Easter Island

Easter Island (Rapa Nui in the indigenous language), is a
Chilean-governed island in the south eastern Pacific Ocean . Rapa Nui
is a small, hilly, now treeless island of volcanic origin. It's been
called the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth, but there is
another aspect that sets it apart from any other place on Earth -its
hundreds of megalithic human-like statues that face inland from the
shore. These enigmatic statues are called moai .
Almost all moais were carved out of distinctive, compressed, easily
worked volcanic ash. The largest one weights up to165 tons, and its
height isalmost 22 meters. Some upright moai have become buried up to
their necks by shifting soils.
This massive production of megalithic works on an island that is
absolutely barren, with just grass, immediately captures our
imagination . How did it all happen? Who built these statues? And why
did they build them?
Some scientists suggest that Easter Island inhabitants, the Rapanui ,
came from Polynesia. But similarities to Indian stone statues around
Lake Titicaca in South America are striking. Is this accidental or
not? Scholars are unable to definitively explain the function and use
of the moai statues . Some of them suggest that the statues were
symbols of authority and power, both religious and political.
One of the biggest riddlesabout Easter Island is how the statues
'traveled' from the quarryto their platforms or ahus, sometimes as far
as 20 or 25 kilometres away? Rapa Nui legend has it that the
moai"walked from the quarry". But less than one third of all carved
moai actually made it to a final ceremonial ahus site. Was this due to
the inherent difficulties in transporting them? Were the ones that
remain in the quarry deemed culturally unworthy of transport? Or had
the islanders run out of the resources necessary to complete the
Herculean task of carving and moving the moai?
Easter Island is more well known as Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua, meaning ' The
Navel of the World ' and as Mata-Ki-Te-Rani, meaning ' Eyes Looking
atHeaven '. These ancient names and a host of mythological details
point to the possibility that the remote island may once have been
both a geodetic marker and the site of an astronomical observatoryof a
long forgotten civilization .

Dhu al-Qa'dah (Dhul Qa'dah) Qiblah (Qibla or Kiblah) Muharram Al-Haram

Dhu al-Hijjah (Dhul Hijjah) is the twelfth and final month in the
IslamicLunar Calendar, marking the end of the year. This is the last
sacred month in which fighting was forbidden. It is also known as
Zilhaj, Zulhijjah, Zul Hijjah.
Dhu al-Hijjah (Dhul Hijjah): Literally means 'Lord of the Pilgrimage'.
It is during this month in which the Hajj Pilgrimage takes place and
pilgrims from all around the world congregate at Makkah to visit the
Kaaba. The Hajj Pilgrimage is performed on the eighth, ninth and the
tenth of this month. Eid ul-Adha, the 'Festival of the Sacrifice' is
held onthe tenth day.
First ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah (Dhul Hijjah): Days of virtue and
righteous deeds
The sacred month of Dhu al-Hijjah (Dhul Hijjah) is one of the highly
blessed months. The pious and upright companions of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (saw) and their first generation followers used to spend this
month in prayers andsupplications, particularlythe first ten
noteworthy days which have also been distinguished in Glorious Qur'an.
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) had said that supplications made in these
10 days get a positive reply from Allah (SWT).
Ibn Abbas says about the Ayah in Surah Al-Baqarah, "Remember Allah
during the well known days," (2:203) thatit refers to the first ten
days of Dhul Hijjah. [This is related by al-Bukhari]
Allah (SWT) swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something
is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allah (SWT)says in
Glorious Qur'an:"By the dawn; by the ten nights" [Surah Al-Fajr,
89:1-2]. Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier
and later generations said that this refers to the firstten days of
Dhul Hijjah. Ibn Katheer said: "This is the correct opinion." [Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, 8/413]
Praise be to Allah (SWT) Who has created Time and has made some
timesbetter than others, some months and days and nights better than
others,when rewards are multiplied many times, asa mercy towards His
slaves. This encourages them to do more righteous deeds and makes them
more eager to worship Him, so that the Muslim renews his efforts to
gain a greater share of reward, prepare himself for death and supply
himself in readiness for the Day of Judgement.
This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity
to correct ones faults andmake up for any shortcomings or anything
that one might have missed. Every one ofthese special occasions
involves some kind of worship through which the slaves may draw closer
to Allah (SWT), and some kind of blessing though which Allah
(SWT)bestows His favour and mercy upon whomsoeverHe will. The happy
personis the one who makes themost of these special months, days and
hours and draws nearer to his Lord during these times through acts of
worship; he will most likely be touched by the blessing of Allah (SWT)
and will feel the joy of knowing that he is safe from the flames of
Hell. [Ibn Rajab, al-Lataaif, p.8]
1. Makkah at the center ofthe earth
2. Makkah during ProphetAbraham (pbuh)
3. Makkah during Qosai, great Grandfather of Holy Prophet Muhammad
(saw), year 157 before Hijrah .
4. Makkah during Quraish,year 12 before Hijrah.
5. Makkah during Omayied Era, year 91 Hijrah.
6. Makkah during Abbasied Era, year 310 Hijrah.
7. Makkah during Ottoman Empire, year 1215 Hijrah.
8. Makkah during King Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz, year 1412 Hijrah.
The approximate locationof a hundred countries inrelation to Kaaba.
They classified into three categories with respect to their proximity
to the Kaaba.

Battle of al-Ahzab (Tribes), Battle of Khandaq (Ditch, Moat, Trench):

The Qureshite communityhad one important dream: The destruction of
Mohammed and his religion. Pagan tribes outside Mecca were sharing
with them the same dream. Like the Meccans, these tribes considered
Mohammed a serious menace to their religion. This belief brought these
tribes and the Muslims into military confrontations in which the
Muslims had the upper hand. These tribes,therefore, were like the
Meccan community full ofresentment and rancor towards Mohammed and his
religion.
Non-Pagan Tribes
There were clashes between the Muslims andsome of the people of
scripture who were neighboring Medina caused by their breaching of
covenants with the Holy Prophet. Tribes from among them such as Banu
Al-Natheer and others were exiled by the Prophet.
A delegation from these people went to Mecca and other Arab
communities during the fifth year after the Hijrah,propagating war
against the Prophet and attempting to mobilize the Arab forces for the
proposed war. They did not need much effort to persuade the Meccans to
a military undertaking against the Prophet. Their response to the
invitation was prompt, and without hesitation, they mobilized four
thousand fighters. This army was supplemented with six thousands from
Ghatafan, Saleem, and other tribes. Thus, ten thousands strong marched
towards Medina.
The Holy Prophet received the news of the imminent invasion a few days
before their arrival at Medina. He consulted his companions, and
Salman Al-Farisi (the Persian) advised the Prophet to dig a moat
around Medina to prevent the invaders from entering it. The Messenger
commanded the Muslims (who were about three thousands) to implement
the plan. The moat was dug withinsix days.
Witnessing the moat, the invaders were surprised and realized that it
had become difficult for themto enter Medina. Thus they found it
necessary to besiege Medina instead of invading it directly. Banu
Quraidhah,a community from the followers of the Scripture, joined the
pagan army after its arrival. This community had a covenant of peace
with the Prophet. Their treacherous action was a frightening surprise
to the Muslims. By breaching the covenant, this community gave the
pagan army additional forces and equipment. It became the duty of the
Muslims to add to their defensive lines another line.
The Muslims in horror
There were many hypocrites among the Muslims who circulated
frightening rumors, which added to the fear of the Muslims. The Holy
Qur'an tells us of the psychological crisis with which the Muslims
lived during that period:
"Behold! They came uponyou from above you and from below you, and when
the eyes grew wildand the hearts gaped up to the throats, and ye
imagined various (vain) thoughts about God! In that situation the
believers were tried: They were shaken with a mighty Shock. And
behold! The hypocrites and those in whose hearts there is disease
(even) say: God and His Apostle promised us nothing but delusion!
Behold! A party among them said: O people of Yathrib (Medina), you
cannot stand (the attack),therefore turn back! And a band of them ask
for leave of the Prophet, saying: Truly our houses are bare and
exposed though they were not exposed; they intended nothing but to
flee." (33:10-13)
The pagan army, on the contrary, was enjoying an extremely high
morale. Victory to them was certain. Medina was under their siege, and
its inhabitants did not possess the courage to come out of it. Their
confidence in victory andmorale went higher when Banu Quraidhah joined
them. This made them change their strategy from the siege of Medina to
a direct invasion.
Amr's Venture
Amr Ibn Abd Wodd, accompanied by Dhirar Ibn Al-Khattab, Akramah Ibn
Abu Jahl, and others, sought and found a narrow place in the moat.
Their horses leaped above the moat tothe other side. Had this
adventure succeeded many pagan fighters were expected to follow them
and make it feasible for the whole army to pass through that narrow
place, for they could have spanned the two sides of the ditchby
filling that narrow gap with soil.
The Muslims were in a state of shock and horrorbefore the passage of
these pagan soldiers to their side. The new danger, which was
presented by their passage, made the morale of the Muslims much lower
than before.
Men of strong faith
Though the hearts of most of the Muslims werefilled with fear, some of
them were unshaken by the new danger. It rathermade their faith
strongerin God, His Messenger, and the promised victory.These
individuals were ready to sacrifice themselves and one of them
certainly was determined to try to confine the danger, then to remove
it. The Holy Qur'an tells us of the morale of these believers.
When the believers saw the confederate forces, they said: This is what
God and His Apostle had promised us. And God and His Apostle told us
what is true. And it only added to their faith and their zeal in
obedience."Among the believers aremen who have been true to their
covenant with God: Of them some have completed their vow (to the
extreme), and some (still) wait; but they have never changed (their
determination) in the least." (33:23)
The Holy Qur'an does not inform us of the number of those believers
whose faith was increased by the increase of the danger. These
believers may have been scores or just a few. However, faithsometimes
remains only as a state of mind without being transformed into action.
Some of the faith is active, flowing with vitality and moving the
faithful to face the danger and to rise to its level and above its
level.
The number of these distinguished believers remained unknown.
Ali's Response
However, history informed us of one of them because of his outstanding
achievements at this battle, in confining and removing the danger,
which shook the very foundation of the Islamic state. That man was no
other than Ali Ibn Abu Talib.
Amr Ibn Wodd, who crossed the moat, was well known among the Arabs. He
attended the battle, boastfully making his place known to people. His
very passage from one side to the other side of the moat, accompanied
only by a small number of fighters, indicates that the man was
extremely courageous. He was the only one from among theten thousand
fighters who tried to invade the Muslims directly and challenge them
totally while he was with them on one side.
The passage of Amr and his companions presented to the Muslims a new
and serious danger and a frighteningsurprise, which they never
expected. The doorwas about to be opened widely, and hundreds and
thousands were expected to follow. The surprise, however, did not
frighten or astonish Ali. History informs us of Ali's
present-mindedness and fast response, for he immediately moved to
confine the danger, then to remove it. Leading a small number of
believers, he went immediately to the point where the Islamic defense
line was broken by the passage of Amr. Hehad his companions stand
there, preventing others from attempting to follow Amr. And after he
confined the new danger, he managed to remove it completely.
While mounting his horse, Amr went around the area of Sal'a, facing
the Muslims and challenging them: "Is there any dueler?" He repeated
this call but there was no response on the part of the companions.
This compelled Ali to leave his place where he was deterring the pagan
forces from following Amr by crossing the Moat.Responding to Amr's
challenge, he left that place temporarily to be defended by the few
who were with him.
He neared Amr and askedhim to face him in a duel.At this moment the
Prophet (S.A.W.) uttered this historical sentence: "Entire faith is
facing entire infidelity" . Amr arrogantly replied: "Why,son of my
brother (Amr was a friend of Abu Talib,father of Ali)? By God, I would
not like to kill you." Ali replied: "But, by God; I would love to kill
you." A short but extremely violent duel between the two heroes took
place. Ali killed Amr immediately and Amr's companions ran away,
trying to re-cross the moat from the Islamic side to the pagan side.
Ali exclaimed: "Allahu Akbar," (God is Great) and so did the Muslims.
The death of Amr was theend of the new danger. Those who were with him
ran away, trying to save their skin; but most of them were killed
before they could cross to the other side.
Ali made a great contribution in the defense of Islam at this battle
during which the danger against the new Faith reached its peak.
At this battle the Muslims faced a greater danger than ever before.
The elements of the Islamic defense were the same three elements which
played their roles during the two battles of Badr and Ohod: The
firmness of the Messenger and his ideal leadership: the heroism of
Ali; and the determination of the Islamic army.
A fourth element was added at this battle: The role of Salman
Al-Farisi (the Persian) who counseled the Prophet to dig the moat
around Medina.
The role of the Islamic army during the Battle of Ohod was smaller
than itsrole during the Battle of Badr. And it was less important at
the Battle ofthe Moat than it was at the Battle of Ohod, for the
Muslims during the Battle of the Moat did noteven dare face the enemy.
They only dug themoat around the city before the arrival of the pagan
army then stood behind the moat until theend of the battle.
The roles of the first two defensive elements were similar to their
roles at Badr and Ohod and probably bigger. The firmness of the
Messenger, his leadership, his war strategy and his speed in digging
the moat were most essential in making the Muslims pass the crisis
safely.
Ali's role at this battle was outstanding in the history of the Islamic defense.
The magnitude of Ali's contribution
It would not be logical to say that the Muslims wereunable
collectively to kill Amr, who could not by himself prevail against
thousands of Muslims. But this was not the case.Amr was calling for a
duel. A duel could only bebetween two persons. It was considered to be
shameful for two men or more to have a duel with one man. Amr
challengedall the Muslims to send one of them to have a duel with him.
None of them was willing to face him except Ali.
Nor would it be logical tosay that Amr was the entire power of the
pagan forces, and that his death was a defeat for the whole
confederate army. But it would be logical to affirm two important
matters:
1. Ali's initiative to block the passage point and prevent others from
following Amr had stopped the danger and confined it. Had the passage
point remained open, a great number of the pagan soldiers wouldhave
followed Amr and their passage could have resulted in establishing a
bridge between the two sides of the moat. Such a bridge would enable
the whole army to cross.
One hour of negligence could have led to a decisive defeat of the
Islamic army. This did nothappen because Ali was fast in his response
to thenew danger, present minded, calm and collective and ready to
deal with the serious crisis.
2. The death of Amr proved to the pagan army that they were unable to
pass the moat again, and that what Amrcould not accomplish could not
be accomplished by others. By this the pagan army had to face one of
two alternatives: Withdrawal, or continuation of the siege until the
Muslims surrender or were forcedto cross the moat and fight the
pagans. The continuity of the siege of Medina was beyond the ability
of the pagan army. It did not have the food supplies for ten thousand
fighters and their horses and camels, which could enable themto
continue the siege for several months or weeks.In addition, a
hurricane like wind went on causing the pagan army many damages and
making its life miserable. The hurricane was preceded by an argument
between the pagans and their Jewish allies, which made their
co-operation in the battle highly difficult.
Thus, there was only one alternative for the pagan army to take after
the failure of Amr and his death: The withdrawal and that is what they
did.
We ought not to forget an important matter! Thedeath of Amr and most
ofhis companions raised the morale of the Muslims. Their hope in
continuity of life and in victory was revived. All this was a result
of Ali's endeavor, and by this wecan understand the meaning of the
declaration of the Prophet: "The duel of Ali Ibn Abu Talib against
AmrIbn Abd Wodd at the Battle of the Moat out weighs the good deeds of
my whole nation until the Day of Judgment."
The Confederate Army withdrew and the Muslims passed the crisis
safely. They regained their confidence concerning the future because
of failure of the Confederate forces after their biggest mobilization.
The Messenger said after their withdrawal: "After today, we shall
invade them and they will not invade us."

In the heart of change

Vanya Orr walks the villages and forests of the Nilgiris to create
self-sufficient communities, says Esther Elias.
Shola forests arch over a road winding up the Nilgiris to Kollimalai
village, 10 km from Udhagamandalam. In a terraced organic farm there,
a 79-year-old British woman skips over the slopes and plains, with a
backpackslung over her shoulders. Cold winds from the hills mess
withher cropped, grey hair. She pauses beside a row of lemongrass,
pulls off a slender leaf, crushes it and says, "The cymbopogon growing
higher up smells slightly warmer."Twenty years in the Nilgiris have
given Vanya Orr, and the thousand farmers she's taught, a personal
history with each of the 200 plants on the 1.7-acre farm.
Vanya's link with the Nilgiris dates back six generations to when her
grandmother Amy Ryan grew up in Ooty's plantations with her
grandparents. As a teacher in Bangalore's Bishop Cotton School, Amy
found love in James Peter Orr, then chairman of the Bombay Improvement
Trust. James went back to Bombay to seek permission for marriage and
wrote Amy a letter from everystation the train halted.Nine decades
later, in 1994, 60-year-old Vanya and her 80-year-old mother returned
to India to travel that letter trail. They then went up the Nilgiris
to find her mother's ancestral home. The windows had fallen in and the
doors were rotting but the house still stood; its ground floor home to
cows.
Vanya had returned to the Nilgiris amid a logjam between the
Government and the people who were employed on the Government Cinchona
Plantations, since the Forest Department in Dodabetta had reclaimed
the land where the plantations stood. "I had brought along pictures of
my grandparents and of their ancestors and the people told me our
destinies were linked. But I didn't know the language, or how anything
worked here; it would have been egotistical to think I could help at
all," she says. Vanya stayed withthe cows for three dayshoping for
some clarityof thought. When nonearrived, she returned to the U.K.,
but friends handed her 500 pounds and sent her back with assistance
from Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT),
Bangalore.
With FRLHT, Vanya began an organic Medicinal Plant Development Area
(MPDA) in Dodabetta that employed primarily women and paid them the
standardwage rate for men. "The village women taught me Tamil, gave me
a bed and a mattress, food and care," she says.
Organic agriculture was central to Vanya's childhood spent on a farm
in Wales. Her years as a nurse in London taught her about alternative
medicine systems. These skills came together at MPDA in Cinchona
village whereshe worked with 80 women in distillation units that
manufactured medicinal oils for sale in tandem with the Spices Board.
An ailing mother saw her return to the U.K. six years later. "It felt
like abandoning my baby and the separation hurt me, emotionally and
spiritually."
While in the U.K., a report published by theHorticultural Department
in the Nilgiris plagued Vanya's mind. It said the collective debt of
the Nilgiris' farmers for agricultural chemicals crossed Rs.30 crore.
Moreover, it deemed the majority of the grasslands unfit for
agriculture due to aggressive farming. "I felt we needed to revive the
land under ICU and hence came back in early 2001."
Organic farm
With Jayalakshmi, a friend from her Cinchona days, Vanya began an
organic farm and nursery in Lakanmanai. "We lived together in a loft
abovea cowshed and in the land around us we composted waste, made
mulch and biodynamic sprays, andgrew vegetables without disease since
the herbs surrounding them protected them and us." The seeds of
Vanya's organisation, Earth Trust (ET), were sown in this nursery.
Today, three such nurseries exist. Over a thousand farmers have been
trained in organicfarming. At least 500 of them have reduced pesticide
and fertilizer usage to 10 per cent. Over 100 have shifted over
completely and market their produce through a farmers' collective. As
we pick our way through the strawberry patches, carrots and cabbage,
beans and peas at the Kollimalai nursery, the smell of fresh dung
floats in. Vanya runs vermicompost through her fingers and says:
"Organic farming is about loving and respecting the Earth;
acknowledging that she is a living being. She should have the same
rights that humans do. Like it is illegal to kill, so should it be to
wound the Earth."
Vanya also returned to India drawn by the memory of a woman she knew
in Dodabetta,who immolated herself because of domestic violence and
died in Vanya's arms. "You can't watch something like that without it
searing your consciousness. Alcoholism and anger stem from
disempowerment; and women are often trapped in these situations. We
wanted to give them tools to cope, not escape." Thusbegan ET's women
empowerment initiatives.
In the heart of the community in Kateri village is a small hall where
18 women, mostly Badagas, gatherdaily. In a dialect more Kannada than
Tamil they talk of husbands, children, health and food, as they create
handmade frocks, petticoats, pillow covers and sweaters. From 2004, 16
other villages have hosted ET's Income Generation Project for three
months at a time. Women often join not knowing how to thread a needle.
Many leave to open tailoring units of their own.
Training women
Intrinsic to Vanya's efforts with women is a12-module health
programme. It teaches women about their bodies, stress management,
common ailments and treatments through reflexology, yoga, meditation,
massage, ayurveda, siddha and homeopathy. It focuses on locally
cultivable medicinal herbs. Twelve village health workers from the
Kota, Irula, Toda and Kurumba tribes have received this training in
depth. Every morning, they travel over a hundred km from East Nilgiris
to theherbal preparation uniton the Nilgiri Adivasi Welfare
Association hospital grounds in Kollikarai village, Kotagiri. There,
they make adathodai syrup, hair oils and massage oils, dry powders and
triphala mixtures, among others, to be used in their villages.
Between them they also take care of the health needs of 50 villages.
While Vanya's work with the men and women of the Nilgiris has been
prolific, it is projects with children that excite her most.
"Today, farming families do not want their children to touch the soil
and tribal children don't know their forefathers' medicinal remedies.
So much ancestral knowledge will die with this generation," she says.
To right this, ET began eco clubs in 16 Government middle schools.
On a warm afternoon, we climb the stone steps to the one in Thenalai
village, the first to join the programme. A green patch opens to the
side, where children grow vegetables for their midday meal. "Five
kilos of cowdung,four litres of cow urine,three litres of curd,
twolitres of milk and one litre of ghee go into panchakavyam, which
fertilises the garden," explains Kausalya, a student. Twenty-two
children have used the techniques learnt in this garden to begin
kitchen gardens in their homes. "When theparents see the first-fruits
of the children's effort, you should see the joy," says Vanya.
Most schools have on-site gardens, but those without the space, plant
and nurture the Shola forests around their schools. About 22 km from
Thenalai, members of the Guernsey School Eco Club cleaned the
forestsnearby and collected 4,000 plastic bottles. These were stacked
one above the other to build a greenhouse where indigenous Shola
saplings are nursed.
This intimate, sustainable relationship with the Earth is what Vanya
envisions for the Nilgiris. "We're moving towards a technological
world order where all our food, water and resources are shipped in
from a centralised source. If a landslide occurs and villages are
blocked off, there's absolute havoc. These were once entirely
self-sufficient communities. We need to go back to that stage," she
says.
Vanya's work has brought her in contact with officials who've
sometimes resented the "European in their patch", but the stories of
changed lives egg her on. She narrates the story of Sriram, who'd lost
his parents and was living with his grandmother who wasn't healthy
enough to work. "He wasn't doing too well in school. But at home, he'd
created this beautiful garden off which his grandmothercooked each
day. That'sthe thing about India. Every emotion, every story is so
powerful and concentrated. People are very very happy or very very sad
or very very kind. India is very very."