Did you know? Thats the the title of the video i found interesting today. I don’t know how true the information in the video is but it sure contains some intriguing numbers. Surely the amount of information to which we have access today is a mixed blessing. There is so much information available today, that the mind of a human being cannot comprehend. Now take that and just for a second think of the fact that Allah, The most Knowledgeable and Wise, knows all about the past, the future and all that we know today. How does man then question the ability and wisdom of Allah?

Ever since Gmail came out with their tasks feature I’ve loved it. For my limited use, its simple, easy and usable. If you are using OS X, here is a quick way to create a dashboard widget. All you need is Safari, both versions 3 and 4 will work in the manner detailed below.

1. Launch Safari and open preferences.
2. Select the ‘Advanced’ tab, check the ‘Show Develop menu in menu bar’ option and then close the window.
3. Open a new tab in safari and select the ‘Develop’ menu. Navigate to ‘User agent’ > Mobile Safari 2.2.1 – iPhone
4. Back to your tab, now go to http://gmail.com/tasks. Log in with your gmail account and you should see the layout just as you would on the iphone.
5. If you have the tool button for dashboard (it’s the one with the scissors) on safari enabled use that or go to File > Open in Dashboard
6. Select the area your want to see in the widget and click ‘Add’ on the top right. The dashboard should open with the widget now. That’s it!

This widget is fully functional. You can add lists, create tasks etc. Everything you can do on the iphone you can do here. If however you want the desktop version of this then replace the url with “http://mail.google.com/tasks/ig”. Here you have to resize the window first and then repeat step 5 and 6.

UPDATE: Google Apps customers should use the url ‘http://mail.google.com/tasks/a/<your-doman-name>/iphone’.

Whoever desires the quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell; he will burn therein disgraced and rejected ( far away from Allaah’s Mercy).

And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. does righteous deeds of Allaah’s obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism)  then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allaah)

[al-Isra' 17:18-19]

My brother, if you want to have a high position in all kinds of good deeds, to be a devoted slave of Allaah and to honour your parents, and you are seeking Paradise, then you have to do the following:

1 You have to revive the faith in your heart. Faith is what will bring the Muslim everything he seeks in this world and in the Hereafter. Faith is the key to all goodness and locks the door to all evil. The means of reviving and strengthening faith in one’s heart are many and varied, including doing a lot of acts of worship and righteous deeds.

2 You must turn to your Lord sincerely, as it says in the report: If My slave turns to me inwardly and outwardly, I will turn the hearts of My slaves to him with love and mercy.

Allaah has made worship the ultimate aim and loftiest purpose of man:

And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56 interpretation of the meaning)]

3 You should always set your sights on the highest degrees, and make your goal in life to earn the pleasure of Allaah, and strive to attain the victory of Paradise, or to attain the highest Firdaws. You should strive as hard as you can to achieve these lofty aims.

4 You should follow the example of historical Muslim figures such as the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and righteous forebears (the salaf).

5 You should make the most of every minute, every moment and every heartbeat to use it in such a way as to increase your faith.

6 You should try to keep company with righteous people, because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, A man will follow the religion of his close friend, so let each one of you look at whom he befriends. Narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi with a hasan isnaad. Good friends are one of the best means of helping you to obey Allaah and to avoid sin and error.

7  Doing a lot of righteous deeds which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.

8  Praying qiyaam al-layl, making du’aa in the time just before dawn. The feet of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to swell because of his desire to be a thankful slave, even though Allaah had forgiven his previous and future sins.

9  Persisting in reading a portion of Qur’aan daily, and other dhikr that helps you to think and ponder the meanings of the Qur’aan.

10  Striving to spread the word and make da’wah for the sake of Allaah, and working for Islam as much as possible.

If you want to reach the status of devoted slave for which you long, then be as Allaah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):

Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)

[al-An'aam 6:162]

Being a devoted slave of Allaah means declaring one’s devotion and belonging to the Lord, which can only be achieved by applying this aayah, so that we are for Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, in all our affairs.

Being a devoted slave of Allaah can only be fully achieved in this manner; it can only be achieved by worshipping Allaah in the fullest sense of the word, which means making our living and dying, and all our movements, for Him alone. So we only speak that which is pleasing to Allaah; we only do that which is pleasing to Allaah; we focus our intention in these words and deeds only on Allaah. Worship should not be reduced to merely raising and lowering our heads at certain times, or giving a few pennies every once in a while, or fasting a few days each year, or moving our lips to say a few words and dhikrs.

Hence the deeds that lead to this status of being a devoted slave  are innumerable and may take many shapes in all aspects of our lives and the places where we live. This is by the bounty of Allaah towards us and towards all people.

Just look, in every place where you find yourself and every moment that comes to you, for that which will please Him, and what you think He wants to see you doing, and do it. Then you will be a devoted slave.

Finally, we ask Allaah to accept righteous deeds from us and from you, and to gather us and you in His mercy with the Prophets, siddeeqs, martyrs and righteous, and those are the best of companions.

Islam Q&A

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/34306

In this age of information and internet it so hard to understand how people can remain so blatantly ignorant. I can understand the knowledge of a person who does not use the internet or is in a far remote place. But its so amazing that people who write blogs, read on the internet and spend time on social networks can be so ignorant.

Alhamdulillah as a muslim, my faith teaches me to verify every bit of news, unless if its from a trustworthy source. Until I know the truth I cannot take sides on any matter. Irrespective of whether the parties in question are muslims or not. Islam teaches justice. And being just and fair is an essential part of my faith. I was not born when middle east conflict. Yet I refused to read the stories in media today or 10 years ago and assume it to be the truth. No but I had to go back to the time this all started and read and gather information to find out what the truth is. The price paid for learning the truth is steep. It’s easy to lie or be fooled. But its a challenge to find the truth.

And so if any one is interested in reading the truth about why we are seeing this war in Gaza today or how the Palestinian conflict began I suggest you read the following. I have also included links that give show you the reality of today’s war as opposed to the picture painted by mainstream media.

History

1. http://www.ifamericansknew.org
2. http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/kabd_eng.html

The war today

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7608914.stm
3. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=80685&sectionid=3510302
4. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=29556

I’m cross posting this one from an old post on coding horrors. I can’t find the original now, but I had saved the text. I found it on

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/

Article 1: Every programmer shall have two monitors
If you want to maximize developer productivity, make sure each developer has two monitors.
Article 2: Every programmer shall have a fast Computer
Developers are required to run a lot of software to get their jobs. The faster a developer’s computer is, the faster they can cycle through debug and compile cycles. Time spent staring at a progress bar is wasted time.
Article 3: Every programmer shall have their choice of mouse and keyboard
Programmers should have the unique relationship with their mouse and keyboard– they are the essential, workaday tools we use to practice our craft and should be treated as such.
Article 4: Every programmer shall have a comfortable chair
Let’s face it. We make our livings largely by sitting on our butts for 8 hours a day. Why not spend that 8 hours in a comfortable, well-designed chair? Give developers chairs that make sitting for 8 hours not just tolerable, but enjoyable.
Article 5: Every programmer shall have a fast internet connection
I’m all for books, but it’s hard to imagine getting any work done without fast, responsive internet searches at my fingertips.
Article 6: Every programmer shall have quiet working conditions
Programmers cannot work effectively in an interrupt-driven environment. Make sure your working environment protects your programmers’ flow state, otherwise they’ll waste most of their time bouncing back and forth between distractions.