Forgive everyone for everything

Odor affects the emotional tone of dreams

Health Day: Can the smell of rotten eggs or roses change the type of dream you have?

Quite possibly, new research suggests.

German researchers are reporting that when people smelled the scent of rotten eggs while sleeping, the nature of their dreams turned decidedly negative, while those who got a whiff of the scent of roses had more positive dreams.

"We were able to stimulate the sleeper with high concentrations of positively and negatively smelling odors and measure if the stimuli were incorporated into the dreams and changed the emotional tone of dreams," said the study's lead author, Dr. Boris Stuck, a professor of otorhinolaryngology at Heidelberg University.

"We found that the sleeper hardly ever dreamed of smelling something. Nevertheless, the emotional tone of the dream did change depending on the stimulation," he said.

Stuck said that previous research had shown that other types of stimulation, such as sound, pressure or vibration, could influence the content and the emotional tone of dreams.

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I love Jalebi

I have never seen a jallebi that big a size! But I love em thin and crisp freshly fried.

Source : The Big Picture

It has a life if its own

I try to log on to the Internet, but its not working. It's never been the same since I destroyed the connection. I called various technicians, but when the finally turned up, they could not find any thing wrong with the computer. They asked me what I was complaining about, spent half an hour doing tests, changed configuration, and assured me that the problem lay not with me but with the server. I allowed myself to be convinced that everything was, in fact, fine and I felt ridiculous for having asked for help. Two or three hours later, the computer and the connection would crash. Now, after months of physical and psychological wear and tear, I simply accept that technology is stronger and more powerful than me: it works when it wants to, and when it doesn't, it's best to sit down and read the paper or go for a walk, and just wait until the cables and the telephone links are in a better mood and the computer decides to work again. I am not, I have discovered, my computer's master: it has a life if its own.

~Paulo Cohelo
The Zahir

Life goes on.....

Why evil exists?

Allah does not create pure evil which does not have any good or contain any benefit, wisdom or mercy at all, nor does He punish anyone without having committed a sin. Something can be good in terms of its creation when viewed in a particular perspective and at the same time be evil when viewed in another way. Allah created the devil and by him He tests His servants, so there are those who hate the devil and fight in His way and they stand at enmity towards Satan and his followers and there are others who are at allegiance with the devil and follow his steps. So evil exists in His creatures by His will and wisdom, not in His actions or act of creating.

Source: Book-> Fortification for Muslims

The Arrogant Nafs!

When Allah created the intellect, He said

• O intellect, turn away. And it turned away.
• O intellect, turn and come. And it turned and came.
• O intellect, who am I? It said, “You are Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
  

When Allah created the nafs, He said

• Turn and come. And it turned away.
• Turn away. And it turned and came.
• O nafs, who am I? It said, “You are you and I am I."

Allah overcame the nafs with hunger, and it was humbled. Allah said

• O nafs, turn away. And it turned away.
• O nafs, come. And it came.
• O nafs, who am I? And the nafs said, “You are Allah, Lord of the worlds."

Source: taken from a Sunnipath lecture

Ramadan Mubarek

Dear Muslims,

Ramadan Mubarek. Alhamdulillah we are lucky to enter this blessed month once again. May Allah give us tawfeeq to make the most of it. InshAllah.

Below are certain parts of Imam Zaid's article Ramadan Lessons that I would like to share:

Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, relates that the Prophet, peace upon him, said: “The reward of every action undertaken by the human being is for him—and good deeds will be rewarded from ten up to seven hundred times—God says: ‘Except for fasting, that is for Me and I will determine its reward......"

In the tradition mentioned above, fasting is exempted from the deeds whose reward is multiplied up to seven hundred times. We understand from this that its reward transcends this particular numerical value. Rather, God multiplies its reward many times over what is mentioned in the tradition, with no specific limitation. One reason for this is that fasting is a manifestation of patience and God has said of the person displaying patience: Rather, the patience ones will be given their reward without numerical limitations (40:10)

Another version of the tradition we mentioned initially states: “Every action the human being does is a source of expiation for his [misdeeds], except fasting, it is for Me and I will reward him for it.” Among the nicest explanations of this is that given by Sufyan b.’Uyayana, he said: “When the Day of Judgment comes God will take account of His servants and all those he [the servant] has oppressed will be recompensed from the reward of his good deeds until only the reward of fasting remains. At that point God will recompense the remaining oppressed parties [from His bounty] and enter the servant into Paradise on the reward of his fast.” This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Bayhaqi [11], and others.

Based on this meaning we understand that the fast is for God in that no one can take the reward of the fast from the one who has undertaken it. Rather his reward is stored up with God.

In a related issue, it has been said that the reward of all of the religious actions might be a source of atonement for sins [that do not include acts of oppression] until none of that reward remains. It has been related that on the Day of Judgment [a person’s] good deeds will be weighed against [his] bad deeds with the good deeds atoning for the bad ones. If after this process any good remains on that basis its subject doer will enter Paradise. This opinion has been expressed by Sa’id b. Jubayr and others. It also has been related from the Prophet, peace upon him, by Imam Hakim from the narrations of Ibn ‘Abbas, may God be pleased with him and his father.

Based on what has been mentioned [concerning acts of oppression] it is possible to say that the reward of fasting is not removed by this process of atonement for one’s sins, or by anything else. Rather, its reward is held back and then given in full to the servant and based on that he will enter Paradise.

Sweet Revenge