Iran makes nanotechnology breakthrough

Iranian researchers have successfully lessened the toxicity of nanoclays, producing material that can be used for medical applications. Nanoclays are used in various industries, including the polymer and medical industries. They are also applied in producing gas absorbents and drug delivery carriers. Industrial clays are generally modified using Alkyl ammonium and alkyl amines, which are considered toxic compounds. Hence, their use particularly in medicine is limited. According to Iranian Nanotechnology Initiatives, however, a researcher from Amir Kabir University of Technology has been able to modify nanoclays in a way that makes the material appropriate for medical uses. "The non-toxicity of the modified clay, in which a layer of clay is present between each two kitosan molecules, has been tested in laboratory cultures," says Kourosh Kabiri, the lead inventor of the product. The modified nanoclays allows the production of polymers with improved mechanical, permeability and thermal effects as the intercalation period has been reduced to around 33 minutes and intralayer thickness has been increased to 12-24 angstroms, according to a study published in Iranian Polymer.

Yahoo finally defeated by Iranians!

Yahoo governors finally acquiesced to re-include the name of Iran in their signup available countries list.
The frequent and intensive protests by angry Iranians started right after the Yahoo banned Persian users from creating new mail accounts and removed the name of Iran from its list of countries in November 2007.
The Iranian users attempted a Google Bomb named "Hello Yahoo mail" which was a responsive movement against what they called "insulting the 7500 years of Iranian civilization by the state-run portal Yahoo".
Helloyahoomail.net provided more than 2 million visitors and users with information on Iranian culture, ancient Persian empire, Iranian literature, history of the land, its people and modern day lifestyle in Iran to prove that Yahoo, mainstream media and other American allies are misleading public opinions by crying that Iranians are terrorists and uncivilized, they want to "conceal" the facts and realities about this ancient and historical land.
It was a dark point of Yahoo mail history to altercate with a people of ancient culture, history and peacemaking backgrounds by removing the name of their country with the pretext that Iran is a terrorist country.
Meanwhile, the main question of Iranian cyber-activists was about the hoarding of 2500 nuclear warheads by US that the state officials confessed to, also about the evident violation of human rights in Guantanamo jails and US government funding the terrorist groups in Iraq, bombarding Afghanistan and killing thousands of civilians etc.
It was always totally clear that which country violates human rights, boosts the terrorism and commits genocide, but the American statesmen and their mercenaries in Yahoo mail planned to alienate the global opinions from human disasters in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan by accusing Iran and pressing its people.
Last night, following the intervention of cyber courts, internet activists and political figures Yahoo finally deferred to include the Iran's name in the lists again and this was a great failure for the state-run portal which has already announced that it is not possible to have ties with Iran and its people!
The page which you are on is a Google bomb that redirects the users searching "Yahoo mail" keyword to articles and news about Iran, its people and their scientific, cultural progresses and mainly is a response to Yahoo men and its users who assume that they are facing with uncultured and terrorist nation.

Olympics: Hadi Saei wins Iran's first Beijing gold

Veteran Iranian taekwondo fighter Hadi Saei has claimed Beijing Olympics men's welterweight gold medal by beating Italy's Mauro Sarmiento. In the Friday men's -80kg final, the Iranian world and Olympic champion beat the European bronze medalist to win his second Olympic taekwondo gold medal and Iran's first gold medal in the Beijing Olympic Games. Saei, who stepped up to welterweight after winning the -68kg Olympic gold in Athens, lost the first round 4-2 after the 6-foot-5-inches Sarmiento stunned the Iranian with a two-point axe kick to the head. Saei battled back in the second round and managed to tie the score at 4-4 with roundhouse kicks to his opponents left side. The 32-year-old Saei attacked first in the third round to score two points and secure a 6-4 victory in a stunning-comeback fashion. Sarmiento, who had earlier defeated American champion Steven Lopez in the quarterfinals, raised Saei's hand to congratulate the veteran. The four-time world champion Lopez and China's Zhu Guo, who was earlier beaten by Saei, each captured a bronze medal.

Iran launches first home-made satellite

Alalam Network - Iran successfully launched its first satellite carrier named "Safir Omid" to space on Sunday."Safir Omid" has completely been designed and manufactured by Iranian scientists and experts and the main mission defined for it is to put Omid satellite into orbit."Safir Omid" is 22 meter in length, 1.25 meter in diameter, and 26 tons in weight.The ability to launch satellites into orbit indicates progress in the Islamic republic's missile technology.In February Tehran successfully launched the Explorer-1 research rocket, which is reportedly capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, and unveiled the country's first domestically built satellite, named Omid, or Hope."President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad was at the launch of the carrier from Iran's space station," government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said.President Ahmadinejad termed the launching a great technological achievement for the Iranian nation.Iran has said it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications.Iran has long held a goal of developing a space program. It hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said.In 2005, it launched its first commercial satellite on a Russian rocket in a joint project with Moscow, which appears to be the main partner in transferring space technology to Iran.

woman - The Fountain of Life

Islam has prescribed different roles for men and women. Men are the breadwinners while women are the nurturers. Neither gender is superior to the other. God says in the Qur'an:
"I will not diminish the deed of any person, be it male or female, the one of you is from the other." (3:195)
Both roles are complementary and facilitate the smooth functioning of the family unit. On account of the sacrifices a woman makes, and the difficulties she faces in nurturing children, a mother is bestowed with an exalted position in Islam.
Concerning motherhood, Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) said: "Heaven lies under the feet of mothers." This implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers that raised it for the first and perhaps the greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security, affection, and training received from the mother.
In another tradition emphasizing the importance of respecting a mother for the sacrifices she has made, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked:
"Oh Messenger of God, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to the kindness and attention?" He replied, "your mother." "Then who?" He replied "your mother". "Then who?" He replied, "Your mother." "Then who?" He replied, "Your father."

Fourteen Basic Rules for Success

In order to play the game a man’s way:

• Understand the difference between how he plays the game and how
you play it.

• Recognize that for the time being, his way of playing is the accepted
way.

• Decide if you want to change the way you play.

1. Make a request – asking is the only way o get what you want. Even when men suspect they’re going to get an unfavorable answer, they still charge ahead and ask the question. They won’t personalize the “no” and they’ll keep trying. Women personalize situations, we hear no as a comment on our abilities, a sign that the relationship between our superiors and us have failed. The woman’s definition of the word no: Absolutely not, how could you even ask?

2. Speak Out. Men speak out a lot, and women are concerned about making a mistake or losing face. If you don’t talk no one will know you are there.

3. Speak Up. When a guy is playing a competitive game he will say what he must as forcefully as the situation warrants. Men will tell you that women are too timid, or too evasive, or too circuitous, or too unsure of themselves. Don’t ask for permission to speak – when you do you’re
putting conditionality instead of strength around a statement. Conditional talk doesn’t have much power. Learn to use your voice effectively. Take a course in presentation skills because with training most voices can become more powerful, more effective in business situations.

4. Tot your own horn. Part of getting ahead is getting noticed. The woman who gets ahead is getting noticed. Taking credit for your accomplishments is part and parcel of job performance learn to be your own PR person in a way that’s comfortable for you. Women are champions of small talk. Use your intuition. Learn to bluff as men do.

5. Don’t expect to make friends; Work is no more about friendship than a tough competitive sport is. Men are clear that business is business, and personal is personal. When they disagree about job-related matters, they don’t see each other as unsupportive or uncaring or disloyal.

6. Accept uncertainty. Unlike men who owe their success to a lot of factors, women assume we get ahead because we’re better at our job than anyone else. As a result, over the years we’ve adopted a perfectionist model. We don’t say we know something unless we are completely confident that we do. Men start the game confident and so have a much better chance of triumphing. Most difficult situations that arise at work have no precedent. Learn to make it up as you go.

7. Take a risk. From the get go, men are encouraged to take chances. Women are bought up to avoid situations that re potentially dangerous. But you can’t get ahead without making risky moves. No one who’s afraid to stretch the boundaries ever becomes a CEO. The things we think of as risks are often not risks at all.

8. Be an imposter. Women enter the workplace convinced that the only way to advance is to master our subject backwards and forward. We collect information, we accumulate anecdotes, and we do whatever it takes to get the job done. When we make a presentation, we make sure there is nothing missed – thoroughly over prepared and overeducated. The problem is that eventually you can’t know everything. Everyone is an imposter. Business is no different from life. Men know that. They fake it whenever and wherever they have to. They rely on improvisation, self-confidence and the generalized ability to draw on past experience rather than book knowledge. In business, when you’re doing something new, there is no safety net. That is how creative business ideas are advanced. Replace your imposter scenario with a self-confident one. Confidence is half the game.

9. Think small. Women tend to multi-task and can be overwhelmed. Men can take the first thing he has to do, concentrates on it, finishes it, and then moves on to the next thing. Men can work like this because the larger picture doesn’t distract them. Men compartmentalize.

10. Don’t anguish. Guys wear their game face. Even when the odds are against them, they still try to look as if they’re going to win. Girls are brought up to be nice. In turn, they want everybody and everything to be nice too. We anguish openly. Women are more apt to show their vulnerability. Anguish in private.

11. Follow the team leader. Women have little practice following the team leader because of the orientation of our games. Our social circles, being democratic, make everyone equal.

• Play with the big picture in mind. • You don’t have to like your teammates, but you do have to stay loyal to them.
• You don’t have to think of yourself as an automaton. Each team member brings his or her unique talents to the playing field: you can improve yours by taking advantage of all the talents around you.
• Don’t second-guess the team.
• Examine your internal conversation.
• Let the team help you.
• Don’t torpedo the team

12. Don’t assume responsibility without authority. This is one of the prime issues women face in business. Offer your services only when you are certain that the task is a career opportunity. Be clear that you are making a trade-off.

13. Sit at the table. Its time to realize that if we want o be considered loyal and productive team players we have to sit at the table with the Big Guys. Too often women will come into a board room and sit in chairs peripheral to the table indicating that the table is for the boss and key people. Early on guys learn that they belong at the table, and they are comfortable fighting to be there. Being visible is half the battle. You can’t play if you can’t be seen. Make your presence felt and be fully present.

14. Laugh. Guys learned long ago that humor could cut the tension in any situation. Women’s humor is much different from men’s. It leans more toward the observational, the situational.

The paradox of our time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.
These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.
A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

* Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

* Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

* Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

* Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

* Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Intercession in Islam

Intercession in the Hereafter is real and it will occur. However, as Muslims, we cannot pray to or make dua to other than Allah for the basis of Islam is tawheed and the oneness of Allah as the Holy Quran states, “And who is more astray than one who calls on (invokes) besides Allâh, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them? And when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping” (Translation of the Meaning of the Holy Quran, 46:5-6).
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) does have a special type of intercession on the Day of Judgment. Rasoolullah (SAW) will intercede for the Hisaab (reckoning) to begin on the Day of Judgment. Rasoolullah (SAW) also has a special intercession for those who live in Madinah and die there as well as for his non-Muslim uncle, Abu Talib (who will still reside in Hell-Fire forever but in a lesser severity).
So, who are the intercessors on the Day of Judgment? They include Allah (the Most Merciful), Rasoolullah (SAW), the Messengers, the Angels, the martyrs, children who passed away, the believers to one another, and the Holy Quran. Allah’s Mercy will allow people who have only a mustard seed amount’s worth of Eeman to be saved from the Hell-Fire.
What are the types of intercession? They include the type for people to get out of Hell-Fire once they are in Hell, for people to be saved from the Fire before they are thrown into it (i.e. Surat Tabarrak intercedes for this), for people to have their punishment reduced (in severity or time), to allow people to enter Jannah, and to raise the level for people in paradise once they are already there.
Now that we have covered the types of intercession, one may be inclined to ask about the intercession from grave-worshipping that occurs throughout some parts of the Muslim world. However, it must be noted that grave-worshipping is strictly prohibited in Islam as Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians, for they have taken the graves of their Prophets as places of worship” (narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).
Some people claim that they ask these ‘saints’ because these saints are better people than themselves and closer to Allah. Even if this may be true, it is pointless of one to make dua to this saint as Allah will reward this saint for his deeds and not the person making dua to him for his deeds. Allah will not call on one’s prayer more if he makes his prayer directed to a righteous saint. Instead, we should strive to be better believers and we should ourselves make dua sincerely to Allah (SWT). One must follow the Quran and Sunnah in all which one does.
Finally, what are the conditions for intercession? Firstly, Allah (SWT) must approve the one for whom intercession is made as the Quran states, “and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased” (Translation of the Meaning of the Holy Quran, 21:28). Abu Hurayrah narrates in a longer hadith in which Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “The people who will be most blessed by my intercession on the Day of Resurrection are those who say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah sincerely from the heart” (narrated by Bukhari). Secondly, Allah (SWT) must allow the intercessor to intercede as the Quran states, “Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?” (Translation of the Meaning of the Holy Quran, 2:255). Furthermore, Allah (SWT) can decide to accept (or reject) the intercession as the Holy Quran states, “…whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allaah has given leave for whom He wills and is pleased with” (Translation of the Meaning of the Holy Quran, 53:26).
In closing, consider the words of Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid (of IslamQA):
…it is clear to every fair-minded person that the correct kind of intercession is intercession that depends on the permission and approval of Allaah, because all intercession belongs to Him. That also includes asking for intercession from living people who are able to do that concerning worldly matters, for which Allaah has granted permission. It should be pointed out here that this kind of intercession is permitted because Allaah has given permission for it, since it involves no kind of emotional attachment to the person, rather the point is that it is a means, like all other means which Islam permits us to use. The kind of intercession which is forbidden is asking someone other than Allaah to do something that no one is able to do except Allaah, because intercession belongs to no one besides Allaah, and no one can do it unless Allaah grants him leave and approves of him. So whoever seeks intercession from anyone else has transgressed upon the exclusive preserve of Allaah and has wronged himself, and has exposed himself to being deprived of the intercession of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the Day of Resurrection. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound, and we ask Him to cause our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to intercede for us … Ameen.

Islam, the Religion of Ease

Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, is the creator of mankind and therefore knows his nature more intricately than mankind himself. Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, has therefore chosen for us a religion best suited to the nature of mankind, a religion that goes neither to the extremes of hardship nor of laxity, but instead provides a middle path; in other words, a religion of ease. Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, said; "Allah intends for you ease, and does not want to make things difficult for you" [2:185]; and "Allah does not want to place you in difficulty" [5:6]. Such easiness is well explained in the hadeeth reported by Abu Hurairah, radiya Allahu 'anhu, that the Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, said, "Religion is easy..." [Bukhari], he also said; "The best of your religion, is the easiest." [Ahmad]The easiness of this religion was put into practise by the best of humanity, the one who came to deliver the message, as Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, said;
"Verily there has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves, it grieves him that you should suffer any difficulty, he is anxious for you, for the believers he is full of pity and merciful" [10:128] This understanding is clarified in a hadeeth in which the Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, said; "... Allah did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy" [Muslim]. This understanding is further implemented by the mercy sent to mankind, Muhammed, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, in the hadeeth reported by his noble and pure wife, 'Aishah, radiya Allahu 'anhu, who said; "Whenever the Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, has a choice between two matters, he would choose the easiest, unless it is sinful (act)" [Bukhari]. Many hadeeths have been reported on the matter of easiness: "Allah likes for this nation ease and hates for it hardship and adversity." [Tabaraani]. "We have been given a privilege over other nations... .we have been given verses that no one else has been given, the last two verses of Surah Baqarah(chapter 2)"Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error. Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear" After each statement, Allah responded by saying, "I did, I did, I did"" [Muslim].To further emphasise this understanding to his companions, when once a Bedouin stood up and started urinating in the mosque, the people caught him; but he, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, ordered them to leave him and to pour a bucket or a tumbler of water over the place where he had urinated. The Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, then said, "You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult" [Bukhari]. An example that illustrates this point is Salah, an act so important and vital to Islam that the Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, said; "Between a person and disbelief is discarding prayer" [Muslim]. He also warned against leaving salah, even at the time of his death, in his very last breaths before departing from this world.Yet in this worship Allah has also prescribed easiness. At first, the number of prayers was fifty in number, but they were reduced several times until they were five. Then it was proclaimed 'O Muhammad, the order is not changed. These five are (equal in reward) to fifty' [Tirmidhi]. Causes of hardshipIf Islam is a religion of ease, why do we find many Muslims not practising it? Why do we find them doing very little of what they ought to be doing, and why do even those who practise their religion sometimes find it difficult? There are reasons why the practice of Islam can becomes hard:
1) Lack of piety When we speak about Islam being easy we are, in reality, speaking about the easiness of its acts of worship and morals. Religion by definition means commitment and an obligation to a master. Therefore, being a
religious person means to be always aware that we are slaves to a master, Allah, subhanahu wata'aala. From here we see the mistake of those who want 'ease' to mean 'doingnothing', just saying "I am a Muslim", committing themselves to nothing. It is obvious that they want it to be easy, but what exactly do they want?They want an easy life, a life without any religious practices. The idle belief of 'existing only to live' has long ago been negated by Allah, subhanahu wata'aala. He said: "Do you think you have been created for nothing and that you will not be resurrected and brought back to Allah again!" [23:115]. He also said: "Thinks man that he is left aimless?" [75:86]. Islam is easy to practice; but those who do not understand the reasons behind their existence, who do not understand the concepts of religion, but meanwhile are striving to secure themselves in this life; then surely they will find its practices difficult. The easiness of Islam is felt in all of its commandments. Some people find this or that commandment hard to follow but this does not mean that the command is in itself hard; often it is the person who is the cause. For example Salah, it is an easy act of worship, as Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, has made clear: "And seek help in patience and prayer and truly it is (prayer) extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi'un (i.e. true submitting)" [2;45]. Prayer is an easy act of worship except, of course, for those who do not truly submit to their Lord; they will find it toilsome. Why do they find it so? The answer is that it is not the prayer that is difficult, but it is the hearts of these people which have changed from good to bad, as Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, mentioned: "Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up to pray, they stand with laziness ..." [4;142]; in another verse He subhanahu wata'aala, said; "And that they came not to prayer except in a lazy state ..." [9;54]. 2) Ignorance The rules of Islam did not come as mere do's and don'ts. Each obligation has wisdom and motivation behind it. It should make no difference to us if the wisdom for that particular practice is known or not, because if it is not known to us today, then if Allah wills, He will reveal it to future generations. What is primarily expected from us is to fully submit and implement every command. For example, the giving of charity, which apparently decreases the wealth of the giver. Islam did not say "Pay charity, pay charity", as this would not motivate people and therefore make it difficult to act upon. Instead
Allah says; "Would you not like to give a loan to your Lord, and this loan will be paid back to you multiplied and you will be rewarded for it." [2:245] The Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, said; "Verily, wealth does not decrease because of charity." [Muslim] It seems Muslims often ask why this act or matter is Halaal or Haraam. With such an attitude they will never achieve their goal, because behind each injunction there is an aspect of wisdom. Without understanding this, practising Islam becomes a heavy burden. With strong belief, we do not even have to ask whether this or that is halaal or Haraam, but rather if it pleases Allah. Therefore we should take the rules seeking the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wata'aala,. If pleasing Allah subhanahu wata'aala, is, always, our aim, then undoubtedly the practice of religion becomes easy, no matter what apparent hardships we may encounter.
3) Inappropriate environment It is true that sometimes we find it difficult to practise the religion, even those who are committed to it! The reason behind this is that we are practising our religion in an non-religious environment. Islam is not meant to be practised while being immersed in a Kufr (disbelieving) society. Its practice will indeed be difficult in such an environment. Therefore, the difficulty cannot be blamed upon Islam as a religion, but rather on the circumstances of the society. Returning to our example of prayer, we see that prayer by itself is easy, but if you have to stand alone to pray amongst non-Muslims, all of them watching you, it will suddenly become difficult. The obvious conclusion is that the prayer in itself is not difficult, but the environment has made it difficult. Another example is that of a woman who wears hijaab and is happy to cover herself. If this were an Islamic society, it would have been difficult for her not to be covered, or for a man not to respond to the call to prayer and pray in a mosque. Thus difficulty is not the nature of our religion, but we are trying to be pure in a decadent and immoral environment. These realities are not unknown to Islam, because the Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, already warned his companions some fourteen centuries ago, and by that has also warned us by saying, as reported by Abu Tha'laba, radiya Allahu 'anhu, "... Ahead of you are days which will require endurance (in the practice of religion), in which he who shows endurance will be like him who grasps live coals. The one who acts rightly during that period will have the reward of fifty men who act as he does." The hearers said, "The reward of fifty of them, Messenger of Allah!" He replied, "The reward of fifty of you." A companion said about this difference in reward, "Now you find people helping you to do good deeds, but then they will not find things to help them but they will find things to resist and oppose them." [Tirmidhi]. So Islam is the religion of ease. If we accept it as a religion to start with, then we should take it with its concepts, and practise it in a pure environment (as opposed to a corrupted and decadent one); it will then become an easier religion to practise. As it is not possible to have a 100% pure society, we have to strive to achieve this by being surrounded by good Muslims. In doing this, the religion will loosen the burdens around it. The easiness of Islam has even been testified by the enemies of Islam. This was apparent in the statement of the Jews at the time of the Prophet, salla Allaahu 'alaihe wasallam, when a man and a woman from amongst them committed fornication. Some of them said to the others: "Let us go to this Prophet, for he has been sent with an easy law ...". [Abu Dawood]. So may Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, make us amongst those who "Listen to the word and follow the best thereof, whom Allah has guided and those are men of derstanding." [39;18].

Quick Thinking

One night a hotel caught fire, and the people who were staying in it ran out in their night clothes. Two men stood outside and looked at the fire.

“Before I came out” said one, “I ran into some of the rooms and found a lot of money. People don’t think of money when they’re afraid. When anyone leaves paper money in a fire.
The fire burns it. So I took all the notes that I could find. No one will be poorer because I took them.
“You don’t know me.” Said the other,” and you don’t know my work.”
“What is your work?”
“I’m a policeman.”
Oh! Cried the first man. He thought quickly and said to other one:”Do you know my job?”
“No,” said the policeman.“I’m a writer. I’m always telling stories about things that never happened.”

The Eye of God

This photo is a very rare one, taken by NASA. This kind of event occurs once in 3000 years.

This is an authentic photograph -- or rather, composite of photos -- taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The image was featured on NASA's Website as an Astronomy Picture of the Day in May 2003 and thereafter posted on a number of Websites under the title "The Eye of God" (though I have found no evidence that NASA has ever referred to it as such). The awe-inspiring image has also been featured on magazine covers and in articles about space imagery.
What it actually depicts is the so-called Helix Nebula, described by astronomers as "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." At its center is dying star which has ejected masses of dust and gas to form tentacle-like filaments stretching toward an outer rim composed of the same material. Our own sun may look like this in several billion years.

Larg size of this photo :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/169141main_piaa09178.jpg