WOW!!! i didnt know they let girls take part in those competitions.

what gives people that fire in their bellies? you know, that steam to make them climb those stairs like Rocky?

Salaama 3leykum Sheikh Nur. Committing sins is a form of oppression and can bring about real harm to an individual's life. Sometimes the punishment can fall on the sinner indirectly, as you mentioned dhambi affecting a person's wealth, and family. My question is, if an individual's sins can affect his/her family, does the affliction directly correlate to the sin committed? I'll be more specific. I learned a story recently by perusing one of my friends notes from an islamic lecture. The story told of a very pious man (I think he was from the tabiyeen) whose son went on a trip. Whilst his son was away, a beggar came to the door for food. The daughter of the house served him and unfortunately, before leaving, the beggar man stole a kiss from the young girl. When the religious man's son came back from the trip, he interrogated his son about whom he had kissed. The boy, stunned, denied ever kissing anyone, and asked why his father would him ask such a thing. The father replied: "A man came here, and stole a kiss from my daughter. I know I have not touched or looked at anything that is not halal to me, so this calamity is not from my actions, but from yours!" (or something to that affect). The boy than finally admitted that he met a girl and kissed her during his travels. The Sheikh who relayed this story was using it as an anecdote as how what goes around can definitely come back around. My question in the face of such an anecdote is, does a person's sins make anyone in his family vulnerable, or is it only those he is responsible for, or those whom he lives with, or those he cares about the most... or is this one of Allah's secrets. For example, a young man regularly drinks alcohol in his parents home; does his sin have the power to affect his parents because he lives with them, or because they are his parents? Does his parents actions in the face of this affect the repercussions as well? What if he moves out? Also, on the day of judgement everyone is responsible for their own actions, and we will not be interrogated about other people's sins, but Id imagine we will be asked about our actions in the face of sin. I am reminded of a hadith (please correct me if Im wrong) about the three stages of iiman. If one of us sees something wrong, we should stop it with our hands, if not than say something against it with our tongue, and still if that is not possible than to hate it in our hearts, and the last example being the weakest of iiman. I guess I'll formulate that into a question. Our we going to be asked about our actions (or inaction) in the face of sins?

just got a visual, thanks!

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uhhhm, I'd like to say something in defense of the natives. Although the native community, like any other marginalized community, cannot use their past as an excuse to give up on aspiring for achievements, the idea that they are being spoon fed is inaccurate, and if you saw their reserves you'd agree that it is a ridiculous assertion to make. Sure, they don't pay taxes, but they also don't have access to higher education the same way we do. A native has to live on the reserves to be eligible for these economic breaks, and the reserves are not near any educational facilities or urban constructs. Furthermore, the laws dictate exactly what percentage of an individal's biological make-up must be "native", to stay in the reserve, thus indirectly enforcing the idea that they have to stick to their own kind... a "kind" that people recognize to be "lazy and drunk", as you put it. The stereotype, unfortunately, isnt completely inacurate, but like all stereotypes it gives a flat picture. The community has been stricken with direct government sabotage, and yet the government gives them incentives to stay there and basically cut themselves off from the rest of the world. As Muslims, we can appreciate how the family is a micro level community, and if you've studied Canadian history, you can see how the government has done a lot to not only break this bond but has successfully damaged the family construct so much so that sexual abuse, drug abuse, domestic violence are common in the reserves. Everyone has this notion that natives are just happy getting drunk and not paying taxes, which sometimes may be the case, but we seem to be ignoring the tragedy as to how the community got there. Spoon fed? no. Crippled? in my opinion, yes.

just exactly how did they make those little princesses if all the men were castrated? or were they like the amazonians, and snipped the fellas after they had their use of them...

withhold a formula that allows people to make the right decision regarding marriage potentials. ... is there a formula? i thought id ask, just on the off chance there is onewritten in a dusty ibn qayyim book that has eluded many lay men such as myself, whilst all the scholars get together in small huddles about so and so who has the original copy, and how so and so almost cracked it... does such a formula exist?

the thing is they dont have to reject all the vaccinations. what the author of said letter is suggesting, and i completely agree with, is that parents should get educated on the matter, about their rights, and about vaccines. id like to point out, that immunization in the west has basically irradicated certain prominent diseases in africa and asia. one child not getting vaccinated isnt a big deal, but if all the somali parents decided on foregoing vaccinations for their kids, than it could possibly cause a re-emergence of deadly diseases such as small pox, and the like. obviously that is a worst case scenario, but look at other parts of the world that don't have access to these vaccines, and see what sort of diseases they are suffering with.

subhan allah

congrats

its the only means for the end which is paradise.

so is there a formula? i thought id ask, just in case my own fears are correct and people are actually hiding something from me. nur, you wouldnt do that would you? is there a formula on picking the right person? i mean, at what point does the anxiety go away?

yep... what about collective memories? do we share the same heartaches, successes and pitfalls? barack obama's win kind of illustrated that, but that has something to do with locality. im no where near the somalis... i cant say i share yr collective memories. perhaps with those who grew up in the west, with a photo album, a globe, and the gazette clippings on what somalia is. class presentations on the horn of africa, and useless tidbit information about population, currency, and favourite cultural dishes. ... personal identity fluctuates, and imo, is basically made up of experience... more specifically those experiences we have stored into our mental volts... lack of experience leads to a shell of a life. wandering the corridors like a hungry ghost, aimless but thirsty for what everyone has and you have shunned. collective identity is difficult to pinpoint. it demands that one should make their allegiance witha collective group first, and somalis are the new gypsies.

check out www.understandquran.com its really good. i have been slacking off, but from the very minor (i mean scrapings underneath the fingernails) progress i have made in the syllabus, i have noticed the change. subhanallah, i can understand more bits and pieces of the quran when it is recited. its quite exciting.

yes insha allah. i cant wait to have a family of my own so i can actually celebrate ciid. its just going to be dunya, dunya, dunya this year.

my qabiil shapes my political views on somalia... but only in the sense that i tend to go against the waves of popular opinion. my people say x is the best suited leader; i ask them why and point out some of the obvious over cites. my people say "dont trust that group", i say "thats exactly what they are saying about us."

the somals ive met/known tend to label any black person they dont like as "jamaican", and they tend to use it as a loaded term. somalis are haters...equal opportunity haters though.

cynical, is it J.M. Forster?

Allahu naxaristo Yes it can happen, mostly when the people involved are elderly. Sometimes its not even the shock, its just the loneliness. I read somewhere that elderly widowers have a short life expectancy after their loved one passes away, just because the will to live is no longer as strong. bani adam! subhan Allah.

jazak allah kheyran

I LOOOVE THESE GUYS!!!

hawaaa!!?! this is for real?

anyone think we can get these pirates to join the peace caravan? leave it to the pirates to restore my hope in somalia. what's that? no, there is just something in my eye... iss ALLERGIES is wat it is. *sniff*

i have to admit, it made me lol. sadly, i think ive had similar nonsensical email conversations. mostly when handing in late papers.