WELCOME YEAR 2011/1432H

Dearest All,

My sincerest wishes:

May The Year 2011 Brings All:

GOOD HEALTH
HAPPINESS
PROSPERITY
AND SUCCESS

TIME TO PONDER......

OVERFLOWING YOUR LIFE WITH KINDNESS

In every single moment and minute of your life, be kind to yourself, your family and all others around you, including the strangers on the street.
Kindness inspires love.
Anger or control inspires fear.
How would you like to lead your life - in love or in fear?

FOOD FOR THE HEART:
Kind words can be short, but their echoes are endless - MOTHER TERESA

BEING THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT IS ALREADY YOU

You have gone through a wealth of experiences and come a long way to be who you are today.
Give thanks to all the positive experiences which have shaped you into who you are today.
Learn from the life's lessons and stressful times that have made you stronger.

FOOD FOR THE HEART:
Be content with what you have: rejoice in the way things are. When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. - LAO TZU

LETTING GO OF PAST HURTS AND GRIEVANCES

Holding on to past hurts and grievances eats you away slowly.
Be a bigger person and forgive others or what they have done to you, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Allowing bygones to be bygones releases you from the shackles of emotional pain and grants you FREEDOM.

FOOD FOR THE HEART
"Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?" - JALAL AD-DIN RUMI

BE STREET SMART EVERYDAY

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE - by Publius Terrence

Because street smarts are so important to every part of your life, here is a quick review of the major elements that go into street smarts. Print this list out and keep it with you, for a regular reminder to be street smart every day.

I. HEIGHTENED AWARENESS

A. Trust your intuition
B. Develop perceptiveness and ability to anticipate
C. Size up people quickly and accurately
D. See the big picture

II. CONFIDENCE

A. Fake it till you make it
B. Believe in yourself - Be confident


III. HEALTHY SKEPTICISM

A. Don't believe everything you see and hear
B. Be hard to take advantage of
C. Use your "mental categories" and generalizations to keep you on guard
D. Give people the time and rope to either hang themselves or prove their integrity/sincerity

IV. RESOURCEFULNESS

A. Think quickly on your feet
B. Be persistent
C. Be prepared
D. Be flexible
E. Change your surroundings or adapt
F. Surround yourself with experts and contacts

V. RISK-TAKING

A. Be willing to take risks
B. Minimize the possible down side
C. Cut your losses and get out if you're wrong
D. Learn by your mistakes

NOTHING GREAT WAS EVER ACHIEVED WITHOUT ENTHUSIASM

- By Ralph Waldo Emerson

MAY THE YEAR 2011 BRINGS GOOD HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY TO ALL

THREE DECADES TO BECOME PRESIDENT.......

FAIL YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

Have you had a challenging day or week? Feel a little tired or discouraged with a current situation? Ready to throw in the towel and quit something?

Don't worry. It's very normal to go through times of feeling that something in life stinks and all there is to see and feel is the current mess.

Here is something neat to ponder during those times, though. When doing battle with discouraged feelings, take a look at this report and reflect on this man's record of failure. It is a testament to how humans can learn and grow and win despite the losses and defeats.

Failed in business in 1831
Defeated for legislature in 1832
Failed in business again in 1833
Elected to legislature in 1834
Sweetheart died in 1835
Nervous breakdown in 1836
Defeated for speaker in 1838
Defeated for land officer in 1843
Defeated for congress in 1846
Defeated for re-election in 1848
Defeated for senate in 1855
Defeated for vice president in 1856
Defeated for senate in 1858

Elected President in 1860

Who was he?

He was a simple, uneducated, country boy who refused to allow his uncongenial circumstances to stop him. He refused to be a victim. He refused to accept failure. He refused to listen to people who told him he was crazy. He refused to stay down when he felt like nothing was going his way.

Simply put, he picked himself up no matter what and kept on going after his dream. He educated himself and did whatever it took to keep moving in the direction of his passions.

Who was he? Abraham Lincoln.

If you reflect back on your life, you can find patterns of the times you grew the most. Many of those times were probably a result of some kind of previous 'failure,' maybe even a series of them.

Remember: children don't fail when they are learning to walk. They fall down over and over again. It is the falling that teaches them and strengthens them. Each failure is a learning experience. And the faster people pick themselves up, reflect on the past occurence and go again, the faster they can achieve their goals and dreams.

So with this in mind, choose the one thing that may not be going exactly as you wish right now and do one thing to move you closer to achieving the result you want. And remember, life is about learning and growing.

'MALAIKAT KECIL'

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Subject: Malaikat Kecil - Tapi Ayah, Adakah Manusia Tidak Masuk Neraka Jika Hari Hujan??

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Malaikat Kecil – Tapi Ayah, Adakah Manusia Tidak Masuk Neraka Jika Hari Hujan?

Pada setiap petang Jumaat, selepas solat Jumaat, selepas melayani para jamaah di Masjid, Imam dan putera lelakinya yang berumur 11 tahun akan keluar ke bandar untuk mengedarkan risalah bertajuk “Jalan Ke Syurga” dan juga menyampaikan ceramah agama.

Pada petang Jumaat itu, seperti biasa Imam dan putera lelakinya akan keluar untuk mengedarkan risalah. Bagaimanapun pada petang tersebut keadaan di luar rumah sangat sejuk dan hujan pula turun dengan sangat lebat.

Budak itu memakai baju sejuk dan baju hujan dan berkata “OK ayah, saya sudah bersedia”. Ayahnya berkata “Bersedia untuk apa?”. Budak itu menjawab, “Ayah, masa telah tiba untuk kita keluar mengedarkan buku-buku tentang Islam ini”. Ayahnya membalas “Anakku, di luar sana sangat sejuk dan hujan lebat pulak”.

Dengan muka yang kehairanan, budak itu bertanya ayahnya, “Tetapi ayah, adakah manusia tidak masuk neraka jika hari hujan?”

Ayahnya menjawab, “Anakku, Ayah tak akan keluar dengan cuaca begini..”

Dengan nada sedih, budak itu bertanya, “Ayah, boleh tak benarkan saya pergi?”. Ayahnya teragak-agak seketika, kemudian berkata, “Anakku, awak boleh pergi. Bawalah buku ini semua dan berhati-hati”.

Kemudian, budak itu telah keluar dan meredah hujan. Budak sebelas tahun ini berjalan dari pintu ke pintu dan lorong-lorong sekitar bandar. Dia memberikan risalah dan buku kepada setiap orang yang ditemuinya.

Setelah dua jam berjalan dalam hujan, akhirnya tinggal hanya satu naskhah padanya. Ketika itu dia telah basah kuyup dan berasa sejuk hingga ke tulang. Budak itu berhenti di satu penjuru jalan sambil mencari seseorang untuk diberikan buku tersebut. Namun keadaan di situ lengang.

Kemudian dia berpatah balik ke rumah pertama yang dia lalu di lorong itu.

Dia berjalan di kaki lima menuju ke rumah tersebut. Bila sampai di pintu hadapan, dia menekan suis loceng namun tiada sesiapa yang membuka pintu.

Dia tekan lagi dan lagi, tetapi masih tiada jawapan. Dia tunggu lagi tetapi masih tiada jawapan. Akhirnya dia berpaling untuk meninggalkan rumah tersebut, tetapi seperti ada sesuatu yang menghalangnya. Dia kembali ke pintu itu dan menekan lagi suis loceng dan buat pertama kalinya mengetuk pintu dengan kuat. Dia tunggu, kemudian seperti sesuatu di anjung rumah itu menghalangnya supaya jangan pergi. Dia menekan suis loceng sekali lagi dan kali ini dengan perlahan pintu dibuka.

Berdiri di hadapan pintu itu seorang perempuan tua yang berwajah kesedihan.

Dengan perlahan perempuan tua itu bertanya, “Apa yang boleh saya bantu awak, wahai budak?”.

Dengan senyuman serta mata yang bersinar yang boleh menyinarkan bumi, budak itu berkata, “Makcik, saya mohon maaf kalau saya telah mengganggu makcik. Saya hanya ingin memberitahu bahawa Allah sangat sayang dan sentiasa melindungi makcik. Saya datang ini hendak memberikan sebuah buku yang terakhir ada pada saya ini. Buku ini menerangkan semua tentang Tuhan, tujuan sebenar Tuhan menjadikan kita dan bagaimana untuk mencapai kebahagiaan daripada-Nya” .

Kemudian, budak itu menyerahkan buku terakhir itu dan berpaling untuk balik. Sebelum berjalan balik, perempuan itu berkata, “Terima kasih ya anak dan semoga Tuhan memberkatimu” .

Selepas solat Jumaat pada minggu berikutnya, Imam menyampaikan ceramah agama seperti biasa. Dia menamatkan ceramahnya dengan bertanya, “ Ada sesiapa yang ingin bertanya soalan atau ingin berkata sesuatu?”.

Dengan perlahan, di barisan belakang di kalangan tempat duduk muslimat, suara seorang perempuan tua kedengaran di speaker, “Tiada di kalangan jemaah yang berkumpul ini mengenali saya. Saya tidak pernah hadir sebelum ini. Sebelum hari Jumaat yang lepas, saya belum lagi memeluk agama Islam bahkan tidak terfikir langsung untuk memeluknya. Suami saya telah meninggal dunia beberapa tahun yang lalu, meninggalkan saya sebatang kara, saya benar-benar keseorangan di dunia ini."

Pada petang Jumaat yang lepas, ketika cuaca sejuk dan hujan lebat, saya telah bertekad untuk membunuh diri kerana sudah putus harapan untuk hidup.

Jadi saya mengambil seutas tali dan sebuah kerusi lalu menaiki loteng di rumah saya. Saya ikat tali tersebut dengan kuat pada kayu palang di bumbung

rumah kemudian berdiri di atas kerusi, hujung tali satu lagi saya ikat di sekeliling leher saya. Sambil berdiri di atas kerusi, saya berasa benar-benar keseorangan, patah hati. Saya hampir-hampir hendak melompat tiba-tiba loceng pintu berbunyi di tingkat bawah dan saya tersentak. Saya berfikir untuk menunggu sebentar, dan pasti orang itu akan pergi. Saya tunggu dan tunggu, tetapi bunyi loceng semakin kuat dan bertubi-tubi.

Kemudian orang yang menekan suis loceng itu, mengetuk pintu pula dengan kuat. Saya berfikir sendirian lagi “Siapalah di muka bumi ini yang boleh buat begini? Tiada siapa pernah tekan suis loceng itu atau nak berjumpa dengan saya”. Saya longgarkan tali ikatan di leher dan kemudian pergi ke pintu hadapan. Ketika itu bunyi loceng kuat dan semakin kuat.

Bila saya buka pintu dan lihat, sukar untuk dipercayai oleh mata saya, di anjung rumah saya itu berdiri seorang budak yang sangat comel yang bersinar wajahnya seperti malaikat, tidak pernah saya jumpa sebelum ini di dalam hidup saya. Budak itu tersenyum. Oh! Saya tidak dapat hendak gambarkan kepada anda semua. Perkataan yang keluar daripada mulutnya menyebabkan hati saya yang telah lama mati tiba-tiba hidup semula, seruan budak itu seperti suara bayi yang sangat comel. “Makcik, saya datang hendak memberitahu bahawa Allah sangat menyayangi dan sentiasa melindungi makcik”. Kemudian dia memberikan kepada saya sebuah buku bertajuk “ Jalan Ke Syurga” yang saya sedang pegang ini.

Bila “malaikat kecil” itu telah pulang meredah sejuk dan hujan, saya menutup pintu dan membaca dengan perlahan setiap perkataan yang tertulis di dalam buku tersebut. Kemudian saya naik semula ke loteng untuk mendapatkan semula tali dan kerusi. Saya tak perlukannya lagi.

Oleh sebab di belakang buku ini ada tertera alamat tempat ini, saya sendiri datang ke masjid ini ingin mengucapkan syukur kepada Tuhan. Tuhan kepada budak kecil yang telah datang tepat pada waktunya, yang dengan demikian telah terhindar jiwa saya daripada keabadian di dalam neraka.

Ramai yang berada di dalam masjid ketika itu menitiskan air mata. Mereka melaungkan TAKBIR…ALLAH HU AKBAR…gemaan takbir bergema di udara. Imam iaitu ayah kepada budak itu turun dari mimbar pergi ke barisan hadapan di mana “malaikat kecil” itu sedang duduk.

Dia mendakap puteranya dengan air mata keluar tanpa disedarinya. Mungkin tidak ada jemaah yang memiliki saat yang lebih mulia ini dan mungkin di alam semesta ini belum pernah melihat seorang ayah yang penuh kasih sayang dan penghormatan terhadap anaknya. Inilah satu peristiwa..

Berbahagialah anda kerana membaca kisah ini. Jangan biarkan kisah ini di sini sahaja. Bacalah lagi dan sampaikan kepada yang lain. Syurga adalah untuk umat-Nya. Ingatlah, dengan menyebarkan firman Allah boleh mengubah hidup seseorang yang hampir dengan anda. Sila kongsi kisah menarik ini.

Sebarkanlah kalimah Allah, kalau kita bantu Allah, Allah akan membantu kita dalam semua perkara yang kita buat.

Maksud firman Allah dalam Surah al-Maidah ayat 3;

“…pada hari ini, orang-orang kafir telah putus asa (daripada memesongkan kamu) dari agama kamu (setelah mereka melihat perkembangan Islam dan umatnya), sebab itu janganlah kamu takut dan gentar kepada mereka, sebaliknya hendaklah kamu takut dan gentar kepadaKu. Pada hari ini, Aku telah sempurnakan bagi kamu agama kamu, dan Aku telah cukupkan nikmatKu kepada kamu, dan Aku telah redakan Islam itu menjadi agama untuk kamu, maka sesiapa yang terpaksa kerana kelaparan(memakan benda-benda yang diharamkan) sedang ia tidak cenderung hendak melakukan dosa (maka bolehlah ia memakannya), kerana Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani"

Thank You & Appreciate.

'BROTHERHOOD IN ISLAM'

"People, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you might come to know one another. The noblest of you in God's sight are those who are most deeply conscious of Him" (Al-Hujurat 49:13)

ISLAM stands in a long line of Middle Eastern prophetic religious traditions that share uncompromising monotheism, belief in God's revelation, prophets, ethical responsibility, accountability, and the notion of a Day of Judgement. Jews, Christians and Muslims are all considered children of Abraham (Ibrahim), although they belong to different branches of the same family. Jews and Christians are spiritual descendants of Abraham and his wife, Sarah, through their son, Isaac (Ishaq). Muslims trace their lineage back to Ishmael (Ismail), Abraham's firstborn son by his Egyptian servant, Hagar. Ishmael became the father of Arabs in northern Arabia. Muslims believe that Islam was the original monotheistic faith, making it the oldest of the Abrahamic faiths with Judaism and Christianity as tolerated offshoot.

ONE OF THE ESTABLISHED ASPECTS of Muslim social behaviour is the deference and respect shown by the younger towards the senior, or elder, members of the community. Complementary to that, younger members are treated with sympathy and kindness. Prophet Muhammad was reported to have said:

He who does not respect our elders or show compassion towards our young ones or does not venerate our learned people, does not belong to us.

The Prophet, as God's spokesman, should have been accorded special deference, approached with humility, and addressed with utmost courtesy. As it was, he received more than his fair share of abuse and insults from his detractors.

Muslims are urged to verify the truth and accuracy of what they hear; rumour and fabricated reports could cause irreparable damage to the fabric of society. Islam teaches that Satan is capable of insinuating antipathetic ideas into people's minds. Within a Muslim community, any such hostile scheming must be pre-empted and such antagonistic situations must not be allowed to arise. Instead, the community must promote harmony and concord and stand united against those who persist in aggression and threaten the unity and cohesion of Muslim society.

Throughout history, Muslims have faced wars in which they sustained heavy setbacks and the reason has invariably been their lack of courage to defend the truth and stand up to oppression. The result has been humiliation for Muslim everywhere and yet more daring aggression on the part of their enemies.

The weakening of the ties of brotherhood among Muslims is a bad omen and provides non-Muslim enemies with a pretext to interfere and exploit the situation to their advantage. In all cases, Islam shall be the prime loser!

Attention is drawn to a number of vile aspects of behaviour that we must avoid. It is vulgar and foolish to mock or ridicule other people or be condescending towards them. Only God Almighty knows the true worth of every individual. A person's status is determined by several factors, some of which are inherited characteristics and others that are attributable to the environment in which he or she grows up. You may deride someone, yet he may prove more worthy and successful than yourself:

Believers, let no man mock another man, who may perhaps be better than himself. And let no woman mock another woman, who may perhaps be better than herself....(11)

Islam condemns slandering others or scoffing at them. It denounces snooping, maligned suspicion, backbiting, and defamation. Regrettably, these are widespread in human, (we "hamba Allah" - God's servants), and if people were to avoid these negative traits in their dealings with one another, they would spend half their lives in silence!

Muslims must understand that they have no right to look down upon other people. Muslims have a duty to convey their beliefs and morals judiciously, courteously, and in a spirit of kindness and love. One fears that the failure to spread the word of Islam more widely is largely attributable to a failure in approach and communication.

"ISLAM ITU INDAH - ISLAM IS BEAUTIFUL" by: Hamba Allah - God's Servant

ASHURA : 10TH DAY OF THE MUSLIM MONTH OF MUHARRAM

Commemoration of the martyrdom in 680 of Husayn, Muhammad's grandson and the third imam of Shii Islam. Shii communities annually reenact the tragedy in a passion play, including self-mortification and displays of sorrow and remorse.

Firawn: Pharaoh: Ruler of Egypt, pre-Islamic or non-Islamic

Moses: Arabic Musa. Prophet who led Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The Quran records him having been placed in a basket in the Nile as a child, being taken into the house of Pharaoh.


SURAH 26 - Al-Shu'ara'

THE SURAH recalls the encounters between Moses and the Pharaoh. The debate between Moses and the Pharaoh revolved around the subject of the true identity of God. The Pharaoh wanted to know who or what God really was, a question that even Moses could not answer, for to identify and define the essence or nature of God in terms that we can understand is beyond human intelligence.

The Pharaoh asked, "And who is the Lord of the universe?" Moses replied, "He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. If you would only believe!" Pharaoh said to those around him, "Did you hear what he said?" Moses said, "He is your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers." Pharaoh said, "This Messenger who has been sent to you is certainly insane..." (23-27)

The Pharaoh refused to recognise the God of Moses and said to him: "If you serve any god other than me, I shall throw you in prison" (29).

A day was agreed for a public duel between Moses and the Pharaoh's sorcerers, organised to expose the fraudulence of what Moses was preaching and put an end to his mission and teachings. The stage was set "and the people were summoned. "Assemble, so that we can follow the sorcerers if they win the day!" (39-40). To Pharaoh and his entourage, it was a foregone conclusion that Moses would be publicly defeated and humiliated and as such the sorcerers' triumph was never in doubt. However, events took such a turn that not only were the sorcerers spectacularly defeated, but they also renounced their faith in the Pharaoh and accepted the religion of Moses instead. As expected, this sent the Pharaoh into a terrible rage and he turned on them and said,

"Do you dare follow him (Moses) without my consent? He must be your master who taught you sorcery. But you shall see! I will cut off your hands and legs on alternate sides and will crucify every one of you." (49)

This sudden but complete change of attitude by the sorcerers never ceases to amaze. Almost at a stroke, they turned from abject servitude to the Pharaoh to the deepest and most sincere faith in God. The Pharaoh persisted in his arrogant refusal to accept the truth and condemned his courtiers for changing their convictions without waiting for his permission. Like all tyrants everywhere, the Pharaoh believed that he was in command of his followers' consciences as well as their livelihood.

The days went by and Moses decided to lead the people out of Egypt to escape the Pharaoh's wrath and persecution. When the Pharaoh heard of this he gathered his army and went after them. As they drew nearer, Moses' followers became alarmed and said to him: "They are catching up with us" (61). The Torah records this episode in graphic detail and gives a description of the panic and fear which had struck the Israelites. But Moses said to them: "No, my Lord is with me, and He will guide me" (62). As they reached the Red Sea, God intervened and directed Moses to strike the water with his staff, and, lo and behold, the water receded on both sides leaving a dry pathway across the sea for Moses and his followers to cross safely to the other shore. The Pharaoh and his army duly followed through, but once they had progressed well along the sea bed, the water flooded over them from all sides and they were drowned. Thus ended one of the most infamous episodes of man's disingenuous attempts to challenge the sovereignty of God Almighty in the world.

MOST TALKED-ABOUT YOUNG BRITISH ARTIST

A Winter Scene - above

Figures at Holkham

Boat at half way house

8 year old painting prodigy Kieron Williamson - dubbed "mini Monet" by the British Press is a global sensation. Kieron and parents Michelle 37 years, a nutritional therapist, Kieth 44 years, an art dealer and 6 years old sister Billie-Jo live in Holt, a pretty Georgian town, 125 miles (200 km) northeast of London.

Kieron's paintings fetch hefty sums. There is a 3,000 strong waiting list for his Impressionistic landscapes, boat-dotted estuaries, snowy fields and wide marshland skies.

Writer thought it would be a good idea to post above paintings at no cost at all to writer, before these paintings got lost in the doldrums.

QURAN... SCIENCE...HUMANKIND ....

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said: "Illuminate (with 'nur' - light) your home with prayers and read Qur'an at all times for tranquility, peace and harmony within the family."

Reading Al Qur'an is not only 'amal' (actual practice) and 'ibadah' (devotion of worship), Qur'an also is an antidote to all illnesses.

"Oh God, if you save me I'll work for you." Cat Stevens: who converted to Islam in 1977, taking the name Yusof Islam. His brother gave him a Qur'an, he was very taken with the teachings.

"I am very much impressed by finding true astronomical facts in the Quran, and for us the modern astronomers have been studying very small pieces of the universe - we've concentrated our efforts for understanding of a very small part. Because of using telescopes, we can only see very few parts of the sky without thinking about the whole universe. So by reading the Quran and by answering the questions, I think, I can find my future way for investigation of the Universe." - Dr. Yoshihide Kozai, Professor Emeritus University of Tokyo, Japan and Director of the National Astronomical Observatory, Tokyo, Japan.

SURAH 15 - AL-HIJR

THE SURAH contains a fascinating account relating to the universe, its secrets and forces, which point to the power of its Maker. As one looks up into the infinity of the heavens, one cannot help but be captivated by the multitude, distribution, and movement of the planets and stars in this vast universe which knows no boundaries. Likewise, as one gazes at the wonders scattered all across the earth, both on land and sea, one is immediately amazed by how God sustains and provides for all the millions upon millions of creatures and living organisms that exist upon it.

SCIENCE has shown that the human body is made up of the same elements as the earth's soil. But how do flesh and bones turn into dust, and how does the dust turn back into flesh and bones? Genes carry hereditary information, but are they responsible for the design and the origination of that information, or for the human character that emerges as a result? God "holds abundant stores of all things and gives of each according to a predetermined measure" (21).

HUMANKIND is a marvel of divine creation. Made "from parched dark clay" (26) people die and return to earth and turn into dust again. But what makes them such distinguished creatures? What sets them apart from the rest of creation? The answer is the divine spirit which has been breathed into them, and which gives them the qualities and status unique to humans in the divine world order. It was this streak of divine spirit which Iblis, or Satan, envious of man, causing him to refuse to recognise man's superiority. As a result, Satan vowed to seek revenge against Adam and his offspring. The Surah informs us that Satan said:

"Lord, as You have let me go astray, I will tempt them (humankind) on earth and will lead them all astray, except those of Your servants whom You have favoured." God said, "The final word on this is that you shall have no power over My servants, except the nefarious among them who follow you." (39-42)

PROPHET LOT'S people were abominable and although he tried very hard to dissuade them from their vile practices they failed to change. Consequently, God destroyed them, turning their city upside down. Sodomy and homosexuality are a curse and an affliction which spread as a result of promiscuity and sexual depravity amongst mankind. Although legalised in some contemporary societies, these acts have always been considered in the past as morally unacceptable. However, these have not been the only perversions that modern western civilization has legitimised through its legal system.

ISRAELITE AND CHRISTIAN contemporaries of Prophet Muhammad treated the Qur'an in the manner similar to the way their predecessors had treated their own scriptures. They accepted what suited them and refused to believe in the rest. In the case of their own scriptures this had led them to tamper with their texts, altering some of the principles and rules which were expounded therein.

During the early days of Islam, the Arabs of Makkah had staged a relentless campaign of mockery and ridicule against the Prophet as well as the revelation he was receiving. They spared no effort in widening their campaign of psychological warfare, in an attempt to win other tribes in Arabia over to their side. Naturally, this left the Prophet distressed and despondent. However, God directed him to pay no attention to this crusade and not to allow it to dishearten him.

THE SURAH directs the following comforting words to the Prophet: "We (God) know you are distressed by what they say. Extol the glory of your Lord. Prostrate yourself before Him and worship Him until death overtakes you" (97-99). These closing words conveyed an implicit divine promise that Islam would prevail in the world. History has shown that this has been the case.

"AND WE HAVE SENT DOWN TO YOU THE BOOK WITH THE TRUTH, CONFIRMING THE BOOK THAT WAS BEFORE IT, AND GUARDING IT"