Amr ibn al-Jamuh was one of theleading men in Yathrib in the days of
Jahiliyyah. He was the chief of the Banu Salamah and was known to be
one of the most generous and valiant persons in the city.
One of the privileges of the city'sleaders was having an idol to
himself in his house. It was hoped that this idol would bless the
leader in whatever he did. Hewas expected to offer sacrifices to it on
special occasions and seek its help at times of distress.The idol of
Amr was called Manat. He had made it from the most priceless wood. He
spent a great deal of time, money and attention looking after it and
he anointed it with the most exquisite perfumes.
Amr was almost sixty years old when the first rays of the light of
Islam began to penetrate the houses of Yathrib. House after house was
introduced to the new faith at the hands of Musab ibn Umayr, the first
missionary sent out to Yathrib before the hijrah. It was through him
that Amr's three sons--Muawwadh, Muadh and Khallad--became Muslims.
One of their contemporaries was the famousMuadh ibn Jabal. Amr's wife,
Hind, also accepted Islam with her three sons but Amr himself knew
nothing of all this .
Hind saw that the people of Yathrib were being won over to Islam and
that not one of the leaders of the city remained in shirk except her
husband and a few individuals. She loved her husband dearly and was
proud of him but she was concerned that he should die in a state of
kufr and end up in hell-fire.
During this time, Amr himself began to tell uneasy. He was afraid that
his sons would give up the religion of their forefathers and follow
the teaching of Musab ibn Umayr who, within a short space of time, had
caused many to turn away from idolatry and enter the religion of
Muhammad. To his wife, Amr therefore said:
"Be careful that your children donot come into contact with this man
(meaning Musab ibn Umayr)before we pronounce an opinionon him."
"To hear is to obey," she replied."But would you like to hear fromyour
son Muadh what he relates from this man?" "Woe to you! Has Muadh
turned away from hisreligion without my knowing?" The good woman felt
pity from the old man and said: "Not at all.But he has attended some
of themeetings of this missionary and memorized some of the things he
teaches." "Tell him to come here," he said. When Muadh come, he
ordered: "Let me hear an example of what this man preaches." Muadh
recited the lalihah (the Opening Chapter of the Quran):
"In the name of God, the most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.All
praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds, The most
Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace. Lord of the Day of Judgment!
You alone do we worship and toYou alone do we turn for help. Guide us
on the straight way, the way of those upon whom you have bestowed Your
blessings, not of those who havebeen condemned by You, nor of those
who go astray."
"How perfect are these words, and how beautiful!" exclaimed the
father. "Is everything he sayslike this?"
"Yes indeed, father. Do you wish to swear allegiance to him? All your
people have already done so" urged Muadh.
The old man remained silent from a while and then said, "I shall not
do so until I consult Manat and see what he says.""What indeed would
Manat say, Father? It is only a piece of wood. It can neither think
nor speak." The old man retorted sharply, "I told you, I shall not do
anything without him."
Later that day, Amr went before Manat. It was the custom of the
idolators then to place an old woman behind the idol when they wished
to speak to it. She would reply on behalf of the idol, articulating,
so they thought, what the idol had inspired her to say. Amr stood
before the idol in great awe and addressed profuse praises to it. Then
he said:
"O Manat no doubt you know that this propagandist who was delegated to
come to us from Makkah does not wish evil on anyone but you. He has
come only to stop us worshipping you.I do not want to swear allegiance
to him in spite of the beautiful words I have heard from him. I have
thus come to get your advice. So please advise me."
There was no reply from Manat. Amr continued:
"Perhaps your are angry. But up till now, I have done nothing to harm
you... Never mind, I shall leave you for a few days to let your anger
go away."
Amr's sons knew the extent of their father's dependence on Manat and
how with time he had become almost a part of it. They realized however
that the idol's place in his heart was being shaken and that they had
to help him get rid of Manat. That must be his path to faith in God.
One night Amr's sons went with their friend Muadh ibn Jabal to Manat,
took the idol From its place and threw it in a cess pit belonging to
the Banu Salamah. They returned to their homes with no one knowing
anything about what they had done. When Amr woke up the following
morning, he went in quiet reverence to pay his respects to his idol
but did not find it.
"Woe to you all," he shouted."Who has attacked our god last night"
There was no reply from anyone. He began to search for the idol,
fuming with rage and threatening the perpetrators of the crime.
Eventually he found the idol turned upside down on its head in the
pit. He washed and perfumed it and returned it to its usual place
saying.
"If I find out who did this to you,I will humiliate him." The
following night the boys did the same to the idol. The old man
recovered it, washed and perfumed it as he had done before and
returned it to its place. This happened several times until one night
Amr put a sword around the idol's neck and said to it: "O Manat, I
don't know who is doing this to you. If you have any power of good
inyou, defend yourself against thisevil. Here is a sword for you."
The youths waited until Amr was fast asleep. They took the sword from
the idol's neck and threw it into the pit. Amr found the idol Lying
face down in the pit with the sword nowhere in sight. At last he was
convinced that the idol had no power at alland did not deserve to be
worshipped. It was not long before he entered the religion ofIslam.
Amr soon tasted the sweetness of Iman or faith in the One True God. At
the same time he felt great pain and anguish within himself at the
thought of every moment he had spent in shirk. His acceptance of the
new religion was total and he placed himself, his wealth and his
children in the service of God and His Prophet.
The extent of his devotion was shown during the time of the battle of
Uhud. Amr saw his three sons preparing for the battle. He looked at
the three determined young men fired by the desire to gain martyrdom,
success and the pleasure of God.The scene had a great effect on him
and he resolved to go out with them to wage jihad under the banner of
the messenger of God. The youths, however, were all against their
father carrying out his resolve. He was already quite old and was
extremely weak.
"Father," they said, "surely God has excused you. So why do you take
this burden on yourself?"
The old man became quite angryand went straight away to the Prophet to
complain about his sons: "O Rasulullah! My sons herewant to keep me
away from thissource of goodness arguing thatI am old and decrepit. By
God, I long to attain Paradise this way even though I am old and
infirm."
"Let him," said the Prophet to his sons. "Perhaps God, the Mighty and
the Great, will grant him martyrdom."
Soon it was time to go out to battle. Amr bade farewell to his wife,
turned to the qiblah and prayed: "O Lord, grant me martyrdom and don't
send me back to my family with my hopes dashed." He set out in
thecompany of his three sons and a large contingent from his tribe,
the Banu Salamah.
As the battle raged, Amr could be seen moving in the front ranks,
jumping on his good leg (his other leg was partially lame), and
shouting, "I desire Paradise, I desire Paradise."
His son Khallad remained closely behind him and they both fought
courageously in defense of the Prophet while many otherMuslims
deserted in pursuit of booty. Father and son fell on thebattlefield
and died within moments of each other.
"GENERAL ARTICLES"
- Tamil -- Urdu -- Kannada -- Telugu --*-
Share
"BISMILLA HIRRAHMAAN NIRRAHEEM"
WELCOME! - AS'SALAMU ALAIKUM!!
******** *****
*****
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds; -
Guide us to the straight path
*- -*
* * In this Blog; More Than Ten Thousand(10,000) {Masha Allah} - Most Usefull Articles!, In Various Topics!! :- Read And All Articles & Get Benifite!
* Visit :-
"INDIA "- Time in New Delhi -
*- WHAT ISLAM SAYS -*
-
Islam is a religion of Mercy, Peace and Blessing. Its teachings emphasize kind hear tedness, help, sympathy, forgiveness, sacrifice, love and care.Qur’an, the Shari’ah and the life of our beloved Prophet (SAW) mirrors this attribute, and it should be reflected in the conduct of a Momin.Islam appreciates those who are kind to their fellow being,and dislikes them who are hard hearted, curt, and hypocrite.Recall that historical moment, when Prophet (SAW) entered Makkah as a conqueror. There was before him a multitude of surrendered enemies, former oppressors and persecutors, who had evicted the Muslims from their homes, deprived them of their belongings, humiliated and intimidated Prophet (SAW) hatched schemes for his murder and tortured and killed his companions. But Prophet (SAW) displayed his usual magnanimity, generosity, and kind heartedness by forgiving all of them and declaring general amnesty...Subhanallah. May Allah help us tailor our life according to the teachings of Islam. (Aameen)./-
''HASBUNALLAHU WA NI'MAL WAKEEL''
-
''Allah is Sufficient for us'' + '' All praise is due to Allah. May peace and blessings beupon the Messenger, his household and companions '' (Aameen) | | |
| | |
|
Share
Follow Me | |
**
Share
-
-*- *: ::->
*
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Amr ibn al-Jamuh - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)
PRINT HAJJ GLOSSARY
Al-Haram
The Holy City of Makkah and its surrounding areas. Al-Haram has
different boundaries. These boundaries extend to three miles on one
side, seven on the other and nine miles towards Jeddah. Within these
boundaries of Al-Haram itis forbidden to hunt, bother any animal, or
to cut grass or trees. One is permitted to kill dangerous animals like
snakes, scorpions, rats or animals with rabies (dogs, etc.)
[GOTO TOP]
Al-Mash'ar/Muzdalifa
The Valley between Arafaat and Mina, where pilgrims should make a Du'a
after they have sleptin Muzdalifa while they are going to Makkah to
throw Jamrat al-Aqabah on the morning of the 10 th of Dhul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Allahu Akbar
God is great.
[GOTO TOP]
Arafah (Arafaat)
The area that surrounds Mount Rahmah, Southeast of Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Ashwat
Plural of Shawt - See Shawt.
[GOTO TOP]
Asr
Afternoon. The Asr prayeris the prescribed prayer to be performed
between afternoon and sunset.
[GOTO TOP]
Black Stone
The stone in the Southeast corner of the Kaa'bah from which Muslims
begin the Tawaf.Also called as Hijr Al-Aswad.
[GOTO TOP]
Circumambulating
To walk around (something), especially aspart of a ritual. See also: Tawaf.
[GOTO TOP]
Du'a
Supplication for Allah.
[GOTO TOP]
Dhul-Hijjah
See Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Eidul Adha
One of the Islamic holiday. It represents the celebration of sacrifice.
[GOTO TOP]
Fajr
Dawn. The Fajr prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed between
dawn and sunrise.
[GOTO TOP]
Ghusul
Complete bathing.
[GOTO TOP]
Ghurub
Sunset. Maghrib prayer isthe prescribed sunset prayer. Also see Maghrib
[GOTO TOP]
Hajira/Hajar/Hager
Wife of prophet Ibrahim/Abraham (pbuh) and mother of prophet
Ismail/Ishmael (pbuh).
[GOTO TOP]
Hajj
The 5 th pillar of Islam, to be performed at least once in a lifetime.
[GOTO TOP]
Ifadah
Refers to the Tawaf that is done by a Muslim whenshe/he comes from Muzdalifa.
[GOTO TOP]
Ihraam/Ehram
The state in which one starts Umrah or Hajj, and during which certain
actsare prohibited. Some of these acts are: cutting hair, shaving any
parts ofthe body, clipping nails, putting perfumes or colognes,
killing or hunting animals, sexual intercourse, making marriage
proposals, or marriage contracts.
[GOTO TOP]
Isha
Isha. The Isha prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed between
once the night settles until dawn.
[GOTO TOP]
Istlam
The act of kissing the Hajr-e-Aswad (Black Stone) is called Istlam.
[GOTO TOP]
Jam' Prayers
Combining prayers. Under certain circumstances, Zuhur andAsr prayers
can be combined, and Maghrib and Isha prayers can be combined. When
this is done, the two prayers are offered at the same time, with one
adhan and two separate Iqamahs, one for each prayer.
[GOTO TOP]
Jamrah
The pillar at which the pilgrim throws pebbles. There are three
Jamrahs pillars at which pilgrims throw pebbles. Jamrah Al-Ula, Jamara
Al-Wusta & Jamrah Al-Aqabah.
[GOTO TOP]
Kaa'bah
The square stone building in al-Haraam mosque in Makkah and towards
which all Muslimface in every prayer.
[GOTO TOP]
Kaffara
Means expiation.
[GOTO TOP]
Labbaik
A call meaning "Here I Come". It is the Muslim's expression of
answering the invitation of God to perform pilgrimage.
[GOTO TOP]
Madinah
The city which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) migrated, about 450 km
northeast of Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Maghrib
Sunset. The Maghrib prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed
between sunset and the time when all day light is gone.
[GOTO TOP]
Makkah
The holiest city for Muslims, located in Western Saudi Arabia.
[GOTO TOP]
Maqam-e-Ibraheem
Abraham's station, a small glass station 30 meters from the Kaa'bah
door. It is the place where prophet Abraham used to stand when he was
building the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Marwah
The hill on which a pilgrim ends his/her sayee. It is about 250 meters
Northeast of the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Mina
An area close to Makkah on the road to Arafah.
[GOTO TOP]
Miqat
The place where Muslims declare their intention tomake Hajj or Umrah
and begin the state of Ihraam. The Miqat boundary is anchored by
different townships and locations in different directions around the
Kaabah. They are (1)Dhul-Hulaifa in the North, (2)Yalamlam in the
South-East, (3)Zat Irq in the North-East, (4)Al-Johfa in the
North-West, (5)Qarn al-Manazil in the East.
[GOTO TOP]
Muzdalifa/Al-Mash'ar
The place between Arafah and Mina where pilgrims stay the night onthe
9 th of Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Nafl
A Nafl (supererogatory) act is an act of worship done because it has
beensuggested to us by the Prophet (pbuh) and practiced by him on at
least one or two occasions. It earns a reward for the person
performing it and its omission does not incur any punishment.
[GOTO TOP]
Niyyah
Intention. When a personis performing pilgrimage,he/she has to set the
intention.
[GOTO TOP]
Odhiya
See Udhia
[GOTO TOP]
Pilgrimage
The English word for Hajj.One of the 5 pillars of Islam.
[GOTO TOP]
Qiran(Combined Hajj)
The type of Hajj where a pilgrim makes Umrah in the same state of
Ihraam.This is applicable only to persons who are residentwithin a
radius of 16 Farsakh or 48 miles Shariiof Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Ruku
A position in the prayer where the Muslim leans forward and puts
his/her hands on the knees.
[GOTO TOP]
Safa
The hill on which a pilgrim begins his/her sayee (walking). It is
about 200 m Southeast ofthe Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Sayee
The act of walking between the two hills - Safa and Marwah.
[GOTO TOP]
Shawt
Each complete round (circuit) around the Kaa'bah constitutes a Shawt.
Plural of Shawt is Ashwat. The pilgrim performs 7 Ashwat in a Tawaf.
[GOTO TOP]
Takbeer
Saying Allahu Akbar.
[GOTO TOP]
Talbiyah
The response to Allah's call for Hajj.
[GOTO TOP]
Tamattu(Advantageous Hajj)
The type of Hajj where a pilgrim starts with Umrahthen makes Hajj
later on but in the same year.
[GOTO TOP]
Tarwiyah
The 8 th day of Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Tashreeq
The 11 th , 12 th , and 13 th days of Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Tawaf
Circumambulating the Kaa'bah. There are many types of Tawaf, such as
Tawaf al-Qudum (upon arriving to Makkah), Tawaf al-Ifadah (when coming
to Makkah from Mina after the day of Arafah), Tawafun-Nisa (The Tawaf
of Women) and Tawaf al-Wada (Farewell Tawaf) before departing from
Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Thul-Hijjah
The twelfth month of the Islamic lunar year.
[GOTO TOP]
Udhia
It is the animal sacrifice that a Muslim offers to God.
[GOTO TOP]
Umrah
An Islamic ritual that is performed at Makkah anytime of the year
except between the 9 th and the 13 th of Thul-Hijjah (these days are
only reserved for the full pilgrimage or Hajj). It includes Tawaf 7
times, Sayee between the hills of Safa and Marwah. It also requires
some obligations from the pilgrim until the state of Ihraam is ended.
Enteringinto the state of Ihraam and removal of Ihraam is carried out
in the same manner as for the full pilgrimage.
[GOTO TOP]
Vudu
See Wudu.
[GOTO TOP]
Wadah
Tawaf al-Wadah is the last (farewell) circuit around the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Wudu
The act of performing ablution.
[GOTO TOP]
Yawm
Literally means Day. There are many meaningful days in the Hajj
proceedings such as Yawm-e-Tarwiyah (first day of Hajj/8 th day of
Thul-Hijjah), Yawm-e-Arafa (second day of Hajj /9 th day of
Thul-Hijjah), Yawm-e-Nahr (third day of Hajj/Qurbani in Mina/10 th day
of Thul-Hijjah), etc.
[GOTO TOP]
Zamzam
The name of a well of water that sprang up beneath Prophet Ishmael's
(pbuh) feet's, when he was an infant. Itis about 150 m Southeast of
the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Zuhur
Noon. The Zuhur prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed
between mid-day and afternoon.
The Holy City of Makkah and its surrounding areas. Al-Haram has
different boundaries. These boundaries extend to three miles on one
side, seven on the other and nine miles towards Jeddah. Within these
boundaries of Al-Haram itis forbidden to hunt, bother any animal, or
to cut grass or trees. One is permitted to kill dangerous animals like
snakes, scorpions, rats or animals with rabies (dogs, etc.)
[GOTO TOP]
Al-Mash'ar/Muzdalifa
The Valley between Arafaat and Mina, where pilgrims should make a Du'a
after they have sleptin Muzdalifa while they are going to Makkah to
throw Jamrat al-Aqabah on the morning of the 10 th of Dhul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Allahu Akbar
God is great.
[GOTO TOP]
Arafah (Arafaat)
The area that surrounds Mount Rahmah, Southeast of Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Ashwat
Plural of Shawt - See Shawt.
[GOTO TOP]
Asr
Afternoon. The Asr prayeris the prescribed prayer to be performed
between afternoon and sunset.
[GOTO TOP]
Black Stone
The stone in the Southeast corner of the Kaa'bah from which Muslims
begin the Tawaf.Also called as Hijr Al-Aswad.
[GOTO TOP]
Circumambulating
To walk around (something), especially aspart of a ritual. See also: Tawaf.
[GOTO TOP]
Du'a
Supplication for Allah.
[GOTO TOP]
Dhul-Hijjah
See Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Eidul Adha
One of the Islamic holiday. It represents the celebration of sacrifice.
[GOTO TOP]
Fajr
Dawn. The Fajr prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed between
dawn and sunrise.
[GOTO TOP]
Ghusul
Complete bathing.
[GOTO TOP]
Ghurub
Sunset. Maghrib prayer isthe prescribed sunset prayer. Also see Maghrib
[GOTO TOP]
Hajira/Hajar/Hager
Wife of prophet Ibrahim/Abraham (pbuh) and mother of prophet
Ismail/Ishmael (pbuh).
[GOTO TOP]
Hajj
The 5 th pillar of Islam, to be performed at least once in a lifetime.
[GOTO TOP]
Ifadah
Refers to the Tawaf that is done by a Muslim whenshe/he comes from Muzdalifa.
[GOTO TOP]
Ihraam/Ehram
The state in which one starts Umrah or Hajj, and during which certain
actsare prohibited. Some of these acts are: cutting hair, shaving any
parts ofthe body, clipping nails, putting perfumes or colognes,
killing or hunting animals, sexual intercourse, making marriage
proposals, or marriage contracts.
[GOTO TOP]
Isha
Isha. The Isha prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed between
once the night settles until dawn.
[GOTO TOP]
Istlam
The act of kissing the Hajr-e-Aswad (Black Stone) is called Istlam.
[GOTO TOP]
Jam' Prayers
Combining prayers. Under certain circumstances, Zuhur andAsr prayers
can be combined, and Maghrib and Isha prayers can be combined. When
this is done, the two prayers are offered at the same time, with one
adhan and two separate Iqamahs, one for each prayer.
[GOTO TOP]
Jamrah
The pillar at which the pilgrim throws pebbles. There are three
Jamrahs pillars at which pilgrims throw pebbles. Jamrah Al-Ula, Jamara
Al-Wusta & Jamrah Al-Aqabah.
[GOTO TOP]
Kaa'bah
The square stone building in al-Haraam mosque in Makkah and towards
which all Muslimface in every prayer.
[GOTO TOP]
Kaffara
Means expiation.
[GOTO TOP]
Labbaik
A call meaning "Here I Come". It is the Muslim's expression of
answering the invitation of God to perform pilgrimage.
[GOTO TOP]
Madinah
The city which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) migrated, about 450 km
northeast of Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Maghrib
Sunset. The Maghrib prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed
between sunset and the time when all day light is gone.
[GOTO TOP]
Makkah
The holiest city for Muslims, located in Western Saudi Arabia.
[GOTO TOP]
Maqam-e-Ibraheem
Abraham's station, a small glass station 30 meters from the Kaa'bah
door. It is the place where prophet Abraham used to stand when he was
building the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Marwah
The hill on which a pilgrim ends his/her sayee. It is about 250 meters
Northeast of the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Mina
An area close to Makkah on the road to Arafah.
[GOTO TOP]
Miqat
The place where Muslims declare their intention tomake Hajj or Umrah
and begin the state of Ihraam. The Miqat boundary is anchored by
different townships and locations in different directions around the
Kaabah. They are (1)Dhul-Hulaifa in the North, (2)Yalamlam in the
South-East, (3)Zat Irq in the North-East, (4)Al-Johfa in the
North-West, (5)Qarn al-Manazil in the East.
[GOTO TOP]
Muzdalifa/Al-Mash'ar
The place between Arafah and Mina where pilgrims stay the night onthe
9 th of Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Nafl
A Nafl (supererogatory) act is an act of worship done because it has
beensuggested to us by the Prophet (pbuh) and practiced by him on at
least one or two occasions. It earns a reward for the person
performing it and its omission does not incur any punishment.
[GOTO TOP]
Niyyah
Intention. When a personis performing pilgrimage,he/she has to set the
intention.
[GOTO TOP]
Odhiya
See Udhia
[GOTO TOP]
Pilgrimage
The English word for Hajj.One of the 5 pillars of Islam.
[GOTO TOP]
Qiran(Combined Hajj)
The type of Hajj where a pilgrim makes Umrah in the same state of
Ihraam.This is applicable only to persons who are residentwithin a
radius of 16 Farsakh or 48 miles Shariiof Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Ruku
A position in the prayer where the Muslim leans forward and puts
his/her hands on the knees.
[GOTO TOP]
Safa
The hill on which a pilgrim begins his/her sayee (walking). It is
about 200 m Southeast ofthe Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Sayee
The act of walking between the two hills - Safa and Marwah.
[GOTO TOP]
Shawt
Each complete round (circuit) around the Kaa'bah constitutes a Shawt.
Plural of Shawt is Ashwat. The pilgrim performs 7 Ashwat in a Tawaf.
[GOTO TOP]
Takbeer
Saying Allahu Akbar.
[GOTO TOP]
Talbiyah
The response to Allah's call for Hajj.
[GOTO TOP]
Tamattu(Advantageous Hajj)
The type of Hajj where a pilgrim starts with Umrahthen makes Hajj
later on but in the same year.
[GOTO TOP]
Tarwiyah
The 8 th day of Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Tashreeq
The 11 th , 12 th , and 13 th days of Thul-Hijjah.
[GOTO TOP]
Tawaf
Circumambulating the Kaa'bah. There are many types of Tawaf, such as
Tawaf al-Qudum (upon arriving to Makkah), Tawaf al-Ifadah (when coming
to Makkah from Mina after the day of Arafah), Tawafun-Nisa (The Tawaf
of Women) and Tawaf al-Wada (Farewell Tawaf) before departing from
Makkah.
[GOTO TOP]
Thul-Hijjah
The twelfth month of the Islamic lunar year.
[GOTO TOP]
Udhia
It is the animal sacrifice that a Muslim offers to God.
[GOTO TOP]
Umrah
An Islamic ritual that is performed at Makkah anytime of the year
except between the 9 th and the 13 th of Thul-Hijjah (these days are
only reserved for the full pilgrimage or Hajj). It includes Tawaf 7
times, Sayee between the hills of Safa and Marwah. It also requires
some obligations from the pilgrim until the state of Ihraam is ended.
Enteringinto the state of Ihraam and removal of Ihraam is carried out
in the same manner as for the full pilgrimage.
[GOTO TOP]
Vudu
See Wudu.
[GOTO TOP]
Wadah
Tawaf al-Wadah is the last (farewell) circuit around the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Wudu
The act of performing ablution.
[GOTO TOP]
Yawm
Literally means Day. There are many meaningful days in the Hajj
proceedings such as Yawm-e-Tarwiyah (first day of Hajj/8 th day of
Thul-Hijjah), Yawm-e-Arafa (second day of Hajj /9 th day of
Thul-Hijjah), Yawm-e-Nahr (third day of Hajj/Qurbani in Mina/10 th day
of Thul-Hijjah), etc.
[GOTO TOP]
Zamzam
The name of a well of water that sprang up beneath Prophet Ishmael's
(pbuh) feet's, when he was an infant. Itis about 150 m Southeast of
the Kaa'bah.
[GOTO TOP]
Zuhur
Noon. The Zuhur prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed
between mid-day and afternoon.
Ch 9: Inside the House
Leaving the auspicious and glowing meeting at the house of Ziad b.
Umar, Isabella took the road straight to her home which ran through
the Palace of Martyrs to Suqul Asafir. Isabella's house was just a few
paces away. The meeting had filled her with such joy that, unmindful
of everything around, she walked quietly and soberly with downcast
eyes. Half an hour later she reached home whereher mother was waiting
impatiently for her. On enquiry about the cause of her delay Isabella
named a friend of her's, at whose house she was delayed. On her
mother's order the dining table was set and she immediately sat down
and began to eat. Soon her father (the head priest) also arrived and
the night passed peacefully.
Early next morning the Muezzins called for the Fajr prayer from all
mosques of Cordova. Howpleasant is the sound andhow, in the salubrious
hour of morning, people were being roused for bowing and prostrating
for the Fajr prayer with the name of Allah. How enchanting is the
sound of Allah-o-Akbar, Allah-o-Akbar, (Allah is great, Allah is
great). Now the gongs of churches also began to toll. How jarring and
meaningless is the sound. Truly the condition of each community is
known from its rites. From mosques devotees beganto emerge. Labourers,
traders and cultivators took their respective ways to places of work,
markets and fields. The chirping of birds had somewhat subsided.
Hearing the call of prayerIsabella got out of her bed and went to the
library room of her houseand sitting at a table began to study a book.
Inthe meantime Peter and Michael also came there and Isabella stood up
andreceived them with respect. A little later Isabella's father also
came and took his seat inthe room and Isabella's mother was also
called in. Isabella was frightened at this unexpected, uncalled
andstrange gathering and suspected that these people had assembled
onher account and probably her association with Islam had come to
their knowledge . Colour went out of her face and her heart began to
throb quickly and so, taking theexcuse of thirst, she wentfor water to
another room.
The head priest, addressing Isabella's mother, Peter and Michael said:
Do you know what is the state ofIsabella and how is she trying to
humiliate and degrade us? It is to think about this matter that I have
given you the trouble to come over here.
Peter: Oh ! What is the matter!
Head Priest: It is all very serious. I have been hearing for some time
that Isabella has given upChristian creed and has secretly embraced
Islam.
Helena (Isabella's mother): Fie, fie ! What are you talking? Jesus
Christ may never do it. What is the matter that you are so enraged
todaythat, without any reason,you have made my daughter a Muslim ?
Head Priest: What I am saying is quite true. If nottoday, you will
learn it a few days after.
Peter: Holy father, you have said something strange. Isabella is a
very good girl. She has studied theology. She is not ignorant as to
accept the bloody religion of Islam.
Helena: Well, I am just calling the girl. I do not know what caused
this suspicion in you.
So saying Helena went to the room where Isabella was sitting horrified
in a corner. Helena at once caught the hand of Isabella and said to
her: Listen, daughter, your father calls you. Isabella who had
realised the situation rose up and followed her mother to the large
room and presented herself to the head priest.
Isabella's father beckoned to Michael and asked him to talk to her.
Michael: Daughter, we have heard that you haverevolted from
Christianity. Is it true? If anyone has given wrong report about you,
you may refute it.
Isabella heard this and kept quiet and, lowering her eyes, began to
weep. Warm tears began to drop on her rosy cheeks.
Helena: Just see. Did not I tell you that someone hasfalsely accused
my daughter. What refutation could she give!Her tears speak that the
allegation of her revolt from Christianity is quite false.
Head Priest: You just keepquiet for a while and let Isabella herself
reply. Yes,daughter, tell me what is this report about you?
Isabella continued to remain silent with bowed head. But on persistent
questioning from Peter and Michael she was compelled to open her lips.
Isabella: I have not yet accepted Islam but continue to remain Christian.
Michael: If you have not yet accepted Islam, do you intend to accept
it in future?
Isabella: Why do you ask me about future? I can put the same question to you.
Michael: Then tell me what is your opinion about Islam?
Isabella: I do not abuse Islam like others for in the Muslim sacred
Books Christ is praised and Muslims speak well of him.
Michael: Then you love Islam and Muslims?
Isabella: You may call it love or anything else. Anyway I am not
ungrateful. If Muslims respect our Christ, then I also must respect
their Prophet and their Sacred Book.
Peter: So it is clear now that in your heart you have become a Muslim,
otherwise you would nothave so praised Islam andMuslims. But now tell
me what do you think about the religion you have been believing, that
is Christianity.
Isabella: I have faith in the Bible and all revealedbooks, but I do
not accept the flaws which later Christians have introduced in
religion.
Head Priest (addressing Michael, Peter and Isabella's mother): Now you
have known her ideas. There is no other remedy to it except the sword.
Peter: Please give me time. I will explain to her and she will surely
be reformed. I will remove her misunderstandings. Anyway, she has
studied books on theology.
Head Priest: Well, you may try and see, otherwise I will think of some
other remedy for her.
After this talk the meeting dispersed and the head priest, taking
Peter and Michael with him, left for the great church as there was a
large crowd of Christians of Spain to see the relics (bones, etc.) of
Prophets and the head priest. Theyhad come from long distances to
participate in the ceremony and the head priest had gone to bless
thousands of Christians.
The priests having left, Isabella went to her room and silently
thought about her future. She was now convinced that she was sure to
be put to torture and she will have to face severe trials. Yet she
found her mind at ease and heart strong and prepared to meet all
troubles.
She took out a paper from her table and wrotea letter to her friend
Mirano (daughter of Priest Michael) to the following effect:
"My dear sister!
"Last night at nine I attended the meeting of Muslim divines at which
my spiritual father Umar Lahmi and other divines were present. How can
I describe its atmosphere, my sister ! A wonderful spiritual assembly
it was. My participation in it greatly fortified my heart. I wish you
were also present there. I have made a promise with their spiritual
leader Ziadb. Umar to take you with me tomorrow or day after to them.
A strange thing happened today. It appears that I am going to be put
to trial. Pray that God may keep me ever on the right path. It so
happened that my father got some information about me that I have
embraced Islam and so he called your father [Michael] andPeter to his
house and many questions were asked from me. Now, justfancy with my
father on one side and Michael andPeter on the other, in what
difficult position I was placed. But I also gave them stunning
replies. Now, Peter has given promise to my father that he will make
me understand. If any such occasion comes you must also be present
along with other three friends . Other details I will give you
verbally.
"Your sister, Isabella."
After finishing the letter she called her maidservant and told herto
go to Mirano and bring from her a book. She also gave her the letter
which, she said, was lying with her for some time and asked her to
deliver it to Mirano. The maid-servant did as she was ordered and,
going to Michael's house,gave the letter to Mirano,who immediately
openedand read it and said to the maid-servant that shewill herself
bring the book in the evening.
Isabella and her other friends met together in the evening in the same
garden in which Isabella had first heard the talk ofUmar Lahmi. She
informed her friends all that had happened and consulted them. It was
also decided that next evening they should all go to attend the
meeting of Ziad b. Umar and also inform him of everything. After
enjoying the evening walk of the garden all the girls left for their
respective homes.
Isabella – A girl of Islamic Spain
Umar, Isabella took the road straight to her home which ran through
the Palace of Martyrs to Suqul Asafir. Isabella's house was just a few
paces away. The meeting had filled her with such joy that, unmindful
of everything around, she walked quietly and soberly with downcast
eyes. Half an hour later she reached home whereher mother was waiting
impatiently for her. On enquiry about the cause of her delay Isabella
named a friend of her's, at whose house she was delayed. On her
mother's order the dining table was set and she immediately sat down
and began to eat. Soon her father (the head priest) also arrived and
the night passed peacefully.
Early next morning the Muezzins called for the Fajr prayer from all
mosques of Cordova. Howpleasant is the sound andhow, in the salubrious
hour of morning, people were being roused for bowing and prostrating
for the Fajr prayer with the name of Allah. How enchanting is the
sound of Allah-o-Akbar, Allah-o-Akbar, (Allah is great, Allah is
great). Now the gongs of churches also began to toll. How jarring and
meaningless is the sound. Truly the condition of each community is
known from its rites. From mosques devotees beganto emerge. Labourers,
traders and cultivators took their respective ways to places of work,
markets and fields. The chirping of birds had somewhat subsided.
Hearing the call of prayerIsabella got out of her bed and went to the
library room of her houseand sitting at a table began to study a book.
Inthe meantime Peter and Michael also came there and Isabella stood up
andreceived them with respect. A little later Isabella's father also
came and took his seat inthe room and Isabella's mother was also
called in. Isabella was frightened at this unexpected, uncalled
andstrange gathering and suspected that these people had assembled
onher account and probably her association with Islam had come to
their knowledge . Colour went out of her face and her heart began to
throb quickly and so, taking theexcuse of thirst, she wentfor water to
another room.
The head priest, addressing Isabella's mother, Peter and Michael said:
Do you know what is the state ofIsabella and how is she trying to
humiliate and degrade us? It is to think about this matter that I have
given you the trouble to come over here.
Peter: Oh ! What is the matter!
Head Priest: It is all very serious. I have been hearing for some time
that Isabella has given upChristian creed and has secretly embraced
Islam.
Helena (Isabella's mother): Fie, fie ! What are you talking? Jesus
Christ may never do it. What is the matter that you are so enraged
todaythat, without any reason,you have made my daughter a Muslim ?
Head Priest: What I am saying is quite true. If nottoday, you will
learn it a few days after.
Peter: Holy father, you have said something strange. Isabella is a
very good girl. She has studied theology. She is not ignorant as to
accept the bloody religion of Islam.
Helena: Well, I am just calling the girl. I do not know what caused
this suspicion in you.
So saying Helena went to the room where Isabella was sitting horrified
in a corner. Helena at once caught the hand of Isabella and said to
her: Listen, daughter, your father calls you. Isabella who had
realised the situation rose up and followed her mother to the large
room and presented herself to the head priest.
Isabella's father beckoned to Michael and asked him to talk to her.
Michael: Daughter, we have heard that you haverevolted from
Christianity. Is it true? If anyone has given wrong report about you,
you may refute it.
Isabella heard this and kept quiet and, lowering her eyes, began to
weep. Warm tears began to drop on her rosy cheeks.
Helena: Just see. Did not I tell you that someone hasfalsely accused
my daughter. What refutation could she give!Her tears speak that the
allegation of her revolt from Christianity is quite false.
Head Priest: You just keepquiet for a while and let Isabella herself
reply. Yes,daughter, tell me what is this report about you?
Isabella continued to remain silent with bowed head. But on persistent
questioning from Peter and Michael she was compelled to open her lips.
Isabella: I have not yet accepted Islam but continue to remain Christian.
Michael: If you have not yet accepted Islam, do you intend to accept
it in future?
Isabella: Why do you ask me about future? I can put the same question to you.
Michael: Then tell me what is your opinion about Islam?
Isabella: I do not abuse Islam like others for in the Muslim sacred
Books Christ is praised and Muslims speak well of him.
Michael: Then you love Islam and Muslims?
Isabella: You may call it love or anything else. Anyway I am not
ungrateful. If Muslims respect our Christ, then I also must respect
their Prophet and their Sacred Book.
Peter: So it is clear now that in your heart you have become a Muslim,
otherwise you would nothave so praised Islam andMuslims. But now tell
me what do you think about the religion you have been believing, that
is Christianity.
Isabella: I have faith in the Bible and all revealedbooks, but I do
not accept the flaws which later Christians have introduced in
religion.
Head Priest (addressing Michael, Peter and Isabella's mother): Now you
have known her ideas. There is no other remedy to it except the sword.
Peter: Please give me time. I will explain to her and she will surely
be reformed. I will remove her misunderstandings. Anyway, she has
studied books on theology.
Head Priest: Well, you may try and see, otherwise I will think of some
other remedy for her.
After this talk the meeting dispersed and the head priest, taking
Peter and Michael with him, left for the great church as there was a
large crowd of Christians of Spain to see the relics (bones, etc.) of
Prophets and the head priest. Theyhad come from long distances to
participate in the ceremony and the head priest had gone to bless
thousands of Christians.
The priests having left, Isabella went to her room and silently
thought about her future. She was now convinced that she was sure to
be put to torture and she will have to face severe trials. Yet she
found her mind at ease and heart strong and prepared to meet all
troubles.
She took out a paper from her table and wrotea letter to her friend
Mirano (daughter of Priest Michael) to the following effect:
"My dear sister!
"Last night at nine I attended the meeting of Muslim divines at which
my spiritual father Umar Lahmi and other divines were present. How can
I describe its atmosphere, my sister ! A wonderful spiritual assembly
it was. My participation in it greatly fortified my heart. I wish you
were also present there. I have made a promise with their spiritual
leader Ziadb. Umar to take you with me tomorrow or day after to them.
A strange thing happened today. It appears that I am going to be put
to trial. Pray that God may keep me ever on the right path. It so
happened that my father got some information about me that I have
embraced Islam and so he called your father [Michael] andPeter to his
house and many questions were asked from me. Now, justfancy with my
father on one side and Michael andPeter on the other, in what
difficult position I was placed. But I also gave them stunning
replies. Now, Peter has given promise to my father that he will make
me understand. If any such occasion comes you must also be present
along with other three friends . Other details I will give you
verbally.
"Your sister, Isabella."
After finishing the letter she called her maidservant and told herto
go to Mirano and bring from her a book. She also gave her the letter
which, she said, was lying with her for some time and asked her to
deliver it to Mirano. The maid-servant did as she was ordered and,
going to Michael's house,gave the letter to Mirano,who immediately
openedand read it and said to the maid-servant that shewill herself
bring the book in the evening.
Isabella and her other friends met together in the evening in the same
garden in which Isabella had first heard the talk ofUmar Lahmi. She
informed her friends all that had happened and consulted them. It was
also decided that next evening they should all go to attend the
meeting of Ziad b. Umar and also inform him of everything. After
enjoying the evening walk of the garden all the girls left for their
respective homes.
Isabella – A girl of Islamic Spain
NOBEL PRIZE Understanding cells - Shinya Yamanaka of Japan.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2012 goes to scientists
John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka fortheir pioneering researchon stem
cells.
-But the idea that the specialised cells could somehow be made to
de-differentiate never completely disappeared. Experimental strategies
were attempted at various times to achieve this. Hans Spemann (Nobel
Prize 1935) had conceived of what he had called a "fantastic
experiment" in which nuclei from differentiated cells could be
transferred into the cytoplasm of an immature cell and its development
potential tested.
This basic idea came to be realised in the early 1950s by Robert
Briggs and Thomas King, who developed a technique totransfer cell
nuclei from both undifferentiated and differentiated cells to an
enucleated (from which the nucleus had been removed) fertilised egg in
the frog species Rana pipiens. Briggs and King found that the transfer
of the embryonicundifferentiated cell nucleus led to the development
of the enucleated egg cell into the tadpole stage and that this did
not happen in the case of the nucleusof the differentiated cell.
Therefore, they concluded that differentiated cells undergo
irreversible changes in such a way that their capacity to support
development was lost. This only confirmed the prevalent view.
Gurdon's research
Enter Gurdon, who had trained in embryology at Oxford. In 1958, as a
graduate student, he repeated the Briggs-King experiment but with a
different frog family, Xenopus laevis. He enucleated the eggs by
ultraviolet radiation and found that a few tadpoles were indeed
created when the eggs were transplanted with nuclei from cells from
thelining of tadpole intestines (Figure 1). ThusGurdon succeeded
whereBriggs and King had failed. He also showed that the efficiency of
the process could be greatly increased by performing serial
transplantation, through which he could revert the status of a large
proportion of all the epithelial cells of the tadpole intestine. This
ledhim to conclude that differentiated somatic cell nuclei had the
potential to revert to pluripotency.
So his discovery was not immediately accepted by the scientific
community given the results of scientists of the calibre ofBriggs and
King. "Indeed," Gurdon said in the post-prize announcement
interviewwith the Nobel Foundation, "there was quite a period after
the early work when people did not believe the results. So it took
nearly 10 years for the major result to be accepted."
Soon after his major finding Gurdon left his frogs, which he had grown
by nuclear transfer, with his supervisor and moved to Caltech where he
had taken a post-doctoral position and began to work in a completely
unrelated field. The frogswere tended to by his supervisor and a
technician. "So by 1962," Gurdon recalls, "they were adults and one
could publish a paper to say that these animals, derived from nuclear
transfer, really were absolutely normal. So it took a little time to
get through…. So it's entirely reasonable for the skeptics to say,
'well, these well-established people have already done the experiment
andhere is a graduate student from Europe whois disagreeing with them…
why should we pay attention to that?'"
SOURCE: NOBEL FOUNDATION
Figure 1: John gurdon used ultraviolet light to destroy the cell
nucleus in a frog egg (1). He then replaced the cell nucleus with a
differentiated intestinal epithelial cell from a tadpole (2). Many
manipulated eggs did not develop, but in some cases normal swimming
tadpoles were generated(3). This showed that the genetic information
required to generate the differentiated cells in a tadpole remained
intact in the donor cell nucleus. Later studies have shownthat mammals
can also becloned by this technique (4).
Gurdon's discovery introduced a new research field based on somatic
cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as a method to understand how cells
change as they become specialised and also how this process could be
reversed. This formed the basis for the first cloned mammal, the sheep
Dolly, by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell, which the SCNThad created by
turning an adult mammary gland epithelial cell into an enucleated
sheep egg. One significant modification that Wilmut and Campbell did
was to induce the mammary epithelial cells into
quiescence—non-dividing state—which was found to be better to
synchronise with the embryo in the early development phase.Since
Dolly, many mammalian species have been cloned using SCNT, including
mouse, cow, pig, wolf and African wildcat.
A fundamental question remained, however, afterGurdon's path-breaking
work. What Gurdon had shown was that a differentiated cell nucleus had
the capacity to revert to an undifferentiated pluripotent state. But
is itpossible to induce this reversal in an intact differentiated cell
without any nuclear transfer? This was considered to be impossible or
at the very least requiring very complex reorganisation in the cell to
unlock the differentiated state.
Yamanaka's research
Then came Shinya Yamanaka, who believed otherwise. He approached the
problem of reprogramming adult somatic cells systematically.
Interestingly, Yamanaka had started out his careeras an orthopaedic
surgeon but found that "he was not so good at surgery". He felt that,
as asurgeon, he was not able to help many patients. Hewas also
concerned about finding cure for intractable diseases such as the
motor neuron disease amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Andso he
decided to take up basic medical sciences. Hedid his PhD in
pharmacology. During hispostdoctoral work at the Gladstone Institute
in the mid-1990s involving knock-out (KO) mice, he came across
embryonic stem (ES) cells. He had identified a new gene that seemed to
have significance for cancer. To study that gene, he made a KO mouse
and discovered that the gene was very important for pluripotency in
mouse ES cells.
Back in Japan, he set up his own laboratory at theNara Institute of
Science and Technology to study this problem of reprogramming. His
laboratory focussed on transcription factors expressed in ES cells
that were important for maintaining pluripotencyin ES cells. From his
work and that of the others, it seemed that a large number of factors
were responsible. It was also known then that ES cells could induce
pluripotency in somatic cell nuclei after induced cell fusions between
ES cells and somatic cells. Armed with this knowledge, Yamanaka
identified a set of 24 factors as candidates to reinstate
pluripotency.
In one of his first experiments, he introduced all 24 genes, encoding
these transcription factors into skin fibroblasts (connective tissue
cells), and a few of them actually generated cell colonies that
resembled ES cells. He whittled down the number of genes one by one to
identify finally a combination of only four transcription factors
(Myc, Oct3/4, Sox2 and Klf4) that were sufficient to convert mouse
embryonic fibroblasts to pluripotent stem cells (Figure 2). These
pluripotent stem cells, which he called induced pluripotent stem cells
(iPScells), appeared at a very low frequency.
John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka fortheir pioneering researchon stem
cells.
-But the idea that the specialised cells could somehow be made to
de-differentiate never completely disappeared. Experimental strategies
were attempted at various times to achieve this. Hans Spemann (Nobel
Prize 1935) had conceived of what he had called a "fantastic
experiment" in which nuclei from differentiated cells could be
transferred into the cytoplasm of an immature cell and its development
potential tested.
This basic idea came to be realised in the early 1950s by Robert
Briggs and Thomas King, who developed a technique totransfer cell
nuclei from both undifferentiated and differentiated cells to an
enucleated (from which the nucleus had been removed) fertilised egg in
the frog species Rana pipiens. Briggs and King found that the transfer
of the embryonicundifferentiated cell nucleus led to the development
of the enucleated egg cell into the tadpole stage and that this did
not happen in the case of the nucleusof the differentiated cell.
Therefore, they concluded that differentiated cells undergo
irreversible changes in such a way that their capacity to support
development was lost. This only confirmed the prevalent view.
Gurdon's research
Enter Gurdon, who had trained in embryology at Oxford. In 1958, as a
graduate student, he repeated the Briggs-King experiment but with a
different frog family, Xenopus laevis. He enucleated the eggs by
ultraviolet radiation and found that a few tadpoles were indeed
created when the eggs were transplanted with nuclei from cells from
thelining of tadpole intestines (Figure 1). ThusGurdon succeeded
whereBriggs and King had failed. He also showed that the efficiency of
the process could be greatly increased by performing serial
transplantation, through which he could revert the status of a large
proportion of all the epithelial cells of the tadpole intestine. This
ledhim to conclude that differentiated somatic cell nuclei had the
potential to revert to pluripotency.
So his discovery was not immediately accepted by the scientific
community given the results of scientists of the calibre ofBriggs and
King. "Indeed," Gurdon said in the post-prize announcement
interviewwith the Nobel Foundation, "there was quite a period after
the early work when people did not believe the results. So it took
nearly 10 years for the major result to be accepted."
Soon after his major finding Gurdon left his frogs, which he had grown
by nuclear transfer, with his supervisor and moved to Caltech where he
had taken a post-doctoral position and began to work in a completely
unrelated field. The frogswere tended to by his supervisor and a
technician. "So by 1962," Gurdon recalls, "they were adults and one
could publish a paper to say that these animals, derived from nuclear
transfer, really were absolutely normal. So it took a little time to
get through…. So it's entirely reasonable for the skeptics to say,
'well, these well-established people have already done the experiment
andhere is a graduate student from Europe whois disagreeing with them…
why should we pay attention to that?'"
SOURCE: NOBEL FOUNDATION
Figure 1: John gurdon used ultraviolet light to destroy the cell
nucleus in a frog egg (1). He then replaced the cell nucleus with a
differentiated intestinal epithelial cell from a tadpole (2). Many
manipulated eggs did not develop, but in some cases normal swimming
tadpoles were generated(3). This showed that the genetic information
required to generate the differentiated cells in a tadpole remained
intact in the donor cell nucleus. Later studies have shownthat mammals
can also becloned by this technique (4).
Gurdon's discovery introduced a new research field based on somatic
cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as a method to understand how cells
change as they become specialised and also how this process could be
reversed. This formed the basis for the first cloned mammal, the sheep
Dolly, by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell, which the SCNThad created by
turning an adult mammary gland epithelial cell into an enucleated
sheep egg. One significant modification that Wilmut and Campbell did
was to induce the mammary epithelial cells into
quiescence—non-dividing state—which was found to be better to
synchronise with the embryo in the early development phase.Since
Dolly, many mammalian species have been cloned using SCNT, including
mouse, cow, pig, wolf and African wildcat.
A fundamental question remained, however, afterGurdon's path-breaking
work. What Gurdon had shown was that a differentiated cell nucleus had
the capacity to revert to an undifferentiated pluripotent state. But
is itpossible to induce this reversal in an intact differentiated cell
without any nuclear transfer? This was considered to be impossible or
at the very least requiring very complex reorganisation in the cell to
unlock the differentiated state.
Yamanaka's research
Then came Shinya Yamanaka, who believed otherwise. He approached the
problem of reprogramming adult somatic cells systematically.
Interestingly, Yamanaka had started out his careeras an orthopaedic
surgeon but found that "he was not so good at surgery". He felt that,
as asurgeon, he was not able to help many patients. Hewas also
concerned about finding cure for intractable diseases such as the
motor neuron disease amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Andso he
decided to take up basic medical sciences. Hedid his PhD in
pharmacology. During hispostdoctoral work at the Gladstone Institute
in the mid-1990s involving knock-out (KO) mice, he came across
embryonic stem (ES) cells. He had identified a new gene that seemed to
have significance for cancer. To study that gene, he made a KO mouse
and discovered that the gene was very important for pluripotency in
mouse ES cells.
Back in Japan, he set up his own laboratory at theNara Institute of
Science and Technology to study this problem of reprogramming. His
laboratory focussed on transcription factors expressed in ES cells
that were important for maintaining pluripotencyin ES cells. From his
work and that of the others, it seemed that a large number of factors
were responsible. It was also known then that ES cells could induce
pluripotency in somatic cell nuclei after induced cell fusions between
ES cells and somatic cells. Armed with this knowledge, Yamanaka
identified a set of 24 factors as candidates to reinstate
pluripotency.
In one of his first experiments, he introduced all 24 genes, encoding
these transcription factors into skin fibroblasts (connective tissue
cells), and a few of them actually generated cell colonies that
resembled ES cells. He whittled down the number of genes one by one to
identify finally a combination of only four transcription factors
(Myc, Oct3/4, Sox2 and Klf4) that were sufficient to convert mouse
embryonic fibroblasts to pluripotent stem cells (Figure 2). These
pluripotent stem cells, which he called induced pluripotent stem cells
(iPScells), appeared at a very low frequency.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)