Ahmed Deedat's Debate With American Soldiers

Ahmed Deedat was a South African Muslim scholar who passed away in 2005. I was researching about him and came across this interesting video. It's a video where he debates with the American soldiers of the First Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and has 11 parts in total.


One of the things that was interesting was his way of talking which I believe is very important in dawah. It is very important to be polite and I also understand how easy it is to lose one's patience when something hurtful is said about one's religion or about oneself. Which is all the more why I really appreciate and respect those who manage to maintain patience and remain calm and continue the work of dawah. And if one reflects upon the word dawah which means "invitation (to Islam)" then one should understand naturally that the gesture of inviting someone should be filled with kindness, gentleness, and of brotherhood.

The second thing I truly appreciate about scholars like Ahmed Deedat and Dr. Zakir Naik is that they have not simply studied the Quran but also other religious scriptures. It is easier to invite others to Islam when you understand their religion and them better.

InshaAllah, we can take examples from such Muslims in our community and aim to be better Muslims.

Sleep Deprivation May Lead to Alzheimer's?

Neurologic diseases are one of the worst diseases and Alzheimer's disease is one of them. It's a progressive disease where there is loss of brain cells (neurons) which results in progressive memory loss. So far, there is nothing to reverse the process and our best plan of action is to try and limit the progression and prevent the disease.

This is just a start to try and understand the disease a bit better and hopefully someday to try and find a cure or a way to prevent the disease.

"The research was conducted in mice and is preliminary, and it may not apply to humans. Still, the possible link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer's raises the prospect of possible treatments that target related pathways in the brain, explained study author Dr. David M. Holtzman, chairman of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"This might be a way to delay or prevent the disease by doing something in middle life" rather than waiting until something goes wrong, Holtzman said.

The Alzheimer's Association estimates that as many as 5.3 million people in the United States have the disease, which is the country's seventh-leading cause of death. Alzheimer's disease is incurable, and although some treatments are available, they only relieve symptoms. In some cases, those symptoms include sleep problems.

Holtzman and his colleagues were not initially looking at sleep, but instead wanted to better understand how a protein clogs the brains of people with Alzheimer's. It's not clear how these clogs, known as plaques, and structures called "tangles" cause symptoms. But experts think it may have something to do with their disruption of how neurons communicate with each other.

The researchers developed a way to monitor the levels of the protein by the hour in both humans -- through a continual measurement of their spinal fluid via a catheter -- and mice.

The researchers discovered that the level of the protein went up during waking hours and fell during sleep. Holtzman said that its levels may be related to brain activity, which is higher during waking hours.

In mice, the researchers found that sleep deprivation boosted the levels of the protein, which builds up in plaques.

If a person is awake for a long time, levels of the protein might build up, Holtzman said. This could play a role in middle age because Alzheimer's disease begins to clog the brain several years before symptoms become apparent."

For the entire article, click here. It reminds me of something I was discussing with my mother recently. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that for every disease Allah created there is a cure. All we need is the ability to discover that cure.

"There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment."(Al-Bukhari)

Back From My Ramadan Break

I had over a month long break from blogging. Hope everyone had a good Ramadan and Eid. :D


Even though I wasn't able to read the Quran this year, I felt it was a more beneficial Ramadan this year and that's what counts. However, we have to remember that just because Ramadan is over, our ibadat shouldn't and we should use Ramadan to make improvements in ourselves and follow it through the rest of the year.

Shawwal is here and one can utilize this month to keep the shawwal fasts.
“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan, and then follows it by (fasting) six days of Shawwal, it is as though he has fasted the whole year.”
"Whosoever observes fast in Ramadan and then follows up with six fasts in Shawwal, will be regarded as though he had been fasting every day." (Reported by Muslim)
It was proven from Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whosoever observes fast in Ramadan and then follows up with six fasts in Shawwal, will be regarded as though he had been fasting every day." (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)

One can combine the shawwal fasts with the fasts of Mondays and Thursdays for double rewards.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast on Monday and Thursday. On being asked about that the Prophet said: "Deeds are presented on every Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives every Muslim or every believer, except for those who are forsaking each other. He says [about them]: 'Leave them.' " (Reported by Ahmad with authentic chain of narrators)

And the same can be done for fasting on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of Shawwal:
Abu Dharr Al-Ghafari reported: "The Messenger of Allah ordered us to fast for three days of every month - that is, on the days of the full moon (the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the lunar month). And he said: 'It is like fasting the whole year.'" (Reported by An-Nasa'i)
Although, one can fast on these days of every Islamic calendar month.

Besides fasting, we should constantly seek forgiveness for our sins since we never know when we may reach the end of our journey. Infact, last night I suddenly woke up with great fear as though something terrible was going to happen and I wouldn't live to see daylight. Automatically I started to ask for forgiveness repeatedly until I felt the feeling pass and could go back to sleep. But it made me realize how important it is to constantly seek forgiveness for our sins. We take our time for granted and live as though we have all the time in the world. Our Prophet (saw) used to seek forgiveness more than 70, and according to some narrations more than 100, times a day!

From Anas, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Allah the Almighty has said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds in the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins and were you then to face Me, without having associated anything with Me, I shall grant you an earthful of pardon.'"

[Recorded by Al-Tirmidhi, who said that it is a good and sound hadith]
There is no excuse to not seek forgiveness. Make a habit of seeking forgiveness before and after every prayer and eventually increase the time and occassions for seeking forgiveness such as before leaving the house, before entering your home, upon waking up, upon going to sleep, etc.

There's a lot more one can do like changing bad habits and replacing them with good ones. But the important thing is to keep working on ourselves.

Ramadan Special

The Holy Month of Ramadan is only a few days away and it's good to be prepared and make the best of this month.

For now, here's a few things to get us all started.

1. Ramadan's Ilminar by Muhammad AlShareef
It's starting tonight so sign up as soon as possible.
Ilminar has concluded but I believe you can listen to it here.

2. Heart wheel journal
To help keep up with the progress during Ramadan

3. Day 3 of Heart Wheel Journal


InshaAllah, I'll be adding more useful things soon. :)

Indian Actor Detained At Newark Airport

Ever heard 2 completely different versions of a story? Well, this is the perfect case scenario.

I recently heard of the Indian actor, Shahrukh Khan being detained at Newark Airport (ironically at a time when Indians are celebrating their Independence day - August 15th) because, well, coz he is a Muslim. The timing is also ironic considering his next project to be released is "My Name Is Khan" which is based on racial profiling.



According to an American paper, SRK downplayed the event and it was reported as if the whole incident was no biggie. Which actually isn't a biggie because he's famous but rather because he was among many who undergo racial profiling. Such reporting is nothing new when it comes to American papers as far as I have seen.

"I told them I am a movie star," Press Trust quoted Khan as saying.

The reported detention made top news on TV stations in India.

Kahn told reporters in suburban Chicago on Saturday that he did not want an apology from the U.S. government. Asked about what happened, he simply said: "I think it's a procedure that needs to be followed, but an unfortunate procedure."

His surname is Khan not Kahn. *rolls eyes* Evidently, the news reporter can't spell because they are too busy writing their own version and downplaying the reality of security checks. Ever heard of Google, sir?

According to other papers such as the Hindustan Times, he was quite upset by it.

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan was on Saturday questioned for two hours at the Newark airport in the US over his surname and was freed only after Indian diplomats intervened.

The Indian government and entertainment industry reacted furiously after the 43-year-old actor, named by Newsweek last year as one of the world's 50 most powerful men, revealed how he was detained and stopped from even using his mobile telephone.

"They checked me because I was an Asian," the actor said. "They wanted to know why I came to the US and where I am staying."

Shah Rukh's manager Niloufer Qureshi earlier told IANS over telephone from Mumbai: "He was detained because his surname is Khan. He was kept until officials from the Indian embassy intervened."

According to Gulfnews paper:

"I was really hassled perhaps because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn't let me through," he said in a text message to reporters in India.

"Absolutely uncalled for, I think. I felt angry and humiliated," said Khan, who just finished a month long shoot in the US for his upcoming film, My Name is Khan, which is a Muslim man's experience with racial profiling.

According to the American papers he was detained for 66 mins whereas according to the Gulf paper, he was held back for a couple of hours. He was lucky he had the Indian government to help him in this regard. What about the poor Muslims who have no connections what-so-ever and are detained for hours to days because they look or sound Muslim. It's an unfortunate situation and although Obama is trying to improve the image of America by visiting Middle Eastern countries, it would be really helpful if there was a way to change the perception of Americans towards Muslims as well.

Catch-up News

Apparently Paris Hilton had visited Dubai and I understand this was way back in June but I still found it interesting to see she was trying to study UAE’s culture to make sure you doesn’t offend anyone. She was coming for the shooting of her show “My New BFF” where she’s trying to find a Best Friend in Dubai. I found it a strange pick because the Arab culture vs the Hollywood/LA culture is so far apart. My guess is the only things the girls in UAE would have in common with Paris are shopping since that’s one thing Dubai is pretty well known for. Other than that, I got to see a few of her pics in a traditional Arab dress and I should say, she looks much more beautiful in modest dressing and all covered up rather than the skimpy clothes she usually dons. Whoever has designed the dress did one hell of a job!


Don't you agree? :D

Next is Michael Jackson. Was he murdered, was it suicide, was it accidental overdose? Apparently no one is sure. Atleast, not the sources I’ve read. He was temporarily laid to rest at Los Angeles’ Forest Lawn Memorial Park. No word whether it will continue to be his final resting ground. No word on him dying a Muslim. It’s now between him and Allah. We should leave it at that.

Hopefully I didn’t leave out anything. :D

Back From My Blogging Break

Unfortunately, I was facing problems posting yesterday but inshaAllah today it'll work fine.

I’ve been a bit busy the past few weeks and needed to take a break from the blog world. Ramadan will be coming soon as well and so I may not be able to post that often. But inshaAllah I’ll try to add things that are relevant and helpful for everyone during Ramadan. :D

So, lets try to catch up and see what I’ve missed.