#Not actually sure if that's a hadith by definition but you get the idea

[skopostheorie]

Ngl I thought u were a mom after I read the tags on the fuming mom post but then I saw ur age 💀

I largely imagined how difficult it would be to raise a kid based on the fact that you cannot clock off including when asleep, you are emotionally invested and anxious in your performance beyond words, the people for whom you are working have no ability to comprehend or thank you for what you've done, you don't get paid, and everyone antagonises you in public if your kid behaves in a way you can't control. But I could be a mum if I tried maybe.

[islahhofficial]

Top 9 tips for Dhul Hijjah

Many people are eagerly awaiting the start of the 10 blessed days of Dhul-Hijjah. They’ve probably read a dozen articles on the virtues and blessings of those Days. But some still wonder: what exactly do I need to do to make the best of those days? If you’re not going to Hajj and you’re looking for a To-Do List or an Action Plan to make the best of those blessed days, then here are a few ideas: (Make sure you share the URL above with friends and family via email, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp so they can learn also)

1- Recheck the intention: We’re doing this out of Love!

Take a few moments and recheck your attention. Ask yourself “what exactly do I want to achieve, and why? First and foremost, we want to do the best in those days because Allah loves for us to be in the best condition in them. And what’s beloved to our Beloved should be beloved to us. Remember this hadith and note the word “beloved”… Ibn Abbas narrated that: The Messenger of Allah said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than those ten days.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah! Not even Jihad in Allah Cause?” The Messenger of Allah said: “Not even Jihad in Allah’s Cause, unless a man were to out with his self and his wealth and not return from that with anything.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi]

So, Allah ‘loves’ good deeds during those days. Isn’t this an excellent opportunity to show the Owner of our souls, the Owner of Existence, The Owner of Jannah, The Most Merciful that we too love Him and love to be in a state that is beloved to Him?

Primarily, we’re doing this out of love to Allah (Glorified and Exalted), and we wish for Him to accept us and accept the little that we do that isn’t even worthy of the eternal rewards He has prepared for us… but we do what we do out of gratitude, sincerity and love to The One who deserves our ultimate love.

2- Desperately ask Allah for help with this

No success will happen without the Help of Allah. So, recite this dua after every prayer and throughout the day to ask Allah to aid you in doing the best and earning the best rewards these days: Mu’adh (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my hand and said, “O Mu’adh! By Allah I love you, so I advise you to never forget to recite after every prayer: “Allahumma a’inni ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni ‘ibadatika (O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner).” [Abu Dawud].

So keep reciting this and especially when you feel weak or lazy: “O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner.”

3- Seize the generous reward of fasting the 9 days of Dhul- Hijjah

“’Allah, the mighty and sublime, said: Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting; it is for me and I shall reward for it.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i] The reward for fasting is too big in fact, that it is something that angels won’t be able to record, and instead they’ll refer it to Allah to set His generous reward for it! In addition to that, fasting grants you a guaranteed answered dua! It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There are three whose supplications are not turned back: A just ruler, and a fasting person until he breaks his fast. And, the supplication of one who has been wronged is raised by Allah up to the clouds on the Day of Resurrection, and the gates of heaven are opened for it, and Allah says, ‘By My Might I will help you (against the wrongdoer) even if it is after a while.’” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

So basically, by fasting, you’re getting unfathomable reward that you didn’t even think of PLUS you can ask for something that YOU want. Amazing Opportunity!

Definitely aim for fasting all 9 days, or as much as you can of them, or at the very least, the day of A’rafa. It was narrated from Abu Qatadah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah, I hope from Allah, expiates for the sins of the year before and the year after.” [Sunan Ibn Majah] Who doesn’t want that? It’s an opportunity not to be missed, insha’Allah.

4- Start building Your House in Jannah

Praying on time is among the most beloved acts to Allah. ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Prophet (ﷺ), “Which of the deeds is loved most by Allah?” Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Salat at its proper time.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Let’s think about it: when you call someone, you appreciate when they actually pick up the phone and answer you. Right? Imagine if they take 2-3-4 hours to get back to you… Not the best attitude, right? Might even reflect that you’re not really a priority to them. Now, to Allah belongs the Highest Attributes and Most Noble Mention, when the call for prayer is made and we delay answering… it isn’t exactly the best deed. So, these days, aim to make everything you can to pray on time. This if for the obligatory prayer. Now to start building your house in Jannah, follow this hadith:

The Prophet [saw] says: ‘Whoever persists in performing twelve Rak’ah from the Sunnah, a house will be built for him in Paradise: four before the Zuhr, two Rak’ah after Zuhr, two Rak’ah after Maghrib, two Rak’ah after the ‘Isha’ and two Rak’ah before Fajr.’” [Sunan Ibn Majah] These are voluntary prayers. These prayers complement the shortcomings in our main obligatory prayers. So, if you pray without enough concentration/khushoo’/if you’re not fulfilling the rights of prayers adequately, then the voluntary prayers complement the shortcomings in the obligatory prayers to help us earn better rewards and be in a better condition with regards to prayer—which is the first thing we will be asked about on the Day of Judgement. The Prophet (ﷺ):

“The first thing about which the people will be called to account out of their actions on the Day of Judgment is prayer. Our Lord, the Exalted, will say to the angels – though He knows better: Look into the prayer of My servant and see whether he has offered it perfectly or imperfectly. If it is perfect, that will be recorded perfect. If it is defective, He will say: See there are some optional prayers offered by My servant. If there are optional prayer to his credit, He will say: Compensate the obligatory prayer by the optional prayer for My servant. Then all the actions will be considered similarly.” [Sunan Abi Dawud]

5- Fulfil a primary rite of Dhul-Hijjah: Dhikr, remembrance, mentioning the name of Allah

Allah says in Surat Al Hajj: “And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass – That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.” (Qur’an 22: 27-28)

And He says: “And for all religion We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. For your god is one God, so to Him submit. And, [O Muhammad], give good tidings to the humble [before their Lord]” (Qur’an 22: 34)

Mentioning the name of Allah and remembering Him is a main- if not THE main- component of those blessed days. It is all essentially about truly remembering and acknowledging Allah and connecting with Him and supplicating to Him.

So increase dhikr throughout those blessed days. Dhikr doesn’t take any effort really, but its reward is immense.

Make sure to: 1- Daily recite Tahmid (AlhamduliAllah), Tasbeeh (Subhan Allah), Takbeer (Allahu Akbar), Tahleel (la illah illah Allah). And internalize their meanings: internalize that truly all praise is due to Allah for all His blessings, that Allah is Greater than anything and anyone, that there is no deity worthy of worship but Him, that He is High Above any imperfection attributed to Him… This is the essence of true faith and worship.

Remember that saying “La illaha ila Allah” is the best dhikr, so increase in reciting it. “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘The best of remembrance is La ilaha illallah (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and the best of supplication is Al-Hamdu Lillah (praise is to Allah).’” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

2- Start incorporating the adhkar of morning and evening in your daily routine if it isn’t a part of it already. The reward of dhikr is really immense, additionally, it protects you from a lot of harm you’re not even aware of and it keeps you in close connection with Allah Almighty.

6- Spare an hour a day for Qur’an recitation

Reciting the Qur’an, the verbatim Words of Allah and remembering Him through His own Words is among the greatest acts one could do. In normal days, reciting the Qur’an brings immense barakah and rewards. Each letter you recite is equal to at least 10 hasanaat and Allah gives more to whom He wills. Now, in these days when rewards are multiplied even more and it’s more encouraged to do what’s beloved to Allah, it’s essential to engage with the Qur’an further- we shall at least give it our best try to the best of our ability. If you managed to dedicate an hour to the Qur’an every day, you can actually do khatm (completing the recitation of the entire Qur’an) by the end of the 10th day of Dul-Hijja! We have 30 parts in the Qur’an. Each part is around 20 pages. If you have an hour, you can read 60 pages (3 parts a day) and finish the entire Qur’an in 10 days. We ALL have an hour or more to spare a day. But it’s a matter of time management and priorities. We do surf the Internet and our social media for hours—which are probably acts that won’t bring us much reward. So what really prevents us from dedicating an hour or 2 to complete reading the Qur’an during those days which will bring us immense rewards?

Allah says: “And indeed We have made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?” [Qur’an 54: 17] Let’s aim to be among those who remember…

7- Revive the night with the ultimate source of peace

One of the most praiseworthy acts to do also is to recite Qur’an during the night prayer. Allah says: “And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.” (Qur’an 17: 79)

If you can’t seem to find an hour to spare for reading the Qur’an during the day, then make it an hour of the night. Leave your bed for an hour, make wudu purifying yourself and your body, wear clean and beautiful clothes, get onto your prayer mat and start reciting the Qur’an… slowly, in humility and peace. You have no idea how this will bring immense peace, serenity and tranquility into your heart and mind, and how this will energize you and put a lot of barakah in your time. It is worth trying. Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “If anyone prays at night reciting regularly ten verses, he will not be recorded among the negligent; if anyone prays at night and recites a hundred verses, he will be recorded among those who are obedient to Allah; and if anyone prays at night reciting one thousand verses, he will be recorded among those who receive huge rewards.” [Sunan Abi Dawud]

Note: the highest reward mentioned at the end of the hadith for reciting a thousand verses can be easily accomplished by reciting the last 2 chapters of the Qur’an (Juz’ Tabarak 29 and Juz’ ‘Amma 30).

8- Dua, Dua, Dua

Throughout the 10 days and especially on the Day of ‘Arafa: MAKE DUA! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), said: “The most excellent dua is the dua on the Day of Arafa, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said, is ‘There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner.’” [Muwatta Malik]

9- Sacrifice with ihsan, feed the poor and bond with your family

Of course “audhiya” or “qurbani” is a main ritual that we follow. But it is important to do that with ihsan (excellence). On the authority of Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency, perfection) in all things. If you slaughter, then slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.” [Muslim] Allah gave us blessings to benefit us and help us benefit others and bond with our families. So, let this be about the gratitude to Allah Almighty who provides for us from the heavens and the earth, and let this be with mercy and excellence befitting to His Mercy and Excellence.

Now, you might look at this list and feel overwhelmed. But remember a few things: We were created to worship Allah. These things are part of our purpose in life. We do not lose anything by doing them. These are acts we start here, they bring benefit, peace and barakah in our lives here, and then later they earn us eternal rewards, eternal peace, safety and nearness to The Creator. So, remember the intention; we do this with love and out of love to Allah. Also remember that if Allah wills, He can make anything possible, if He knows of your true desire and sincerity, He WILL enable you to do these acts and more, so easily in fact that you will not understand how you did it. Trust Allah! Now, BismAllah… enjoy the most blessed days of the year!

By Dina Mohamed Basiony

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[wisdomrays]

Love, Courage and Strategic Thinking

QUESTION: What are the dynamics needed to solve huge, seemingly unsolvable problems?

ANSWER: For people whose hearts are dead, in a religious sense—who have lost their enthusiasm and are going through the motions—it is unthinkable that they may overcome big problems. For this reason, there needs to be love and enthusiasm to solve the big problems that appear before us. A person must fix on the target with unceasing love and enthusiasm, be determined to strive on in the face of pressure and oppression, and show the resolve to stand up and continue no matter how often they’ve faced failure. If they have these traits, they can surmount seemingly impossible hills and turn possible defeats into victories.

The united point of trueness and love

Prophet Adam is a very good example on this issue. God Almighty loaded into his genes what is considered an “err” according to the pure ones nearest to Him, and Adam committed a “lapse” (dhalla) in terms of his relationship with his Lord. As the Qur’an puts is,

“…he (Adam) acted forgetfully...” (Ta-Ha 20: 115).

However, what matters is being able to say, “O God please do not make me repeat this mistake again,” without giving in to despair after making a mistake or forgetting. This was what Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, did. Although it is not included in the sound sources of hadith, it is narrated in fairly reliable sources that owing to the err he committed, he implored God ashamedly for some forty years, without even raising his face to the sky. It is very important for a person who erred to bow with shame, and accept his mistake by saying, “although I know God, and I’m from Him with everything I have, how can I commit such a mistake against Him?” and then beg forgiveness at the door of the True One to be worshiped.

If the fire of love is kindled in a person’s heart and love has seized his being, then he will never think of leaving the door of his Beloved One in spite of the various trials and tribulations he faces. Love is the title for a person’s relationship with God; it is a constant connection of the heart with Him; it is the yearning for reunion a person feels deep inside. When a love is crowned with trueness, even if a person burns with desire for the reunion, he will step back, obeying orders by saying, “I am not demanding to come now since You have not called me yet. I wish to fulfill my responsibilities toward You on Your path.” Such a horizon is the intersection of truth and love.

How to save a victory from a defeat

Courage expresses a different dimension, or consequence, of love, and is another important factor in terms of surmounting seemingly insurmountable problems. The blessed Companion Mus’ab ibn Umayr presented a dizzying example of courage at the Battle of Uhud. When his arm was cut off, he said, “I have one more arm, it suffices me!” And when he lost the second one too, he said, “My neck is still here, now I use it as a shield,” and this even made the bitter face of death smile. There is no problem such a paragon of courage cannot solve. The face of death is a bitter one of course; but if you smile at it, it smiles at you, too; so much so that God Almighty Himself takes back the soul He entrusted to the person, without even giving a role to the intermediaries. Personages like Abdulqadr al-Jilani and Abu’l-Hasan ash- Shadhili made the wish, “My God, take my life with Your own hand please!”

One of the most important virtues of the noble Prophet was his righteous courage and bravery. For example, although the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, did not make any mistakes of strategy, the early Muslims experienced a temporary defeat at Uhud. The blessed Prophet commanded a defensive battle, and though his tactics were sound, it is understood from the Divine statement,

“Satan made them slip because of some of the errors they themselves had done” (Al Imran 3: 155),

the distinguished group of the Prophet’s Companions were mistaken in their ijtihad—or their critical interpretation of the situation. The fact that the original wording of the Divine verse does not say they “committed” (iktisab) but “did” (kasb) indicates that theirs was a judgmental mistake of ijtihad. The Companions had failed to fully obey their orders and the consequence was a temporary defeat. However, the Messenger of God turned that temporary defeat into a victory. Note that right after the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan gathered his army and set on the road towards Mecca. At a certain point, they weighed the idea of striking back to Medina to exterminate Muslims. In the meantime, however, the Messenger of God started to chase the army of polytheists with his Companions. On seeing the marching Muslims, most of whom were actually battle-struck, Abu Sufyan preferred not getting into trouble by turning back, but went home to rejoice with the people of Mecca over the partial victory they had gained—without showing the courage to confront the Muslims again.

What happened in Hunayn was no different. The Thaqif and Hawazin tribes, who were very skillful archers, caught the advance guard of the Muslim forces in an ambush and the rear forces fell into confusion under a shower of enemy arrows. Even at such a moment, the Pride of Humanity spurred his horse on toward the enemy lines, and cried, “I am the Prophet; that is no lie. I am the descendant of Abdulmuttalib; that is no lie!” His uncle Abbas expressed that at that moment, he stopped the Prophet’s horse with difficulty. Later, on the orders of the Prophet, Abbas called out at the top of his strong voice to the retreating Companions to return by saying, “O Companions who pledged allegiance under the samura tree, where are you?”

All the Companions who heard the call of the Prophet gathered near him and marched on the enemy. As a result, they reversed the defeat and gained a victory.

In this respect, it is important for a believer to never grow despondent in the face of problems, but to grapple with them courageously. A believer must be spiritually vigil in a way that will enable him to say, “If the Divine will is manifested, with God’s permission and help, I can even change the orbit of the earth.” Given that one relies on God’s power and strength, there is no problem a believer whose heart is filled with courage cannot surmount.

Love and courage must be under the assurance of common sense

Although feelings as love, enthusiasm, and courage are very important when tackling gigantic problems, these sublime feelings need to be based on a firm strategy and well founded logic; they need to be employed properly and ascribed to a sound project. With your warm and sincere breath coming from the bottom of your heart, you may possess a vigilance that could melt mountains of ice. But on its own, this factor does not suffice to solve problems. You also need to know your adversaries well, take into consideration the power and means they possess, and come up with projects accordingly. Otherwise, all of your mind and heart’s labors will be wasted.

This is especially true if you are surrounded by people thundering with hostility; if you are facing an entire circle of antagonists. And if that circle of enmity has very serious plots of their own, then you need to be much more cautious and act vigilantly. The colluded circles of antagonism, formed in a united line, can slam unexpectedly upon you like a sledgehammer.

In this respect, love, enthusiasm, spiritual vitality, and courage must definitely be safeguarded by common sense. You may compare it to the structure of a building. If you do not rest it on a sound foundation, the building will collapse at the slightest tremor, and you will be crushed under the debris of what you have built.

In order to not let all of these efforts go to waste, you need to safeguard your enthusiasm and dynamism by appealing to logic and judgment; but more importantly, you must appeal to collective reasoning. Rather than having two, three, or four geniuses who have the potential to change the world’s geography, it is much better to have people who consult with some five or ten others.

To put it once more, if God Almighty conditioned His graces to form a collective of consultation, it is beyond your power to change that. Remember that the noble Prophet stated that a person who consults with others will not experience regret. In addition, there is almost no incident in which he did not use consultation. When some scandal-mongers slandered his pure wife, Aisha, who is more excellent than angels in heavens with respect to purity and chastity, the noble Prophet, who never panicked, even in his dreams, consulted with some of his Companions – even on this issue! Even concerning a private matter about his wife, he consulted with Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn al-Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and others, may God be pleased with them. Every one of them stated their good opinion about our mother Aisha, may God be pleased with her, who was a paragon of chastity and innocence, and their testimonies supported the pure considerations in the noble Prophet’s mind.

Actually, as a person who had the support of Divine revelation, the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, was in no need to consult with others about any minor or major matter. A Muslim considering otherwise would be disrespect toward him, and this would be a sign of lacking insight into what “revelation” means. God Almighty never let the blessed Prophet experience a void during his life. God never let him fall into a situation comparable to—I reluctantly say—a “fiasco,” but always supported him. As it can be taken from the verse relating his words during the Hijra—

“Do not grieve. God is surely with us” (at-Tawbah 9:40)

—the Messenger of God spent his life in a constant atmosphere of assurance, may our lives be sacrificed to that blessed life. Despite having no such need, he solved even the slightest issues through consultation, and thereby guided his followers on how they should act.

In this respect, we say that particularly on issues of general concern, finding a solution by means of collective reasoning is far more important than being a genius.

You must do everything you can to prepare and solve problems. Even in the face of a single problem, you develop alternative plans from A to Z. However, despite all these precautions, problems you did not consider might come up and cause confusion. One must never fall to despair in such a situation. Presently, in many Muslim countries, there are unfortunately fault lines that might give way to cracks at any time. These owe to intolerance and jealousy. In this respect, no matter how well you plan, you may still meet some unexpected negatives. One must never let this paralyze their willpower such by saying things like, “There is nothing further to do anymore. We are finished now!”

To sum up, some people with twisted minds might wish to prevent your most innocent services for the sake of God, and try to sabotage your efforts. However, even if some fifty different conspiracies arise, one must never despair. With God’s permission and grace, you will not be shaken, and will always stand upright. It is necessary to seek ways of turning any situation, such as those at in Uhud and Hunayn, into a victory; and to walk towards the heart of belief, which may let people embrace faith in throngs.

One must never be discouraged by the conspiracies faced. In the face of obstacles and blocked roads, it is necessary to make a fresh start in the name of God and seek new alternative solutions. Even if a person is on the righteous path and sincere in his demand, he may not be granted each wish right away. We cannot know the wisdom behind the sufferings experienced. But who knows? Maybe as a result of these sufferings God Almighty will bestow more abundant blessings to the noble people than those He previously did. Tomorrow is another day, which will be born from the fertile womb of the night; let us wait in proactive patience and see!

[amazingreligion]

Human Evolution and Islam

N.B That’s not a new topics ! It’s a part of an archived thread originally posted on sunniforum. This is a thread for this topic and how Islamically we can explain it. It is only for Muslims whilst Muslim biologists are specially invited to participate. It is incumbent upon the Muslim biologists and those in the field to refute those who use biological ideas against Islam. Otherwise don't blame those Muslims who are not biologists yet who take on this task. Here's a start that i wrote elsewhere: Ok after having read a lot since that time, particularly from pro-evolutionists-i'm not convinced by human evolution whilst the topic of other species, it is highly probable that macro-evolution(in case some are wondering, actually some evolutionists accept the distinction) to some extent took place although current evolutionary theory is seriously deficient in its explanations and must be improved-, i've come up several observations: 1) Evolutionists at times have used outright deception to propagate their views(such as Haeckal's embryos) 2) Evolutionists have been very gullible at accepting "evidences" that have turned out to be wrong(the "Piltdown man,"  the "peppered moths", the Miller-Urey experiments etc) 3) Evolutionists have a lot of evangelicals(atheists and agnostics) who are trying to promote their views against theists and thus have no sense of accountability for what they say-provided their not shown to be wrong- and this has been shown by their blatant lies at times. 4) Christians opposing evolution have also used lies and shown ignorance of the topic 5) Thus neither sides have been trustworthy(especially the atheists) 6) Considering the methodology of Islam in accepting information,-more important in this case as the issue affects Islam- i propose that Muslim scientists don't accept information on the topic where the opinion is against Islam(especially when there's a strong bias by the kuffar) but should set stringent criteria for verifying the information and must verify it themselves. 7) The conclusion is that the information that the kuffar provide on the topic of evolution(where is contradicts Islam i.e. human evolution) is not accepted at the current moment until it is verified by trustworthy Muslim scientists. 8) Also Muslim scientists should aim to refute those kuffar who oppose Islamic beliefs through science. Harun Yahya(although not a scientist and i disagree with his works) however must be commended(contrary to the useless Muslim scientists who have done nothing but complain about him) as he has set the groundwork and now the real Muslim scientists should take over and modify and strengthen his arguments. Note that i've talked with a science teacher(who is a biologist and has a masters degree) and he basically said that there's a number of serious problems with the theory but its a developing theory so there's no guarantee on some of the things it says. And he rejected human evolution.

Last edited by loveProphet; 25-06-2012 at 09:26 PM. A thought on human evolution, one thing that we expect if we're created differently to the rest of creation is that we should have unique things. Of course it is obvious in our intelligence(it is the highest) and other behavioural aspects but lets look at the physical aspects. Also why did humans supposedly ditch the trees and the tail? Before it was suggested that being bipedal involved less energy but now its shown to not be the case. Anyways some stuff i picked up from page 7 and onwards: http://www.arn.org/docs/luskin/cl_fa...gentdesign.pdf Sure i'm not fond of ID but they've got neat references that can be checked up. Another study wrote, “We, like many others, interpret the anatomical evidence to show that early H[omo] sapiens was significantly and dramatically different from earlier and penecontemporary australopithecines in virtually every element of its skeleton and every remnant of its behavior.” J. Hawks, K. Hunley, L. Sang-Hee, and M. Wolpoff, “Population Bottlenecks and Pleistocene Evolution,” Journal of Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol. 17(1): 2-22 (2000). One commentator proposed this evidence implies a "big bang theory" of human evolution. New study suggests big bang theory of human evolution The famed late evolutionary paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould noted that "most hominid fossils, even though they serve as a basis for endless speculation and elaborate storytelling, are fragments of jaws and s****s of skull" A Harvard evolutionary paleoanthropologist recently stated in the New York Times that newly discovered hominid fossils "show 'just how interesting and complex the human genus was and how poorly we understand the transition from being something much more apelike to something more humanlike.'" Fossils in Kenya Challenge Linear Evolution [ "Other paleontologists and experts in human evolution said the discovery strongly suggested that the early transition from more apelike to more humanlike ancestors was still poorly understood. " And see: Fossil find pushes human-ape split back millions of years "we know nothing about how the human line actually emerged from apes.” Ok so i went through sciencedaily.com some time ago to see what features are unique to humans apart from the soul. I've found out about the brain and humans walking but now i saw this: What Is The Cognitive Rift Between Humans And Other Animals? No Easy Answers In Evolution Of Human Language Complexity Constrains Evolution Of Human Brain Genes Now fit this in with the Islamic idea of man being created differently. On the other hand more on the ERVs: Ancient Retroviruses Spurred Evolution Of Gene Regulatory Networks In Humans And Other Primates Using the tools of computational genomics, the UCSC team gathered compelling evidence that retroviruses helped out. It can be used as an argument that Allah put them there for our benefit. More like a common plan is why you see them at the same loci on the same chromosomes in the different species. Also see for HERVs: Retroviruses Shows That Human-Specific Variety Developed When Humans, Chimps Diverged More: Do orthologous gene phylogenies really support tree-thinking? Results Heat map analyses were used to investigate the congruence of orthologues in four datasets (archaeal, bacterial, eukaryotic and alpha-proteobacterial). We conclude that we simply cannot determine if a large portion of the genes have a common history. In addition, none of these datasets can be considered free of lateral gene transfer. Conclusion Our phylogenetic analyses do not support tree-thinking. These results have important conceptual and practical implications. We argue that representations other than a tree should be investigated in this case because a non-critical concatenation of markers could be highly misleading Originally Posted by ahsanirfan as salam `alaykum I shall respond, but not now. jazak Allahi khayrun for alerting me to it. Insha allah, keep adding whatever you know and I will be sure to read up on it. I took out three books today from the library: Behe, Michael - Darwin's Black Box - I've read this before, but I plan to read it again. Behe, Michael - The Edge of Evolution Gould, Stephen Jay - Punctuated Equilibrium - This is about how there are gaps in the fossil record Let me know if you have more resources that I can look up, insha Allah. I will Insha'Allah write up more when i have time. But Jay Gould's book is definitely great, he started the movement against gradualism(its weak in palaeontology) although he was an atheist. Jeffrey Schwartz has taken the lead, nevertheless they still believe in evolution(and i have no problem with it except with human evolution). As for Michael Behe and a lot of the IDists, they support human evolution so this stuff is of no use to us on this issue. So don't waste your time reading those two although i have the new book by him(got it today from the library called biochemical challenge). What we have to do is really create an Islamic perspective of this. For this the first thing we need is the different Islamic material(Qur'an, Hadith etc) on the creation of Adam(AS) and then we can make logical predictions from them so that we can atleast know what to look for. Though i might read this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Fly-Hors...3647641&sr=8-1 Since however you're not going to be studying biology, you might also want to read this(its simple for laymen to understand): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Du...3647683&sr=1-1 There is a discussion over punctuated equilibrium and gradualism in this peer-reviewed article: http://www.discovery.org/articleFiles/PDFs/Cambrian.pdf This is only because you mentioned Gould's book. I don't the evolution of non-humans to be a discussion here. Remember we're not after evolution of non-humans so don't get too distracted! Last edited by loveProphet; 16-06-2008 at 08:28 PM. Discussions with Christians and Debate Human evolution is not supported by the fossil evidence. Much of the alleged evidence that filled text books over the last 50 years has now been reclassified or rejected altogether. The missing links are still missing. Human Evolution: The Legacy of the Fossil Evidence Human evolution has many issues, including the realities of genetics, biochemistry, design theory, irreducible complexity, DNA structure, and information systems. However, the reality of the human fossil record alone is enough to reject the theory of human evolution all together. Here are just a few of the major problems with the alleged fossil record of the past century: Ramapithecus was widely recognized as a direct ancestor of humans. It is now established that he was merely an extinct type of orangutan. Piltdown man was hyped as the missing link in publications for over 40 years. He was a fraud based on a human skull cap and an orangutan's jaw. Nebraska man was a fraud based on a single tooth of a rare type of pig. Java man was based on sketchy evidence of a femur, skull cap and three teeth found within a wide area over a one year period. It turns out the bones were found in an area of human remains, and now the femur is considered human and the skull cap from a large ape. Neandertal man was traditionally depicted as a stooped ape-man. It is now accepted that the alleged posture was due to disease and that Neandertal is just a variation of the human kind. Human Evolution:  Human evolution has its currently fashionable specimens that lead from small ape-like creatures to Homo sapiens. These are examples of the most recent alleged links: Australopithecus afarensis, or "Lucy," has been considered a missing link for years. However, studies of the inner ear, skulls and bones have shown that she was merely a pygmy chimpanzee that walked a bit more upright than some other apes. She was not on her way to becoming human. Homo erectus has been found throughout the world. He is smaller than the average human of today, with a proportionately smaller head and brain cavity. However, the brain size is within the range of people today and studies of the middle ear have shown that he was just like current Homo sapiens. Remains are found throughout the world in the same proximity to remains of ordinary humans, suggesting coexistence. Australopithecus africanus and Peking man were presented as ape-men missing links for years, but are now both considered Homo erectus. Homo habilis is now generally considered to be comprised of pieces of various other types of creatures, such as Australopithecus and Homo erectus, and is not generally viewed as a valid classification. Human Evolution: The Most Recent Find In July 2002, anthropologists announced the discovery of a skull in Chad with "an unusual mixture of primitive and humanlike features." The find was dubbed "Toumai" (the name give to children in Chad born close to the dry season) and was immediately hailed as "the earliest member of the human family found so far." By October 2002, a number of scientists went on record to criticize the premature claim -- declaring that the discovery is merely the fossil of an ape. Human Evolution: The Theory Has No Support in the Fossil Record Human evolution is a theory in denial. With all of this fossil evidence (or lack thereof) it becomes increasingly clear to an earnest seeker that human evolution did not happen at all. • Lack of Transitional Fossils. Charles Darwin wrote, "Lastly, looking not to any one time, but to all time, if my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking closely together all the species of the same group, must assuredly have existed. But, as by this theory, innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?" (Origin of Species, 1859). Since Darwin put forth his theory, scientists have sought fossil evidence indicating past organic transitions. Nearly 150 years later, there has been no evidence of transition found thus far in the fossil record. • Lack of a Natural Mechanism. Charles Darwin, in his Origin of Species, proposed Natural Selection to be the mechanism by which an original simple-celled organism could have evolved gradually into all species observed today, both plant and animal. Darwin defines evolution as "descent with modification." However, Natural Selection is known to be a conservative process, not a means of developing complexity from simplicity. Later, with our increased understanding of genetics, it was thought perhaps Natural Selection in conjunction with genetic mutation allowed for the development of all species from a common ancestor. However, this is theoretical and controversial, since "beneficial" mutations have yet to be observed. In fact, scientists have only observed harmful, "downward" mutations thus far. N. Heribert Nilsson, a famous botanist, evolutionist and professor at Lund University in Sweden, continues: My attempts to demonstrate evolution by an experiment carried on for more than 40 years have completely failed… The fossil material is now so complete that it has been possible to construct new classes, and the lack of transitional series cannot be explained as being due to scarcity of material. The deficiencies are real, they will never be filled. 4 Even the popular press is catching on. This is from an article in Newsweek magazine: The missing link between man and apes, whose absence has comforted religious fundamentalists since the days of Darwin, is merely the most glamorous of a whole hierarchy of phantom creatures … The more scientists have searched for the transitional forms that lie between species, the more they have been frustrated. Is it enough to prove that the human evolution is not possible? As I have already mentioned that in Quraan it is cleared stated that: All human are created from the single pair (ie. Adam and Hawwa) And still today the science is not advance to prove this.  So Quraan is superior to the science. Realistically, if Darwin's theory can't begin to explain the 'evolution' of a system as simple as a ten part mouse trap, what hope has it got in explaining the development of the complex biochemistry associated with a single cell organism, let alone higher life forms? The Test Commandment: Sabbath matter Now examine the account in Exodus 16:1-30. The people of Israel were "murmuring" against God because they wanted more food. So God said, "I will... TEST them, whether they will walk in My LAW or not" (v. 4) Remember that this was a TEST—to see whether they would follow God's law or not. So what did the people do?     As human beings so often do, they did NOT take God seriously! Some Israelites went out and tried to find manna even on the Sabbath. And the only link between the human and the monkey was explained in the Holy Quraan is: And indeed you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected."___(Surah Al baqarah-Verse # 65) So When Allah rejected them and curse them to be monkeys, then is it not possible that those unbelievers turned into the monkeys or ape.  And even if in the future the missing link between the human and monkey is found, it has to be of one of the unbeliver. Ok i found another interesting quote: Considering the very close genetic relationship that has been established by comparison of biochemical properties of blood proteins, protein structure and DNA and immunological responses, the differences between a man and a chimpanzee are more astonishing than the resemblances... Something must have happened to the ancestors of Homo sapiens which did not happen to the ancestors of gorillas and chimpanzees Elain Morgan, The Aquatic Ape: A Theory of Human evolution

[annisaagettar]

Review: Springboard

Back days when I was at the event of Big Bad Wolf I failed to find Malcolm Gladwell’s books as I later thought that books sold there were those kinds of ‘non-bestseller’ or ‘non-popular’ ones to which Mr. Gladwell’s books don’t belong. So I find this book by G. Richard Shell. My eyes just fell in love with the cover: white with a little colorful part. Its publisher is Penguin group too so even though no bestseller labeled there,  I decided to grab it as I thought it won’t be that disappointing. It even came to be the first book I read once I was home.

Mr. Shell is an author as well as a lecturer, and I find that’s why his writing style feels like a textbook which is in sequence and shows the readers how to be success step by step. Thankfully the way he delivers the ideas is like many my favorite authors, telling stories and finding what lessons we could draw from it. So I enjoyed until the last page.

My favorite part by far is a topic about finding meaningful work that is mentioned as an inner dimension to success. Every one of us defines and means it differently and indeed no precise definition of what a meaningful work is. Yet we can seek it—if we think we haven’t met such work yet—by considering these seven foundations to reflect job or carriers we land.

1.      Personal growth and development

2.      Entrepreneurial independence

3.      Religious and spiritual identity

4.      Family

5.      Expressing yourself through ideas, invention, or the arts

6.      Community—serving a cause, helping people in need

7.      Talent-based striving for excellence

Reading this part, of course, I straight reflect on my current job. Being part of a new and dynamic startup business is really challenging indeed and sometimes gives me an omg-my-head-is-going-to-explode headache, due to targets we should achieve and issues we encounter every minute. Yet I realized wholeheartedly that I love what I’m doing today in spite of such a headache.

As a student of agriculture back years in college, I learned that the sector encounters several issues which one of them now I have chances to solve through my current work. And it makes me happy and enthusiast to run my day each morning I leap out of bed. Besides, the most important matter actually is the value I try to create by helping those in need of solutions which in my case are farmers.

It’s kind of my effort to implement this beautiful hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, “The best of people are those who bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.” I’m thankful, yet hopefully won’t stop here and will continue to strengthen my shoulders to explore more my own self in search of the meaningful work. Simply, my journey hasn’t landed yet.

Mr. Shell then tells the readers that meaningful work could be derived from an intersection of three overlapping circles: the jobs that will pay you something, the jobs that use your talents and strengths, and the jobs that ignite your passions and sense of purpose. I was told also how Steve Job made significant values in his life. He loved to remember death. 32.850 is the number of days if we were lucky enough to be given the age of ninety. This is he said,

…the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. You are already naked. There is no reason to follow your heart.

And this reminds me of another hadith of Prophet Muhammad once he’s asked who the wisest people are. He answered,

…the one who remembers death most often and the one who is well-prepared to meet it. These are the wise: being honorable in this life and dignified in the Hereafter.

Meaningful work, I know it’s not easy to find and feels just like the trial and error process of observation. We should sharpen our capability in many areas and don’t give up in the midst of storm, obstacles, and boredom that might come along with the process. Stumble and fall? No matter, we just need to get up, take the lesson and rerun. Don’t be indolent. Tired is a certainty, therefore refreshing and recharging is okay to do sometimes along the journey.

After all keep looking forward what the important and precious matter within our own selves. Everything we need might right in our backyard if we will only take the time to look. Also, reflecting what our purpose in life will help us to understand ourselves better and eventually lead us to find what matters that truly meaningful are.

I rated this book four stars anyway. If you need something to accompany you while enjoying coffee or waiting sleepiness comes at night, it can be a good friend to you for sure.