COMPARATIVE STUDY: October 2010

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Avatar

This below links are all related to Debates and knowledgeable information by World’s Famous Scholar Dr. Zakir Naik , I prefer every Muslim and Non-Muslim to go through these links which gives us a clear picture of who is God, who is Prophet, which book is Word of God. And also clear the misconception about Islam. May Allah be please with all of us.

Note: Humble request to send to all our Muslim and Non- Muslim Brothers & Sisters.

Ahmed Deedat Amazing Answers to the Questions by Western people:
Link 01: http://video. google.com/ videoplay? docid=2287492988 094559892 (about 4 wives in Islam)
Link 02: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=U0plMbcfVBE (Amazing Answer regarding Hijab or viel )
Link 04: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=utPstdChbt4

Friday, October 29, 2010

Obama to visit Istiqbal mosque during Indonesia trip

President Barack Obama will visit the largest mosque in Jakarta and make a major outdoor speech when he makes his twice-postponed visit to Indonesia next month, the White House said on Thursday.

The U.S. President, who spent four years in the country as a boy, will stress that Indonesia is at the intersection of U.S. efforts to reach out to the Muslim world and to connect with dynamic, fast-growing southeast Asian economies.

The president will arrive in Indonesia on Nov. 9 after visiting India, and will have talks and a press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the White House said.

US outreach to Muslim communities

The Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta

The next day, he will honor the Heroes Day holiday, marking a key battle in Indonesia's independence struggle, then visit the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, before making a speech, for which U.S. officials are seeking an outdoor venue.

"He'll have a chance to talk about the partnership that we're building with Indonesia," said Ben Rhodes, a U.S. deputy national security advisor, noting that Obama was "popular" in Jakarta because of his boyhood stay.

The president will also "talk about some of the themes of democracy and development and our outreach to Muslim communities around the world, while also speaking of Indonesia's pluralism and tolerance as well."

Obama's speech may become his most high profile chance to discourse on U.S. relations with Islam in a foreign country since his landmark speech to the world's Muslims in Cairo in June 2009.

Rhodes cautioned against the idea that Obama needed to renew his commitment for a "new beginning" with Islam, after a furor over plans to build an Islamic cultural center near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York.

He said that Obama frequently visited mosques on his travels to Muslim majority nations, and had always intended to visit the Istiqlal mosque.

Political, security and economic cooperation

The visit will follow reports that the White House cancelled plans for Obama to visit the Sikh Golden temple in Amritsar, India as he would have to wear headgear that could fan erroneous claims by critics that he is a Muslim.

U.S. officials have not directly responded to the reports, saying instead that the president's schedule was tightly compacted and dictated by his goals for each leg of a foreign trip and not other concerns.

Jeffrey Bader, Obama's top Asia policy hand, said that the president would formally launch a U.S.-Indonesia comprehensive partnership, designed to deepen cooperation on political, security and economic issues, in Jakarta.

"We have tried to highlight Indonesia's growing importance in this administration," Bader said, noting Indonesia's membership of the G20, its status as the largest Muslim-majority nation and key role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Obama had planned to visit Indonesia twice before this year, but was forced to cancel in March as he pushed for final passage of his health care law and in June after an environmental disaster unfolded around the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

But his schedule in his one-night stay will be so packed in Indonesia that he will be unable to visit many of his boyhood haunts that he had hoped to show his family.

Obama's wife, First Lady Michelle Obama is expected to travel to Indonesia, but his daughters will stay at home as they will be at school.

Obama lived with his late mother and step father for four years in Indonesia and has spoken of his warm feelings for the country.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Haj plan being put in place

The Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques will today start implementing its plan for this year's Haj season, aimed at enabling the guests of God to perform their rituals in peace.

The strategy will remain in place until the end of the pilgrimage season, Dul Hijjah 30 (Dec. 6), Deputy President of the Presidency Muhammad ibn Nasser Al-Khuzaim announced Friday.

“The plan is aimed at ensuring an ideal atmosphere for worship inside the Two Holy Mosques and their surrounding plazas and courtyards,” he told Arab News, adding that under the plan, pilgrims will be guided on how to perform the Haj rites correctly.

Al-Khuzaim said the presidency is keen to provide all necessary services and prepare all facilities to be used by the pilgrims.

He said over 5,700 people including official staff, temporary employees and seasonal workers will carry out the plan and added that the number of preachers has also been increased this year.

According to Al-Khuzaim, the President of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques will hand over the new Kaaba kiswa (dress) to the chief guardian of the Grand Mosque on the first day of Dul Hijjah and said all carpets inside the Grand Mosque will be rolled out to avoid impeding the movement of pilgrims and prevent the spread of any contagious diseases.

He said the blessed Zamzam water would be distributed among Hajis at their accommodation, but urged pilgrims not to take it inside the mosque to avoid spillages on the floor and making it slippery.

Al-Khuzaim said there were 43 locations with 340 taps spread across the ground, first, second and top levels of the Masaa where pilgrims can drink Zamzam water. He said these facilities are not be used for ablution.

He added that four Zamzam water points with 110 fountains were established around the Tawaf area.

Al-Khuzaim said the Masaa has been expanded and all its floors, including the underground, ground, first, second and roof levels, have been made ready for pilgrims.

He said the passages for pilgrims and wheelchairs have been greatly expanded to allow easy movement and said 74 marble lockers have been placed on the ground floor for the storage of shoes.

The deputy president said amplifiers were placed in the courtyards and plazas of the two mosques so that worshippers could easily listen out for prayer calls and added that seven temporary bridges and mobile stairs have been installed to facilitate the easy movement of worshippers.

Al-Khuzaim said 62 bathrooms have been set up near the eastern Al-Fath door with 100 taps for ablution.

Fifth floor of Jamrat Bridge opens for Haj

The fifth floor of the high tech Jamrat Bridge in Mina will be open to pilgrims this Haj season, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs said Saturday.

“The opening of the fifth floor will facilitate the stoning ritual at Jamrat,” said Habeeb Zainul Abideen, deputy minister for municipal and rural affairs.

Abideen was addressing a conference on medicine attended by 500 delegates. He described Haj as the largest congregation of people in the world and highlighted the Saudi government’s efforts to avoid stampedes and other accidents during the annual event.

Abideen said the irresponsible behavior of some pilgrims causes problems not only for Saudi Haj managers, but also fellow Hajis. He urged all pilgrims to follow safety instructions.

There are 90 cameras around Jamrat to monitor the movement of pilgrims and prevent possible stampedes. These cameras will also enable Haj managers to assess how many pilgrims each floor of the bridge can hold.

“We have also arranged for vehicles to carry pilgrims with special needs to help them perform the stoning ritual without any difficulty,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, spoke about new plans for crowd management at Jamrat as well as in the mataf, the circling area around the Holy Kaaba where pilgrims perform tawaf, and the masaa, the running area between Safa and Marwa where Hajis perform saie.

Out of the 2.5 million people who come for Haj every year, 700,000 pilgrims walk to the holy sites, he said, adding that 75,000 buses and other vehicles are used to transport the other pilgrims.

The Haram Mosque in Makkah can hold 700,000 worshippers, while the mataf can hold 53,000 and the masaa 118,000.

Dr. Ziyad Maimish, assistant undersecretary at the Health Ministry for preventive medicine, said the ministry would mobilize about 17,000 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff and 39 mobile medical teams for Haj duty.

Monday, October 18, 2010

GOD IS ONE

They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded [in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)) to worship none but One Ilah (God - Allah) La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Praise and glory be to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)."

9:31

THE QURAN

Thursday, October 14, 2010

ALLAH KNOWS.......

[16:77] And to Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth. And the matter of the Hour is not but as a twinkling of the eye, or even nearer. Truly! Allah is Able to do all things.

(And Unto Allah belongeth the Unseen of the heavens and the earth) that which is hidden from the servants, (and the matter of the Hour (of Doom)) in its swiftness (is but as a twinkling of the eye, or it is nearer still. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things) the Resurrection as well as other things.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Makkah metro

The newly established Mashair Railway, which links the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa with Makkah, will have a 30-day test run before opening to transport domestic and GCC pilgrims during the upcoming Haj season.

Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb will inspect the railway (also known as the Makkah Metro) on Tuesday to make sure the facility is ready to transport the guests of God. The railway will bring about a dramatic change in pilgrim transportation between the holy sites.

Established at a cost of SR6.5 billion, the new railway will have a capacity to transport 72,000 pilgrims in an hour. Nine stations have been constructed in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa, each having three stations. This is the second largest project implemented by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs after the SR4.5 billion high-tech Jamrat Bridge project in Mina.

Habib Zain Al-Abidine, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs, said the railway will have 10 trains in the first phase, each with a length of 300 meters. “Each train will carry 3,000 passengers.”

He said Saudi authorities have not yet fixed the fare. “The matter is in the hands of Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee. Once the prince gives his directives, we’ll announce the fare,” he said.

The time for transporting pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifa will be reduced to five minutes on the 9th of Dul Hijjah when the faithful will move together from the plain of Arafat to Muzdalifa. And another five minutes will take them from Muzdalifa to Mina on the 10th.

Zain Al-Abidine said the railway would operate throughout the year.

A Makkah metro train during a test run. (AN photo)

The second phase of the project will link Mashair Railway with the Grand Mosque in Makkah with a station on Umm Al-Qura Road. It will also be linked with the Haramain Railway that connects Makkah with Madinah and Jeddah.

The trains will have a test run covering 6,000 km each before starting regular operations. The first test run took place last Thursday. The railway will have 20 trains in the next stage, each with 12 carriages and each carriage holding 250 passengers. About 20 percent of passengers will be seated while 80 percent will be standing. Trains will have a speed of 80 to 120 km/hour.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

First look inside the proposed Islamic centre

Visitors to the upper floors of the Muslim community centre planned for near Ground Zero in New York would walk through lofty spaces - for art exhibitions, for contemplation and prayer, for programmes on interreligious dialogue, for a 9/11 memorial - as sunlight streams through irregularly shaped windows between white crisscrossing beams.

That is the image presented in the tentative architectural renderings that the planners of the centre, called Park51, have been showing at community meetings in recent weeks, and which were revealed to the wider public for the first time last week.

A sketch of the façade shows a latticework of white starlike designs, echoing patterns that can be seen in Islamic architecture and decorative tiles across the Middle East.

The design was meant to show "hints of tradition", while the use of modern materials and glass panels would give an impression of translucence and "moving toward the future", Sharif el-Gamal, the project's developer, said in an interview last week..The planners have not begun to raise the $140 million needed for construction or hired an architect.

An image of the façade has been in circulation since early this year, but last week the planners revealed renderings of how some interior spaces might look and how the centre's many amenities - including a restaurant, theater, day care center, gym and pool - might be stacked in a building of up to 15 stories.

There would also be a 9/11 memorial and a space open to people of "all faiths and of no faith" for prayer, contemplation and meditation, Mr. Gamal said.

The space for Muslims would be in the basement. Technically, it would be a prayer hall known as a musalla, because its construction would not meet rules required to sanctify a mosque.

Muslims who worship in a musalla often refer to it as a mosque or masjid. Some opponents say it is inappropriate to have a mosque near Ground Zero.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Famed Arab space scientist believes in ghouls


Dr Farouq al-Baz has worked for NASA for the past 43 years (File)

PARIS (Kamal Qubeissi)

Arab world’s most prominent space scientist working in NASA believes in supernatural creatures, but admits he has no evidence to prove otherwise except for his faith in the Quran.

Dr Farouq al-Baz, who worked 43 years in NASA, told Alarabiya.net that he was sure that the ghouls, Jinns and demons live among us and said that he came to the conclusion through his scientific predisposition meshed with his complete believe in Quran verses signifying their existence.

Quran denotes to Jinn as creatures created from fire, while humans are created from mud.

Dr al-Baz said that Quran is his best inspiration, adding that the Quran compels Muslims to think beyond and contemplate.

A new planet that celebrates new year every 37 days

When asked about the new planet, Gliese 581G, as it is a potentially an Earth-like planet; Dr al-Baz said that the discovery of any substance of life on that planet will keep the door wide-open for extensive and unprecedented philosophical, scientific and religious debates, and will help to end the perplexity that plagued humanity for million years accentuated with the perennial question whether if “we live by ourselves in this vast universe or are there other creatures that share out existence.”

Gliese 581G generated great interest in the scientific circles as it has temperature right for liquid water on its surface, and potentially capable of supporting extremophile or microbes forms of Earth-like life.

Dr al-Baz also compared his belief in the Jinn, whom he never saw, with space scientist believing in lives existing in other planets outside our solar system, whom they never saw or met either.

“Whatever eluded those (space scientists) to the other planet is only computer calculations for the revolving star around 581G.”

“Who knows maybe the “Gliesians” also are curiously trying to find lives on other planets as we are,” he added.

In astronomical terms, the Gliese 581G system is relatively close to Earth, at a distance of 20.3 light years (192 trillion km or 119 trillion miles) in the direction of the constellation of Libra.

(Translated from Arabic by Dina al-Shibeeb)

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/10/01/120926.html