Happy Ied Mubarak 1432 H

Salam!

الحمد لله الله أكبر الله أكبر لاإله الا الله والله أكبر الله أكبر ولله الـحمد.

For all brothers & sisters around the world,

Happy Eid Mubarak 1432 H!

In this hallowed atmosphere, I’d like to say:

من العائدين والفائزين

تقبل الله منا ومكم صيامنا وصيامكم

امين 

Regards,
Fajri Umami

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Knowing Our Lord (part 4)

GOD GIVES BLESSINGS TO HUMAN BEINGS

“Truly God, He is the Provider, the Possessor of Strength, the Sure.”

(Surat adh-Dhariyat, 58)

God has infinite mercy. We can survive, thanks to the blessings that He gives. God makes the plants, which are for us, sprout from the earth. He brings green plants and spikes of grain from the earth without even cultivating it. Yellow, red, green, and orange fruits and vegetables come from the earth.

God covers a 4500-Celsius-degree mass of fire beneath our feet with earth. He brings down tons of pure water from the sky. He fills the blue seas with thousands of different kinds of creatures.

Every moment, God creates the oxygen that fills our lungs.  We can’t count the number of blessings God has created for us. This fact is related in the Qur’an thus:

“He has given you everything you have asked Him for. If you tried to number God’s blessings, you could never count them.…”

(Surah Ibrahim, 34)

We must never forget that God has given us these blessings. We must remember and thank Him at all times.

 

 

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Knowing Our Lord (part 3)

GOD IS THE MAGNIFICENT

“Everything in the heavens and everything in the Earth    belongs to Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent.”

(Surat ash-Shura, 4)

God’s magnificence is beyond our comprehension. But, when we look at what He has created, we can grasp His greatness. We can see how powerful He is.

The sky that holds up tons of clouds,

the mountains that rise thousands of feet into the sky,

the seas containing millions of kinds of different creatures,

the forests where many animals live….

These things and many more than we can count are among the clear signs of God’s greatness.

 

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Knowing Our Lord (part 2)

GOD FORGIVES THE MISTAKES WE MAKE

“Whether you reveal a good act or keep it hidden, or pardon an evil act, God is Ever-Pardoning, All-Powerful.

(Surat an-Nisa’, 149)

We all make mistakes from time to time. We may fail to consider all aspects about something and make wrong decisions. We may behave incorrectly. But, God created us; He knows our weaknesses and forgives our mistakes. We have to recognize our mistake and repent so that we don’t do the same thing again. That is, we have to pray God for forgiveness.

If we are sincere in this behavior, God forgives our sins and pardons us. He tells us in the Qu’ran about the importance of sincerity:

“God only accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and then quickly repent after doing it. God turns towards such people. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

(Surat an-Nisa’, 17)

 

 

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Knowing Our Lord (part 1)

Who created you?

Who gave you your hair and your eyes their color?

Who said how tall you would be and what color your skin would be?

And, Who created your mother, your father and your friends?

Who created mountains, trees, the sea, the Sun, and the Moon?

Who created cats and dogs, squirrels, giraffes, and the other creatures?

Most of you will all answer these questions in the same way:

“God created us and everything else.”

Of course, this is the right answer!

So, how well do you know Almighty God, the Creator of us and the whole universe?

God has revealed Himself to us in the Qu’ran.

 

 

GOD IS THE FIRST; HE EXISTED BEFORE EVERYTHING

“He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward. He has knowledge of all things.”

(Surat al-Hadid, 3)

The world we live in is part of a very big universe. Through history, people have wondered whether this huge universe had a beginning or not. In the 20^th century, it was proved that it had.

In 1929, a scientist by the name of Edwin Hubble observed that the universe was always expanding. Starting from this fact, scientists made an important deduction: if one went backwards in time, the universe would get smaller. And, a universe that was getting smaller would eventually become one single point. So, the universe came from the explosion of this tiny point.

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The Signs In Living Things (part 7-end)

PROOFS OF GOD’S EXISTENCE ARE EVERYWHERE

Whatever plant or animal we examine, the final result of our search will always point to the reality of a flawless creation.

All living things have countless undiscovered aspects, and each one of these is created for its own particular purpose.

Every living thing contains the proof of its creation. It is the duty of every rational individual to reflect on God’s creation and to praise and glorify our Lord at all times.

“That is God, your Lord. There is no deity but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for everything.”

(Surat al-An‘am, 102)

PS: this is a copy of Harun Yahya’s article (with the title: The Sign of Living Things), available on http://www.harunyahya.com/.

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The Signs In Living Things (part 6)

BUTTERFLIES WITH OPTICAL KNOWLEDGE

There are three basic laws of light-ray optics used by physicists:

The closer the sun’s rays strike it to a right angle, the more a surface warms up.

If sunlight strikes two surfaces at the same angle, the darker of the two will warm up more.

A reflective surface reflects light at the same angle at which the light strikes it.

Students of physics are aware of these laws, but many people today may be unaware that these laws even exist. They are unaware of how these laws affect their daily lives or the purpose they serve. But there are also other living things that know these laws very well: Butterflies.

Butterflies make use of the laws of optics in their day-to-day lives. Everyone likes butterflies. These creatures with their bright colors and delicate flight patterns are among the beauties created for us by God.

However, there is more to butterflies than just their attractive external appearance. Sometimes these short-lived creatures must make the most expert calculations. The Colias butterfly, for example, is unable to fly if its body temperature falls below 28 degrees Centigrade. In that event, it immediately extends its wings and turns its back to the Sun to receive its rays perpendicularly. When the butterfly has warmed up enough and its body temperature has risen to 40 degrees Centigrade, it turns 90 degrees around its own axis. The Sun’s rays now strike it horizontally. This minimizes the warming effect of the Sun’s rays. The butterfly’s body temperature now starts to fall.

In addition, some species of butterfly have large, dark scaly spots on those parts of their wings closest to their bodies. According to their color, these scales are able to adjust the temperature to the maximum or minimum level.

We have all seen butterflies opening and closing their wings in the sun, as if they were trying to keep them at a particular angle. The black spots on these insects’ bodies help them to absorb the Sun’s rays. By adjusting the opening and closing motion of its wings to the direction of the sun’s rays, a butterfly can increase its body heat.

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The Signs In Living Things (part 5)

NIGHT-HUNTING OWLS

All living things on Earth have been created with miraculous characteristics and amazing abilities. We can come across a wide variety of these creatures wherever we may live and we can see these astonishingly different qualities in all species.

There are some 10,000 species of birds—one class of the flawless living things on Earth—each of which possesses its own miraculous features. One amazing member of the bird kingdom is the owl.

Most owls are nocturnal. Night is a time of concealment and sleep for most living things but it is a time for hunting for the owl. All their qualities have been created to allow these creatures to move with ease through the darkness.

First and foremost, a creature that hunts by night has to be able to move silently. But most birds make a noise when they fly. The noise made by the wings of a flying swan, for instance, can be heard from a long distance. The wings of many large birds make a noise as they fly. Noisy wings are a major disadvantage in that intended prey becomes aware of an impending attack.

But this problem has been resolved in the nocturnal owl through the special structure of its feathers. The owl’s feathers are soft, and the edges of their powerful wing feathers have a tasseled structure that enables them to fly. The velvet-soft surface of the wing feathers effectively drowns out noise and allows the owl to fly in silence.

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The Signs In Living Things (part 4)

HIBERNATING BEARS ARE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR NEW DISCOVERIES IN MEDICINE

The first animals one thinks of whenever the word “hibernation” is mentioned is without doubt bears.

Scientists have recently been researching how it is that bears can remain healthy over the long months of hibernation, and are looking for ways to make use of bears’ physiological characteristics in the field of medicine. For example, the objective behind one piece of research being carried out at the Michigan Technological University is to find a cure for osteoporosis by studying the bone metabolism of bears.

Our bones are constantly being renewed throughout our lives. Yet if bone breakdown increases for reasons such as old age or immobility, and if renewal declines, then the bone tissue weakens. This is something that applies to human beings. Yet, although the American Black Bear remains almost totally immobile during the months it spends in hibernation, it suffers no loss in bone density. It is thought that if a human being were to remain in bed for a similar length of time his bones would grow very brittle and break easily.

An article on the subject by the research team, led by Seth Donahue of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, was published in The Journal of Experimental Biology in 2003. It describes how there is an increase in bone breakdown as the bear hibernates, but bone production remains constant. Immobile human beings suffer damage because breakdown increases while bone production declines rather than remaining constant. As the animal wakens from hibernation and begins to move again, production reaches its highest level, and the bones are thus able to return rapidly to their former state. Yet a human being immobilized for a long period of time due to injury or sickness suffers bone loss and may never fully return to his former condition.

The Black Bear does not feed during hibernation. That may give rise to the following question: From where does it obtain the calcium necessary for bone production? Donahue thinks that the calcium released by bone loss is re-absorbed by the body and recycled in bone production. One of the reasons why he believes this is because the Black Bear has no excretory or urinary activity during hibernation. Seth Donahue sets out his thoughts in these terms:

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The Signs In Living Things (part 3)

SHARKS ARE SENSITIVE TO ELECTRICAL CURRENTS

Sharks’ respiratory systems, and the magnetic receptors that enable them to find their way, and ability to swim very rapidly are all miracles of creation. As with all living things, God has created sharks flawlessly. White sharks, that rely heavily on vision to catch their prey, experience no difficulty when swimming off warm coral reef waters. They can easily see their prey.

In cold ocean waters, however, it might be expected that their vision would be impaired by the cold, because chemical reactions slow down under the influence of the cold water. Therefore, the animal’s eyes should not be able to track a fast-moving prey; yet white sharks never encounter such difficulties because their eyes are not cold-blooded like their bodies.

In this species of shark the heat from their body's muscles is directed straight to the eyes. Thus, they can catch the fastest swimming fish and even seals. Yet how do other shark species whose vision is too weak in cold waters to track their prey manage to find food?

The answer to this question introduces us to the perfect creation in sharks.

All living things give off electricity in addition to heat. Those creatures that live on land find it hard to perceive these currents because the air serves as an insulator. But things are different in water.

Water is a natural conductor of electricity, therefore, a living thing capable of perceiving that electricity possesses a very effective sense.

Sharks have this advantage to such an extent that they can perceive all the vibrations, changes in temperature and salinity levels in water, and especially the minute changes in electrical fields produced by moving creatures.

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The Signs In Living Things (part 2)

THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK IN PLANTS

The ability to measure time may be thought to be limited to man. But both plants and animals possess a time-measuring mechanism, or "biological clock."

Plants, in their endless variety, have known what to do, and when to do it, for millions of years. They do this without forgetting and without error, thanks to the program hidden in their seeds.

Leaves fall from the trees at exactly the right time every autumn, and re-appear every spring. Every function performed by plants, from a seed falling to earth and sprouting to the water absorbed from the soil and distributed to the furthest tips of giant trees, takes place with impeccable timing.

Under natural conditions, plants select certain times for certain activities. They do this in line with certain changes in the sunlight. Because their internal clocks are tuned to sunlight, they complete their rhythmic activities in 24 hours. No matter how long the rhythmic motions last, there is one point that does not change: These activities occur to ensure the life of the plant and the survival of the generations, and they always take place at the most appropriate time. And in order for them to function properly, several complicated processes have to be completed in a flawless manner. For example, flowering is not an ordinary function that takes place of its own accord, because plants do not always give off pollen.

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The Signs In Living Things (part 1)

You have left home in a hurry to get somewhere. You are not entirely sure of the address you are going to, and the traffic is very busy. But you are not in the least bit concerned. Before leaving home you press a small button, and your car moves away from where you had parked it and comes up to your front door. As you approach, it uses a special scanning system to identify you, and the door opens. The seat belt fastens automatically as you sit down. You tell the car where you are going. Your car checks the traffic situation over the Internet and determines the fastest route to your destination.

At the same time, since your car is equipped with maximum safety features, the risk of accident is reduced to a minimum. There can be no doubt that were such a car to exist, nobody would doubt the existence of people who had designed it.

Indeed, many people would be curious about the designer and manufacturing company, and would try to find out about them. Large or small, everything that contains a detailed design and order must necessarily have a designer. And what about the countless variety of living things we see all around us? How can people who believe that this car has a designer account for the origin of living things, with their ever more complex structures?

Let us now have a look around us.

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Time Is a Great Blessing

Time

The place you are looking at is a cemetery. A special place of great wisdom that some of you will try to avoid ever going to, that some of you may pass by every day and that others of you may have to visit one time or more in your lives. 

The people lying here were once as alive as you. Like you, they walked on the streets, went shopping, met up and had fun with their friends, worked for a living, raised their families and strove to spend their lives as pleasantly as possible. They planned everything to do with these activities in great detail. But when they were alive, and maybe just like you, these people never even imagined that one day they would have to leave everything they had behind. Like you, perhaps, they thought of the life they were given as being so long it would never end.

But contrary to what people imagine, the life given them in this world passes very quickly, for which reason life is very short. Everyone now living in the world, and you reading this article are all spending an appointed time and drawing closer to death with every passing second.

Many people are in fact aware of and talk about this fact. You will no doubt have witnessed many people around you complaining about how fast time passes, for which reason they can not do all that they want to. This is particularly evident among old people. They always hark back to the past and their own youth. When asked, they say that their lives have gone by “in the blink of an eye” and how they are amazed how fast time has flown and made them old and weak.

It is not only old age that reminds one how fast time flies. Some people say that life is really very short and that one can look death in the face at any moment when something bad happens to them, for example when someone close to them dies or someone they know has a narrow escape from an accident. They say that one must live life as well and satisfyingly as possible.  

Some people are so caught up with their daily affairs, business or activities that amuse them and help pass the time, that they even forget that time exists at all, let alone being aware of how quickly it flies by. They sometimes express their amazement by saying things like “where did the time go?” or “is it evening already?” 

Although these people are aware that time is going by very fast, they fail to grasp the wisdom behind it. And this is the point that misleads people and prevents them using their time properly.

There is a purpose and wisdom in the span allotted to people in this world. So long as they use this limited time bestowed on them by Allah “to earn His approval and merit paradise”, then they will have used their time in the best and most proper manner.

But if someone starts using his time chasing after earthly concerns instead of doing good deeds for Allah’s approval, then he will suffer grave doubts and stress. As a result, he will be afraid he is not making enough use of his life. Such a person may then spend all his life in a very greedy, selfish and opportunistic manner, making concessions regarding moral virtues.

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God (Always) Answers My Prayers

Everything I Need

I asked for strength and,

God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and,

God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and,

God gave me brawn and brains to work.

I asked for courage and,

God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and,

God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love and,

God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and,

God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted,

I received everything I needed.

My prayers have all been answered.

-Anonymous-

What an awesome and so deeply meaningful poem that I call it “a wake-up call”.

When there is a will, there is a way; a way to make our dream comes true. We’ve got to try to reach it, but effort isn’t worthy. Prayer is the complement way we should not forget.

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Everything You Possess is a Favor from Allah

In the world in which we live, Allah bestows many favours on man. All the needs of each living being are benevolently met; no detail is forgotten.

Let's think about ourselves as examples. From the moment we wake in the morning, we need many things and encounter many situations. In brief, we survive due to the many favours bestowed upon us.

We can breathe as soon as we wake up. We never experience difficulty in doing this, thanks to our respiratory systems functioning perfectly. We can see as soon as we open our eyes. The sharp and distant images, all three-dimensional and fully coloured, are perceived by our eyes, and indeed owe their existence to the unique design of eyes. We taste delicious flavours. The relative proportions of the vitamin, mineral, carbohydrate or protein content of the food we eat, or how the excess of these nutrients are stored or utilised in the body never concern us. Moreover, we are mostly never aware that such complicated operations take place in our body.

When we hold some material in our hands, we immediately know if it is soft or hard. What is more, we need no mental effort to do this. Numerous similar minute operations take place in our body. The organs, responsible for these operations, have complicated mechanisms. The human body functions almost like a factory of enormous complexity and ingenuity. This body is one of the major favours given to man since man leads his existence on earth with it.

At this point, a question remains to be answered: how are the raw materials necessary to operate this factory supplied? To put it another way, how do water, air, and all the other nutrients essential for life come into existence?

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Happy Welcoming Ramadan 1432 H

ijk

Salam!

For all Muslims around the world, Happy welcoming Ramadan 1432 H!

Let’s forgive and ask for forgiven each other.

Wish this Ramadan lead us to a higher quality of personality and life.

Regards,

Fajri Umami

PS: If there’s something you can’t forgive (my mistakes), please send me PM.

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Happy Welcoming Ramadan 1431 H

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Tuhan (Selalu) Menjawab Doaku

Everything I Need

I asked for strength and,

God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and,

God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and,

God gave me brawn and brains to work.

I asked for courage and,

God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and,

God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love and,

God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and,

God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted,

I received everything I needed.

My prayers have all been answered.

-Anonymous-

Sebuah puisi yang sangat indah. Mampu menggetarkan hati dan membangunkan kesadaran.

Saat kita menginginkan sesuatu, akan selalu ada satu tempat untuk meminta. Yang Maha Mendengarkan (As-Saami’), Maha Memberikan (Al-Waliyy). “Ud’unii astajiblakum” (Berdo’alah kepada-Ku, niscaya akan Aku kabulkan). Dan janji itu benar adanya. Hanya saja, ada satu hal yang harus kita ketahui, Allah mengabulkan permintaan hamba-Nya sesuai dengan pilihan-Nya dan pada waktu yang dikehendaki-Nya.

Jika kita melihat lebih dalam, Allah selalu menjawab dan mengabulkan permintaan hamba-Nya sesuai dengan cara-Nya karena ia paling tahu apa yang dibutuhkan oleh hamba-Nya dan apa yang terbaik untuk hamba-Nya. Sesuatu yang jauh lebih baik, bahkan yang terbaik jika dibandingkan dengan apa yang seorang hamba minta.

Jika kita mengambil contoh penggalan puisi di atas, “I asked for strength and, God gave me difficulties to make me strong”, kita dapat melihat bahwa Allah Maha Bijaksana dalam memberkahi hamba-Nya. Ia tidak memberikan kekuatan itu secara “konkret”, tapi memberikan kesulitan demi kesulitan sebagai media uji pengasah kekuatan, sehingga sang hamba benar-benar dapat menjadi kuat dalam menghadapi ujian tersebut. Itulah jawaban untuk “kekuatan” itu; kesulitan untuk dihadapi. Betapa bijaksananya Allah.

Akan tetapi, tak jarang ketidaksabaran membutakan kita, sehingga tidak mampu menyadari tanda-tanda yang diberikan-Nya sebagai jawaban atas permohonan kita. Itu semua tidak terlepas dari keterbatasan manusia dalam memahami kesempurnaan-Nya.

So, smart readers,

There’s one thing we must know and believe that God always answers our prayers and gives us the best (what we need indeed, though it’s not what we want).

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