Today: consumption kills eco-systems; fraud, greed, grand larceny and theft bring down world's finances; deceit, infidelity and instant gratification destroy families; murders and wars have left us without peace or stability. On top we have droughts, earthquakes, floods, storms, tsunamis … has the world gone mad! Submit now to Allah before it is too late - to the One and Only God, the Creator, Lord and Sustainer of the universe, Unique in His Person and Actions, without any blemish, weakness or relatives. Follow the Sunnah of Muhammad (the last Messenger and Prophet - upon whom be the peace and blessings of Allah), and join those who will be the really successful ones.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Obama's Robot Wars ...

October 18, 2010 "The Independent" Oct, 15, 2010 -- Imagine if, an hour from now, a robot-plane swooped over your house and blasted it to pieces. The plane has no pilot. It is controlled with a joystick from 7,000 miles away, sent by the Pakistani military to kill you. It blows up all the houses in your street, and so barbecues your family and your neighbours until there is nothing left to bury but a few charred slops. Why? They refuse to comment. They don't even admit the robot-planes belong to them. But they tell the Pakistani newspapers back home it is because one of you was planning to attack Pakistan. How do they know? Somebody told them. Who? You don't know, and there are no appeals against the robot.

Now imagine it doesn't end there: these attacks are happening every week somewhere in your country. They blow up funerals and family dinners and children. The number of robot-planes in the sky is increasing every week. You discover they are named "Predators", or "Reapers" – after the Grim Reaper. No matter how much you plead, no matter how much you make it clear you are a peaceful civilian getting on with your life, it won't stop. What do you do? If there was a group arguing that Pakistan was an evil nation that deserved to be violently attacked, would you now start to listen?

This sounds like a sketch for the next James Cameron movie – but it is in fact an accurate description of life in much of Pakistan today, with the sides flipped.

...

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26619.htm

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

an eye for an eye, and ...

Bismillahir Rehmanir Raheem

Assalamu alaykum wa Rehmatullahi wa barakatahu

Those people will not come back again

Note: If for a moment, while reading this post, you feel moisture in your eyes, then when asking for your own forgiveness, please pray for the sender and author of this post, too.

Two young men enter a meeting of Sayyidina Umar, go straight to a person sitting there, and say: "O Umar! This is that man."

for rest of the post click an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

Monday, September 20, 2010

Northern Lights

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis): time lapse

beware: source of deen

beware of where you take your deen from

I do not remember if I have talked about Dr Khalid Zaheer, whom I heard on TV. He had a softly, softly approach, and on a question of three talaqs in one go, he disagreed with the validity of such a course. I considered his answer to be the correct, as validity of three talaqs in one sitting is against the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (saw).

I visited his blog, but ... read the full post here

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

bridge gone: Kund

bridges gone: Kund, Shangla

Pakistan under water

river Swat at Behrain

river Swat at Behrain - 2

Kalam valley, Swat

also see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI3murr9hhk&feature=related

No land to stand on

roads disappear in flood

Kalam, Swat: roads disappear

cars swept away

witness-pioneer.org

Another authentic site:

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

I_A: dispelling untruths

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

some sources for tafsir

The Qur'an and Qur'anic Interpretation (tafsir)

The Qur'an: Introduction, including a glossary of terms used in the Qur'anic sciences.

The History of the Compilation of the Qur'an

Critique of the Prevailing View of the Qur'an's Compilation and Rebuttal

Searchable Translations and Indices of the Qur'an Online Recitations of the Qur'an, including the science of Qur'anic recitation (tajwid)

click here for full article: primary sources for tafsir

Islamophobia

Tracing Islamophobia in the Oldest Holy Qur'an Translations

	Language of the Qur'an
Dahlia Sabry 25 November 2007 -
Lecturer of English language at the Language and Translation Centre, Academy of Arts in Giza, Egypt Qur'an translations can be said to be extremely important yet gravely serious. Their crucial importance stems from the fact that they represent the primary source of information for those who do not know Arabic – Muslims and non-Muslims – and who want to fathom the depths of Islam through reading its very revealed word. They are the major recourse of the former who, due to the language barrier, are deprived of approaching their revealed Book in Arabic, and those of the latter who are curious to pursue familiarity with Islam through first-hand knowledge instead of simply "imbibing received opinions and attitudes without individual thought and reflection", as Thomas Cleary (1993) puts it (p. X). Their seriousness lies in the great role they play in formulating recipients' opinion about Islam. About the benefit of reading the Qur'an by non-Muslims, Cleary (1993) states: For non-Muslims, one special advantage in reading the Qur'an is that it provides an authentic point of reference from which to examine the biased stereotypes of Islam to which Westerners are habitually exposed. Primary information is essential to distinguish between opinion and fact in a reasonable manner. This exercise may also enable the thinking individual to understand the inherently defective nature of prejudice itself … (1993, p. VIII). click here for full article

Missionary deception

Language of the Qur'an
M S M Saifullah 09 December 2003
Jochen Katz wrote: 1) How many 'versions' of the holy Qur'an is there today? At least two, probably more (I am pretty sure about the third > one, but can't prove it yet, so I am not going to say where and > what just yet), but it is common knowledge that the Hafs text and the Warsh text (mainly used in Northwest Africa) are different not only in the vowels but also in some consonants. The differences are small, but they are there. And both of them are for sale and in use today. Hafs is the much more common one. The third version I have heard about has by far more substantial differences in comparison to the other two. For the Warsh and Hafs differences see a few examples at: It has become a standard method of deception by Christian missionaries like Jochen Katz to superficially project issues that have been exhaustively addressed by both Muslims and Orientialsts, as we will see soon, inshallah. These missionaries are well aware of the difference between a transmission and a text (to be discussed in detail below). click here to see full article: versions-of-quran

English translations: MoQ

-- a comparative study by Clay Smith

Following is a comparison by Clay Smith, a revert. It covers many translators, but the comparer admits that he does not know Arabic and has limited awareness of Islamic scholarship. So he may have made positive comments about deceptive works, e.g. those of the Qadianis/ Ahmedya Lahoris. His short biography of Rashad Khalifa is also different from what I have read.

He finds little to criticize in almost all translations, even from non-Muslims with an agenda to twist meanings and to attack Islam.

His attempt to be comprehensive is to be commended, but be careful with his conclusions. Note that the Quran cannot be translated. What is commonly called Quran translation is actually a translation of the meanings of the Quran, as understood by the translator.

-- timbuktu

Quran Translations: by Clay Smith (Updated 2009.07.17)

In May 2001 I began looking into the Quran. Using a variety of English Quran translations and a few commentaries, I read, compare, and reflect. Being illiterate in Arabic and having limited awareness of Islamic scholarship, I rely on some of these various translations (and their commentaries) to give me confidence I am seeing reliable meanings intended in the Quran.

click here to see full article: quran translations comparative study

survey: Eng translations: MoQ

Kidwai's is perhaps the better known review of English translations of the meanings of the Quran. He regards Hilali's work of 1977 as not a significant venture in this field. But he has not reviewed Hilali and Khan's later work that has become the official version for distribution by the Saudis. --- timbuktu

Translating the Untranslatable:

A Survey of English Translations of the Quran

by A.R. Kidwai

Despite the historical fact that the early Muslim community's stand on the translation of the Arabic text of the Quran was ambivalent, as indeed, the general Muslim attitude remains so to this day, the act of translation may be logically viewed as a natural part of the Muslim exegetical effort. However, whereas the idea of interpreting the Quran has not been so controversial, the emotional motives behind rendering the Quranic text into languages other than Arabic have always been looked upon with suspicion.

This is obvious as the need for translating the Quran arose in those historic circumstances when a large number of non-Arabic speaking people had embraced Islam, and giving new linguistic orientations to the contents of the revelation - as, for instance, happened in the case of the 'New Testament' - could have led to unforeseeable, and undesirable, developments within the body of the Islamic religion itself.

click here for full article

Muhaddith Library

Deceitful translations: MoQ

Bismillah Al-Rehman Al-Raheem Anti Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam
18th July 2003

Deceitful Translations of the Qur'an into Foreign Languages
Submitted by Anonymous

Introduction/Objective

In the ongoing effort to ensure people are depending on Reliable Qur'an translations, research has been undertaken into the various translations of the Holy Qur'an in different languages. This research involves locating translations in a given language, followed by looking into the background of the translator, authority, or group behind the translation. This is necessary in order to ascertain whether there is any sectarial bias or motive in mis-translating for the benefit of a specific group or sect.


52 And verily this Brotherhood of yours is a single Brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore fear Me (and no other).
53 But people have cut off their affair (of unity), between them, into sects: each party rejoices in that which is with itself.
Qur'an, 23.52-53 (Al-Mumenoon [The Believers])


78. There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!
Qur'an 3.78 (Aal-E-Imran [The Family of Imran])

Qur'an translations which are to be avoided are the ones which pose a threat to the integrity of the Holy Qur'an as revealed from the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).


28 (It is) a Qur'an in Arabic, without any crookedness (therein): in order that they may guard against Evil.
Qur'an, 39.28 (Az-Zumar [The Troops, Throngs])

click here to see full article

Monday, September 06, 2010

calamities and Muslims!

Tazkiyah

Why are Calamities and Destructions happenning to Muslims?

By: Mohamad Sharis Abdul Karim

Dear brothers and sisters: one question that may arise in our mind is why are these calamities, and destructions happenning to muslims. Yes, indeed the opressosrs are the wrong doers. They make destruction and kill muslims and steal their properties. On the other side, it is worth for us to look on ourselves so that we can improve our weaknesses. I would like to recite one hadith…and I don’t intend to elaborate on it. Let us hear and we judge it ourselves.

The companion ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas r.a., narrated that:

tanzil.info accurate Quran text

The tanzil.info

Quran text is reputed to be the most accurate on-line text: This is a growing list of websites and applications that are using Tanzil quran text. Please let us know if yours is missing here. Note that not all of these are authentic sites.

Click to see this partial list:

Social Religion

Social Religion combines social bookmarking with Quran browsing to create an easy way for you to read the Quran, Bookmark and Tag Verses and share them with your family and friends.
Created by Tariq Bashir
Arabic Quran text provided by the Tanzil Project
English Quran translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Another site, nothing new

with Abdullah Yusuf Ali's commentary.

http://www.islamitexts.org/

on-line Quran

Not authentic, as it also provides translations from submitters (Edip, Turkish), and Ahmed Ali (Ahmedya?) plus Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi and Tahirul Qadri are active supporters of Sufi bid3a.

One site owner says that the reason for use of these translations is because they are available in unicode format. The builder of that site found it easier to accommodate unicode on his site.

http://al-quran.info/?x=y#&&sura=85&aya=1&trans=en-yusuf_ali&show=both&ver=2.00

Guided Ways

This gives Tafsir ibne Katheer, and of Tabary. May be considered authentic as provides Hadith from Sahih Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, etc.

http://www.guidedways.com/index.php

Quran, meanings, Tafseer

Here is one site that gives Quran text, menaings of interpretation, three tafaseer namely:

ibne Katheer,
Jalalayn,
Maududi.

It maybe considered authentic, as they take Saheeh AHadeeth into account. Maududi is the founder of Jamaate Islami, and not ahle Hadith.

http://iknowledge.islamicnature.com/quran/

Sections (rukus) of Quran

This is text and meanings of interpretation arranged according to sections (rukus) as opposed to Surahs (Chapters). The concept of ruku (section) is somewhat unique to people of the Indo-Pak subcontinent. A ruku may be thought of roughly as a paragraph which deals (usually, but not always) with the same subject matter. I haven't been able to log on to the link providing the history of this development.

http://www.soquran.com/#

Update: The text is from tanzil.info, so it should be all right. The recitation is from Quran MP3, which provides recitation from different qaris on an ayah to ayah (verse to verse) basis. They are trying to get it right, and make corrections when any problems/mistakes are reported. The soquran.com site also has a nice feature in that it provides meanings and some grammatical (subject, etc) for each word when the mouse hovers over it. What is the translation, and whose is the recitation, it does not say, but they are trying to be accurate.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Read Verse: authentic

An easy search facility with several search engines: for:
single word,
two words, (gives the root and derivatives too),
root,
Surah (chapter) and verse,
provides translation in English from Hilali, Shakir, Pickthal, Yusuf Ali
topic search (don't know how comprehensive it is)

Very good search facilities. Perhaps best for words and roots, but no grammar:

readverse.com: Root_search_engines

some more authentic/ Salafi sites

The Noble Qur'aan
http://www.thenoblequran.com/

Fortification of the Muslim

http://makedua.com/

Sahih Bukhari

http://www.sahihalbukhari.com/

Sahih Muslim

http://www.sahihmuslim.com/sps/smm/

The Ulema Sites

Perhaps sites of some rightly-guided Ulema should be listed: It does not mean that the Ulema are right in everything. It means their methodology is correct.

Sheikh Al-Albani