How to Finish Quran In 30 Days

Well, my friends....its easy.

All you need to do is to read around 4.5 pages after each prayer.

CHECK THIS OUT!

4.5 (pages) x 5 (prayers) x 30 (days) = 604 (number of Quran pages)


I never knew it was that easy to read the whole Qur’an each month, by spending few minutes after each prayer..

WHAT AN INVESTMENT!!

And if you are in a real hurry you can finish it once every two months by reading just 2 pages.
And remember, each letter you read in Qur'an counts 10 hasanat.

what bout a word?
what bout a line?
what bout a page?
what bout a part?

and what bout the whole Quran?

Sekalung Tahniah.....

Nik Nur Madihah , pelajar Maahad Muhammadi Perempuan (MMP) yang sekelip mata menjadi bualan dan terkenal di seluruh Malaysia .

Untuk pengetahuan ramai , rata-rata rakyat negeri Serambi Mekkah ini sudah terbiasa dengan berdikari sendiri tanpa mengharap bantuan orang lain , memang rata-rata begitu .Jadi tidaklah hairan jika keluarganya begitu . Dan saya terbaca di internet , apabila ayahnya seorang yang tidak suka mengadu kesusahannya kepada orang lain. Mereka lebih suka berusaha sendiri serta qanaah dengan apa yang Allah rezekikan buat mereka sekeluarga.Pergantungan mereka hanya kepada Allah Yang Maha Memberi Rezeki. Seorang nelayan dan isteri yang tidak berpelajaran tinggi tahu membawa diri berpandukan agama Islam yang mereka cintai. Bandingkan dengan mereka yang ber’sijil’ tinggi, berjawatan seperti wakil rakyat atau exco yang gajinya beribu-ribu sebulan namun masih tamakkan harta yang Allah haramkan buat mereka seperti rasuah, riba, rompak harta rakyat dan lain-lain. Mereka tidak takutkan Allah, akibatnya hidup mereka dihina serta maruah mereka diinjak-injak.Seorang nelayan yang takutkan Allah hari ini dikenali seluruh negara dan mendapat ‘durian runtuh’ yang halal apabila mendapat hadiah rumah dari Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan, wang beribu-ribu ringgit, tajaan biasiswa dari pelbagai pihak untuk anaknya. Bukankan Allah itu tidak memungkiri janji-janjiNya? Hamba yang menahan diri dari rezeki yang haram dan daripada meminta-minta sesama manusia sekian lama telah terbuka pintu rezeki yang Allah janjikan tanpa disangka-sangka.Dan keyakinan inilah menyebabkan hari ini , keluarganya dimuliakan oleh Allah S.W.T dengan pelbagai sumbangan dan penajaan berkat sifat keluarga berkenaan .

Bermula dengan Penajaan Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) hinggalah pelbagai pihak yang mahu menajanya ke luar Negara . Sehinggalah yang terbaru apabila Amirul Mukminin (Dato’ Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat ) Kelantan sudi menhadiahkan rumah kepada keluarga tersebut .Bukankan Allah itu tidak memungkiri janji-janjiNya? Hamba yang menahan diri dari rezeki yang haram dan daripada meminta-minta sesama manusia sekian lama telah terbuka pintu rezeki yang Allah janjikan tanpa disangka-sangka. Di Bandar Kota Bharu juga , terlihat terpampang banner-banner tertulis “Syabas dan tahniah “ kepada adik Nik Nur Madihah dari pada kerajaan negeri dan dewan pemuda PAS negeri Kelantan.

Bukan itu sahaja malah di sinar harian juga penuh dengan kata-kata penghargaan terhadap pelajar tersebut antaranya

“ beliau seorang yang rajin bangun tahajjud , diakhir malam biasanya dia bangun untuk solat hajat supaya apa yang dibaca diingati dan diberkati Allah”

Alangkah indahnya ibu dan ayahnya melahirkan dan membesarkannya , semago kita semua dapat menjadikan dia sebagai contoh dalam berqanaah dan rajin berusaha dalam mengapai nikmat sedikit didunia ini .

“ kita diberi kemuliaan oleh islam , Kita akan menjadi hina sekiranya kita memilih selain islam”Bersyukurlah dan jangan meminta dengan orang lain , tapi mintalah dengan Allah S.w.t .. lihatlah janjiNya terhadap keluarga ini....

iluvislam.com

Its Better To Give

Better to Give

A young man, a student in one of the universities, was one day taking a walk with a Professor, who was commonly called the student’s friend, from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.

As they went along,they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by,and who had nearly finished his day’s work.

The student turned to the professor, saying: “Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them.”

“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how this affects him.”

The student did so and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.

While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes, but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it around, and looked at it again and again.

He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.

His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to the heavens and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving in which he spoke of his wife who was sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom this timely bounty, from some unknown hand,would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears. “Now,” said the professor, are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?”

The youth replied, “You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of these words, which I never understood before: “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”

Abdullah bin Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallAllahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that encouraging good, prohibiting evil, lifting the burden of the weak person and removing an offensive thing from a path are all acceptable prayers to Allah.
[ibn Majah]

Barber...

A MAN WENT TO A BARBERSHOP TO HAVE HIS HAIR CUT AND HIS BEARD TRIMMED. AS THE BARBER BEGAN TO WORK, THEY BEGAN TO HAVE A GOOD CONVERSATION. THEY TALKED ABOUT SO MANY THINGS AND VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

WHEN THEY EVENTUALLY TOUCHED ON THE SUBJECT OF ALLAH, THE BARBER SAID: "I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ALLAH EXISTS.""WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?" ASKED THE CUSTOMER."WELL, YOU JUST HAVE TO GO OUT IN THE STREET TO REALIZE THAT ALLAH DOESN'T EXIST. TELL ME, IF ALLAH EXISTS,WOULD THERE BE SO MANY SICK PEOPLE? WOULD THERE BE ABANDONED CHILDREN? IF ALLAH EXISTED, THERE WOULD BE NEITHER SUFFERING NOR PAIN. I CAN'T IMAGINE A LOVING ALLAH WHO WOULD ALLOW ALL OF THESE THINGS.

"THE CUSTOMER THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT,BUT DIDN'T RESPOND BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO START AN ARGUMENT. THE BARBER FINISHED HIS JOB AND THE CUSTOMER LEFT THE SHOP. JUST AFTER HE LEFT THE BARBER SHOP, HE SAW A MAN IN THE STREET WITH LONG, STRINGY, DIRTY HAIR AND AN UNTRIMMED BEARD.HE LOOKED DIRTY AND UNKEMPT. THE CUSTOMER TURNED BACK AND ENTERED THE BARBER SHOP AGAIN AND HE SAID TO THE BARBER:"YOU KNOW WHAT? BARBERS DO NOT EXIST.""HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" ASKED THE SURPRISED BARBER. "I AM HERE, AND I AM A BARBER. AND I JUST WORKED ON YOU!"

"NO!" THE CUSTOMER EXCLAIMED. "BARBERS DON'T EXIST BECAUSE IF THEY DID, THERE WOULD BE NO PEOPLE WITH DIRTY LONG HAIR AND UNTRIMMED BEARDS, LIKE THAT MAN OUTSIDE." "AH, BUT BARBERS DO EXIST! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE DO NOT COME TO ME.""EXACTLY!"AFFIRMED THE CUSTOMER. "THAT'S THEPOINT! ALLAH, TOO, DOES EXIST! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO HIM AND DON'T LOOK TO HIM FOR HELP.THAT'S WHY THERE'S SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING IN THE WORLD."

Time

To realize the value of a sister Ask someone who doesn't have one.
To realize the value of ten years: Ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years: Ask a graduate.
To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a still birth.
To realize the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute: Ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one-second: Ask a person who has survived an accident...
To realize the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the olympics

time waits for no one.
Time is really important to human kind. Even Allah swears with 'time' in the several ayah in Al-Quran. Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more...

iluvislam.com

Story of 3 Friends

Not long ago, three friends came to the New York city. They decided to stay in a hotel during the visit.It so happened that their room ended up being on the 60th floor.The policy of the hotel was that everynight after 12:00 a.m. the elevators are shut down for security reasons.The next day, the three friends rented a car and went out to explore the city. They enjoyed movies, concerts, and other things throughout the whole day.

At one point, they remembered that they have to get back to the hotel before 12 a.m.When they arrived, it was beyond 12 a.m. at night. The elevators were shut down. There was no other way to get back to their room but to take the stairs all the way to the 60th floor. All of a sudden, one friend got an idea.He said “For the first 20 floors, I will tell jokes to keep us going. Then another one of us could say wisdom stories for the next 20 floors. Finally, we will cover the other 20 floors with sad stories.”So, one of the friends started with the jokes. With laughs and joy,they reached the 20th floor. Now, another friend started saying stories that are full of wisdom. So, they learned a lot while reaching the 40th floor. Now, it was time for the sad stories.So, the third friend started thus, “My first sad story is that I left the key for the room in the car.”Now, what is the point of this story?

This story resembles our lifecycle. For the first 20 years of our life, we spend time in joking and enjoying whatever is out there. Then, after we reach 20, we go into the work force, get marriead, have kids and this is the time when we use our wisdom. Then, if we reach 40, we finally see the white hairs and begin to think that my life is coming to an end and the sadness begins.

Be Inspired!

This is a story that I received from a friend. A very short yet inspiring story. Allah's Hidayah is always there, around us. It comes in all sorts of forms. It's either we are aware of it or we simply take advantage on it.

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down. And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, “Look what I found!” In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with it’s petals all worn, not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, “It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too. That’s why I picked it; here it’s for you.” The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.” But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind. I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. You’re welcome, he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he’d had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that’s mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose. And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

from: iluvislam.com

Karamah Pejuang Palestin

Perang 22 hari di Gaza akhirnya dimenangi oleh Islam mengalahkan tentera Israel yang lebih ramai, peralatan yang canggih serta bantuan serangan dari udara dan laut. Kini usaha dan tenaga ditumpu kearah membina semula infrastruktur Gaza yang musnah. Dalam masa yang sama penduduk Gaza bercerita tentang karamah (keramat) yang berlaku sepanjang Jihad tersebut. Ini membangkit lagi keimanan dan semangat mereka untuk terus berjuang membebaskan bumi Palestin dari penjajahan Yahudi dan Kuasa-kuasa Besar Dunia. Dari ceramah dalam program “Malam Selamatkan Palestin” di Masjid Sikamat, Seremban anjuran ISMA NS yang disampaikan oleh wakil Palestin, Naji As-Sarhiy dan badan-badan kebajikan yang pulang dari Gaza baru-baru ini, berikut adalah sebahagian kecil dari kisah-kisah Karamah tersebut yang sampai kepada saya :

1. Mujahideen, walaupun tangkas di medan darat, namun terdedah kepada bahaya serangan dari udara yang dikuasai 100% oleh tentera Israel. Satu ketika datang sekumpulan burung berhampiran dengan mereka. Tiba-tiba burung-burung tersebut terbang secara mengejut seolah-olah ada sesuatu akan berlaku di situ. Melihat keputusan burung-burung tersebut, para Mujahideen juga segera meninggalkan tempat tersebut. Hanya beberapa ketika selepas itu tepat di tempat tersebut dibedil oleh tentera Yahudi.

2. Ketika para Mujahideen bertekad untuk menyerang kawasan tentera Israel, datang kabus meliputi kawasan tersebut, lalu mereka dapat mara sehingga ke tengah-tengah tentera Yahudi sedang musuh tidak dapat melihat mereka. Para mujahideen dapat menembak kesemua musuh dengan mudah.

3. Seorang doktor menceritakan ketika dia membedah seorang mujahid yang dibom oleh Yahudi hingga habis tubuh badannya dimasukki serpihan besi (sharpnel). Mujahid tersebut masih hidup kerana jantungnya tidak ditembusi serpihan besi tersebut kerana serpihan dibahagian dadanya melekat pada kitab Al-Quran yang beliau letakkan di dalam poket bajunya.

4. Enam roket dilancarkan dan berjaya membunuh musuh sedangkan ketua belum lagi mengeluarkan arahan agar roket dilancarkan. Apabila ditegur oleh ketua, para mujahideen menafikan mereka melancarkan apa-apa roket. Apabila diperiksa, memang keenam-enam roket tersebut masih ada di tempat pelancarnya.

5. Apabila seorang tentera Yahudi disoal oleh wartawan talivisyen kenapa matanya menjadi buta. Dia menjawab datang seorang memakai pakaian puti dan melemparkan pasir ke matanya.

6. Beberapa orang tentera Yahudi mengatakan bahawa tentera HAMAS yang mereka lihat memakai pakaian putih, sedangkan para Mujahideen memakai pakaian ala tentera seperti biasa.

7. Seorang wanita mengandung disahkan doktor disetiap pemeriksaan bahawa kandungannya adalah bayi perempuan. Sebaik suaminya syahid dalam Perang Gaza, pemeriksaan doktor mendapati kandungannya adalah seorang lelaki.

8. Dalam masa 22 hari peperangan, bayi-bayi lelaki yang dilahirkan lebih ramai dari kebiasaan iaitu lebih dari 3000 orang bayi lelaki. Bilangan yang terbunuh ialah seramai lebih 1300 orang (sahaja). Allah swt menggantikan dalam peperangan tersebut, mujahideen masa depan yang lebih ramai.

Apabila jenazah Hasan Ismail Abu Syanab yang syahid pada hari pertama serangan Yahudi ke atas Gaza, hendak dikebumikan diliang lahad ayahnya, Asy-Syahid Ismail Abu Syanab, yang syahid 5 tahun lalu, mereka dapati jasad Ismail masih dalam keadaan seperti mula-mula dikebumikan 5 tahun lalu. Kain kafannya masih putih bersih. Sila ke laman Karamah Asy-Syahid Ir. Ismail Abu Syanab di Gaza. Beliau adalah salah seorang pengasas dan pemimpin HAMAS.

“Kami akan memperlihatkan kepada mereka tanda-tanda keterangan Kami di ufuk dan dalam diri-diri mereka sendiri sehingga jelas kepada mereka bahawa Dia adalah benar. Tidakkah cukup lagi bahawa Tuhanmu, sesungguhnya Dia menyaksi segala sesuatu. "(Fussilat:52)

dipetik dari iluvislam.com

A Boy & A Tree

“A son’s sacrifice towards his parents is not complete until a situation arises whereby he buys and frees his parents from becoming slaves.” As we already know, we cannot deny the greatness of our beloved parent’s sacrifice, how they have spent most of the time lives to secure our future; their children’s future. From the time we were infants until we become useful people, they care for us. This is a story that relates to their sacrifice; a story about a boy and a tree in a countryside.

Once upon a time, when a boy was a small child, he used to play with a particular tree everyday as a hobby. Tree was very happy and wished that it could stop time from going on so that it could stay with the boy forever. But time goes on by and the boy gradually grows older day by day, year by year. Eventually, he doesn’t play with the tree anymore. So, the tree becomes very sad and lonely.

One gloomy morning, as the tree was standing alone, remembering the happy days they had together, it got a shock joy as the boy come back. He had come to ask for money and the tree didn’t hesitates even the least to give and sacrifice all it had with its capability, shedding all its leaves to give to the boy, leaving it bare and cold. The boy went away happily but didn’t return for along time.

A few years passed by and the boy has grown into a handsome man. Eventually, he came back to visit the tree, asking yet another favor for wood to build of his house. Once again, the tree sacrificed itself and was partly cut down. But again, the boy left the tree alone and never come back anymore. In this story, the tree symbolizes our parents.

The reality today is just as such. Children never appreciate their parents’ sacrifice but always asking for more. Parents, on the other hand, never abandon their children’s hope and sacrifice all they could. Some nowadays think that money could pay for what they have done, that is by giving their parents money. Actually, this concept is totally wrong. Always remember, love has no substitute, be it billions of dollars or ringgit, no value can match the price of love. One thing need to remember is that, even if you service your parent for whole of your life, you still cannot pay for what they have done for you. The parent’s sacrifices are invaluable.

Menuju Mu....

Kadang-kala diri ini,
Terasa ingin melarikan diri,
Ke suatu tempat yang tiada penghuni,
Jauh daripada fitnah duniawi,
Hanya ingin bersendiri,
Tiada siapa di sisi,
Hanya Dia yang sentiasa di hati,

Rabb-ku yang dirindui.
Ku terus berlari,
Mencari cinta Hakiki,

MenujuMu Ya Rabbi.

A Letter From Gaza

A Letter From Gaza
www.iluvislam.com

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
My dear sisters and brothers I wanted to take this opportunity to send you a message from the sisters and brothers in Gaza. Please hear our situation and tell everyone that you know and don't know. When the Zionists attacked us on 27th December 2008, they not only attacked Hamas, they not only attacked the Muslims of Gaza, they attacked Muslims everywhere. They attacked Islam in the hope that they will weaken it and ultimately destroy it and ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. And they will never stop here. They want the beloved Al Aqsa, they want the West Bank and believe me when I tell you that they want the whole of the Middle East. But they will never succeed. They will never remove the light of Allah.

Our situation is dire but our iman is strong Alhamdulillah, even though we have no water to speak of, and when we do, it is polluted and diseased. We have no money to buy mineral water. When we find the money those that sell it say that it is too dangerous for them to travel out to get new supplies. We have no gas, and have not had for the last four months. We cook the little food we have on real fires that we have learned to prepare. Our men have lost all of their jobs. They spend their days at home now. My husband can spend a day just going from place to place just for the basic need of water. He usually returns empty handed.There are no schools, no banks from which we can withdraw our money. Few hospitals are open for our wounded. You are constantly aware that you risk your life when you go out and when you are indoors. They give us a curfew between 1-4pm. We can go out, they say, in safety to get your supplies, but that is a lie. They have often used that opportunity to add more shuhadaa to their list. We eat one day rice and one day bread. Meat and milk are a luxury. They are using chemical warfare in the areas which are on the borders. They are killing us by bullets and tanks and B52s, but they are also killing us slowly by starving our children, inflicting indescribable diseases with their chemical warfare and laughing as our suffering becomes prolonged and unbearable. All this and we are being told that people demonstrate all over the world. The fact that you go to embassies and leave your homes makes us feel truly that we are not alone in our struggle. But you go home at night and lock your door. We cannot do that. I have to leave my home on the second floor every night and stay with my sister on the ground floor. Should there be an attack, it's quicker to leave from the ground floor.

But the ummah is asking where are the Muslim armies? Where is the victory? And where is our true leader who will save us from this death? Where are the armies of Salahadeen Ayubi? Do not look to the UN, they recognised Israel in 1949 as a state and sealed our fate as it is today. Do not turn to America or Britain, did they not invade our ummah in Iraq and Afghanistan. Call the armies in Egypt, in Syria, in Turkey, in Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. In Bangladesh, in the Gulf, in Indonesia and in Libya where are they? Are they content to watch women scream for their help as they bury their young children? Are the screams of their sisters and brothers falling on deaf ears? We have a right to eat and drink in safety and security. We have a right to laugh and live in hope, do we not? Yes we are tired.When we hear rockets and bombs and see planes that fly too close to our building, I scream with my young son and my husband feels helpless. The brothers will know what it must be like to feel helpless to protect the honour and lives of your family. It kills something of him inside. We often wonder when will they sell our land cheaply, will it take one thousand or two thousand deaths. We wait to see. The Israelis have started to plan where their settlements will be in Gaza. This is what we have become. In all this there is no one but Allah سبحانه وتعالى that can save us. Don't forget us because you are all that we have now. Your sadaqaat is not reaching us, and when they open borders it only reaches a few who can do nothing with it because we risk our lives just to buy food. They will kill anyone, anyone even if he is a five year old child carrying food for his family. We want to live from the sweat of our men, not from the sweat of others because we are dying. Keep up the work of Allah and pray and work for the victory that will come soon and rescue our ummah everywhere inshAllah. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى make us steadfast in our deen, during struggle and during ease. Ya Allah bring us the victory soon and re-establish Islam as the authority by which we live, Ya Allah send us the sons of Salahudeen, the army of Islam to rescue Mohammed's صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ummah from the oppression under which we live. Ya Allah protect our children and remove the zionists from our land. Ya Allah witness today that we account our rulers, we pray that you return our true leader the Khaleefah soon.
Ameen.
والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته --

Your sister umm Taqi--(from Gaza)

The Story of Yusuf Islam (p2)

THE QUR'AN
When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur'an, which he gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and thought I might find something in it also. And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me - who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was to be a Muslim. I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as Al-Islam. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading the Qur'an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to overlap the other. Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah. When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'an, and God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur'an also speaks on different levels. I began to understand it on another level, where the Qur'an says, "Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are brothers." Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.

THE CONVERSION

Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens." He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I received the Qur'an. Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jumma' I went to the Imam and declared my faith (the Kalima) at this hands. You have before you someone who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur'an. Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told me, "You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salat. This is the process of purification. Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah and pray that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like to stress that I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

Ameen! --

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)

The Story of Yusuf Islam (p1)

MY EARLY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING

I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in his original nature - it is only his parents that turn him to this or that religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in fact the door to

God. This was more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all. I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. And when they said that God is there, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

POP STAR

Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made. He has a lot of money." The people around me influenced me to think that this was it; this world was their God. I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a 'great life.' Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur'an, we make a promise, but when we make something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.) So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).

IN HOSPITAL

After a year of financial success and 'high' living, I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allah, a chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in bed?" - and I started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower power,' and this was the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital. One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized, 'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will lead you where it wants to go. Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new terminology I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path. I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out." I became even more famous in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society. I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity prevailed.

Why Are Jews So Powerful?

By: Dr Farrukh Saleem.The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance columnist

Why are Jews so powerful?

There are only 14 million Jews in the world; seven million in the Americas , five million in Asia, two million in Europe and 100,000 in Africa . For every single Jew in the world there are 100 Muslims. Yet, Jews are more than a hundred times more powerful than all the Muslims put together. Ever wondered why?

Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. Albert Einstein, the most influential scientist of all time and TIME magazine’s ‘Person of the Century’, was a Jew. Sigmund Freud — id, ego, superego — the father of psychoanalysis was a Jew. So were Karl Marx, Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman.
Here are a few other Jews whose intellectual output has enriched the whole humanity:
Benjamin Rubin gave humanity the vaccinating needle.

Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine.
Albert Sabin developed the improved live polio vaccine.
Gertrude Elion gave us a leukemia fighting drug.
Baruch Blumberg developed the vaccination for Hepatitis B.
Paul Ehrlich discovered a treatment for syphilis (a sexually transmitted disease).
Elie Metchnikoff won a Nobel Prize in infectious diseases.
Bernard Katz won a Nobel Prize in neuromuscular transmission.
Andrew Schally won a Nobel in endocrinology (disorders of the endocrine system; diabetes, hyperthyroidism) .
Aaron Beck founded Cognitive Therapy (psychotherapy to treat mental disorders, depression and phobias).
Gregory Pincus developed the first oral contraceptive pill.
George Wald won a Nobel for furthering our understanding of the human eye.
Stanley Cohen won a Nobel in embryology (study of embryos and their development)
Willem Kolff came up with the kidney dialysis machine.
Over the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 15-dozen Nobel Prizes while only three Nobel Prizes have been won by 1.4 billion Muslims (other than Peace Prizes).

Why are Jews so powerful?
Stanley Mezor invented the first micro-processing chip. Leo Szilard developed the first nuclear chain reactor; Peter Schultz, optical fibre cable; Charles Adler, traffic lights; Benno Strauss, Stainless steel; Isador Kisee, sound movies; Emile Berliner, telephone microphone; Charles Ginsburg, videotape recorder.
Famous financiers in the business world who belong to Jewish faith include Ralph Lauren (Polo), Levis Strauss (Levi’s Jeans), Howard Schultz (Starbuck’s) , Sergey Brin (Google), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Donna Karan (DKNY), Irv Robbins (Baskins & Robbins) and Bill Rosenberg (Dunkin Donuts)..
Richard Levin, President of Yale University , is a Jew. So are Henry Kissinger (American secretary of state), Alan Greenspan (Fed chairman under Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush), Joseph Lieberman, Madeleine Albright (American secretary of state), Casper Weinberger (American secretary of defense), Maxim Litvinov (USSR foreign Minister), David Marshal (Singapore ’s first chief minister), Issac Isaacs (governor-general of Australia ), Benjamin Disraeli (British statesman and author), Yevgeny Primakov (Russian PM), Barry Goldwater, Jorge Sampaio (president of Portugal ), John Deutsch (CIA director), Herb Gray (Canadian deputy PM), Pierre Mendes (French PM), Michael Howard (British home secretary), Bruno Kreisky (chancellor of Austria ) and Robert Rubin (American secretary of treasury).
In the media, famous Jews include Wolf Blitzer (CNN), Barbara Walters (ABC News), Eugene Meyer (Washington Post), Henry Grunwald (editor-in-chief Time), Katherine Graham (publisher of The Washington Post), Joseph Lelyyeld (Executive editor, The New York Times), and Max Frankel (New York Times).

Can you name the most beneficent philanthropist in the history of the world? The name is George Soros, a Jew, who has so far donated a colossal $4 billion most of which has gone as aid to scientists and universities around the world. Second to George Soros is Walter Annenberg, another Jew, who has built a hundred libraries by donating an estimated $2 billion.
At the Olympics, Mark Spitz set a record of sorts by wining seven gold medals. Lenny Krayzelburg is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Spitz, Krayzelburg and Boris Becker are all Jewish.

Did you know that Harrison Ford, George Burns, Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson, Sandra Bullock, Billy Crystal, Woody Allen, Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Douglas, Ben Kingsley, Kirk Douglas, Goldie Hawn, Cary Grant, William Shatner, Jerry Lewis and Peter Falk are all Jewish?

As a matter of fact, Hollywood itself was founded by a Jew. Among directors and producers, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Oliver Stone, Aaron Spelling ( Beverly Hills 90210), Neil Simon (The Odd Couple), Andrew Vaina (Rambo 1/2/3), Michael Man (Starsky and Hutch), Milos Forman (One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Douglas Fairbanks (The thief of Baghdad ) and Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) are all Jewish.

To be certain, Washington is the capital that matters and in Washington the lobby that matters is The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Washington knows that if PM Ehud Olmert were to discover that the earth is flat, AIPAC will make the 109th Congress pass a resolution congratulating Olmert on his discovery.
William James Sidis, with an IQ of 250-300, is the brightest human who ever existed. Guess what faith did he belong to?

So, why are Jews so powerful? Answer: Education!

Why are Muslims so powerless?
There are an estimated 1,476,233,470 Muslims on the face of the planet: one billion in Asia, 400 million in Africa, 44 million in Europe and six million in the Americas Every fifth human being is a Muslim; for every single Hindu there are two Muslims, for every Buddhist there are two Muslims and for every Jew there are one hundred Muslims. Ever wondered why Muslims are so powerless?

Here is why: There are 57 member-countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), and all of them put together have around 500 universities; one university for every three million Muslims. The United States has 5,758 universities and India has 8,407. In 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University compiled an ‘Academic Ranking of World Universities’ , and intriguingly, not one university from Muslim-majority states was in the top-500.
As per data collected by the UNDP, literacy in the Christian world stands at nearly 90 per cent and 15 Christian-majority states have a literacy rate of 100 per cent. A Muslim-majority state, as a sharp contrast, has an average literacy rate of around 40 per cent and there is no Muslim-majority state with a literacy rate of 100 per cent. Some 98 per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Christian world had completed primary school, while less than 50 per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Muslim world did the same. Around 40 per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Christian world attended university while no more than two per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Muslim world did the same.
Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims. The US has 4,000 scientists per million and Japan has 5,000 per million. In the entire Arab world, the total number of full-time researchers is 35,000 and there are only 50 technicians per one million Arabs (in the Christian world there are up to 1,000 technicians per one million). Furthermore, the Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development, while the Christian world spends around five per cent of its GDP.

Conclusion: The Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.

Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society. In Pakistan , there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ratio in Singapore is 360. In the UK , the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to diffuse knowledge.

Exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports are an important indicator of knowledge application. Pakistan ’s export of high technology products as a percentage of total exports stands at one per cent. The same for Saudi Arabia is 0.3 per cent; Kuwait , Morocco , and Algeria are all at 0.3 per cent while Singapore is at 58 per cent.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t producing knowledge.
Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t diffusing knowledge.
Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t applying knowledge.
And, the future belongs to knowledge-based societies.

Interestingly, the combined annual GDP of 57 OIC-countries is under $2 trillion. America , just by herself, produces goods and services worth $12 trillion; China $8 trillion, Japan $3.8 trillion and Germany $2.4 trillion (purchasing power parity basis).
Oil rich Saudi Arabia , UAE, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mostly oil) worth $500 billion; Spain alone produces goods and services worth over $1 trillion, Catholic Poland $489 billion and Buddhist Thailand $545 billion. (Muslim GDP as a percentage of world GDP is fast declining).

So, why are Muslims so powerless? Answer: Lack of education.

All we do is shout to Allah the whole day and blame everyone else for our multiple failures..

THINK ABOUT IT......