Nice Thoughts.....

I came across a very nice email from my Yahoo Groups community. I would like to share with the readers. It is as follows:

Nice Thoughts.... .

1. If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.

2. The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.

3. Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

4. The best vitamin for making friends .B1.

5. The 10 commandments are not multiple choice.

6. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

7. Minds are like parachutes.. . they function only when open.

8. Ideas won't work unless YOU do.

9. One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

10. One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.

11. The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.

12. Don't learn safety rules by accident.

13. We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.

14. Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.

15. A turtle makes progress when it sticks its head out.

16. One thing you can give and still keep is your word.

17. A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.

AND FINALLY...

18. The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!

Jihad: Its True Meaning and Purpose

Almost all famous world religions have the concept of holy war that needs to be waged against tyranny and injustice..

One of the most controversial word in today's world is "Jihad" which in general terms believed to be war by Islam against other religions.

This is terribly wrong. Please see below mail, which I received in my mail-box from yahoo groups, that exactly describes what Jihad is...

Jihad is one of the most misunderstood, and abused aspects of Islam. There are some Muslims who exploit and misuse this concept for their own political objectives. There are many non-Muslims who misunderstand it. There are some non-Muslims who misinterpret it to discredit Islam and Muslims.

Jihad: Its True Meaning and Purpose

Jihad: Its True Meaning and Purpose

Jihad is never a tool of waging war against the innocents; it's never a means of flexing muscles or bullying the weak and oppressed. Jihad in Islam is something unique, established to defend the divine message from being eliminated or hindered by its enemies.
Shedding more light on the true concept of Jihad, here is the statement made by Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Fiqh Council ofNorth America, states:

Allah says, (And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the religion of your father Abraham. It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation) ; that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and you be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector, the best to protect and the Best to help!) (Al-Hajj 22: 78)

Jihad is one of the most misunderstood, and abused aspects of Islam. There are some Muslims who exploit and misuse this concept for their own political objectives. There are many non-Muslims who misunderstand it. There are some non-Muslims who misinterpret it to discredit Islam and Muslims.

What is Jihad?

The word Jihad does not mean "Holy War".
It means "struggle" or "striving".
The word for war in the Qur'an is "Harb" or "Qital".

Jihad means serious and sincere struggle on the personal as well as on the social level.

It is a struggle to do good and to remove injustice, oppression and evil from the society. This struggle should be spiritual as well as social, economic and political.

Jihad is to work hard to do right things. In the Qur'an this word is used in its different forms 33 times. It often comes with other Qur'anic concepts such as faith, repentance, righteous deeds and migration.

Jihad is to protect one's faith and one's human rights.

Jihad is not a war always although it can take the form of war.

Islam is the religion of peace, but it does not mean that Islam accepts oppression. Islam teaches that one should do one's utmost to eliminate tension and conflict. Islam promotes non-violent means to bring change and reform.

Actually, Islam urges that one should eliminate evil through peaceful means without the use of force as much as possible. In Islamic history from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until now, Muslims most of the time resisted oppression and struggled for liberation in non-violent and peaceful manners.

Islam teaches proper ethics in the situation of war also. The war is permissible in Islam, but only when other peaceful means such as dialogue, negotiations and treaties fail. It is a last resort and should be avoided as much as possible. Its purpose is not to convert people by force, or to colonize people or to acquire land or wealth or for self-glory.

Its purpose is basically: defense of life, property, land, honor and freedom for oneself as well as defense of others from injustice and oppression.

The basic rules of war in Islam are:

1. Be strong so that your enemy fear you and should not attack you.
2. Do not begin the hostilities. Work for peace as much as possible.
3. Fight only those who fight, no collective punishment; non-combatants should not be harmed. Weapons of mass destruction should not be used.
4. Stop hostilities as soon as the other party is inclined to peace.
5. Observe the treaties and agreements as long as the enemy observes them.

Allah says very clearly: (Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not do aggression, for Allah loves not the aggressors.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 190)

(The prohibited month, for the prohibited month, and so for all things prohibited, there is the law of equality. If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, transgress ye likewise against him. But fear Allah, and know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 194)

Jihad is not terrorism:

It is to be emphasized that terrorism against the innocent civilians, whether through aggression or suicidal means, is under no circumstances permissible in Islam. Islam encourages the oppressed people to struggle for their liberation and it commands other Muslims to help those who are oppressed and suffering, but Islam does not allow, under any circumstance, terrorism against non-combatants and innocent people.

Terrorism is not Jihad, it is Fasad (mischief).

It is against the teachings of Islam. There are some people who use their twisted arguments to justify terrorism for their causes, but it has no justification:
Allah says: (When it is said to them: 'Make not mischief on the earth,' they say: 'Why, we only want to correct things.' Indeed they are the mischief doers, but they realize (it) not.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 11-12)

Islam wants to establish a world order where all human beings - Muslims and non-Muslims - can live with justice in peace, harmony and good will. It gives its followers full guidelines to find peace in their personal and social lives, but it also tells them how to extend the good will on the basis of human relations towards others. Muslims worked under these principles for centuries. People of many faiths lived with them and among them. Islamic societies were known for their tolerance, generosity and humanity.

In our modern society where we are living in a global village, where non-Muslims are living with Muslims in the Muslim countries and Muslims are living with non-Muslims in countries where non-Muslims constitute a majority, it is our duty to bring better understanding among ourselves, work for peace and justice for all people and cooperate with each other in matters of goodness and virtue in order to stop all terrorism, aggression and violence against the innocent people. This is our Jihad today.

AT LAST

If any one kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed the whole of humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole humanity.

(Surah Al Maida, Chapter #5, Verse #32)

EID MUBARAK TO ALL MUSLIM BROTHERS & SISTERS

I wish you ALL a very happy and peaceful Eid.
May Allah accept your good deeds,
forgive your transgressions and ease
the suffering of all peoples around the globe.

Eid Mubarak

Quotes on Politics

1	Hot heads & cold hearts never solved anything	-Billy Graham
2	The spirit of democracy cannot be superimposed from the outside. It must come from within.	-Mahatma Gandhi
3	It is said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible	-David Brin
4	All weakness tends to corrupt & impotence corrupts absolutely.	- Edgar z Freidenberg
5	The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.	- Milton Friedman
6	Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil, in its worst state, an intolerable one.	- Thomas Paine
7	Democracy means having the choice. Dictatorship means being given the choice.	- Jeannine Luczak
8	The most serious threat to democracy is the notion that it has already been achieved.	- Anonymous
9	Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty & happiness of the people whose manners are universally corrupt.	- Samuel Adams.
10	It’s not the voting that’s democracy, it’s the counting.	- Tom Stoppard
11	Good example & education are the only weapons against narrow-mindedness be it communalism, casteism or partyism.	- C. Rajagopalchari
12	One can always win a war; but how does one conquer peace ?	- Michael Holmboe Meyer
13	Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.	- Max Lucade
14	If it’s natural to kill, why do men have to go into training to learn how ?	- Joan Baez
15	We have guided missiles & misguided men.	- Martin Luther King Jr
16	Ring a ring of Uranium, Pocket full of Plutonium, Fission, we all fall down.	- Nuclear nursery rhyme
17	In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.	- Charles de Gaulle
18	Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people of other than your own come first	- Charles de Gaulle
19	Peace is not something you wish for, it’s something you make, something you are, something you give away.	- Robert Fulghum
20	When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.	- Jimi Hendrix
21	The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war.	– Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Wise Thoughts

1. Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten. – B.F. Skinner

2. When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. – George Washington Carver

3. Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. – Benjamin Franklin

4. It’s a beggar’s pride that he is not a thief. – Anonymous

5. No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow – Alice Walker

6. If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude – Amy Tan

7. To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world – Brandi Snyder

8. A worried person sees a problem, a concerned person solves it. – Harold Stevens

9. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks – Charles Gordy

10. You are never really caught in a traffic jam. You are the traffic jam. – The Times of India