Army of Elephants

The following incident is mentioned in Surah Feel of the Holy Quran and it happened during the period of
the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of Yemen on behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build
a house (like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and call the Arabs to perform the pilgrimage
there in Sana instead of the Kabah in Makkah, with the intention of diverting the trade and benefits from Makkah
to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and
he named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like at that time. Then a man from the Quraish tribe of
Makkah came there and was infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it, soiled its walls
and went away.

When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he could not control his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah
and demolish the Kabah. He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst them was an elephant called
Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab tribes that
faced them (fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till it approached near Makkah. Then there
took place negotiations between Abrahah Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim,
the grandfather of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would restore the camels of Abdul Muttalib
which he had taken away, and then he (Abrahah) would decide himself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib
ordered the men of Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of the mountains along with their wives and
children in case some harm should come to them from the invading oppressors.

Then that army moved towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir. While the army was marching towards
Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding
that army with small stones slightly bigger than a lentil seed. There never fell a stone on a soldier except it
dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces. So they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah Al-Ashram fled
away while his flesh was bursting into pieces till he died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the victory
bestowed by Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and such was the protection provided
by Him for His House (Kabah in Makkah).

Source: Extracted from Tafsir of Surah Feel (Surah 105) by Ibn Kathir as found in Translation of the Noble Quran
by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

Engineer's Joke

There are four engineers traveling in a car; a mechanical engineer, a chemical, an electrical engineer and a
computer engineer.The car breaks down."Sounds to me as if the pistons have seized. We'll have to strip down
the engine before we can get the car working again", says the mechanical engineer. "Well", says the chemical
engineer, "it sounded to me as if the fuel might be contaminated. I think we should clear out the fuel system.
"I thought it might be an grounding problem", says the electrical engineer, "or maybe a faulty plug lead." They
all turn to the computer engineer who has said nothing and say: "Well, what do you think?" "Ummm - how about
if we all get out of the car and get back in again?

Antara 2 Cinta

-by The Zikr

Apa yang ada jarang disyukuri
Apa yang tiada sering dirisaukan
Nikmat yang dikecap
Baru kan terasa bila hilang
Apa yang diburu timbul rasa jemu
Bila sudah di dalam genggaman

Dunia ibarat air laut
Diminum hanya menambah haus
Nafsu bagaikan fatamorgana di padang pasir
Panas yang membahang disangka air
Dunia dan nafsu bagai bayang-bayang
Dilihat ada ditangkap hilang

Tuhan leraikanlah dunia
Yang mendiam di dalam hatiku
Kerana di situ tidakku mampu
Mengumpul dua cinta
Hanya cinta-Mu kuharap tumbuh
Dibajai bangkai dunia yang ku bunuh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20QVWTrB9m4

Hadis 04

Sahih Bukhari

Narrated by Aisha (the wife of the Prophet):
I bought a cushion having on it pictures (of animals). When Allah's Apostle saw it, he stood at the door and
did not enter. I noticed the sign of disapproval on his face and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I repent to Allah and
His Apostle. What sin have I committed?' Allah's Apostle said. "What is this cushion?" I said, "I have bought
it for you so that you may sit on it and recline on it." Allah's Apostle said, "The makers of these pictures will
be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said to them, 'Give life to what you have created (i.e.,
these pictures).' " The Prophet added, "The Angels of (Mercy) do not enter a house in which there are pictures
(of animals)."

Rain Formation

How rain was formed remained a great mystery for quite some time. Only after the weather radar was invented
was it possible to discover the stages by which rain is formed. According to this discovery, the formation of rain
takes place in three stages. First, the "raw material" of rain rises up into the air with the wind. Later, clouds are
formed, and finally raindrops appear. The Qur'an's account of the formation of rain refers exactly to this process.
In one verse, this formation is described in this way:

It is Allah Who sends the winds which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills.
He forms them into dark clumps and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them.
When He makes it fall on those of His servants He wills, they rejoice. (Qur'an, 30:48)

Now, let us examine these three stages outlined in the verse in more detail.


FIRST STAGE: "It is Allah Who sends the winds..."

Countless air bubbles formed by the foaming of the oceans continuously burst and cause water particles to be
ejected towards the sky. These particles, which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and rise upward
in the atmosphere. These particles, which are called aerosols, function as water traps, and form cloud drops by
collecting around the water vapour themselves, which rises from the seas as tiny droplets.


SECOND STAGE: ".... which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms
them into dark clumps..."

The clouds are formed from water vapour that condenses around the salt crystals or dust particles in the air.
Because the water droplets in these clouds are very small (with a diameter between 0.01 and 0.02 mm), the
clouds are suspended in the air, and spread across the sky. Thus, the sky is covered in clouds.


THIRD STAGE: "…and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them"

The water particles that surround salt crystals and dust particles thicken and form raindrops, so, drops that
become heavier than the air leave the clouds and start to fall to the ground as rain.

As already discussed, every stage in the formation of rain is related in the verses of the Qur'an. Furthermore,
these stages are explained in exactly the right sequence. Just as with many other natural phenomena on the
Earth, Allah gave the most correct explanation of this phenomenon, and made it known in the Qur'an centuries
before it was discovered.