The Islamic Bulletin Volume XX No. 25 Page 27 By brooding over the past and its tragedies, one evinces a sickness that destroys ones resolve to live for the present moment. Episodes of the past are finished; sadness cannot retrieve them, melancholy cannot make things right, and depression will never bring the past back to life. This is because the past is non-existent. Do not live in the nightmares of former times or under the shade of what you have missed. Save yourself from the ghostly apparition of the past. Do you think that you can return the sun to its place of rising, the baby to its mother’s womb, milk to the udder, or tears to the eye? By constantly dwelling on the past and its happenings, you place yourself in a very frightful and tragic state of mind. Reading too much into the past is a waste of the present. When Allah mentioned the affairs of the previous nations, He said: “That was a nation who has passed away. “(Qur’an 2:134) Former days are gone and done with, and you benefit nothing by carrying out an autopsy over them, by turning back the wheels of history. Everything on earth marches forward, preparing for a new season, and so should you. TODAY IS ALL THAT YOU HAVE When you wake up in the morning, do not expect to see the evening. Live as though today is all that you have. Yesterday has passed— with its good and evil, while tomorrow has not yet arrived. Your life’s span is but one day, as if you were born in it and will die at the end of it. With this attitude, you will not be caught between an obsession over the past, with all its anxieties, and the hopes of the future, with all its uncertainty. Organize the hours of this day so that you make years out of minutes and months out of seconds. Seek forgiveness from your Lord, remember Him, prepare for the final parting from this world, and live today happily and at peace. Be content with your sustenance, your spouse, your children, your work, your house and your station in life. “So hold that which I have given you and be of the grateful.” (Qur’an 7:144) LEAVE THE FUTURE ALONE UNTIL IT COMES Do you think it wise to pick fruits before they become ripe? Tomorrow is non-existent, having no reality today. So, why should you busy yourself with it? Why should you have apprehensions about future disasters? We do not even know whether we will even see tomorrow. Many people are fearful of future poverty, hunger, disease, and disaster. A true Muslim should have firm faith in Allah (SWT). One should trust in Allah, and always ask Allah for guidance. In addition, one should ask Allah for forgiveness for any sins that may have been committed and ask Allah for righteous guidance that leaves one on the path to Sirat-ul-Mustaqueem. Ameen THE PAST IS GONE FOREVER Speaking Of Time Makkah – Saudi Arabia. Muslims around the world could be setting their watches to a new time soon when the world’s largest clock begins ticking atop a soaring skyscraper in Makkah. The four faces of the new clock perched atop a tower, whose height will reach 601 meters (1,983 feet), which is expected to be the world’s second tallest building , will establ ish Makkah as an alternate time standard to the Greenwich median. The clock reflects a goal by some Muslims to replace the 126-year-old Universal Time standard – originally called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) – with Makkah Mean Time. At a conference in Doha, Qatar in 2008, Muslim clerics and scholars presented “scientific” arguments that Makkah time is the true global meridian. They said that Makkah is the center of the world and that the Greenwich standard was imposed by the West in 1884. The clock will be visible from 17 km away at night and 11 to 12 km away during the day. More than six times larger in diameter than London’s famed Big Ben, the clock faces, with the Arabic words “In the Name of Allah” in huge lettering underneath and will be lit with two million LED lights. Some 21,000 white and green colored lights, fitted at the top of the clock, will flash as far as 30 km to signal fivetimes daily prayers. The tower featuring the world’s largest clock also includes a Lunar Observation Center and an Islamic Museum. While the Royal Clock wil l announce dai ly prayers, the Lunar Observat ion Center and Islamic Museum will serve to protect the heritage for future generations. The observatory will also be used to sight the moon during the holy months. On special occasions, 16 bands of vertical lights will shoot some 10 km up into the sky. IMPORTANT REMINDER The verses of the Holy Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet have been printed for the benefit of our readers. You are asked to ensure their sanctity. Therefore, they should be disposed of in the proper Islamic manner. ABBREVIATIONS USED SWT =“Subhanu Wa Ta’ala” “Glorified and Exalted Allah Azza wa Jal=Glorified and Sublime be He PBUH; SAW; AS - Peace Be Upon Him, R.A.; R.A.A. - Allah was pleased with him/her Bukhari, Muslim, Sahih, Abu Dawoud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah are the names of the transmiters of the Prophet’s (pbuh) Hadith and Sunnah (words and lifestyle.)
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