This is probably my favorite of the nightly dua'as of the month of Ramadhan:
In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful.
O Allah bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
O Allah, gladden the people of the graves,
O Allah, enrich every poor person,
O Allah, satisfy every hungry one,
O Allah, clothe every unclothed one,
O Allah, help every debtor pay his debts,
O Allah, relieve every distressed one,
O Allah, return every traveller (to his home),
O Allah release every prisoner,
O Allah, correct every wrong in the affairs of the Muslims,
O Allah, cure every sick one,
O Allah, ease our poverty by Your wealth,
O Allah, change our evil state to a good one
through Your excellent state,
O Allah, relieve us of our debts, and help us against poverty,
Surely You have power over all things.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
5th day - intention/sincerity
HOLY RAMADHAN & SINCERITY
At the advent of the holy month of Ramadhan, The Holy Prophet (saww) delivered a sermon in which he (saww) said to the Muslims:
“O People! Verily the month of Allah has come to you with blessings, mercy and forgiveness. It is a month that is considered by Allah as the best of all months; its days are best of all days; its nights are best of all nights; and its hours are best of all hours. It is a month in which you have been invited to become guests of Allah and you have been made in it the favourites of Allah. Your breaths in this month are counted as glorifications (of God); your sleep is considered as worship; your (good) actions in it are accepted; and your invocations therein are sanctioned…”
At the end of this sermon, Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) asked, “O Prophet of Allah! What is the best deed one can perform in this month?” The Holy Prophet (saww) replied, “O Abul-Hasan! The best deed in this month is to become cautious (and safeguard) against forbidden things”. (Meezan al-Hikmah)
In order to derive maximum spiritual benefit from any good action that we perform in compliance with the commands of Allah (SWT), the most important thing that is required is ‘Ikhlaas al-Niyyah’ which means ‘purity and sincerity of intention’. Our intention of those deeds should be clearly for the sake of Allah (SWT). This means that we should not be fasting in this month only because we have to, or we should not engage ourselves in extra prayers simply because everyone else does so, rather we should ensure that our every good act should be for the sake of Allah (SWT). This indeed is what Allah (SWT) wants from us and this indeed is what will please Him.
“Verily We have sent down the book to you with truth; so worship Allah and be sincere to Him in religion”. (39:2)
“Say (O Muhammad): I am commanded to worship Allah, sincerely devoted to Him in religion”. (32:11)
The Holy Prophet (saww) said, “Perform your deeds purely for Allah, for verily Allah does not accept (the deeds) except from the one who sincerely performs for His sake”. (Kanzul-‘Ummaal)
One of the obligatory acts of the holy month of Ramadhan is to fast – which means to abstain from certain things from dawn to dusk. The question is why has Allah (SWT) commanded us to abstain from all those things?
In reality, if we careful reflect, the things that we have been commanded to abstain from in the month of Ramadhan are the same things that usually hinder us from getting closer to Allah (SWT). By making us abstain from them, Allah (SWT), with His Mercy, is actually training us to become sincere to Him thereby getting closer to Him and earning His pleasure.
Prophet Musa (a.s.) once asked Allah (SWT) to show him a creature of His who had purified himself for His worship and was unpolluted in his obedience towards Him. Musa (a.s.) was instructed to go to the shores of a certain sea where he would see what he desired for. Musa (a.s.) did as instructed and observed that on a branch of a tree that drooped over the water, sat a bird engrossed in remembrance of Allah (SWT). The bird said to Prophet Musa (a.s.), “From the time Allah has created me, I have been on this branch engrossed in the remembrance of Allah and His worship..” When Musa (a.s.) asked the bird if it desired any thing from this world, the bird said that it yearned to taste a drop of water from the sea. Musa (a.s.) exclaimed, “But there does not exist a great distance between your beak and the water! Why don’t you dip your beak and drink it?” Thereupon the bird replied, “Out of fear lest the enjoyment derived from the water should make me heedless of the pleasure of the remembrance of my Lord”. Musa (a.s.) clasped his head in astonishment. (Khazeenatul-Jawahir)
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) has said, “Allah (SWT) has made obligatory… the fasting to test the sincerity of the creatures”. (Nahjul-Balaghah)
Mulla Mujahidali Sheriff (from almujtaba.com)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
3rd day
A traveler once came to the mosque to see the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). After greeting the prophet, he was asked where he was from. The traveller replied that he came from very far just to get a few questions answered.
Following is the dialogue between the traveller and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).
Traveler: I do not want adha’b (punishments) to be written in my account.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Behave well with your parents.
Traveler: I want to be known amongst people as an intelligent person.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Fear Allah (Jalla Jala’l), always.
Traveler: I want to be counted amongst Allah’s favourites.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Recite quran every morning and evening.
Traveler: I want my heart to always be enlightened. (Roshan and Munawer)
Prophet (S.A.W.): Never forget death.
Traveler: I never want to be away from Allah’s blessin
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always treat fellow creatures well.
Traveler: I never want to be harmed by my enemies.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always have faith in only Allah.
Traveler: I never want to be humiliated.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Be careful of your actions.
Traveler: I wish to live long.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always do sile rahm. (Goodness towards blood Relations)
Traveler: I want my sustenance to increase.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always be in wudhoo.
Traveler: I wish to stay free of adha’b in the grave.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always wear pure (paak) clothes.
Traveler: I never want to be burned in hell.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Control your eyes and tongue.
Traveler: How do I get my sins forgiven?
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always ask forgiveness from Allah with a lot of humility.
Traveler: I want people to respect me always.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Never extend your hands of need at people.
Traveler: I want to always be honoured.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Never humiliate or put down anyone.
Traveler: I don’t want to be squeezed by fishare qabr. (Squeezing in the grave)
Prophet (S.A.W.): Recite surat el Mulk (The Dominion) often.
Traveler: I want my wealth to increase.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Recite surat el Waqiah (The Inevitable) every night.
Traveler: I want to be safe and at peace on Day of Judgment.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Do zikr (Praises) of Allah from dusk to night.
Traveler: I want to be in full attention and concentration during prayers.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always do wudhoo with concentration and attention.
Following is the dialogue between the traveller and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).
Traveler: I do not want adha’b (punishments) to be written in my account.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Behave well with your parents.
Traveler: I want to be known amongst people as an intelligent person.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Fear Allah (Jalla Jala’l), always.
Traveler: I want to be counted amongst Allah’s favourites.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Recite quran every morning and evening.
Traveler: I want my heart to always be enlightened. (Roshan and Munawer)
Prophet (S.A.W.): Never forget death.
Traveler: I never want to be away from Allah’s blessin
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always treat fellow creatures well.
Traveler: I never want to be harmed by my enemies.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always have faith in only Allah.
Traveler: I never want to be humiliated.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Be careful of your actions.
Traveler: I wish to live long.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always do sile rahm. (Goodness towards blood Relations)
Traveler: I want my sustenance to increase.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always be in wudhoo.
Traveler: I wish to stay free of adha’b in the grave.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always wear pure (paak) clothes.
Traveler: I never want to be burned in hell.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Control your eyes and tongue.
Traveler: How do I get my sins forgiven?
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always ask forgiveness from Allah with a lot of humility.
Traveler: I want people to respect me always.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Never extend your hands of need at people.
Traveler: I want to always be honoured.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Never humiliate or put down anyone.
Traveler: I don’t want to be squeezed by fishare qabr. (Squeezing in the grave)
Prophet (S.A.W.): Recite surat el Mulk (The Dominion) often.
Traveler: I want my wealth to increase.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Recite surat el Waqiah (The Inevitable) every night.
Traveler: I want to be safe and at peace on Day of Judgment.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Do zikr (Praises) of Allah from dusk to night.
Traveler: I want to be in full attention and concentration during prayers.
Prophet (S.A.W.): Always do wudhoo with concentration and attention.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Something about this just doesn't seem right to me
Last week I read about a very young boy in India running great distances. Here is a story about an 8-year-old in China who just ran 40 miles a day for two months and weighs 44 pounds. She looks happy in the picture. Something about it seems potentially wrong to me for an 8-year-old to be doing that. What do you think?
More about her feat here.
More about her feat here.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Conference of the Birds
God said to David:
“Tell my servants prayer
Should be creation’s all-consuming care;
Though hell were not his fear
not heaven his goal,
The Lord should wholly occupy man’s soul.
But if the sun did not light up the day,
They would not think of Me, nor ever pray
Their prayers know nothing
of love’s selfless pain;
Not love inspires them
but mere lust for gain.
True prayer seeks God alone; its motives start
Deep in the centre of a contrite heart.
Tell them to turn from all that is not Me;
To worship none but God continuously;
To heap together all the world can show;
To break it piece by piece and blow by blow;
To burn these fragments in one vivid flash,
And scatter on the winds the swirling ash –
When they have done this they will understand
The ash they grasped for with each greedy hand.”
If it is paradise for which you pray
You can be sure that you have lost your way.
- Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar
Translated with an introduction by Afkham Darbadni and Dick Davis
“Tell my servants prayer
Should be creation’s all-consuming care;
Though hell were not his fear
not heaven his goal,
The Lord should wholly occupy man’s soul.
But if the sun did not light up the day,
They would not think of Me, nor ever pray
Their prayers know nothing
of love’s selfless pain;
Not love inspires them
but mere lust for gain.
True prayer seeks God alone; its motives start
Deep in the centre of a contrite heart.
Tell them to turn from all that is not Me;
To worship none but God continuously;
To heap together all the world can show;
To break it piece by piece and blow by blow;
To burn these fragments in one vivid flash,
And scatter on the winds the swirling ash –
When they have done this they will understand
The ash they grasped for with each greedy hand.”
If it is paradise for which you pray
You can be sure that you have lost your way.
- Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar
Translated with an introduction by Afkham Darbadni and Dick Davis
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
A night filled with recurring places
Last night I woke up around 2:30 from a dream that was taking place at my parents' house. But it was a recurring version of my parents' house that exists only in my dreams, and I woke up and thought about it I realized I had dreamed of that place before. It has the old yellow shed and red shed they used to have. On the north side of the house, there is a gap between the wooden fence and the neighbors yard which does not exist in reality. People were walking down this gap to do something in an alley behind the house which also doesn't exist in reality. As I drifted back to sleep, I dreamt of other places that have some vague basis in reality but exist only in these dreams yet I realized I had dreamed of them before.
I had a dream of a house I live in very loosely based on this one I live in now. But the back yard of the one in my dream is very different - it is hilly and grown-over and there is a mini-lot to the side of the house that is also grown over. I've only seen this house at night time, and the neighborhood is laid out similarly to this one, but it is not the same neighborhood. I remember another house in the neighborhood and could tell you how to get to it by walking. In that house, the floors are unsealed and there is a big grandfather clock and there is a basement with lots of antiques in it.
Then I was remembering/dreaming about a park that I've dreamt of before. This park is long and narrow and has an unusual playground. There are lots of trees and trails in the park. Near the park is a path that goes up a hill to a zoo/natural history museum but these are not like the zoos/museums I've been to in real life. Another trail from the park also takes you down alleyways in neighborhoods and small jeep trails that take you to small sandy ravines and large empty expanses of land and abandoned farming and mining equipment. Another road from the park takes you to my university - or the dream version of it, anyway - which has an opulent student center , different buildings, and secret passageways around campuses and bazaar or flea-market type vendors along certain roads.
Somewhere near that place is a kind of mall or shopping or center that has 4 levels. There is a dark curved hallway that leads to a little-known food court and huge game room. An outside hallway curves to a movie theater and a giant stair-step plaza.
There is also a dream version of the high school I went to. In my dream there is a different road to get to it by the small shopping center near it and if you go up that road you end up in a maze of concrete hills and basement-back entrances into the school. Inside the school, there are three levels and math classes are on the top level. Down a long hallway there is a stage for drama class that no one seems to know about or use.
Often these places are so vivid I could draw maps for you and describe particular stores to you. This mall seems to be related to this parking lot of dreamt of before and a long road somehow related to Academy Blvd.
But there is another place that has these weird giant art pieces like giant clocks or giant abstract art pieces with flags tied to them and it turns into rolling hills and remnants of old stone buildings on hilltops, and ancient graveyards that aren't spooky.
Anyway I'm rambling and clearly this would make no sense to anyone but it was interesting to me that last night my dreams involved lots of places that recur in my dreams but that I didn't recall until dreaming about them again.
Okay - off I go to school!
I had a dream of a house I live in very loosely based on this one I live in now. But the back yard of the one in my dream is very different - it is hilly and grown-over and there is a mini-lot to the side of the house that is also grown over. I've only seen this house at night time, and the neighborhood is laid out similarly to this one, but it is not the same neighborhood. I remember another house in the neighborhood and could tell you how to get to it by walking. In that house, the floors are unsealed and there is a big grandfather clock and there is a basement with lots of antiques in it.
Then I was remembering/dreaming about a park that I've dreamt of before. This park is long and narrow and has an unusual playground. There are lots of trees and trails in the park. Near the park is a path that goes up a hill to a zoo/natural history museum but these are not like the zoos/museums I've been to in real life. Another trail from the park also takes you down alleyways in neighborhoods and small jeep trails that take you to small sandy ravines and large empty expanses of land and abandoned farming and mining equipment. Another road from the park takes you to my university - or the dream version of it, anyway - which has an opulent student center , different buildings, and secret passageways around campuses and bazaar or flea-market type vendors along certain roads.
Somewhere near that place is a kind of mall or shopping or center that has 4 levels. There is a dark curved hallway that leads to a little-known food court and huge game room. An outside hallway curves to a movie theater and a giant stair-step plaza.
There is also a dream version of the high school I went to. In my dream there is a different road to get to it by the small shopping center near it and if you go up that road you end up in a maze of concrete hills and basement-back entrances into the school. Inside the school, there are three levels and math classes are on the top level. Down a long hallway there is a stage for drama class that no one seems to know about or use.
Often these places are so vivid I could draw maps for you and describe particular stores to you. This mall seems to be related to this parking lot of dreamt of before and a long road somehow related to Academy Blvd.
But there is another place that has these weird giant art pieces like giant clocks or giant abstract art pieces with flags tied to them and it turns into rolling hills and remnants of old stone buildings on hilltops, and ancient graveyards that aren't spooky.
Anyway I'm rambling and clearly this would make no sense to anyone but it was interesting to me that last night my dreams involved lots of places that recur in my dreams but that I didn't recall until dreaming about them again.
Okay - off I go to school!
Monday, July 30, 2007
AP Statistics Training
This week I am attending an AP Statistics Institute in Denver. I have attended a few of these before. I was feeling a bit reluctant to go because it is giving up the last few precious hours of my summer unscheduled time, is in Denver, and I've been before.
But today I was happy with the event. I have a good trainer, and it is different enough from what I've done that it is useful - I got literally about 50 pounds of supplementary material to take home - textbooks, software demos, activities written by the trainer, etc. It also gives me an opportunity to try to figure out how and when I will use the TI-Nspire instead of the TI-84 as I work on some of the problems - because they each have distinct advantages and disadvantages. But I am in virgin territory there - no one else has yet seen the Nspire, not even the trainer. I think I managed to pick two good training programs this summer. Plus I got college credit for both.
Today I was reminded of the fact that the location of one standard deviation from the mean on the standard normal model is the inflection point of the curve - I have not taught that to my kids before and it would be very useful for them in making better model sketches. Also, I learned a better way of thinking about the variance of a linear regression model (r-squared)than I've had before. And, I have a few good ideas for great activities the first day or two of classes that I am looking forward to trying it.
My classes are all large this year - the smallest one is 31. But the trade off is that 4 out of 5 of them are honors classes, albeit mostly freshmen, and 4 out of 5 I am the only one teaching them so I can design them pretty much how I want within the given constraints for each course/grade.
Finally, I also learned I now have enough experience to qualify is an AP-exam scorer. I think I will apply to do that for next summer because expenses are paid and it is a paid position on top of that, and involves a bit of travel to somewhere and would only take a week or two, as well as that due to relatively low numbers of applicants for the Stats exam, I have a good chance of being selected.
But today I was happy with the event. I have a good trainer, and it is different enough from what I've done that it is useful - I got literally about 50 pounds of supplementary material to take home - textbooks, software demos, activities written by the trainer, etc. It also gives me an opportunity to try to figure out how and when I will use the TI-Nspire instead of the TI-84 as I work on some of the problems - because they each have distinct advantages and disadvantages. But I am in virgin territory there - no one else has yet seen the Nspire, not even the trainer. I think I managed to pick two good training programs this summer. Plus I got college credit for both.
Today I was reminded of the fact that the location of one standard deviation from the mean on the standard normal model is the inflection point of the curve - I have not taught that to my kids before and it would be very useful for them in making better model sketches. Also, I learned a better way of thinking about the variance of a linear regression model (r-squared)than I've had before. And, I have a few good ideas for great activities the first day or two of classes that I am looking forward to trying it.
My classes are all large this year - the smallest one is 31. But the trade off is that 4 out of 5 of them are honors classes, albeit mostly freshmen, and 4 out of 5 I am the only one teaching them so I can design them pretty much how I want within the given constraints for each course/grade.
Finally, I also learned I now have enough experience to qualify is an AP-exam scorer. I think I will apply to do that for next summer because expenses are paid and it is a paid position on top of that, and involves a bit of travel to somewhere and would only take a week or two, as well as that due to relatively low numbers of applicants for the Stats exam, I have a good chance of being selected.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Ya Ali!
“And there is one who gives his life
to earn the pleasure of Allah.... (2:207)”
who laid in the Prophet’s bed
and stood steadfastly for Truth
While the others fled.
“...let us summon ourselves and invoke
the curse of God on the liars (3:369)”
at the event of Mubahala -
You, the self-same of the Prophet
And the first to follow.
“Today I have perfected your religion
and completed My favor upon you.... (5:3)”
on the Day of Ghadeer
You are our Mawla
As the Prophet had made clear.
to earn the pleasure of Allah.... (2:207)”
who laid in the Prophet’s bed
and stood steadfastly for Truth
While the others fled.
“...let us summon ourselves and invoke
the curse of God on the liars (3:369)”
at the event of Mubahala -
You, the self-same of the Prophet
And the first to follow.
“Today I have perfected your religion
and completed My favor upon you.... (5:3)”
on the Day of Ghadeer
You are our Mawla
As the Prophet had made clear.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The tiny fish who saw a stone fall
I went and stood on the dock
And tossed a rock
A smooth, flat stone
I let it go with sprite
And it skipped joyfully on the water
And then it sank
A tiny fish saw it fall
And wondered at a thing that should be down
Coming from up
The flat stone swayed slightly
Side to side in the current
Until it came to rest in the sandy bottom
The shiny sand popped playfully
Up and around the stone and resettled
Covering part of the stone
The tiny fish saw that the stone
Was like any other to its right or left.
Had they all come from up?
Then the tiny fish had a big thought
That it had never had before
It wondered as to its own origin.
Did I come from up, too
And what is up, after all?
And the little fish felt unsettled.
It swam to the stone to investigate
Not knowing what it looked for
And it wondered why is there a stone at all?
And why is there a little fish
Worrying about the stone that came from up?
Neither the joyful stone nor playful sand would answer.
So then the little fish swam up
To see where the stone had begun to fall.
Its eyes breached the water just barely.
Over and over again it exerted itself
To go up and see into the heaven
But it could not understand what it saw.
Nothing in the up made sense
To the tiny little fish
No matter how long or hard it looked.
The up was blurry and bright
And full of objects that had no words
And its very matter was foreign.
The little fish was dismayed
At its failure to understand the up
And regretted wondering about the stone.
So the tiny fish went back to the down
And tried to forget its wonder
And its big thought it had never had before.
It thought perhaps it was not for little fish
To understand the up
Or to know why little fish and stones were.
Then night came and the tiny fish
Found its place to be still until the light returned.
And it wondered if there was a why at all.
In the dark it couldn’t really see the stone
Or the sand, or even the water.
But it knew that all these things were there.
Maybe the up was like the dark
Thought the little fish
It just obscured what was always there
Little fish’s heart lightened with the idea
That it didn’t need to see in the dark
Or understand the up to know something.
Gradually the water became light
Along with the tiny fish’s heart
And it felt joyful like the stone
And it felt playful like the sand, too
Because an even bigger thought had
Come to the tiny little fish.
There are some things I know
Because I was meant to know them
And I can look inside or outside and know them.
There are some things I have no words for
And that I can never describe
But they are still real.
On the dock I came again at dawn
And saw a little fish swimming
Happily against the stream
And unknowingly in that instant
I shared a thought with the tiny fish,
A big or tiny thought about God.
And we both were happy.
And tossed a rock
A smooth, flat stone
I let it go with sprite
And it skipped joyfully on the water
And then it sank
A tiny fish saw it fall
And wondered at a thing that should be down
Coming from up
The flat stone swayed slightly
Side to side in the current
Until it came to rest in the sandy bottom
The shiny sand popped playfully
Up and around the stone and resettled
Covering part of the stone
The tiny fish saw that the stone
Was like any other to its right or left.
Had they all come from up?
Then the tiny fish had a big thought
That it had never had before
It wondered as to its own origin.
Did I come from up, too
And what is up, after all?
And the little fish felt unsettled.
It swam to the stone to investigate
Not knowing what it looked for
And it wondered why is there a stone at all?
And why is there a little fish
Worrying about the stone that came from up?
Neither the joyful stone nor playful sand would answer.
So then the little fish swam up
To see where the stone had begun to fall.
Its eyes breached the water just barely.
Over and over again it exerted itself
To go up and see into the heaven
But it could not understand what it saw.
Nothing in the up made sense
To the tiny little fish
No matter how long or hard it looked.
The up was blurry and bright
And full of objects that had no words
And its very matter was foreign.
The little fish was dismayed
At its failure to understand the up
And regretted wondering about the stone.
So the tiny fish went back to the down
And tried to forget its wonder
And its big thought it had never had before.
It thought perhaps it was not for little fish
To understand the up
Or to know why little fish and stones were.
Then night came and the tiny fish
Found its place to be still until the light returned.
And it wondered if there was a why at all.
In the dark it couldn’t really see the stone
Or the sand, or even the water.
But it knew that all these things were there.
Maybe the up was like the dark
Thought the little fish
It just obscured what was always there
Little fish’s heart lightened with the idea
That it didn’t need to see in the dark
Or understand the up to know something.
Gradually the water became light
Along with the tiny fish’s heart
And it felt joyful like the stone
And it felt playful like the sand, too
Because an even bigger thought had
Come to the tiny little fish.
There are some things I know
Because I was meant to know them
And I can look inside or outside and know them.
There are some things I have no words for
And that I can never describe
But they are still real.
On the dock I came again at dawn
And saw a little fish swimming
Happily against the stream
And unknowingly in that instant
I shared a thought with the tiny fish,
A big or tiny thought about God.
And we both were happy.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Finished!
I finished reading The Deathly Hallows. It awaited me in the mail when I got home from work today and it took me about 11 hours to read, give or take. I will admit I first read the very last line of the book because I needed to have a question answered right away. The last line answered it for me. And then I could read the whole story and arrive at the end in peace.
I really can't say a whole lot more unless you want spoilers.
I really can't say a whole lot more unless you want spoilers.
Friday, July 20, 2007
My answers are at the post office
Book 7 has been delivered to my local post office - they are just holding it until tomorrow, the official release date. So maybe tomorrow I'll know who lives and who dies.....
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Fossil
On Monday my parents had the day off and we went up near the Florissant Fossil Beds to a place where you can try to find, dig, and keep your "own" fossils. Really you don't have to dig much but you have to carefully try to pray apart layers of shale. Almost every layer has fossils in it and the sheets are too thin to get all of them, so you have to have some luck as well. In this one, you can see a nice leaf on the left, there is part of a twig to its right, there are some smaller leaves in the top right corner, etc. My dad also got one with a flying ant fossil, but mainly we found lots of twigs and a few leaves. We were only there a few hours - there are just lots of fossils and they are easy to find.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
"I Will Be Like the Sun"
O Imam! You said, "I will be like the sun
Veiled by the clouds ….”
And I do not see the sun on a dark day.
Yet surely even in darkness my heart beholds you,
And is bleached from the light
Of your radiant, pure soul.
O Imam! I await you!
I await the sun's rays on my face -
The joy of warmth that I remember without having felt!
For surely my heart basks in sunshine,
Delighting in the warmth of God’s Mercy
That made me love you.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Dua for the Month of Rajab
We have begun the month of Rajab, entering the season leading up to the month of Ramadan. There are many recommended acts in this month - special prayers can be found at duas.org. Fasting is highly recommended from now through the month of Ramadan. Insha'allah I hope to fast from now except for days when I am traveling out of town, sick, or visiting with family/friends in such a way that involves eating (except of course during the month of Ramadhan when that is no excuse).
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
O Allah, bless Muhammad and his household.
O He from whom I can hope for all goodness
And I am safe from His anger at every evil.
O He who gives a lot in exchange of a little.
O He who gives to one who asks Him.
O He who gives to one who does not ask Him and does not know Him,
Out of His affection and mercy.
Give me, for my request is only to You alone,
All the good of this world and all the good of the Hereafter.
Keep away from me, for my request is only to You alone,
All the evil of this world and the evil of the Hereafter.
For indeed it is not diminishing what is given by You.
Increase (for) me from Your bounty, O The Generous.
(Then the 6th Imam held his beard in his left hand and gave a movement to the index finger in his right hand saying :)
O The Sublime and The Distinguished,
O The Bountiful and The Magnanimous,
O the Gracious and the Mighty,
Save my grey hairs from the fire (of Hell).
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
O Allah, bless Muhammad and his household.
O He from whom I can hope for all goodness
And I am safe from His anger at every evil.
O He who gives a lot in exchange of a little.
O He who gives to one who asks Him.
O He who gives to one who does not ask Him and does not know Him,
Out of His affection and mercy.
Give me, for my request is only to You alone,
All the good of this world and all the good of the Hereafter.
Keep away from me, for my request is only to You alone,
All the evil of this world and the evil of the Hereafter.
For indeed it is not diminishing what is given by You.
Increase (for) me from Your bounty, O The Generous.
(Then the 6th Imam held his beard in his left hand and gave a movement to the index finger in his right hand saying :)
O The Sublime and The Distinguished,
O The Bountiful and The Magnanimous,
O the Gracious and the Mighty,
Save my grey hairs from the fire (of Hell).
Stop Thief! and Dark Tower
I found this game at an antique mall for $8. I never played it as a kid because it was too expensive for us to buy, but I remember the commercials and I remember wanting it. When I saw it at the store, it looked like it might work and have most of the pieces, so I bought it. I played it with my parents tonight and everything is there and it works. We had fun playing with 1979 technology.
We also have Dark Tower that we received for Christmas one year - what a great game! We played it for hours and hours. It still works but is well-worn. I found a download so I can play it on my computer, but it loses its mystique that way; it just isn't the same. If they turned it into one of those strategy room-by-room games with good graphics that would be cool. The site I linked is a great fan site! Here is a flash version of the game.
We also have Dark Tower that we received for Christmas one year - what a great game! We played it for hours and hours. It still works but is well-worn. I found a download so I can play it on my computer, but it loses its mystique that way; it just isn't the same. If they turned it into one of those strategy room-by-room games with good graphics that would be cool. The site I linked is a great fan site! Here is a flash version of the game.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Tagged
I've been tagged by Patrick from Patrick's Place to play this meme:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog post (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Okay, so 8 random facts/habits:
1. There's a meteorologist who does his reports on the local FM news radio station. In the commercial spots about their news broadcasts, he talks about his "accurate" weather reporting. But every time he says it, it really bugs me because he pronounces accurate as "a kerr ut" while I pronounce it "a kyer ut". So then I wonder where he's from that people say it like that. I also don't like it if I happen to notice that someone pronounces "your" and "you're" the same way. But I guess I'll get over it. :)
2. I think green is too hard a color to paint walls with - so many greens end up looking just gross. But I like green in nature and art.
3. When I was a kid and learned the ASL alphabet, I would sign road signs as we passed them on the highway and it became a habit so that I didn't even realize I was doing it. Then, in junior high I learned to type, and the habit switched to typing instead of signing. I still do it and occasionally will find myself "typing" a road sign I passed 20 miles back. But I don't do it as much as I used to when I was a kid. I also am one of those people that if I'm sitting in the movie theater, I'm probably shaking my leg. It doesn't bother me at all, but sometimes can bother someone else. I think it is ridiculous there is now a "restless leg syndrome" that they sell drugs for. Although I guess some people have problems with leg movement in their sleep or something, I don't know.
4. If I could grant myself a wasteful indulgence, it might be to only ever wear brand new socks. Brand new socks feel and look much better than used ones! So, I buy new socks more often than needed, but, I do wear them more than once. :)
5. I like pretty much all the interests of my dad, generally speaking. Growing up I would see him being interested in astronomy and playing with a telescope, go rockhounding with him in the mountains, visiting ruins of old ghost towns, reading lots of books, etc., and I like all these things, too.
6. I like westerns, mysteries, fantasy, spy, and science-fiction novels. But I've never actually read a romance novel. How do you tell a good one from a bad one?
7. I'm wondering why this meme specifically asked for 8 things. It just seems a strange number to pick. I'm guessing whoever did it first thought of 8 things to say about him/herself, or someone who got tagged was really supposed to write 7 or 10 things but had more or less to say.
8. I have some dreams/fantasies that I want to do, but maybe not really. One of my fantasies is to backpack for a whole season. But, I'm not really a backpacker, just would kind of like to be. That's a hobby/sport you really need companions to do with you, though. Another fantasy is to live in a simple trailer in the middle of 4-corner Navajo country. I'm not sure I'd really like to do this, but part of me finds the ideas appealing.
Rather than leaving comments, I'll just list 8 people here, but of course no one has to play if they don't want to, and anyone who wants to play, can.
1. Carol
2. Victoria
3. Sadiq Alam (Mystic Saint)
4. Manal
5. Organic
6. Anila
7. Safiya
8. Hajar
9. (Maybe Laura in MySpace?)
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog post (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Okay, so 8 random facts/habits:
1. There's a meteorologist who does his reports on the local FM news radio station. In the commercial spots about their news broadcasts, he talks about his "accurate" weather reporting. But every time he says it, it really bugs me because he pronounces accurate as "a kerr ut" while I pronounce it "a kyer ut". So then I wonder where he's from that people say it like that. I also don't like it if I happen to notice that someone pronounces "your" and "you're" the same way. But I guess I'll get over it. :)
2. I think green is too hard a color to paint walls with - so many greens end up looking just gross. But I like green in nature and art.
3. When I was a kid and learned the ASL alphabet, I would sign road signs as we passed them on the highway and it became a habit so that I didn't even realize I was doing it. Then, in junior high I learned to type, and the habit switched to typing instead of signing. I still do it and occasionally will find myself "typing" a road sign I passed 20 miles back. But I don't do it as much as I used to when I was a kid. I also am one of those people that if I'm sitting in the movie theater, I'm probably shaking my leg. It doesn't bother me at all, but sometimes can bother someone else. I think it is ridiculous there is now a "restless leg syndrome" that they sell drugs for. Although I guess some people have problems with leg movement in their sleep or something, I don't know.
4. If I could grant myself a wasteful indulgence, it might be to only ever wear brand new socks. Brand new socks feel and look much better than used ones! So, I buy new socks more often than needed, but, I do wear them more than once. :)
5. I like pretty much all the interests of my dad, generally speaking. Growing up I would see him being interested in astronomy and playing with a telescope, go rockhounding with him in the mountains, visiting ruins of old ghost towns, reading lots of books, etc., and I like all these things, too.
6. I like westerns, mysteries, fantasy, spy, and science-fiction novels. But I've never actually read a romance novel. How do you tell a good one from a bad one?
7. I'm wondering why this meme specifically asked for 8 things. It just seems a strange number to pick. I'm guessing whoever did it first thought of 8 things to say about him/herself, or someone who got tagged was really supposed to write 7 or 10 things but had more or less to say.
8. I have some dreams/fantasies that I want to do, but maybe not really. One of my fantasies is to backpack for a whole season. But, I'm not really a backpacker, just would kind of like to be. That's a hobby/sport you really need companions to do with you, though. Another fantasy is to live in a simple trailer in the middle of 4-corner Navajo country. I'm not sure I'd really like to do this, but part of me finds the ideas appealing.
Rather than leaving comments, I'll just list 8 people here, but of course no one has to play if they don't want to, and anyone who wants to play, can.
1. Carol
2. Victoria
3. Sadiq Alam (Mystic Saint)
4. Manal
5. Organic
6. Anila
7. Safiya
8. Hajar
9. (Maybe Laura in MySpace?)
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