New Delhi, June 18, 2012 ''A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (former President of India - opts out of Presidential race''

In a rebuff to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and BJP,
former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Monday announced that he would
not contest the Presidential poll against UPA nominee Pranab
Mukherjee.
Issuing a formal announcement, he said he had taken the decision after
considering "the totality of this matter and the present political
situation".
Mr. Kalam, who was propped up by Trinamool as a nominee for the
Presidential poll to be held on July 19, said, "though I have never
aspired to serve another term or shown interest in contesting the
elections", Mamata Banerjee and other political parties "wanted me" to
be the candidate.
"Many, many citizens have also expressed the same wish. It only
reflects their love and affection for me and the aspiration of the
people. I am really overwhelmed by this support," his statement said.
"This being their wish, I respect it. I want to thank them for the
trust they have in me," he said, adding, "I have considered the
totality of this matter and the present political situation, and
decided not to contest the Presidential election 2012."
After Ms. Banerjee pushed his candidature, breaking ranks with UPA
over the issue, the BJP also tried hard to persuade him to contest as
Opposition's common candidate againstMr. Mukherjee.
BJP leader L K Advani calledhim thrice and sent his close aide
Sudheendra Kulkarni twice to convince him. However, he made clear to
Mr. Advani that his "conscience" is not permitting him to contest,
sources said.
The former President has been insisting that he could consider
entering thefray only if there was surety about his victory.
Several opposition leaders talked to Mr. Kalam over phone yesterday to
know about his plans.
BJP was more in favour of fielding Kalam than former Lok Sabha Speaker
P A Sangma, who is AIADMK Chief J Jayalalithaa and BJD head Naveen
Patnaik's choice.
Even JD(U), which wants a consensus for Mr. Mukherjee, may support Mr.
Kalam as he shares a good equation with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar.

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My spouse wants a seperation after 14 years

Q- We have been married for 14 yrs. My spouse is a convert. Recently
he left for a trip and came back a changed person. We have four
children and he says that there are no feeling of love, compassion or
attraction left for me.
He is a very kind and gentle person but has changed into a moody,
negative person who has given up on our relationship. I have prayedand
prayed and asked Allah to forgive me for my sins. Does anyone know
anything about nazar or black magic. Does this sound like it?
Thanks
-ruby
One answered :Salamu'alaikum sister,
I am sorry for what you are facing. I'd like to mention that there are
different possibilities:
1. He has seen something, heard something, or somebody has told him
something that made him behave so.
2. He was frustrated with something that happened with him, and
couldn't control his anger. Shaitaanmade use of this and made him
speak ill to you.
3. Someone who is jealousof your relationship looked at you with an
evil eye (what you call Nazar)
4. Someone who is jealousof you did magic on your husband.
I mentioned magic last, because it is always considered last. And
before you make any conclusion, beware, it need not necessarily be
magic. As of now, considerthat it is either of the first two. This is
so that the Shaitaan does not lead you astray. You may not know and do
wrong, if you do not do this.
Now, what has to be done?
First, speak to him politelyand ask him the reason and look at his
behavior. Does he give any valid reason or just ignores it and goes
away/shouts andmoves away? If he gives a reason, you'll have your
answer, insha Allah. Otherwise, it could be an evil eye. Allah's
Messenger Sallallahu 'Alaihi wasallam said (in one of the Saheeh
Ahadeeth) that the evil eye is true . It is possible. Hence, recite
the followingDu'a to him:
اعيذك بكلمات الله التامات من كل شيطانٍ و هآمة ومن كل عينٍ لآمَة
"'U'eezuka bi Kalimaatillahit Taammaati min Kulli Shaitaanin wa
Haammah. Wa min Kulli 'Aynin Laammah"
(I seek refuge for you with Allaah's perfect words from every Shaytaan
(devil) and poisonous creature and every evil eye)
(From Bukhari)
And ask min to read the same du'a, with a little change: instead of
U'eezuka (اعيذك) he should say A'oozu (اعوذ).
And there are other ways in the Qur'aan and the Sunnah (I'll mention
aboutthis below insha Allah).
If it is none of this, then there is a "possibility" thatit be
"magic". But know that magic and black magic are different. If it is
magic, then possibly it is something like that mentioned in Surah al
Baqarah, Aayah 102:
They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the
magic)in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not
disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic
and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and
Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things)
till they had said, "We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by
learning this magic from us)." And from these (angels) people learn
that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they
could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's Leave. And they learn
that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that
the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how
bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but
knew.
Keep reciting Surah al Baqarah, because according to Saheeh Ahadeeth,
Shaitaan runs from a home where Surah al Baqarah is recited.
If you are not able to conclude on this, then make sure that you do
notdirectly conclude it to be magic. Instead, have it confirmed from a
Scholar from the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah, who specializes in this or
has knowledge about this.

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I never liked him butwas forced to marry him; is it OK if I divorce him?

Q : Problem is that I have been married for one year.My husband is my
mother's cousin from father side; meaning my uncle but still they got
me married to him. I was engaged to him in childhood against my
parent's will but then my mother agree later on.
I was little when I moved to Europe and then little by little I
started understanding life. I kept telling my parents that I don't
want to get married to my fiance for 4 years; asI didn't like him from
the start.
My father was on my side but my mother wasn't as she wanted me to get
married to my fiance. After4 years, I came to UK where my uncle was
already present. I told my uncle and my parents as well that if I
don't want toget married then why they are forcing me to marry him.
But, no one listened to me even I shouted and cried but to no avail.
Even I told my fiance as well that I don't want to get married to him;
he was in Pakistan and I was in UK. I told him that several years ago.
Everyone was forcing me so much that I had to say"yes". We got married
but after marriage, we used tofight a lot. I spent 1 monthin Pakistan
then I returnedto UK.
After spending 3 months in UK, I realized that I can'tspend my whole
life with him. In future when we have kids, they will suffer too.
That's why I went to Pakistan after 3 months sothat I can get him to
cometo UK asap so that I can break this marriage once he is here
(U.K). But, they refused him visa:(.
After returning to Pakistan, and I didn't wantto have any intimate
relations with him. When he used to touch me, I wanted to push him but
I fear Allah a lot. What do I do? I am tired of fights and have
decided to leave him as he is irresponsible. He loves me but he is two
faced person.
I have grown to hate him a lot after just 3 months ofmarriage. Not
that, I liked him before marriage either but I thought to fulfill my
mother's wish. I wanted to make this marriage work from my heart but
he is very negative, self-centered and thinks lowly of others.
Please help me; is it OK if I divorce and leave him. I can't live with
him under any circumstances otherwise I will die. Pleaseanswer me in
detail as it isvery important issue in mylife.
wasalam and allah hafiz,
shabnam.
A: You should divorce him. Forced marriage is prohibited in Islam. A
forced marriage is considered to be void. Although you consented inthe
end, you were clearly pressured into it. You are not a commodity or a
slave, and no one has the right to make these important life choices
for you without your consent.
Since you have no childrenand you have only been married a short time,
it should be easy to separateyourself from him and obtain a divorce.
By the way, he is not your"uncle" Islamically. You might call him
uncle as a matter of tradition, but in fact he is not a true uncle by
lineage and is not a mahrem. So your marriagewas not illegal on that
count. However, if your marriage was forced then it is invalid. And
Allah knows best.

* We divorced in anger two years ago,can we remarry now?

Salaam brothers/sisters.
I was married to my ex wife from 2008 to 2010. We then got divorced;
we have two children together.
We both never remarried and we have both been thinking about giving it
another go. We still feel the same about each otherand we have two
kids together and we wanted to give it another go for the sake of them
too.
The divorce was done in anger and was said 3 times in one sentence. I
then went to a divorce specialist who authorized the divorce with two
witnesses and signed divorce paper.
What must we both do now in order to remarry again? I am really
stressedand just want my family back. Please help.
Thank you.
W/salaam,
~
One responded :
YOU NEED TO DO ONE MORE NIKAH LIKE THE 1ST ONE -BCOZ YOU DID 3 TALAQ
IN ONE SITTING AND THEN YOU WERE MISGUIDED BY SOME DEVAITED UN
AUTHORISED IGNORANT SELF APPOINTED PERSON WHO FOLLOWS SOME SECT[ALL
SECTS ARE ILLEGAL]BCOZ THEY ARE MADE ON SOME ONE WHIMSAND FANCIES [A
BLIND FOLLOWING WITHOUT EVIDENCE] AND DUE TO THAT HIS VERSION IS
ILLEGAL AND HIS PRACTICE ILLEGAL AND HIS AUTHORITY NUL AND VOID..[I
then went to a divorce specialist who authorized the divorce with two
witnesses and signed divorce paper.]
Then on a single occasion, in a burst of temper, he utters the word
"divorce" three times in a row, "talaq, talaq, talaq!" Such incidents,
which took place in the Prophet's lifetime, still take place even
today. Now the question arises as to how the would-be divorcer should
be treated. Should his three utterances of talaq be treated as only
one, and should he then be asked to extend his decision over a
three-month period? Or should his three utterances of talaq on a
single occasion be equated with the three utterances of talaq made
separately over a three-month period? There is a Hadith recorded by
Imam Abu Dawud and several other traditionists which can give us
guidance in this matter: Rukana ibn Abu Yazid said"talaq" to his wife
three times on a single occasion. Then he was extremely sad at the
step he had taken. The Prophet asked him exactlyhow he had divorced
her. He replied that he had said"talaq" to her three times in a row.
The Prophet thenobserved, "All three count as only one. If you want,
you may revoke it." Fath al-Bari, 9/275
PL NOTE STRONGLY THE 3 TALAQS IN ONE SITTING IS HARAAM AND EVEN IF
PERSON GIVES TALAQ 50 TIMES OR 100 TIMES ALSO IN ONE BREATH IT IS
EQUALTO ONE TALAQ[DIVORCE]
PL SPREAD THIS MESSAGE TO THE WORLD THAT ISLAMDOES NOT RECOGNISE
DEVIATED SCHOLARS EXCEPT THE HOLY PROPHETSALAHAUALAHAIWASLALAM- O
Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for their
waiting-period, *1 and compute the waiting period accurately, *2 and
hold Allah, your Lord, in awe. Do not turn them out of their homes
(during the waiting period) â nor should they go away (from their
homes) *3â unless they have committed a manifestly evil deed. *4 Such
are the bounds set by Allah; and he who transgresses the bounds set by
Allah commits a wrong against himself. You do not know: maybe Allah
will cause something to happen to pave the way (for reconciliation).
*5"If you have to divorce your wives, you should divorce them till the
expiry of their waiting-period".
The intention of this verse is further explained by a few other
Ahadith which have been reported from the Holy prophet (upon wham be
Allah's peace) ai d some of the major Companions. Nasa'i has related
that
The Holy Prophet was infomed that a person hadpronounced three
divorceson his wife in One sitting. HE STOOD UP IN NAGER AND SAID-:'
`Are the people playing with the Book of Allah, although I am present
among you?"Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased withthem, reported: I
divorced my wife while she was menstruating during the lifetime of
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).
'Umar bin Al-Khattab (mayAllah be pleased with him)asked Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) about it, whereupon Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Command him ('Abdullah bin
'Umar) to take her back (and keep her) and pronounce divorce when she
is purified and she again enters the period of menstruation and she is
again purified (after passing the period of menses), and then if he so
desires he may keep her and if he desires divorce her (finally) before
touching her (without having an intercourse withher), for that is the
period of waiting ('Iddah) which Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has
commanded for the divorce of women-
RE MARRIAGE EXAMPLE-
There is a common misconception that a man can say Talaq, Talaq, Talaq
to his wife in a row and it will lead to Talaq. This is totally an
unIslamic practice.

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How Many Angels Visited Mary?

Mr. Jochen Katz, in one of his articles titled: " How many angels were
talking to Mary? " has stated that the two narratives in the Qur'an
regarding the incident when the angels of Allah visited Mary to give
her the news of the birth of Jesus -- the Christ --are in
contradiction with one another. In the first instance, the Qur'an says
that "angels" (i.e. the word in its plural form, implying, in Arabic
language, that there were at least three) visited Mary. While in the
second instance, it says that there was only one.
Writes Mr. Katz:
There are (at least) two passages in the Qur'an relating the
annunciation of Jesus' birth to Mary.
Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah has chosen thee ...
Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah gives thee glad tidings ...
-- Sura 3:42 & 45
Then we sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before he as a man in
all respects. She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most
Gracious: (Come not near) If thou dost fear Allah."
-- Sura 19:17-18
How many angels came to Mary? One or three or more? [Correct me if the
word for "angel" is in the dual, but if it is plural then there have
to be at least three.]
The object of this article is to give answers to the objections raised
by Mr. Katz in this respect.
Let us first of all consider the related verses of the Qur'an. In
Surah Aal Imraan , the Qur'an says:
And bring to mind when the angels said: "Mary, God has chosen you; He
has purified you and has exalted you above all otherwomen of the
world"."Mary, be obedient to your Lord, bow down and submit [to Him]
with those that submit". This is an account of a hidden event. We
reveal it to you. You were not present when they cast lots to see
which of them shall have charge of Mary; nor were you present when
they argued about her.
Bring to mind when the angels said: "Mary, God gives you glad tidings
of a" word " from Him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of
Mary; he shall be noble in this world as well as in the hereafter; and
he shall be amongst those who are close [to God]; he shall preach to
people, while in his cradle and while in the prime of manhood; and he
shall be a righteous man." She said:"Lord, how can I bear a child,
when no man has [even] touched me?" He replied: "Even so it shall
happen as told. God createswhat He wills; when He decides a thing, He
needs only say 'Be' , and it is." (3: 43 - 47)
In Surah Maryam , the Qur'an says:
And recount in the book, the story of Mary. [The time] when she left
her people and took for herselfa place to the eastern side and hid
herself from them. We sent to her Our spirit,which appeared to her as
aperfect man. She said: "I give myself to the protection of the All
Mercy (i.e. Al-Rahmaan ) from you,if you fear Him." He replied:"I am
but a messenger of your Lord and have come to gift you a boy, pure
[from sin]". She asked:"How can I bear a child, when a man has never
even touched me and neither have I ever been unchaste?" He said: "Thus
shall it happen; your Lord says: It is easy for me." (19:16 - 21)
Before explaining my pointof view regarding these verses, I would
first like to clarify that we can call two phenomena " contradictory "
when there is no possibleexplanation that can, in any way resolve or
removethe apparent contradiction.If, on the other hand, an explanation
can be given for the apparently contradicting phenomenon, then these
phenomena cannot be called "contradictory". I do submit that everyone
has aright to criticize the explanation given. In such a case, if the
explanation cannot face the criticism, it may then be rejected, and
subsequently, due to lack of satisfactory explanation, the apparently
contradictory phenomena may then be termed as a proven
"contradiction". But, on the other hand, if the explanation
adequatelyexplains the phenomena, then unless the explanation is
logically andconvincingly rejected, the phenomena cannot be termed as
"contradictory".
By close examination of the stated verses of the Qur'an, I think there
can be two very acceptable explanations for the objections raised by
Mr. Katz. Either of these two explanations, if acceptable, remove the
objection raised by Mr. Katz in this respect. In case Mr. Katz or
anyone of my readers believes that neither of theexplanations is
acceptable, he should then present his criticism on these
explanations. Without rejecting both the explanations given, I really
do not think that the referred verses of the Qur'an can in any way be
called "contradictory".

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Muslims, Christians and Jews believe in the same Allah

The three revealed faiths sent down as a blessing byour Lord through
true prophets and true scriptures, Islam and the uncorrupted, genuine
forms of Christianity and Judaism, share many common beliefs. Although
the Torah and the Injil were gradually corrupted over the course of
time, the essence and moral values of the true faith arestill to a
large extent preserved in these books sent down from the Presence of
Allah. These uncorrupted parts can clearly be seen when looked at
using the Qur'anand the hadith as a guide. These three revealed faiths
all believe in the absolute existence of Allah, that He is eternal,
that He created the universe from nothing andthat He rules all matter
with His almighty power. Muslims, Christians and Jews also oppose the
same intellectual errors. They share the same intellectual struggle
against atheism, irreligion,racism, fascism and moral degeneration.
All three faiths strive to preach the existence of Allah in the same
way. Members of all three faiths aim for a world full of justice in
which everyone will knowAllah, sincerely believe in and submit to Him,
and live in peace and compassion. Members of all three faiths act out
of a fear and love of Allah, follow in the path of His messengers and
abide by His revelation.
In essence, the members of these three faiths believe in and worship
thesame, one Allah. Our Almighty Lord has revealed His power and
might, His creative artistry,His sublimity, that He is the Lord of the
worlds, that He is All-Powerful andthe sole Creator of all things in
all three faiths. He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth andall
things belong to Him, He knows all, is Almighty and is the Possessor
of all. His might, sublime power and majesty pervade all things and
all places. He is unfettered by any flaw or deficiency, though He is
needed by all beings.
Our Almighty Lord revealed His faith with thereligion of the Prophet
Abraham (peace be upon him):
We revealed to you: "Follow the religion of Abraham, a man of pure
natural belief. He was not one of the idolaters."(Surat an-Nahl, 123)
The word "haneef" means "someone who believes inand serves only
Allah." This is the attribute of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) that is
emphasized in the Qur'an as being "haneef," for he believed in and
submitted to Allah as the one and only. This devout servant of Allah
distanced himself from his tribe's superstitious beliefs and turned
solely to Him. He also called on his tribe to abandon their pagan
beliefs and idolatry, and tobelieve in Allah.
The true religion revealed by Allah to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was
kept alive by other prophets from his line and by true believers. This
is revealed in the Qur'an as follows:
Who would deliberately renounce the religion of Abraham except someone
who reveals himself to be a fool? We chose him in the world and in the
Hereafter he will be one of the righteous. When his Lordsaid to him,
"Become a Muslim!" he said, "I am aMuslim who has submitted to the
Lord of all the worlds." Abrahamdirected his sons to this, as did
Jacob: "My sons! Allah has chosen this religion for you, so do not die
except as Muslims." Or were you present when death came to Jacob and
he said to his sons, "What will you worship when I have gone?" They
said, " We will worship your God, the God of your forefathers,
Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac – one God. We are Muslims submitted to Him.
" (Surat al-Baqara, 130-133)
The Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) "haneef" religion is common to Muslims,
Jews and Christians. He was a sincere prophet who believed in one God
alone,Allah, who praised Him, and who served Him genuinely and with
all his heart. Our Lord praises those who follow the purefaith of the
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in the Qur'an:
Who could have a betterreligion than someone who submits himself
completely to Allah and is a good-doer, and follows the religion of
Abraham, a man of pure natural belief? Allah tookAbraham as an
intimate friend. (Surat an-Nisa', 125)
The pure faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), whom Allah praised and
sent as a guide for mankind, and the belief in the one Allah that
forms the basis of that faith are common values shared by true faiths
that were sent down later—Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Therefore,
the members ofall three faiths have a responsibility to worship Allah,
the one Lord of all, He Whose All-Powerful might pervades all things
and all places, the Creator of all things.
This common value requires the members of all three revealed faiths to
come together in a single monotheistic belief and to act together for
a commonpurpose.

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The Top 10 Fruit Juices

Pomegranate would have to be the healthiest juice you can drink, due
to it containing almost every type of antioxidant, along with the
highest levels of each. It is also linked to protecting against
certain types of cancer and can help to keep your heart healthy.
Concord Grape Juice
Concord Grapes are another great source of very powerful
antioxidantsand are a great source of fiber. There is also
researchthat suggests they can helpkeep your heart healthy and
contribute in reducing blood pressure so this is well worthy of a
place on this top 10 fruit juices list.
Blueberry Juice
Blueberries are another type of fruit that contain a lot of
antioxidants. They also hold lots of fiber and are a great source of
Vitamin C. The antioxidantsfound in blueberries can help to lower
inflammation, which indicates that they may have a positive effect on
age-related declines in cognitive abilities.
Black Cherry Juice
Black cherries contain...yep,you guessed it, antioxidants! Once again,
ahigh amount are found in black cherry juice. Along with this benefit
however, there has also been research that has suggested that they can
help to reduce muscle injuries caused by exercising, which would of
course be of great benefit to those of us who exerciseregularly.
Acai Berry Juice
Acai berries are yet anothersource of powerful antioxidants. There are
some reports that say this berry could be the greatest but more
research will need to be done on this relatively newly discovered"
superfood ". Other research also links Acai berries to increased
cancer protection.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberries are, like the rest of these fruit juices, very high in
antioxidants. They are also another goodsource of Vitamin C. A
slightly more unique benefit of cranberries however, is that they've
been shown to help slow the build-up of bacteria in the bladder, which
can help to protect against urinary tract infections.
Orange Juice
Orange Juice is the most widely consumed fruit juice, and for good
reason. It's another juice with high levels of antioxidants and as
everybody knows, is packed full of Vitamin C, which is good for your
ligaments, tendons, skin, blood vessels and bones. Good old OJ also
contains 500mg of potassium in every glass, which helps to maintain
your body's water and acid balance.
Apple Juice
The benefits of Apple Juice are only now beginning to be fully
understood. Recentstudies show a glass a day can help heart health due
to a high concentration of phytonutrients, which slowthe break down of
"bad" LDL cholesterol. Apple Juiceis also high in fiber and Vitamin C.
When buying Apple Juice it's best to go for the cloudiest you can
find.
Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice contains phytonutrients including lycopene,
beta-carotene, Vitamin E and more. In addition to reducing
inflammation, regular consumption of Tomato Juice has been linked to
helping to lower blood pressure, and it may even bolster immune
function.
Carrot Juice
Carrot Juice has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin A of any
food, which can help strengthen defective eyesight. It's a good source
of B vitamins and contains minerals including calcium, chlorine,
copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulphur.

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Boycott junk food in schools - California mandates set a healthy eating example

(NaturalNews) Legislation in California has set limits on what foods
can be sold as competitive foods in their public schools. Competitive
food sales include snack bars and kiosks, a la carte cafeteria
purchases, and vending machines.
The restrictions deal with lowering added sugars andfat contents and
even excluding artificial sweeteners. The calorie amounts are limited
while nutritional values are required to meet federal guidelines. For
example, fruit juices are required to contain 50% natural nectarwhile
restricting added sugar contents.
A recent study shows California teens are consuming 158 less calories
per day than teens in 14 other states since thevending machine mandate
was put into effect in California a few years ago.
One-hundred California teens were compared to 560 kids in other states
in early 2010. The study was published in the Archives ofPediatrics
and Adolescent Medicine , May 2012. Healthconditions were not
considered with any of the subjects studied, only calorie content that
could influence obesity. Less obesity is good, as obesity alone can
promote a plethora of negative healthconditions. But there was no hint
of teens switching to healthier diets as a result of placing
relatively decent snack food options in the California schools.
MSG and GMOs are probably in some of those calorie-restricted snack
items since all of them are either processed or derivedfrom Big Ag and
Big Dairy farming methods. Those shiny apples are heavily sprayed with
chemicals, unless they're organic. Throw in even a small amount of
HFCS, colorings, flavorings and preservatives, and the toxicloads are
dramatically increased. In other words, calorie restrictions alone
don't guarantee good health.
Daniel Taber, University of Illinois-Chicago professor and the
California study's lead author stated, "They should definitely be
applauded for their actions.All states could focus on providing more
healthy foods in schools, in addition to banning high-fat, high-sugar,
high-calorie foods and beverages. But I think the lesson is that even
their laws were only a starting point."
Although the nutritional standards applied help somewhat, they are
federalgovernment standards set by dieticians from the old-school. You
know, the type who prepares hospitalmenus. So there is much more to do
before completely healthy foods can be provided by school cafeterias
and competitive food vendors.
Private, underfunded and under-reported groups are promoting
farm-fresh foods for school cafeterias Meanwhile, NGOs (non-government
organizations) are hard at work trying to get organic fresh foods from
area farms into school lunch programs. Vermont and Oregon have taken
the lead in the United States. California has also made inroads in the
effort to feed kids better schools and encourage small organic farming
with increased profits to family run organic farms.
There has been a massive UN study and additional regional studies that
have concluded the best way to feed the world would be from small
scale regional organic farming.
Each region would becomeself-sufficient with less large scale
distributors, such as Cargill, brokering foods to chain retailers
everywhere, and less commodity brokers gambling futures and affecting
food prices because the food growingand distribution would be greatly
decentralized.
Farm to school efforts could be a first step towardthis planetary
downsized sustainable end. Rome, Italy provides a successful example.
Seventy percent of the foods in their schools are organic.

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HADEES :- ~

'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "I heard the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying•►'Souls are like
conscripted soldiers; those whom they recognize, they get along with,
and those whom they do not recognize, theywill not get along with.'"
(Saheeh al-Bukhaari)
The hadeeth was also narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, 4773. Al-Nawawi
said: "With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), 'Souls are like conscripted soldiers; those whom
they recognize, they get along with, and those whom they do not
recognize, theywill not get along with', the scholars said that the
meaning is•► groups gathered together, or different types. As for
themgetting along, this happensbecause of something in common between
them that Allaah has created. It was said that they are similar
attributes that Allaah has created in them, or that they were created
in a group and then dispersed in their bodies, so people who have
similarcharacteristics will like one another, and those who donot have
similar characteristics will not like one another.
Al-Khattaabi and others said•► this getting along with one another has
to dowith what Allaah decreed from the outset about the ultimate
destiny of souls, whether they will be among the blessed [in Paradise]
or the doomed [in Hell]. Souls are of two opposing kinds, and when
they meet in this physical world, they will either love or hate one
another depending on the way they were created. Good souls will be
inclined towards other good souls, and evil souls will be inclined
towards other evil souls. And Allaah knows best.
We have narrated a mawsool report in Sunan Abi Ya'laa, at the
beginningof which is the story narrated from 'Amrah bint 'Abd
al-Rahmaan, who said: "There was a woman in Makkah who liked to joke,
and she came and stayed with a woman in Madeenah who was like her.
When 'Aa'ishah heard about this, she said•► 'My beloved spoke the
truth. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessingsof Allaah
be upon him) saying…' and mentioned a similar hadeeth like the one
above."
And Allaah knows best. ♥

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Egypt's military 'grants itself sweeping powers'

Egypt's ruling military has issued a declaration apparently granting
itselfsweeping powers, as the country awaits results of presidential
elections.
The document by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (Scaf) reportedly
says new general elections can not be held until a permanent
constitution is drawn up.
It also allegedly gives the Scaf legislative control.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood says its candidate, Mohammed Mursi,
has won Sunday's presidential election.
Mr Mursi, an Islamist, is competing against Ahmed Shafiq, who served
as prime minister under former President Hosni Mubarak.
Mr Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood said he was holding a 52%-48% lead over
Mr Shafiq with almost all the vote counted after Sunday's second-round
run-off election.
Speaking at his party headquarters, Mr Mursi pledged to be a president
for all Egyptians, adding that he would not "seek revenge or settle
scores".
"Thanks be to God who hasguided Egypt's people to the path of freedom
and democracy, uniting the Egyptians to a better future," he said.
But Mr Shafiq's campaign said it rejected"completely" the victory
claim by Mr Mursi.
"We are astonished by this bizarre behaviour which amounts to a
hijacking of the election results," Shafiqcampaign official Mahmud
Barakeh was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Official results have yet to be announced.
The election - the first sinceHosni Mubarak was forced from office in
2011 - also comes amid a bitter row over the dissolution of parliament
following a court ruling on Thursday.
The Brotherhood has denounced the step as unlawful and a coup against democracy.

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Good Morning tips

The tree does not with draw its shade from the woodcutter, so Forgive
theone who hurt u..They will realise Ur worth One day.. GUD MG
@
Success is the ability to go From One failure to another With no loss
of enthusiasm... Gud Morning N Have A Great Sunday =)
@
Between a 100 yesterdaysN a 100 2morrows,There is only 1 2day N I
would not let ths pass without saying thx 4 being such a lovely frnd
@
What is Trust?Trust is a feeling that a one year oldchild has, when u
throw him up in the air N catch him again..he still laughs nenjy
@
Hi..rght now i m coming near 2 u..in the form of Sunlight. in the form
of sweet breze.in the form ofgud wishes 2 greet u a great mrng

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FiveWords That Changed My Life

Today, while out with my family at the Ashby Flea Market in Berkeley
California, I ran into a man who changed the entire course of my life
fifteen years ago. And he did it with a smile and one simple question.
I have no doubt in my mind that hadI not met this man on that cold day
in February, that I would either be dead or in prison.
Fifteen years ago while on my way to a college class, Iran into a
familiar looking guy who pointed at my shirt and said "good looking
out" and stood up and shook my hand. I was sporting dread locks,
wearing a Haile Selassie shirt, baggy jeans, suede Pumas, sunglasses
and a Sessions snowboarder jacket. I was the quintessential hard to
labelCalifornia Bay Area pseudo hip hop hippie skater. Happy because
of my rasta shirt he guy said to me "Hey I think I know you dude, we
met at such and such a place. My name is Whitney Canon (who we now
know as USAMA CANON)." I answered in the affirmative and we struck up
a conversation and realized we had several mutual friends. This
"chance" meeting would prove to be "one of two" ofthe most important
random occurrences in my life.
Strangely it ended up that we had the same Spanish class together and
ended up sitting next to one another. Over the course ofa few days we
learned thatwe were both musicians / artists. Usama had the codeto the
piano room in the music hall so we'd sneak into the room and sit and
play music for hours and talk about spirituality. We did this just
about every day for an entire semester.
One day while eating sushi at a popular Japanese restaurant near
campus I confided in Usama and toldhim I was burnt out and tired of my
life and that I had decided to get things back on track. I was living
by myself in downtown San Jose, working nights waiting tables and
going to school during the day. There were many things about my
lifestyle (that I won't go into detail about here) that were
preventingme from success. I also hadthe burden of past demonsthat
would sneak up to torment me from time to time. So, the only real
solution I knew of to deal with problems of this magnitude was to get
religious and go back to church.
I told Usama that I was considering going back to the Catholicism to
get my life in order. He asked me ifI'd ever thought about Islam. I
told him that I hadn't thought of it for myself because I felt it was
either an Arab religion or a separatist black movement(which I
couldn't join because my mother is white) and that I felt the only
Muslims I had ever met were hypocrites and that I'd never seen a good
practicing Muslim.
He told me about his older brother (ANAS CANON) converting to orthodox
Islam after a short time in the Nation Of Islam and that it wasn't
just for Arabsbut that from what he knew it was a pretty universal
religion. (NOTE: Usama wasn't Muslim yet when he was telling me this).
He asked me if I knewabout Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) and I
told him that I just knew ofElijah Muhammad but that even Malcolm X
said he wasn't a real prophet. He then explained to me that there was
a different man named Muhammad that was a real Prophet from Arabia and
that I should look into him. At this point I started to get turned off
as I usually did whenever anybody spoke to me overtly about religion.
Plus once he said "Arab Prophet" I knew that Islamwasn't for me. We
ended the conversation and I headed to work. This was aWednesday.
That night after work I went to the bookstore to buy a Bible and I
walked past the "Eastern Philosophy" section and looked up and saw a
greenbook that had the name 'MUHAMMAD' written downthe entire spine in
gold letters. I stopped and thought for a moment and then reached up
and grabbed the book. The cover said 'MUHAMMAD – His Life Based On The
Earliest Sources" by Martin Lings. This phrase "earliest sources"
intrigued me because although I was there to purchase a bible, I was
aware of the theological debate about the number of mistakes found in
the bible and it was something that troubled me greatly. So, I opened
up the book and tried to read it but the Arabic names were really
difficult for me to pronounce and so I was struggling to get through
even a couple sentences. The four or five sentences I did read
mentioned the "QUR'AN" several times. The Arabic names solidifiedthe
reality that this was an Arab religion and not something I would want
tobe a part of so I put the book back up on the shelf.
As I began to walk away the gold letters "MUHAMMAD" caught my eye
again and looked back up at the book. This time, I noticed another
book titled"THE QU'RAN." I was going to keep walking but I remembered
that I saw that word a few times in the Martin Lings book so I reached
up and pulled it offthe shelf.

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Question One: Should Istikhara be prayed once or multiple times?

Question One: Should Istikhara be prayed once or multiple times?

Answer:
Assalamu alaikum. When one is not clear about the result of the
istikhara , the fuqaha mention that it is recommended to repeat it, up
to seven times if necessary (usually done on separate occasions).

Getting a Dream After Istikhara?
It is not necessary that you get a dream or even a "feeling". Rather,
the istikhara is a prayer that Allah guide you towards that which is
best (khayr) for you. If you do the prayer of guidance (istikhara)
with the propermanners, the most important of which is to truly
consign the matter to Allah and suspend your own inclinations, then
Allah will make events unfold in the direction that is the best for
your worldly and next-worldly affairs.
In general, when it is not possible to perform the istikhara prayer
itself (suchas when one is out on the road, or in one's
menstrualperiod), it is recommendedto simply read the dua itself.
[Radd al-Muhtar]
The istikhara prayer may be made for a specific matter or be made for
a general seeking of all that is best. Some scholars, including Imam
Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha`rani andIbn `Arafah before him saw this kind of
(specific) istikhara prayer as being superior.
Others, including Shaykh Ibn al-Arabi, recommended performinga general
istikhara prayer for all that is good every day, ideally at the time
of the Duha prayer (after sunrise).
Before Istikhara Prayer
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned that before theistikhara prayer, one should
seek advice (istishara) from those whose knowledge, wisdom, and
concern one is confident.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and others mentioned that one of the benefits of
this is to further distance oneself from the desires ofone's own
egotistical inclinations.
Opening the Prayer
It is recommended to open the dua of istikhara [below], with praise of
Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him
peace), and to close it in this manner, too.

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Muhammad Ali’s daughter arrived at his home

Muhammad Ali's daughter arrived at his home wearing revealing clothes.
He said to her: 'Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world
is covered and hard to get to.Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in
the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down
at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful
shell. Where do you find gold? Way down and in... the mine, covered
over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get
them.'
He looked at her with serious eyes and then said 'Your body is sacred.
You'refar more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be
covered too.'

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