Hagia Sophia – A Religious Love Affair

Aya Sophia (pronounced in Turkish) is a relic, a representation of the rich traditions and history of Turkey and a monument which has survived earthquakes, fires and religious power struggles.

The original structure Megale Ekklesia (“Great Church”) was built by the Emperor Constantine around 360AD. It was torched to the ground during the Nika Riots of 404AD and later again in 532 AD.

Only 39 days after the destruction of 532AD, the Emperor Justinian hired great architects named Anthemius and Isidore the Elder to rebuild of Hagia Sophia and thus was completed between 532 and 537 CE. It was built with the grandeur to make a statement to the world; Christianity trumps paganism. The new structure embodied the essence of Byzantine style and for nearly a thousand years was the largest cathedral in the world. Hagia Sophia was built in just six years. One hundred master builders supervised 10,000 workers in its construction. Justinian wished to build an structure to rival the legendary Solomon’s Temple. When he finally entered the finished building he uttered the words, ‘Solomon, I’ve surpassed you!’

With the conquest of Constantinople in 1543 AD by Sultan Mehmet II, Hagia Sophia Church became a Mosque. Four minarets were added and all graven images were plastered under yellow paint; the exception being the Theotokos (Virgin Mary with Child). Large monographs adorned with arabic calligraphy by Mustafa Izzet Efendi that depicted Allah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the four caliphs were also added. The style of the Hagia Sophia, in particular its dome, would go on to influence Ottoman architecture, most notably in the development of the Blue Mosque, built in Istanbul during the 17th century.

It stood as a monument and mosque for about five hundred years until 1935, when the first Turkish President and the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, secularized not only the nation, but also the Hagia Sophia.



The Hagia Sophia today stands as a reminder of the ability of the two great religions to co-exist. It’s external beauty and splendour almost masks the internal years of neglect and lack of restoration that an edifice such as this truly deserves. Nevertheless, a marvel of design and architecture, one can only hope her future is not as unstable as her past.

A Letter to a Religious Scholar

Dear Sir,

I’m writing this message to you today after burying my one and only child. I want to begin by saying that I am a Muslim and I am also a Porn Addict. I have been so for approx 25yrs and a beautiful wife and child has never stopped me. I came to a point where I didn't care what anyone said to me. 3 days ago I was watching porn and had my child on the floor. I was so frustrated because she kept interrupting me wanting to play with Daddy and instead, I brushed her to the side, gave her whatever objects I could find to keep her busy and continued watching porn. After about half hour, I turned over to look at her and noticed she was lying on the ground, breathless. I ran to her, listened for a heartbeat and couldn't hear anything. I screamed for my wife to call the ambulance, they came and took her to the hospital. Now the unthinkable came. We waited and waited to hear the results only to find the Doctor giving us the saddest news of my life;

"Sir, I’m sorry to inform you, but your daughter is dead".

Me and wife screamed in tears and finally asked, what happened? How did she die?

Doctors found a small object in her throat which she accidentally swallowed and choked to death. Allah swt showed me the result of my lack of care for sinning. I was so much into porn that I ignored my child and as a result, it caused her death. I write this to you today to share with the world, especially my fellow brothers/sisters. Please have fear of Allah and follow his religion. It may save your life...or your child.

The internet dominates our times, many of us spending hours upon end pointlessly browsing for self entertainment.

Pornography is the most dominant feature of the internet, with 12% of websites being of pornographic nature and 25% search engine requests are of pornographic nature.

The internet eats into our work time,educational time, household chores and thinking.

Are we really being THE BEST WE COULD BE or we wasting our time on the internet? Our life is made up of minutes, but is that all there is to life?

Three Practical Tips to avoid falling into the trap of pornography:

1. Make sure you are not alone when browsing the internet.

2. Make dua to Allah or if you’re not Muslim to God, to ask him to show you the right path and to protect you from this.

3. Occupy yourself with good deeds and actions.

The Holy Quran, 103

By Time. Indeed mankind is at loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

13, verse 3.

And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain Ithnain (two in pairs - may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two sorts, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big, etc.) He brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things, there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) for people who reflect.

The World's First Scientist

In school, navigating my way through the sea of information there always seemed to be giant icebergs placed at every junction of knowledge. Colossus in their own rights and widely dubbed to be the 'founding fathers' of modern science. Their names have become part of the household furniture for not just people in the west, but across the globe. For history has polished the names of Newton, Galileo, Darwin and Einstein to adorn the mantelpieces of present-day science.


However a tale has been lost in time.
The first chapter of any book is a promise to the reader. It puts the rest of the story into context.
It sets the scene, storyline and thoughts into motion. More importantly it introduces the main character, a focal to point to which other characters adhere to.
If the first chapter is missing the book loses its substance, its worth. But more importantly breaking that promise will disappoint and frustrate the reader.


Isaac Newton by many is considered to be the greatest scientist of the modern era. True, for he stood on the shoulders of a giant who left a footprint 700 years earlier. His name was Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham or in short Al-Haytam of Basra (modern day Iraq).

Born in 965 AD, Al-Haytham is known as the father of the scientific method. This method aims to build upon and correct previous acquired knowledge.
To put it simply, it is observations, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis and then analysing the results through mathematical means.

Bradley Steffens in his biography of Al-Haytham states that he was the first person to test hypotheses with verifiable experiments, developing the scientific method more than 200 years before European scholars learned of it—by reading his books.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili of the University of Surrey states in an article published by the BBC, ‘just because Western Europe languished in the Dark Ages, does not mean there was stagnation elsewhere. Indeed, the period between the 9th and 13th Centuries marked the Golden Age of Arabic science.
Great advances were made in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, physics, chemistry and philosophy. Among the many geniuses of that period Al-Haytham stands taller than all the others’.


Undoubtedly Al-Haytam’s greatest accomplishment is in the field of optics. His invention of the pinhole camera), his correct description of vision occurring when light rays enter the eye and stimulate the optic nerve, the fact that light travels in straight rays, and radiates from every point on a luminous object in all directions are all mentioned in his ‘The Book of Optics’.

Al-Haytam does ascribe his inspiration and is documented to say, 'I decided to discover what it is that brings us closer to God, what pleases Him most, and what makes us submissive to His ineluctable Will'.

Jim Al Khalili also states that, ‘it is often still claimed that the modern scientific method was not established until the early 17th Century by Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes.
There is no doubt in my mind, however, that Al-Haytham arrived there first’.


Rosanna Gorini, from Institute of Neurosciences, Rome acknowledges Al-Haytam to be a pioneer in science who influenced many Western intellects such as Roger Bacon, Johannes Kepler and Charles Darwin.


In a recent article published by Austin Cline called ‘What is the Scientific Method’ he raised three distinct points.

1. The scientific method separates science from unsuccessful attempts to produce knowledge which people try to sell: faith, religion, pseudoscience, etc.

2. How scientists work, and so why science is superior to the alternatives.

3. Understanding science means understanding how the scientific method works.


Astonishingly Al-Haytam answered all these questions a millennia ago. He is quoted to say in his Doubts Concerning Ptolemy:
'Truth is sought for its own sake ... Finding the truth is difficult, and the road to it is rough. For the truths are plunged in obscurity. ... God, however, has not preserved the scientist from error and has not safeguarded science from shortcomings and faults. If this had been the case, scientists would not have disagreed upon any point of science'.


To ask another question - Who would understand the Scientific Method better than the man who was first to implement it?
It's as if to say, you and I understand the ‘theory of evolution’ better than the man who proposed it, Charles Darwin.


Surprisingly to those who think they understand his theory better than him, Darwin quotes, ‘the mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an agnostic’.

To know anything well you must understand its origin.
Those who manipulate the modern scientific method to disprove the existence of god may feel they are throwing stones at a glass box.
However the theory has its foundations deeply rooted in Islam and in reality it’s like throwing glass at a stone structure.

Finally Al-Haytam expresses, 'I constantly sought knowledge and truth, and it became my belief that for gaining closeness to God, there is no better way than that of searching for truth and knowledge'.

And Allah Knows Best.

A Ruby in the Rubble

Once, during the early days of the British administration in India,in Kandhla,(Uttar Pradesh), arose a dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims.
This dispute concerned a plot of land which both of them claimed as their place of worship. It escalated to such a level that they two opposing parties were nearly up in arms as they saw no other way of resolving the issue.


An English Collector of the district was designated to dissolve the dispute. He inquired from the Muslims if they could name a Hindu in whose honesty they had full confidence, so that that the case might be decided on the basis of his evidence. The Muslims said that they knew of no such Hindu.

The collector then asked the Hindus whether there was a Muslim upon whose word they would be willing to let the decision of the dispute be made. The Hindus said that, grave as the matter was, there was a Muslim scholar who had never uttered a falsehood and it could be hoped that he would not compromise his integrity over the issue in hand.
That scholar was known as Mufti Ilahi Bakhsh (1748-1829). He was a renowned jurist, physician and poet.

The Collector, thereupon, summoned him to his court, but he declined. Due to the occupation of the British in India and the atrocities the regime carried out against the natives, the scholar had sworn never to look at the face of an Englishman. The Collector said that he need not look at his face if he did not want to, but come he must, because the matter in dispute was serious and its settlement hinged on whether he came or not.


The scholar agreed. He came with his face covered with a mask and stood in the court, his back turned towards the Collector so that there could be no possibility of his vow being broken.


The case was explained to him, and he was asked to state whether he knew anything about the ownership of the plot. The scholar declared that the plot in dispute belonged to the Hindus; the Muslims had nothing to do with it. The Collector decided accordingly. The Muslims lost the case, but ‘truth’ scored a magnificent victory. Upon seeing the conduct of the scholar and his zeal to stand up for the truth even if it meant passing a verdict against his 'own people' a great number of Hindus embraced Islam on that very day.
Amazingly enough they even gave the land documents back to the scholar so that he may build a mosque there so that they could join the Muslims in worship.




The Holy Qur'an

“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching and argue with them in a way that is better”
[Quran 16:125].


O People who Believe! Be firm in establishing justice, giving witness for Allah, even if it is harmful to yourselves or parents or relatives; whether the one you testify against is wealthy or poor, for in any case Allah has the greater right over it; then do not follow your wishes for you may stray from the truth; and if you distort testimony or turn away, then Allah is Well Aware of your deeds.
Quran (4: 135)


The reason many a society crumble is when truth and honesty of its members is lost.
Lo! Even it's fragrance is hard to smell in the times of today.



You may think, this can't be me. He is just a ruby in the rubble.

But don't forget.

A diamond is just a chunk of coal that got its beauty from withstanding pressure.


And Allah knows best.

More Die from Obesity than Malnutrition

Reading this headline in the local newspaper baffled me. How can this be so?

Many a children sleep hungry every night and compete with another just to see dawn. Outrageously we’ve joined this competition and have beaten them to the finish line.

It’s almost as if we are mocking them.

However, in this race there are no winners.


From what is apparent, the world does produce enough food to feed everyone.
World agriculture provides everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day. An average person should consume around 2000 kcal daily.

The United Nations reports 25,000 people continue to die each day from hunger in a world with a huge surplus of food. Whereas, a billionaire is created every other day.

The richest 50 million people in Europe and North America have the same income as 2.7 billion poor people (according to a World Bank study in 2002).




How have we been so careless in letting a gap in society become a crater. A crater created by us neglecting our duties towards others and ourselves.
In a study conducted, the biggest personal factor in determining happiness is health.

Healthy people are about 20 percent happier than average while unhealthy people are about 8.25 percent more unhappy.


Happiness in english comes from the term ‘hap’; something that occured ‘by chance’ or ‘by fate’. Therefore a happy person is described as someone who is content with their fate.
Moreover happiness and pleasure tend to be used together. The word ‘pleasure’ derived from the word ‘plesure’ and its original meaning was - to please another.

Therefore happiness lies in the service of others along with ourselves, which somehow we have forgotten.


Question

Have we just been lazy?

The Holy Qur’an

Those who believe and lead a righteous life, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), they receive their recompense from their Lord; they will have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. (Al-Baqarah 2:277)

The term ‘zakat’ means obligatory charity and it is a duty of every single muslim to give around 2.5% of their yearly income to the poor. This is only applicable to an individual who earns above a certain yearly wage. This limits the excuse that one is lazy and helps to bridge the gap in society.

‘Zakat’ is separate from any other charity given which can be voluntary.

Those who give to charity night and day, secretly and publicly, receive their recompense from their Lord; they will have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
(Al-Baqarah 2:274)


Moreover it is transmitted that Ibn 'Abbas told Ibn az-Zubayr, "I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'A man is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbour is hungry.'"

Ask yourselves this - if everyone was to live in such a manner, would there be a person who would endure a night on an empty stomach?


Looking at ourselves through their eyes, we would probably make us envy ourselves.
Yet some of us are still not content with what we have been given by fate.

A constant reminder is needed.

In the service of others lies true pleasure and happiness.


And Allah knows best.

The Mind of a Killer

"I had to test the atom bombs. We have wasted so much money in creating atom bombs …. I am perfectly happy that the bombs worked, and now we will be growing more into atomic technology."
The words of Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 - December 26, 1972) and the thirty-third President of the United States of America , who gave the order to drop the atomic bombs "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both major cities in Japan.


The actual death count may never be known.

However estimates are Hiroshima (150,000) and Nagasaki (75,000) are deemed over conservative.





“In my lifetime I have murdered 21 human beings, I have committed thousands of burglaries, robberies, larcenies, arsons and, last but not least, I have committed sodomy on more than 1,000 male human beings. For all these things I am not in the least bit sorry.”
The words of Carl Panzram (June 28, 1891 – September 5, 1930). He was an American serial killer, rapist, arsonist and burglar.




"I hate this world, I am not ashamed of my action and I am ready to die. I have no regrets. I killed 100 children."
The words of Javed Iqbal (1956 in – October 8, 2001). He was a Pakistani serial killer who was found guilty of the sexual abuse and murder of 100 children.




“I opened her breast and with a knife cut through the fleshy parts of the body. Then I arranged the body as a butcher does beef, and hacked it with the axe into pieces.. I may say that while opening the body, I was so greedy that I trembled and could have cut out a piece and eaten it.”
The words of Andreas Bichel (1760 – 1809) a.k.a 'The Bavarian Ripper'. He was a German serial killer who enticed young women to his home by promising to tell their fortunes. The victims were knocked unconscious and stripped. When they awoke they were bound and gagged. Bichel then raped and mutilated them before killing them.




“They say it's the number of people I killed, I say it's the principle.”
The words of Aileen Wuornos (February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002). She was an American serial killer who killed seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990. Wuornos claimed that her victims had either raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute, and that all of the killings were committed in self-defense.




Some people may condemn these people downright and slap the strictest punishment offered by man upon them.
Others may label them to be a victim of social norms and their circumstances.

However the masses express their disapproval of such sadistic and merciless viewpoints.




Question
Have these individuals lost the value and worth for the living because they’ve lost the value and worth of their own life?


The Holy Qur’an

“”For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in the earth.
Surah Mai’dah (5:32)


"Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to God's will) in Islam. Leave them alone, to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: let (false) hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them).
Surah Al-Hijr (15:2-3)


The above cases are extreme, but they highlight the grotesque levels human beings can twist towards when one loses a sense of direction and purpose in their life.

Let’s not lose our purpose.

And Allah knows best.

The Quest to Avoid Death

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time - Mark Twain


Qin Shi Huang

King of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE and then the first emperor of a unified China from 221 BCE to 210 BCE. As the ruler of the Great Qin, he was known for the introduction of Legalism and also for unifying China.

His Quest

He died of swallowing Mercury pills, made by his court scientists and doctors, which contained too much of the liquid metal. The "theory," devised by alchemists, was that if mercury could even absorb gold, then if eaten, it would give that person its own powers, making him immortal. Mercury compounds were mixed with some food so as to make it edible. Ironically, these pills were meant to make Qin Shi Huang immortal. He was reportadly buried in a river of Mercury.



Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard

Also known as Charles Edward (8 April 1817 – 2 April 1894), he was a Mauritian physiologist and neurologist.

His Quest

He recommended the dried and ground testicles of guinea pigs and dogs as a tonic to extend youthfulness and virility. Injected himself and his patients with the extracts from the testicles, and then declared that the treatments had restored his physical vigour and mental acuity.





Morarji Ranchhodji Desai

The fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977–79.

His Quest

Morarji Desai is most often remembered for his championing of Urine Therapy (drinking one’s own urine for medical benefits). He told journalist Khushwant Singh that he was advised to try drinking his own urine when in his 40s to cure piles (haemorrhoids), and he got immediate results.

As the prime minister he caused discomfort to millions of Indian by proclaiming the efficiency of his urine drinking. On the occasion of his ninety-ninth birthday in 1995, Desai attributed his longevity to drinking urine - which he called the ``water of life'' - at least twice every day.





Question

Is the life of this world so dear that one may lose the integrity of being human, just to hold onto it?

The Holy Qur’an

Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
(Ale-‘Imraan 3:185)


Beautified for those who disbelieve is the life of this world, and they ridicule those who believe. But those who fear Allah are above them on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account.
(Al-Baqarah 2:212)

Sincerely search for the purpose of life for such an endevour will prepare you for death.



And Allah knows best.