A Pond full of Milk
Once there was a king who told some of his workers to dig a pond. Once the pond was dug, the king made an announcement to his people saying that one person from each household has to bring a glass of milk during the night and pour it into the pond. So, the pond should be full of milk by the morning. After receiving the order, everyone went home. One man prepared to take the milk during the night. He thought that since everyone will bring milk, he could just hide a glass of water and pour inside the pond. Because it will be dark at night, no one will notice. So he quickly went and poured the water in the pond and came back. In the morning, the king came to visit the pond and to his surprise the pond was only filled with water! What has happened is that everyone was thinking like the other man that "I don't have to put the milk, someone else will do it."
Dear friends, when it comes to help the Religion of Allah, do not think that others will take care of it. Rather, it starts from you, if you don't do it, no one else will do it. So, change yourself to the way of Allah to serve Him and that will make the difference.
Indonesia Photos
Alhumdulillah, the party of volunteers that had departed from Leicester have now returned. See below some pictures I have attached that they took during their visit.
Shaykh Muhammad Sindhi has given an update with regards to the situation in Indonesia he was able to witness himself along with the other volunteers, please hear the talk below for this.
Tsunami-01 - The_Awsome_Power_of_Allah
Another talk is: Mufti Abdur Rahman Ibn Yusuf - Tsunami
Please remember me & all the muslims in your duahs.
Wa Salams
ASIA TSUNAMI PICTURES
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Story and Revision Tips 2
Inspirational Story from the East
An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"
One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by--still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.
Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"
If you plant honesty, You will reap trust
If you plant goodness, You will reap friends
If you plant humility, You will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, You will reap victory
If you plant consideration, You will reap harmony
If you plant hard work, You will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, You will reap reconciliation
If you plant openness, You will reap intimacy
If you plant patience, You will reap improvements
If you plant faith, You will reap miracles
But
If you plant dishonesty, You will reap distrust
If you plant selfishness, You will reap loneliness
If you plant pride, You will reap destruction
If you plant envy, You will reap trouble
If you plant laziness, You will reap stagnation
If you plant bitterness, You will reap isolation
If you plant greed, You will reap loss
If you plant gossip, You will reap enemies
If you plant worries, You will reap wrinkles
If you plant sin, You will reap guilt
So be careful what you plant now, It will determine what you will reap tomorrow,The seeds you now scatter, Will make life worse or better,your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits,Or you will pay for the choices you plant today.
REVISION GUIDELINES Part 2
4. Get used to the time pressure you will be under in a real exam. A common complaint for exam students is running out of time. The truth is you will never have enough time for the exam, you just need to manage better the time you do have!
5. Realise that the amount of time spent on an exam needs to be in proportion to the marks it is worth.E.g. In a 3 hour exam Question A is worth 50 marks, B 25 marks and C 25 marks. Spend: A 50% x 180 mins = 90 mins
B 25% x 180 mins = 45 mins
C 25% x 180 mins = 45 mins
6. Be more time efficient as you become more familiar with the subject you are learning, especially if you are redoing the questions a 2nd time after doing them all.
Unless you are doing exam questions or mock exams don’t study for more than 50-60 minutes at a time. This is because your concentration lapses, keep taking these regular breaks.
Identify your strong and weak subjects and mix them up on your study plan. You don’t want to become de-motivated by lumping the difficult ones together or overconfident by putting all the easier ones together.
I had a tendency myself to take the relax last minute type approach for exams.
Only when I saw the biggest dosser on my course staying behind late at the library to revise 3 months in advance for final exams that I realised it was time to act. I wrote out the dates for the next 3 months on an A4 sheet of paper and next to them I put the number of days left to my first exam. Realising that time is shorter than I had thought I set about revising daily and I would start after Fajr, studying 50 minutes and then a 10-minute break. By midday I had done 6 sessions. I would take a reasonably long break for lunch and Zuhr and then would sit down again. The evenings I would spend for my own time to relax. Using this technique and by the grace of Allah (without whom nothing would be possible) I managed to get a upper second class degree while most of the others on my course got a lower second class degree.
Despite adopting the means one must recognise that only Almighty Allah can grant success and in your duah to Him this should be acknowledged (if the asker is not sincere in asking then how can he expect to receive that what he asks?).
My last final piece of advice but the most important ‘NEVER NEGLECT YOUR FARDH’ no matter how important anything else may seem.
An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"
One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by--still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.
Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"
If you plant honesty, You will reap trust
If you plant goodness, You will reap friends
If you plant humility, You will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, You will reap victory
If you plant consideration, You will reap harmony
If you plant hard work, You will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, You will reap reconciliation
If you plant openness, You will reap intimacy
If you plant patience, You will reap improvements
If you plant faith, You will reap miracles
But
If you plant dishonesty, You will reap distrust
If you plant selfishness, You will reap loneliness
If you plant pride, You will reap destruction
If you plant envy, You will reap trouble
If you plant laziness, You will reap stagnation
If you plant bitterness, You will reap isolation
If you plant greed, You will reap loss
If you plant gossip, You will reap enemies
If you plant worries, You will reap wrinkles
If you plant sin, You will reap guilt
So be careful what you plant now, It will determine what you will reap tomorrow,The seeds you now scatter, Will make life worse or better,your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits,Or you will pay for the choices you plant today.
REVISION GUIDELINES Part 2
4. Get used to the time pressure you will be under in a real exam. A common complaint for exam students is running out of time. The truth is you will never have enough time for the exam, you just need to manage better the time you do have!
5. Realise that the amount of time spent on an exam needs to be in proportion to the marks it is worth.E.g. In a 3 hour exam Question A is worth 50 marks, B 25 marks and C 25 marks. Spend: A 50% x 180 mins = 90 mins
B 25% x 180 mins = 45 mins
C 25% x 180 mins = 45 mins
6. Be more time efficient as you become more familiar with the subject you are learning, especially if you are redoing the questions a 2nd time after doing them all.
Unless you are doing exam questions or mock exams don’t study for more than 50-60 minutes at a time. This is because your concentration lapses, keep taking these regular breaks.
Identify your strong and weak subjects and mix them up on your study plan. You don’t want to become de-motivated by lumping the difficult ones together or overconfident by putting all the easier ones together.
I had a tendency myself to take the relax last minute type approach for exams.
Only when I saw the biggest dosser on my course staying behind late at the library to revise 3 months in advance for final exams that I realised it was time to act. I wrote out the dates for the next 3 months on an A4 sheet of paper and next to them I put the number of days left to my first exam. Realising that time is shorter than I had thought I set about revising daily and I would start after Fajr, studying 50 minutes and then a 10-minute break. By midday I had done 6 sessions. I would take a reasonably long break for lunch and Zuhr and then would sit down again. The evenings I would spend for my own time to relax. Using this technique and by the grace of Allah (without whom nothing would be possible) I managed to get a upper second class degree while most of the others on my course got a lower second class degree.
Despite adopting the means one must recognise that only Almighty Allah can grant success and in your duah to Him this should be acknowledged (if the asker is not sincere in asking then how can he expect to receive that what he asks?).
My last final piece of advice but the most important ‘NEVER NEGLECT YOUR FARDH’ no matter how important anything else may seem.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
EID MUBARAK
Salams
Have a great EID with your family and dont overdo it with the Samosas, Pakoras and Biryanis.
WS
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Islamic Education
Salams
This week saw the Muslim Girls Comprehensive scholl in Bradford make the headlines (http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=8690) for being top of the list in 'adding value'.
However, the reality is that for some Islamic schools (Darul Ulooms) they are increasingly put under pressure by authorities and critics in the UK, with the threat of being closed down if they fail to deliver. One such school is Imam Muhammad Zakariya for girls in Dundee (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3662839.stm). What we have to ask ourselves is what have we done to help these Islamic Schools? Not a lot would in most cases be the answer.
If a child was given £1 to spend for the week, we would be called stingy/ tight. Yet even if we were to donate just this 1 pound every week and 200 people were to do this, that would raise £200 a week, which would be a lot for the school and inshallah could be made excellent use of. What an amazig investment this would be, and imagine what it could reap for you in the hereafter!! Subhanallah.
The fact however remains that we as an ummah are so tight-fisted and materialistic that never mind digging into our pockets, we will not even remember to make duah for the troubled schools or make Shukr (be grateful) to Allah for how well the good ones are doing.
Remember this much, today we pay little attention to these schools, but tomorrow inshallah we will be parents and if we wish to send our children to Islamic schools we shouldnt expect to be able to send them to one, for what did we ever do today to set one up and help maintain the existing ones??
Click on icon below to hear a talk on this subject.
Please remember these schools and myself in your Duahs.
Wasalams
Ahmed
The Story of an African King and His Friend
A story is told about a King in Africa who had a close friend that he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) by remarking, "This is good, Almighty knows best"
One day the King and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the King. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the King fired it and his thumb was blown off.Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good! Almighty knows best."
To which the King replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and ordered his soldiers to put his friend into jail.About a year later, the King was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured the King and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.
As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the King was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So after untying the King, they chased him out of the villageWhen the King reached his Palace, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right" the King said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. " I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.""No," his friend replied, "this is good ... Almighty knows best""What do you mean, 'this is good'! How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
The King's friend replied: "Remember that the Almighty knows best and if I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you(on this hunting trip)." " He knows what is before them And what is behind them:
And to Allah go back
All questions (for decision)"
Qur'an:Surah Al Hajj 22:76
Do Not Judge Things or Events by its Immediate Outcome!
Almighty, the Most High, is the All-Knowledgable, the All-Knower... He chooses to show us things... but sometimes... we are not shown the wisdom behind somethings. When we are confronted by circumstances that are not very pleasing.... we are quick to say: "This is not good..." but... is it really? We might not know the purpose behind it. It might turn to be a good thing.... thus.. .when we are faced with any situation... do not be too quick to judge... always remember.... this life is a test... the good and the bad.... and there is nothing that happens for no reason... our brains are just not gifted enough to understand these reasons yet. Sometimes ........ things happen to us for a reason.
This week saw the Muslim Girls Comprehensive scholl in Bradford make the headlines (http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=8690) for being top of the list in 'adding value'.
However, the reality is that for some Islamic schools (Darul Ulooms) they are increasingly put under pressure by authorities and critics in the UK, with the threat of being closed down if they fail to deliver. One such school is Imam Muhammad Zakariya for girls in Dundee (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3662839.stm). What we have to ask ourselves is what have we done to help these Islamic Schools? Not a lot would in most cases be the answer.
If a child was given £1 to spend for the week, we would be called stingy/ tight. Yet even if we were to donate just this 1 pound every week and 200 people were to do this, that would raise £200 a week, which would be a lot for the school and inshallah could be made excellent use of. What an amazig investment this would be, and imagine what it could reap for you in the hereafter!! Subhanallah.
The fact however remains that we as an ummah are so tight-fisted and materialistic that never mind digging into our pockets, we will not even remember to make duah for the troubled schools or make Shukr (be grateful) to Allah for how well the good ones are doing.
Remember this much, today we pay little attention to these schools, but tomorrow inshallah we will be parents and if we wish to send our children to Islamic schools we shouldnt expect to be able to send them to one, for what did we ever do today to set one up and help maintain the existing ones??
Click on icon below to hear a talk on this subject.
Please remember these schools and myself in your Duahs.
Wasalams
Ahmed
The Story of an African King and His Friend
A story is told about a King in Africa who had a close friend that he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) by remarking, "This is good, Almighty knows best"
One day the King and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the King. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the King fired it and his thumb was blown off.Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good! Almighty knows best."
To which the King replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and ordered his soldiers to put his friend into jail.About a year later, the King was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured the King and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.
As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the King was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So after untying the King, they chased him out of the villageWhen the King reached his Palace, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right" the King said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. " I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.""No," his friend replied, "this is good ... Almighty knows best""What do you mean, 'this is good'! How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
The King's friend replied: "Remember that the Almighty knows best and if I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you(on this hunting trip)." " He knows what is before them And what is behind them:
And to Allah go back
All questions (for decision)"
Qur'an:Surah Al Hajj 22:76
Do Not Judge Things or Events by its Immediate Outcome!
Almighty, the Most High, is the All-Knowledgable, the All-Knower... He chooses to show us things... but sometimes... we are not shown the wisdom behind somethings. When we are confronted by circumstances that are not very pleasing.... we are quick to say: "This is not good..." but... is it really? We might not know the purpose behind it. It might turn to be a good thing.... thus.. .when we are faced with any situation... do not be too quick to judge... always remember.... this life is a test... the good and the bad.... and there is nothing that happens for no reason... our brains are just not gifted enough to understand these reasons yet. Sometimes ........ things happen to us for a reason.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Lesson of Life and Revision tips 1
A lesson of life from a story of a lion ,a python & a 2 mice
A story is told about a man who was strolling among the trees in a remote African jungle. He was enjoying nature's beauty and listening to exotic birds sing while enjoying the smell of the wild jungle flowers.Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sound of an animal running with great speed. The sound grew louder and closer. As the man's heart jumped to his throat, he turned around to see a great and obviously very hungry lion running towards him.He ran with all his powers and the lion ran after him. Suddenly the man noticed an old well and quickly jumped into it. He clung to a rope that was hanging inside the well, which was used to fetch water.When the lion's roaring subsided and the man was finally able to catch his breath, he heard a sound underneath him. He looked down to see a giant snake (or python) ... its mouth wide open, waiting for the man to drop right into it...
His mind raced to find a solution to this inescapable situation. As if this wasn't enough,the man suddenly notices two mice: one black and one white and they were chewing on the rope above him! He started to shake the rope hoping to dislodge the mice and save him. In doing so, the rope started swinging and the man started bumping into the walls of the well. Then he felt something sticky on his arm (as he hit the wall) and upon tasting it (would you have done that if you were in such a predicament?) he found out that it was honey and sweet as could be.He tasted it again and again until he forgot the predicament he was in.The man suddenly woke up. It was a very bad dream!
He decided to seek an interpretation to his dream and rushed to a Scholar and Sheikh. The Scholar laughed and interpreted the dream for him. He said: "The lion was the Angel of Death; the Well with the python was your grave; the rope was your "life" (clinging to it) and the mice were the Day and the Night "eating away" from your life..."The man was shocked but then asked: "And what about the Honey?".The Scholar answered: "It's the sweetness of this life that made you forget your ultimate end and what awaits."
REVISION GUIDELINES Part 1
So you’ve got a few months left for your exams, or perhaps only a few weeks. This article aims to talk about how you can go about planning your revision and exam preparation. You may or may not agree with all or some of the things it says, this is ok, as you should use the method you feel comfortable with. If something different has worked for you then stick to that, and let me also know about it. (mail me on m335@hotm....com)
First off, check you have all the required notes to revise from.
If you have sheets and sheets of notes on a subject then you may want to consider trying Mind maps. www.mind-map.com/EN/mindmaps/how_to.html. Tony Buzans ‘Use Your Head’ is also a good book on the same subject.
Next you should draw up a calendar/ revision planner showing each day up from now until your exam/ exam week. Each day mark down what subject you have studied &/ or how many hours. This way when you have a lazy day you should be able to see it on paper and feel guilty for doing so.
If you start planning early enough, then those who tend to panic will have time to panic, calm down and then approach the task of revision in a logical and cohesive manner.
A great way to revise is by practising real past exam questions. The beauty of this is you can:
1. Learn what you need to know for a particular subject/ module and do away with some of the information you don’t need to know.
2. Teachers will normally be willing to take a look at any essays/ questions you have done and give you feedback on it, so use them!
3. Develop the unique skills needed for exam style questions. Learning a subject inside out does not mean you will breeze the exam.
A story is told about a man who was strolling among the trees in a remote African jungle. He was enjoying nature's beauty and listening to exotic birds sing while enjoying the smell of the wild jungle flowers.Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sound of an animal running with great speed. The sound grew louder and closer. As the man's heart jumped to his throat, he turned around to see a great and obviously very hungry lion running towards him.He ran with all his powers and the lion ran after him. Suddenly the man noticed an old well and quickly jumped into it. He clung to a rope that was hanging inside the well, which was used to fetch water.When the lion's roaring subsided and the man was finally able to catch his breath, he heard a sound underneath him. He looked down to see a giant snake (or python) ... its mouth wide open, waiting for the man to drop right into it...
His mind raced to find a solution to this inescapable situation. As if this wasn't enough,the man suddenly notices two mice: one black and one white and they were chewing on the rope above him! He started to shake the rope hoping to dislodge the mice and save him. In doing so, the rope started swinging and the man started bumping into the walls of the well. Then he felt something sticky on his arm (as he hit the wall) and upon tasting it (would you have done that if you were in such a predicament?) he found out that it was honey and sweet as could be.He tasted it again and again until he forgot the predicament he was in.The man suddenly woke up. It was a very bad dream!
He decided to seek an interpretation to his dream and rushed to a Scholar and Sheikh. The Scholar laughed and interpreted the dream for him. He said: "The lion was the Angel of Death; the Well with the python was your grave; the rope was your "life" (clinging to it) and the mice were the Day and the Night "eating away" from your life..."The man was shocked but then asked: "And what about the Honey?".The Scholar answered: "It's the sweetness of this life that made you forget your ultimate end and what awaits."
REVISION GUIDELINES Part 1
So you’ve got a few months left for your exams, or perhaps only a few weeks. This article aims to talk about how you can go about planning your revision and exam preparation. You may or may not agree with all or some of the things it says, this is ok, as you should use the method you feel comfortable with. If something different has worked for you then stick to that, and let me also know about it. (mail me on m335@hotm....com)
First off, check you have all the required notes to revise from.
If you have sheets and sheets of notes on a subject then you may want to consider trying Mind maps. www.mind-map.com/EN/mindmaps/how_to.html. Tony Buzans ‘Use Your Head’ is also a good book on the same subject.
Next you should draw up a calendar/ revision planner showing each day up from now until your exam/ exam week. Each day mark down what subject you have studied &/ or how many hours. This way when you have a lazy day you should be able to see it on paper and feel guilty for doing so.
If you start planning early enough, then those who tend to panic will have time to panic, calm down and then approach the task of revision in a logical and cohesive manner.
A great way to revise is by practising real past exam questions. The beauty of this is you can:
1. Learn what you need to know for a particular subject/ module and do away with some of the information you don’t need to know.
2. Teachers will normally be willing to take a look at any essays/ questions you have done and give you feedback on it, so use them!
3. Develop the unique skills needed for exam style questions. Learning a subject inside out does not mean you will breeze the exam.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Four wives!
Our Four Wives ! (Khanqah Sheikh Zakariyya,Lenasia, South Africa)
Legend goes that once there was a very rich merchant in Baghdad who had four wives. The wealth had to be spent on something after all! The old man loved his young and beautiful fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich and beautiful clothes and treated her to all types of delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the third wife a lot. He was very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his relatives and friends. However, the merchant was always in great fear that she might run away with a younger and more handsome man.
He loved his second wife too. A middle-aged lady by then, but her intelligence made up for her age. She was a very considerate person, always patient and in fact she was the one who knew the intricacies of the trade and acted as the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always helped him tide over the difficult times.
Now the merchant's first wife - by now frail and neglected - was a very loyal partner. She had stood by her husband through thick and thin and braved the rough times along with her husband. But this was when they were not as rich. She had made great contributions in looking after his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However the merchant did not love his first wife any more and although she loved him deeply he hardly ever took notice of her. Like all good things the opulent and luxurious life of the merchant neared its end.
One day the merchant fell ill. A physician was sent for but he didn't find much hope for the patient's life. Judging by the somber mood of the men and women gathered around him, the merchant knew that he was going to die soon. He reflected on the good times, thought of his luxurious life and mused: “I have four wives but when I die, I will be alone. How lonely I will be.”
He asked his wives to come sit by his side. He addressed his fourth wife: “I love you the most, have showered on you diamonds, jewels, perfumes and the finest of clothing and have taken great care of you, follow me and give me company in the loneliness of my grave?” “No way,” replied the youngest wife. And she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right through the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked his third wife. “I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “NO!” Replied the third wife “Life is so good over here, after your burial I am going to marry my cousin in Basra. But I promise to arrange a very good funeral for you.” The merchant's heart sank and he turned cold. He then asked the second wife “I always turned to you for help and you have always helped me in my difficult times. This is a real crisis and now I need your valued help again. When I die, will you follow me and give me your company, you know like the good old days?” “I am sorry, I can't help you out this time.” replied the second wife. “At the very most I can accompany you up to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then he heard a weak and frail voice: “You are my first and my last. I will be with you all the time. I will follow you wherever you go.” The merchant then looked up and saw a frail figure - his first wife. Years of neglect showed on her face. She looked pale and skinny and it was obvious that she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the ailing merchant said, “I should have taken much more care of you while I could have.”
We all have four wives in our lives. The fourth is our body. No amount of health, food, vitamins and visiting the gym and effort we lavish in making it look good will be of any real help, it will leave us when we die. Regarding our third wife? Look beyond your nose - our possessions, status and wealth. When we die they all go to others. The second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been during our good times and bad, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the graveyard. The first wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual things that follows us wherever we go.Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we are on our deathbed to lament.
Legend goes that once there was a very rich merchant in Baghdad who had four wives. The wealth had to be spent on something after all! The old man loved his young and beautiful fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich and beautiful clothes and treated her to all types of delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the third wife a lot. He was very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his relatives and friends. However, the merchant was always in great fear that she might run away with a younger and more handsome man.
He loved his second wife too. A middle-aged lady by then, but her intelligence made up for her age. She was a very considerate person, always patient and in fact she was the one who knew the intricacies of the trade and acted as the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always helped him tide over the difficult times.
Now the merchant's first wife - by now frail and neglected - was a very loyal partner. She had stood by her husband through thick and thin and braved the rough times along with her husband. But this was when they were not as rich. She had made great contributions in looking after his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However the merchant did not love his first wife any more and although she loved him deeply he hardly ever took notice of her. Like all good things the opulent and luxurious life of the merchant neared its end.
One day the merchant fell ill. A physician was sent for but he didn't find much hope for the patient's life. Judging by the somber mood of the men and women gathered around him, the merchant knew that he was going to die soon. He reflected on the good times, thought of his luxurious life and mused: “I have four wives but when I die, I will be alone. How lonely I will be.”
He asked his wives to come sit by his side. He addressed his fourth wife: “I love you the most, have showered on you diamonds, jewels, perfumes and the finest of clothing and have taken great care of you, follow me and give me company in the loneliness of my grave?” “No way,” replied the youngest wife. And she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right through the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked his third wife. “I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “NO!” Replied the third wife “Life is so good over here, after your burial I am going to marry my cousin in Basra. But I promise to arrange a very good funeral for you.” The merchant's heart sank and he turned cold. He then asked the second wife “I always turned to you for help and you have always helped me in my difficult times. This is a real crisis and now I need your valued help again. When I die, will you follow me and give me your company, you know like the good old days?” “I am sorry, I can't help you out this time.” replied the second wife. “At the very most I can accompany you up to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then he heard a weak and frail voice: “You are my first and my last. I will be with you all the time. I will follow you wherever you go.” The merchant then looked up and saw a frail figure - his first wife. Years of neglect showed on her face. She looked pale and skinny and it was obvious that she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the ailing merchant said, “I should have taken much more care of you while I could have.”
We all have four wives in our lives. The fourth is our body. No amount of health, food, vitamins and visiting the gym and effort we lavish in making it look good will be of any real help, it will leave us when we die. Regarding our third wife? Look beyond your nose - our possessions, status and wealth. When we die they all go to others. The second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been during our good times and bad, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the graveyard. The first wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual things that follows us wherever we go.Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we are on our deathbed to lament.
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