WHAT IS AN ATTITUDE?

It is the "advance man" of our true selves.
Its roots are inward but its fruit is outward.
It is our best friend or our worst enemy.
It is more honest and more consistent than our words.
It is an outward look based on past experiences.
It is a thing which draws people to us or repels them.
It is never content until it is expressed.
It is the librarian of our past.
It is the speaker of our present.
It is the prophet of our future.

PHARAOH MERNEPTAH'S MUMMY

"Pharaoh ruled with tyranny in the land and divided its people into castes, one group of which he persecuted, killing their sons and sparing only their daughters. Truly, he was an evil man."
Surah 28 Al-Qasas (The Story) verse 4

And Pharaoh said, "Nobles, you have no other god that I know of except myself. Haman, build me a tower from bricks of clay that I may climb and see the god of Moses. I suspect that he is definitely lying." Surah 28 - Al Qasas verse 38

Author: Maurice Bucaille - The BIBLE, The QUR'AN And SCIENCE

The mummified body of Merneptah, son of Ramesses II and Pharaoh of the Exodus - all the evidence points to this - was discovered by Loret in 1898 at Thebes in the Kings' Valley whence it was transported to Cairo. Elliot Smith removed its wrappings on the 8th of July, 1907: he gives a detailed description of this operation and the examination of the body in his book The Royal Mummies (1912). At that time the mummy was in a satisfactory state of preservation, in spite of deterioration in several parts. Since then, the mummy has been on show to visitors at the Cairo Museum, with his head and neck uncovered and the rest of body concealed under a cloth. It is so well hidden indeed, that until very recently, the only general photographs of the mummy that the Museum possessed were those taken by E. Smith in 1912.

In June 1975, the Egyptian high authorities very kindly allowed me to examine the parts of the Pharaoh's body that had been covered until then. They also allowed me to take photographs. When the mummy's present state was compared to the condition it was over sixty years ago, it was abundantly clear that it had deteriorated and fragments had disappeared. The mummified tissues had suffered greatly, at the hand of man in some places and through the passage of time in others.

This natural deterioration is easily explained by the changes in the conditions of conservation from the time in the late Nineteenth century when it was discovered. Its discovery took place in the tomb of the Necropolis of Thebes where the mummy had lain for over three thousand years. Today, the mummy is displayed in a simple glass case which does not afford hermetic insulation from the outside, nor does it offer protection from pollution by micro-organisms. The mummy is exposed to fluctuations in temperature and seasonal changes in humidity: it is very far from the conditions which enabled it to remain protected from any source of deterioration for approximately three thousand years. It has lost the protection afforded by its wrappings and the advantage of remaining in the closed environment of the tomb where the temperature was more constant and the air less humid than it is in Cairo at certain times of the year. Of course, while it was in the Necropolis itself, the mummy had to withstand the visits of grave plunderers (probably very early on) and rodents: they caused a certain amount of damage, but the conditions were nevertheless (it seems) much more favourable for it to stand the test of time than they are today.

At my suggestion, special investigations were made during this examination of the mummy in June 1975. An excellent radiographic study was made by Doctors El Meligy and Ramaiya, and the examination of the interior of the thorax, through a gap in the thoracic wall, was carried out by Doctor Mustapha Manialawiy in addition to an investigation of the abdomen. This was the first example of endoscopy being applied to a mummy. This technique enabled us to see and photograph some very important details inside the body. Professor Ceccaldi performed a general medico-legal study which will be completed by an examination under the microscope of some small fragments that spontaneously fell from the mummy's body: this examination will be carried out by Professor Mignot and Doctor Durigon I regret to say that definitive pronouncements cannot be made by the time this book goes to print.

What may already be derived from this examination is the discovery of multiple lesions of the bones with broad lacunae, some of which may have been mortal - although it is not yet possible to ascertain whether some of them occurred before or after the Pharaoh's death. He most probably died either from drowning, according to the Scriptural narrations, or from very violent shocks preceding the moment when he was drowned - or both at once.

The connection of these lesions with the deterioration whose sources have been mentioned above renders the correct preservation of the mummy of the Pharaoh somewhat problematical, unless precautionary and restorative measures are not taken very soon. These measures should ensure that the only concrete evidence which we still possess today concerning the death of the Pharaoh of the Exodus and the rescue of his body, willed by God, does not disappear with the passage of time.

It is always desirable for man to apply himself to the preservation of relics of his history, but here we have something which goes beyond that: it is the material presence of the mummified body of the man who knew Moses, resisted his pleas, pursued him as he took flight, lost his life in the process. His earthly remains were saved by the Will of God from destruction to become a sign to man, as it is written in the Quran.

Those who seek among modern data for proof of the veracity of the Holy Scriptures will find a magnificient illustration of the verses of the Qur'an dealing with the Pharaoh's body by visiting the Royal Mummies Room of the Eygytian Museum, Cairo.

ALLAH JAGA MANUSIA

IDRIS, berkata: "Walau di mana pun kita berada, janganlah bergantung pada raja. Apa yang kita mahukan daripada seorang raja? Apabila raja murka dia pasti menghukum kita. Apabila dia jemu, kita pasti dibuang begitu sahaja. Oleh itu, berlingdunglah hanya kepada Allah dan jauhi istana raja-raja. Sesungguhnya berdiri di pintu istana raja adalah satu penghinaan, tetapi berserah dan bertawakal kepada Allah adalah satu kemuliaan."

Idris - ayah kepada Imam Syafie

....Selepas mendapat keizinan daripada suaminya, maka Ummu Habibah al-Uzdiyya membaca surah Yusuf dan surah Luqman. Selesai membaca kedua-dua surah itu baharu dia tidur. Itulah yang diamalkannya sejak mula mengandung. Dia berharap semoga anak yang dikandungnya memiliki paras rupa yang cantik dan cerdik.

Ummu Habibah al-Uzdiyyah - ibu kepada Imam Syafie

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

Sesungguhnya aku berkeyakinan penuh bahawa Tuhan akan mengawal dan mengawasi aku dalam segenap perkara, di mana segenap benda yang ada di dunia ini ialah bekas tangan Tuhan. Tuhan tidak lempar kita ke dunia ini begitu sahaja, bahkan Dia jaga, Dia awasi, Dia tengok siapa yang pandai menjaga diri mereka semasa hidup ini. Ketika itu pandailah Allah SWT memperbetulkan keadaan-keadaan di dunia ini.

Hidupnya manusia di atas muka bumi, tidak pernah terlepas daripada kawalan Allah SWT. Tanpa kawalan Allah SWT sudah pasti manusia akan berada dalam keadaan yang huru-hara. Misalnya, apabila berjalan masuk parit, berlaga sesama sendiri dan banyak lagi.

Antara kawalan Allah SWT terhadap manusia adalah Dia memberi nyawa kepada manusia tanpa mengharapkan balasan satu sen pun. Bayangkan kalau Allah SWT meminta bayaran di sebalik nyawa yang diberikan kepada manusia, sudah pasti hidup manusia berada dalam keadaan yang susah. Lihat sahaja ketika kita menggunakan jalan yang dikenakan tol. Itu pun, kadangkala menyebabkan kita mengeluh. Inikan pula kita bernafas, kita menggunakan alat kepunyaan Allah SWT. Sudah pasti kita akan mengeluh dan merasa susah andai segalanya itu dikenakan bayaran oleh Allah SWT.

Semua pemberian Allah SWT ini, tidak pernah mengharapkan bayaran satu sen pun. Akan tetapi apa yang Allah SWT mahukan adalah manusia mengamalkan perintah dan meninggalkan segala larangan-Nya. Malah, segala perintah dan larangan yang diperintahkan itu, bukan disuruh melakukannya dengan percuma, bahkan diberikan gaji pula oleh Allah SWT kepada sesiapa yang mentaatinya. Gaji tersebut bernama pahala, dan ia akan menjadi bekalan makanan kehidupan kita di akhirat kelak.

Demikianlah pemurahnya Allah SWT Yang Maha Pemurah. Allah SWT memberikan segala nikmat seperti nyawa, udara dan sebagainya secara percuma kepada manusia. Sebaliknya, segala suruhan dan larangan yang ditaati oleh manusia akan diberikan ganjaran iaitu pahala yang kelak akan mendatangkan manfaat besar untuk manusia pada hari akhirat. Dengan adanya pahala hasil daripada ketaatan terhadap perintah Allah SWT seseorang manusia itu akan mendapat syurga-Nya dan sudah pasti dia akan hidup di akhirat kelak dalam keadaan bahagia buat selama-lamanya.

SURRENDERING TO YOUR HIGHEST GOOD

To surrender is 'to allow our inner resistance to melt'. Look deeply into your heart - find the highest unfulfilled good in you. It may be the fear to explore or to pursue your life's work. Disregard what others have to say. Trust and discover the wonders you may never have found if you hadn't done so.

FOOD FOR THE HEART

If we perceive things not as problems but rather as opportunities for learning, we can experience a sense of joy and well-being when the lessons are learned. We are never presented with lessons until we are ready to learn them.

GERALD G. JAMPOLSKY