Did you get the opportunity to read the biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? If not I highly recommend it. Marting Lings', "Muhammad," is a very easy to read good introduction and reads like a novel. Bishop Rowan Williams is indeed a fair man.

Originally posted by Sherban Shabeel: I am very sorry but evolution is not the "ultimate lie". It has been proved over and over again, through observation of fossils, through genetics, you name it. That being said, I don't see why you can't believe in God at the same time. There must be some force behind it other than natural selection. The complexity of living creatures goes far beyond survival. So I believe in God and evolution. I am a Christian, but I believe Muhammad was the last prophet of God, and that atheists have the right to believe what they wish. You may see contradictions here, but I don't. As everyone else, I am an intelligent human being and I can choose to have my own beliefs. As for the clay thing, I think it would have become pretty obvious after a couple thousand of years that it's a METAPHOR. God expects us to be intelligent enough to understand that. Personally, I don't believe God ACTUALLY molded human beings out of clay. I believe he molded them out of genes. But hey! Everyone's free to think what they want. Sharben, I have few questions for you: 1) Do you believe the Allah is all powerful and can create as he wishes? 2) Do you believe in miracles? 3) You say you're a christian, does that mean you still believe in the trinity?

Insha-Allah, I'm gonna try this recipe tomorrow: Lamb and Spinach Looks delicious!

Originally posted by Johnny B: Hassan, I was calling you on your claim of 'The Qur'an' beeing totaly the opposite where the Bible and the Talmud failed in front of the uncompromising 'Nullius in Verba' Science. This is true. The Qur'an is untouched and approachable with these methods. The Bible and the Talmud failed because of the adulterations by men adding things and omitting others. You should re-read the verses quoted. The arguments are the same the people are the same. They only difference is that the arguments are now a bit more complicated with the smokescreen of scientific objectivity as a cover. But their basis are the same.

No one is saying Islam is not part of the abrahamic tradition. It is all over the Qur'an. It is just that Islam is the last train home. [52:29] Therefor warn (men, O Muhammad). By the grace of Allah thou art neither soothsayer nor madman. [52:30] Or say they: (he is) a poet, (one) for whom we may expect the accident of time ? [52:31] Say (unto them): Except (your fill)! Lo! I am with you among the expectant. [52:32] Do their minds command them to do this, or are they an outrageous folk ? [52:33] Or say they: He hath invented it ? Nay, but they will not believe! [52:34] Then let them produce speech the like thereof, if they are truthful. [52:35] Or were they created out of naught ? Or are they the creators ? [52:36] Or did they create the heavens and the earth ? Nay, but they are sure of nothing! [52:37] Or do they own the treasures of thy Lord ? Or have they been given charge (thereof) ? [52:38] Or have they any stairway (unto heaven) by means of which they overhear (decrees). Then let their listener produce some warrant manifest! [52:39] Or hath He daughters whereas ye have sons ? [52:40] Or askest thou (Muhammad) a fee from them so that they are plunged in debt ? [52:41] Or possess they the Unseen so that they can write (it) down ? [52:42] Or seek they to ensnare (the messenger) ? But those who disbelieve, they are the ensnared! [52:43] Or have they any god beside Allah ? Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! [52:44] And if they were to see a fragment of the heaven falling, they would say: A heap of clouds. [52:45] Then let them be (O Muhammad), till they meet their day, in which they will be thunder-stricken, [52:46] A day in which their guile will naught avail them, nor will they be helped. [52:47] And verily, for those who do wrong, there is a punishment beyond that. But most of them know not. [52:48] So wait patiently (O Muhammad) for thy Lord’s decree, for surely thou art in Our sight; and hymn the praise of thy Lord when thou uprisest, [52:49] And in the night-time also hymn His praise, and at the setting of the stars.

As-salaamu 'alaykum Br. Nur. You're definitely right. The theory of evolution is currently the bedrock of Atheism. Their religion is materialism and their doctrine is evolution. The reason why I chose the above article is not because of the completeness of its refutation but rather because it is lighthearted. Too much seriousness can dull the soul. I felt like I as watching an action thriller while reading it, very enjoyable. for a detail article read Shaykh Nuh's piece. Christianity and Judaism have been defeated by the scientists. It is clear that from historical textual criticism point of view that the Bible is full of forgeries. This is accepted in all major universities and academia in general. This is not news as it was discovered centuries ago I believe by christian priests that applied the methods of historical textual criticism. The bible is inauthentic to say the least. The Qur'an is totally the opposite. We have copies from the first century after the hijra and the same as we have it now even though it does not show vocalizations as this was added later on. Also, there is only 1 qur'an on the earth now, that in itself is a miracle. Regardless of what you may think, the Qur'an is an authentic text. Next level is the miracles of the Qur'an, to numerous to mention here. Recently however it does seem that the atheists, christians, and jews (not all of them but the detractors of islam seem to be composed from some of them) are joining politically to fight Islam. Islam is the only coherent way of life that can withstand the onslaught of materialism in its various forms and those traditions have already given into it. JB, Having graduated with a biochemistry degree, it is as Br. Nur has said. Namely that evolution is based on chance, and if taken to its logical conclusion would say that existence itself is based on chance. The fact that scientists believe in it does nothing to mitigate the fact that it is contrary to our experience of the world. To say I was made from a single cell to my trillion+ celled body with no guiding force is simply unbelievable and unnatural. Not to mention the lack of evidence there is for it. The scientists have already made up their mind to exclude God out of the picture and what ever evidence they get they unnaturally try to fit it into their already designed grand-scheme.

Mis-understandings will happen occasionally, however, if there is true love and respect (what does this mean you ask?) there wont the immature argumentation for the sake of argumentation.

^that is if I don't burn the house down first... I've already moved it from the freezer to the fridge. Be ready for spectacular culinary miracles to be worked! :cool:

Sabriya, I actually had a good laugh from your comment.

^Ameeen Ya Rabb!

^LOL I know! My culinary skills are impressive! It is actually not that bad...

~2 cups of rice + ~5 cups of water + cardamon + rice cooker >>> press and forget and do something usefull serve yourself a plate, add 2+ teaspoons of subug saafi from mudug (aka clarified butter or Ghee), add 2+ teaspoons or more of sugar or honey get yourself a cup of organic milk viola! easy tasty, good smelling, dinner for the single male or female... Tomorrow I'll have to figure out what to do with the lamb in my freezer, no doubt I'll be consulting Tammy's website; any suggestions?

^Lol, I hope to be taken care of when I'm old and frail if I reach such an age, and looking after relatives is the easiest way to do that. OK So we've discussed the issues... Any Solutions?

This is indeed very sad. ina lillahi wa ina ilayhi rajicuun. what is even sadder is the fact that the witnesses didn't come forward. This could mean that well developed gangs are active in those community, with their 'don't snitch' policy.

Originally posted by Abu-Salman: Interesting, I'm amazed at how casually few say they do not plan to go back there, their own country! Truth must be told, unless one is living in an islamic country, one has no choise but to emigrate (even then, one may lead a more productive life at home, depending on his circumstances). Why limit oneself to Xamar or any other place of birth when most areas such as both Puntland and Somaliland are safe and most of us have links or relatives elsewhere? Personally, I'm monitoring some familial business there and may thus soon move back home in Somalia, albeit relatives are now dispersed for wordly pursuits. Not that my beloved Djibouti is not as Somali, but for those practical reasons as well as high living costs and a too liberal/secular atmosphere, I do largely prefer other Somali towns (Xamar is still my first choice though I may have to wait again)... Some Ulama' have said that if you're safety and your ability to practice your deen is there that it is haraam for you to move from a non-Muslim country. Their reasoning is that if you leave then that means that those people don't have your presence as a Muslim for them to be guided to Islam and the goal is to spread to everywhere. So if some want to stay they are OK, religious wise, because at least there is/was a group of scholars who hold this view.

Very interesting story, a good read.. Why Science Fails to Explain God "Professing to be wise, they became fools . . .. " "LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with God." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. "You're a Muslim, aren't you, son?" "Yes, sir." "So you believe in God?" "Absolutely." "Is God good?" "Sure! God's good." "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?" "Yes." "Are you good or evil?" "The Koran says I'm not always so good." The professor grins knowingly. "Ahh! THE KORAN!" He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? "Would you try?" "Yes sir, I would." "So you're good...!" "I wouldn't say that." "Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could... in fact most of us would if we could... but God doesn't. [No answer.] "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Muslim who died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. How is this God good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?" [No answer] The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can you?" He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. In philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones. "Let's start again, young fella." "Is God good?" "Er... Yes." "Is Satan good?" "No." "Where does Satan come from?" The student falters. "From... God..." "That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?" The elderly man runs his bony fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking, student audience. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and gentlemen." He turns back to the Muslim. "Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?" "Yes, sir." "Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make everything?" "Yes." "Who created evil? [No answer] "Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All the terrible things - do they exist in this world? " The student squirms on his feet. "Yes." "Who created them? " [No answer] The professor suddenly shouts at his student. "WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE! "The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Muslim's face. In a still small voice: "God created all evil, didn't He, son?" [No answer] The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging panther. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues, "How is it that this God is good if He created all evil throughout time?" The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world. "All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the world, isn't it, young man?" [No answer] "Don't you see it all over the place? Huh?" Pause. "Don't you?" The professor leans into the student's face again and whispers, "Is God good?" [No answer] "Do you believe in God, son?" The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor. I do." The old man shakes his head sadly. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you? " "Yes, of course sir, I do have five senses". Then, slowly raising his voice, the professor continues: "Have you ever seen your God?" "No, sir. I've never seen Him." "Then tell us if you've ever heard your God?" "No, sir. I have not." "Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God or smelt your God... in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?" [No answer] "Answer me, please." "No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't." "You're AFRAID... you haven't?" "No, sir." "Yet you still believe in him?" "...yes..." "That takes FAITH!" The professor smiles sagely at the underling. "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?" [The student doesn't answer] "Sit down, please." The Muslim sits...Defeated. Another Muslim raises his hand. "Professor, may I address the class?" The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, another Muslim in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering." The Muslim looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?" "Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat." "Is there such a thing as cold?" "Yes, son, there's cold too." "No, sir, there isn't." The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly goes very cold. The second Muslim continues. "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than 458 - You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it." Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom. "Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?" "That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?" "So you say there is such a thing as darkness?" "Yes..." "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you...give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?" Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him. This will indeed be a good semester. "Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?" "Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...." The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare you...!"" "Sir, may I explain what I mean?" > The class is all ears. "Explain... oh, explain..." The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability itself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue. "You are working on the premise of duality," the Muslim explains. "That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it." The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it. "Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?" "Of course there is, now look..." "Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?" The Muslim pauses. "Isn't evil the absence of good?" The professor's face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless. The Muslim continues. "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if he exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil. What is that work, God is accomplishing? The Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will, of our own free will, choose good over evil." The professor bridles. "As a philosophical scientist, I don't vie this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable." "I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going," the Muslim replies. "Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?" "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do." "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?" The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare. "Professor. Since no-one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a priest?" "I'll overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses. "So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?" "I believe in what is - that's science!" "Ahh! SCIENCE!" the student's face splits into a grin. "Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..." "SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the professor splutters. The class is in uproar. The Muslim remains standing until the commotion has subsided. "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?" The professor wisely keeps silent. The Muslim looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?". The class breaks out in laughter. The Muslim points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor. "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain..., felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?". No one appears to have done so. The Muslim shakes his head sadly. "It appears no-one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's brain whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no brain." The class is in chaos. The Muslim sits... Because that is what a chair is for. Story provided by Mahomed, Feroz, Feroz.Mahomed@hulami n.co.za Author unknown from http://www.livingisl am.org/sis_e.html#ex pl

^there will be argument only in the absence of love.

masha-Allah, I'm quite jealous. I hope to meet him one day. Are/were you a student at cambridge?

Come to think of it my father had a big family and I have relatives in puntland. Depending on how they compare I might go over to puntland under the leadership of Osman NZ and work on their cutting edge solar powered electricity. :cool:

thankfully I have family connections in hargeisa as only Allah knows when the south will settle.

Somalia is in my heart. My family left xamar when I was eight years. I still remember our villa in xamar jadiid and going to the cool masjid with my brother oh and the beautiful beach of barawe. I wish to go back if there was peace after all my father still lives in Somalia and he does not intend to move to the west. PS: sabriya my half sister grew up in hargeisa she might come to the states soon though.

I hope the sisters don't mind I've post it here, I thought here most appropriate for this...

Boys Will Be Boys... I think this is good follow to the "oversexualized muslim male syndrome." The article below discuss the effects of the sexual liberation on women: Moreover, the world which has been increasingly shaped by secular egalitarian gender discourse has not proved to be the promised land than the younger Greer had prophesied. As she now writes: ‘When the Female Eunuch was written our daughters were not cutting or starving themselves. On every side speechless women endure endless hardship, grief and pain, in a world system that creates billions of losers for every handful of winners.’ (p.3) She goes on to suggest that the sexual liberation that accompanied the gender revolution has in most cases harmed women more than men. ‘The sexuality that has been freed’, she writes, ‘is male sexuality.’ Promiscuity harms women more than men: women continue to experience the momentous consequences of pregnancy, while the male body is unaffected. When the USS Acadia returned from the Gulf War, a tenth of her female crewmembers had already been returned to America because of pregnancy aboard what became known as the Love Boat. The number of men returned was zero. Another consequence of the sexual revolution has been an increase in infidelity, and a consequent rise in divorce and single parenthood... I've read the first portion and will be finish reading it soon. Check it out and express your thoughts.

What ever women are looking for, it is quite different from what men are looking for. Men are mostly looking for the new object on the block, women are looking for long term partners. Hence why men need to get better control of their lusts. Also, it is known that women can better control their behavior than men. They say women are the possessors of the hearts of men. Lets not use western cultured (that seems to be deliberately defying the fitra (natural order) of both men and women and forcefully stripping away what makes each sex special) as a measuring stick. their experiments are doing nothing other than distorting what it means to be a human. and western women have realized that they're on the losing end if they are to be made the same as men. You play the game on mens terms, which is what the capitalistic western culture is all about, individualistic concern, cut-throat competition, survival of the fittest, usually the one with the broadest shoulders. One of the beautiful things about Islam is that it teaches men to be in control of themselves, to control those things which they've been given to excel and not to use for their whims and end up becoming tyrants like the pharaohs even if their kingdom composed of nothing but their household. Still, I think it is justified to tell young to get a better hold of the monsters inside them so that they tame it and use it for good.

one thing i've noticed is that most people don't visit this section with their id's. I wonder why, what are they afraid of? do they have a particular image they want to protect?