Just for the young

Anzar Badshah, is 3 years old now. But since he was 2 1/2 years old, he had complete knowledge of operating the computer. He used to and still does operate Windows XP, clicks on the My Computer Icon, goes to the appropriate disk drive, opens his own folder and chooses his own program to work on. "He has very good and complete control over the mouse as well as the keyboard. He knows how to operate and use MS Word also. In all, he knows how to start up and shut down the computer too," says his father Junaid Badshah from Surat.

Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia in 1977, 1 saw a water puddle ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water and mud. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked!

Yet I did nothing for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally unexpected. I was startled as well as unhurt, despite having been struck four or five times already. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Instead of attacking more, he hovered in the air on graceful butterfly wings in front of me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing, but I was unhurt, it was funny, and I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!

Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He rammed me in the chest with his head and body, striking me over and over again with all his might, still to no avail. For a second time, I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged me again. I was rammed in the chest over and over again. This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attacker moved back as well to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier.

He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed. Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate's sake, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her.

Now I knew why and what he was fighting for.There was really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddle to the other side of the path, though it was only inches wide and extremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety justified it. I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed. I left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots when I later reached my car.

Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly's courage and determination as an inspiration to remind myself.

Tip 1. Don’t overstay
Khalid ibn Amr relates that he heard the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should honour his guest as he deserves. He was asked, ‘And what does he deserve, O Messenger of Allah?’ and he answered: ‘A day and a night of what he deserves, and hospitality for three days. More than this is charity.’ (Bukhari, Muslim).

As the above-mentioned Hadith indicates, guests are to be welcomed. But this openness and generosity should not be abused so as to be a burden on the hosts.

Tip 2: Give gifts
It is narrated by Aisha that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Exchange presents with one another, for they remove ill feelings from the hearts.’ (Tirmidhi).

What better way to bridge the gap between relatives hundreds or thousands of miles away than to give a gift? In particular, encourage kids to give gifts to relatives of the same age and gender. This may be the springboard to developing a deep, meaningful friendship, not just a blood relationship. But these gifts should not become an excuse for extravagance or showing off, both of which are condemned by Islam.

Tip 3: Receive gifts graciously
Giving gifts is only one part of the equation. Receiving gifts is the other.

Accept all gifts graciously. Even if it’s the 100th leather wallet you’ve received, don’t make a fuss about it.

Tip 4: Respect your elders
Abu Musa Ashari related that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘It is part of glorifying Allah to show respect to a grey-haired Muslim, and to a person who can teach the Quran.’ (Abu Dawud).

Respecting your elders is a requirement of Islam, whether you’re in any country.

Tip 5: Know the local customs
For example: No does not always mean no amongst some relatives and friends in Muslim countries. In other words, if you’re no longer hungry after a fantastic meal at your aunt’s and she asks you to take more dessert, your answer may be no, but that may translate as yes. For every one of your no’s, she may spoon more dessert into your bowl.

Find appropriate ways to respond to this, whether it’s by using a truthful excuse (i.e. I really will get very, very sick if I eat any more).

Tip 6: Know the customs of the house
This means for example, sleeping and waking up earlier than normal if your host family is used to getting up and going to bed early. Maintaining the same schedule as you normally do at home in this case, may disrupt your host’s home life and cause problems.

A superstitious Romanian who refused to leave his house throughout Friday, the 13th of August to avoid bad luck, died after he was stung by a wasp in his kitchen. Florin Carcu, 54 had even taken the precaution of asking his boss for permission not to go to work on Friday the 13, according to him which was an inauspicious Friday. Carcu ahd been making coffee when he was stung by a species of wasp nicknamed ‘the wolf’ which is very rare in Romania and whose sting is poisonous. He died on the spot.

Human beings form so many organisations to protect their rights and abroad, squirrels have their own association to protect their rights, of course set up by human beings! "A day without squirrels is a day without sunshine," says Virginia Carper. "There are too many pages on the web giving squirrels a bad name. I think it's about time we spread the truth around, to tell people that squirrels aren't as evil as they've been portrayed by squirrel haters. Although not really a group, the Squirrel Rights League (SRL) automatically considers you a 'member' if you like our cause. We love all animals, especially squirrels, because we sympathise for them considering they are among the most defamed of animals on the internet," says the website.

Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Qur'an. In Surat al-Hadid, meaning Iron, we are informed: And We sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind.... (Surat al-Hadid: 25).

The word "sent down" particularly used for iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical meaning to explain that iron is given to the service of people. But when we take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, "being physically sent down from the sky", we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle.

This is because modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the metal of iron found in our world has come down from the giant stars in outer space.


The heavy metals in the universe are produced in the nucleus of big stars. Our solar system, however, does not have a suitable structure to produce iron on its own. Iron can only be produced in much bigger stars than the sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer bear it and eventually it explodes in what is called a 'nova' or a 'supernova". As a result of this explosion, meteors containing iron are scattered around the universe and they move through the void until attracted by the gravitational force of a celestial body.

All this shows that the iron metal did not form on the earth but was carried from exploding stars in space via meteors and was "sent down to earth" exactly the same way as stated in the verse: It is clear that this fact could not have been scientifically known in the 7th century, when the Qur'an was revealed.

( And We sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind.) (Surat al-Hadid: 25)

(Reference : "The miracles of the Quran" by Harun Yahya).

We don’t always have to be strong
Sometimes our strength
is expressed in being vulnerable.
Sometimes we need to fall apart to
Re-group and stay on track.
We all have days when we
cannot push any harder,
cannot hold back self-doubt,
Cannot stop focusing on fear,
Cannot be strong.
There are days when we cannot focus
on being responsible
Sometimes we cry in front of people
we expose our tiredness, irritability,
or anger.
Those days are okay
Part of taking care of ourselves means
we give ourselves permission to "fall apart" When we need to.
We do not need to
be perpetual towers of strength
We ARE strong.
We have proven that Our strength will continue if we allow
us the courage to feel scared,
weak, and vulnerable when we need
to experience those feelings.
Today, Allah helps me to know
that it is okay
to allow myself to be human.
help me Not to feel guilty or
punish myself When I need to
"fall apart."