[28:76]
Now Korah was of Moses’ folk, but he oppressed them; and We gave him so much treasure that the stores thereof would verily have been a burden for a troop of mighty men. When his own folk said unto him: Exult not; lo! Allah loveth not the exultant;
[28:77]
But seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah hath given thee and neglect not thy portion of the world, and be thou kind even as Allah hath been kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not corrupters,
[28:78]
He said: I have been given it only on account of knowledge I possess. Knew he not that Allah had destroyed already of the generations before him men who were mightier than him in strength and greater in respect of following ? The guilty are not questioned of their sins.
[28:79]
Then went he forth before his people in his pomp. Those who were desirous of the life of the world said: Ah, would that we had the like of what hath been given unto Korah! Lo! he is lord of rare good fortune.
[28:80]
But those who had been given knowledge said: Woe unto you! The reward of Allah for him who believeth and doeth right is better, and only the steadfast will obtain it.
[28:81]
So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling-place. Then he had no host to help him against Allah, nor was he of those who can save themselves.
[28:82]
And morning found those who had coveted his place but yesterday crying: Ah, welladay! Allah enlargeth the provision for whom He will of His slaves and straiteneth it (for whom He will). If Allah had not been gracious unto us He would have caused it to swallow us (also). Ah, welladay! the disbelievers never prosper.
[28:83]
As for that Abode of the Hereafter We assign it unto those who seek not oppression in the earth, nor yet corruption. The sequel is for those who ward off (evil).
[28:84]
Whoso bringeth a good deed, he will have better than the same; while as for him who bringeth an ill-deed, those who do ill-deeds will be requited only what they did.
[28:85]
Lo! He Who hath given thee the Qur’an for a law will surely bring thee home again. Say: My Lord is Best Aware of him who bringeth guidance and him who is in error manifest.
[28:86]
Thou hadst no hope that the Scripture would be inspired in thee; but it is a mercy from thy Lord, so never be a helper to the disbelievers.
[28:87]
And let them not divert thee from the revelations of Allah after they have been sent down unto thee; but call (mankind) unto thy Lord, and be not of those who ascribe partners (unto Him).
[28:88]
And cry not unto any other god along with Allah. There is no God save Him. Everything will perish save His countenance. His is the command, and unto Him ye will be brought back.
30 Nov 2008
28 Nov 2008
27 Nov 2008
Do You Know Him..
Yusuf Estes
Sheikh Yusuf Estes, PhD. (born in 1944 in Ohio), is an American convert to Islam and Director of the "Islamic Mission Foundation International", an Islamic research group dedicated to presenting the message of Islam in English according to the Quran and Sunnah.
Background
Yusuf Estes was brought up in Texas in a Protestant Christian family; as members of a Church denomination called the Disciples of Christ. He answered to his nickname "Skip Estes".
Between 1962 to 1990, he had a career in the music industry, entertainment, marketing, as a music instructor and music minister and owned several musical instrument companies including the Estes Piano and Organ Company. He produced and directed live entertainment programs throughout the United States from the mid 1960's until his last endeavor for cable TV in Florida, entitled 'Estes Music Jamboree'.
Conversion to Islam
In 1991, Estes had business dealings with a Muslim named Mohamed from Egypt. In trying to preach Christianity to Mohamed, Skip Estes learned about the religion of Islam firsthand and thereafter converted to Islam[3]. He has since pursued Arabic language and Qur'anic studies in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey.[4]
Since 2005, Yusuf Estes has been regularly appearing on IslamChannel in the UK, as well as Peace TV and on Huda TV which are 24/7 Islamic channels broadcasting in many countries around the globe, via satellite and the website WatchIslam.com TV Channels
His latest efforts are directed toward English speaking Muslim youth and include Muslims sharing videos and Muslim Chatroom and for young children Preschool Learning
His latest Television series is aimed toward English speaking Muslim children and is entitled, "Qasas Ul Anbiya" - Stories of the Prophets.
Islamic Activities
His Islamic activities have included:
* Volunteer Imam in a Texas military installation.
* National U.S. Chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, starting 1994.
* Delegate to the United Nations Peace Summit for Religious Leaders in August 2000.
* University guest speaker.
* Television program producer and director, preacher, syndicated television programs on satellite and cable networks.
* Developing many hi-tech Islamic websites, including chatrooms, video conferencing, news sites, reference sites and entertainment sites for youth.
* Estes takes a dim view of public education in the United States for Muslim children, and recommends schools where they might receive an Islamic education as well as a more advanced scholastic education too.
READ MORE ABOUT HIM.. http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/97/
25 Nov 2008
دورة التدرج في مناهج البحث العلمي
دورة.. موجهة للطلبة في مرحلة التدرج ما قبل "الليسانس".الهدف.. *تمكين الطالب في آليات البحث العلمي ومناهج التفكير.
من خلال.. الفهم العميق لمناهج البحث العلمي والتدريب على مراحل البحث وآليات التحليل.
الطريقة.. 54 ساعة في السنة، عن طريق حصص أسبوعية بمعدل 3 ساعات في الأسبوع مرة واحدة أو تقسم على حصتين على حسب التوقيت.
البداية.. ديسبمر 2008
هاتف: 021.87.45.58 // http://www.veecos.net
22 Nov 2008
Teaching or Preaching??
../..
Sister: Tiaiba Imane ..
Sister: Tiaiba Imane ..
Attitudes of the good teacher:
There is always a large debate about which attitude a teacher should adopt in order to maintain good relationship with his learners. Some teachers prefer to be permissive where as others tend to be authoritative, but our Prophet (PBUH) used to have a very distinctive attitude: it was the one of a moderate person whose mercy comes before his anger. He used to owe the hearts of people and control their minds. The fact that he was dealing with different people made him adapting himself to their needs. We can understand this fact from this ayah which can be translated as: "And most certainly thou ( O Muhammad ) art of most sublime and exalted character " (Holy Quran 68 : 4 )
The Prophet (PBUH) based his teaching on the following points:
1. Reaching excellence: he (PBUH) adduces that the Muslim should challenge all his powers when doing something, either in the religious side or in the secular one. For example, Muslims when evoking Allah they should ask Him the highest degree in paradise that requires, in return, hard efforts in worshipping and doing good deeds. Therefore, if they could not reach this degree they will not be very far from it in the sense that they will remain always in paradise. This goes the same way with a good student whose aim is always to reach the highest level. Thus, he works hard .So in case of failure; his loss will not be of a great consideration as in all cases he is saved.
2. Using faith as a stimulus: the Prophet (PBUH) used to relate everything to religion i.e. to link success in the practical life with worshipping Allah, as good deeds are always connected with faith. Thus, the spiritual energy stands behind success. Allah says what can be translated as "… the ones who have believed and did deeds of righteousness… " ( TMQ,103:3 )
3. Motivation: it goes without saying that motivation is the key of success in any work. Researchers in the task of teaching adduce that motivation plays a vital role in learning. Many theories were developed to deal with this aspect; yet, they do not prove always to be valid. But let us see how our Prophet (PBUH) used to motivate his companions. He (PBUH) integrated an innovative way that is recently discovered: the reward and punishment theory. By relating the good deeds to paradise and the bad ones to hell. He (PBUH) stressed reward more than punishment, as he was aware about the nature of the human psyche that prefers to be reward. One might ask how? It is by making the concept of paradise concrete in his companions' minds using those elaborated ways that psychologists are trying to do in modern time such as the high ability to imagine.
21 Nov 2008
Jumu`ah (Friday Congregational) Prayer
By Ælfwine Mischler and Wa’il Shihab
On Fridays, Muslim men must perform the weekly congregational Prayer called the Jumu`ah Prayer. This Prayer replaces the Zhuhr (Noon) Prayer on Friday and it is obligatory for all men to attend it. Women may also perform the Jumu`ah Prayer if they wish, but it is not obligatory for them. This Prayer replaces the regular Zhuhr Prayer. However, if someone is unable to attend the Jumu`ah Prayer, he or she should pray four rak`ahs of Zhuhr.
The Prayer is preceded by a sermon called a khutbah, which is delivered in two parts with a short break (about one minute) between the two parts.
It is highly recommended to read Surat Al-Kahf (surah 18) and to invoke Allah’s blessings on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) during the day and night of Friday. It is also highly recommended to supplicate on Friday.
It is Sunnah to perform ghusl (cleansing of the whole body) on Friday and to put on clean good clothes before attending the Jumu`ah Prayer. Men (but not women) should also apply perfume before attending the Prayer.
The first thing to do in the mosque is to pray two rak`ahs of Sunnah Prayer, known as the tahiyyat or greeting of the mosque. Even if one arrives after the beginning of the sermon, he should pray two short rak`ahs before sitting down. While waiting for the sermon to start, one may recite Qur’an or listen to it being recited.
As the time approaches, the muezzin announces the first Adhan. Then the imam goes to the minbar (pulpit), faces the worshipers and greets them with, “As-Salaamu `alaykum!” (Peace be with you!)
He then sits down facing the congregants. At this moment, the second Adhan is announced, and the imam begins the sermon.
After the sermon, the two rak`ahs of Jumu`ah Prayer are offered in congregation. The imam recites the Prayer aloud.
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16 Nov 2008
A selected verse..
"قل يا عبادي الذين اسرفوا على انفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله ان الله يغفر الذنوب جميعا انه هو الغفور الرحيم" سورة الزمر - سورة 39 - آية 53
[39:53]
Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
15 Nov 2008
"I was sent as a teacher!" (holy hadith)
Sister: Tiaiba Imane..
How can we relate the reforms of the Prophet ( PBUH ) to the task of teaching ? If we do so we will establish a relation between the teaching of our Prophet ( PBUH ) and the modern teaching. And this will , no doubt , serve as a bridge between the revival of the nation and our roles as future teachers .It is worthy to note here , however , that I am speaking about teaching in general not only foreign languages yet , the ultimate purpose is to make use of the experiment of the Prophet ( PBUH ) in our task . Let us see how?
When the Prophet (PBUH) was in Al-Madinah, he once entered the mosque where he found two groups of his companions: the first group was worshipping Allah whereas the second group was learning some matters related to their life and religion. Both groups expected the Prophet to join them, but he (PBUH) joined his companions who were learning. When they asked him why he did not join the first group, although he was a Prophet he replied "I was sent as a teacher!"
In the light of this incident, it is clear that our Prophet (PBUH) is said to be a teacher. We will try to shed more light on this point and illustrate in what way he can be so, depending on what the task of teaching may be concerned with.
As far as teaching is concerned, it is defined as a process of arranging conditions under which the learner changes his behaviors consciously according to his needs and objectives. The objective of teaching or any educational system at large is to produce whole persons. A whole person is the one who combines two conditions: excellence and experience. To reach this target, the teachers should serve as models in all the tasks they are concerned with. Therefore, they should fulfill certain conditions of being well prepared, and adopting good attitudes and relations with their learners. The key factor in this process is to know how to motivate people to achieve their goals. However, this process cannot be accomplished unless it follows some procedures based mainly on experiment i.e. practical methods. This is ,in brief, how the process of teaching is seen as a whole.
1. As for the teaching of our Prophet (PBUH), it is designed for producing not only whole persons but the best people brought out to mankind. Allah says what can be translated as: " You have been the most charitable nation brought out to mankind: you command beneficence and forbid malfeasance, and believe in Allah .."(TMQ,3 : 110).
…/…to be continued
How can we relate the reforms of the Prophet ( PBUH ) to the task of teaching ? If we do so we will establish a relation between the teaching of our Prophet ( PBUH ) and the modern teaching. And this will , no doubt , serve as a bridge between the revival of the nation and our roles as future teachers .It is worthy to note here , however , that I am speaking about teaching in general not only foreign languages yet , the ultimate purpose is to make use of the experiment of the Prophet ( PBUH ) in our task . Let us see how?
When the Prophet (PBUH) was in Al-Madinah, he once entered the mosque where he found two groups of his companions: the first group was worshipping Allah whereas the second group was learning some matters related to their life and religion. Both groups expected the Prophet to join them, but he (PBUH) joined his companions who were learning. When they asked him why he did not join the first group, although he was a Prophet he replied "I was sent as a teacher!"
In the light of this incident, it is clear that our Prophet (PBUH) is said to be a teacher. We will try to shed more light on this point and illustrate in what way he can be so, depending on what the task of teaching may be concerned with.
As far as teaching is concerned, it is defined as a process of arranging conditions under which the learner changes his behaviors consciously according to his needs and objectives. The objective of teaching or any educational system at large is to produce whole persons. A whole person is the one who combines two conditions: excellence and experience. To reach this target, the teachers should serve as models in all the tasks they are concerned with. Therefore, they should fulfill certain conditions of being well prepared, and adopting good attitudes and relations with their learners. The key factor in this process is to know how to motivate people to achieve their goals. However, this process cannot be accomplished unless it follows some procedures based mainly on experiment i.e. practical methods. This is ,in brief, how the process of teaching is seen as a whole.
1. As for the teaching of our Prophet (PBUH), it is designed for producing not only whole persons but the best people brought out to mankind. Allah says what can be translated as: " You have been the most charitable nation brought out to mankind: you command beneficence and forbid malfeasance, and believe in Allah .."(TMQ,3 : 110).
…/…to be continued
9 Nov 2008
Verses from the Holy Quran..
"Mary"
[19:16]
And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,
[19:17]
And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man.
[19:18]
She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing.
[19:19]
He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.
[19:20]
She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste ?
[19:21]
He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.
[19:22]
And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.
[19:23]
And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm- tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!
[19:24]
Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,
[19:25]
And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee.
[19:26]
So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.
[19:27]
Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.
[19:28]
O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
[19:29]
Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy ?
[19:30]
He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,
[19:31]
And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive,
[19:32]
And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest.
[19:33]
Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!
[19:34]
Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.
[19:16]
And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,
[19:17]
And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man.
[19:18]
She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing.
[19:19]
He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.
[19:20]
She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste ?
[19:21]
He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.
[19:22]
And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.
[19:23]
And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm- tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!
[19:24]
Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,
[19:25]
And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee.
[19:26]
So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.
[19:27]
Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.
[19:28]
O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
[19:29]
Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy ?
[19:30]
He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,
[19:31]
And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive,
[19:32]
And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest.
[19:33]
Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!
[19:34]
Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.
4 Nov 2008
Do you know Him?
Jeffrey Lang..
Dr. Jeffrey Lang is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas, one of the biggest universities in the United States. He started his religious journey on Jan 30, 1954, when he was born in a Roman Catholic family in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The first 18 years of his life were spent in Catholic schools, which left him with many unanswered questions about God and the Christian religion, Lang said, as he narrated his story of Islam. “Like most kids back in the late 60s and early 70s, I started questioning all the values that we had at those times, political, social and religious,” Lang said. “I rebelled against all the institutions that society held sacred including the Catholic Church,” he said.
By the time he reached the age of 18, Lang had become a full-fledged atheist. “If there is a God, and he is all merciful and all loving, then why is there suffering on this earth? Why does not He just take us to heaven? Why create all these people to suffer?" Such were the questions that came up in his mind in those days.
As a young lecturer in mathematics at San Francisco University, Lang found his religion where God is finally a reality. That was shown to him by a few of the Muslim friends he had met at the university. “We talked about religion. I asked them my questions, and I was really surprised by how carefully they had thought out their answers,” Lang said.
Dr. Lang met Mahmoud Qandeel, a regal looking Saudi student who attracted the attention of the entire class the moment he walked in. When Lang asked a question about medical research, Qandeel answered the question in perfect English and with great self assurance. Everyone knew Qandeel-the mayor, the police chief and the common people. Together the professor and the student went to all the glittering places where “there was no joy or happiness, only laughter.” Yet at the end Qandeel surprisingly gave him a copy of the Qur’an and some books on Islam. Lang read the Qur’an on his own, found his way to the student-run prayer hall at the university, and basically surrendered without much struggle. He was conquered by the Qur’an. The first two chapters are an account of that encounter and it is a fascinating one.
“Painters can make the eyes of a portrait appear to be following you from one place to another, but which author can write a scripture that anticipates your daily vicissitudes?... Each night I would formulate questions and objections and somehow discover the answer the next day. It seemed that the author was reading my ideas and writing in the appropriate lines in time for my next reading. I have met myself in its pages...”
Lang performs the daily five-time prayers regularly and finds much spiritual satisfaction. He finds the Fajr (pre-dawn) prayer as one of the most beautiful and moving rituals in Islam. “It is as if you temporarily leave this world and communicate with the angels in singing God’s praises before dawn.”
To the question how he finds it so captivating when the recitation of the Qur’an is in Arabic, which is totally foreign to him, he responds; “Why is a baby comforted by his mother’s voice?” He said reading the Qur’an gave him a great deal of comfort and strength in difficult times. From there on, faith was a matter of practice for Lang’s spiritual growth.
On the other hand, Lang pursued a career in mathematics. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Purdue University. Lang said that he had always been fascinated by mathematics. “Maths is logical. It consists of using facts and figures to find concrete answers,” Lang said. “That is the way my mind works, and it is frustrating when I deal with things that do not have concrete answerers.” Having a mind that accepts ideas on their factual merit makes believing in a religion difficult because most religions require acceptance by faith, he said. The Muslim religion appeals to man’s reasoning, he said.
As faculty advisor for the Muslim Student Association, Lang said he viewed himself as the liaison between the student and their universities. He gets approval from university authorities to hold Islamic lectures. “The object of being their faculty advisor is to help them get their needs met as far as adjusting to the American culture and to procedures of the university. They appreciate the opportunity to have misconceptions corrected,” he said.
Lang married a Saudi Muslim woman, Raika, 12 years ago. Lang has written several Islamic books which are best sellers among the Muslim community in the US. One of his important books is “Even Angels ask; A journey to Islam in America”. In this book, Dr. Lang shares with his readers the many insights that have unfolded for him through his self discovery and progress within the religion of Islam. taken from
Together we make life
By: Tiaiba Imane
We use his slogan to write down the recipe of the Prophet's method of revival which can be called " “the message for revival on earth “ it lasted 23 years. This message targeted humanity.
It was a human experience based on revelation that sets the methodology through Quran. Through planning, rather than pure miracles, was the thing that guaranteed success since miracles did not change the course of events but rather raised the moral and strengthened the spirits.
The key characteristics should then be as follows:
A) Flexible and through planning: every thing in the life of the Prophet ( PBUH ) was based on planning, and so should be our lives.
B) Sacrifice and endurance: we have seen how the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions scarified for the sake of their message. Any revival needs sacrifice and endurance. No thing is offered easily in life.
C) Spiritual, intellectual, ethical, and political training that prepares sound generations: the example was illustrated in Dar Al Akramm , the training centre of Muslims. A successful person is the one who combines all the kinds of preparations in every field, and creates a balance between them in order to be well prepared for the different circumstances.
D) Fair co-existence between civilization, that guarantees our sights and leaves our Islamic beliefs intact: Muslims are open minded people, they do accept others but without forgetting their principles and identity. The biography of the Prophet (PBUH) is full of such examples of co-existing with non-Muslims ,and our role in return should be learning from this and applying it in our life especially with the current events of the world .
E) Opting for peace rather than aggression and war as an essence in Islam: the wars of the Prophet ( PBUH) were all for fair and just reasons, they were clean and human . Nevertheless, the Prophet ( PBUH ) used to make treaties of peace and respect them . Islam reached its highest levels during the intervals of peace. Our world nowadays is really in need for peace and justice.
F) Believing in the rights to citizenship: in spite of differences in beliefs, maintaining good ties with the society is very important.
G) Stressing the importance of women in the revival.
H) Using culture and art as main tools to boost the morale of the people: we are in need to create a literature that fits our identity, our beliefs and our revival.
I) Uniting Muslims in spite of differences.
J) The language of da'wa (missionary activity) should be progressive matching the current circumstances.
K) The five values essential for the revival are: truthfullness, trustworthiness, faithfulness, diligence, and maintaining hope.
L) Respecting people's freedom of speech.
M) Having a leader and a role model for the generations.
N) Having a strong belief that supports the revival since belief and success are intertwined.
We use his slogan to write down the recipe of the Prophet's method of revival which can be called " “the message for revival on earth “ it lasted 23 years. This message targeted humanity.
It was a human experience based on revelation that sets the methodology through Quran. Through planning, rather than pure miracles, was the thing that guaranteed success since miracles did not change the course of events but rather raised the moral and strengthened the spirits.
The key characteristics should then be as follows:
A) Flexible and through planning: every thing in the life of the Prophet ( PBUH ) was based on planning, and so should be our lives.
B) Sacrifice and endurance: we have seen how the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions scarified for the sake of their message. Any revival needs sacrifice and endurance. No thing is offered easily in life.
C) Spiritual, intellectual, ethical, and political training that prepares sound generations: the example was illustrated in Dar Al Akramm , the training centre of Muslims. A successful person is the one who combines all the kinds of preparations in every field, and creates a balance between them in order to be well prepared for the different circumstances.
D) Fair co-existence between civilization, that guarantees our sights and leaves our Islamic beliefs intact: Muslims are open minded people, they do accept others but without forgetting their principles and identity. The biography of the Prophet (PBUH) is full of such examples of co-existing with non-Muslims ,and our role in return should be learning from this and applying it in our life especially with the current events of the world .
E) Opting for peace rather than aggression and war as an essence in Islam: the wars of the Prophet ( PBUH) were all for fair and just reasons, they were clean and human . Nevertheless, the Prophet ( PBUH ) used to make treaties of peace and respect them . Islam reached its highest levels during the intervals of peace. Our world nowadays is really in need for peace and justice.
F) Believing in the rights to citizenship: in spite of differences in beliefs, maintaining good ties with the society is very important.
G) Stressing the importance of women in the revival.
H) Using culture and art as main tools to boost the morale of the people: we are in need to create a literature that fits our identity, our beliefs and our revival.
I) Uniting Muslims in spite of differences.
J) The language of da'wa (missionary activity) should be progressive matching the current circumstances.
K) The five values essential for the revival are: truthfullness, trustworthiness, faithfulness, diligence, and maintaining hope.
L) Respecting people's freedom of speech.
M) Having a leader and a role model for the generations.
N) Having a strong belief that supports the revival since belief and success are intertwined.
1 Nov 2008
In the memory of November the 1st, 1954
French colonisation (1830-1962)...
Algeria was annexed to France despite intense popular resistance. Resettlement programmes were implemented by the French government using land-owning incentives to draw French citizens to the new colony. The French introduced a wide variety of measures to 'modernize' Algeria, imposing European-style culture, infrastructure, economics, education, industries and government institutions on the country. The colonials exploited the country's agricultural resources for the benefit of France. The concept of French Algeria became ingrained in the French collective mind.
This period of early French influence over the country saw a huge drop in Algeria's native population, as it fell from around 4 million in 1830 to only 2.5 million in 1890.
The French colonials looked upon the Muslim populace as an inferior underclass that had to be tightly controlled. Muslims were not allowed to hold public meetings, bear arms or leave their districts or villages without government permission. Although they were officially French subjects they could not become French citizens unless they renounced Islam and converted to Christianity. It was a brutal, racist regime which alienated the vast majority of Algerians. The French attempt at acculturating an Algerian elite backfired badly. Those few schooled in French academies and infused with French values suffered the inherent racism of their French overlords and became the nucleus of the Algerian nationalist movement.
The Algerian nationalist movement emerged between the two World Wars, first simply demanding civil rights for the indigenous peoples of Algeria. The French government proposed concessions to the nationalists but these were blocked by French colonial reactionaries in the National Assembly. The colonials resisted any reform giving Muslims equal rights until, after 20 years of fruitless non-violent activism, the frustrated nationalists formed a militant anti-French party in 1939 called the Friends of the Manifesto and Liberty, combining Islamic and communist factions.
In the aftermath of World War II the French government revived attempts to bring Muslim Algerians into the decision-making process but these were too little and too late to offset deep-rooted colonial attitudes and a growing mutual hatred between the French and their Muslim subjects. Algerian Muslim attitudes had also hardened and an increasing number of nationalists were calling for armed revolution.
By the 1950s revolutionaries were being hounded into exile or hiding and the stage was being set for the Algerian War of Independence.
On November 1st 1954 the FLN declared war on the French through a spectacular simultaneous attack on government buildings, military installations, police stations and communications facilities in the country.
The populist guerrilla war paralyzed the country and forced the French government to send 400,000 troops to try and put down the uprising. However, the courage and ruthlessness of FLN fighters dragged the French into the reactive trap of bloody reprisals against the general population, which served to galvanize the Algerians and strengthen the revolution.
The cruelty and brutality of French colonial forces and the government's inability to find a political solution turned world opinion against France. The French use of concentration camps, torture, and mass executions of civilians suspected of aiding the rebels, isolated France and elicited invidious comparisons with totalitarian regimes and Nazism.
The French government was caught between a colonial policy based upon racism and exploitation, and its place as a standard-bearer of democracy. On the one hand, the French colonials were intransigent. On the other, the world community was calling for a cessation of hostilities and a political solution.
In 1958 colonials and French army officers joined forces to bring down the French government and demanded the return of General Charles De Gaulle to lead France to victory over the Algerian Nationalists and the preservation of French Algeria. De Gaulle returned to power with the support of the political extreme right but, realizing that the war could never be won, announced a referendum allowing Algerians to choose their own destiny, be it independence or remaining part of France.
De Gaulle's move was seen as betrayal by the colonials, the extreme right wing and certain parts of the military. The OAS, a militant terrorist organization, was formed by an alliance of these groups with the aim of overthrowing the general. The OAS carried out a ruthless terrorist campaign against the FLN and the French government, but they were doomed to failure.
In March 1962 a cease fire was negotiated between the French government and the FLN and De Gaulle's referendum was held in July. The Algerian people spoke with a single voice. They voted for independence. Following the referendum the French departed from Algeria on masse. By the end of the year most colonials had evacuated the country that had once been French Algeria.
taken from
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