How Harvard Spends Student Tuition (Infographic)

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by mail from Muhammad Saleem

Lower thy wings to the Believers!

Let us consider the following ayat of the Quran (15:88) :
“But lower thy wing (in gentleness) to the believers – Yusuf Ali’s Translation.
“But spread the wings of thy tenderness over the believers” – Muhammad Asad’s Translation.
The Arabic term “janaah” refers to “wing” of a bird. But do we have wings?
Muhammad Asad, comments  thus for the above verse:
“Lower thy wing for the believers”: an idiomatic metaphor for loving tenderness and humility”.
The same word “wing” is used in another context also in the Quran.
“And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say: “My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.” (17:24) (Yusuf Ali’s Translation).
Asad’s translation would be “And spread over humbly the wings of thy tenderness”.
This is with reference to our attitude towards our parents.
In his footnote to the verse 17:24 Muhammad Asad writes thus:
“Lower for them the wing of humility, out of tenderness (rahmah)” – a metonymical expression evocative of a bird that lovingly spreads its wings over its offspring in the nest”.
In Yusuf Ali’s footnote we find: “The metaphor is from a bird – who lowers her wing in tender solicitude for her little ones”.

How beautiful the Quranic metaphor is?

In this context let us consider some more hadith:
“The relationship between believers is like a wall, parts of which support other parts.” (Muslim)
“The believers, in their mutual relationship, mercy and affection, are like one body. If any part of it complains, the rest of the body will also stay awake in pain.” (Muslim)
The first generation of Believers as trained by the Prophet of Allah, demonstrated this tenderness in their relationship among themselves.

If he found a little liquor,

 

If he found a little liquor,

he would give it to us.

If he had more,

he would drink happily

while we sang. 

where is he now? 

If he had even a little rice. 

he shared it 

in many plates. 

where is he now? 

If he had more, 

he shared it 

in many more plates. 

where is he now? 

He gave us 

all the flesh 

on the bones 

where is he now? 

Wherever spear and arrow flew, 

he was there. 

where is he now? 

With his palms scented 

with lemon grass, 

he carressed my hair 

smelling of meat. 

where is he now? 

The spear that pierced his chest 

pierced at once 

the wide eating bowls 

of great and famous minstrels, 

pierced many begging patms,

and, dimming the images in the eyes

of men he sheltered,

it went right through the subtle tongues 

of poets 

skilled in the search 

for good words. 

Where is he now,

father, mainstay,

king? 

where is he now? 

No more, 

No singers any more 

nor anyone to give anything 

to singers 

As in the cold waters

jalap flowers blossom,

large, full of honey, 

but die untouched, unworn, 

there are many now living

and dying,

without giving

one thing

to others. 

-Translated by A.K.Ramanujam "Poems of War and Love" pp 169-170, Columbia University Press, 1985

Source : http://gunathamizh.blogspot.in/2012/02/blog-post_03.html

A RELIGIOUS AND TOLERENT SOCIETY

by mthago

A religious society means a society that moves forward in adopting the way of life commanded by Allah. Allah wants the entire humankind to be successful in their life in this World and Hereafter. In order to ensure the success of humankind, Allah has given the entire humankind a way of life. The Prophet Muhammad SAW has shown this way of life and whoever follows that way of life will be successful. The way of life of Prophet Muhammad SAW begins with the work of enjoining good and forbidding evil and performing five times daily prayers. The males are obligated to perform five times daily prayers with congregation in the mosque and the females are obligated to perform the daily prayers in their houses with the children. A religious society is a society that enjoins people to good and forbids them from evil and steadfast in observing prayers to Allah. With these two main orders of Allah, the way of life of the Prophet Saw will gradually become the way of life of the Muslims. The society will move gradually and steadily to become a religious society. When the Muslims begin to practice these two main orders of Allah, the other orders of Allah will begin to establish in the community. These two main orders of Allah were commanded to the Muslims when they were in Mecca. The other three main orders of Allah (Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj) were commanded to the Muslims when they were in Medina. That society in Medina was a religious and tolerant society and that society came into existence when the Muslims persistently observed the two main orders of Allah while they were in Mecca; the work of enjoining good and forbidding evil and performing five times daily prayers with congregation.

The Digital Divide (infographic)

This infographic highlights several reasons why the internet revolution is leaving many behind.
Created by: Online IT Degree
by mail from Tony Shin