Islamic Microblogs

The following is an awesome link for Islamic microblogs (small posts):

http://sunnianswers.tumblr.com/

The posts are made by Shaykh Abu Adam (HafidhahULLAH). Try visiting it regularly; these are priceless jewels and pearls, which you are getting all for free. Go, get them!

A very important concept regarding Islamic Creed

There are only two things which we see around us: borders and colours. There is nothing else that we observe from eyes. Yes, you can feel, smell, hear or taste other attributes of objects around you, but what we observe through our sight is only this, borders and colours. Now, if we ponder, we can realize that colours are secondary to borders. The reason is that they fall within borders. So, we can see that primarily whatever we see around is nothing, but, borders. Or put it another way, we observe limits in everything we see around ourselves. Everything we see has a physical limit. This is true for all creation. Now, The Holy Qur’an says:

“Absolutely nothing resembles Him, and He is All-Seeing, All-Hearing.” (Surah Ash-Shoora)

From The Book of Allah Almighty we know that Allah Almighty does not resemble anything. He does not resemble the creation. And this Non-Resemblance is not merely as in a way creations are different from each other. It is an Absolute Non-Resemblance to the creation. Let me try to explain this…

We know that we, humans, have feet. We also know that animals have feet. Similarly, if you have watched “Tom and Jerry”, you know that both Tom and Jerry have hands and feet, they walk, eat and make fun like us humans. Obviously, they are only imaginary creations, and do not exist. But, the point that I want to make here is that saying “hand unlike our hand” does not mean that it is absolute non-resemblance, if you mean by hand “a physical limb”.

After knowing this, it is easy for you to understand the reason of deeming it Haraam by Islamic scholars the saying “hand unlike the hand of creation” for ALLAH Almighty. This is because it gives an idea that “Yad” of God is a physical limb. Nauzoo BIllah! So, instead we say “Yad unlike the yad of creation”. And for the very same reason, the eminent scholars of Ummah, including Imam Abu Hanifah (RahimahULLAH), forbade to translate the word “Yad” in Arabic to “hand” in Persian (or English). This is because all the plausible meanings of “Yad” in Arabic are not the same as that for “hand” in English. We affirm “Yad of ALLAH Almighty”, and believe that ALLAH Almighty is free from having limbs, corners, and limits. Reason. Let us come back to where we began. We know from Qur’an al Kareem that Allah Almighty does not resemble anything and we also established that limits and borders are attributes of creation; therefore ALLAH Almighty is not the One Who has limbs, or corners, borders, or limits. Anything, which has a limit, is specified, and that which is specified is a creation. Therefore, it is impossible that these are attributes of the Creator, He is free of them. Allah Almighty is free from any kind of resemblance to the creation. Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala!

Complaining...

My fan operates too slowly. Sir X does not know how to check papers, let alone the art of teaching. I could not sleep last night because of the mosquitoes buzzing around. Someone needs to teach them how to cook food. I made a huge blunder in my exam.

Aren’t these sentences those that you get to hear a lot within your social circle? The issue here is complaining. We love to complain, sometimes without any reason, perhaps we are too impulsive, or maybe we never try to exercise patience. We all know that it is “easy to complain only”; you actually have to do nothing practically apart from moving your tongue, so instead of really doing something, complaining seems a better elective, and hence, we tend to go for it. Please mark that I am not against positive criticism, neither against sharing or discussing your difficulties with someone you are close to, thereby lightening the burden of your heart. The point that is being made here is that it is useless to nitpick only, and let it flow, making it a habit.

A better option is to remain cool, and try finding solutions, way-outs that can actually erode away the problems we are facing. Why not call the electrician directly without publicizing our faulted fan?! What is it that we can do if it’s hot outside? Can we change the weather? Can the person we are talking to modify the hot conditions? Well, if the mosquitoes are causing nuisance, bring a mosquito-mat and use it, problem solved. Believe me that most of the time, almost always, the person you are complaining to about random matters is not the problem-solver, you are just letting your frustration out.

Let us spot some reasons behind this phenomenon. The obvious reason appears to be painting an image of yourself as a man with fewer conveniences and more difficulties, hence gaining psychological advantage over others of being a stronger personality, or maybe you want others to know the hassles you face because you are just frustrated or angry of bearing them, or at times, the reason is just absent, and trust me, this is the most odd, rather dim-witted form. It is agreed that at times, it becomes necessary to complain. Why do we have complain-offices anyways! Then, sometimes, you may want to seek advice of an experienced person in a particular field, and let him or her know about the troubles you face, in order to acquire guidance. The point remains, complain to the respected person, one who can be of assistance to you, do not burn your calories by doing so otherwise.

Patience is the key here. Just give it a go. Only when you learn to be patient would you know how it “tastes”! This is not something, which I am saying by myself; there is a strong recommendation and cheerful tidings in The Noble Qur’an itself:

“Verily, Allah is with those who are patient.”

And what a news this is! What to agonize when yours Lord is with you? At another place,

“O you who believe, seek help in Patience and Salah (Prayer).”

What does being patient signify? It is to handle the matters at hand objectively with clam. There is no need to publicize them. Remain firm, without letting the softness vanish from your heart. Let the tears flow, but do not scream. I just remember a maxim that is frequently attributed to Charlie Chaplin:

“I want to cry in rain so that no one can see my tears.”

There is so much to pick from this one statement, I mean where do I find a person who conceals his worries from everyone pretending to be the jolliest man on earth. That was all for the hard-hitting times. Period!

What I find peculiar is that when I happen to converse with people belonging to a privileged class, they tend to complain more, just like that, not for any reason. On the other side, when I meet someone belonging to middle-class or lower-class families, I am hearing the chants of “AlhumduLILLAH!”, “Thanks to my God, everything is just fine.” Where is the loop-hole? I am not talking about those who are asking for money in tough times or just a habit. Examples are your friend for the former and a “professional beggar” for the latter.

The one who is not habitual of complaining is the king of his world. The individual is content, vivid, and light, he enjoys his life. Yes, ups and downs are a part of existence, but they are the daily-goings which this person can pass off smoothly and joyfully. On the opposite side, the one who is engrossed in making complaints for petty reasons remains confused, irritated and in a dry-mood no matter how much facilities he benefits from. Someone who is sleeping tight in his cave, with no worries, is well-off than a king trying to snooze in his magnificent castle with thousand fears encircling his head. Irrespective of being what you are, a caveman, a king, a business-man, student, teacher, employee, or wherever you may belong, you need to smile, trace your way, make an effort to get to the root of your difficulty and instead of merely complaining, crack it practically. And yes, you can always look at the one who is less-privileged than you are.

Flashback!

You at least have a fan. You can at least go to a university. You have the money to buy a mosquito-mat. Thank your Lord that you have clean food to eat, and can gulp cold sip of water to quench your thirst, not everyone have this gift. This is not your last exam.

It makes a lot of difference in seeing the picture from a special angle.

My Pal...

Buddy, tomorrow is my Fluid Mechanics quiz, and I am preparing. It is 2:46 a.m. in the night. Weather outside is wonderful, it has just drizzled, and at the moment, the atmosphere is perfuming with the typical sweet fragrance that blends with air after rainfall. Branches and leaves are unruffled, and it’s cool outside. In this pleasant and amusing weather, I have decided to write about you. This should give you an idea of the value you possess in my eyes. You have helped me in tough times, you have made things easy for me, and you have offered me short-cuts. Sometimes, I imagine how life would have been without you?! Mate, you rock! My dear, much-loved, and friend in time of need, yes pal, I am talking about you; my solution manual.

There are two instances where we meet, one is where I need to check if I am doing right, and the other is where I just don’t have time to do things on my own, which can be due to several reasons, ranging from laziness to immense workload. I quickly read the question, may think about it, and unswervingly start taking your advices. Today, the latter is the case. In this scenario, you are just the man, man!

HOWEVER, if I get addicted to you, you are going to turn into an enemy. You will make me helpless, and can spread like cancer, uprooting all the abilities I may have developed for problem-solving. So, we have to be cautious here. Actually, it would have been best if we hadn’t met. Hey, no offence meant partner! I hope you understand the harms involved. This is how it is. You are one chap whose presence can be a paradox, see how I feel the affection for you, and at the same time, I am being repulsive.

So bro, If I am doing all the problems by myself, and use you as a check, that’s excellent. If I face problem in any question, after giving my best try, I come to you, help me out. But if I am doing so otherwise, just turn your face away from me.

The Knack of Objectivity - Part 2

The Companions of The Beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) were very smart and intelligent people. You must have read many very wise saying of Sayyiduna Ali (Radiy Allahu Ta'ala Anhu). There is a very powerful saying by Sayyiduna Umar (Radiy Ta’ala Allahu Anhu):

“Do not put off today’s work for tomorrow.”

Today, when our juniors take advice from us, there are a lot of things that come to mind, and we try to give them the crux of our experiences. The aspect on which great stress is laid is to keep things on day-to-day basis. I have personally experienced the benefits of acting according to the above-mentioned saying, and have also suffered by doing so otherwise. It is natural that things get pretty smooth if we mend our daily-routines according to daily works. What ought to be done today, should be done today! And then, during those days of stress and anxiety, you will feel comparatively light, and at weekends, you will have quite a handsome amount of time with you. In short, these beautiful words are really some tremendously worthy gemstones.

There are some activities, which spread over much stretched periods of time. The prime example that I see in my social circle is gatherings with leisurely talk. Sadly, sometimes, I also become a part of this, and when the process is on, we never seem to get tired of it. To talk is not bad, talk a lot, but keep it objective and productive. Then, at times, we just need to relax and talk to our family and friends; bingo! What I am talking about is long hours of worthless and unproductive talk. These activities, which eat so much of our time, are counter-productive. With time, they also suck energy out of us. Another example is watching 3, or even 2 movies without a break or a whole season of a TV-Series or anime in one go. As far as my personal experience tells me, this tendency is what I should say ‘slow-poisoning’.

I conclude this piece of writing by telling you an interesting tale. There was a king, who was a very wise man. Once, his people brought him some pebbles, which they had collected from outside the king’s palace. The king took the pebbles, examined them, and then ordered his citizens to find out who these pebbles belonged to. The court-men were surprised, but couldn’t say anything to the king on his face.

“It is rather stupid of the king to order us to locate a man who has disposed off useless pieces of rock.” One of the court-men said during their own conversation.

People began investigating, and ultimately found the person who had thrown these little stones. The man was taken to the king’s palace. When they reached the castle, he was given a glass of sherbet, and then after he was relaxed, the king asked him:

“Why did you throw away these pebbles?”

“They are worthless pieces of stones, what could have I gained by keeping them? I threw them because I knew that they are of no use to me.”

The king looked deeply into the person’s eyes, and then waited. After a long pause of pin-drop silence, the king said:

“Certainly, this is not your mistake. If you knew the truth, you would have never done that.”

Everyone, who was present in the court of king, was surprised. They started giving each other curious looks. The king stood up from his royal chair, and then what he delivered was one piece of a legendary talk:

“These stones are not just worthless pebbles; they are extremely expensive pearls and gemstones! They could make this man a millionaire, but he threw them away considering them to be any other pieces of rock. The reason is that he did not know their worth. My countrymen, same is the case with the time we have. Each second, and each minute that passes is a gemstone, but we fling it away, because we do not know its value. God has given you life as a gift. When you pass your life, every second passed should be in obedience to your Creator, and then you may acquire the actual worth of each pearl!”

The court was dismissed.

Later on, the man was returned half of the treasure, and the other half was donated to the state for a public project.

One...

Today, in one of the lectures, our instructor, Dr. Bannikov, pointed to one of the students sitting in the middle row, and said:

“One.”

The student, like everyone else in the class, thought that he must have meant to give him a first warning because teachers don’t want someone causing nuisance in the class. However, after a second or two, Dr. Bannikov himself asked us:

“Do you know what ‘one’ is?”

“It’s the first warning…”

“It means that next time he will be asked to leave the class…”

These were some of the responses. However, Dr. Bannikov cleared things up with the following fable:

“O.K. Let me tell you the story. Once, this is almost 100 years back, when there used to be no cars, a newly-married couple were travelling in a carriage. During the journey, the horse slipped, on which the husband shouted ‘One’ to the horse, and lashed him. After some minutes, the horse slipped again, the husband said ‘Two’ to the horse, and lashed him yet again. Then, after a little time, the horse slipped once more, this time the husband…”

“.. said ‘Three’” We thought. But, it was something else.

“… took out a gun from his pocket and shot the horse dead.”

The class burst out in laughter, because they just did not expect this. And then the cute Russian accent of Dr. Bannikov also added to its flavour. Well, it is bad that you are laughing on someone's cruel act, but it was really the "One" that was said to the student on which the class was amused. So, Dr. Bannikov continued:

“But, the story does not end here. After a short while, the wife said to the husband:

‘Sweetheart, can we take our mother from the way and drop her to the next street.’

‘One’ said the husband to his wife…”

It ends here, and was a healthy ingredient to enliven the class.

“I will not kill you people, but…

‘One’” Dr. Bannikov pointed towards the same student. And finally we came back to where we were; variation of pressure in a fluid inside a rotating cylinder.

The Knack of Objectivity - Part 1

Do you think that you waste a lot of time? Or when it comes to time-management, you are just not the one for it. Well, same is the case here. So, let us try, and crack it a bit. Time-management is a very potent tool. This is something all of us know so fully, yet many of us do not succeed to gain from it. Even after formulating comprehensive time-tables; rows, columns, some may even use colour-codings; we fail to follow them consistently. But think for a moment; what actually drives us to make time-tables or let’s say, read articles on the subject of organization of tasks? If you ponder, you can perceive that many times, it is basically motivation, which, in reality, is the driving force. So, the time-tables that we form, are all the result of the fire of motivation that burns inside us, and when we lose consistency, the fire had been extinguished, the colours fade away and hence, things return to ‘normal’. However, if we keep ourselves inspired, it may be realized that constructing time-table (on paper) is not even ‘strictly’ required; in no way does that mean we do not devise a time-table, because its benefits remain firmly recognized. They are, though, not the focal point of this discussion.

To touch objectivity, elucidation of the role of motivation in achieving goals was indispensable. Motivation is the driving force, and objectivity is the vehicle. Once you learn to be objective, it becomes easier to focus. Put otherwise, to give the finest shape to motivation and yield maximum results, objectivity is the key. If you learn this “Knack of Objectivity”, the ability of being objective, you will be able to maintain consistency for a longer time. The rationale being the verity that many times, not always, motivation is a timely phenomenon, it may die away, whereas, objectivity can develop into a part of your very nature, hence its benefits retain for an extended period.

The initial and primarily, the main aim should be to define your tasks precisely, specifically and absolutely clearly. This is of utmost importance, because wandering without clear image of your chores results in unproductive time-wastage. Once you know what to do, it will become quite simple to begin with. You should remember from your secondary school or O-Level/Matriculation when we were given an essay to write. The very first step taught by our teacher was to chalk out an “outline”. At the start, it was brainstorming, but then, main points were collected and put in sequential order. This really facilitates in producing a piece of good writing. The reason is, before you start to write, you have an unambiguous image of what you are going to carry out. Objectivity in this case was more knotty than it is in the long-term or short-term responsibilities of life. So, relax, mark your aims, smile, and embark on.

To visualize things in parts is a talent. It is easier for an engineer to be objective than it is for, let’s say, a poet, obviously, only if he thinks akin to an engineer. The reason is that he has worked more on structuring things from parts. Mark that this is not a direct criticism on poetry. Or else, tomorrow we may say that writers also let their thoughts flow and reflect about random things, and hence a writer cannot be objective. By the way, an “Engineer who writes” is someone different from a “writer”. Though, this statement is not mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, this is generally the case if both are passionate about their own profession. Anyways, beginning with small parts and then moving on is a practice you have been carrying out when you didn’t even have to worry about completing your homework, let alone managing several tasks. Parents bring their babies Lego blocks and different puzzles to play and learn with. Among other colorful plastic bricks, they also have Lego blocks with alphabets and numbers printed on them. We can see that this is the trend that suites our nature. Once again, know that it does not entail that we start disassembling everyday jobs that are already defined. We just need to mentally categorize our assignments, and have a vivid image of them.

Optimization is another tool which helps to cover much in lesser time. Irrespective of which field you belong to, everything is not equally important in life. Tasks are given preferences depending on different factors. For example, during the days of exams, we leave recreation and cut off other activities that offer us entertainment. Similarly, during the vacations, we find ourselves and study, poles apart! (Definitely, this is not an example of optimization!) If one is able to manage and put his or her activities in the right preferential order, the person is utilizing time capably.

Just yesterday, I was reading an article on The Beloved Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) Guidance on managing time, and what should our preferences be? It was worth reading. The transcript can be downloaded from this link, http://www.sacredknowledge.co.uk/ Do read!