Faith and change: leaving music behind (Video)

 One of the biggest issues facing  today is the obsession with music, parties and dance clubs. This lifestyle undoubtedly distracts us from our purpose in life and keeps us away from the truth. This is the story of Aiman and Nour who turned around their lives completely and are now active practicing Muslims.

Time lapse Credit: Erin Collet
Vocal Background: Omar Esa

Interesting Quotes from the Hadith on Jesus

Source: carm.org

By: Matt Slick

1. Muhammad said Jesus was of red complexion.
   1. The Prophet said, “I saw Moses, Jesus and Abraham (on the night of my Ascension to the heavens). Jesus was of red complexion, curly hair and a broad chest. Moses was of brown complexion, straight hair and tall stature as if he was from the people of Az-Zutt.”  Volume 4, Book 55, Number 648, Narrated Ibn Umar.
2. Muhammad said Jesus said he can’t intercede for people.
   1. The Prophet said, “Allah will gather the believers on the Day of Resurrection in the same way (as they are gathered in this life), and they will say, ‘Let us ask someone to intercede for us with our Lord that He may relieve us from this place of ours.’ …They will go to Abraham who will reply, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking,’ and mention to them the mistakes he made, and add, ‘But you’d better go to Moses, a slave whom Allah gave the Torah and to whom He spoke directly’ They will go to Moses who will reply, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking,’ and mention to them the mistakes he made, and add, ‘You’d better go to Jesus, Allah’s slave and His Apostle and His Word (Be: And it was) and a soul created by Him.’ They will go to Jesus who will say, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking, but you’d better go to Muhammad whose sins of the past and the future had been forgiven (by Allah).’ So they will come to me and I will ask the permission of my Lord, and I will be permitted (to present myself) before Him.”Volume 9, Book 93, Number 507. Narrated Anas. Also, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 236.
      1. This is contrary to the Bible which states that Jesus is our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) and always lives to intercede for us:  Heb. 7:25, says, “Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
3. Muhammad implies that the Christian doctrine of Jesus as the son of God means God had a wife, demonstrating his lack of understanding of the issue.
   1. On the Day of Resurrection, a call-maker will announce, “Let every nation follow that which they used to worship.” Then none of those who used to worship anything other than Allah like idols and other deities but will fall in Hell (Fire), till there will remain none but those who used to worship Allah, both those who were obedient (i.e. good) and those who were disobedient (i.e. bad) and the remaining party of the people of the Scripture. . . Afterwards the Christians will be called upon and it will be said to them, ‘Who do you use to worship?’ They will say, ‘We used to worship Jesus, the son of Allah.’ It will be said to them, ‘You are liars, for Allah has never taken anyone as a wife or a son,’ . . .  Allah will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say twice or thrice, ‘We do not worship any besides Allah.’ ”  Volume 6, Book 60, Number 105. Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri,
      1. Christian theology has never taught that Jesus was literally the offspring of God the Father.  Neither has Christianity ever taught that God has a wife.  (The cult ofMormonism has stated such erring doctrines, but it is not considered Christian.)  The term Son of God signified Jesus’ special and unique relationship with the Father as the Father’s representative (Heb. 1:1-3).
4. Muhammad said that Jesus worshiped Allah.
   1. Regarding the explanation of the Verse: ‘Those whom they call upon (worship) (like Jesus the Son of Mary, angels etc.) desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord (Allah) as to which of them should be the nearer and they hope for His Mercy and fear His torment.’ (17.57) They themselves (e.g. Angels, saints, Apostles, Jesus, etc.,) worshipped Allah, Those Jinns who were worshipped by some Arabs became Muslims (embraced Islam), but those human beings stuck to their (old) religion. Al-Amash said extra: ‘Say, (O Muhammad): Call unto those besides Him whom you assume (to be gods).’ (17.56)   Volume 6, Book 60, Number 238. Narrated Abdullah.
      1. Such a statement is only a conjecture.  Jesus worshiped YHWH (Yahweh).  See John 17.
5. Ibn ‘Umar says that to say “Jesus is Lord,” is a great sin.
   1. Whenever Ibn ‘Umar was asked about marrying a Christian lady or a Jewess, he would say: “Allah has made it unlawful for the believers to marry ladies who ascribe partners in worship to Allah, and I do not know of a greater thing, as regards to ascribing partners in worship, etc. to Allah, than that a lady should say that Jesus is her Lord although he is just one of Allah’s slaves.” Volume 7, Book 63, Number 209.  Narrated Nafi’.
      1. It is not a great sin and it is taught in the Bible that such a confession is necessary, a sign of salvation (Rom. 10:9-10).
6. Muhammad said Jesus spoke while in the cradle
   1. The Prophet said, “None spoke in cradle but three: (The first was) Jesus, (the second was), there a man from Bani Israel called Juraij. Volume 4, Book 55, Number 645,  Narrated Abu Huraira.

The preceding Hadith are transmitted by Sahih Bukhari and are quoted from and online source found athttp://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/.

Documentary: China – Inventing Innovation (Video)

 China is cultivating a new wave of visionaries in a bid to revive its slowing economic growth. But it also faces allegations of unfair trade practices and intellectual piracy by some of its major trading partners in the US and Europe. 101 East takes a closer look at the issue.
More documentaries…

How Sustainable Farming Could Feed 3 Billion More People

Source: http://themindunleashed.org/2014/07/sustainable-farming-feed-3-billion-people.html

A three-pronged approach has been developed to remedy the global food shortage.

With the population of the world expected to hit 9.7 billion by 2050, it’s no secret that reliable, sustainable, and nutritious food sources need to be developed today to provide for the future tomorrow. But the outlook of providing enough food for future generations is skeptical at best, and scientists, researchers, and farmers are concerned that not enough is being done in the present to prevent food-related catastrophe.

However, some individuals do hold positive outlook that if given the right tools for change and support, another 3 billion people could be fed from sustainable farming methods.

Paul West, from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, along with colleagues believe that if‘given the right levers’, feeding the whole world will be possible. The team believes that the majority of food production problems stem from just a handful of countries, and if such areas could be concentrated on, three billion more people could potentially be fed, along with reduced environmental damage.

“The way we are growing agriculture right now is totally not sustainable.” said West

West and his colleagues have been looking for “leverage points”, or areas with the most potential to change how we grow food. The team focused on the 17 crops that represent 86 percent of the world’s crop calories and consume the most water and fertilizer. From their findings, they developed a three-pronged approach to remedy the global food shortage situation.

Stated Greg Asner of the Carnegie Institute for Science in Stanford, California, “They’re taking a high-altitude view of all the possible points that need to be made if we’re going to feed a planet full of people. It’s incredibly valuable to have all that in one place.”

The study led by West suggests three fundamental areas where food production can be boosted and grown sustainably, leading to increased yields from unproductive farms, decreased amount of waste produced, and change in the way people eat.

In the map below, highlighted areas depict where the most money could be saved.

 

Latest Issue Of ISIS Magazine Comes With More Fearmongering (Video)

 Every month, the Islamic State group (aka ISIS or ISIL) releases a magazine. In their latest issue, the group calls for slavery, quotes former President George W. Bush and comes with plenty of Obama criticism.

RELATED: HAMZA YUSUF: THE CRISIS OF ISIS – A PROPHETIC PREDICTION (VIDEO)

RELATED: MORE THAN 120 ISLAMIC SCHOLARS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WROTE AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADER OF ISIS

12 Steps to Getting Someone to Open Up

How challenges can strengthen your relationship

Source: psychologytoday.com

By: Linda Bloom and Charlie Bloom

One of the most frequently-voiced complaints that we hear from clients and students (and admittedly, it tends to be women who we hear it from) is, “He won’t talk to me,” or, “I can’t get him to open up. No matter what I do, I don’t get anything more than a one-word response,” or, “I’m so frustrated, I could scream.”

No one likes to hear bad news but the truth is that the consequences of refusing to listen or talk about upsetting issues can be far more painful and damaging than the experience of discussing them.

ISIS victim’s brother opposes extremism with integrity and the Quran

By: Dan Bloom

Source: dailymail.co.uk

The brother of beheaded aid worker David Haines has read from the Koran in an impassioned plea for the world to ‘repel evil with something better’.

Mike Haines said extremism, not Islam, was to blame for the on-camera butchering of his brother, a married 44-year-old with two children who devoted his life to helping victims of war.

As Islamic fashion takes off big players emerge

By: Branka Prodanovic

Source: http://theconversation.com/

Islamic veiling is a global political issue and the debate tends to move in two different directions: it’s framed as either a matter of the freedom of female self-expression or as emblematic of gender inequality and suppression. Its role as a fashion statement is rarely discussed.

Education in Islamic History

Source: http://lostislamichistory.com

From the very earliest days of Islam, the issue of education has been at the forefront at the minds of the Muslims. The very first word of the Quran that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was, in fact, “Read”. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once stated that “Seeking knowledge is mandatory for all Muslims.” With such a direct command to go out and seek knowledge, Muslims have placed huge emphasis on the educational system in order to fulfill this obligation placed on them by the Prophet ﷺ.

Throughout Islamic history, education was a point of pride and a field Muslims have always excelled in. Muslims built great libraries and learning centers in places such as Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo. They established the first primary schools for children and universities for continuing education. They advanced sciences by incredible leaps and bounds through such institutions, leading up to today’s modern world.