Quick Thinking...

Below are four (4) questions. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately.

OK? Let's find out just how clever you really are. Ready? GO!!! (scroll down)

First Question: You are participating in a race. You overtook the second person. What position are you in?

Answer: If you answer that you are first, then you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person and you took his place, you are second! Try not to screw up in the next question.

To answer the second question, don't take as muchtime as you took for the first question. Second Question: If you overtake the last person, then you are...?

Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST person?! You're not very good at this are you?

Third Question: Very tricky math!

Note: This must be done in your head only. Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it. Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10. What is the total?

Scroll down for answer..

Did you get 5000? The correct answer is actually 4100. Don't believe it? Check with your calculator! Today is definitely not your day. Maybe you will get the last question right?

Fourth Question: Mary's father has five daughters:1. Nana,2. Nene,3. Nini,4. Nono.What is the name of the fifth daughter

Answer: Nunu? NO! Of course not.



Her name is Mary! Read the question again. You certainly need more practise. Better luck next time. Good-bye!!!

If You...

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about.

If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.

If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick.

If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.

If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke.

If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.

If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed.

If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.

If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and powerpacked with faith, hope, love and action. Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve. The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

A Letter to the Culture that Raised Me

"I was a slave, but you taught me I was free. I was your object, but you swore it was success. You taught me that my purpose in life was to be on display, to attract, and be beautiful for men. You had me believe that my body was created to market your cars. And you raised me to think I was an ugly duckling..."

Source: Islamicity.org (click on headline to read the full article)

Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

It has been noted by some of the counselors from our Cyber Counselor service that there seems to be a growing number of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) cases surfacing amongst the Muslim communities around the world...

Source: Islamonline.net (click on headline to read the full article)

FriEnD aLpHaBeTs...

Don't Compare!

We live in a pathologically dissatisfied world. And I'm going to tell you why - because we love to compare. Go around the world and discover that people aren't happy with their bodies. Filipinos and Indians want to be fair complexioned like Westerners and so buy skin bleaching products. Most Indians grade other Indians' beauty according to skin colour.

Westerners want to own bronzed bodies like ours and so purchase tanning lotions.Those with moles have them removed, while those who don't strategically implant beauty spots. Some people want to shed a few pounds to look like Ally McBeal, while others want to gain some baby fat to look like Drew Barrymore.

When are we ever going to stop and simply be happy with how we look? We live in a sickworld, I tell you. And that sickness is comparison it is. Take a look at wealth. When we drive our old Honda, it really suits us fine. We feel blessed in fact when the rainpours outside and we feel snug and cozy on its faded upholstered seats. But the moment we see our own office mate(or neighbour, or buddy, or cousin, or brother) drive his sleek sky-blue, four-door, four-wheel-drive Mercedez, we automatically feel like third-class citizen. Next time we drive our bumpy, noisy, rusted, dilapidated Honda, (notice how all the defects come out all of a sudden?), we feel deprived, dispossessed, pariah, debased and only a little higher than the insects of the earth.

Read carefully.

Bill Gates total assets are worth $60billion. That's more than the GNP of some small countries. Tiger Woods earns $8 million simply by smiling on TV in a Nike shirt. And the stars of the sitcom Friends are paid $750,000 per episode!

My point?

No matter how hard you work, there'll still be some people who will be richer than you are. And there'll be some people who will be more beautiful, have more friends and have more problems.

Try it for once. Stop looking around.

Don't compare!

Don't compare her nose with your nose.

Don't compare his friend with your friend.

Don't compare his salary with your salary.

Don't compare her kids report card with your kids report card.

Don't compare his prayer group with your prayer group.

For crying out loud, Stop comparing and Start living! And you'll be happier with your life, I guarantee.

This is crucial:

The most difficult thing in the world is to be who you are not. Pretending and trying to be someone else is the official pastime of the human race. (I don't think dogs and cats and cows and horses have this problem.)

And the easiest thing in the world is to be yourself. Be happy. Live! There must be a reason why God made you tall or short or fat or thin or bumpy all over.

Love who you are! Be happy, it's not that difficult!

~Anonymous~

A Duck...

A beautiful message that proves a loving point!

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all,but she said nothing.


After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes."

But Sally said, Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen."

Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing.

Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper."

Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help."

She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed the he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said,

"Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter: Whatever is in your past, whatever you havedone, the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, debt, fear, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.)

Whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing, He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today.

How To Be The Best In Everything...

Khalid Ibn El-Waleed narrated the following:

A Bedouin came one day to the Prophet (pbuh) and said to him, "O, Messenger of Allah! I've come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter.

Ask what you wish

I'd like to be the most of learned of men.

Fear Allah, and you will be the most learned of men.

I'd like to be the richest man in the world

Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world.

I'd like to be the most of just men.

Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men.

I want to be the best of men

Do good to others and you will be the best of men.

I wish to be the most favoured by Allah

Engage much in Allah's praise, and you will be favoured by Allah.

I would like to complete my faith

If you have good manners you will complete your faith.

I wish to be among those who do good

Adore Allah as if you see Him, for surely He sees you.

I wish to be obedient to Allah

If observe Allah's commands you will be obedient to Allah.

I'd like to be free from all sins

Bathe your body from impurities and you will be free from all sins.

I'd like to be raised in the day of judgment in the light

Don't wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the day of Judgment in the light.

I'd like Allah to bestow His Mercy on me

If you have mercy on yourself and on others Allah will bestow His Mercy on you.

I'd like my sins to be very few

If you seek forgiveness from Allah as much as you can, your sins will be very few.

I'd like to be the most honourable man

If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honoured of men.

I'd like to be the strongest of men

If you put your trust in Allah, you will be the strongest of men.

I'd like for Allah to enlarge my provision

If you keep yourself pure, Allah will enlarge your provision.

I'd like to be loved by Allah and His Messenger

If you love what Allah and His messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones.

I wish to be safe from Allah's wrath on the day of Judgment

If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow creatures you will be safe from the wrath of Allah on the day of judgment.

I'd like my prayers to be responded

If you avoid forbidden actions your prayers will be responded.

I'd like Allah not to disgrace me on the Day of Judgment

If you guard your chastity Allah will not disgrace you on the Day of Judgment.

I'd like Allah to protect me with a covering protection on the Day of Judgment

Do not uncover your fellow creatures faults, and Allah will provide you with a covering on the Day of Judgment.

What will save me from sins?

Tears, humility and illness will save you.

What are the best deeds in the eyes of Allah?

Gentle manners, modesty, and patience in adversity.

What are the worst evils in the eyes of Allah?

Hot temper and Miserliness.

What extinguishes hell's fire on the Day of Judgment?

Patience in adversity and misfortunes.

What assuages the wrath of Allah in this life and the hereafter?

Concealed charity and kindness to others.

Children Learn What They Live...

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in others.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

~Dorothy Law Notle~

Believe In Yourself...

Believe in yourself

Be brave

...but it's ok to be afraid sometimes

Express yourself creatively!

Quick Eye Exam...

This will blow your mind...!

Just do it -- don't cheat!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try this its actually quite good.

But don't cheat!

Count the number of F's in the following text:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE
RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS



Managed it?

Scroll down only after you have counted them!











OK?


How many?







Three?









Wrong, there are six -- no joke!



Read again!




FINISHED FILES ARE THE
RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS



The reasoning is further down...

The brain cannot process the word "OF".


Incredible or what?

Anyone who counts all six F's on the first go is a genius
Three is normal.

What If...

What if, Allah couldn't take the time to bless us today
because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if Allah decided to stop leading us tomorrow
because we didn't follow Him today?

What if, we never saw another flower bloom
because we grumbled when Allah sent the Rain?

What if Allah didn't walk with us today
because we failed to recognise it as His day?

What if, Allah took away the Quran tomorrow
because we would not read it today?

What if, Allah took away His message
because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if, the door of the Mosque was closed
because we did not open the door of our heart?

What if, Allah stopped loving and caring for us
because we failed to love and care for others?

What if, Allah would not hear us today
because we would not listen to Him?

What if, Allah answered our prayers
the way we answer His calls...

What if, Allah met our needs
the way we give Him our lives???

An E-mail From God...

O servants of God
Young Muslims of today
You wait impatiently everyday
For e- mail messages of the day

You log on several times a day
It makes you feel good
When you hear" you got mail"
You cannot wait to read it

Some messages are good
From your friends and relatives
But most are plain junk
That waste your time
You delete them fast

Did you know 1400 years ago
God sent you a long e-mail
Through Angel Gabriel of course
Revealed upon the holy Prophet(p)

Did you open that e-mail?
Subj: Quran: the guide
Did you down load that file?
And book marked in your heart?

Had you opened that e-mail
You had read in it all
The stories of the prophets sent
The stories of nations destroyed

There are warning to the mankind
And guidance for your daily life
Good news and hope for the future
To bring you closer to God

Now, every morning when you wake up
Read this e-mail first
Saved in Quran, al- Furqan
Memorize and act upon
Dear young Muslims
The future of Islam

~Shahid Athar, M.D~

Office

Allah Knows Best...

Allah knows whats best for us,
So, why should we complain?
We always want the sunshine,
But He knows there must be rain,
We always want laughter,
And the merriment of cheer,
But our hearts lose their tenderness,
If we never shed a tear.

Allah test us often with suffering and with sorrow,
He test us not to punish,
But to help us meet tomorrow,
For growing trees is strengthened,
If they withstand the storm and the sharp cut of the chisel,
Give the marble grace and form.

Allah test us often,
And for every pain He gives,
Provided were patient,
Is followed by rich gain,
So, whenever we feel thateverything is going wrong,
It is just Allah's way,
To strengthen our spirits.

May Allah clean our heart and souls from impurities and made us worthy recipient of this grace and benevolence.

May Allah protect us from decline and favour us with infinite mercy. InshaAllah

Cute Cats...

Laugh often


Meet new people, even if they look different to you


....and close your eyes and smile at least once a day!

Asking Again and Again...

Many times in my life...i came across people who would keep asking me for favours. For the first and second time, i happily gave them what they wanted. However, if they keep on asking, i tried to avoid them so that they don't ask me again. I believe, all humans do the same. Even a mother gets irritated at her child if he keeps on asking for things again n again..

On the other hand, the more we ask Allah, the more pleased He gets. Such is Allah, the Most Gracious and The Most Merciful. We should all learn to ask Allah for anything that we need..

A Jar, Pebbles and Sand...

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed.He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes, it was.

The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner,your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost,you would be nearly destroyed.

The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the thingsthat are truly most important.

Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life.Play with your children. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter.Set your priorities:The rest is just pebbles and sand 2nd

* Good Luck!! I hope it works.

* May there always be work for your hands to do,

* May your purse always hold a coin or two,

* May the sun always shine on your windowpane,

* May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain,

* May the hand of a friend always be near you,

* May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

A Meaningful Dream...

Once a man saw in his dream, that a lion was chasing him.

The man ran to a tree, climbed on to it and sat on a branch. He looked down and saw that the lion was still there waiting for him.

The man then looked to his side where the branch he was sitting on was attached to the tree and saw that two rats were circling around and eating the branch. One rat was black and the other one was white. The branch would fall on the ground very soon.

The man then looked below again with fear and discovered that a big black snake had come and settled directly under him. The snake opened its mouth right under the man so that he will fall into it. The man then looked up to see if there was anything that he could hold on to. He saw another branch with a honeycomb. Drops of honey were falling from it.

The man wanted to taste one of the drops. So, he put his tongue out and tasted one of the fallen drops of honey. The honey was amazing in taste. So, he wanted to taste another drop. As he did, he got lost into the sweetness of the honey.

Meanwhile, he forgot about the two rats eating his branch away, the lion on the ground and the snake that is sitting right under him.

After a while, he woke up from his sleep.

To get the meaning behind this dream, the man went to a pious scholar of Islam. The scholar said, the lion you saw is your death. It always chases you and goes wherever you go.

The two rats, one black and one white, are the night and the day. Black one is the night and the white one is the day. They circle around, coming one after another, to eat your time as they take you closer to death.

The big black snake with a dark mouth is your grave. It's there, just waiting for you to fall into it.

The honeycomb is this world and the sweet honey is the luxuries of this world. We like to taste a drop of the luxuries of this world but it's very sweet. Then we taste another drop and yet another.

Meanwhile, we get lost into it and we forget about our time, we forget about our death and we forget about our graves.

"BabySITTING"..

In The Valleys I Grow...

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate Allah's love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Allah will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture My bros' & Sis
The valleys of death Which they go through
In Countries such Palestine etc...

Forgive me Allah, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Allah
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Allah
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it's in the valleys I grow!

REMEMBER...
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution
is the distance between your knees and the floor.
The one who kneels to the Allah,
can stand up to anything.
Insha'Allah

Something To Think About

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the rural countryside with the firm purpose of motivating his son to work hard by showing him how poor people can be. The father wanted to prepare his son to take over managing the vast family fortune and estate. They spent a couple of days and nights helping with the daily activities on the farm of a poor family. Sharing meals at night with the family, they learned a little about planning and life on the farm. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son,

"How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Oh Yeah" said the son.

"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, and they have many friends to protect them."

With this, the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."

A Friend...

A friend is like a flower,
a rose to be exact,
Or maybe like a brand new gate that never comes unlatched.
A friend is like an owl,
both beautiful and wise.
Or perhaps a friend is like a ghost,
whose spirit never dies.
A friend is like a heart that goes strong until the end.
Where would we be in this world if we didn't have a friend..