Science and Quran - Part 4

Games and Activities for Kids

I found another website for your little precious ones that contains a plenty of games and activities. Also, it presents some videos as stories which helps them to learn new words and pronunciations. To find out more about the website, click here.

Pursuit of Happiness

Busy.. Busy.. Busy!!

Hi there... sorry I didn't write anything for a long time, because I was on Eid vacation and I spent it studying and preparing for the SAT exam. It will be on Nov 19, 2011 and I am really nervous and worried about how will I do. I need to pass this test very desperately to enroll in my dream university.

Okay guys, take care and wish me luck. bye bye ^__^

The Dome... is A Home

This is really great and very creative. You should see this:




Source:
www.sciencefriday.com

Science and Quran - Part 3

Islam FAQs - Part 5

Does Allah look like us?
No Allah is perfect. He is not like any of His creation. He has told us that He has Hands, Eyes, a Face, and Foot. But all of these attributes are befitting to His might and Glory.
A Muslim does not say a single thing about Allah other than what Allah says about Himself. We don't say He is like a clover, He got tired, He is Jealous!

Allah is Perfect, and Unique.

What does it mean to believe in Allah?

• It means to believe in Allah in total perfection, and uniqueness.
  


• It means to believe in His prophets cause they are His, and He sent them. We cannot pick and choose. A Muslim must believe in all the prophets of Allah.
  


• It means to believe in the Angles! We must love them all, we cannot hate an Angel say, for example, to hate Michael who is charged with rain, and the vegetation of the Earth, or Gabriel who is charged with revelation (brings down the scriptures to the prophets).
  


• It means to believe in Allah's predestination of good, and bad (relative to us, but to Allah everything Allah does is good).
  


• It means to believe in the last day: The day of Judgment.
  

When is the Day of Judgment?
Only Allah knows.

Are there signs for the day of Judgment?
Plenty, plenty, plenty. Many have already occurred.
To name a few,

• Objects will begin to talk.


• There will be much killing. The killer won't know why he killed, and the guy that was killed won't know why he was killed.


• The Antichrist will come.


• Prophet Jesus son of Mary will return.


• Gog and Magog will be set free.


• The sun will rise from the west (after this one there can be no more repentance)

Source:
http://www.sultan.org

Loon

Great Loss...

My Granma is dead. Her last day in life was on Sunday 25 of September 2011.
May Allah have mercy upon her soul.

Science and Quran - Part 2

Smurfs at my office!!

What is Nina Doing Now?

Currently, I joined a course to improve my Math skills in order to pass the SAT exam. I started last Sunday and it is going to be for a month and a half because it is two days a week. I am really bad at Math and it really confuse me, but I am trying my best and my tutor is a nice American girl. She is patient and kind and willing to help me to pass the exam. The thing is that I am attending the course after work hours which are 8hr and the course are 2hr so when I get home I am tired and totally exhausted.

Also, I am attending English course for the rest of the week as a preparation for the SAT exam. I got 92% on the English Placement Test and they assigned me for the highest level which is TOEFL, but I refused it because I want something to prepare me for SAT exam not TOEFL. I don’t know what to do really on this matter, but I hope to pass the exam so that I can apply to Carnegie Mellon University.

Wish me luck ^__^

The Door to Eternal Paradise

God has said in the Quran:
"And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that they will have gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow...."(Quran, 2:25)

God has also said:
"Race one with another for forgiveness from your Lord and for Paradise, whose width is as the width of the heavens and the earth, which has been prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers...."(Quran, 57:21)

The Prophet Muhammad told us that the lowest in rank among the dwellers of Paradise will have ten times the like of this world, and he or she will have whatever he or she desires and ten times like it.
Also, the Prophet Muhammad said:
{A space in Paradise equivalent to the size of a foot would be better than the world and what is in it.}
Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, and Mosnad Ahmad

He also said:
{In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.}
Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, and Mosnad Ahmad

He also said:
{The most miserable man in the world of those meant for Paradise will be dipped once in Paradise. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever face any misery? Did you ever experience any hardship?” So he will say, “No, by God, O Lord! I never faced any misery, and I never experienced any hardship.”}
Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, and Mosnad Ahmad

If you enter Paradise, you will live a very happy life without sickness, pain, sadness, or death; God will be pleased with you; and you will live there forever.
God has said in the Quran:
"But those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them to gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow, lasting in them forever...."(Quran, 4:57)

Source:
A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam

Where is it?!

This is an amazing example of Allah great ability in creation and making the living. Please watch closely this video from Science Friday.
Source:
http://www.sciencefriday.com

Back To Qatar

Hi there… I am back. My Granma is still at the hospital she not getting any better. Doctors are saying that the cancer has spread and they can’t stop it. They are giving her sedatives to ease the pain. She is sleeping most of the time. I don’t know if she recognized me when I talked to her. She was staring at me only and say nothing. May Allah have mercy upon her soul.

Granma Please Be Well

I am going back to Bahrain again and this time I don’t know for how long or when I am coming back. My Granma is very sick… cancer is killing her and she has been fighting and struggling for a year now. I am very sad and scared… I want to help her… I want to do something but I don’t know what to do… the doctors are giving her medication to stop the cancer from spreading, but it seems that she struggling from other things… her body is failing… I don’t know why, but I have this feeling that she don’t want to live anymore…

I hope from the bottom of my heart that she will be okay… I can’t stand life without her.

Science and Quran - Part 1

Stories For Kids

Few days ago, I was surfing the internet trying to find an interesting stories website for our kids. After going through a lot, I found BBC-CBeebies and I really liked it because it has a stories that is read to you. You just have to choose a story and play it and it will be read to your precious kids. I bet they will enjoy watching and listening to the stories.

If you are interested, please visit: BBC-CBeebies

Nicole Queen

Islam FAQs - Part 4

What can I ask of Allah?
Any thing but don't ask Him to do things like make you a prophet. Cause He has already said that there will be no more prophets.
You can ask Allah for guidance. Meaning you can ask Him to show you the correct religion.

Who are my best friends?
Your best friends are the ones that care where you go after you are dead. This is like the prophets. They cared that we go to heaven, even if it meant some hardship on earth.

Who is my worst enemy?
That would be the devils, whether they are human devils (evil people), or Jinn devils (like Iblis) The Arabic word for a devil is Shaytan (similar to Satan). Satan wants us all to go to hell. He wants us to be bad on earth, even if we get rich, or do lots of wrong things that we appear to enjoy, he does not mind that. But he wants to make sure we don't go to heaven.

What is it that keeps us from entering Heaven?
Worship of anyone other than Allah is the greatest sin. It is called shirk, and this is not forgiven except through repentance.

Where is Allah?
Allah is the highest. He is high above ALL of His creation. He is ascended upon a Throne, which is greater than the heavens, and the Earth. Much much much greater than the heavens and the earth. So much greater that the heavens and the earth could fit in the footstool of the throne, and they would be like a ring thrown into an open desert. Allah is certainly the greatest.


Source:
http://www.sultan.org

The effects of Islam in Europe

Short Documentary about history of Islam in Europe

Ramadan Kareem

Fasting is the fourth pillar of Islam. The word "Sawm " (meaning to stop or abstain) is used in Arabic for fasting. A fast then means that one refrains from eating, drinking and other physical things (all those things that are otherwise allowed) from dawn to sunset. This month comes every year to spread the blessings and mercy of Allah. We are thankful to Allah for providing physical forms of divine worship such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage to improve our moral and spiritual condition.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
"The month of Ramadan comes to you. This is a blessed month" (Kitab-ul-Saum).
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has declared this month as the "month of Allah" because one abandons all otherwise "lawful" things in the way of Allah. He has also declared this month as the "Chief of the months." Worship during this month gains more blessings so one should fast with sincere intentions and worship should be performed to win Allah's pleasure.

Ramadan is that blessed month in which the Holy Quran was first revealed to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). In this regard this month celebrates the birthday of the Holy Quran. To render our dues we should recite the Holy Quran as much as possible. During this month, at night, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) use to recite the Holy Quran in its entirety with the Angel Gabriel (Jibraeel).

Opening the doors to heaven: Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) has narrated that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"When the month of Ramadan starts, the doors of heaven are opened, the doors of the hell are closed, and Satan is put into chains" (Sahih Muslim Kitab-ulSaum).
In this saying the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has promised a high place in heaven for one who observess the fast because a believer is enjoined to perform such deeds that please Allah and stay away from bad things.


Source:
http://www.islam.com

Go Green - California Science Academy

I found an article about this great place... it is really amazing I wish to see it by my own eyes... here is some photos ^_^

Outdoor

Indoor








Layout








Official Website:
http://www.calacademy.org/

Salvation from Hellfire

God has said in the Quran:

"Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them if one offered it as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers."
(Quran, 3:91)

So, this life is our only chance to win Paradise and to escape from Hellfire, because if someone dies in disbelief, he will not have another chance to come back to this world to believe. As God has said in the Quran about what is going to happen for the unbelievers on the Day of Judgment:

"If you could but see when they are set before the Fire (Hell) and say, “Would that we might return (to the world)! Then we would not reject the verses of our Lord, but we would be of the believers!”
(Quran, 6:27)

But no one will have this second opportunity.

The Prophet Muhammad said:
{The happiest man in the world of those doomed to the Fire (Hell) on the Day of Judgment will be dipped in the Fire once. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever see any good? Did you ever experience any blessing?” So he will say, “No, by God, O Lord!”}
Narrated in Saheeh Muslim and Mosnad Ahmad


Source:
A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam

To Bahrain

I will be travelling to Bahrain tomorrow for my summer vacation, so I may not post anything for two weeks depending on if in have internet access there or not. So please take care and be well and see you soon ^__^

World Famous Sinkholes

Here are photos of some of the world famous sinkholes:

Great Blue Hole – Belize

Blue Hole - Dahab, Egypt



Dean's Blue Hole – Bahamas



Iceland Sinkhole



Ik-Kil Cenote, Mexico



Minyé sinkhole - East New Britain



Red Lake – Croatia



Xiaozhai tiankeng - Chongqing Municipality, China

A Story Of Cat Stevens

Islam FAQs - Part 3

Do bad things happen to the believers (good people)?
Yes, they do. But they appear bad to the believers cause they are things people don't like. Who likes breaking a leg? However, when a bad thing happens to a believer this believer is patient. He praises Allah in all circumstances. He knows Allah does not decree something unless it is for his own good.

But how can breaking a leg are good for a beleiver?
Because it is a chance for the believer to think about what he did wrong.

Also because Allah forgives much of what we do, but those things we are not forgiven, they are forgiven due to our patience when we are struck by a calamity. Allah gives us better reward when a problem strikes us on earth if we are patient. This reward can be on earth, and it can be in Heaven.

Does Allah hear my prayers?
Yes.

Does Allah answer my prayers?
We know that Allah answers all the prayers of the believers. This can be in 4 ways:

1- Get what we are asking for!

2- Get something as good or better!

3- We get spared something bad that would have happened otherwise.

4- We get rewarded on the day of Judgment with a much greater reward than what we were asking for on earth.

When does Allah not answer our prayers?
* When it is bad for us!

* When we ask, but not from our heart!

* When we say: I asked and asked and He did not answer.

* When we eat, drink, and wear unlawful, food, and clothes, and property that wa earned either through interest from the bank, or that was stolen, or if the food was pork, or the like.


Source:
http://www.sultan.org

So Lost.. So Alone...

You will find your way...

Candy Corn

This is a cool science video I found in Science Friday website and I wanted to share it in my blog... You want to see how candy corn acts in space, watch this>>




Source:
http://www.sciencefriday.com

All Your Sins Are...... Forgiven

Do you believe that?... Do you want to be pure and clean with no sins at all as the day you were born? There is away... read the following

When someone converts to Islam, God forgives all of his previous sins and evil deeds.

A man called Amr came to the Prophet Muhammad and said, “Give me your right hand so that I may give you my pledge of loyalty.” The Prophet stretched out his right hand. Amr withdrew his hand. The Prophet said: {What has happened to you, O Amr?} He replied, “I intend to lay down a condition.” The Prophet asked: {What condition do you intend to put forward?} Amr said, “That God forgive my sins.” The Prophet said: {Didn’t you know that converting to Islam erases all previous sins?} (Saheeh Muslim)

After converting to Islam, the person will be rewarded for his or her good and bad deeds according to the following saying of the Prophet Muhammad :
{Your Lord, Who is blessed and exalted, is most merciful. If someone intends to do a good deed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And if he does do it, (a reward of) ten to seven hundred or many more times (the reward of the good deed), will be recorded for him. And if someone intends to do a bad deed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And if he does do it, a bad deed will be recorded against him or God will wipe it out.} (Saheeh Muslim)

Source:
A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam

Amazing, Educational and Fun for Kids

I was searching the internet for some educational website that is interesting and useful at the same time... I found this amazing website KnowledgeBears.com and it is full of learning games and tools that is educational and fun.

Let your kids visit it and have fun ^_^ Click on here or on the image above to go to KnowledgeBears.com.

Sharepoint 2010 Developer Training Kit

Microsoft is offering a cool and very useful Training Kit for Sharepoint developers. If you are going to upgrade to Sharepoint 2010 and you want to know more about it and discover its new features this kit is for you ^_^. Just go to this link and click on the download button and it will be downloaded on your pc.

Click here to get the Sharepoint 2010 Developer Training Kit

Osama Bin Laden

Islam FAQs - Part 2

Do we believe that Allah created the heavens and earth in 6 days?
Yes, but He did not rest on the seventh day, because He did not get tired. Allah is perfect He does not get tired, nor does He sleep, eat, go to the bathroom, feel pain, or die for that matter.

Can we see Allah?
Allah is not like the sun. Anyone can see the Sun. But Allah is the most beautiful. Nothing is as beautiful as Allah. Actually looking at Allah is the greatest pleasure of the people in Pradise. This pleasure Allah does not give anyone but the believers. So no one will see Allah before he dies.

Does Allah see us?
Allah sees us, and knows everything about us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. There is not a leaf on a tree that blows away, or stays in its place except that He knows it. There is not a dry spot, nor a wet spot, nor a grain in the depths of the earth except that Allah knows it.

Do we have free will?
Yes, of course. Allah does not punish us for something we did not do on our own. But at the same time, our will is not inspire of Allah's will. We cannot do anything if Allah will not allow it. In other words nothing goes on in Allah's kingdom without His will.

Did Allah create Evil?
evil is the result disobedience to Allah's religious laws which is the willful sin of the man and jinn; everybody obeys natural laws whether they will it or not.
Thus Allah created the creatures who do evil, and knew that they would do evil, and he allows it to happen in His creation, and in this sense only He is the creator of evil in the meaning that He creates everything. Allah is all good and everything he does is good, and even this evil that exists has some good in it in that from the presence of evil he brings forth good, and He will judge all with perfect justice and reward those that do good and punish those that do evil and do not repent for that evil.


Source:
http://www.sultan.org

Silverlight 5 Keynote with Scott Guthrie

In this video, you will know about Silverlight 5 new features and abilities with Scott Guthrie who is Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's .NET Developer Platform. If you are a developer, you might find this video useful.




Source:
http://channel9.msdn.com

Darkness of My Affliction

Listen to it... very nice ^_^

BBC for Kids

I visited this website and I really find it useful and educational for little kids. You might want your kids to learn about animals, play games and learn something...

visit this website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/menu.shtml

Islam FAQs - Part 1

Who is Allah?
Allah means God. It is a personal name, which Allah calls Himself in the Quran. That is where we get it. It can also be found in an Aramaic copy of the Bible, and even Christian Arabs say Allah.

Who is Jesus to us?
Jesus peace be upon Him is a true prophet. Sent by Allah like Moses, Abraham, Lot, Noah, Jonah, Joseph …etc.

Who were Jesus's parents?
Jesus is the son of Virgin Mary, and he had no father. Allah created Jesus.

Can Jesus, or Mohammed peace be upon them be worshipped?
No, Allah does not accept that a cow, a person, an angel, a prophet, a stone, or anything be worshipped in place of him, or even along with Him. Worship must be to Allah the creator of them.

Is Allah the same as what Christians call the father?
Allah is the creator who Jesus worshipped. He is the Creator who spoke to Moses, and split the sea for Moses, and his followers. That is Allah. But Allah tells us: "Say Allah is one, He is Perfect, He has never begotten, nor was He begott, and there is no one equal to Him".

Is there a trinity in Islam?
No. Allah is perfect.


Source:
http://www.sultan.org

The Bible Led Me...

Real Happiness and Inner Peace

Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to the commands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world. God has said in the Quran:

"Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest" (Quran, 13:28)
On the other hand, the one who turns away from the Quran will have a life of hardship in this world. God has said:

"But whoever turns away from the Quran,1 he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment" (Quran, 20:124)

This may explain why some people commit suicide while they enjoy the material comfort money can buy. For example, look at Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), formerly a famous pop singer who used to earn sometimes more than $150,000 a night. After he converted to Islam, he found true happiness and peace, which he had not found in material success.


Source:
A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam

SharePoint 2007: Creating SharePoint Applications with Visual Studio 2008

Learn how to use Microsoft Silverlight and SharePoint together. See us build a SharePoint application using the Visual Studio 2008 extensions for SharePoint.

Source:
http://channel9.msdn.com

6 Girls

Islam and the People of the Book

The Quran calls them "People of the Book", i.e., those who received Divine scriptures before Muhammad (P). Muslims are told to treat them with respect and justice and do not fight with them unless they initiate hostilities or ridicule their faith. The Muslims ultimate hope is that they all will join them in worshipping one God and submit to His will.

"Say (O Muhammad): O people of the Book (Jews and Christians) come to an agreement between us and you, that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall take no partners with Him, and none of us shall take others for Lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are those who have surrendered (unto Him)." (Quran 3:64)

What about Hindus, Bahai, Buddhists and members of other religions? They should also be treated with love, respect, and understanding to make them recipients of Invitations to Islam.


Resource:
http://www.introductiontoislam.org

Jesus In Islam

Muslims respect and revere Jesus (peace be upon him). They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers to mankind. The Quran confirms his virgin birth, and a chapter of the Quran is entitled ‘Maryam’ (Mary). The Quran describes the birth of Jesus as follows:

(Remember) when the angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him (God), whose name is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, revered in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (to God). He will speak to the people from his cradle and as a man, and he is of the righteous.” She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?” He said, “So (it will be). God creates what He wills. If He decrees a thing, He says to it only, ‘Be!’ and it is.”
(Quran, 3:45-47)

Jesus was born miraculously by the command of God, the same command that had brought Adam into being with neither a father nor a mother. God has said:

The case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam. He created him from dust, and then He said to him, “Be!” and he came into being.
(Quran, 3:59)

During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles. God tells us that Jesus said:

“I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission. I heal the blind from birth and the leper. And I bring the dead to life by God’s permission. And I tell you what you eat and what you store in your houses....”
(Quran, 3:49)

Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to Him. And the likeness of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus. God has said:

...They said, “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)...
(Quran, 4:157)

Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one God, brought by earlier prophets, but rather to confirm and renew it.

The Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.



Resource:
A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam

What is Islam?

I know... you might be not interested in Islam or maybe you hate Islam because of what you heard from TV Channels or other wrong resources. But this is your chance to know what is Islam really about. I am not inviting you to leave your religion and become a Muslim... no no no... don't misunderstand me... I am just trying to give the world the truth and the real picture about Islam here.

So if you are willing to spend a few minutes and want to know the truth about Islam, feel free to visit this website:
http://www.islam-guide.com/

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

Hi there… I didn’t write for some time… I am currently busy with learning SharePoint 2007 it is not the latest technology available, but this is what my work organization uses at the mean time. I heard rumors that they are going to use it officially soon as a replacement of the current intranet site. Besides that, SharePoint is a very intelligent and professional technology and a time and effort saving. So I decided to start learning and training how to use it and get the most of it.

I found a cool free SharePoint eBook offered by Microsoft on their website. I read it and I found it very useful. You can get it from here