THE Prophet (peace be upon him) was once sitting with his companions when they were approached by some horsemen as delegates from the tribe of Banu Tamim. As with any tribe coming to accept Islam, the Prophet wanted to select a leader for them. Naturally, recommendations for the man best fit for this job came from his closest companions, Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them.
Abu Bakr recommended that the Prophet make Al-Qa‘qa‘ Bin Ma‘bad, member of Banu Mujashi‘, take the position. Umar disagreed, suggesting that the Messenger of Allah instead choose a man named Al-Aqra‘ Bin Habis. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Disagreement between the two turned to debate, debating turned to arguing, and soon the two began raising their voices so loud, they drowned out the voice of the Prophet.
Just then, Allah revealed the following verse to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
“O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor speak aloud to him in speech as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.” (Qur’an, 49:2)
Respect for the Prophet
Allah was telling both Abu Bakr and Umar that what they were doing was uncalled for. When one speaks near the Prophet, they can’t speak louder than him, out of respect and reverence for the man who is the messenger of Allah himself.
This command from Allah goes beyond mere volume. When issues arise in matters of the Sunnah, we can’t speak out over or against it. As Ibn ‘Abbas said, this means do not contradict the Sunnah in your actions, statements, or even your intentions.
The attitude towards the Sunnah should be like that of Imam Malik’s. When students came to his house wanting to learn Fiqh or ‘Aqeedah, he would come out and teach them. If they wanted to learn Hadith however, he would make Ghusl before coming out and recite the verse,
“O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor speak aloud to him…” before he began his lesson, to remind himself and his students that what they were about to study has to be respected at the highest level.
How Umar reacted
After this verse was revealed, it was narrated that whenever Umar would speak to the Prophet, he would speak so quietly that you could barely hear him. In fact, Abdullah Bin Al-Zubair said the Prophet sometimes asked Umar to repeat himself because his voice was so soft.
With the coming of a commandment from Allah, Umar immediately followed it and practiced it in his daily life. He didn’t second guess it or try to just half-way act on it, nor did he delay it or temporarily follow it. He immediately acted on it in full permanently.
The Thabit approach
When Thabit Ibn Qays Al-Shammas, a Sahabi who used to speak in a loud voice because he was hard of hearing, heard this verse, he was devastated. Since the verse said that those who speak above the Prophet would lose all of their deeds without them even knowing it. Immediately Thabit went home in despair and didn’t come out to the point where the Prophet and Sahabah noticed his absence.
When they visited and asked him where he’d been, he said he had been terrified of losing all of his deeds because he, too, used to speak above the Prophet, even though he was only speaking loudly because of his hearing problem. Later the Prophet consoled him by telling him that he was a person of paradise.
How Satan exploits disagreements
When Abu Bakr and Umar were arguing, they were doing it at the worst time in the worst scenario. In front of them was the Prophet and around them were the delegates from a new tribe that wanted to accept Islam. Shaitan will do whatever it takes to destroy any chance of Islam prospering.
Here, he made two Muslim brothers escalate their disagreements to the point where an issue greater than choosing leadership, i.e. respecting the Prophet, was being ignored.
When things get heated in your disagreements with family, friends, or in da’wah work, never let Shaitan use your differences to his advantage.
Correcting ourselves
The Sahabah weren’t superhuman beings who didn’t make any mistakes whatsoever. What made them extraordinary and models for us, instead, was how they corrected their mistakes.
Imagine if you found out that you and your family lost everything you ever owned and went bankrupt. No more assets, no more house or cars, and no money.
Now imagine you lost all of your good deeds. Which of the two would you feel more devastated at?
The Sahabah thought of losing one’s deeds as one of the worst things that could ever happen to them.
The next time we fall into a dispute with our Muslim brothers or sisters, we should remember the way Abu Bakr and Umar acted and reacted, as well as make sure we respect the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah without becoming clouded by our situation.
Friday 27 March 2009
The Smokescreen of Pakistan
Restoration of Judiciary Movement in Pakistan: A Smokescreen for Helping the Permanent Establishment Maintain Its Hegemony
Islam and Politics
Wednesday, Mar 25 2009
Restoration of Judiciary Movement in Pakistan: A Smokescreen for Helping the Permanent Establishment Maintain Its Hegemony
If the socio-economic background of Ajmal Qassab and other terrorists who brutalised Mumbai recently is anything to go by, the terror factories of Pakistan have an endless manpower resource available in the form of a vast army of rural and urban unemployed in Pakistan. A leadership committed to peace and prosperity of Pakistan would have utilised the recent opportunity provided by the freedom for judiciary movement to bring the permanent establishment of Pakistan to its knees. But alas, the middle class leadership that ran this movement merely brought people on the streets to effectively release the pressure from various social, political and economic pressure-cookers and thus only help the Permanent Establishment to maintain its hegemony.
Few people know that when the middle classes of Pakistan were organizing nationwide struggle in the name of restoration of the freedom of judiciary, Haaris (landless peasantry and women workers) were also on a long, barefoot march to Karachi. They walked on foot hundreds of miles from the interiors of Sindh to the state capital Karachi, demanding immediate disbursal of land and calling for change in tenancy laws. The middle class media ignored them completely and kept its focus on the extravagant show of shining cars in the cavalcade of top politicians and lawyers that was only meant to ultimately strengthen the permanent establishment of Pakistan.
Saddened by this missed opportunity which only rarely comes in the history of nations when they can bring their ruling classes to their knees and act as a catalyst for real change, Dubai-based Indian writer Shamshad Elahee Ansari quotes from Habeeb Jalib’s haunting poetry to express his own anguish.
3 Comments
More.
Islamic Sharia Laws
The question of Kafu in marriage: Casteism by back door?
The Role of Guardian in the marriage of a mature girl
The Fatawah of the invalidity of the Nikah of a mature girl with an out-of-caste boy without the guardian’s consent is considered invalid according to the book Dar Mukhtar Ma’al Shamee, in the same book before this, another Fatwah is written that the Nikah of a mature girl even without the guardian’s consent is considered valid and authentic. Maulana Khurram Ali writes after its translation, “It will be valid for both within-the-caste and out-of-caste, because the guardianship is optional, not mandatory and this is the rule of the religion. Syedna Imam-e-Azam Abu Haneefa, Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad (May Allah be pleased with Them) have also approached the same rule and opinion. – Maulana Abdul Hameed No’mani
Translated from Urdu by Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami, Najran, Saudi Arabia
More.
Islamic Ideology
Islam's evolutionary legacy: Darwin and God
As we celebrate Darwin, let's not forget the unsung champions of evolution from the Muslim world
These ideas were later taken up in the writings of Indian-born philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal in the early 20th century. We also know that Iqbal had been reading Darwin and wanted to find a way of synthesising the latest ideas from biological science with earlier Islamic-era philosophy. Iqbal today is revered throughout South Asia and also happens to be Pakistan's national poet. Why is it important to emphasise links between Darwin, and thinking on evolution in other cultures? One reason is that in many developing countries today, Darwin – and by extension evolution – are seen as being in the service of imperialism. -- Ehsan Masood
Darwin and God: can they co-exist?
Muslim scientists must ensure that Islam's encounter with evolution does not turn out to be its Galileo moment. -- Inayat Bunglawala
2 Comments
More..
-- Syed M. Asadullah
Islam and Politics
Wednesday, Mar 25 2009
Restoration of Judiciary Movement in Pakistan: A Smokescreen for Helping the Permanent Establishment Maintain Its Hegemony
If the socio-economic background of Ajmal Qassab and other terrorists who brutalised Mumbai recently is anything to go by, the terror factories of Pakistan have an endless manpower resource available in the form of a vast army of rural and urban unemployed in Pakistan. A leadership committed to peace and prosperity of Pakistan would have utilised the recent opportunity provided by the freedom for judiciary movement to bring the permanent establishment of Pakistan to its knees. But alas, the middle class leadership that ran this movement merely brought people on the streets to effectively release the pressure from various social, political and economic pressure-cookers and thus only help the Permanent Establishment to maintain its hegemony.
Few people know that when the middle classes of Pakistan were organizing nationwide struggle in the name of restoration of the freedom of judiciary, Haaris (landless peasantry and women workers) were also on a long, barefoot march to Karachi. They walked on foot hundreds of miles from the interiors of Sindh to the state capital Karachi, demanding immediate disbursal of land and calling for change in tenancy laws. The middle class media ignored them completely and kept its focus on the extravagant show of shining cars in the cavalcade of top politicians and lawyers that was only meant to ultimately strengthen the permanent establishment of Pakistan.
Saddened by this missed opportunity which only rarely comes in the history of nations when they can bring their ruling classes to their knees and act as a catalyst for real change, Dubai-based Indian writer Shamshad Elahee Ansari quotes from Habeeb Jalib’s haunting poetry to express his own anguish.
3 Comments
More.
Islamic Sharia Laws
The question of Kafu in marriage: Casteism by back door?
The Role of Guardian in the marriage of a mature girl
The Fatawah of the invalidity of the Nikah of a mature girl with an out-of-caste boy without the guardian’s consent is considered invalid according to the book Dar Mukhtar Ma’al Shamee, in the same book before this, another Fatwah is written that the Nikah of a mature girl even without the guardian’s consent is considered valid and authentic. Maulana Khurram Ali writes after its translation, “It will be valid for both within-the-caste and out-of-caste, because the guardianship is optional, not mandatory and this is the rule of the religion. Syedna Imam-e-Azam Abu Haneefa, Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad (May Allah be pleased with Them) have also approached the same rule and opinion. – Maulana Abdul Hameed No’mani
Translated from Urdu by Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami, Najran, Saudi Arabia
More.
Islamic Ideology
Islam's evolutionary legacy: Darwin and God
As we celebrate Darwin, let's not forget the unsung champions of evolution from the Muslim world
These ideas were later taken up in the writings of Indian-born philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal in the early 20th century. We also know that Iqbal had been reading Darwin and wanted to find a way of synthesising the latest ideas from biological science with earlier Islamic-era philosophy. Iqbal today is revered throughout South Asia and also happens to be Pakistan's national poet. Why is it important to emphasise links between Darwin, and thinking on evolution in other cultures? One reason is that in many developing countries today, Darwin – and by extension evolution – are seen as being in the service of imperialism. -- Ehsan Masood
Darwin and God: can they co-exist?
Muslim scientists must ensure that Islam's encounter with evolution does not turn out to be its Galileo moment. -- Inayat Bunglawala
2 Comments
More..
-- Syed M. Asadullah
Tuesday 24 March 2009
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to Allah said in prayer are Received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world..
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How Is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked For, very few send back acknowledgments .'
'How does one acknowledge Allah's blessings?' I asked.
Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Allah.'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'
And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'Also .......
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a Mosque without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people
In the world .'
If your parents are still alive and still married ....you are very rare .'
If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A TTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Allah, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with..
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to Allah said in prayer are Received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world..
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How Is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked For, very few send back acknowledgments .'
'How does one acknowledge Allah's blessings?' I asked.
Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Allah.'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'
And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'Also .......
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a Mosque without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people
In the world .'
If your parents are still alive and still married ....you are very rare .'
If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A TTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Allah, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with..
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to Allah said in prayer are Received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world..
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How Is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked For, very few send back acknowledgments .'
'How does one acknowledge Allah's blessings?' I asked.
Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Allah.'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'
And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'Also .......
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a Mosque without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people
In the world .'
If your parents are still alive and still married ....you are very rare .'
If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A TTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Allah, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with..
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to Allah said in prayer are Received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world..
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How Is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked For, very few send back acknowledgments .'
'How does one acknowledge Allah's blessings?' I asked.
Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Allah.'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'
And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'Also .......
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a Mosque without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people
In the world .'
If your parents are still alive and still married ....you are very rare .'
If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A TTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Allah, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with..
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to Allah said in prayer are Received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world..
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How Is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked For, very few send back acknowledgments .'
'How does one acknowledge Allah's blessings?' I asked.
Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Allah.'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'
And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'Also .......
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a Mosque without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people
In the world .'
If your parents are still alive and still married ....you are very rare .'
If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A TTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Allah, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with..
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to Allah said in prayer are Received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world..
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How Is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked For, very few send back acknowledgments .'
'How does one acknowledge Allah's blessings?' I asked.
Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Allah.'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'
And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'Also .......
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a Mosque without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people
In the world .'
If your parents are still alive and still married ....you are very rare .'
If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A TTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Allah, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with..
Thursday 12 March 2009
Middle East Reality Check
By ROGER COHEN
Published: March 8, 2009
Published: March 8, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton grabbed headlines with an invitation to Iran to attend a conference on Afghanistan, but the significant Middle Eastern news last week came from Britain. It has “reconsidered” its position on Hezbollah and will open a direct channel to the militant group in Lebanon.
Like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah has long been treated by the United States as a proscribed terrorist group. This narrow view has ignored the fact that both organizations are now entrenched political and social movements without whose involvement regional peace is impossible.
Britain aligned itself with the U.S. position on Hezbollah, but has now seen its error. Bill Marston, a Foreign Office spokesman, told Al Jazeera: “Hezbollah is a political phenomenon and part and parcel of the national fabric in Lebanon. We have to admit this.”
Hallelujah.
Precisely the same thing could be said of Hamas in Gaza. It is a political phenomenon, part of the national fabric there.
Precisely the same thing could be said of Hamas in Gaza. It is a political phenomenon, part of the national fabric there.
One difference is that Hezbollah is in the Lebanese national unity government, whereas Hamas won the free and fair January 2006 elections to the Legislative Council of the Palestinian Authority, only to discover Middle Eastern democracy is only democracy if it produces the right result.
The United States should follow the British example. It should initiate diplomatic contacts with the political wing of Hezbollah. The Obama administration should also look carefully at how to reach moderate Hamas elements and engineer a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation.
A rapprochement between the two wings of the Palestinian movement was briefly achieved at Mecca in 2007. The best form of payback from America’s expensive and authoritarian allies — Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan — would be help in reconciling Gaza Palestinians loyal to Hamas with West Bank Palestinians loyal to the more moderate Fatah of Mahmoud Abbas.
Resolve is not the most conspicuous characteristic of those three allies. But Obama must push them to help. As long as Palestinians are divided, peace efforts will flounder.
With respect to Hamas, the West has bound itself to three conditions for any contact: Hamas must recognize Israel, forswear terrorism and accept previous Palestinian commitments. This was reiterated by Clinton on her first Mideast swing.
The 1988 Hamas Charter is vile, but I think it’s wrong to get hung up on the prior recognition of Israel issue. Perhaps Hamas is sincere in its calls for Israel’s disappearance — although it has offered a decades-long truce — but then it’s also possible that Israel in reality has no desire to see a Palestinian state.
One view of Israel’s continued expansion of settlements, Gaza blockade, West Bank walling-in and wanton recourse to high-tech force would be that it’s designed precisely to bludgeon, undermine and humiliate the Palestinian people until their dreams of statehood and dignity evaporate.
The argument over recognition is in the end a form of evasion designed to perpetuate the conflict.
Israel, from the time of Ben Gurion, built its state by creating facts on the ground, not through semantics. Many of its leaders, including Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni, have been on wondrous political odysseys from absolutist rejection of division of the land to acceptance of a two-state solution. Yet they try to paint Hamas as irrevocably absolutist. Why should Arabs be any less pragmatic than Jews?
Of course it’s desirable that Hamas recognize Israel before negotiations. But is it essential? No. What is essential is that it renounces violence, in tandem with Israel, and the inculcation of hatred that feeds the violence.
Speaking of violence, it’s worth recalling what Israel did in Gaza in response to sporadic Hamas rockets. It killed upward of 1,300 people, many of them women and children; caused damage estimated at $1.9 billion; and destroyed thousands of Gaza homes. It continues a radicalizing blockade on 1.5 million people squeezed into a narrow strip of land.
At this vast human, material and moral price, Israel achieved almost nothing beyond damage to its image throughout the world. Israel has the right to hit back when attacked, but any response should be proportional and governed by sober political calculation. The Gaza war was a travesty; I have never previously felt so shamed by Israel’s actions.
No wonder Hamas and Hezbollah are seen throughout the Arab world as legitimate resistance movements.
It’s time to look at them again and adopt the new British view that contact can encourage Hezbollah “to move away from violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role.”
The British step is a breakthrough. By contrast, Clinton’s invitation to Iran is of little significance.
There are two schools within the Obama administration on Iran: the incremental and the bold.
The former favors little steps like inviting Iran to help with Afghanistan; the latter realizes that nothing will shift until Obama convinces Tehran that he’s changing strategy rather than tactics.
That requires Obama to tell Iran, as a start, that he does not seek regime change and recognizes the country’s critical role as a regional power. Carrots and sticks — the current approach — will lead to the same dead end as Hamas and Hezbollah denial.
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