Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

1 Kaf. Ha. Ya. `Ain. Sad.



This is the only Sura which begins with these five Abbreviated Letters, K.,H.,Y.,A.,S. For Abbreviated Letters generally.



2 (This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His Servant Zakariya.



The Mercy of Allah to Zakriya was shown in many ways: (1) in the acceptance of his prayer; (2) in bestowing a son like Yahya; and (3) in the love between father and son, in addition to the work which Yahya did as Allah's Messenger for the world.



3 Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret .



In secret: because he feared that his own family and relatives were going wrong, and he wanted to keep the lamp of Allah burning bright. He could not very well mention the fear about his colleagues (who were his relations)



4 Praying: "O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest O my Lord in my prayer to Thee!



This preface shows the fervent faith of Zakariya. Zakariya was a prophet of the Most High Allah. His office was in the Temple, and his relatives were his colleagues. But he found in them no true spirit of the service of Allah and man. He was filled with anxiety as to who would uphold the godly ideas he had in mind, which were strange to his worldly colleagues.



5 "Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself



His was not merely a desire for a son. If it had been, he would have prayed much earlier in his life, when he was a young man. He was too full of true piety to put merely selfish things into his prayers. But here was a public need, in the service of the Lord.



6 "(One that) will (truly) represent me and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!"



It is true that an heir inherits property, but his higher duty is to represent in everything the personality of him from whom he inherits. It is doubtful whether Zakariya had any worldly property. But he had character and virtue, as a man of God, and this he wanted to transmit to his heir as his most precious possession. It was almost the most precious possession of the posterity of Jacob. The people around him had fallen away from Allah's Message. Could his heir, like him, try and renew it?



7 (His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: his name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."



This was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. In accordance with his father's prayer he, and Jesus for whom he prepared the way, renewed the Message of Allah, which had been corrupted and lost among the Israelites. The Arabic form Yahya suggests "Life". The Hebrew form is Johanan, which means "Jehovah has been Gracious".



8 He said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?"



Who is the "He" in this clause? As I have construed it, following the majority of Commentators, it means the angel who brought the message from Allah. But some Commentators construe it to refer to Zakariya. In that case the meaning will be: Zakariya after a little reflection said (in his wonder) "So!", i.e., "Can it really be so? Can I really have a son in my old age?"



9 He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before when thou hadst been nothing!' "



Every man was nothing just before he was created, i.e., his personality was called into being by Allah. Even if there are material processes in forming the body, in accordance with the laws of nature, the real creative force is the power of Allah. But here there is a subtler meaning. John was the harbinger of Jesus, preparing the way for him; and this sentence also prepares us for the more wonderful birth of Jesus himself, see verse 21 below. Everything is possible with Allah.



10 (Zakariya) said "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Thy Sign" was the answer "shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights although thou art not dumb." 2464 2465



The "Sign", was in order to convince Zakariya that the Lord's promise was true.



11 So Zakariya came out to his people from his chamber: he told them by



signs to celebrate Allah's praises in the morning and in the evening.



12 (To his son came the command): "O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him wisdom even as a youth.



Time passes. The son is born. In this section of the Sura the centre of interest is Yahya, and the instruction is now given to him. 'Keep fast hold of Allah's revelation with all your might': for an unbelieving world had either corrupted or neglected it, and Yahya (John the Baptist) was to prepare the way for, Jesus, who was coming to renew and re-interpret it.



Hukm, translated Wisdom, implies something more than Wisdom; it is the Wisdom or Judgment that is entitied to judge and command, as in the matter of denouncing sin.



13 And pity (for all creatures) as from Us and purity: he was devout



John the Baptist did not live long. He was imprisoned by Herod, the tetrarch (provincial ruler under the Roman Empire), whom he had reproved for his sins, and eventually beheaded at the instigation of the woman with whom Herod was infatuated. But even in his young life, he was granted (1) wisdom by Allah, for he boldly denounced sin; (2) gentle pity and love for all Allah's creatures, for he moved among the humble and lowly, and despised "soft raiment"; and (3) purity of life, for he renounced the world and lived in the wilderness. All his work he did in his youth. These things showed themselves in his conduct, for he was devout, showing love to Allah and to Allah's creatures, and more particularly to his parents (for we are considering that aspect of his life): this was also shown by the fact that he never used violence, from an attitude of arrogance, nor entertained a spirit of rebellion against divine Law.



14 And kind to his parents and he was not overbearing or rebellious.



15 So Peace on him the day he was born the day that he dies and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!



This is spoken as in the life-time of Yahya. Peace and Allah's Blessings, were on him when he was born; they continue when he is about to die an unjust death at the hands of a tyrant; and they will be specially manifest at the Day of Judgment.



16 Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.



the story of Mary. Here the whole theme is different: it is the personal side of the experiences of the worshippers of Allah in relation to their families or environment.



To a private eastern chamber, perhaps in the Temple. She went into privacy, from her people and from people in general, for prayer and devotion. It was in this state of purity that the angel appeared to her in the shape of a man. She thought it was a man. She was frightened, and she adjured him not to invade her privacy.



17 She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them: then We sent to her Our angel and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.



18 She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."



19 He said: "Nay I am only a messenger from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son."



Allah had destined her to be the mother of the Prophet Jesus Christ, and now had come the time when this should be announced to her.



20 She said: "How shall I have a son seeing that no man has touched me and I am not unchaste?"



21 He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is a matter (so) decreed."



The mission of Jesus is announced in two ways (1) he was to be a Sign to men; his wonderful birth and wonderful life were to turn an ungodly world back to Allah; and (2) his mission was similar to that of all prophets of Allah. But the point here is that the Israelites, to whom Jesus was sent, were a hardened race, for whom the message of Jesus was truly a gospel of Mercy.



For anything that Allah wishes to create, He says "Be", and it is . There is no interval between His decree and its accomplishment, except such as He imposes by His decree. Time may be only a projection of our own minds in this world of relativity.



22 So she conceived him and she retired with him to a remote place.



The annunciation and the conception, we may suppose, took place in Nazareth (of Galilee), say 65 miles north of Jerusalem. The delivery took place in Bethlehem about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. It was a remote place, not only with reference to the distance of 71 miles, but because in Bethlehem itself the birth was in an obscure corner under a palm-tree, from which perhaps the babe was afterwards removed to a manger in a stable.



23 And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"



She was but human, and suffered the pangs of an expectant mother, with no one to attend on her. The circumstances being peculiar, she had got far away from her people.



24 But he cried to her from beneath the (palm-free): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;



25 "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.



Unseen Providence had seen that she should not suffer from thirst or from hunger. The rivulet provided her with water also for ablutions.



26 "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man say `I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.' "



Cool thine eye: An idiom for "comfort thyself and be glad". The literal meaning should not, however, be lost sight of. She was to cool her eyes (perhaps full of tears) with the fresh water of the rivulet and take comfort that a remarkable babe had been born to her. She was also to look around, and if any one came near, she was to decline all conversation. It was quite true: she was under a vow, and could not talk to any one.



She was to decline all conversation with man or woman, on the plea of a vow to Allah. The "fast" here does not mean abstinence literally from eating and drinking. She has just been advised to eat the dates and drink of the stream. It means abstinence from the ordinary household meals, and indeed from human intercourse generally.



27 At length she brought the (babe) to her people carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!



The amazement of the people knew no bounds. In any case they were ready to think the worst of her, as she had disappeared from her kin for some time. But now she comes, shamelessly parading a babe in her arms! How she had disgraced the house of Aaron, the fountain of priesthood! We may suppose that the scene took place in the Temple in Jerusalem, or in Nazareth.



28 "O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a man of evil nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"



Aaron the brother of Moses was the first in the line of Israelite priesthood. Mary and her cousin Elisabeth (mother of Yahya) came of a priestly family, and were therefore, "sisters of Aaron" or daughters of 'Imran (who was Aaron's father). See n. 375 to iii. 35. Mary is reminded of her high lineage and the unexceptionable morals of her father and mother. How, they said, she had fallen, and disgraced the name of her progenitors!



29 But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"



What could Mary do? How could she explain? Would they, in their censorious mood, accept her explanation? All she could do was to point to the child, who, she knew, was no ordinary child. And the child came to her rescue. By a miracle he spoke, defended his mother, and preached-to an unbelieving audience.



30 He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;



31 "And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;



There is a parallelism throughout the accounts of Jesus and Yahya, with some variations. Both the parallelisms and the variations are interesting. For instance Jesus declares at the very outset that he is a servant of Allah, thus negativing the false notion that he was Allah or the son of Allah. The greatness of Yahya is described in terms that are not applied to Jesus, but the verses xix. 14-15 as applied to Yahya are in almost identical terms with those applied to Jesus here. Devotion in Prayer and Charity is a good description of Christ at its best, and pity, purity, and devotion in Yahya are a good description of the ways leading to Prayer and Charity, just as John led to Jesus.



32 "(He) hath made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable;



Overbearing violence is not only unjust and harmful to those on whom it is practised; it is perhaps even more harmful to the person who practises it, for his soul becomes turbid, unsettled, and ultimately unhappy and wretched,-the state of those in Hell. Here the negative qualities are "not overbearing or miserable." As applied to John they were "not overbearing or rebellious." John bore his punishment from the State without any protest or drawing back.



33 "So Peace is on me the day I was born the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!



and Christ was not crucified.



34 Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth about which they (vainly) dispute.



The disputations about the nature of Jesus Christ were vain, but also persistent and sanguinary. The modern Christian churches have thrown them into the background, but they would do well to abandon irrational dogmas altogether.



35 It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter He only says to it "Be" and it is.



Begetting a son is a physical act depending on the needs of men's animal nature. Allah Most High is independent of all needs, and it is derogatory to Him to attribute such an act to Him. It is merely a relic of pagan and anthropomorphic materialist superstitions.



36 Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight.



As opposed to the crooked superstitions which take refuge in all sorts of metaphysical sophistries to prove three in one and one in three. In the Qur-an there is no crookedness (xviii. 1). Christ's teaching was simple, like his life, but the Christians have made it crooked.



37 But the sects differ among themselves: and woe to the Unbelievers because of the (coming) Judgment of a momentous Day!



Judgment: the word in the original is Mash-had, which implies many things: (1) the time or place where evidence is taken, as in a Court of Judgment; (2) the time or place where people are produced (to be judged); and (3) the occasion for such production for the taking of evidence. A very expressive phrase for the Day of Judgment.



38 How plainly will they see and hear the Day that they will appear before Us! But the unjust today are in error manifest!



and that whole passage, where the Resurrection is described.



39 But warn them of the Day of Distress when the matter will be determined: for (behold) they are negligent and they do not believe!



Hasrat: Sighs, sighing, regrets, distress.



40 It is We Who will inherit the earth and all beings thereon: to Us will they all be returned.



Material property passes from one to another: when one dies, another inherits it. Allah gives life and death, and all that survives after physical death goes back to Allah, the original source of all things.



41 Also mention in the Book (the story of) Abraham: he was a man of Truth a prophet.



42 Behold he said to his father: "O my father! why worship that which heareth not and seeth not and can profit thee nothing?



The reference to Abraham here is in relation to his tender solicitude for his father, who had not received the light of Unity, and to whom Abraham wanted to be a guide and friend.



43 "O my father! to me hath come knowledge which hath not reached thee: so follow me: I will guide thee to a Way that is even and straight.



Some are more receptive of Light than others. It is their duty and privilege to guide and point to the right Way.



Sawiyan-right, smooth, even; complete, perfect; hence the derived meaning: in full possession of all the physical senses; in that context, 'not dumb': , when the angel appears in the form of a man, 'completely like' a man, a man 'in all respects.'



44 "O my father! serve not Satan: for Satan is a rebel against (Allah) Most Gracious.



The rebellion is all the more heinous and inexcusable, considering that Allah is Most Just, Most Merciful, Most Gracious.



45 "O my father! I fear lest a Penalty afflict thee from (Allah) Most Gracious so that thou become to Satan a friend."



To entertain a feeling of friendliness, instead of aversion, to Evil, is in itself a degradation of our nature, a Penalty which Allah imposes on our deliberate rejection of the Truth. And the friendliness to Evil also implies the sharing of the outlawry of Evil.



46 (The father) replied: "Dost thou hate my gods O Abraham? If thou forbear not I will indeed stone thee: now get away from me for a good long while!"



Note the gentle persuasive tone of Abraham in his speeches (for we may suppose those sentences to sum up a long course of arguments) and contrasted with the brusque and repellent tone of the father's reply in this verse. The one was the outcome of the true Light which had come to Abraham from Allah, as the other was the outcome of Pagan arrogance and the worship of brute force. The spiritual lesson from this episode of Abraham's life may be stated in four propositions: (1) the pious son is dutiful to his father and wishes him well in all things, material and spiritual, (2) if the father refuses Allah's Light, the son will do his utmost to bring such Light to the father; (3) having received the Light, the son will never renounce that Light, even if he has to forfeit his father's love and renounce his home; (4) even if the father repels him and turns him out, his answer will be a soft answer, full of love and forgiveness on the one hand, but firmness on behalf of Truth on the other.



47 Abraham said: "Peace be on thee: I will pray to my Lord for thy forgiveness: for He is to me Most Gracious.



where this promise of Abraham to pray for his father is referred to, and its limitations pointed out.



48 "And I will turn away from you (all) and from those whom ye invoke besides Allah: I will call on my Lord: Perhaps by my prayer to my Lord I shall be not unblest."



Abraham left his father and the home of his fathers (Ur of the Chaldees) and never returned. He left because he was turned out, and because it was not possible for him to make any compromise with what was false in religion. In return for abuse, he spoke gentle words. And he expressed his fervent hope that at least he (Abraham) would have Allah's blessing in reply to his prayers. Here was a prefigurement of another Hijrat many centuries later! In both cases the prayer was abundantly fulfilled.



49 When he had turned away from them and from those whom they worshipped besides Allah We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob and each one of them We made a prophet.



Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob are mentioned here as carrying on one line of Abraham's traditions. The other line was carried on by Isma'il, who is mentioned independently five verses lower down, as his line got special honour in the Holy Prophet of Islam. That is why his mention comes after that of Moses.



50 And We bestowed of Our Mercy on them and We granted them lofty honor on the tongue of truth.



Abraham and his son and grandson Isaac and Jacob, and their line, maintained the banner of Allah's truth for many generations, and they won deservedly high praise-the praise of truth-on the tongues of men. Abraham prayed that he should be praised by the tongue of truth among men to come in later ages: xxvi. 84. Ordinary praise may mean nothing: it may be due to selfish flattery on the part of others or artful management by the person praised. Praise on the tongue of sincere truth is praise indeed!



51 Also mention in the Book (the story of) Moses: for he was specially chosen and he was an apostle (and) a prophet.



Moses was (1) especially chosen, and therefore prepared and instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, in order that he might free his people from Egyptian bondage; there may also be a reference to Moses's title of Kalimullah, the one to whom Allah spoke without th eintervention of angels (2) he was a prophet (nabi), in that he received inspiration; and (3) he was a messenger (rasul) in that he had a Book of Revelation, and an Ummat or organised Community, for which he instituted laws.



52 And We called him from the right side of Mount (Sinai) and made him draw near to Us for mystic (converse).



The incident here I think refers to the incidents described more fully . The time is when Moses (with his family) was travelling and grazing the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro, just before he got his commission from Allah. The place is somewhere near Mount Sinai (Jabal Musa). Moses sees a Fire in the distance, but when he goes there, he hears a voice that tells him it is sacred ground. Allah asked him to put off his shoes and to draw near, and when he went near, great mysteries were revealed to him. He was given his commission, and his brother Aaron was given to him to go with him and aid him. It is after that, that he and Aaron went and faced Pharaoh in Egypt. The right side of the mountain may mean that Moses heard the voice from the right side of the mountain as he faced it; or it may have the figurative meaning of "right" in Arabic, i.e., the side which was blessed or sacred ground.



53 And out of Our Mercy We gave him his brother Aaron (also) a prophet.



Moses was diffident, and reluctant to go to Pharaoh as he had an impediment in his tongue, and he asked that his brother Aaron should be associated with him in his mission. Allah in His Mercy granted his request.



54 Also mention in the Book (the story of) Ismail: He was (strictly) true to what he promised and he was an apostle (and) a prophet.



Isma'il was Az-zabih i.e., the chosen sacrifice for Allah in Muslim tradition. When Abraham told him of the sacrifice, he voluntarily offered himself for it, and never flinched from his promise, until the sacrifice was redeemed by the substitution of a ram under Allah's commands. He was the fountain-head of the Arabian Ummat, and in his posterity came the Prophet of Allah. The Ummat and the Book of Islam reflect back the prophethood on Isma'il.



55 He used to enjoin on his people Prayer and Charity and he was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord.



56 Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: he was a man of truth (and sincerity) (and) a prophet:



Idris is mentioned twice in the Qur-an, where he is mentioned among those who patiently persevered., that he was taken up without passing through the portals of death. All we are told is that he was a man of truth and sincerity, and a prophet, and that he had a high position among his people. It is this point which brings him in the series of men just mentioned; he kept himself in touch with his people, and was honoured among them. Spiritual progress need not cut us off from our people, for we have to help and guide them. He kept to truth and piety in the highest station.



57 And We raised him to a lofty station.



58 Those were some of the prophets on whom Allah did bestow His Grace of the posterity of Adam and of those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah and of the posterity of Abraham and Israel of those whom We guided and chose; whenever the Signs of (Allah) Most Gracious were rehearsed to them they would fall down in prostrate adoration and in tears.



The earlier generations are grouped into three epochs from a religious point of view: (1) from Adam to Noah, (2) from Noah to Abraham, and (3) from Abraham to an indefinite time, say to the time when the Message of Allah was corrupted and the need arose for the final Messenger of Unity and Truth. Israel is another name for Jacob.



The original is in the Aorist tense, implying that the "Posterity" alluded to includes not only the messengers but their worthy followers who are true to Allah and uphold His standard.



59 But after them there followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts: soon then will they face Destruction



This selfish godless posterity gains the upper hand at certain times, but even then there is always a minority who see the error of their ways, repent and believe, and live righteous lives. They are not penalised in the Hereafter because they were associated with the ungodly in time. They reap the full reward of their faith and righteousness.



60 Except those who repent and believe and work righteousness: for these will enter the Garden and will not be wronged in the least



61 Gardens of Eternity those which (Allah) Most Gracious has promised to His servants in the Unseen: for His promise must (necessarily) come to pass.



62 They will not there hear any vain discourse but only salutations of peace: and they will have therein their sustenance morning and evening.



Salam, translated "Peace", has a much wider signification. It includes (1) a sense of security and permanence, which is unknown in this life; (2) soundness, freedom from defects, perfection as in the word salim; (3) preservation, salvation, deliverance, as in the word sallama, (4) salutation, accord with those around us; (5) resignation, in the sense that we are satisfied and not discontented; besides (6) the ordinary meaning of Peace, i.e., freedom from any jarring element. All these shades of meaning are implied in the word Islam. (19.62)



Rizq: literally sustenance or means of subsistence, the term covers all the means of perfect satisfaction of body and soul. Morning and evening, i.e., early and late, all the time, always. (19.62)



63 Such is the Garden which We give as an inheritance to those of Our Servants who guard against evil.



64 (The angels say:) "We descend not but by command of thy Lord: to Him belongeth what is before us and what is behind us and what is between: and thy Lord never doth forget"



We are apt to be impatient of the evils we see around us. We may give of our best service to Allah, and yet see no results. In our human short-sightedness we may complain within ourselves. But we must not be impatient. The angels of Grace come not haphazard, but by command of Allah according to His Universal Will and Purpose. Allah does not forget. If things are delayed, it is in accordance with a wise providence, which cares for all. Our plain duty is to be patient and constant in His service. (19.64)



65 "Lord of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them: so worship Him and be constant and patient in His worship: knowest thou of any who is worthy of the same Name as He?"



The more we taste of the truth and mystery of life, the more do we realise that there is no one to be mentioned in the same breath as Allah. He is above all names. But when we think of His beautiful qualities, and picture them to ourselves by names which give us some idea of Him, we can search the whole wide world of our imagination, and we shall not find another to be compared with Him in name or quality. He is the One: praise be to Him! (19.65)



66 Man says: "What! when I am dead shall I then be raised up alive?"



67 But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?



68 So by thy Lord without doubt We shall gather them together and (also) the Evil Ones (with them); then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell;



The disbelief in a future life is not merely a philosophic doubt, but a warped will, a disingenuous obstinacy in face of our inner spiritual instincts and experiences. We were nothing before. Cannot the same Allah, Who created us out of nothing also continue our personality? But if we refuse to accept His light and guidance, our state will grow worse and worse. We shall be deprived of His grace. We shall be herded with satans. In utter humiliation we shall be faced with all the consequences of our refusal of Truth. (19.68)



Round about Hell: There are many ways leading to evil, and people get to it from all round. Hence the mention of the seven Gates to Hell: see xv. 44. and n. 1977. (19.68)



69 Then shall We certainly drag out from every sect all those who were worst in obstinate rebellion against (Allah) Most Gracious.



70 And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein.



71 Not one of you but will pass over it: this is with thy Lord a Decree which must be accomplished.



Three interpretations are possible, (1) The general interpretation is that every person must pass through or by or over the Fire. Those who have had Taqwa (see. n. 26 to ii. 2) will be saved by Allah's Mercy, while unrepentant sinners will suffer the torments in ignominy, (2) If we refer the pronoun "you" to those "in obstinate rebellion" in verse 69 above, both leaders and followers in sin, this verse only applies to the wicked, (3) Some refer this verse to the Bridge over Hell, the Bridge Sirat, over which all must pass to their final Destiny. This Bridge is not mentioned in the Qur-an. (19.71)



72 But We shall save those who guarded against evil and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein (humbled) to their knees.



73 When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them the Unbelievers say to those who believe "Which of the two sides is best in point of position? Which makes the best show in council?"



The Unbelievers may, for a time, make a better show in worldly position, or in people's assemblages where things are judged by the counting of heads. But Truth must prevail even in this world, and ultimately the positions must be reversed. (19.73)



74 But how many (countless) generations before them have We destroyed who were even better in equipment and in glitter to the eye?



75 Say: "If any men go astray (Allah) Most Gracious extends (the rope) to them. Until when they see the warning of Allah (being fulfilled) either in punishment or in (the approach of) the Hour they will at length realize who is worst in position and (who) weakest in forces!



Allah's warning is that every evil deed must have its punishment, and that there will be a Hereafter, the Day of Judgment, or the Hour, as it is frequently called. The punishment of evil often begins in this very life. For instance, over-indulgence and excesses of all kinds bring on their Nemesis quite soon in this very life. But some subtler forms of selfishness and sin will be punished as every evil will be punished-in its own good time, as the Hour approaches. In either case, the arrogant boasting sinners will realise that their taunt-who is best in position and in forces? (xix. 73)-is turned against themselves. (19.75)



76 "And Allah doth advance in guidance those who seek guidance; and the things that endure. Good Deeds are best in the sight of thy Lord as rewards and best in respect of (their) eventual returns."



These lines are the same as in xviii. 46 (second clause), (where see n. 2387), except that the word maradd (eventual returns) is here substituted for amal (hope). The meaning is practically the same: but "hope" is more appropriate in the passage dealing generally with this world's goods, and "eventual returns" in the passage dealing with the sinner's specific investments and commitments in worldly position and organised cliques. (19.76)



77 Hast thou then seen the (sort of) man who rejects Our Signs yet says: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children"?



Besides the man who boasts of wealth and power in actual possession, there is a type of man who boasts of getting them in the future and builds his worldly hopes thereon. Is he sure? He denies Allah, and His goodness and Mercy. But all good is in the hands of Allah. Can such a man then bind Allah to bless him when he rejects faith in Allah? Or does he pretend that he has penetrated to the mysteries of the future? For no man can tell what the future holds for him. (19.77)



78 Has he penetrated to the Unseen or has he taken a contract with (Allah) Most Gracious?



79 Nay! We shall record what he says and We Shall add and add to his punishment.



Such a man deserves double punishment,-for rejecting Allah, and for his blasphemies with His holy name. (19.79)



80 To Us shall return all that he talks of and he shall appear before Us bare and alone.



Literally, "We shall inherit", Cf. xix. 40 and n. 2492. Even if the man had property and power, it must go back to the Source of all things, and the man must appear before the Judgment-seat, alone and unaccompanied, stripped of all the things from which he expected so much! (19.80)



81 And they have taken (for worship) gods other than Allah to give them power and glory! 2525



'Izz=exalted rank, glory, power, might, the ability to impose one's will or to carry out one's will. (19.81)



82 Instead they shall reject their worship and become adversaries against them.



Cf. x. 28-30, where the idols deny that they knew anything of their worship, and leave their worshippers in the lurch; and v. 119, where Jesus denies that he asked for worship, and leaves his false worshippers to the punishment of Allah. (19.82)



83 Seest thou not that We have set the Evil Ones on against the Unbelievers to incite them with fury?



Under the laws instituted by Allah, when evil reaches a certain stage of rebellion and defiance, it is left to gather momentum and to rush with fury to its own destruction. It is given a certain amount of respite, as a last chance: but failing repentance, its days are numbered. The godly therefore should not worry themselves over the apparent worldly success of evil, but should get on with their own duties in a spirit of trust in Allah. (19.83)



84 So make no haste against them for We but count out to them a (limited) number (of days).



85 The day We shall gather the righteous to (Allah) Most Gracious like a band presented before a king for honors.



86 And We shall drive the sinners to Hell like thirsty cattle driven down to water



Note the contrast between the saved and the doomed. The one march with dignity like honoured ones before a king, and the other rush in anguish to their punishment like a herd of cattle driven down by thirst to their watering place. Note the metaphor of the water. They rush madly for water but are plunged into the Fire! (19.86)



87 None shall have the power of intercession but such a one as has received permission (or promise) from (Allah) Most Gracious.



88 They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"



89 Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous!



The belief in Allah begetting a son is not a question merely of words or of speculative thought. It is a stupendous blasphemy against Allah. It lowers Allah to the level of an animal. If combined with the doctrine of vicarious atonement, it amounts to a negation of Allah's justice and man's personal responsibility. It is destructive of all moral and spiritual order, and is condemned in the strongest possible terms. (19.89)



90 At if the skies are ready to burst the earth to split asunder and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin.



91 That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious.



92 For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son.



This basic principle was laid down early in the argument (xix. 35). It was illustrated by a reference to the personal history of many messengers, including Jesus himself, who behaved justly as men to their kith and kin and humbly served Allah. The evil results of such superstitions were pointed out in the case of many previous generations which went to their ruin by dishonouring Allah. And the argument is now rounded off towards the close of the Sura. (19.92)



93 Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.



94 He does take and account of them (all) and hath numbered them (all) exactly.



Allah has no sons or favourites or parasites, such as we associate with human beings. On the other hand every creature of His gets His love, and His cherishing care. Everyone of them, however humble, is individually marked before His Throne of Justice and Mercy, and will stand before Him on his own deserts. (19.94)



95 And every one of them will come to him singly on the Day of Judgment.



96 On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness will (Allah) Most Gracious bestow Love.



His own love, and the love of man's fellow-creatures, in this world and in the Hereafter. Goodness breeds love and peace, and sin breeds hatred and contention. (19.96)



97 So have We made the (Qur'an) easy in thine own tongue that with it thou mayest give Glad Tidings to the righteous and warnings to people given to contention.



98 But how many (countless) generation before them have We destroyed? Canst thou find a single one of them (now) or hear (so much as) a whisper of them?



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

May Allah bless you, my brother for your effort and time.



Jazak Allah khayr, isa.



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

using the quran to prove the existince of a person who probably never lived is called circular logic



and you as a doctor should know virgin births are just myths



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

The real story is: THEY MADE IT UP. IT'S A LIE.



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

I did not intend to read the book so I will not answer you Jesus was messiah there is the answer you need



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

Wow, what you perceive to be the "Real" story and what is reality are as far apart as the east is from the west!



I would not refer you to anyone as a doctor because you believe that it is O.K. for your prophet Muhammed at 54 years of age to have sexual intercourse with a 9 year old "Child"!!



http://www.anwary-islam.com/women/pwife_...



I wonder what other Horrendous, Evil, things you would believe that would jeopardize, and be a detriment to, someones physical and mental health!!



In todays civilized, modern culture, people that did the things that Muhammed did are put in prison!



http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll...



http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/...



http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/10250...



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

As Salam Ale Kum



Brother n Sister in Islam,



Refer to this site for all details.........



One of the most Authentic Tafsir......



http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=...



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

mr muslim doctor yahoo is meant for asking some serious questions. and not for explanation of some book views and ideas or spreading ur own believes.



create ur own page and spread ur views as much as u can. but pls don't use yahoo for these things.



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

So...are asking us about Mary's real story or telling us the real story of Mary



Whats The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran?

there is no impossible to our god . as our god made our father Adm without father or mother %26amp; our god made jesus without mother .

What was that filmed called-?

there were these 2 horrible looking things that looked exactly the same, only one had blonde hair and the other black hair, one was good and the other was evil. they were sort of human monster things(freaked me out when i was younger)They also had these guns that fired these things that looked like cds (compact discs). Thats all i can remember, if anyone can help?. Thanks



What was that filmed called-?

I Come in Peace w/ Dolph Lundgren?

Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

The bible gives the age for Methuselah at 969, but study of skeletal remains throughout history have shown that humans are living longer now than ever before. This longer lifespan is due in part to: more adequate diet, better sanitation, modern medicine, and lack of predation. In the past a person was considered very old if they lived long enough to get gray hair (one reason the Roman upper class died their hair gray, to appear older and wiser). There is no medical explanation for how any human could live to over 900yrs, unless we consider the fact that many ancient cultures based their time on Lunar phases, rather than Solar years. If Methuselah's age was given in Lunar cycles, rather than years as we know them, this would give him a very believable age of approximately 79. As for the decrease in age some bible readers are bound to point out, this would coincide with the spread of the Solar year (seasonal change) as the common measure of time. Anyone care to speculate?



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

Thats a better answer than:



" The air was much cleaner back then" - i'm not kidding this is what someone actually told me was the reason for people for the extreme ages that occur in the bible



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

maybe...



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

well... what you are saying makes common sense to me. as far as the lunar vs real age. although 79 was very old for those times as well...and since he would have out lived two generations... he would be like an ancient. lol



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

The extreme ages were representative of a good person. At the time of the writing of the Old Testament, Jews did not believe that one was rewarded for a good life in the afterlife or heaven. They believed that this life was all there is. (I don't know if all Jews still believe this.) So, to point out to the reader how good certain people in the stories were, like Methuselah, the writers gave extreme ages to them as a way of saying that they were such good, righteous people that they lived forever. It's got nothing to do with the sun or the moon as it is not to be taken literally.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

I'd say that when God created us, we were created to live forever, but as the curse weighed on us, our genes began to deteriorate through mutations, and so our lifespans decreased. They got a lot shorter after the Flood bc of the bottleneck that the human genome went through, and we've only been living longer bc we have better food and vaccines and so on.



You say that measuring Methusaleh's age in lunar years is more believable. Jesus' resurrection is unbelievable, yet it happened and is the foundation for our salvation. God doesn't care whether we find something believable or not, as long as we trust in Him. That does mean believing some things without proof, but if you're going to place any assumptions in something, they should be in God.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

That is a very interesting view point and would certainly place his age within the realm of possibility.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

I guess that means Enoch was only 5 years old when he became a father.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

the chosen people, descendants of Adam, had the residule effects of Adam and Eve eating of the Tree of Life. The gentile, other races, did not partake of this. However, when Cain mated and produced with the other races, his blood line also had some residule effects of the tree of life.



Hope this helps.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

What evidence of life spans do surveyors have except recent compared to thousands of years.



Also, the lunar year only differs by about 11 days each year to the solar one...



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

Yah, it's pretty clear that that would certainly be a rational age wouldn't it.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

I don't know much about lunar vs. solar, but I do know this:



Methuselah lived before the Deluge (Flood), a time when the Earth was covered by a "canopy" of vapor, otherwise known as the "Water Canopy." This canopy helped to block out most of the sun's harmful radiation, creating a climate where people, as well as plants and animals, could live for longer periods of time.



But then the Flood came and the "windows of heaven were opened" (Gen 7:11). All the water from the canopy emptied out to create the flood waters. After the Flood, there was no water canopy to protect earth from the sun's radiation. Earth's climate became more hostile to live in than it was to before. As such, people aged more quickly than they did before.



So, while people were able to live for hundreds of years before the Flood, people now only live rarely to be a hundred.



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

But by that account Enoch had a son when he was 5 years old. What's up with that?



See the genealogy chart at http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/geneol.html for the numbers



Second try. Extreme ages given in the bible based on lunar cycles rather than solar years?

Excellence point!



One correction. There are 13 lunar cycles in a year. So the calculation I got is about 74 %26amp; 1/2 years!

Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

The bible gives the age for Methuselah at 969, but study of skeletal remains throughout history have shown that humans are living longer now than ever before. This longer lifespan is due in part to: more adequate diet, better sanitation, modern medicine, and lack of predation. In the past a person was considered very old if they lived long enough to get gray hair (one reason the Roman upper class died their hair gray, to appear older and wiser). There is no medical explanation for how any human could live to over 900yrs, unless we consider the fact that many ancient cultures based their time on Lunar phases, rather than Solar years. If Methuselah's age was given in Lunar cycles, rather than years as we know them, this would give him a very believable age of approximately 79. As for the decrease in age some bible readers are bound to point out, this would coincide with the spread of the Solar year (seasonal change) as the common measure of time. Anyone care to speculate?



Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

I've often thought this myself. While I've always found that Biblical accounts should be taken with a grain of salt, I do realize that they were at least partially based on truth. So something as basic and non-worldview shaking as counting someone's age probably wouldn't be fabricated to such a ridiculous degree. Thank you for pointing this out. : )



Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

wow, that was nice. here's a thought, maybe they based it on dog years.



Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

Even back in Methuselah's era 79 would be far fetched.



Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

Excellent question. The Bible itself does say that Methuselah lived for 969 years before he died, according to the Bible book of Genesis chapter 5 verse 27. Now, some have suggested that Methusaleh's age was given on the basis of months. If this were so, then these men mentioned in the Bible book of Genesis would have become fathers at an exceptionally young age: Kenan before he turned six years old, and Enoch and Mahalalel when they were only five years old (see Genesis chapter 5, verses twelve, fifteen, and twenty-one).



But, you are right in the sense that the Bible has used other methods of recording time, such as days or months. Fortunately, if one were to read and compare a period of time during the great flood of Noah's day in Genesis chapter 7 verses 11 and 24 to Genesis chapter 8 verses 3 and 4, they would realize that it covers a period of "the 17th day of the second month to the 17th day of the seventh month", thus amounting a total of five months, or "150 days." This, therefore means that the Bible was referring to thirty-day months, twelve of which added up to a year, just like we do today.



Now maybe you don't believe the fact that Methuselah and other early Bible characters lived that long, it seems just impossible. But if one were to read the beginning of the book of Genesis, they would realize that God had made Adam and Eve, the first humans, to live forever, but since they sinned against God, they became imperfect and were told that they would die and so would their offspring (which includes us). Now, their becoming imperfect wasn't just something that happened fast and quickly for Adam and Eve. Their perfection slowly started fading away, being replaced with imperfection. This is why early Bible characters, such as Methuselah and others during Noah's day, lived up to be so old.



Fortunately, there is hope in store for us. (Romans 6:23, Revelation 21:4)



Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

"There is no medical explanation"



NO, there isn't and I for one, am not interested in a medical explanation. There is no explanation for a lot of things but that doesn't mean they are not true. If you want to believe what the Bible says, then you take it for what it says. If you don't, then no amount of speculation is going to change your mind.



As a Christian, it is just not one of those things I worry about. I know God is real and that he created the heavens and the Earth,,,,when? I wasn't there and neither were the scientists who think they have it figured out. Speculations does no one any good.



Besides, don't scientists believe it has to be something you can repeat in the physical world, before it can be proven...go ahead guys....create something from nothing...show us why you are right.....make us another world........



Biblical ages based on solar year, or lunar cycles?

Ditto Dreamdress

Some more bizarre facts?

happy reading lol.



*According to sales, 17,000 individual 'smarties' are eaten every minute in the UK



*The life of an eyelash is about 5 months.



*Iceland, Europe's second largest island following Great Britain, boasts of having the world's oldest 'active' parliamentary body, Althing, which first met in 930AD.



*The Turkish football club, Galatasaray, has an A for every other letter.



*The tongue of a mature Blue Whale has approximately the same mass as that of an entire adult elephant.



*The study, which tested telephones, desks, water coolers, doorknobs, and toilet seats, compiled 7,000 samples from major centers across the country. What they found, was that while phones ranked highest in bacteria levels, the office desk was a close second.



*In England during World War I, many German names and titles were changed and given more English-sounding names, including the royal family's from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. Kaiser Wilhelm II countered this by jokingly saying that he was off to see a performance of 'The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.'



*Both turdoid and turdine mean "belonging to the family turdus," Turdus musicus is the song thrush %26amp; Turdus viscivorus is the mistletoe thrush



*Nearly a quarter of all mammals can fly; with a huge 985 known species, bats make up 23.1% of all known mammals by species



*January is National Soup Month in the United States, January is the seasonal equivalent to July in the Southern Hemisphere; %26amp; on Jan 14th, 90% of New Year resolutions will be broken!



*You use an average of 43 muscles for a frown and you use an average of 17 muscles for a smile, and they say every two thousand frowns creates one wrinkle



*Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms in the first 14 nestling days of their life and that is not even their main food on the menu (14 feet a day is wrong) But parent robins make around 100 food visits to the nest every day!



*The first man to die during planning %26amp; construction of the Hoover Dam was the father of the last man to die during its construction. December 20, 1922 with J.G. Tierney a Bureau of Reclamation employee who was part of a geological survey and drowned when he fell from a barge. Exactly 13 years later, in 1935, his son Patrick W. Tierney, fell to his death from an intake tower.



* You will have to walk 80 kilometers for your legs to equal the amount of exercise your eyes get daily



*The Chinese used fingerprints as a method of identification back in 700



*Sound travels 15 times faster through steel than it does through the air



*A greenfly born on a Tuesday can be a grandparent by Friday



*There are more mobile phones in UK than there are people



*Termites are affected by music; the termites will eat your house twice as fast if you play them loud music



*Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the extreme fear of Friday the 13th



*One gallon of used motor oil can ruin approximately one million gallons of fresh water!



*Christopher Trace, the first presenter of Blue Peter, was the body double for Charlton Heston in the film Ben-Hur



*Thomas Edison got patents for a method of making concrete furniture and a cigar which was supposed to burn forever



*A cubic mile of ordinary fog contains less than a gallon of water



*If you think of the Milky Way as being the size of the continent of Asia, our solar system would be the size of a penny.



*The chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex Myth or fact??



*The average driver will be locked out of their car nine times during their life time (yes, men are in the stats)



*A Boeing 767 airliner contains 3,100,000 parts



* Belief in the existence of vacuums used to be punishable under Church law



* Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain



*An owl can see a mouse moving from over 150ft away by a light no brighter than candlelight



*The average person has walked 100,000 miles by the time they reach the age of 85.



*Your hearing is less sharp after eating too much



*In the course of a lifetime, the average person spends 2 years on the phone (I bet cell phones/mobiles were not taken into consideration when that fact was worked out!!)



* Henry VIII was once served a loin of beef while visiting the house of a noble. He was so impressed with the beef that he asked for a sword and knighted it! Ever since, that particular cut of beef has been known as sirloin. ("Sir Loin").. This is a MYTH



*In a lifetime, the average clean-shaven man will spend five months shaving and will remove 28ft of hair.



*Beethoven was extremely particular about his coffee , he always counted 60 beans per cup.



*In 1943, Navy officer Grace Hopper had to fix a computer glitch caused by a moth, hence the term 'computer bug'.



*Jupiter is large enough to contain the other major 7 planets in our solar system.



*The water pressure inside every onion cell would be sufficient to explode a steam engine.



*Sunglasses were first worn by film stars, not to look mysterious, but to relieve there eyes from the dazzling glare of the early studio lights



*If you take any number, double it, add 10, divide by 2, and subtract your original number, the answer will always be 5.



*Over a 12 day period your body generates a whole new set of taste buds. (This process continues until you are in your 70's.)



*Greyhounds can reach their top speed of 45 mph in just 3 strides



*There is more sugar in 1kg of lemons than in 1kg of strawberries.



*Paraskevidekatriaphobia, is a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th. Therapist Dr. Donald Dossey, whose specialty is treating people with irrational fears, coined the term. He claims, when you can pronounce the word you are cured. Friggatriskaidekaphobia has the same meaning.



*American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class



*Titan arum is probably the world's smelliest flower. Originating in the tropical rain forests of Sumatra, this huge, extremely rare flower is a giant lily. It seldom blooms, but when it does the smell is described as something like the dead carcass of an animal



*A Viking tribe once raided England because they had run out of beer



*Walt Disney World generates about 120,000 pounds of garbage every day.



*Turtles can breath through their bottoms.



*Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.



*The buzz generated by an electric razor in America is in the key of B flat. In the UK, it is in the key of G.



*Some of the most popular lipstick shades in Renaissance England were named, Rat, Horseflesh, Turkey, Blood and Puke.



*When Thomas Eddison died in 1941, Henry Ford captured his dying breath in a bottle.



*Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" was the first Hollywood film that showed a toilet flushing - thereby generating many complaints.



*The first flying-trapeze circus act was performed by Frenchman Jules Leotard at the Circus Napoleon on Nov 12th 1859. He invented the garment now known as the leotard.



*In 1972 when Gordon Brown (British Chancellor of the Excheque) was 21, he won a Daily Express competition for "A Vision of Britain In The Year 2000."



*It is said, grapefruit scent makes middle age women seem six years younger to men (but it does not work the other way round).



*The average elephant produces 50lb of dung a day.



*The dinosaur noises in Jurassic Park came from slowing down the sounds of elephants, geese and horses.



*The French invented the pop of the Christmas Cracker in the 19th century (Tom Smith bought the idea back to UK after holidaying in France)



*The chances of hitting 2 holes-in-one during the same round of golf is one in 8 million



*Victorian ladies tried to enlarge their boobs by bathing in strawberries



*Until the 18th century, India produced almost all the world's diamonds



*The ancient Egyptians thought it was good luck to enter a house left foot first



*During their marriage, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton bought an electric chair for their dining room



* The average single man is one inch shorter than the average married man



*Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet of which 80% are in-cloud flashes and 20% are cloud-to-ground flashes.



*When screen lover Rudolph Valentino married Jean Acker (on Bonfire Day), she locked him out of their bedroom, the marriage lasted only six hours



*160 cars can drive side by side on the Monumental Axis in Brazil, the world's widest road. On paper they can, as the road (actually it's an avenue) is 865 feet wide, but in reality they can't.



*When a female horse and a male donkey mate, the off-spring is called a mule; but when a male horse and a female donkey mate, the off spring is called a HINNY



*On average women speak 7000 words per day, where as men speak just over 2000



*Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair



*While in Alcatraz, Al Capone was inmate No.85



*Disney World is bigger than the world's 5 smallest countries



*A house fly hums in the middle octave key of F



*Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor



*In one gram of soil, about ten million bacteria live in it



*A single ounce of gold can be beaten into a thin film covering 100 square feet



*Before the 1800, there were no separately designed shoes for left and right feet



*Paper was invented early in the second century by Chinese eunuch



*The first person to receive a singing telegram was singer Rudy Vallee, in honour of his 32nd birthday, July 28th 1933.



* The longest one-syllable word in the English language is screeched



*In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes when you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase, "Goodnight, sleep tight."



*There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball



*A 75-year-old male driver received ten traffic tickets, drove on the wrong side of the road four times, committed four hit-and-run offenses and caused six accidents, all within 20 minutes, in McKinney, TX on 15 Oct 1966 [Worst driver: G. B. of Records]



*The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."



*Wilma Flintstone's maiden name was Shaghoopal



*The word "trivia" comes from the Latin "trivium" which is the place where three roads meet. People would gather and talk about all sorts of matters. Also in medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects taught first, grammar, logic, and rhetoric, AND the Roman Goddess, Trivia, is the goddess of crossroads, witchcraft and the harvest moon.



*In 1935, the police in Atlantic City, New Jersey, arrested 42 men on the beach. They were cracking down on topless bathing suits worn by men.



*During lunch breaks in Carlsbad, New Mexico no couple should engage in a sexual act while parked in their vehicle, unless their car has curtains.



*The distance between cities are actually the distances between city halls. When you see a sign "Sheffield - 40 miles" it means it is 40 miles to the city hall of that city sign



*The name of Canada is believed to come from the Iroquois Indian word "Kanata", meaning "village" or "community". The word Canada was first used in a 1534 text written by Jacques Cartier describing the Indian village of Stadacona.



*The longest non-medical word in the English language is floccipausinihilipilification (29 letters), which means "the act of estimating as worthless."



*Dominica, Mexico, Zambia, Kiribati, Fiji and Egypt all have birds on their flags.



*Bees visit over 2,000 flowers and fly over 55,000 miles to produce just 1lb. of honey



*Four out of every ten people who come to a party in your home will look in your bathroom cabinet



*The taboo against whistling backstage comes from the pre-electricity era when a whistle was the signal for the curtains and the scenery to drop. An unexpected whistle could cause an unexpected scene change!



*The sound you hear when macho people crack their knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.



*Francis Bacon died of hypothermia while trying to freeze a chicken by stuffing it with snow



*Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Star Trek) fish was named Livingston



*The WD in WD40 means "water displacement." The 40 in WD40 comes from the 40 attempts at creating this product.



*Beethoven dipped his head in cold water before he composed.



*Mice, whales, elephants, giraffes and man all have seven neck vertebra.



* The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator,



Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."



*American car horns beep in the tone of F.



*The only food cockroaches won't eat are cucumbers.



*China has more English speakers than the U.S.



*Hong Kong has the world's largest double-decker tram fleet in the world



*The words silent and listen have the same letters. Santa and Satan do too



*You can tell the sex of a turtle by the sound it makes, A male grunts, A female hisses.



*There are no public toilets in Peru.



*Samuel Clemens [aka Mark Twain] was born in 1835 when Haley's Comet came into view. When he died in 1910, Haley's Comet came into view again



*The pound sign is called a 'octothorp.'



*In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, "They'll put a man on



the moon before I hit a home run." On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first, and only, home run



*"Dreamt" is the only word in the English language to end in "mt."



*The Queen termite can live up to 50 years and have 30,000 children every day



*The term, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during wrestling matches was, "No eye gouging," eveything else was allowed.



*A Dalmatian is the only dog that can get gout



*The male gypsy moth can smell the virgin female up to 1.8 miles away



*A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away



*The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet out of the body.



*A puff of smoke, such as when someone is smoking a cigarette or a pipe



is called " a lunt "



*The name "Pinocchio" is from Tuscany, Italy and means "pine nut" or "kernel".



*Gilligan of Gilligan's Island had a first name that was only used once, on the never-aired pilot show. His first name was Willy



*It was the left shoe that Aschenputtel (Cinderella) lost at the stairway, when the prince tried to follow her. It was originally the right, but the translator messed up again.



*Cinderella's slippers were originally made out of fur. The story was changed in the 1600's by a translator.



*Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour %26amp; if you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee



*For 47 days in 1961, the painting "Matisse's Le Bateau (The Boat)" was hanging upside down in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. None of the over 116,000 visitors seem to have noticed.



*Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse after Mickey Rooney, whose mother he dated.



*Lorne Greene had one of his nipples bitten off by an alligator while he was host of "Lorne Greene's Animal Kingdom."



*The magic word 'Abracadabra' was originally intended for the specific purpose of curing hay fever.



*The phrase "rule of thumb" was popularized by an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb top to first joint. (a thumb measurement is an inch)



*More redheads are born in Scotland UK than in any other part of the world



*The Sanskrit word for 'war' means - "desire for more cows".



*The average bed is home to over 5 billion dust mites.



*Only female wasps, bees, and mosquitoes sting.



*Las Vegas means "The Meadows" in Spanish.



*Born on November 2, 1718, British politician, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, is credited with naming the 'sandwich.' He developed a habit of eating beef between slice of toast so he could continue to play cards uninterrupted.



*Ice hockey was first played in 1885 by British soldiers stationed in Canada



*Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.



*Your fingernails grow 4 times faster than your toe nails



*Pain travels faster than 3000 feet per second



*A cow produces 200 times more gas a day than a person



*About 10,000,000 people have the same birthday as you



*The snail mates only once in it's entire life, also a snail has 4 noses



*The Coca-Cola company is the biggest consumer of sugar in the world



*The dot that appears over the letter "i" is called a tittle.



*All major league baseball umpires must wear black underwear while on the job (in case their pants split)



*Captain Kirk never said "Beam me up, Scotty," but he did say, "Beam me up, Mr. Scott"



*The word gymnasium comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means to



exercise naked



*Everyone thought Albert Einstein suffered from dyslexia, because he couldn't speak properly until he was 9 years old.



*Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots



*The nation of Monaco on the French Riviera, is smaller than Central Park in New York. Monaco is 370 acres and Central Park is 840 acres



*Gweneth Paltrow's nickname for Steven Speilberg is "Uncle Morty." Steven Speilberg calls Gweneth Paltrow "Gwynnie the pooh."



*You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.



*The sorcerer's name in Disney's Fantasia is Yensid, which happens to be Disney backwards.



*Armadillos are the only animal besides humans that can get leprosy



*The world's longest name is: Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Shermasn Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorft Sr.



*Shirly Temple received 135,000 presents on her 8th birthday.



* When Christopher Columbus and crew landed in the New World they observed the natives using a nose pipe to smoke a strange new herb. The pipe was called a "tabaka" by the locals, hence our word tobacco.



*Americans on the average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.



*The sound of E.T. walking was made by someone squishing her hands in jelly.



*Hitler and Napoleon both had only one testicle.



*Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.



*In ancient China, people committed suicide by eating a pound of salt.



*Queen Victoria [UK 1837-1901] eased the discomfort of her monthly cramps by having her doctor supply her with marijuana.



*The average human eats 8 spiders in their lifetime at night. [usually in our sleep] ~ this is a MYTH



*If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough energy is produced to create an atomic bomb



*Sugar was first added to chewing gum in 1869 by a dentist (William Semple). One way to assure business!!



*The Ramses brand condom is named after the great phaoroh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children.



*The names of the three wise monkeys are: Mizaru: See no evil, Mikazaru: Hear no evil, and Mazaru: Speak no evil.



*The Spanish word esposa means "wife." The plural, esposas, means "wives," but also "handcuffs."



*23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.



* There was one U.S. state that no longer exists? In 1784 the U.S. had a state called Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin. But four years later, it was incorporated into Tennessee.



*The clinical term for a hairy buttocks is "daysypgal."



*A duck's quack doesn't echo, and ... no one knows why.~ MYTH everything echoes. University students have recorded a ducks echo. It is usually so quiet we cannot hear it.



*"The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language. ??? Maybe if said fast.



*Clans many many years ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them, burnt their houses down - hence the expression " to get fired." !!



Some more bizarre facts?

A baby elephant weighs less than a blue whale's tongue



sharks can sense the heartbeat of other fish



donald duck was banned in finland because he doesn't wear pants



the ant is proportionally the strongest animal



cockroaches chew on your eyebrows and lashes



Some more bizarre facts?

take a look at



http://www.nowyouknoweverythin... Report It



Some more bizarre facts?

That one about Donald Duck being banned in Finland cause he doesn't wear pants is only an Urban Myth. :) It's still funny, tho. Report It



Some more bizarre facts?

鎷?is not names octothorpe, # is an octothorpe. Report It



Some more bizarre facts?

Haha, I starred you. =) Report It



Some more bizarre facts?

Good to know



Some more bizarre facts?

how do you ask such a long question?



Some more bizarre facts?

Wow, I have to save this for later! I love this kind of stuff! Well done!



Some more bizarre facts?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...



Some more bizarre facts?

WOW!!!



Some more bizarre facts?

OMG - brilliant - where on earth did you get these bizzare facts from that I am now boring my husband silly with!



Some more bizarre facts?

So much info! so little time...



Some more bizarre facts?

Actually, quite amusing. Thanks :)))



Some more bizarre facts?

my brain hurts...look away look away before it sucks you in!!!!!



Some more bizarre facts?

prtty cool stuff.



Some more bizarre facts?

Interesting thing to know mate.



Some more bizarre facts?

awesome stuff! THANKS! i am going to WOW my husband with wacky info!



Some more bizarre facts?

man i wish the doctor could give me some weed for my cramps if the queen can do it then so can i



Some more bizarre facts?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...



Sorry.



Whats your name again?



Some more bizarre facts?

Sorry what was your question?.........smart ****!

I need a good haircut so i can work at kings island?

ok so my hair is kinda long, and i wear it over one eye like a silly emo kid hehe, but now it must be cut because the place i want to work at has some weird guidelines.



:A fresh neat haircut is a must a Cedar Fair. Hair must be natural neatly trimmed..styling should be tapered at the sides and back so that one half of the ear is visible and the back is no longer than the back of a normal dress shirt..hair should not fall over face when performing normal job duties...faddish extreme hairstyles like multicolred or unnatural hair colors, sculptured hair, tails, ponytails, dreadlocks, partially shaved heads, and spikes are not permitted. Bulk=no more than 2 inches Forehead=combed above brows Over Ear=Not more than 1/2 past the top of the ear...hair color must be naturrally ocurring on humans



so yeah these guys are stiffs but i like the ppl who work there %26amp; i need the money. so help me out, btw my hair is curly and i straighten it so id like something i can do that to. something good



I need a good haircut so i can work at kings island?

Liked the line about 'hair color naturally occuring on humans'!



You don't have too many choices, so go to a traditional barber and ask for a number 2 or 3. Number 1 is now called 'a Britney'!



I need a good haircut so i can work at kings island?

Man what a lot of specification! Don't bother working for those clods.

Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

I love her, but I only took her on as a foster kind of thing 3 years ago. I'm really against animal cruelty, but I'm mildly allergic to cat hair and she sheds a lot more than any other cat I've had. I used to give her sooo much attention before I got my dog, and now she seems desperate for the love that I'm not giving her. we go away for most weekends and bring the dog with us. She cries for hours after we get home. (she always has enough food and water, but she needs more human contact!)



She's such a sweet soul. My husband complains about the hair everyday! he wakes up with it in his mouth. It's mean, but I just feel annoyed with her, so is it wrong to give her away, or would it be better to give her a life that she deserves? I feel like people would look at me like a bad person. And what if I give her away to someone that ends up meaner to her?



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

Have you tried all you can to help the cat?



If so, don't feel guilty. If not, feel guilty.



Are you doing this primarily for you or the cat?



For you, feel guilty. For the cat, don't feel guilty.



Try changing your cats diet. It is possible she is not getting all the necessary nutrients from her diet and she is therefore shedding. Any pet will be upset after leaving them alone so hire a petsitter. It can be a neighbor to feed, scoop the box, and spend a few minutes playing with the cat. Unless, the house is in a complete mess after you come from your trip she is probably doing fine being alone for the weekend. Her continious meowing is sort of a way of "catching up". Her environment has changed and changed again and meowing is her way of adjusting. After you come home just give her a little extra attention and some treats.



Remember that a cat is not some defective toy you can put back on the shelf. Considering you had her for three years and there are so many homeless animals out there you should try to see if there is anything more you can do to help her. We get annoyed with our pets and family members sometimes. Remember that there are ups and downs to being a pet owner. Part of being a pet owner is trying to work with the downs.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

Please don't feel like a hypocrite, you tried the best you can. You gave her a loving home for this long. I think the best thing you can do is give her to a loving home. You don't want her to be lonely over the weekends and you don't want your health to suffer if you are allergic.



Don't worry what people think, they aren't in your house everyday to see what is really going on and I'm sure if you explain you have an allergy to cat hair they will understand.



Maybee you can give her to a friend or family member so you can still visit her...you might not feel as guilty that way.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

Give her away. You are not suited to own a cat obviously.



I don't buy the "took her on as a foster kind of thing 3 years ago" btw. My friend did the same thing. What it was in actuality was that she got a dog and thought it was "new and more fun" and pushed the cat out the door.



I must say to you though, kudos to you for admitting your cat isn't happy and the situation is less than stellar.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

well if you are unhappy, the boyfriend is unhappy, and the cat is unhappy, then you should give her away. if you were fostering here then return her to the shelter or rescue group you were fostering through. you could try and find a no kill shelter but there is usually a pretty long waiting list to get an animal in them. ask a friend or other relative to take her, or just run a risk and put an ad in the newspaper.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

I don't want to sound mean, but yes, I think I'd feel guilty about giving her away. A pet is a lifelong (as long as the pet lives) commitment...you can't just give her away because you're irritated at her shedding her fur. Poor thing is probably stressed out because you don't really pay much attention to her and that will cause shedding. If you're allergic to cat hair, try Claritin or there are many other things you could try.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

You are not a hypocrit, but what I would say is if you could wait long enough to give her to a good home with people that will keep her rather than just taking her to a shelter where she might not survive. That would be the best thing you could do.



And I'm concerned on why hair is such a problem for you. Are you not combing the cat enough? That may be all she needs is a hair brush, but if you are not willing to really want to spend time with the cat, then there's only so much you can do. Just try to do right by her.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

It would be the best thing for the cat to find a loving home for the cat. Take her to a no kill shelter.



You don't really love her, otherwise you wouldn't leave her alone most weekends. You openly admit you don't giver her the attention she needs since you got the dog.



If you took her on "as a foster thing" she should have passed on to a forever home by now.



You say you are against animal cruelty yet by your actions you are deserting her most weekends and you know she needs more human contact. You are making the conscious decision to abandon her and not see to her welfare. Care is not just food and water. It includes psychological welfare as well.



Let her spend the next 10 years (at least) with someone who will appreciate her and find a home for her or take her to a shelter.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

After you give her up to an owner who you feel good about, pop by for a visit every so often to your heart's content until you feel like she's in a good place.



A family with kids is always good for attention.



Don't feel bad, you're doing what's best for the cat's happiness. It's little different than, say, a druggie giving away her baby to an infertile couple desperate for a child.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

This is not about you or how you look to anyone else. Do what's right for your kitty and find her a good home



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

the shedding problem could be because of the diet you are feeding your cat. if the food is quality food, the cat will shed less



how often do you brush her, brush her a few times a week



you can consult the vet maybe there is a medical condition that she has that makes her shed a lot.



it is entirely up to you if you want to keep her or give her away. she sounds like she could use a home that will give her the attention she needs.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

Brush her daily to control the shedding... Keep her out of your bedroom. I'm mildly allergic to my cats and when my allergies flair up bad I keep them out of my room.



Other then that, the only thing I'm going to add, is that it is very very difficult to find a home for a cat. I have foster kittens that I've had a couple months now that I've had NO decent inquiries on. Just people who wanted to keep them in a garage and feed them dog food. One of them is even marked like a little seal point siamese. They're fixed and everything. All I'm asking is $40 which is the equivalent of a vet visit around here.



Hopefully, if you do try to rehome her, you will ask for vet references. At least commit to finding her a decent new home. It will probably take around 9 months to a year to rehome her unless you get really lucky.



Don't offer her for less then the local vets charge for a vet appointment. If someone won't pay that, they won't take care of her either.



Though, just food for thought, most pet owners go through stages at some point where they feel less love for their pet. People go through that with every kind of relationship. One day, you'll question whether or not you love your husband. It happens to everybody. That's the point where you need to reconnect and evaluate. Spend some time with her and think about it. Chances are you're only away about every weekend cause it's summertime and there's places to camp and such. Probably, you aren't like that 8 months out of the year.



There was a time I had to work 2 jobs. My dogs and cats didn't like it, but I knew it would be temporary and everyone pulled through just fine.



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

No, don't feel bad about it. You would be doing the right thing by finding her a home that would be more suitable for her. People DO have lifestyle changes, whether it's good or bad, and at this time you simply just cannot meet all her needs the way that she needs them to be met. You would be better off letting her be raised by someone else that can give her what she needs. Don't feel bad about it. And it doesn't mean that she won't continue having a place in your heart....



Should I feel like a hypocrite or guilty about giving up my cat?

not many are able to admid that they have made a mistake, so its ag ood thing you did. I'm not gonna preach about the whole "you should have thought about it before" thing as in my opinion situations change. you realised that your cat is not happy anymore and you are making the right decision in giving her away and therefore a chance to get the affection it needs. but please don't do the same with further pets. one mistake is allowed and you should learn from it.