Youth debating society knowledge 2

Knowledge

Bulletin

“for the students...by the students” MUHARRAM / NOVEMBER

ISSUE 06/ 2012

Kullu Yawmin Ashura Kullu Ardhin Karbala

A publication of THE DEBATING SOCIETY OF HUSAYNI MADRASAH NOTE:PLEASE HANDLE THIS BOOK WITH CARE AND RESPECT

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Contents:

Knowledge Team

HMBS News......................................................... 2

Ali Fayaz Jaffer Chairman

HMGS News........................................................ 3

Hussein Parpia Editor/designer

DS News................................................................. 4 Medina - The roots of Karbala................... 7

Murtaza Bhanji Secretary

Web Sub-Committee Highlight............. 11

Abbas Virjee Treasurer

DS Event Pictures........................................... 12 Imam Husayn (as) ........................................ 15

Kassim Bharwani Member

Obesity................................................................ 19 Felix Baumgartner......................................... 22

Kumayl Mohammedali Member

Fun Facts!!.......................................................... 24

CHAIRMAN’S NOTE: Salaam Alaikum Dear Readers, Firstly, We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Our Living Imam, and his followers on the coming of the sad month of Muharram and the grieved occasion of Ashura.

We at the Knowledge Team hope you have enjoyed all our publications for the past year, and we hope you also feel the same about our publications next year.

If you have any comments, suggestions or criticism, please let us know by sending an email to knowledge@debatingsociety.org, so that we can work on your opinions for the upcoming year.

Ali Fayaz Jaffer - Chairman.

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HUSAYNI MADRASAH BOYS’ SECTION (HMBS) NEWS

• Th e Husayni Madrasah Boys’ Section boys participated in the 8th AFED Qur’an Competition in Mombasa in the month of September. The students performed very well, grabbing various prizes in both Hifdh and Open categories.

• Th e Madrasah Centre of Excellence (MCE) Assessors visited the Husayni Madrasah Boys’ Section in the month of September for their assessment which ran as a very smooth process. The Madrasah Management and Staff together with the Assessors had a great experience of exchanging views with and learning from each other. The Madrasah was found to be compliant with all the objectives of MCE. The Madrasah Management would like to thank the World Federation and the Assessors for this fruitful experience.

• Th e Madrasah Management congratulates their staff members Br. Abbas Sachoo on his wedding and Br. Hasnain Mawji on becoming a father and would like to wish them happy, prosperous and healthy lives.

• S heikh Ali Karmali, the new Director of Madrasahs carried out sessions with parents of students from Husayni Madrasah Girls’ Section including the junior boys and Husayni Madrasah Boys’ Section to inform them and discuss about the new policies that will come into practice next year. The sessions were very active with parents presenting their queries and suggestions and were highly appreciated by the parents.

• I n the month of October, a special session on Drug Abuse was conducted in the Husayni Madrasah Boys’ Section for Classes 8, 9 and 10 by visiting professional Br. Farooq Bandali who is a Pharmacist in the US. The session highlighted the dangers of Drug Abuse and observed the problem from a physical and spiritual point of view. Both the staff members and students appreciated the session having learnt a lot from it. The Madrasah Management hopes to conduct more of such sessions in the future.

• Th e Husayni Madrasah Boys’ Section annual examinations were carried out on the 29th, 30th and 31st of October and completed on 3rd of November.

Correction of papers was conducted on 10th and 12th of November and with this the year was concluded.

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At the end of this year, the Madrasah Management would as always like to thank all the students, staff members, parents and community members at large for their continuous support and encouragement. The Management would also like to wish the students a safe holiday and is already looking forward to the next year beginning in January. Lastly, as we enter the month of Muharram, let us all commemorate the shahadat of Imam Husayn (as) and his family.

For any queries or feedback pertaining to Husayni Madrasah Boys’ Section, please feel free to contact us on dsm.husaynimadrasah@gmail.com

HUSAYNI MADRASAH GIRLS’ SECTION

• I n the Month of September, both the campuses were visited by 13 assessors from the Madrasah Centre of Excellence of the World Federation.

9 of them visited the Girls’ Campus and the remaining in the Boys’ Campus.

The results of the evaluation will follow in November.

• A nnual Exams took place as scheduled during the last week of October and first two weeks of November. Students will come to check their papers on 17th of November.

• R eports Day is scheduled on 1st of December. Madrasah will then close down and Inshallah will reopen in mid January for the new year.

• A SSEMBLY: Our Madrasah has introduced a new practise from this year. The children assemble in the grounds first thing in the morning for Du’as& any special announcements before they walk to their classes.

• M adrasah expresses heartfelt thanks to all those who have worked hard for this good cause. May the Almighty bless you all...Ameen.

ADMINISTRATION

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DEBATING SOCIETY NEWS - HMBS TIME TRAVEL The Debating Society Astronomy Sub-committee organized “Time Travel” on Saturday, the 6th of October; 2012. The venue for the event was the Bab-ul-Ilm Auditorium. The speaker for the event was Br. AbdulHusayn Somji. The event clocked off at 7:30pm with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Br. Abid Ladha. Thereafter, the Master of Ceremony (MC) for the event, Br. Aamir Kanji, gave a short introduction about the speaker as well as a short description of the event. Following this, a short video was played in which questions that were related to the event were discussed.

Following on, Br. AbdulHusayn Somji gave a short summary on the video. He discussed about the possibility of time travel in the Islamic as well as scientific field. Questions such as time travel in the past and future were explained. The video was roughly 45 minutes long. Subsequently, a QnA session was held and the audience sorted their queries. Finally, refreshments were served to all attendees. All in all, the event was a success and attracted a total of 43 people. 25 gents and 18 ladies attended the event. The overall rating for the event was 9.1 and the best comment given was “It was a very fruitful and well prepared event”.

BADMINTON TOURNAMENT The Debating Society Sports Sub-committee organized a “Badminton Tournament” for the Madrasah students, which took place on Saturday, 6th October and Saturday, 13th October,during fun night, from 08:30pm to 11:00pm at the Youth Affairs’ Activities Hall on the 4th floor of the Imambargah. The event was coordinated to give the students a new experience as the Sports Sub-committee felt that they had done too many events pertaining to football and thought it was time they gave 4

the minority an event too. As it turned out, this wasn’t an event for a minority and to our surprise; many Madrasah students showed interest and registered for this event, to show their skill on the court. For this reason, there was no entrance fee to participate in the tournament. The Winner was Sajjad Haji and Abbas Kermali (the runner up) they put up an extraordinary grand finale to a tournament that finished in a classic manner.

POOL TOURNAMENT The Pool Tournament was organized by the Debating Society House Sub-committee during Fun-Night (08:30pm – 10:30pm) on the 15th and 22nd of September 2012 from 8:30pm to 10:30pm. There were a total of 16 participants.

The winner was Br. Mohsin Asharia and the runner-up was Br. Mazaher Baliram. The event was successful and everyone enjoyed. The House Sub-committee wishes to organize further entertaining events.

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DEBATING SOCIETY NEWS - HMGS The Debating Society of HMGS organized three main events in the month of October, together with publishing their book (Du’a e Arafaat) for easy reference for the Amaal of Arafaat.

Adopt a Grandmother There was an event organized by the Fun Afternoon Sub Committee – Adopt a Grandmother. This event was held in order to bridge the communication and age gap between the elderly and young of today’s generation. The event was held towards the beginning of October, and was a great success, Alhamdulillah. For further feedback, enquiries or comments, please email funafternoon.hmgs@debatingsociety.org

Badminton Tournament Another event held was the Badminton Tournament, by the Sports Sub Committee.

Together with the Badminton tournament, there were other games to entertain others attending. It was held for a total of three weeks, after which the winner was announced. For further feedback, enquiries or comments, please email sports.hmgs@ debatingsociety.org

Du’a e Arafaat In the Holy Month of DhulHijja, the DS of HMGS decided to publish another pocket sized Du’a book, Du’a e Arafaat, which would come handy on the Day of Arafaat for many. Books were available for 1000/=.

Trip to the Blind School And lastly, towards the end of the month, a trip for Madrasah students was organized by the Welfare Sub Committee, on the 27th of October. This was a great opportunity for us to realize just about how lucky we are. This was another success, Alhamdulillah. For further feedback, enquiries or comments, please email welfare. hmgs@debatingsociety.org 6

MEDINA : THE ROOTS OF KARBALA The sacred blood of Imam Husayn, his family, and his companions (peace be upon them all) was spilled on the plains of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram. Their mutilated bodies lay on the sand with their heads raised on spears. Women, children, and the sick Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) were taken captives.

Surely Ashura is a tragedy like no other tragedy. But the reality of this tragedy was not limited to the year 61 AH. The horrendousness of what was done to the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) was not the act of the Umayyad dynasty alone. The injustice that took place in Karbala was the fully grown evil tree of the seeds planted 50 years ago in Medina.

The Tragedy of Medina

It was right after the Prophet was martyred. While he was still unburied, some of the people in Medina rushed to select the next ruler at Saqifa. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and some of the Prophet’s close companions stayed far from that.

The events that soon unfolded became a tragedy in themselves. And this tragedy was the path that paved the road for the enemies of AhlulBayt to commit those heinous acts on the 10th of Muharram.

Women... Children... So What?

We heard that call after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn and his companions. The likes of Umar ibn Sa’ad and Shimr were reported beating the women and children with whips. They tied defenseless women and children and dragged them from city to city.

One wonders how such injustice can happen. But how can we be surprised when the daughter of the Prophet, shortly after her father’s death, was beaten with the whip on her arms until they blackened. Her eye became red, and the earrings from her ears shattered at the force of the hands that struck her. (Bayt al-Ahzan) This was the Prophet’s daughter, and this is how she was treated while still in Medina.

And it happened right before the very eyes of her young children. The attackers also burned the door of Lady Fatima’s house, the very same door that the Prophet stood and knocked to get permission to enter.

In Karbala, there were no doors but tents. But like Medina, the fires burned the house of the family of the Prophet. Indeed, in Medina, we hear that same response when that man was warned about Lady Fatima being in the house he was threatening to burn: “So what?”

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The Piercing Arrows

The monsters who fought Imam Husayn in Karbala had no mercy whatsoever. They did not respect the family of the Prophet. However, it is one thing to ignore the voice of righteousness and the voice of God embodied in Imam Husayn, but it is a completely different thing to actually attack and kill him while claiming to belong to the same religion. One could ask: what kind of audacity is that?

The answer lies in the cries of Lady Fatima. Not long after her father’s martyrdom, she was crushed between the door and the wall. Her chest was pierced with a nail. A rib was broken. She suffered a miscarriage. She was beaten, hurt, injured, and left bleeding by the enemies of God. If the daughter of the Prophet was treated in such a cruel manner by certain hypocritical companions of the Prophet, it comes as no surprise that there were so-called Muslims in Karbala who fired spears and arrows at the grandson of the Prophet.

Spare No Children

One of the most heartbreaking moments in Karbala was the martyrdom of the sixmonth-old Ali Al-Asghar (peace be upon him). He was a baby whose only ‘crime’ was being the son of Imam Husayn. Yet Yazid’s army did not spare him and even slaughtered him.

One stands in shock before this disturbing image. Today, human rights organizations stand to defend every person, especially children and babies. Even if the baby is still in the womb of the mother, its right to life is respected.

But Medina holds a memory of its own. The attack on Lady Fatima not only injured her own body, but they led to her miscarriage.

This alone shows the cruelty of the attackers. Not only did they disregard the fact that she was the daughter of the Prophet and a woman, they disregarded the fact that she was pregnant. They attacked her despite all that.

Attacking a mother and a baby yet to be born was only the beginning, and the Umayyads followed this terrible legacy by killing the infant children of the Prophet’s Household.

Maybe the mother of Ali al-Asghar found solace in Muhsin (peace be upon him), who was martyred even before coming into this world. Yes, the heinous act of massacring innocent children did not begin in Karbala. We saw it 50 years earlier in Medina.

The Roots Indeed...

The AhlulBayt suffered tragedy after tragedy, and their followers continue to be 8

oppressed to this very day. But Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) summarized the crux of the matter when he said, “No day is like your day, O’ Aba Abdillah.”

But as we commemorate the tragedy of Karbala, let us remember that the tragedy of Lady Fatima Zahra laid the foundation for the Umayyads’ massacre at Karbala. It was also the foundation for the oppressors who followed to kill and torture the AhlulBayt and their followers to this day.

HARDSHIP IN THE JOURNEY OF THE KERBALA When Bibi Zaynab learnt of her brother’s proposed journey to Kufa she begged her husband to give her leave to accompany her brother. Abdullah pointed out that such a journey was fraught with difficulties and hardship.

Zaynab insisted, saying, my mother did not leave me behind to watch from afar as recreation the day when my brother is all alone, surrounded by enemies with no friend or supporter. You know that for fifty-five years my brother and I have never been separated. Now is the time of our old age and the closing period of our lives. If I leave him now, how shall I be able to face my mother, who at the time of her death had willed, ‘Zaynab, after me you are both mother and sister for Husayn’? It is obligatory for me to stay with you, but if I do not go with him at this time, I shall not be able to bear the separation.” Abdullah himself had wanted to accompany the Imam, but since he had been weakened by illness, he gave her permission to go on this destined journey.

With her he sent two of their sons. Zaynab had been prepared all her life for what was written for her and her brother. She preferred to face the trials of Karbala than to ever be separated from him.

Having decided to leave, Imam Husayn ordered that litters be prepared for the ladies of his family. Abu’l-Fadl Abbas, his half-brother (for they shared the same father), helped Zaynab [a.s.] and her sister Umm Kulthum into their litter. They were followed by two young girls, Fatima Kubra and Sakina, daughters of Imam Husayn.

After the first day of their journey, the party camped at Khuzaymiyyah for the night.

While Zaynab was seeing to her brother’s comfort, he said to her, “What will come to pass has long since been decreed.”

When later on their journey, they reached Ruhayma, they found their way blocked by Hur ibn Yazid Riyahi. Sakina saw what had happened and when she told Zaynab [a.s.], Zaynab wept and said to her, “Would that the enemy killed all of us rather than slay my brother.”

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When Imam Husayn heard of his sister’s distress, he went to her tent and she said to him, “O my brother, talk to them. Tell them about your nearness to the Holy Prophet and of your kinship with him.” Imam Husayn replied, ‘’O sister! I spoke to them at length. I tried to convince them but they are so immersed in misguidance and obsessed with greed that they cannot set aside their evil intentions. They will not rest till they have killed me and seen me rolling around in my blood. O sister, I advise you to patiently endure the forthcoming troubles. My grandfather the Holy Prophet had told me of my martyrdom, and his foretellings cannot be untrue.”

Imam Husayn’s party reached Karbala on the second of Muharram. But the supporters that had originally invited him to Kufa were no longer his to command. Having got wind of their intentions, Yazid appointed Ibn Ziyad, governor of Kufa, to carry out orders to subvert their plans, and this they had achieved successfully. With the Imam’s following cunningly eliminated, forces were sent to meet him near Karbala.

And so imam Husayn bade bibi Zaynab to be patient and not to weep over his death or shed tears or beat her cheeks. He then took her to the tent of his son Ali ZaynulAbidin [a.s.] and left her there.

On the eve of the tenth day of Muharram, Imam Husayn addressed his followers, the Ansar and the Bani Hashim. It had become clear that this was to be a battle unto death. He therefore released them from any obligation to remain by his side, and let them know that no grudge would be held against them were they to turn away from the coming decisive battle and return to safety.

There was now no doubt about the slaughter that was to come. Despite the heavy burden of knowing this fact, Zaynab maintained her tranquility through constant prayer and remembrance of the ultimate cause for which their lives were being sacrificed.

On the insistence of Shimr, Umar ibn Sa’d prepared to attack Imam Husayn’s dwindled forces.

When Zaynab heard the battle-cries of their approaching troops she ran to her brother’s tent and found that he had fallen asleep while cleaning his sword. She stood there quietly for a moment. He woke up, and seeing her said that he had just had a dream in which he saw his grandfather, the Holy Prophet [s.a.w.], his father Ali [a.s.], his mother Fatima and his brother Hasan telling him that he would soon join them. Seeing how distressed Zaynab was on hearing these words, he said to her, “The blessings of Allah are upon you. Do not worry about the troubles these wretched people will cause.

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WEB SUB-COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHT

The Web Sub-committee of the Debating Society is a new Sub-committee in the Debating Society that was formed last year, 2011. Previously, there was an Online Coordinator only who controlled the Debating Society Facebook Account and was supposed to update the page regularly.

The Web Sub-committee designed the whole website from scratch and is supposed to keep the website up to date with the happenings of the Debating Society and the Husayni Madrasah. The Sub-committee also still has to continue updating the Facebook page regularly.

The Web Sub-committee consists of Shaneali Yusufali (Chairman), Mohamed Nathoo (Assistant Chairman), Kumail Yusufali (Associate Justice), Abbas Salim (Secretary) and Abbasali Nathani (Facebook Coordinator).

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DEBATING SOCIETY EVENT PICTURES

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IMAM HUSAYN (AS) When the Prophet (PBUH) heard the news of Imam Husayn’s birth, became very happy and came to the house of Fatima (PBUH). Asma, the maidservant of Fatima covered the child in a white cloth and brought him to the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) picked the child up in his lap and recited the Azaan in his right ear and iqamah in the left one.

As if, apparently, he (PBUH) made the ears of his son familiar and acquainted with the name of God for the first time. On the seventh day of the birth, an angel came from the God and he said, “Just as Haroon was the brother, sympathizer, and helper in each and every difficulty of Moses (PBUH) similarly Ali (PBUH) is your sympathizer, helper and brother in each and every matter of yours. Therefore, keep the name of this child upon the name of Haroon’s son “Shabbir,” which translated into Arabic becomes ‘Husayn’. Thus the name of the second child of Fatima (PBUH) was also selected by God. Imam Husayn was Imam for a period of ten years, all but the last six months coinciding with the caliphate of Mu’awiyah. Mu’awiyah died and his son Yazid took his place.

Yazid ordered the governor of Medina either to force a pledge of allegiance from Imam Husayn or send his head to Damascus. After the governor of Medina informed Imam Husayn of this demand, the Imam, in order to think over the question, asked for a delay and overnight started with his family toward Mecca. On the other hand a flood of letters began to flow, especially from Iraq and particularly the city of Kufa, inviting the Imam to go to Iraq and accept the leadership of the populace there with the aim of beginning an uprising to overcome injustice and iniquity.

Naturally such a situation was dangerous for Yazid. The stay of Imam Husayn in Mecca continued until the season for pilgrimage when Muslims from all over the world poured in groups into Mecca in order to perform the rites of the hajj. The Imam discovered that some of the followers of Yazid had entered Mecca as pilgrims with the mission to kill the Imam during the rites of hajj with the arms they carried under their special pilgrimage dress (ihram).

The Imam shortened the pilgrimage rites and decided to leave. Amidst the vast crowd of people he stood up and in a short speech announced that he was setting out for Iraq. In this short speech he also declared that he would be martyred and asked Muslims to help him in attaining the goal he had in view and to offer their lives in the path of God. The next day he set out with his family and a group of his companions for Iraq.

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Imam Husayn was determined not to give his allegiance to Yazid and knew full well that he would be killed. While on the way to Kufa and still a few days’ journey away from the city, he received news that the followers of Yazid in Kufa had put to death the representative of the Imam in that city and also one of the Imam’s determined supporters who was a well-known man in Kufa. Their feet had been tied and they had been dragged through the streets. The city and its surroundings were placed under strict observation and countless soldiers of the enemy were awaiting him, There was no way open to him but to march ahead and to face death.

It was-here that the Imam expressed his definitive determination to go ahead and be martyred; and so he continued on his journey in a desert named Kerbala, the Imam and his entourage were surrounded by the army of Yazid. For eight days they stayed in this spot during which the circle narrowed and the number of the enemy’s army increased. Finally the Imam, with his household and a small numbers of companions were encircled by an army of thirty thousand soldiers. During the night he called his companions and during a short speech stated that there was nothing ahead but death and martyrdom.

He added that since the enemy was concerned only with his person he would free them from all obligations so that anyone who wished could escape in the darkness of the night and save his life. Then he ordered the lights to be turned out and most of his companions, who had joined him for their own advantage, dispersed.

Only a handful of those who loved the truth about forty of his close aides and some of the Banu Hashim remained. Once again the Imam assembled those who were left and put them to a test. He addressed his companions and Hashimite relatives, saying again that the enemy was concerned only with his person. Each could benefit from the darkness of the night and escape the danger. But this time the faithful companions of the Imam answered each in his own way that they would not deviate for a moment from the path of truth of which the Imam was the leader and would never leave him alone.

They said they would defend his household to the last drop of their blood and as 16

long as they could carry a sword. On the ninth day of the month the last challenge to choose between “allegiance & war” was made by the enemy to the Imam. The Imam asked for a delay in order to worship overnight and became determined to enter battle on the next day. On the tenth day of Muharram the Imam lined up before the enemy with his small band of followers, less than ninety persons consisting of forty of his companions, thirty some members of the army of the enemy that joined him during the night and day of war, and his Hashimite family of children, brothers, nephews, nieces and cousins.

That day they fought from morning until their final breath, the Imam, the young Hashimites and the companions were all martyred.

LESSONS OF KERBALA Karbala stands for courage, self-sacrifice, integrity, honesty, vision, and bravery beyond words. It symbolizes all that is pure and true. Karbala teaches us that real battles are always fought in the minds and not on ground. Yazid was powerful and yet he lost the battle for truth.

“I learned from Husayn how to be wronged and be a winner.—Mahatma Gandhi As the old adage goes, “Nothing lasts forever. Husayn and his followers made sure that their martyrdom gave a fatal blow to Yazid’s oppressive rule. Karbala haunted Yazid till his eventual death two years later.

“Imam Husayn uprooted despotism forever till the Day of Resurrection. He watered the dry garden of freedom with the surging wave of his blood, and indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation. Husayn weltered in blood and dust for the sake of truth.

Verily he, therefore, became the foundation of the Muslim creed; Sir Muhammad Iqbal It also teaches us to be patient and stand up against any form of wrong treatment. We curse Yazid and his army for their inhuman treatment of people Aside from that lesson, we see a lesson of forgiveness. Hazrat Hur who came to Imam and basically took him to the battlefield to begin the war came begging for forgiveness 17

when he realized his mistake, and not only was he forgiven, he was also accepted and granted heaven. But We hold grudges and anger, cut off relations, and cause tension.

Rather than holding that grudge, why do we not emulate our Imam’s actions and forgive and let go of small issues? Hur, the man who took Imam Husayn and his family to their mournful day, was forgiven! Yet we hold grudges to the point where we stop saying Salam to our own community members. I can only imagine how much more happy and peaceful our communities would be if we took a lesson on how to forgive others from our Imam!

What lesson do we learn from our beloved Hazrat Abbas? Who is so devoted and dedicated to his leader that he is in complete awe of him? Who gave his limbs to fetch water for his niece? Who, regardless of being just as thirsty as the rest of the family, did not even take a sip of water when he reached the river, because he did not want to drink first? What lifelong lesson does this teach us? Yes, he did die thirsty, but he died with dignity and honor. He died knowing that he lived up to his duties and tried the best he could. How easily do we give up? It is difficult for us to pray five times a day on time – some of us just quit, while others keep trying, and we complain about it.

The final lesson is one that should be pondered about often: the lesson which teaches us to live with character, with pride of our religion, and most importantly, a lesson which makes us realize that we have a duty. We are not here to eat, drink, sleep, and party. By all means, do those things in the right way as prescribed, but learn a lesson from the lady who told the story to the world. Realize that no matter what calamities happen to us, no matter we lose our children, our father, or a baby nephew - from God we come, and to God we return. Lady Zaynab taught us exactly that. No matter what will happen to us, stand tall, and be strong. As a woman- who are considered more emotional of the two genders - she held back from mourning the deaths of her family members so that she could take care of the rest.

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OBESITY… HIGHLY PREVALENT AND EQUALLY DANGEROUS “…and eat and drink and be not extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.”

(Surah al-Ar’āf 7:31) Obesity means having too much body fat. It is not the same as being overweight, which means weighing too much. A person may be overweight from extra muscle, bone, or water, as well as from having too much fat.

CAUSES:

• Eating more food than your body can use • Not getting enough exercise

Other factors that affect weight include: The way we eat when we are children can affect the way we eat as adults. The way we eat over many years becomes a habit. It affects what we eat, when we eat, and how much we eat.

We are surrounded by things that make it easy to overeat and hard to stay active: • Many people do not have time to plan and make healthy meals.

• More people today work desk jobs compared to more active jobs in the past.

• People with less free time have less time to exercise.

COMMON HEALTH RISKS CAUSED BY OBESITY: High Blood Pressure: Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, than people who are not overweight. Very high blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats) can also lead to heart disease and often are linked to obesity.

Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes reduces your body’s ability to control blood sugar. It is a major cause of early death, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness.

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Sleeping Apnoea: The apnoea can cause a person to stop breathing for short periods during sleep and to snore heavily. As a further consequence, there may be daytime sleepiness and in extreme cases the onset of symptoms of heart failure.

Oestoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder that most often affects the joints in your knees, hips, and lowers back. The extra weight put on because of obesity puts extra pressure on the joints, wearing away all the cartilage

Other Problems: Financial Inefficiency: Due to obesity, your economical situation may worsen because you spend most of your money treating yourself from all those deadly diseases caused by obesity.

Furthermore, you don’t remain as active anymore therefore, you become lazy and your income reduces as you spend more time staying away from work. Together with that, the slower your mind processes, the harder it becomes for you to be able to communicate with your business colleagues and customers because your mind doesn’t function fast enough and in the appropriate way to be able to do your job. Therefore, obesity highly plays a negative impact on your health.

SOLUTIONS:

• P repare a healthy routine diet that consists of healthy filling foods instead of fats.

• T ry eating more homemade, boiled or grilled food and avoid fast and street foods.

• D o not keep yourself hungry because that will cause your body to eat its own fat and muscles gradually.

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• T ry and spend an hour from your busy schedule dedicated to aerobic or anaerobic exercises in order to help you lose the unnecessary blubber on your body – through a gradual process.

• Eat whole grain foods, vegetables and fruits for most of your diet.

• Avoid oily foods.

• C hew your food and eat slowly to let digestion occur in your stomach, or else you will end up with lumps of food causing indigestion.

• W hen eating, concentrate on your food rather than spending more time talking and not taking care of your eating habits.

• Eat enough to give you energy, don’t overfeed yourself.

• Do not eat at random intervals.

If this article has helped you, then consider this being your new resolution: “EAT TO LIVE, DON’T LIVE TO EAT!”

By Sister Samana Khimji

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Felix Baumgartner: Jump from Space Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner stepped onto the edge of a specially rigged space capsule on Sunday(October 14th), stared at the ground 24 miles below, and bravely leaped into the history books.

The supersonic dive, broadcast live worldwide as part of the Red Bull Stratos mission, clinched multiple world records for the 43-year-old pilot. He became the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, completed the highest-altitude skydive in history, the longest free-fall without a parachute, and the fastest speed ever achieved during a skydive. A brief look at Baumgartner’s historic jump, by the numbers:

128,100

ltitude, in feet, from which Baumgartner jumped. That’s 24 miles above the A ground, and “four times higher than most passenger jets fly.”

2.5

Hours he spent ascending through the atmosphere

10 to 20 Seconds Baumgartner spent spinning out of control when he first jumped out of the capsule. “At a certain R.P.M.,” said Baumgartner,

260 Seconds that Baumgartner spent free-falling through space before deploying his parachute

690

The sound barrier, in miles per hour

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833.9

e world-record speed, in miles per hour, that Baumgartner hit while falling Th (Mach 1.24)

119,846 Feet Baumgartner plummeted before deploying his parachute — also a world record

300

P eople who worked on the Red Bull Stratos mission, including 70 engineers, scientists, and physicians

5

Years of planning before the Red Bull Stratos finally happened

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Cameras used to record the stunt

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Television stations, including the Discovery Channel, that showed the jump live

8 million

P eople who tuned in to watch the jump online, easily crushing the 500,000YouTube live stream record set by the London Summer Olympics

10 Minutes that passed from the time Baumgartner jumped to the moment he raised to raise his fist victoriously while standing on solid ground.

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Spiced Tomato Soup “Spice up regular tomato soup with cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and coconut milk.”

INGREDIENTS Original recipe makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup minced onion

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

DIRECTIONS 1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, ginger, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir tomato soup, coconut milk, and diced tomatoes into the onion mixture and cook until soup is heated through, about 10 minutes.

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