’re talking about a case stuffed full of cash helps to ease the pain. You may wonder how this woman can sleep at night, but the truth is it’s a whole lot easier when a person can afford a top-of-the-line bed and has a mattress stuffed with millions.
References
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/07/sylvia-browne-amanda-berry-cleveland
- Sylvia Browne. Past Lives of the Rich and Famous. New York: HarperOne, 2012. Page 2.
- Ibid., p. 20
- Ibid., p. 21.
- Ibid., p. 21.
- Ibid., p. 12.
- Ibid., p. 22.
- Ibid., p. 18.
- Ibid., p. 18.
- Actually, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” (Lewis Carroll’s famous question) does have a brilliant answer: “Because there’s a b in both and an n in neither.” (Aldous Huxley)
- Ibid., pp. 1–2.
- She’s kind of funny that way. Francine can know for certain that someone died in 1261 from, say, an undiagnosed ruptured large intestine, but the last name of the person is a total mystery. Who knows why?
- Ibid., pp. 73–75.
- Ibid., p. 30.
- Ibid., p. 146.
- No relation. Note that Sylvia Browne used to be Sylvia Brown. “She added the e following her 1992 felony conviction and divorce from Kenzil Dalzelle Brown.” Nickell, Joe. “Sylvia Browne’s Latest: Ghost-Written?” Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 29, No. 5. September / October 2005. p. 53. See also: http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/2113-yet-another-sylvia-browne-fiasco.html
-
http://www.360calendar.com/bible-prophecy-360-days-calendar-not-edited.htm
http://www.1260-1290-days-bible-prophecy.org/Jubilee-missing-Sabbaths.htm
-
http://www.360calendar.com/bible-prophecy-360-days-calendar-not-edited.htm
http://www.1260-1290-days-bible-prophecy.org/Jubilee-missing-Sabbaths.htm
-
Proverbs 15:27-28 NIV
27. A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.
28. The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
-
Trusting God
Scripture Reading: Romans 4:16-21
Key Verse: Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
A young woman was babysitting her four-year-old niece. When the pair stepped outside to look at a backyard play-set, they managed to lock themselves out of the house. there was no spare keys hidden on the property, and the little girl's parents wouldn't be home for quite some time.
After tying all the doors one more time and looking in vain for an open window, the young adult finally remembered to ask her heavenly Father for help.
This story is simple and childlike. Did God answer? yes, and while He did not sen a miracle key to mysteriously open the door, He provided a lesson of faith. He showed the young woman and her niece that His provision sometimes comes in unexpected packages. How? God gave here peace about breaking a window to get inside.
"Well," you say, "that wasn't much of a provision." But it was! God provided something much more comforting than the material evidence of His power. He provided peace and the assurance that He was in control. We need a God like this, Someone who brings hope and calm to our storm-driven lives. Prayer may not always be the first thing we think of in times of emergency, but it is our strongest source of hope. Simply put, God hears when we call to Him.
Trust Him and you will be amazed at the peace He brings to your heart and life.
Help me to trust You, Lord. Give me faith in the face of difficult circumstances.
(Into His Presence)
From I Lift Up My Soul, by Charles F. Stanley
-
A Better Way of Seeing the Light
The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.
--- Proverbs 18:17
You've just testified, Mr. Jones, that you saw my client turn through the intersection on a red light, is that right? "Yes." Any doubt about that?" "No." "Tell us again where you were and what you saw." "I was sitting in my car, stopped at the intersection opposite your client. I saw him approach the intersection and come to a halt. Moments later, he turned left and, in just about the middle of the intersection, collided with the other car." "Mr. Jones, how familiar are you with that particular intersection?" "Not very." "Did you happen to notice anything unusual about the size of the traffic signal?" "I can't recall." "Would it surprise you to learn that the signal had a separate green-arrow light for left turns?" "Well..." "So might it be possible that my client turned left on a green arrow and was hit by the other guy who was running a red light?" "I suppose so..." "Thank you, Mr. Jones!"
Without cross-examination, even an honest witness might be telling the truth as he knows it, but perhaps not the whole truth---because he doesn't know it. The search for truth in any arena demands careful scrutiny and an open mind. You have to ask the right questions, and coming up with those questions requires thinking through all the possibilities. Is what you've learned about the Scriptures from your parents or preacher the whole truth? Have you accepted the doctrines you hold dear without ever really asking hard questions? When you study the Bible, do you dig behind the obvious, looking at the passage from every possible angle? For those with truly open minds, traditional red lights have a way of becoming enlightening green arrows.
The question for honest searchers is: Is my truth really as true as I believe it to be?
The Daily Bible Devotional, by F. LaGard Smith
-
THE LAW OF SHARIA
A Woman's Plight
Early in December of 2001, a Sharia religious
court of appeal in Muslim-dominated northwest Nigeria ordered a stay of
execution for a woman who had been sentenced by a lower court to be stoned to
death for having sex outside of marriage. The woman contended that she had been
raped. The court granted the stay to allow Safiya Hussaini, 33, to appeal her
sentence by a lower Sharia court in the state of Sokoto. The woman is a
divorced mother with five children who would be orphaned and probably perish if
the execution were carried out.
The court imposed the sentence after Hussaini
asked it to compel a man to pay for her infant daughter's naming ceremony. She
charged he had raped her three times and impregnated her. When she charged the
man with rape, the court dismissed the charges against him, citing a lack of
evidence because she was the sole witness. After dismissing the rape charge
against the man, the lower Sharia court then charged the woman with adultery
and sentenced her to death in mid-October. She was given thirty days to appeal.
According to Sura 2:282 of the Qur'an, the testimony of a woman is equal to
only half the testimony of a man, so Hussaini's appeal will automatically be
trumped by the rapist's counter-charge.
Hussaini was sentenced to death because she was
divorced. Had she never been married, the sentence would only have been one
hundred lashes. The fate of her five children, of course, was of no concern to
the religious court.
The Nigerian federal government has said it will
not allow the sentence to be carried out, but officials in Sokoto indicated
that the federal government had not contacted them about the up-coming stoning.
is not yet "One Nation Under God," since Sharia has been imposed on
less than a half of its 36 states. More than a thousand people have lost their
lives in riots protesting the introduction of religious law. [source - AP]
Scientific Note, a simple DNA test would clearly
have shown his guilt. The court was following Sharia(h) Law concepts with
respect the worth of a women; to wit, a women's testimony is only worth 1/2
that of a mans.
For many more
details on similar cases and abuse of women, go to, http://iris89.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=SHARIA&action=display&num=1369173898
Now to know the truth, go to:
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the
Christ” go to, http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/0...ble-study/
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the
sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth.
"Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read
the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and
go tohttp://www.jw.org!
-
I am not a logician. I am an existentialist. I believe in this meaningless, beautiful chaos of existence, and I am ready to go with it wherever it leads.
Osho
-
I got blood test back from the dr. right and anyway my calcium levels good pretty high for a female actually but I'm vitamin d3 deficient ???? how the hell can that be
I drink milk all the time any of you know about this ??? someone explain it to me??? thanks
I know its sunlight but why is my calcium level high if I don't have enough vitamin D in my system and yes I'm pale (ok fish belly white to be precise but I burn I don't tan, and I don't like sweating so I'm a house flower) I don't get it it says you need D3 to process calcium but those level are great that what the Dr. said now I have to take pills I hate taking pills
-
Alhamfulillah today majlis for Khatam of musalsalat of shah waliulah was held in our jamiah
Teacher is Ml Shamshuddin sb Haf.(about 70 years old student of shaikh Zakariya) ,I also read some portion of it and alhamdulillah got ijazat by him
here is my sanad
-
Proverbs 15:24-26 NIV
24. The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.
25. The Lord tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact.
26. The Lord detest the thoughts of the wicked, but those of pure are pleasing to him.
-
Be Still and Listen
Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:16-23
Key Verse: Galatians 5:16
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Paul told us that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the deeds of the flesh(Gal. 5:16). Many times this is not an easy task. The only way you can walk in the Spirit is to be conscious of God's indwelling presence and your lack of ability.
The moment you try to live like Christ is usually the time you face difficulty. This happens because you set your focus on becoming something instead of allowing Christ to live His life through you. There will be times of failure in your life. These times are the very moments God uses to instruct you in great ways.
However, this can happen only if you are open to listening to the Spirit's voice. There can be no distraction inside you---no desire to get it right or work things out on your own. Let Jesus show you the way.
Submitting yourself to God's will opens the way for spiritual discernment. So many people try this or that in an effort to grow spiritually when all they really need to do is to learn how to sit before the Lord and be still in their spirits. Today when irritating thoughts come or something goes awry, allow the new you---the part of you that is controlled by God's Spirit---to take control of the situation.
Be still, if only for a moment, and listen for His voice. he will provide the wisdom, patience, guidance, and love you need to carry on in this life.
Master, because You live inside me, I have new and glorious freedom. Remove the distractions. Still my restless heart. Let the new me emerge.
(On Holy Ground)
From I Lift Up My Soul, by Charles F. Stanley
-
Bad Timing, or Blind Self?
If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
--- Proverbs 27:14
It is a picture worth a thousand words---a man enjoying the luxury of sleeping in longer than usual, only to be awakened by his eager-beaver neighbor loudly calling out some pious blessing at the break of dawn! But for the honor, our man in bed would rather have passed up the blessing, thank you very much! Even when it come to blessings, timing is everything. It's not what we do, but when and how we do it. Like courts ruling on inappropriate speech, the wise consider not simply the at, but the factors of time, place, and manner. The exact same words expressed under one set of circumstances might take on a completely different hue if expressed under other circumstances. As with so many things in life, it's context, context, context.
The intriguing question is: Why didn't the eager-beaver neighbor consider the possibility that his blessing might not be appreciated at such an unearthly hour? Maybe he could be excused if the two neighbors regularly exchanged morning blessings at that early hour. But because the proverb seems not to cut him any slack, neither will we. More likely we are dealing with one of those people who genuinely believe that "others" is their motto, but are really thinking only of themselves. Whatever they want to do has funny way of turning out to be what we must want. The "favor" they do for us invariably furthers their own selfish interest. And if they are blessing us, it is only because there's some reward in it for them. When the context is always me, time, place, and manner rarely get the time of day.
The question for do-gooders is: Have I developed a habit of fulfilling my own needs and desires by pretending it's really what others want?
The Daily Bible Devotional, by F. LaGard Smith
-
A response to Ustadh Shibli Zaman’s Wrongful Criticism
As salam mu alaikum wa rahmat Ullah
Further to my recent responses
to the infamous rulings of Imam Suhaib Webb in which asserted that
Sayyiduna Ali (RA) ate ice-cream with Persians in celebrating their New
Year, it seems that a certain ‘scholar’ in the US who also contributed
to Imam Webb's stance on the issue felt the need to disparage me and
offer a facebook (now synonymous with non-academic) response to my
article.
Before writing this, I must state that I had offered the brother an olive branch[i]
in order for him to apologise for his wrongful comments regarding my
person which were done behind my back, but that sadly only led to him
increasing in his unfounded allegations against of me. Recognizing
these traits, and realizing that there was no benefit in engaging this
individual, I have decided to write this in order to defend my honour
from being tainted by such aspersions.
The brother has
repeatedly claimed that I am ‘desperate for attention’ so in one
facebook post in his response to a brother posting my article he says. “That sounds more like a cry for attention
than anything. Why does he think Imam Suhaib was addressing him at any
point? Imam Suhaib was addressing people in this thread. Not some dude no one has ever heard of across the globe. See: http://www.facebook.com/suhaib.webb/posts/10151322437388080
Now,
the student body at CA is well aware that despite numerous requests and
much sincere advice, I remain adamant that Cordoba Academy and I will
continue to boycott Facebook owing to their support and stance they
showed when some cursed people mocked our Beloved (salahu alayhi
wasalam). One does not have to be a genius to know that anyone seeking
popularity or attention is at a severe handicap by not using Facebook
and this should be enough proof to dispel such unfounded notions.
Ustadh Shibli Zaman’s criticism of my article
He writes:
“Because Ibn `Adi's words of censure for Isma`il bin Hammād are related by al-Dhahabi in Lisan al-Mizan as follows:إسماعيل بن حماد بن النعمان بن ثابت الكوفي: عن أبيه عن جده قال بن عدي ثلاثتهم ضعفاء
"Isma`il
bin Hammād bin al-Nu`man bin Thabit al-Kufi: Regarding his father,
regarding his grandfather (Abu Hanifa), Ibn `Adi said: All three of them
are weak."
So if you want to cite Ibn `Adi as a reference to
weaken Isma`il bin Hammad, you can't back off from the SAME statement
that says Abu Hanifa is also weak (Da`if).
Response
First
of all, I must say that rather than addressing the many solid arguments
that I provided in my response to Imam Webb, Brother Shibli starts his
criticism by stating something that has no direct relation to the case
in point and I will start by repeating what I said to Imam Webb:
I
provided the ruling of five leading Muhaditheen in regards to his
grandson Ismail ibn Hamad ibn Abu Hanifah. There was absolutely no need
for me to discuss Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) because he was not one of the
narrators in the sanad of the narration that Imam Webb vehemently
claimed was authentic. I advise that we stay within the confines of the
discussion at hand and not distract the laity with issues that are best
left for the discussion of senior muhaditheen.
Now, let us
concede hypothetically that Ibn Adi statement was motivated by ‘his
hatred for Imam Abu Hanifah’ as stated by Brother Shibli[ii]
and therefore discount it. What then should we make of the numerous
statements of the other great Muhaditheen who did not have this ‘hatred’
for Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) and his family and who also deemed his
grandson as weak?
Ustadh Shibli Zaman further writes:
With
all due respect to the esteemed Shaykh Mohammed Daniel, his research
(or at least the presentation of it) is lacking. What did those people
you cite actually say? Who did they cite when they said it? It is very
likely that he put it together in a hurry. Furthermore, regarding the
alleged "Saqt" Shaykh Mohammed Daniel cites, we find even more lax
research.
Well, as it stands and despite numerous
requests from American scholars, I have yet to receive any credible
academic response to the 'lacking research or presentation of my
articles' and I continue to welcome this from my peers. What I have
received though is a direct contradiction of Brother Shibli's comments
by his close friend who was the cause of these articles; Imam Webb. On
the 9th March, Imam Webb honorably admitted this by writing:
"Excellently
written and well documented. Allah bless Sh. Mohammad for his sincere
council. His research is well done and demands I ask my teachers a few
questions. Barakallahu fikum"[iii]
Shibli Zaman further writes:
"There
is no Saqt between Imam al-Dhahabi and Mukaram bin Ahmad (whom he calls
Mukaram al-Qadi)! The full Isnad is not cited in Siyar A`lam al-Nubala'
but it is cited in Khatib al-Baghdadi's Tarikh Baghdad and that Isnad
leads up to al-Hussayn bin Ali al-Saymari al-Hanafi who was a
contemporary of Khatib al-Baghdadi! So this whole issue of Saqt is
invalid."
Sadly, this is not correct. It was Brother
Shibli's dear friend Imam Webb who claimed that the narration was
‘authentically narrated by Imam al-Dhahabi in his Siyar’ when he said:
"I'm
sure you would not say Allhumust'an to 'Ali when he celebrated Naruz
with the Persians as is authentically narrated by Imam al-Dhahabi in his
Siyar."
And I showed that from Imam al-Dhahabi (RA) to
Mukaram al-Qadhi there was a Saqt (break in chain) so it could not be
authentically narrated by Imam al-Dhahabi. If Imam al-Dhahabi does
narrate this statement through his Isnaad, but rather 'hangs it' (Hadith
Mu'alaq) on Mukaram al-Qadhi then this narration is not 'authentically
narrated' as the Mu'alaq narrations are regarded as weak by the
muhaditheen. In laymen terms, Imam al-Dhahabi must have taken it from
somewhere else, and if Imam Webb wants to reference something in order
to establish a ruling upon it, he should go back to the source and check
the isnaad from that source. Might I also ask, since when did the
Fuqaha and Mujtahideen base their fatawa on the Siyaar of Imam
al-Dhahabi? This all sadly leads to only one conclusion regarding
scholarship in certain circles and I am sure that discerning readers can
make their own conclusions.
Ustadh Shibli Zaman further writes:
"In
addition to what was stated, the entire issue of authenticity becomes
moot due to the narration Shaykh Mohammed Daniel references HIMSELF from
Sunan al-Bayhaqi. That Hadith is not contended and, therefore, the
narration from Isma`il bin Hammad has Shawahid! These are all basics of
Mustalah al-Hadith that I am surprised escaped a scholar of Shaykh
Mohammed Daniel's respected level. I say that with sincerity. He is a
very knowledgable Shaykh. I feel, perhaps, some partisanship on his part
blurred his objectivity. That is pure speculation my part and may Allah
forgive me if its wrong. Allah knows best."
I say,
Jazak Allah khairan, for the comments and concern regarding how I missed
the basics of Mustalah al-Hadith. However the reality is that Brother
Shibli's understanding of Mustalah requires some strengthening and I
would be more than happy to offer him a free course at Cordoba Academy
as I believe that American Imams should dedicate more time to this area
of specialisation especially if they want to extract fatawa from hadith
directly instead of following the relied upon position in their madhab.
First of all, he claims that the hadith has shawahid
(corroborating narrations) but what are these shawahid confirming
exactly? Well, we will find out shortly insha Allah.
Secondly,
he claims that the hadith of Imam al-Bayhaqi (RA) is not contended which
is also incorrect according to the conditions of the Muhaditheen as I
will show below:
Lastly, what if find totally incongruous is
that Brother Shibli Zaman should even make mention of the Bayhaqi
narration to support his argument because his understanding of the
hadith is completely contrary to the understanding of the compiler of
the Hadith Imam al-Bayhaqi (RA) and other Muhaditheen, as stated in my
first article.
Brother Shibli Zaman states:
Do
you realize that "Nawruz Fayruz" is how Persians greet each other on
Nawruz even today?! It was pronounced "Piruz" or "Payruz" in early
Persian.`Ali (may God be pleased with him) wasn't twisting the name! He
was greeting the Persians with THEIR greeting VERY SPECIFICALLY. He said
"May every day be as Nawruz" and this is what Persians say even today
on Nawruz. They say:
نوروز پیروز هر روز نوروز
"Nawruz Piruz, Har ruz Nawruz!"
meaning: "Nawruz Piruz. May every day be as Nawruz!"
The
scholars of Hadith did not know this. Their job is grading narrators
and conditions of Hadith. They are not cultural sociologists!
The
statement criticizing the muhaditheen is somewhat rudimentary as many
of the greatest muhaditheen including Imam al-Bayhaqi (RA) who compiled
this narration were from Persia and they would fully understand these
words. Furthermore, Imam al-Bayhaqi (RA) was not just a 'Hadith scholar
whose job was grading hadith', (which is no small task) but he was one
of the greatest Fuqaha of the Shafi'ee madhab.Imam al-Dhahabi (RA)
states that the famous Shafi scholar Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni said,
ما من فقيه شافعي إلا وللشافعي عليه منة إلا أبا بكر البيهقي ، فإن المنة له على الشافعي لتصانيفه في نصرة مذهبه
"There
is no follower of the Shafi'ee madhab except that they are indebted to
Imam al-Shafi'ee (RA) except Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi, for indeed al-Shafi'ee
is indebted to him for the works he contributed to support his
madhab." Imam al-Dhahabi (RA) then adds: "This is correct. And if
al-Bayhaqi desired to have his own madhab with which he would make
ijtihad then he would have been capable of that because of the wide
ranging understanding of sciences that he had as well as his knowledge
of the differences…"
Now, Imam al-Bayhaqi (RA) also quoted Abu
Usama (RA) as saying: He (Imam Ali) hated to say Nayrouz." This Abu
Usama (RA) is none other than Hamad ibn Usuma ibn Zaid whose narrations
appear in many of the famous hadith collections including the six
canonical collections. He was very familiar with Persians and their
customs as he was from Kufa and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (RA) said about
him:
"He was the most knowledgeable of all people regarding the affairs of the people and the happenings of the people of Kufa."
This
clearly demonstrates that both of these great scholars should be given
more credit for their knowledge of the Persian customs and language and
that their judgment on the narration does carry weight contrary to what
others may have us believe.
Now, let us return to Brother
Shibli's claim that the initial Hadith of al-Khatib 'has shawahid'
(corroborating narrations) and is 'not contended' –in other words- it
can be used to support the premise that Sayyiduna Ali (May Allah be
pleased with him) did eat ice-cream and join the greetings and
celebrations of the Persians in their pagan holiday.
A reminder Brother Shibli said:
"In
addition to what was stated, the entire issue of authenticity becomes
moot due to the narration Shaykh Mohammed Daniel references HIMSELF from
Sunan al-Bayhaqi. That Hadith is not contended and, therefore, the
narration from Isma`il bin Hammad has Shawahid! The
reality is that this narration is not accepted by the muhaditheen as
authentic because the chain of narration is not Mutasil (lit: connected)
but it is Munqati (lit: broken). Imam Mohammed Ibn Sireen (RA) did not
directly hear it from Sayyiduna Ali (RA) and this is well known to
scholars of Hadith. Therefore, this hadith lacks the first of the five
conditions that are required for a narration to be regarded as
authentic. How it is 'not contended' is clearly unfathomable!?
Again,
for the benefit of the discussion, let us assume hypothetically that
this narration is in fact 'not contended' can we then substantiate from
it that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ate ice-cream and
celebrated Persian New Year by greeting the Persians as Brother Shibli
would like us to believe? Well, unfortunately we find that even that
cannot be substantiated from this narration simply because absolutely no
mention of it is in the narration of al-Bayhaqi (RA). Let us now
produce and examine this narration:
Fayrouz (New Year’s) narration from Imam Bayhaqi’s Sunan al-Kubra
أخبرنا
أبو عبد الله الحافظ ، ثنا أبو العباس محمد بن يعقوب ، ثنا الحسن بن علي
بن عفان ، ثنا أبو أسامة ، عن حماد بن زيد ، عن هشام ، عن محمد بن سيرين
قال : أتي علي - رضي الله عنه - بهدية النيروز ، فقال : ما هذه ؟ قالوا :
يا أمير المؤمنين ، هذا يوم النيروز . قال : فاصنعوا كل يوم فيروز . قال
أبو أسامة : كره أن يقول نيروز . ( قال الشيخ ) : وفي هذا كالكراهة لتخصيص
يوم بذلك لم يجعله الشرع مخصوصا به
With
the chain of narration to Mohammed ibn Sireen who stated: Ali (RA) was
given a gift for Nayrouz so he asked, “What is this?” They replied, “Oh,
Leader of the Believers today is Nayrouz” so he said to them, Then make
every day Fayrouz. Abu Usama (one of the narrators in the sanad) said,
“Ali (RA) disliked to say Nayrouz.” The Shaykh (Imam Bayhaqi) said, “And
in this we see the dislike to single out a day for this that was not
set by the Shariah”What we can conclude from this narration?
Therefore from this specific narration we can conclude the following:
1. Contrary
to what Brother Shibli Zaman/Imam Webb would have us believe Imam Ali
(RA) did not celebrate the Persian New Year. In fact, Sayyiduna Ali (RA)
did not initially know the occasion that warranted this gift.
2. This
narration does not confirm that Sayyiduna Ali (RA) accepted the gift
even if some contemporary scholars would like to prove it from this
narration.
3. He never congratulated them on their day of
Nayrouz, but said Fayrouz and what he meant by this as understood by Abu
Usama (a narrator) was that he disliked to say Nayrouz and Imam Bayhaqi
one of the greatest Shafi’ee Fuqaha states: “And in this we see the
dislike to single out a day for this that was not set by the Shariah”
4. He
did not eat ice-cream because no mention of ice-cream is made in this
narration whatsoever. On the contrary, there are numerous narrations
that prove that Sayyiduna Ali (RA) did not consume faloowzaj in his
life.
So, it is by the grace of Allah, that He has allowed
me these moments to continue to defend the sacred and orthodox
teachings of Islam and display that celebrating such pagan holidays or
assuming that the Sahabah (we seek refuge in Allah) engaged in the same
is a totally baseless assertion.
This and what I have had taufeeq
in saying is from Allah alone, and what is from mistakes, oversights
and forgetfulness is from me and Shaytaan the accursed; Allah and his
Rasul are free from them. I seek refuge in Allah in being a bridge
utilised by others to enter Jannah, and then being thrown into the fire;
thereafter I seek refuge in Allah from reminding others of this and
forgetting myself.
Servant of Allah
Mohammed Daniel
Cordoba Academy
Note:
This article and everything that has been written by Shaykh Mohammed
Daniel on this forum or anywhere else may be copied and used anywhere
for educational and non commercial purposes only. Rather we encourage
you to use all halaal means to spread the truth to everyone you can.
[i]
Posted to him through Twitter: "Peace be on you dear Brother. I’ll say
this to directly to you as I do not have time for winning fans on
facebook and am not afraid to speak the Haq for fear of ruffling
feathers. I am disappointed & saddened by your backbiting of me. If
you have any credible, academic response to my two articles on Imam
Webb’s “Ali RA celebrated Persian New Year” then provide the proof for
your statements and defend his arguments. Here is the latest article
http://forum.cordobaacademy.com/2013/02/23/sh-mohammed-daniel-responds-to-sh-suhaib-webbs-all/0/ …
By your continued & deplorable criticism of muhaditheen it's clear
hadith is not your forte. So my advice to you is leave hadith for the
scholars & continuing doing your good work with those who criticize
islam.
http://nessia.org/index.php?id=3 Was-salam MD
[ii] See
http://www.facebook.com/suhaib.webb/posts/10151322437388080
Brother Shibli states, “Ibn `Adi who is cited as the one who weakened
Isma`il bin Hammād bin Abi Hanifa, said that ALL THREE, Ismail, his
father Hammad, and his grandfather Abu Hanifa, are all weak. His hatred
for Abu Hanifa is notorious and refuted in classical texts. He is
accused of being Mut`assab against the Hanafis.”
-
never have a sense of humor or are always distainful of pop culture:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130516063842.htm
Actor Johnny Depp Immortalized in Name of Fossilized Creature With 'Scissor Hand' Claws
May 16, 2013 — A scientist has discovered an ancient extinct creature with 'scissor hand-like' claws in fossil records and has named it in honour of his favourite movie star.
The 505-million-year-old fossil called Kooteninchela deppi (pronounced Koo-ten-ee-che-la depp-eye), which is a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions, was named after the actor Johnny Depp for his starring role as Edward Scissorhands -- a movie about an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands.
Kooteninchela deppi is helping researchers to piece together more information about life on Earth during the Cambrian period when nearly all modern animal types emerged.
David Legg, who carried out the research as part of his PhD in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, says:
"When I first saw the pair of isolated claws in the fossil records of this species I could not help but think of Edward Scissorhands. Even the genus name, Kootenichela, includes the reference to this film as 'chela' is Latin for claws or scissors. In truth, I am also a bit of a Depp fan and so what better way to honour the man than to immortalise him as an ancient creature that once roamed the sea?"
-
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم
إِنَّ
الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا
مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ
وَرَسُولُهُ أَمَّا بَعْدُ
The Ummah seems to be split into two extremes in this issue: Some say that we need to reform the Ummah first and they underestimate the importance of Dawah to Non-Muslims, while others claim the opposite.
Allah says in the Quran:
3:104 (the meaning of which can be translated as):
Let there arise out of You a group of people inviting to All that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and All that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and All that Islam has forbidden). and it is they who are the successful.
3:110 (the meaning of which can be translated as):
You [true believers In Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; You Enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and All that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and All that Islam has forbidden), and You believe In Allah. and had the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) believed, it would have been better for them; among them are some who have Faith, but Most of them are Al-Fâsiqûn (disobedient to Allah - and rebellious against Allah's Command).
Let it be known, that Al-Ma’roof includes all sorts of good deeds, the highest and greatest of which is proclamation of the Tawheed of Allah and Al-Munkar includes all sorts of evils, the gravest and most despicable of them being As-Shirk (associating partners with Allah).
So the command that Allah has given us, includes the responsibilities of Dawah and Islah collectively. The Madinan period of the Prophet’s life gives us various examples, that while he was reforming the Muslim society, he was also writing letters to kings inviting them to Islam.
When a governor complained to Umar ibn Abdul Azeez (May Allah have mercy on him) that due to large number of people accepting Islam, the Jizyah tax (tax paid by non-Muslims in an Islamic state) was constantly decreasing, the great Caliph replied: “Allah had sent down Muhammad as a guide, not as a tax collector” , implying that it was a happy thing to hear that people are embracing Islam.
So the Ummah today is greatly in need of people who carry out both responsibilities without underestimating the necessity and importance of either of them.
وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى اله واصحابه اجمعينو الحمد لله رب العالم
Taken from my blog:http://message4mankind.wordpress.com/dawah-training/
Who should do Dawah?
Islam is a religion that is built on firm
knowledge and there can be no two views about it. The very first verses
that were revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him)
commanded him to read / recite. In chapter Muhammad (Chapter 47), Allah
commanded the prophet (peace and blessings be on him) to know that there
is none worthy of worship except Him, The All-Mighty. For any Muslim,
male or female seeking knowledge has been made obligatory. For a daee
(caller) it is even more essential, since he calls people to Islam, the
chosen religion of Allah. It cannot be that a person calls others
towards something which he doesn’t have knowledge about.
Allah mentions in Quran Chapter 47: Verse 19, the meaning which can
be translated as: So know (O Muhammad Sal-Allahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam)
that Lâ ilâha ill-Allah (none has the Right to be worshipped but Allah).
Also in many verse of Qur'an and hadith show us the importanceof doing Dawah,
وَلۡتَكُن مِّنكُمۡ أُمَّةٌ۬ يَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡخَيۡرِ
وَيَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۚ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ
هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ .
Let there
arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what
is right, and forbidding what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity.
(3:104) Also in
قُلۡ يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ تَعَالَوۡاْ إِلَىٰ ڪَلِمَةٍ۬ سَوَآءِۭ
بَيۡنَنَا وَبَيۡنَكُمۡ أَلَّا نَعۡبُدَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَلَا نُشۡرِكَ بِهِۦ
شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعۡضُنَا بَعۡضًا أَرۡبَابً۬ا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِۚ
فَإِن تَوَلَّوۡاْ فَقُولُواْ ٱشۡهَدُواْ بِأَنَّا مُسۡلِمُون َ
Say: "O people of the Book! come to common terms as between us
and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with
Him; that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than
Allah." If then they turn back, say: ye! "Bear witness that we (at least)
are Muslims (bowing to Allah's will)."(3:110)
Consequently, Allaah praises those who engage in this noble
endeavor as being the best in speech...
وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلاً۬ مِّمَّن دَعَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ
صَـٰلِحً۬ا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِى مِنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ
“Who is better in speech than one who calls to Allaah,
does righteous deeds and says
indeed I am among the Muslims.” Soorah Fussilat, (41): 33
The
best words that any human being can speak are words of guidance inviting people
to the purpose of their creation; the worship of God..
Prophet (pbuh) addressed the great
reward for this righteous pursuit saying,
“Whoever directs someone to do good will gain
the same reward as the one who does good.”
1.He was also reported to have said,
“Whoever calls to guidance will
receive the same reward as the one who follows him without any decrease in the reward
of [his follower].”
The
Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to 'Ali (RA):
"If Allah guides a person through you, it is better for you than all that
is on the earth."
(Bukhari No. 2783 & Muslim No. 2406)
the Prophet(pbuh) was also reported by
Sahl ibn Sa‘d as saying: “For Allaah to guide someone by your hand is better for
you than having red camels.”
Camels were considered the most
valuable property in ancient Arabia and the red variety
was the most prized of all. This
fact
Further reiterated in Chapter al-‘Asr where Allah
declares humankind in a state of loss With the exception of “those who advise
each other with truth.”
Allaah also hinged the label of
honor, “best of humankind,” granted to the
Muslim nation on the fulfillment of
their da‘wah-duty of calling humankind to righteousness and prohibiting sin
among them.
In the hadith Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.
4, p. 442, no. 667. of prophet mohammed pbuh”said “Convey from me, even if it
be only a single verse.”9
whenever the Prophet (pbuh)
addressed people, he used to say: “Let those present convey what they heard to
those absent. For, perhaps he may inform one better able to understand it
than him. ”
Allaah’s Curse
In order to stress the gravity of
da‘wah as a duty on Muslims, Allaah warned those who did not fulfill their
responsibility in this regard of His curse and the curse of all His creatures.
إِإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ
يَكۡتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلۡبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَٱلۡهُدَىٰ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا
بَيَّنَّـٰهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِى ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِۙ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يَلۡعَنُہُمُ ٱللَّهُ
وَيَلۡعَنُہُمُ ٱللَّـٰعِنُون
“Indeed those who hide the clear
messages and guidance that I have revealed after I Have made it clear to people
in the scripture; those are cursed by Allah and cursed by all who curse.”
Soorah al-Baqarah, (2):159
To have knowledge of Islaam but not
convey it to others constitutes “hiding knowledge.” Hiding knowledge may be a
deliberate act where in a person has the intention to keep the knowledge away
from other people. This may occur in cases where people are asked about Islaam
but refuse to reveal its teachings due to racial or tribal concerns…
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CALLER..
The
individual who as accepted the duty of calling others to Allaah must possess
certain characteristics to effectively convey the message. These attributes are
mentioned in the Qur’aan and preserved in the record of the divinely guided
lifestyle of the Prophet (r).
1.Knowledge. The foremost quality that the daa‘ee (caller) is One must have
sound knowledge of what one is inviting others to. Allaah, Most Great and
Glorious, instructed the Prophet (r) to inform others that his call to Islaam
was based on knowledge
. قُلۡ هَـٰذِهِۦ سَبِيلِىٓ أَدۡعُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۚ عَلَىٰ
بَصِيرَةٍ
“Say: This is my way and I invite to Allaah with certain knowledge
...”
(Soorah Yoosuf, 12: 108)
2. Kindness / Gentleness. It
is essential that the daa‘ee be soft in conveying the message because harshness
could Easily discourage people from listening to the truth. Allah addressed
this issue with
regard to the Prophet himself saying:
وَلَوۡ
كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلۡقَلۡبِ لَٱنفَضُّواْ مِنۡ حَوۡلِكَۖ
“If you were harsh and hard hearted, they would have fled from
around you.”
Soorah Aal ‘Imraan, (3): 159
The prophet (r) also prayed saying:
“O Allaah, be hard on whoever acquires control over the affairs of
my nation and is hard on them. And be kind to whoever gains control over the
affairs of my nation and is kind to them. Sahih Muslim, vol. 2, p. 1016, no.
4494.
Gentleness in da‘wah affects the hearts of those being invited and
makes them want to listen to the message.
3.Wisdom. To convey the message of Islaam, the daa‘ee
must adjust himself or herself to each situation and use the most appropriate material.
ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ
ٱلۡحَسَنَةِۖ وَجَـٰدِلۡهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَن
ُۚ“Call to the way of your
Lord with wisdom and good preaching. and reason with them in the better way. (Soorah an-Nahl, 16: 125)
Some
scholars of tafseer explain that “wisdom” mentioned in this verse refers to the
Qur’aan and the Sunnah due to the wisdom which they contain as well as the
guidance to righteousness and happiness.(ibn kaseer)
4. Patience. Most people who come to Islaam do so after a faith-seeking
journey. Consequently, only a very few begin their search and end it with the
same person. When declarations of faith are given it is after many stops on the
road. Someone may start the person off and many help on the way and someone
else helps the person finally declare their faith. Therefore,the responsibility
of the daa‘ee is to convey the message and not to put faith in peoples hearts.
As Allaah informed His Messenger (r) and his followers:
فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡبَلَـٰغُ وَعَلَيۡنَا ٱلۡحِسَابُ
“Your
responsibility is only to convey [the message] and the accounting is on Me.”
(Soorah
ar-Ra‘d, 13: 40)
. Morality. Great stress has been placed in Islaam on good moral character.
Prophet Muhammad (r)summarized the essence of the Islamic message
“Indeed,
I was only sent to complete the most noble of character traits.”And Allaah said
in the Qur’aan, وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ
عَظِيمٍ۬
“Surely
you (Muhammad) have a magnificent character.”
(Soorah
al-Qalam, 68: 4)
The
Prophet’s companion, Ibn ‘Abbaas explained that “character” here meant
“religion”,
i.e.,
Islaam.7 By using the term “character” to refer to the religion of Islaam,
Allaah stresses the importance of morality in relationship to the religion. It
was also reported that when the Prophet’s wife ‘Aa’ishah was asked about the
Prophet’s character, she replied,
“His
character was that of the Qur’aan.”8 That is, his manners were according to
Allaah’s instructions in the Qur’aan. Consequently, the development of good
character depends on closely following the Qur’aan and the teachings of the
Prophet (r). In this regard, Allaah also said in the Qur’aan:
لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬
“Indeed
you have in the Messenger of Allaah a beautiful example (of
conduct)...”
(Soorah al-Ahzaab, 33 :21)
Thus, the rites and rituals of Islaam cannot
be separated from good manners. An-
Nawwaas
ibn Sam‘aan quoted the Prophet (pbuh) as saying, “Righteousness is good character
and sin is what itches in your heart and you dislike that
people
would find out about it.( Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, pp. 1358-9, no. 6196.)
Aboo
Hurayrah quoted the Prophet (r) as saying,
“The
believer whose faith is most complete is he whose character is best. (Saheeh
Sunan at-Tirmithee, vol. 1, p. 340, no. 928.)…
I Ask Allah to help us fulfilling our duties of Dawah and following the guidance of Allah and his messenger in Making dawah and each and every actions of our life,
وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى اله واصحابه اجمعينو الحمد لله رب العالم
Taken from my blog:http://message4mankind.wordpress.com/q-a/
-
The Devil Is Tricky In Deceiving Mankind:
INTRODUCTION:
All should be considering the fact that Satan the Devil began deceiving mankind at the very start of human history. For example, he deceived Eve into believing that she was not subject to the laws of her Creator, Almighty God (YHWH) and that she could, per Genesis 3:1-5, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Authorized King James Bible; AV), that is, deciding for herself what was good and what was bad.
HOW MANY DECEIVE THEMSELVES:
Many feel that if one does not agree with their wrong ideas that are NOT in conformity with inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, truths – then one is not being compassionate. Of course this is an entirely wrong premise as clearly shown by the Apostle Paul at Acts 17:10-11, “But, the brethren, straightway, during the night, sent away both Paul and Silas unto Beroea, who, indeed, arriving, unto the synagogue of the Jews, went off; 11 and, these, were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they welcomed the word with all readiness of mind, daily, searching the Scriptures,––whether these things could be so.” (Rotherham Bible; RB).
Clearly he was showing that all should be checked against inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, as to whether they are correct; and clearly NOT against one thoughts and those of his friends. It is high-time that all give thought and investigate their cherished religious beliefs – which may have existed for centuries – perhaps having even been passed down from generation to generation. That, however, does NOT necessarily mean that they are true. Why not? Well, the inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, record shows that soon after the death of Christ’s apostles, deceitful men arose in the Christian congregation and taught per Acts 20:29-30, “I, know, that there will enter, after my departure, grievous wolves into your midst, not sparing the little flock; 30 and, from among your own selves, will arise men speaking distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (RB). They very skillfully misled people as per Colossians 2:4 & 8, “This I say, in order that, no one, may be reasoning, you, aside with plausible discourse;” and “Be taking heed, lest there shall be anyone leading, you, off as a spoil, through means of their philosophy, and an empty deceit,––according to the instruction of men, according to the first principles of the world,––and not according to Christ:” (RB).
Now are things different today? Not really, for the Apostle Paul warned that things would only get worse in ‘the culmination of the end times.’ The time in which we are now living, as 2 Timothy 3:1-5 & 13, “But, of this, be taking note––that, in last days, there will set in perilous seasons; 2 For men will be––fond of themselves, fond of money, ostentatious, arrogant, defamers, to parents, unyielding, unthankful, unkind, 3 without natural affection, accepting no truce, given to intrigue, without self–control, uncivilized, unfriendly to good men, 4 traitors, reckless, beclouded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness, but, the power thereof, denying! and, from these, turn away;” and “Whereas, wicked men and howling impostors, will force their way to the worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (RB).
We can see this today in California where workers of evil are trying to wrongly change the definition of marriage from that which Almighty God (YHWH) gave it in the Garden of Eden – clearly a wicked abomination.
We can see this today in California where workers of evil are trying to wrongly change the definition of marriage from that which Almighty God (YHWH) gave it in the Garden of Eden – clearly a wicked abomination.
Now to know the truth, go to:
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to, http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/04/03/18-part-follow-christ-bible-study/
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
-
Proverbs 15:22-23 NIV
22. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
23. a man finds joy in giving an apt reply--- and how good is a timely word!
-
The Peace of God
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:14-16
Key Verse: 1 Peter 5:7
[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
When we lose our perspective of God's overriding, unceasing care of us,we usually lose our sense of God's peace as well.
Writing to a church under intense strain, Peter closed His first letter by telling them to give their troubles to God because "He cares for you."
What a relief, of pressure! What troubles me and upsets my spiritual well-being, even the slightest irritant, matters to God. he is so concerned that He invites me to give Him every care.
Cast your burdens on Him in prayer. Tell god what bothers you, what robs your joy and peace, and then really believe that He has heard you and will answer. If you truly trust Him to handle the problem then experiencing His peace is a supernatural result. The situation is in God's hands. He is in control despite appearances. he is able to bring about a solution, whenever and however He chooses.
When you reach that point, the peace of god is yours. The storms may brew, but God is very concerned about you and has taken your cares upon Himself. When the pressure mounts, cast every burden on Him. All is in His care, and that will settle your soul as no other thought.
Father, when the pressures mount today, help me remember that You have taken all my cares upon Yourself. I cast my burdens on You, knowing that everything is in Your care.
(Into His Presence)
From I Lift Up My Soul, by Charles F. Stanley
-
The Virtue of Patience
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
--- Proverbs 14:29
You know those people, don't you? People who fly off the handle when you least expect it? People who flare up when something goes wrong that needs putting right. Depending on who you are, some of those people are very much like...well you and me! Certainly you and I are not the worst offenders---not us people of faith who write and read daily devotionals. Must be those other folks! Actually, many of those other folks do have the same problem with impatience and quick tempers, but it does not excuse our own, or make us feel any better about it. Unlike some sins, a quick temper often surprises even ourselves. Where did that come from! And embarrasses even ourselves. I just hate it when I do that!
Of course theses occasional flare-ups are really not our fault. The people on the other end deserve our raised voices and clinched fists. Idiots on the high-way. Robotic clerks who refuse to deviate from ludicrous regulations. Pestering telemarketers who dare to invade our privacy. Even religious zealots on our doorsteps who insult our intelligence with their programmed answers to any doorsteps who insult our intelligence with their programmed answers to any question. Since they all need instant correcting, who better than us? Solomon didn't have to put up with any of this outrageous nonsense, so why should we? Unless it is because we ourselves have been idiots on the highway and done all sorts of maddening things that have made others want to scream at us. With advancing age we ought to be more self-controlled, not less. More aware of our capacity to snap. More resolved to rise above the maddening crowd.
The question for embarrassed idiots is: Even when someone truly deserves to be screamed at, might I not make a renewed effort to give them less than they deserve?
The Daily Bible Devotional, by F. LaGard Smith
-
freeman4:
The Stage Is Being Set and Has the Last Curtin
Call Been Given?
Has
Time already run out on America? Are the elite hard at work on destroying our
freedom every way they can? Piece by piece America is being dismantled by a
very well planned unseen entity. It seems that the Obama Administration is
beginning to be seen for what it really is and what it has been doing to
America and the American people.
Could
it be that Obama is now pushing forward to finish the agenda that he has been striving
for? Is his system unraveling and is he in serious trouble or is this just a
smoke screen before more of his agenda is revealed? I believe that we are now
entering the “Last Curtain Call for America”
and what we are about to witness is going to be just some of the political out
cry before everything escalates to the final push on what they will accomplish .
Obama
said that he did not realize that all of this was going on in the realms of the
I.R.S. and that he is going to, as you say, clean house. It is like a game of
Chess, pieces will just be moved somewhere else, because all of the pieces will
be needed to accomplish the goal that is set for them. What is happening is a
lot larger than many realize and will one way or the other involve just about
everyone in our Nation.
We
are surrounded by those individuals who want to conquer the American way of
life and want to insert their own way of thinking and taking our freedoms away
from us. Believe me; the whole political system is rotten to the core. One
wants this accomplished and another group wants something else accomplished
that could continue to destroy the American way of life.
If
one is so caught up in their daily activities and can not see that there are
those who would do anything to destroy the American family and all it stands
for then something is not clicking right inside their mind. Yes, the stage is
set but individuals are not interested in the story flow of the play.
The
best performance in the history of mankind is about to begin and the actors are
real. The plot was written many years ago and was written for a purpose. This
play has been set up and described in the pages of the Bible in the way of
Bible Prophecy and it will be played out to the finish.
But
how do we know that this Final curtain call is to play now, in our Time? To
individuals who do not have the mind set of God will not know that we are in
that time frame. Prophecy after prophecy is given and those prophecies point
directly to our time frame.
The
truth is, if one does not have the mind set of God they will not be able see
these things nor will they understand them. Let us take the 7 day week and
break it down in reality. First, if there is only one God and His way are only
one way, why are there so many ways that are being taught in the main stream
Churches?
One
minister may say one thing and another minister may say something else, but
they claim to be going to the same place but they are all taking a different
route in doing so. This is like confusion in the making. But what is the truth?
God is the truth but no one wants to follow Him, they want their own way.
There
is one God, one faith and one Baptism, not many. God said that His Sabbath, the
Seventh day, was made for man, not the Jews only. But now comes Constantine and
in 321 A.D., completely changed the true Sabbath of God and made Sunday the day
for Christian observance and did away with Gods SABBATH DAY.
Now,
here is how we can know how close we are for the final curtain call. The seven
day week is a very special time frame for us to understand in our time. In
Geneses it states that God created the Heavens and the Earth in six day and
that he rested on the Seventh, not the first.
Now
enters the seven day week. In Peter we are told that a day represents a
thousand years and a thousand years represents a day. (2nd Peter 3: 8 ;) So we have a seven day week and six of those
days represent the time that man is to work and to do his thing, but the
Seventh day is a day of rest and rejuvenation. This is a day of refreshing.
Now,
the Seven day week also represents a seven thousand year plan. Just as God is
allowing man six days to do what ever he ( man) has to do, God is also allowing
man six thousand years to do his thing in that time frame.
And just as God has set aside the Seventh day
for man to rest He will set a side the seventh thousand year for His ( Gods)
millennium reign for His 1000 years of His Kingdom on this Earth. Just as the
Seventh day Sabbath, it will be a time of refreshing. Is this so hard to
understand? Yes, if one does not have Gods Spirit and thought dwelling in and
with him.
Every
2000 years there is a dispensation in time. From the time of Creation till the
flood was 2000 years, from the time of the flood till the Birth and Death of
Christ was another 2000 years and from the death and resurrection of Christ is
another 2000 years, our timeframe. Yes, the stage is now set for the final
curtain call and I hope that we may now see clearly where we may be in time.
Think about.
-
GeoGuessr - Let's Explore the World
Geographical nut that I am this is addictive. I've been scoring in the 15,000 - 20,000 range. Got to look for those subtle clues. Helps too to to understand landscapes, vegetation, languages, architecture, etc.
-
Assalaamu 'alaykum
I hope you all are doing well inshaAllah. I'd first like to apologize for my complete ignorance on this subject. As a disclaimer, I actually feel a lot more inclined towards hadith studies than I do towards fiqh. However questions about the relevance and relative need for hadith studies compared to other sciences of deen have been badgering me a lot lately. I've struggled to come to a definitive and satisfying answer for myself. I would thus really appreciate it if Shaykh Muhammad Daniel or one of the other scholars could comment.
The world is constantly changing, new issues are arising, and hence there is a constant and continual need for people to specialize in fiqh to address these issues. Furthermore, fiqh is very practical, being largely about things that pertain to peoples' lives that affect them on a regular basis, like salah, sawm, business dealings, etc and how they need to conduct themselves therein. There is thus a constant need for trained scholars of fiqh to teach the masses how to follow the ahkaam of the shariah and live their lives according to deen.
In the field of uloom al hadith however it seems like much of the work has already been done. Narrators have already been documented in books of rijaal, ahadith have already been compiled in books, asaneed have already been analyzed and ahadith have been graded, etc. How much scope is there then for a modern day scholar to contribute in the field of hadith?
I would really appreciate it if one of the scholars could explicate the need for specialization in uloom al hadith.
Jazakallahu Khayran
-
ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was asked about a question and he replied, ❝I am not one who is bold about giving religious verdicts.❞
He also wrote to one of his governors, ❝By Allāh I am not one who craves after giving religious verdicts, as long as I can find a way to avoid it.❞
Sufyān al-Thawrī said, ❝We reached the scholars and they used to hate answering questions and giving religious verdicts until they could find no way out except to give a verdict, but if they were relived of having to do so then that was more beloved to them.❞
(reported Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī in his book: Sharḥ of the Ḥadīth: ❝Two hungry wolves…❞)
Ibn Yamīnah said, ❝This affair is not for those who love that the people should have need of them, rather this affair is only for those who love that someone can be found to take their place.❞
It also reported from him that he said, ❝The most knowledgeable of people concerning religious verdicts is the one who is most often silent, and the most ignorant of people about them is the one who speaks the most with regard to them.❞
(al-Khaṭīb, al-Faqīh wa ʾl-Mutafaqqih: 2/166)
-
Proverbs 15:20-21 NIV
20. A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
21. Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.
-
Things Not Shaken
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:25-29
Key Verse: John 14:8
Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
The Titanic was deemed unsinkable, invincible. Yet today it lies at the bottom of the ocean. Its tragic demise is a reminder that no matter how invincible we perceive things to be, nothing on this earth is beyond destruction. Only God and His Word are indestructible.
Jesus told His disciples that He would not leave them as orphans (John 14:18). However, after His arrest they began to doubt His Word to them. By the time He was crucified, their doubts had turned to fear. When Jesus was alive, it was easy to believe that He was the Messiah. However, two days after His death, with their prayers seemingly unanswered, they began to doubt, and their faith sank.
We do the same thing. We place our faith in Christ and then, through a turn of events or sorrows, we find ourselves crying out to God. We also doubt His promises to us and wonder why He allows adversity to touch our hearts. But be assured---even when we feel shaken, God is not. he is our firm, immovable anchor of hope.
Have you placed your faith in something that is unshakable? Or have you given your hopes and dreams to something that will sink whenever the slightest adversity strikes? Only God is unshakable. When your heart is anchored to His, no storm or adversity can harm you.
Lord, when doubt smolders, do not let me fan it into flames of fear. I choose to believe in the indestructible nature of Your person and Your word.
(Pathways To His Presence)
From I Lift Up My Soul, by Charles F. Stanley
-
Of Hidden Motives
All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
--- Proverbs 16:2
Ever watch a dramatic presentation of a police investigation or trial? Everybody wants to know who had a motive and who didn't. Of course detective mysteries supply virtually very character with some kind of motive just to throw us off track. Yet you might find it surprising that motives need never be proved in a prosecution. Although the jury may find motive important to identify the killer, the motivation behind an unlawful killing does not matter. So-called "mercy killings" are still murder, despite the compassionate intent to end a loved one's suffering. By contrast, having the right motive might completely justify what otherwise would be murder, as when a killing is done in self-defense. As with all of life, sometimes motive is important, sometimes not.
When it comes to moral and spiritual actions, motives are equally complex. One can act from the purest of motives, yet violate God's commands. As Samuel reminded Saul, where there is outright disobedience, an act of sacrifice is worthless before God. The more difficult situation is suggested by today's featured verse, where we are doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. Consider, for example, regular participation at times of worship, contributing generously to good causes, or personally helping the poor and oppressed. All good things, yet there is potential for wrong or mixed motives that never occur to us because we underestimate our own capacity for impure motives, or we overvalue our nobility of character. Rarely do we give others that same benefit of the doubt, so why should we think we are somehow exempt? Whatever our own view of ourselves, in God's eyes it's not just what we do that counts, but why.
The obvious question is: When was the last time I double-checked my motives for doing even the good things I do?
The Daily Bible Devotional, by F. LaGard Smith
-
Proverbs 15:18-19 NIV
18. A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man clams a quarrel.
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
-
A Personal Invitation
Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:28-30
Key Verse: Psalm 116:7
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
It marked a turning point in Jesus' ministry. He preached to great crowds, His words convicting and startling. he healed many, to their wonder and amazement. Yet up to that point, only the disciples had experienced personal intimacy with the Savior. Following a stinging rebuke to those who refused His message, Jesus issued a compassionate invitation: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).
"I'm here," Jesus in essence said to His listeners, "to lift the burdens of life from your shoulders. I'll take them on Me if you will let Me."
If you are oppressed and bent under the accumulation of too many demands and concerns. Jesus stands ready to lighten your load. if you are exhausted from juggling bills, kids, work, and other pressing problems, Jesus can restore you weary spirit.
He invites you to come to Him. there are no strings attached, no restrictions, no fine print. He won't condemn you for past failures. His arms are open wide to take you as you are and give you the help you need.
What a relief! What a Savior! Accept His personal invitation, and get out of the pressure cooker and into His rest. In the shadow of His wings you will find unconditional love and acceptance. Whatever you are facing, let the Savior face it with you.
I accept Your invitation, Lord. I enter into Your rest and hide myself in the shadow of Your wings.
(Into His Presence)
From I Lift Up My Soul, by Charles F. Stanley
-
Disciplining for Eternity
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.
--- Proverbs 23:13-14
Spare the rod, and spoil the child" goes the adage drawn from biblical proverbs like the one above. By now the degree to which that adage has fallen into disrepute is no secret, even among many believers. Unfortunately the evil of excessive force belies the time-tested value of corporeal punishment when used with loving restraint. While it is possible to discipline a child without slapping the hand or spanking the bottom, it is hard to deny the close correlation between physical punishment and well-disciplined children. Nor is there any evidence suggesting that adults spanked as children suffer long-term physical or psychological damage from such punishment.
What's important is that, while the stinging bottom is quickly forgotten, the object of the exercise has a long-lasting, character-forming effect. This goes a long way toward explaining the play on words between "die" and "death." The first speaks of physical death, the second of spiritual death. Make no mistake, says God, discipline or the lack of it is a matter of life and death. Sparing the rod altogether can result in a soul being destroyed eternally in "the second death." Like parents, churches would do well to remember the crucial role of discipline. The apostle Paul enjoined discipline to snatch the wayward soul from hell. Church discipline needs to be taken far more seriously! No wonder our heavenly Father himself can often be heavy-handed. Sometimes the only way to get our attention is not through our heads but on the other end.
The question for us disobedient children is: Do I truly welcome God's harsh discipline as a means to preserving my eternal soul?
The Daily Bible Devotional, by F. LaGard Smith
-
As Salam 'Aleykum brothers and sister. Please see the book attached, insha Allah.
BarakaLlahum feekum.
Attachment: Nukbatul Fikar.pdf (1230.0KB)
-
-
assalāmu ‘alaykum wa
rahmatullāhi wa barakātuhu
Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah unto you.
Dear Student of Sacred Knowledge,
We would like to thank you for your participation in this program. Please note that
Shaykh Suliman al-Ahdal has requested the names of everyone who listened to
the reading of the Kitab ar-Risalah from imam al-Shafi'i.
Please inform us which
category you
fall into an do this a.s.a.p.
I swear by Allah on this day that I fall into:
1) I listened to more than 50% of the text (Missed more than 1 & 45 Mins)
2) I listened to more than 90% of the text. (Missed less than 1 & 45 Mins)
3) I listened to the complete text
We also need your name and the name of your spouse if they participated and heard more than 50% of the text.
This must be in Arabic. Sadly those who listen to less than 50% cannot obtain the Ijazah
Warm regards,
CA TEAM
-
Why did God command Joshua to kill everyone in Israel's path ?
Not only the women and children, but all of their livestock as well. Some of the reasons were due to their pagan worship of other gods and idols, that Israel would start doing the same. As well as not wanting the Israelites intermarrying with them and start picking up their false worship habits.
But IMO, the primary reason was because of Satan's plan to derail God's plan to bring forth His only begotten Son at the precise time in the history of mankind. With Satan having some of his angels go down from their heavenly realm to co-mingle and take the daughters of men for wives to have children by them. Which created the hybrid Nephilim/giants on the earth, of Gen.6:4, before AND AFTER the flood of Noah.
When these giants died, most of them in Noah's flood, some were still left as documented in the OT Scriptures. But the spirits of those who died are all earthbound seeking the bodies of any human or animal they can get into as recorded in Mt.8:28-32.
Which not only reveals who and what the demons are, but why God wanted Joshua to destroy all life before him on his way tothe Promised Land.
Quasar
-
They're segregated from the heroes, the old-time giants who entered the grave in full battle dress, their swords placed under their heads and their shields covering their bones, those heroes who spread terror through the land of the living. The Message Version, Ezekiel 32:27
- "And he did not know that giants are there, and that her guests are in the depths of hell" (Douay-Rheims Version, Proverbs 9:18)
- "A man that shall wander out of the way of doctrine, shall abide in the company of the giants" (Douay-Rheims Version, Proverbs 21:16)
- "Hell below was in an uproar to meet thee at thy coming, it stirred up the giants for thee" (Douay-Rheims Version, Isaiah 14:9)
- "Let not the dead live, let not the giants rise again..." (Douay-Rheims Version, Isaiah 26:14)
The book of Jasher, which is mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1.18 says, "After the fallen angels went into the daughters of men, [then] the sons of men taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order to provoke the Lord" (4:18). The Book of Enoch says that fallen angels not only merged their DNA with women, but that "they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish" (7:5; 6)
From: http://www.bibleprobe.com/nephilim.htm
Quasar
-
| 
What are Christian saints according to the Bible? Answer: The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the plural, “saints.” "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons …“ (Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use, and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus…" (Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural “saints” compared to only one use of the singular word “saint.” Even in that one instance, a plurality of saints is in view: “…every saint…” (Philippians 4:21). The idea of the word “saints” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. There are three references referring to godly character of saints: "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints …" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3). Therefore, scripturally speaking, the “saints” are the body of Christ, Christians, the church. All Christians are considered saints. All Christian are saints—and at the same time are called to be saints. First Corinthians 1:2 states it clearly: “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…” The words “sanctified” and “holy” come from the same Greek root as the word that is commonly translated “saints.” Christians are saints by virtue of their connection with Jesus Christ. Christians are called to be saints, to increasingly allow their daily life to more closely match their position in Christ. This is the biblical description and calling of the saints. How does the Roman Catholic understanding of “saints” compare with the biblical teaching? Not very well. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is “beatified” or “canonized” by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Roman Catholic practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshipped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone. Recommended Resource: Logos Bible Software Quasar |
-
Not necessarily the latest findings, but proposed as a beginner's tutorial for Sunarise. From The Platypus and the Dodo:
http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/article01080-rukwapithecus-nsungwepithecus-tanzania.html
"Ohio University-led scientists have uncovered fossils of two new species of ancient primates, named Rukwapithecus fleaglei and Nsungwepithecus gunnelli, which they say are the oldest paleontological evidence of split between Old World monkeys and apes.
-
Check it before you post it:
http://news.yahoo.com/aussie-minister-sorry-liked-exposed-131837989.html
-
A man in Australia has a dog, who is deaf, partially blind, and pretty much dying. Read here what the man and his dog are doing:
Read about it here: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/05/man-takes-elderly-dog-on-one-last-adventure/ and here: http://www.dogheirs.com/dogsarefamily/posts/3312-man-takes-his-15-year-old-dog-on-one-last-amazing-journey-photos
Pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/people/novaktonkin/
-
Proverbs 15:15-17 NIV
15. All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16. Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.
17. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.
-
The True Light
Scripture Reading: John 14:21-23Key Verse: John 1:9
That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.
Too many people go to church and come home without discovering the personal love of Jesus Christ. Some may even be baptized and still not know the intimate love of the Savior. They never develop a one-on-one relationship with the Lover of their souls. God has called us to worship Him, but even before this He calls us to intimate fellowship with Him. In the garden of Eden He walked in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. Throughout history, He was continued to reach out to mankind.
His greatest display of love and devotion comes to us through the life of Jesus Christ. However, as A. W. Tozer wrote in The Pursuit of God, "To most . . . God is an inference, not a reality. He is a deduction from evidence which they consider adequate, but He remains personally unknown to the individual."
The responsibility of relationship is not all God's. We must have a desire to know Him, walk with Him, and enjoy His company. He habitually reveals Himself to us, but are we seeking His presence?
"God formed us for His pleasure," wrote Tozer, "and so formed us so that we . . . can, in divine communion, enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile." If we will cultivate our relationship with Him, we can know "the true Light which gives light to every man" (John 1:9).
Lord, give me the desire to know You better, walk with You, and enjoy Your company. Reveal Yourself to me as I wait in Your presence.
(Seeking His Face)
From I Lift Up My Soul, by Charles F. Stanley
-
Wising Up the Hard Way
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
--- Proverbs 1:7
No wonder there are so many fools around. If to be wise we must be afraid of God and sit in the corner all day for being naughty, not many are going to choose that option! Nor is the connection between fear and discipline lost on most folks. How many times have parents disciplined child and then said, "I put the fear of the Lord in him"? Yet there is no reason why fear or discipline need have negative connotations. Consider how we use the word discipline in any number of positive ways. Athletes, for instance, willingly discipline their bodies, hoping to win medals. And scholars discipline their minds to learn how to think more sharply. By definition, discipline is never easy or terribly exciting, but only a fool would rob himself of its proven benefits.
Fear can actually be our friend. It keeps us from crossing busy streets to our peril or jumping from a plane without a parachute. Fear also has various connotations. The fright we experience when watching a horror film is different from fearing an approaching tornado or fearing the demise of our nation. So to fear the Lord doesn't mean we must quake in our boots with dread. By contrast, the fear of God that begets knowledge is a fear which manifests such profound respect for God's authority that one dare not question his word on any matter. Because God's word is true without exception, only a fool would prefer to be deceived. So if you really want to be wise, discipline yourself to hang onto God's every word!
The question for all potential fools is: Do I boldly claim to fear the Lord, yet listen only superficially to his Word and avoid spiritual discipline if at all possible?
The Daily Bible Devotional, by F. LaGard Smith
-
WHO reports first patient-to-nurse spread of new SARS-like virus
y Kate Kelland
LONDON | Wed May 15, 2013 6:58pm EDT
(Reuters) -
Two health workers in Saudi Arabia have become infected with a potentially fatal new SARS-like virus after catching it from patients in their care - the first evidence of such transmission within a hospital, the World Health Organization said.
The new virus, known as novel coronavirus, or nCoV, is from the same family of viruses as those that cause common colds and the one that caused the deadly outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that emerged in Asia in 2003.
"This is the first time health care workers have been diagnosed with (novel coronavirus) infection after exposure to patients," the Geneva-based U.N. health agency said in a disease outbreak update late on Wednesday.
The health workers are a 45-year-old man, who became ill on May 2 and is currently in a critical condition, and a 43-year-old woman with a coexisting health condition, who fell ill on May 8 and is in a stable condition, the WHO said.
France has also reported a likely case of transmission within a hospital, but this was from one patient to another patient who shared the same room for two days.
to read the full story please click the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/15/us-saudi-coronavirus-idUSBRE94E1CZ20130515
never know this just might be the one ....
-
Conditional social behaviours such as partner choice and reciprocity are
held to be key mechanisms facilitating the evolution
of cooperation, particularly in humans. Although
how these mechanisms select for cooperation has been explored
extensively,
their potential to select simultaneously for
complex cheating strategies has been largely overlooked. Tactical
deception,
the misrepresentation of the state of the world to
another individual, may allow cheaters to exploit conditional
cooperation
by tactically misrepresenting their past actions
and/or current intentions.
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1762/20130699.full
-
As we read all news of our tinme in Earths history we can clearly see we are now at the end of the road. Today Israel is butting heads with Russia and Syria and Turkey is putting up their two cents this is so prophetic, Syria killiung their citizebns using bombs bullets war planes and now even chemical weapons and Damascus is destroyed again very prophetic, China is going after some Japanese islands which is leading to war Russia is in the meditoranean sea and so is China and the United States. America has a Muslim President who is not even an American, Islam has 35 terror training camps in America in various states preparing to kill american in Jihad ""Holy War "" The President i opening all the doors allowing this to continue and allowed americans killed in Bengazzi and then covers all of it up with lies and propaganda and uses the internal revenue as the modern day Gestapo and denies ""Lies "'and cover ups. Bengazzi and gun running ""Fast and Furious"" and again cover ups and lies. many ask if America will last and from what I see this is not likely and soon extremely soon we will see our Lord as the last day is just about upon us.
-
http://voices.yahoo.com/flagwhitehousegov-snitch-line-3984140.html
-
-
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/food-supply-under-assault-climate-heats-1C9909477?ocid=msnhp&pos=1
-
