Archive for September, 2006
09.30.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 2:54 pm by Abbas
During the month of Ramadan, many Muslims read a Du’a titled, “Iftitah.” Du’ al-iftutah was taught by our twelth Imam (a) to recite every night during the month Ramadha., The Du’a is excellent for moulding man’s attitude towards his Creator as it discusses many aspects of the wrethedness of the human being, and the grace of Allah. Du’a al-Iftitah is not only a supplication for our needs, but a teaching of the roots of faith, and a planning for a way of life. I decided to paste a very short excerpt from the du’a for everyone’s benefit. For a full translation, audio and transliteration, please click here.
O my Allah, many a trouble Thou hath removed; many a sorrow hath Thou dispelled; many a misery hath Thou mitigated; and at all times Thou spreadeth out mercy, and cutteth short the tightening circles of misfortunes.
All praise be to Allah, Who has not taken unto Himself a wife, nor a son, and Who has no partner in sovereignty, nor any protecting friend through dependence. Magnify Him with all magnificence.
All praise be to Allah, with full gratitude for all his bounties.
All praise be to Allah, Who has no opposition to His rule, nor any challenge to His commands.
All praise be to Allah, Who has no counsel to meddle with His operation of creation, nor is there anything similar to Him in His greatness.
All praise be to Allah, Whose commandments operate in Creation; His glory is evident through love and kindness.
His distinct overflowing generosity is freely available through His unlimited bestowals which do not exhaust His resources, and He does not swell the numerous benefits except because of generosity and kindness. Verily He is mighty, generous.
O Allah, I ask for some from much, in the midst of my very many needs for which I entirely depend on Thee, and, since eternity, Thou art able to do without it but for me it is a titanic effort and for Thee is very easy and simple.
O Allah, truly, when Thou pardon my sins, overlook my mistakes, take a lenient view of my disorderly conduct, cover up my foul actions, show consideration in spite of my many transgressions committed willfully or negligently, I am tempted to ask for that which I do not deserve, from Thee Who, through Thy mercy, gives me the daily bread provides me with that which is suitable for me, through Thy control; and distinguishes me with a favourable reply to my requests.
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09.29.06
Posted in Current Events at 6:04 pm by Abbas
There have been many organizations and institutions that have been formed and initiated in the past decade or so. There are human rights groups monitoring and assessing the abuses and misuses of human rights. Their main purpose is to protect the rights of people. However, if we truly inspect from a historical point of view, the West only made human rights a real issue after the second world war with the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while the religion of al-Islam, the way of life that was practiced by the Prophets (a), the pure Ahlul Bayt (a), and the righteous companions, protected and emphasized human dignity and morality from the very beginning. We must realize that the rules laid down to us by God is the best protector and the best guardian for our natural rights. We must obey Him (swt) and focus on implementing His rules and regulations, because it results in Absolute Perfection.
I have also attached an essay, Human Rights in Islam, by Ayatollah Sayyid Ali ‘al-Khamenei. It is a a long but very insightful read!
Read the rest of this entry »
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09.23.06
Posted in Personal at 1:09 pm by Abbas
It is with great joy and happiness that I congratulate my fellow Muslims on the arrival of this Blessed month of Ramadan. Once again we have an opportunity to have our sins forgiven and our ranks elevated in the eyes of our Creator and Sustainer.
I offer my best wishes to Muslims (and non-Muslims) all over the world on this blessed occasion. I pray and hope sincerely that this holy month will bring peace to the global society.
For those whom are observing (fasting, and praying during this month) please do something different; something you have not done in past Ramadans. Set a goal and achieve it, inshaAllah. This will not only improve our nafs, but will help us greatly as humans.
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09.21.06
Posted in Current Events at 4:37 pm by Abbas
What really irritates is the reaction of the Muslim world to the Pope’s remarks. Yes, the Pope lost his mind and he really exposed his hatred and ignorance, but what does burning churches and attacking innocent Christians achieve? Why not take a more rational and Islamic approach? What really bothers me is the rampant hypocrisy of the Muslims. If our Ummah really cared about the Prophet why was there no uproar when the Saudis, our “brothers” attacked our Prophet (saw)? The Saudi government with the backing of the pseudo-salafi scholars razed the house of the Prophet (saw)! May Allah guide us all. Ameen.
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Posted in Current Events at 4:36 pm by Abbas
The truth is slowly coming out. Musharraf on the CBS program 60 minutes implied the only reason he complied with the US on the “War on Terror” is because the “peace-loving” nation, the United States threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age.” Now the questions is, what took him so long to reveal this information to the public? Why is he distancing himself from Mr. Bush now? Does he know something that we don’t know? Here is the full article -
Read the rest of this entry »
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09.20.06
Posted in Current Events at 2:51 pm by Abbas
So, Mr. Bush addressed the Iranian people and he touched up on the subject of “freedom.” It is very interesting that because some imperfections exists in a country it entails destroying it and replacing the ruling authority with a puppet regime. We all know that the neo-cons do not care about human rights, justice and peace. This is quite evident in the wars and conflicts Bush has got us involved with, specifically Afghanistan and Iraq. It took the United States approximately 200 hundred years to grant all people (black, white, male and female) the right to vote, but this right was granted in Iran from the beginning of the Revolution. Let us no forget how long it took us to rid the country from slavery and debating if blacks were in fact humans or not. One more point I almost forgot- the American Revolution was far more bloodier and violent than the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
As Americans, we have an obligation and the right to resist and pursue change in spheres and areas, where change is essential.
President of Iran, Dr. Ahmedinijad also spoke. I enjoyed and agreed with his sentiments. Here is an excerpt from his talk to the UN -
Today, serious reform in the structure and working methods of the Security
Council is, more than ever before, necessary. Justice and democracy dictate that the
role of the General Assembly, as the highest organ of the United Nations, must be
respected. The General Assembly can then, through appropriate mechanisms, take on
the task of reforming the Organization and particularly rescue the Security Council
from its current state. In the interim, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of
the Islamic Conference and the African continent should each have a representative as
a permanent member of the Security Council, with veto privilege. The resulting
balance would hopefully prevent further trampling of the rights of nations.
For the complete speech/text click here.
We are now living in an inter-depdent world and cooperation and balance is more than ever needed. May Allah grant us the strength and courage to be more balanced. Ameen.
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09.18.06
Posted in Personal at 8:26 pm by Abbas
I attended a Sufi gathering last night. It was not that surprising, since I have done a good amount of reading on modern-day Sufis and “Sufism.” First of all, it was very far- in the middle of no where (up near the mountains). It was in the evening around Mughrib time. They had this one large room with the lights dimmed, with no furniture, but just poetry all over the walls. People were dead silent and just listening to this tape/cd playing. It was sufi classical music and some sufi farsi chants. This person with long hair approached us and he gave us a cup of tea. I dragged along my persian-speaking friend by the way. I was the only non-Iranian in the room, but they were very welcoming, so I did not feel out of place.
After 15 minutes or so, the same guy uttered some words and everyone got into this big circle. They dimmed the lights even more; this is when my friend got a bit “freaked” out. Some people were uttering “Ya Haq” very softly. For a minute or so, there was complete silence and meditation. After that they played a recording of some sufi music and some Rumi poetry in farsi. After the farsi, the person speaking in the recording did translate into english, which was pretty uplifting at times. This continued for about fifteen minutes. Then it became pitch-dark. Some of the attendees got really into it and were moving their heads side to side. Towards the end, is when everyone in the circle started to chant and clap together. They were chanting “Allahu” and “Ya Haq” really loud and vocally, which I thought they would do much more often, like other sufis (vocal dhikr).
Anyways, after that they stopped the recording and there was another minute of complete meditation and silence. After that they opened the lights and they set the food (very simple and basic food) on the floor. I was pretty amazed and happy with their akhlaq or manners. They passed the plate (of different vegetables, bread, cheese, etc) always to the right. We ate and then everyone started to socialize and leave. The host (it was at his house) gave us a Sufi magazine filled with poetry and what not and people were very warm and happy to see us. We were the only young Muslims there, while the rest were elderly or middle-aged.
The sad part is that they did not pray. We asked where the direction of the Qibla was and the person did not know where it was. When we came during prayer time, they were sadly, not praying. Overall, it was a good experience. Will I go again soon? I do not know.
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09.17.06
Posted in Personal, Poetry/Quote at 4:40 pm by Abbas
Imam Sadiq [a] said: “When it is the Day of Judgement, a group of people stand and then come to the door of Heaven to knock on it. They will be asked who they are and they will say: ‘We are the people of patience.’ Then, they will be inquired upon what they were patient about, and they will respond: ‘We were patient with the obedience of Allah and were patient with avoiding the sins against Him’. So Allah, Almighty and Glorious, will say they are right and He will let them enter Heaven. This is the word of Allah, Almighty and Glorious, Who says: ‘Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!’” (Sura 39. Verse 10)
AI-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 75
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09.15.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 6:49 pm by Abbas
Why have we became so incompetent? Why have we became so mundane? Why are we failing? Laziness and idleness has dawned upon many of us. Our capabilities are not utilized, due to the fear of “working hard,” yet we want to reap great results. Some of us want to implement ambitions and be victorious without putting a good amount of effort into it. Many of us complain and whine whenever we get the opportunity. We must realize that we will not achieve any success, if we do not get our hands wet and dirty. I do not want to sound condescending, but it sometimes gets very irritating when I hear others complain about some of the most minute things! It really burns my heart listening. For God’s sake, our people are starving and it is our duty to help them, not only as Muslims but moral human beings. They are waiting for someone to rescue them. We must stop the criticizing and make ourselves to work even if its displeasing. The world is becoming sluggish day by day and we must resist. This concept applies to everything.
When Sa’d Ansari responded to the Holy Prophet [s] that his hands were calloused because he used to work with a rope and a shovel to earn money to spend for his wife and children, he [s] kissed his hand (as an honour) and said: “This is a hand which the Fire (of Hell) will never touch.”
Usd-ul-Ghabah, vol. 2, p. 269
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09.11.06
Posted in Current Events at 11:16 pm by Abbas
Former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami is in the United States. He has spoken at many places and has been a very tough critic of US foreign policy. He went as far as comparing George W. Bush Jr. to Osama bin Laden. He has also been recently invited to speak at Harvard University on, “Ethics of Tolerance in the Age of Violence.”
Alan Dershowitz is a professor of law at Harvard University and a hardcore neo-con, pro-zionist, who associates himself with Daniel Pipes (fyi, Pipes is on the record of calling me a “wahabi” even though I follow a completely different school of thought) compares Khatami with David Duke, a failed politician in Louisiana and a founding father of the Ku Klux Klan. He goes on to say,
“Both Duke and Khatami are racists with extremist and violent designs for repressing political dissent and ethnic opposition. Only Khatami, though, has had a chance to put his designs into effect. Khatami…”
Is not that what Mr. Dershowitz is? He fails to mention Khatami’s accomplishments and his achievements, which are ample. Granted I do not agree with all of his (Khatami) views, but we must still recognize that he is an important person in world politics. He was the founding member of the United Nation’s “Alliance of Civilizations.” And on top of that, Mr. Dershowitz supports rubbish like “Campus Watch,” a monitoring system that black lists professors whom are “anti-Zionist.”
Mr. Dershowitz concludes with,
“I only hope that those in the Kennedy School who invited Khatami did so out of a genuine commitment to unqualified open dialogue, rather than the belief that offensiveness to some groups is more deserving of solicitude than is offensiveness to others, or worse yet, substantive agreement with some of Khatami’s oppressive worldview.”
Can someone say hypocrisy?
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for full article “Universities and tolerance.”
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Posted in Personal at 10:17 pm by Abbas
Dead tired. Long day at work. Pray for me.
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09.10.06
Posted in Current Events at 2:55 pm by Abbas
Message from Thaqalayn Muslim Students Association
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By the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful On the auspicious occasion of 15th Sha’ban, and on the birth anniversary of the awaited master of the time and global hope, Imam al-Mahdi (as), we would like to wish you all the acceptance of your prayers. We have enclosed a gift in this email that we hope you will find informative. Imam al-Mahdi (as) is a common figure amongst all Muslims, and the expectation of the Messiah - one who shall fill the earth with justice and equity - is shared by all of the Abrahamic faiths. Already we find ourselves in a world of oppression and injustices, yet the flame of hope will never extinguish. As we await the Global Hope, we must also awaken and rise to our responsibilities as conscientious human beings and God’s servants on this earth.
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09.08.06
Posted in Personal at 6:29 pm by Abbas
Been a while since I posted. I apologize, but I have been extremely busy with work and other related activities. I remember I used to complain that I have too much time on my hands. How things have changed 
. I have been working on this project for work, which is coming along pretty well (will discuss later). I am working semi-independently, which makes it ten times harder. I am the only real Bioinformatics person there! But, alhamdulillah my boss is great. After being stuck on a problem for three hours he would give me some suggestions and advice, which would help me ultimately. Being challenged is good for your brain anyway. Do I enjoy my job? Yes, its nice. It is great so far. I get an awesome view of the ocean and a nice ocean breeze . InshaAllah, will take pictures of it soon.
Other than work, I have been going to the local masjid here. Some people come up to me and start speaking farsi! And may I remind you, I do not look like an Iranian . One man came up to me and was like.. “Were you not here last year? And then disappeared?” (was in SD last year for an internship during the summer). So, people do remember me, but that is probably because I am the only brown skinned person here . Overall the community is slow, but it is coming along. They are trying to take new initiatives, so inshaAllah it will definitely improve. For example, the first initiative is keeping the center open for all the daily prayers, inshaAllah it will work out. By the way, I will be going to a Sufi gathering this weekend just to “check it out.”
The Crocodile Hunter (Steve Irwin) is gone 
. He was so fun to watch and I loved his accent. He was not afraid of anything. He died with a bang; a stingray pierced his heart. Visit his website here. A lot of other stuff has been happening in the world, but I am too tired to post/comment on it right now - will later inshaAllah.
Anyway, I use Google Analytics to track and see who is visiting my blog and what not. I have three strong-holds: Buffalo, San Diego, and Tuscon, with Buffalo winning out. I also have visitors from India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Australia, Morroco, Bahrain, Russia, and Europe. I am missing people from South America and Africa! Anyway, the count has gone down, but I thank all of you for visiting and commenting!
May Allah grant us victory… Ameen!
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09.03.06
Posted in Current Events at 12:28 pm by Abbas
Andre Agassi’s 20-year tennis career ends in defeat by Benjamin Becker in the third round of the US Open.
Still crying, Agassi paid a sentimental tribute to his fans.
“The scoreboard shows that I lost today, but what it doesn’t show is what I found,” he said.
“Over the last 20 years I have found loyalty, you have pulled me through on court and also in life.
“I have found inspiration - you have willed me to succeed - and I have found genorosity.
“I thank you and I wiill take you and the memory with me for the rest of my life.”… more
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09.02.06
Posted in Current Events at 2:49 pm by Abbas
Gene therapy may be the answer for cancer. Very interesting article on how a cancer was removed from this individual. It is too early to conclude this is a cure per se, but inshaAllah we are getting very close.
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Two men have been cleared of deadly skin cancer using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells.
Before the experiment, the patients were expected to only live for three to six months because their disease was so advanced.
Tests showed the genetically modified T cells used in the new treatment became specialised tumour fighters, the journal Science reports.
When the modified T cells were transfused into the patients they began to attack the tumour cells. For at least two months after the treatment, the modified cells made up at least 10% of the patients’ circulating T cells. The scientists are now looking at ways to enable greater numbers of the modified T cells to survive.
Dr Rosenberg said: “We’ve identified T cell receptors that will now recognise common cancers.”
For Mark Origer, 53, the treatment completely eliminated his skin cancer and another tumour on his liver shrunk enough that it could be removed surgically. more.
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