Believing in God is Irrational

Believing in God is irrational. In the past, God's existence has been used to explain unexplainable phenomena. Today, however, we are living in an age of technology, discovery and logic. Thus, we can use science and logic to explain our surrounding events. Believing in God is irrational and irrelevant, and anyone who holds this belief is also irrational. This belief is held by many, especially in academic settings. Most have come not to believe in existence of God and religion is looked down upon as something that is irrational and too traditional to deal with in our "modern" world. However, with further examinations this view is not logical. A scientist, who had recently converted to Islam explained existence of God with a mousetrap analogy.

Let us examine a mousetrap. What are the chances that the copper could have been mined in the form of a wire? cut in that exact size? and what are the chances that the wire would come together in a way to catch a mouse? to have exact timing to catch the mouse? What are the chances that the mousetrap came to existence on by itself? We would almost immediately claim that it put together by man. A mousetrap is one of the least complex objects we have seen, yet we can still not see it coming together on its own. Then, how is it logical to say that the human body, with all its complexities, was put together by itself? For example, the human eye alone is a lens with complex chemicals, with many complex parts, how could it have come up together on its own? The answer is that it couldn't have and that it was created by a Creator. This is why it is irrational to say that God doesn't exist.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Saturday, August 22nd, marked the first day of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of Islamic Calendar. Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims around the world. We are among the blessed ones to have the privilege to live in this Holy month. May Allah give us patience and help us make the best of this blessed month. As I was reading a few articles about Ramadan, I came across a sermon by Prophet Muhammad (SAW), so I thought I would share it with you:

O People! The month of Allah (Ramadan) has approached you with His mercy and blessings. This is the month that is the best of all months in the estimation of Allah. Its days are the best among the days; its nights are the best among the nights. Its hours are the best among the hours.

This is a month in which he has invited you. You have been, in this month, selected as the recipients of the honors of Allah, the Merciful. In this holy month, when you breathe, it has the Sawab/thawab (heavenly reward) of 'Tasbeeh' (the praise of Allah on rosary beads), and your sleep has the thawab of worship.

Your good deeds are accepted in this month. So are your invocations. Therefore, you must invoke your Lord, in right earnest, with hearts that are free from sins and evils, that Allah may bless you, observe fast, in this month, and recite the Holy Quran.

Verily! The person who may not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah in this month must be very unfortunate having an end as bad (in the Hereafter). While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst of tomorrow in Qiyamat. Give alms to the poor and the needy. Pay respects to your elders.

Have pity on those younger than you and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen. Guard your tongues against unworthy words, and your eyes from such scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from such sounds that should not be heard by you.

Be kind to orphans so that when your children become orphans they also may be treated with kindness. Do invoke that Allah may forgive your sins. Do raise your hands at the time of Salat (Prayers), as it is the best time for asking His mercy. When we invoke at such times, we are answered by Him, when we call Him, He responds, and when we ask for anything, it is accepted by Him.

O People! You have made your conscience the slave of your desires; make it free by invoking Him for Istighfar (repentance/forgiveness). Your back is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate before Him for long intervals and make it lighter.

Do understand fully well that Allah has promised in the name of His Majesty and Honor that He will not take to task such people who fast and offer Salat in this month and perform 'sajda' (prostration), and will guard their bodies against the Fire of Hell on the Day of Judgment.

O People! If anybody amongst you arranges for the Iftar (foor for the ending of the fast) of any believer, then Allah will give him a reward as if he has set free a slave. He will forgive his minor sins.

Then the companions of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "But everybody amongst us does not have the means to do so?"

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) told them: - Keep yourself away from the Fire of Hell, by inviting for 'Iftar', though it may consist of only half a date or simply with water if you have nothing else. O People! Anybody who may cultivate good manners in this month will walk over the 'Siraat' (Bridge) in 'Qiyamat', though his feet may be shaking.

Anybody who in this month may take light work from his servants (male or female), Allah will make easy his accounting on the Day of Judgment.

Anybody who does not tease others in this month, Allah will keep him safe from His wrath in Qiyamat. Anybody, who respects and treats an orphan with kindness in this month, Allah shall look at him with dignity in Qiyamat. Anybody who treats well his kinsmen, in this month, Allah will bestow His mercy on him in Qiyamat, while anybody who maltreats his kinsmen in this month, Allah will keep him away from His mercy, in Qiyamat.

Whoever offers 'Sunnat' (Recommended) prayers in this month, Allah will give him a certificate of freedom from Hell. Whosoever offers one 'Wajib' Salat in this month, for him the Angels will write the rewards of 70 such prayers, which were offered by him in any other months.

Whosoever recites repeatedly 'Salat and salam (Salawat)' on me, Allah will keep the scales of his deeds heavy, when in Qiyamat the scales of others will be tending towards lightness.

Whosoever recites in this month only one 'Ayat' (verse of the Holy Quran), he will be rewarded in a manner as if he had recited the full Holy Quran in the other months.

O People! The Gates of Paradise remain opened in this month. Do invoke that the gates may not be closed on you, while the Gates of Hell are closed. Do invoke that these gates may never be opened. During this month Shaytan (Saten) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.

Here is the link the original website for the sermon.

Ramadan Reruns!

Latest Updates on Afghanistan’s Election

by Robert Mackey
To supplement the main news articles on Thursday’s elections in Afghanistan, which is being written and updated throughout the day by Carlotta Gall in Kabul with input from New York Times reporters around the country, the At War blog will be rounding up coverage of the election on other Web sites today. We will also be bringing readers news from various polling stations submitted to us by our colleagues in the field. Readers who are in Afghanistan are invited to share their experiences of the day with us. read the latest on the election...

As Afghan Polls Open, Contest for Presidency Tightens

by Carlotta Gall
Afghanistan’s presidential race is proving tighter than expected as polls opened in an election that has become a critical benchmark of the nation’s progress for the Afghan government and the Obama administration.

The major question, diplomats and analysts said, is whether President Hamid Karzai will succeed in winning over 50 percent of the vote in the first round on Thursday, thus securing a victory, or be pushed into a second, more unpredictable round of voting. continue reading...

Afghan Election|2009

I have come up with the following links in hopes of providing you with brief overview of the status of Afghan Election|2009:

Al-Jazeera is covering the Afghan Elections 2009 with articles, video and pictures, here.

More information about the candidates and articles about the election could be found on Afghan Online Press' special-coverage website.

The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan's website has information on the election process (and more) in Dari, Pashto and English.

On Afghanistan's campaign trail

by Tanya Goudsouzian and Fatima Rabbani

In the final days before millions in Afghanistan begin to vote in the country's second democratic presidential election since a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001, candidates for the top job have gone into eleventh hour campaigning to try and win over undecided voters. continue reading...

Taliban threatens Afghan voters

The Taliban in Afghanistan has threatened to cut off voters' fingers and attack polling stations in its bid to force Afghans to boycott the presidential elections.

The threats on Sunday were made in leaflets pinned up and left on the ground in villages in southern Afghanistan. continue reading...

Chaos in the Capital

An attack in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, took the lives of eight and injured more than 85 others, four days before the election. While some are encouraging voting, the Taliban are doing their best to stop voters from going to the polls in the upcoming elections, which they claim to be an American invention, Al-Jazeera reports. Such incidents, combined with issued threats, will discourage the Afghans from participating in the election.

Elections "dar lab-e-Darya"

The Afghan election is starting in exactly eight days. This will mark Afghanistan's second election since the United States' invasion. Unfortunately, I have not been keeping up-to-date with all the news, therefore, I'll refrain myself from commenting on the elections; however, I do want to share an article that was sent to me by a friend. It is an article about the attempt of an artist to make a difference in Afghanistan's historic moment. Farhad Darya, one of my all-time favorite Afghan singers, is performing a free show in an attempt to encourage the Afghan population to vote. This is an attempt to Rocking the Vote, Afghan-Style.

Afghan Election in Pictures

From New York Times:

Lynsey Addario, a freelance photographer who has been taking pictures in Afghanistan since 2000, returned recently to shoot photos of the campaign leading up to the presidential election on Aug. 20. Ms. Addario says she has never seen Afghans as excited about an election. “People are talking about change, people are talking about who might win,” says Ms. Addario, who is represented by VII photo agency and whose work appears regularly in The Times. [For campaign picture, click here]

Ms. Addario began photographing President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in December 2008 and has also photographed the two leading candidates running against him, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani. Last weekend, she took pictures of President Karzai at a campaign rally in Baghlan, the first time she had photographed him outside the palace. At the rally, Ms. Addario says, she and other journalists were roughed up by the president’s security guards. “They basically came off the helicopter with the president and just beat up all of the journalists,” she says.

In an audio slide show, Ms. Addario discusses this most recent assignment, the first since an automobile accident in May that killed her driver and left her with a broken collarbone, and talks about the challenges of working as a female photographer in a conservative Islamic culture. Her pictures accompany a Times Magazine article about President Karzai and his campaign.
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I would recommend taking a further look at the NYTimes blog that includes many great pictures on various topics, from many places, including those from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rapper Converts to Islam

Today, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States and in the world. In the recent years, more and more rappers and hip hop artists have been converting to Islam. Loon, a rapper who was part of P.Diddy's Bad Boys Records, is an example. Here is his interview with Al-Jazeera:

Ashraf Ghani

Ashraf Ghani is one of the forty-one presidential candidates but one of the few who have a realistic chance against Hamid Karzai in this year's August 20th election. Here is his brief biography by Abdullah Qazi:

Ashraf Ghani, who holds a PhD degree in Anthropology from Colombia University in New York, is an Afghan-American intellectual who served briefly as Hamid Karzai's chief advisor in his interim administration and eventually was chosen as Afghanistan's finance minister from 2002 - 2004, during Hamid Karzai's transitional administration. Before joining the Afghan government, Ghani held positions with the United Nations and the World Bank, and helped prepare the Bonn Agreement.

Because of his success at carrying out a series of important reforms as finance minister, he was voted as the best finance minister of Asia in 2003 by Emerging Markets. Ghani is a strong advocate of foreign investment in Afghanistan, and even today works towards having Afghanistan be seen as a great opportunity for investment, not a charity.

When Afghanistan's new constitution was put it place, it required that the president's cabinet members must have only Afghan citizenship and so dual citizenships were not allowed. Not wanting to give up his American citizenship, Ghani declined to remain as finance minister and instead asked to be appointed as Chancellor of Kabul University. He later resigned from his position as Kabul University Chancellor and in 2005 co-founded and is currently chairman of the Institute for State Effectiveness (ISE). On their website, it states that the ISE "uses a citizen-centered perspective to rethink the fundamentals of the relationship between citizens, the state and the market in the context of globalization."

Ashraf Ghani wrote a book titled The Frameworks: Fixing Failed States, with Clare Lockhart (also from the the Institute for State Effectiveness), and was published in May 2008 by Oxford University Press.

Ghani was born in 1949 in the province of Logar.

by Abdullah Qazi / October 15, 2008

Another Afghan Civil War?

The U.S. administration and the current Afghan government are facing some of the same problems as the Soviet Union did in the 1980's. Today, Afghanistan is faced with many difficulties including corruption, lack of an economic development strategy and a proper educational system, poverty, high unemployment, and low literacy rates. Even geography is not in the favor of the Afghan people--Afghanistan does not have any major resources, such as oil or minerals, and its cities and villages are immensely divided from one another by the mountainous regions of the country. Due to a great abundance of issues, the U.S. administration and the current Afghan government, being pressured by the Afghan people and the international community, have to embark upon all the challenges at the same time.

So, the answer to how successful will the United Sates be is still unclear. To withdraw, we are told, would result in chaos--perhaps an Afghan civil war. Today, July 25, 2009, Malalai Joya, however, brought up another interesting perspective. In an article published in The Guardian, she suggest that a civil war is inevitable; furthermore, she suggests that the longer the foreign troops stay in Afghanistan, the worse the civil war will be.

While I admire Joya's work in Afghanistan, I have a hard time convincing myself that the withdrawal of foreign troops will not result in chaos. In other words, I feel that the withdrawal will have far greater consequence. That being said, I do believe that the way the situation is being handled could improve by taking a few extra steps. That is not to say that I claim to know the answers, but rather, the U.S. can work harder to find a better ways to fight the Taliban; more troops is certainly not the answer.

First, the United States needs to get all the experts on Afghanistan, including Russians who were involved in Afghanistan in 1980's, to ask for advice on how they can alter their rebuilding efforts. Most of the problems that we are facing are cultural and social--the United States' military is not well aware of most of the demands of Afghans. Though this has improved over the years, more could be done. Secondly, the Afghan government needs to play a greater role in the efforts of reconstruction; in other words, the United States has to start to back up as more and more Afghan officials are being trained. Perhaps, the U.S. is already taking such steps but the training is slow (due to lack of money), which leads me to my third point. Afghanistan needs more money.

It maybe hard to believe, but Iraq received twice as much money in foreign aid than Afghanistan did; even though, Iraq was able to produce more than 75% of their government spending through oil money. That number for Afghanistan, I believe, is less than 10%. When it comes to foreign aid, it is important to point out that Afghanistan is one of the worst countries in terms of the level of corruption. So, most of the money being invested may end up in the hands of corrupt warlords. Therefore, the efforts to fight corruption, though not simple, could improve a lot more. And then, there are other issues such as opium production, lack of education, poverty, and unemployment among numerous others.

Lastly, I understand that my argument is over simplifying these issues, which could not be even cover in a 100-page report; however, most would agree that the United States can improve its rebuilding efforts by taking a few simple steps. And as far as withdrawal goes, I don't think that's the answer either--the Afghan government does not poses any powers, and it will cause a chaos and may give rise to more militants entering the country from Pakistan.

Here is the Guardian article, "The big lie of Afghanistan" by Malalai Joya.

My Forgotten Home

Living in the United States, or the Western World for that matter, we have forgotten millions of people around the world who live on less than a $1.00/day. In Afghanistan alone, there are millions of Afghans who do not have access to fresh water, food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. So, I just wanted to reflect on the "harsh" conditions under which many Afghans live, while we enjoy our everyday luxuries without even rethinking them. Just to clarify, I am not suggesting that we should, in anyway, feel guilty but rather, we should be thankful and not take for granted the things we have been blessed with. Here's a brief BBC report on a family in rural Afghanistan, not far from where I lived in mid-1990's:

Sayings of Prophet Muhammad

Hadiths, or sayings of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), play an important role in the lives of millions of Muslims around the world. Muslims believe that he was the best example for mankind, and we should follow his example in our everyday lives. Here is a video with some of his sayings:

Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

Without a doubt, I think that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the greatest man to ever live. The more I read about him, the more humbled and amazed I am by his actions, trustworthiness, truthfulness, patience, knowledge, and courage. For me, it is hard to imagine the existence of such an influential human figure. Today, his name is the most common name in the world, and he easily has over a billion followers. And Muslims allover the world take pride in Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) character. One may say, however, that perhaps Muslims are biased about his "greatness," so I wanted to look at what some of the non-Muslim historians, writers, politicians, poets, and spiritual leaders have had to say about the prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him). In this post, I will give a few examples in hopes of sparking your interest for further research about the prophet:

1. Michael Hart, in his book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, ranked prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the number one, most influential, person:

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels."

2. Lamartine, a French writer, politician, poet, and historian, writes the following of Muhammad:

"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may ask, is there any man greater than he?

If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and outstanding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, and empires only. They founded, if any at all, no more than material power which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man merged not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties but millions of men in one third of the inhabited world, and more than that, moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls on the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law. He created a spiritual nationality of every tongue and of every race.” (Historie de la Turqu,, Vol. 2, page 76-77)

3. Montgomery Watt, a professor of Islamic Studies, writes that the...

"The more one reflects on the history of Muhammad and of early Islam, the more one is amazed at the vastness of his achievement. Circumstances presented him with an opportunity such as few men have had, but the man was fully matched with the hour. Had it not been for his gifts as a seer, statesman, and administrator and, behind these, his trust in God and firm belief that God had sent him, a notable chapter in the history of mankind would have remained unwritten. It is my hope that this study of his life may contribute to a fresh appraisal and appreciation of one of the greatest of the sons of Adam."

4. William Durant, a historian and a politician, writes about the great influence that prophet Muhammad had on the Arabian continent:

"In the year 565 Justinian died, master of a great empire. Five years later Muhammad was born into a poor family in a country three quarters desert, sparsely peopled by nomad tribes whose total wealth could hardly have furnished the sanctuary of St. Sophia. No one in those years would have dreamed that within a century these nomads would conquer half of Byzantine Asia, all Persia and Egypt, most of North Africa, and be on their way to Spain. The explosion of the Arabian peninsula into the conquest and conversion of half the Mediterranean world is the most extraordinary phenomenon in medieval history."

5. George Bernard Shaw, an Irish playwright, wrote that "If a man like Muhammad were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness."

Also, he writes: "I have studied him - the wonderful man - and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ he must be called the saviour of humanity."

6. Rev. R. Bosworth-Smith writes that Muhammad (SAW) was the:

"Head of the State as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was Pope without the Pope's pretensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a police force, without a fixed revenue. If ever a man had the right to say that he ruled by a right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the powers without their supports. He cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life."

7. Annie Besant, a theosophist, a women's rights activist, writer and orator, writes the following about Muhammad (SAW):

"It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher."

These are some of the example of what some of the western scholars thought about prophet Muhammad, whose influences on history are too great to ignore. Gene Garthwaite, a historian, suggests that there are a many great 'men' who play a part in history, but there are few who change history, and Muhammad was one of them. We have a lot to learn from his character and the history of the time because essentially, "events that took place in seventh-century Arabia have much to teach us about the events of our time and their underlying significance--far more, in fact, than the facile sound bites of politicians" (Armstrong).

("Where's my homeland?") وطنم کو؟

Here's a poem called "وطنم کو؟" ("Where's my homeland?"), which I really enjoyed. In the future, once my typing in Farsi improves, I will try to translate some of the poems I post. Here is the poem (click to zoom):

Finding Your Passion

Randy Pausch (1960-2008) was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He is widely known for his "last lecture" speech and his book The Last Lecture. Two years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he died at the age of 47 in 2008, leaving behind many inspirational speeches. This is an example.

In this speech, he suggests that "it is not the things we do in life that we regret, on our deathbed, it is the things we do not." I have been trying to, and want to, take every opportunity be happy, make the most of life, and try new things everyday in hopes of someday finding my passion.

Here is the video:

New President!

On July 1, 2009, Jim Yong Kim (biography) became the 17th President of Dartmouth College, making him the first Asian-American president of an ivy-league institution. The Dartmouth community welcomed him with much excitement as he took a tour of the college meeting with faculty, staff, students and the greater Hanover community. At a personal level, I am really excited to have him serve as the President and I am looking forward to seeing which direction he will take the college.

Friendship

In the age of Facebook, it is hard to define what friend or friendship means. Having hundreds of "friends" on Facebook, some of whom I have never met or talked to, makes me question my sincerity towards my so-called "friends." As a student, when I see my friends around campus, I say "hi" and ask how they are doing without the expectation of getting a response. At times, I find myself, like many others, not being sincere--it is almost as if I am asking certain question just for the sake of it or for the sake of caring conversations. This is perhaps a major weakness in most of us. We have come to value, for the most part, our time and money over our precious friends. In the future, I hope to become more sincere and take the time to talk and converse with my friends from heart.

This entry was inspired by a poem called Friendship by Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer and one of my all-time favorite heroes.

Friendship

Friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought nor sold.
But, its value is far greater than a mountain made of gold.
For gold is cold and lifeless, it can neither see nor hear.
In time of trouble its powerless to cheer.
Gold has no ears to listen, no heart to understand.
It cannot bring you comfort or reach out a helping hand.
So, when you ask God for a gift, be thankful if He sends,
not pearls, diamonds, or riches but, the love of real true friends.

Descartes

Recently in my philosophy class, Introduction to Classic Philosophy, we have been studying Descartes' Meditations, which I have found to be fascinating. So, I highly encourage anyone to read them. Since I have really enjoyed it, I am posting a passage from the First Meditation:

"I am like a prisoner who is enjoying an imaginary freedom while asleep; as he begins to suspect that he is asleep, he dreads being woken up, and goes along with the pleasant illusion as long as he can. In the same way, I happily slide back into my old opinions and dread being shaken out of them, for fear that my peaceful sleep may be followed by hard labour when I wake, and that I shall have to toil not in the light, but amid the inextricable darkness of the problems I have now raised" (Descartes, First Meditation, line 23).

Perhaps this passage on itself does not convey much, but I will refrain myself from further explanation--as my knowledge about Descartes is very limited and--in an attempt to encourage you to read the Meditations yourself.

Welcome!

Hello,
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting information, reflections, news and other fun links, games, pictures, videos, etc. with you. Also, it is a way for me to encourage myself to reflect regularly and try to seek knowledge about various subjects. So, here we go!

Hope you enjoy it!