Aug 20, 2010

The Amazing Qur'an by Gary Miller

I just finished reading this wonderful article in which not only was it interesting and informative even for me as a Muslim but it amazed me and made me smile and laugh because of how truly amazing the Qur'an is!

It is a very long article but one that cannot be missed!! I have quoted only the first few paragraphs but as you read on, it just gets better and better.
Calling the Qur'an amazing is not something done only by Muslims, who have an appreciation for the book and who are pleased with it; it has been labeled amazing by non-Muslims as well. In fact, even people who hate Islam very much have still called it amazing.

One thing which surprises non_muslims who are examining the book very closely is that the Qur'an does not appear to them to be what they expected. What they assume is that they have an old book which came fourteen centuries ago from the Arabian desert; and they expect that the book should look something like that - an old book from the desert. And then they find out that it does not resemble what they expected at all. Additionally, one of the first things that some people assume is that because it is an old book which comes from the desert, it should talk about the desert. Well the Qur'an does talk about the desert - some of its imagery describes the desert; but it also talks about the sea - what it's like to be in a storm on the sea.

Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a man who was in the merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim gave him a translation of the Qur'an to read. The merchant marine knew nothing about the history of Islam but was interested in reading the Qur'an. When he finished reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked, "This Muhammed, was he a sailor?" He was impressed at how accurately the Qur'an describes a storm on a sea. When he was told, "No as a matter of fact, Muhammed lived in the desert," that was enough for him. He embraced Islam on the spot. He was so impressed with the Qur'an's description because he had been in a storm on the sea, and he knew that whoever had written that description had also been in a storm on the sea. The description of "a wave, over it a wave, over it clouds" was not what someone imagining a storm on a sea to be like would have written; rather, it was written by someone who knew what a storm on the sea was like. This is one example of how the Qur'an is not tied to a certain place and time. Certainly, the scientific ideas expressed in it also do not seem to originate from the desert fourteen centuries ago.
It goes on about how some people perceive that the Qur'an was sent by the devil :dev: and/or Prophet Mohammed is the Author and the time he came up with the Qur'an and when he claimed he was a Prophet he was crazy and/or a liar. But all of these assumptions and what these people believed are proven wrong through this article.

Continue Article - A MUST READ!!!!

Aug 19, 2010

Gather round

...cos I've got a thing or two to share.

First, I'd like to start of by saying I hope that everyone's Ramadan is going beautifully and smoothly, that it has been a blessing for all and a strong month of worship for you in the path for becoming a stronger and better Muslim! ^^

Second, I would like to introduce this new blog, خطوة | A Step, in which I'll be contributing in with two other fantastic ladies, my dearest friends FAITH and Spot. It's still fresh and plans and ideas for خطوة | A Step are under way. So please do check it out and insha'Allah it will be informative and an eye-opener.
This blog is a drop in the silence sea of the world...in which we believe that if it happens and intensifies with other drops; they'd change something...someday!
And that's my 50bz lol

May Allah (swt) accept our fasting and may our Iftar be delicious! Ameen.

Aug 13, 2010

Maher Zain - The Chosen One (Al Mukhtar)

My favorite song of the album has finally been made into a video and I have to say what a beautiful video. It truly is in perfect sync with the song/lyrics!

The song - The Chosen One - is inspired by Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Maher Zain and Awakening Records felt they had to respond after the recent attacks on prophet Muhammad through cartoons and facebook. The result is this music video. It's a small token in portraying the true character of our beloved Prophet Muhammad.


I always get goosebumps no matter how many times I listen to this song!

Aug 12, 2010

A video about Ramadan

I really liked this video and thought I'd share with who ever would be interested.

The video truly tackles most of the bad aspects we might put ourselves into during this holy month. He sends out good messages in a interesting and funny way and let's hope we and every other Muslim who watches the video learns that truly the holy month of Ramadan is a blessing!


Aug 11, 2010

2010 Ramadan Mubarak


I'm so happy right now! It's always such a wonderful feeling when you know that Ramadan is just around the corner, start preparing for the delicious dishes, and setting out important goals to achieve through out this holy and beautiful month. Fasting in Oman begins tomorrow and I'm so excited about it because it's the first Ramadan in 5 years in a Muslim and Arab country (different feeling and vibe), more specifically Oman! You can already feel it in the air, such a warm feeling, you can see it on people's faces and hear it in their voices as they say do3a2 to one another.

I have set out a few goals for my self in which I've written on small yellow post-it notes (which I've stuck on my wall) and these goals mainly concentrate on reading the whole Qura'an (in a month), read it's translation to get a stronger understanding, memorize a good number of chapters (the whole Part 30 and my favorite chapter Al Ra7man), read the book Stories of the Prophets, and the constant recall (Theker) of Allah (swt), and the list goes on.

There are many things you can leave and gain from Ramadan, therefore, this month should be spent wisely. Make sure your intentions are truthful and in the right place, that you truly want to come out a better and stronger Muslim than before. There's no use if you pray just because you're fasting and you want it to count, and then come the end of the holy month of Ramadan let go of everything...these are the wrong intentions.

Again, Ramadan Mubarak and may it be a blessed and a wonderful month for us all!

[Movie] Inception (2010)

Plot:

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption.

Tagline: Your mind is the scene of the crime

Official Trailer


Just be calm and tackle aspect by aspect sensibly.
*I literally have my fingers floating on the keyboard because I don't know where to begin. *

I first heard about this movie some time towards the end of 2009, where I saw a really small part of the making of the "no gravity" scene. I knew that it's going to be a fantastic watch so I gathered some more information about the movie and discovered who was in the cast and most importantly, who was the director of the movie. Let me start with the cast, I mean just look at those names.

Leonardo DeCaprio: he totally grew, for me, as actor after I watched Blood Diamond and The Departed. After these two movies, I looked more forward to any up coming movies he starred in and I have to say he played his role real well. His character was of the emotional and mysterious type which can be quite a tough thing to act but he did it perfectly.

Ken Watanabe: okay! This man was just pure awesomeness. He played the bad man of the group but I honestly like his characters relationship with Leo's character. They had a lot in common and I have to say that last scene between him and Leo was just fantastic!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: always been a fan of this actor since the days of 3rd Rock from the Sun and 10 Things I Hate About You and what a fantastic role he had. Definitely my favorite character of the movie! He got the coolest scenes of the movie too...they were stupendous! Loved how he played the cold yet innocent (and I thought he was sweet) and smart character. You can't help it but like him.

Marion Cotillard: don't know her very well, but she had an annoying character. She scared me with her fast, sudden head turns...makes you think her neck broke but non-the-less she did an awesome job too.

Ellen Page: one of my all time favorite actresses! She is just flawless at what she does and I'm glad she starred in such an amazing move as Inception. She needs to gain weight though...she's super skinny!

Cillian Murphy: guy with the freaky eyes...oooh *makes ghost sound*. I like him as an actor (thanks to Red Eye)...he had a small role but it was an important one. Spoiler?

The movie when it comes to the visuals factor was just absolutely brilliant. Just the thought of the amount it took to create such a massive world is just gob-smacking. Also, one to think or come up with such a world is on a thinking level of their own. Pure genius!

I loved the story and how everything came together. I had a moment during a scene where I said to myself "Ooooh so that's why they made him change in to that person...haha awesome!!"...it was truly awesome because it was like you solving the puzzle. This is what I exactly like, and I'm sure most who follow this kind of genre will agree, your brain just constantly working as the movie progresses so as to understand and solve the story.

The science (time, psychology, chemistry, engineering, etc) behind this movie is incredible! This is where the real genius and art appears because it has to be passed on in a way that it's understandable and fascinating rather than boring and useless. It's definitely something new; some people compared Inception to The Matrix but I don't see the comparison because the idea in Inception is more of the real world (dreams) rather than the fantasy world (with monsters, weird creatures, and slow motion dodging bullets and incredible fighting power, etc) which you see in the Matrix. I just truly enjoyed the science that contained this fantastic movie!

Now let's come to the awesome director, who has become my favorite director in this current time. Christopher Nolan ladies and gents! You might remember him from 2 years ago with his fantastic direction in The Dark Night. Epic-ness right there! The direction totally stands out in Inception and once you leave the theater it's almost the first thing that comes to mind..."the movie was very well directed". So hats of Mr. Nolan, you did it again!

Lastly, I leave you with the fantastic music composer, Hans Zimmer, who was also the composer for The Dark Night (go figure - two amazing movies). A fantastic job here too, definitely matched every bit of the movie and I can't wait to get my hands on the Soundtrack! Just watch the trailer and you'll get what I mean.

If you haven't watched this movie yet then I have no idea what it is that you're waiting for exactly! Must see at the cinema as well just to experience the full sounds and visuals package.

Great direction, fantastic cast, amazing story and awesome visuals and music, hands down a 10/10