A Feast for Clothes

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The worst of food is the food at the wedding feast from which one who comes is turned away, and he who refuses it is invited.” [Muslim]

Once upon a time in the city of Shiraz there lived a famous poet, Sheikh Saadi. Like most other poets, Sheikh Saadi was not a rich man. He led a very simple life. A rich merchant of Shiraz invited Sheikh Saadi along with a lot of other big businessmen of the town to his daughter's marriage which was to be a grand affair. Sheikh Saadi accepted the invitation and decided to attend.

On the day of the wedding, the host and his family were receiving the guests at the gate. They were ushering them towards the dining hall. All the rich people of the town had come, in their best attires. Sheikh Saadi had simple clothes on which were neither grand nor expensive. He waited in a corner for someone to approach him but no one gave him as much as a second glance. Even the host did not acknowledge him and looked away.


Seeing this, Sheikh Saadi quietly left the party and went to a shop from where he could hire clothes. There he chose a richly brocaded dress which was embroidered in gold on the margins. He selected a fancy turban and a waist-band to go with it. As he put on the hired dress and looked into the mirror, he found himself a changed person.

This time he was welcomed with open arms. The host embraced him as he would an old friend and complimented him on the clothes he was wearing. "And here comes our favourite poet. What took you so long, friend? We have been waiting for you for ages! How good of you to have come. The gathering surely would have been incomplete without your gracious presence!"

Saadi did not utter a word and allowed the host to lead him to the dining room where the other guests had assembled. Tasty dishes had been laid out on grand carpets. Saadi was offered a seat with soft cushions. The food was served in fine crockery. The host led Sheikh Saadi by the hand and himself served the chicken soup and fragrant rice to him.

Then something strange happened. Sheikh Saadi dipped the corner of his waist-coat in the soup and sprinkled some rice on it. Addressing the clothes he said: "This is a feast for you, you should enjoy it."

All the guests were now staring at him in surprise. The host asked, "Sir! What are doing? How can your clothes eat? And why should they?”

To this query, Sheikh Saadi very calmly replied: "My dear friend, I am indeed surprised with the question coming from you. Aren't you the same person who did not even throw a look at me when I came dressed in simple clothes? I can guess that it is my clothes and appearance that matter with you, not my individual worth. Now that I have put on grand clothes, I see a world of difference in the reception I am offered here. All that I can say is that this feast is meant for my clothes, not for me."

Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) used to say: “The worst of food is the food of a wedding feast to which the rich are invited and the poor are ignored.” [Muslim]

This hadith has been sent to me by dailyhadith.adaptivesolutionsinc.com

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Top 10 Most Precocious Children

I love my kids. I think they’re great. They can do some stuff, like counting to 20 and waving bye-bye. But that’s nothing compared to some kids – there are children out there who can recite the Qur’an, or win Olympic medals when they’re still in high school. This kind of success doesn’t come easily, and behind every outstanding child, there tends to be a pushy parent. And in front of every outstanding child there tends to be a difficult adulthood. So, who can blame those pushy parents for shoving their children into the spotlight before they turn into rebellious adults? Find out which tots and teens are currently enjoying their moment in the sun in our Top 10 Most Precocious Children.


10. Suri Cruise

Let’s start with the most high-profile 7-year-old in the fashion world. Born to Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, she was famous at first for never being seen in public, so protective was Cruise over the baby. How things have changed – not only is Suri regularly snapped in public, in a number of on-trend outfits, but she is now launching her own fashion range.. At the age of 7, yes.

It’s not impossible that the fashion range is a result of her famous parentage, rather than her childrenswear expertise, but it’s said that she has a good eye for design and has been sketching out ideas. There may also be a stylist involved in the project somewhere. But, at an age where most girls are still traipsing around in their mother’s high heels, Suri is making money from fashion. Remarkable, hey?


9. Guan Tianlang

A youth now that’s achieved fame through skill rather than parentage, Guan Tianlang is a 14-year-old golf prodigy who has been accused of hurting professional golf by exposing just how much of the game relies on modern equipment rather than hard work. But there’s no denying that he has talent and he is the youngest person to ever qualify for the Masters Tournament. He has even impressed Tiger Woods, who said “It’s frightening to think that he was born after I won my first Masters” but also praised the youngster’s golfing prowess. One to watch for the future…


8. Blue Ivy Carter

It’s not every toddler that has her own throne. But this is no ordinary toddler. She is Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z and she is a diva in waiting. Hence the personalized throne (above) in her mother’s dressing room. As yet, she hasn’t been given her own fashion line, a la Suri but surely it’s only a matter of time. One product area she may want to steer clear of is hairdressing, as a shot of her curly baby hair provoked a tirade of scorn from strangers on the internet, saying things such as “Blue Ivy looks like she just got thrown out of the club”. When baby bad hair days go viral, you know that baby has an exciting future ahead…


7. Stephan Wolski

Blue Ivy may be the world’s glitziest toddler, but not all children are destined for showbusiness. Some of the talented youngsters out there are studying hard to become the geeks of the next generation. And by “geeks”, I mean they’ll probably be making their fortunes out of tech start-ups. Exhibit A: Stephan Wolski, who has just graduated the College of Southern Maryland with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science and Technology at the age of 15. Next, he’ll be doing his Bachelor’s degree and then after that…world domination. Probably.


6. Lourdes Leon

Another celebrity offspring that looks to follow in her famous mother’s footsteps, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes is currently studying at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art & Performing arts. The school has an impressive list of alumni, including Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Michelle Gellar and it seems that the 16-year-old can’t resist the lure of performing.

But in many other ways, Lourdes is rebelling. She was caught smoking by Madonna, who apparently has a zero-tolerance on cigarettes and has dyed green streaks into her hair. She’s also dating an actor, 17-year-old fellow student Timothée Chalamet and, in typical teenage girl style, has been seen reading Sylvia Plath. Not that Madonna can really complain about any rebelliousness, given her parent-shocking antics in the 1980s. Still, seems like Lourdes won’t be fading into obscurity any time soon.

Read More Top 10 Most Precocious Children

Source : http://www.smashinglists.com/

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The role of Taubah in becoming happy

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You look at me and call me oppressed,

You look at me and call me oppressed,
Simply because of the way I'm dressed,

You know me not for what is inside,
You judge the clothing I wear with pride,

My body is not for your eyes to hold,
You must speak to my mind, not my feminine mould,

I'm an individual. I'm no man's slave,
It's Allah's pleasure that I only crave,

I have a voice so I will be heard,
For in my heart I carry His word,

"O ye women, wrap close your cloak,
So you won't be bothered by ignorant folk".

Man doesn't tell me to dress this way,
It's law from God that I obey,

Oppressed is something I'm truly not,
For liberation is what I've got,

It was given to me many years ago,
With the right to prosper, the right to grow,

I can climb mountains or cross the seas,
Expand my mind in all degrees,

For God Himself gave us liberty,
When He sent Islam, to you and me!

-இதை எழுதியதும் ஒரு பெண் தான்.
 Source: http://amsyed.blogspot.com 

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Women Can Work Out Too!

The first image that comes to mind when questioned about women weight lifting is a big, hulky, muscular, frown-faced, intimidating person, according to some female students at EdCC.

Almost all of the students interviewed believe that women should not weight lift, in order to retain their feminine figure, and that those who do will end up extremely buff. Most women's fears, according to Janet Guenther, P.E. teacher at EdCC and ex-bodybuilder, are that they will lose their femininity with increased muscle mass.

However the image of a woman if she works out is misconstrued. Guenther has said that there's a certain limit for women to increase their muscle mass compared to a guy.

A woman's body won't be able to increase muscle mass to the point of becoming a big and hulky person that most people imagine when it comes to a female weight lifting.

“All of those women with the strange sounding voices and the hulky-hulky muscles that are bigger than the average guy; they're all on drugs,” Guenther says about those big women bodybuilders. “They have a zillion times more testosterone going through them than the average guy going through puberty.”

The misconstrued image of a woman working out also stems from the confusion that weightlifting is the same as bodybuilding, however they are not the same.

A weightlifter's goal is to gain muscle mass and lose body fat in order to become fit. Whereas a bodybuilder's main goal is to shape and sculpt the body, in addition to increasing muscle mass and losing body fat.

Once they learned the difference, some students believe it is okay for a woman to weightlift but not body-build, maintaining the belief that women should not engage in a manly activity and risk losing their feminine figure.

“Women shouldn't body-build because she's a woman,” says Wafaa Elzaloey, student at EdCC. “She should be treated like a queen.”

Elzaloey believes that a woman shouldn't have to worry about herself (in terms of lifting heavy things), and that she should be assisted.

Crystal Matlock, another student at EdCC, contradicts this view by saying, “I think we should be able to hold our own.” She believes that women should weight lift in order to get fit and in shape.

Guenther agrees to this as she says that there's no guarantee that anyone will take care of us in this day and age; we (women) have to keep ourselves fit so that we don't have to rely on someone else to do our heavy lifting.

Besides giving your body a good figure, weight lifting has many benefits. According to Guenther, weightlifting keeps bone density, strengthens joints and tendons in addition to your muscles, and through a proper weight lifting program you can also increase your flexibility.

“Muscles are the only things that will help you keep your shape,” Guenther says.

For women it's more important to take care of their bodies, because biologically, they have more fat around their muscles, and as related by Matlock, as time progresses, gravity plays a role making excess fat sag. Because of this she has been working out regularly for five years, doing cardio along with weight lifting to keep away excessive fat.

Despite her exercise regimen, Matlock believes that a woman should have a bit of fat around their muscles to give them their “shape,” referring to the feminine curves.

“I think it is important to keep the feminine shape while having muscles,” Matlock stated.

This overall image of a female body needing to be feminine stems from society's ideals. Guenther states how she thinks society defines men and women; men should be the strong ones which are equated to muscles, and women should be reserved and shouldn't be intimidating, in other words, not muscular.

“It's a men-based world,” Guenther stated several times. She says that to instill the view that women can weight lift and body-build without risking their femininity, “They [women] must take control…and not be told what their roles are.”

To help women venture into the world of weight lifting without embarrassment, Guenther offers a body conditioning class at EdCC, for women only. She uses the term body conditioning, because she believes that women will be frightened away if she named her class women weight lifting or bodybuilding. Additionally this class is restricted to women only, so that they may work out without feeling intimidated by the amount of weights that the men lift.

As for the feminine figure that women are worried about losing if they gain muscle, Guenther tells women that if they work out and expand their shoulder muscles, they work themselves into a nice 'V' shape, because their waists seem narrower, which is what most women usually try to achieve.

Guenther has seen the success of this class. She relates how she has seen females come into the weight room the first day of class all shy and reserved, kind of wide-eyed at all the exercise equipment. However as the quarter progresses, she sees real improvement. The same girls, who would crouch their shoulders in the beginning, would walk more confidently through the gym; sure of themselves while handling each equipment.

This is what Guenther hopes to achieve through her classes. Women should feel comfortable going to any gym to work out, regardless of what other people may think about a woman working out, whether it is to weightlift or body build. And above all they shouldn't fear about losing their feminine figures, as weightlifting or bodybuilding does not diminish it.

-Vaseela
Source : http://www.darulislamfamily.com/

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WOMAN vs MACHINE. Closing the Genter Gap in Computer Science

Source: Best Computer Science Schools

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PRIVACY AND SECURITY ON FACEBOOK

Source: BestComputerScienceSchools.net

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Happiness, Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation

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Life Spicy

Ups and downs make our life spicy
To keep on laughing or weeping
Would make it icy
As though a sprinter started creeping

After quarreling with your beewi(wife)
Balancing yourself is an art
Read a novel, sing song or watch TV
Do something to comfort your heart

Fears and tears
Sometimes we may allow
But there should also be cheers
To make our life mellow

We know not the what and when of a feeling
But entertain not these guests for long
For they may damage us beyond healing
And make our life forlorn

Reason walks hand in hand with passion
Like neocortex and amygdala
Never be servile to intellect or emotion
For life then would lose its tala

by Nagore Rumi

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