The Pyramid Of King Khafre

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Pyramid of King Khafre
Builder: King Khafre.
Constructed: 2520-2494 BC.
Height: 143.5 meters.
Location: Giza city.
King Khafre (Son of King Khufu – 4th dynasty) built his pyramid on a
higher ground than this of Khufu's Pyramid (10 meters higher); When
youtake a look at the Giza plateau for the first time you will think
that khafre'spyramid Is the greatest among the Giza pyramids.
Khafre's pyramid can easily be identified due to the smooth outer
white limestone casing around the peak which is still there. Unlike
Khufu's pyramid, this pyramid is very simple in design; the entire
chambers are located below ground level (unless there are more
chambers that we don't know of yet).
The entrance to Khafre's pyramid
At the north face of the pyramid two entrances are available, one at
ground level and the other is a little bit higher in the north wall;
the ground level entrance is the one currently used by visitors who
wish to see the interior of Khafre's pyramid. Once you enter the
pyramid, you go through a short descending corridor until it levels
off; then you can either descend to a subsidiary chamber to theright
or ascend to the main burial chamber.
The coffer of King Khafre
It is not yet clear why kingKhafre chose to have two entrances to his
pyramid; some historians think that the pyramid was built this way
because it was intended to be larger than Khufu's pyramid.
Although this pyramid wasintended to be greater than King Khufu's
pyramid; King Khafre constructed another master piece, the incredible
man-lion, and the guard of Khafre's pyramid; the sphinx. The
sphinx is one of world's largest and earlieststatues; it was carved
out of a lump of rock the size of a jumbo jet; it was buried up to
its neck by drifting desert sands; which helped preserve thestatue
until it was fully uncovered in 1925.
The Sphinx
The Sphinx has a body of alion, and the head was carved to resemble
King Khafre himself; both the sphinx and Khafre's statue wear a
striped head cloth,which is a symbol of royalty.
One of the interesting stories associated with thesphinx is about a
tablet between the sphinx's frontpaws that tells a story of king
Thutmosis the fourthwho, in around 1400 BC fell asleep beneath the
sphinx and dreamt that he would be made king if he clears away the
sand that was burying the Sphinx. Thutmosis did this,and he became
King. The sand later returned.
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Divine Justice @ Opinions Concerning God's Justice

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The problem of justice as one of God's attributes has had its own
distinct history. Various schools of thought in Islam have held
different views on the subject, interpreting it in accordance
withtheir own distinctive principles.
Some Sunnis who follow the views of the theologian Abu'l Hasan Ash'ari
do not believe in God's justice as a matter of faith, and they deny
that justice is accomplished by the divine acts.
In their view, however, God treats a certain person, and whatever
punishment or reward He gives him, irrespective of what he might
appear to deserve, will represent justice and absolute good, even
though it might appear unjust when measured by human standards.
These Ash'aris, thus, distinguish God's attribute of justice from
Hisacts and they, therefore, regard as just whatever can be attributed
to God. If He rewards the virtuous and punishes the sinful, this is
justice, but so wouldbe the reverse; it would still be inthe broad
sphere of His justice.
Their claim that the very terms"justice" and "injustice" are
meaningless when applied to God is no doubt intended to elevate God's
most sacred essence to the position of the highest transcendence. But
no thoughtful person will regard these superficial and inadequate
notions as having anything to dowith God's transcendence. In fact,
they involve a denial of order in the world, of the principle of
causality both in the general order of the world and inthe conduct and
deeds of individual men.
The followers of al-Ash'ari believe, moreover, that the brightlamp of
the intellect is extinguished whenever it is confronted with the
perceptions and problems of religion, that it is unable to benefit man
or light up his path.
This claim conforms neither to the teachings of the Quran nor tothe
content of the sunnah. The Quran considers disregard for the intellect
to be a form of misguidance and repeatedly summons men to reflection
and meditation in order to learn divine knowledge and religious
beliefs. Those who fail to benefit from this bright lamp within them
are compared to the animals. The Quran says: "The worst of creatures
in the sight ofGod are those persons who are deaf and dumb and do not
reflect." (8:22)
The Prophet of Islam says: "God has assigned two guides to man: one
external to him, the messengers of God, and the other internal, his
own power of thought.
* * * * *
The Mutazilites and Shi'ast and in opposition to al-Ash'ari and his
school. Out of all the attributes ofGod, they have selected justice
tobe a principle of their creed. Relying on both transmitted and
rational proofs, they have also refuted and rejected as incompatible
with the principle of justice, the doctrines of the unmediated effect
of divine destiny and the predetermination of man's acts.
They believe that justice is the basis of God's acts, both in the
ordering of the universe and in the establishing of laws. Just as
human acts can be weighed according to the criteria of good and bad,
the acts of the Creator are also subject to the same criteria. Since
the logic of reason determines that justice is inherently praiseworthy
and injustice inherently reprehensible, an object of worship whose
characteristics include infinite intelligence and spirit, will never
undertake an actthat reason regards as impermissible.
When we say that God is just, it means that His all-knowing and
creative essence does nothing that is contrary to wisdom and benefit.
The concept of wisdom, when applied to the Creator, doesnot mean that
He chooses the best means for attaining His goals or remedying His
deficiencies, for it is only man who is called on to move from
deficiency toward perfection. God's concern is to make beings emerge
from deficiency and impel them toward perfection and the aims inherent
in their own essences. God's wisdom consists of this, that He first
implants a form of His favor within each phenomenon, and then, after
bestowing existence upon it, impels it toward the perfection of its
capacities through a further exercise of His generosity.
Justice has, then, an extensive meaning, which naturally includes the
avoidance of oppression and all foolish acts. Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq,
peace be upon him, says in explanation of God's justice:
"Justice in the case of God meansthat you should not ascribe anything
to God that if you were to do it would cause you to be blamed and
reproached."[ 1 ]
With man, oppression and all the forms of corrupt activity in which he
engages, derive, without doubt, from ignorance and lack of awareness
and need coupled with innate lowliness; sometimes, too, they are the
reflection of hatred and enmity, which leap forth from man's inner
being like a spark.
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Islamic architecture

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Architecture is one of the greatest Islamic art forms.An Islamic style
is seen in mosques but also in Muslim houses and gardens.
Some of the typical features are:
*. It's hidden - another term is "the architectureof the veil"
*. A traditional Islamic house is built around a courtyard, and shows
only a wall with no windows to the street outside
*. It thus protects the family, and family life from the people
outside,and the harsh environment of many Islamic lands - it's a
private world
*. Concentration on the interior rather than the outside of a building
- the common Islamic courtyard structure provides a space that is both
outside, and yet within the building
Another key idea, also used in town planning, is of a sequence of spaces.
Muhammad Ali mosque, Cairo ©
*. The mechanical structure of the buildingis de-emphasised
*. Buildings do not have a dominant direction
*. Large traditional houses will often have a complex double structure
that allows men to visit without running any risk of meeting the women
of the family
*. Houses often grow as the family grows - they develop according to
need, not to a grand design
Buildings are often highly decorated and colour is often a key feature.
But the decoration is reserved for the inside. Most often the only
exterior parts to be decorated will be the entrance and the dome.
Religious buildings in particular will often use geometry to symbolic effect.
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Origin Of Islam

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Islam is a word taken froman Arabic term, which means, "peace".
However, specialists call the meaning of the word as"submission",
which indicates towards the eternal submission in Allah's holy feet.
The Islam religion finds it's origin in South Arabia and dates back to
7th Century, whichis later to any other major religion existing in the
world. Despite it's more recent origin, the followersof Islam
constitute of the second largest population in the world after
Christians.
It was Prophet Muhammad who initiated disseminating the teachings of
Islam. He was born and brought up in the holy place Mecca. Although,
he married a young widow, yet he was never too much indulged in the
mundane world. He started giving sermons, which were so inspiring that
many people got attracted to his teachings. While he made so many
followers, there were many who were against him. Thus, he moved to
Medina, then known as Yathrib.
This is considered as the beginning of Islamic calendar and marks the
origin of Islam. Till his death, Muhammad converted a majority of Arab
population into Islam. The religion expanded as Arabs conquered
countries like Syria, Iran, Egypt and later when they shifted to
othercountries.
Muslims eventually got divided into two groups: Shia and Sunni right
after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Shia Muslims wanted somebody from
Muhammad should take mantle of Muhammad, whereas, Sunni Muslims wanted
the first Caliph to be their mentor. Ali, the Muhammad's son-in-law
was made the leaders of Shia group, who was called as 'Imam'. the
fundamental beliefs of both the groups are same, yet the difference is
huge and profound. In fact, there are many Muslims who like to be
called as simply 'Muslims'.
As the last prophet of Muslims said, "Islam is to testify that there
is no godbut Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform
the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadan , and to make the
pilgrimage to the House if you are able to doso." Thus, we can call
Islamas a monotheistic religion. They believe that all men on this
earth acquire equalprivilege from Allah and no one is superior to
another. That is why they have no caste system in their religion.
Islamic religion has five pillars that define the rules of
thereligion. These pillars are: 'Prayers' (Namaz), 'The Pilgrimage'
(Hajj), 'Faith', 'The Fast' and 'The Zakat'
There are six fundamental beliefs in the religion Islam which are
mentioned as below:
1. God is one and that is Allah.
2. Angels of God.
3. The messenger of God, who bring along them the Almighty's teachings.
4. The religious scriptures and Quran is supreme among all.
5. A day is set for all when they would be judged according to their deeds.
6. God's will is supreme of all.
Islam is perhaps the only religion, which protects the rights of it's
followers, be it that of liberty, security, against exploitation and
others. It teaches peace, brotherhood and love. While we all celebrate
different festivals being the followers of Islam, it becomes very
important to understand the essence of it.
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