At present I am enjoying the downtime that comes with being a senior in highschool  while working on an admission essay. My friends and I are in the process of submitting  applications for college. We have chosen the colleges and universities that we will apply  in  months before. Most of us have worked conscientiously which earned us excellent grades,  therefore allowing us dibs on applying in some ivy leagues on the west coast.

      Though I think I believe I have writing skills down pat, I cannot help but fuss over it because  it is one of the deciding factors in my admission. My grades are great and I do not want an  essay to jeopardize my chance of getting in.

      An admission essay, like the one I am worrying over, usually wants the student to talk about  themselves or, sell themselves, to the college they want to get into. The questions are  normally very simple and you could even answer them in a couple of short paragraphs.  However, it disguises itself as simple but what it really wants is to see the student's  aspirations and if they are in sync with the standards of the school.

      This essay is due in a couple of days. I have been pondering over what I should write that  would impress the readers without sounding too pompous. Help, anyone?

I Would like to share with you a formula for memorizing the Qur'an pages (On a standard size Qur'an - Madina Al Munawwarah).

Pay attention carefully; its very easy:-

Qur'an has 30 Juzuus (parts)

Example 1

If you want to know the 5th Juzuu of the Quran is on which page?
Take 5 (the fifth juzuu) 5-1 = 4, the answer 4 x 2 = 8 then insert 2 after 8 which shows 82
Now look at the Quraan and you will see The 5th Juzuu begins on page 82.

Example 2
10th Juzuu 10-1 = 9, the answer 9 x 2 = 18 then insert 2 after 18
which shows 182
Now look at the Quraan, you will see the 10th Juzuu begins on page 182.

Example 3
Juzuu 23, 23-1 = 22, the answer 22 x 2 = 44 then insert 2 after 44
which shows 442
Now look at the Quraan, you will see the 23rd Juzuu begins on page 442.

Moreover, the Juzuu starts from the top of the pages & ends on the bottom of the pages

Subhana Allah!

Share with others and teach your children how to do it.
This way they will always rememember which Juzuu starts on which page.

It has been related from Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (Radhiallaahu Anhu), he says that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "Whomsoever fasts during the month of Ramadan out of deep sincere faith, with hope for an abundant reward from Allah, all his past sins will be forgiven, and he who passes his nights in devotions out of deep sincere faith, with hope for an abundant reward from Allah, and also he who keeps awake on the sacred night (Laylatul Qadr) their previous sins will be forgiven".

IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVE AND NIYYAT
Everybody knows that a voluntary murder is abhorred by all civilizations and that all religions condemn such a murderer to Hell, whereas the innocent victim in question, the martyr merits Jannat. Everybody also knows that the defense of a rightful cause (against an aggressor) is a duty: and the one who kills an aggressor is considered to be a hero who merits all the rewards in this world and the hereafter. Is not the difference between these two killings of merely the intention? Similarly if one abstains from eating and drinking only on the prescription of a doctor, will he not is doing the same act as the one who gives up eating and drinking in compliance with the command, and for the sake of Allah? Allah is our Creator, Lawgiver who is going to revive us after death and to demand accounts of our actions in the present world. Whoever will have obeyed Him, shall obtain His pleasure, even if we have not understood the underlying secrets of His commandments. The fasting enjoined by a religion, by a revealed law must entail Divine pleasure if we accomplish it. And what spiritual and worldly benefit can be greater than the eternal pleasure of our Lord? Material motives should not be allowed to mar the purity of the intention. Let our fast be wholly and solely for the pleasure, and in compliance with the commands of Allah. Hence the celebrators saying of Rasuluilah SAW. "Indeed acts are judged according to their intentions".

SPIRITUAL ASPECTS
Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, a predominant personality of the 18th century, a great scholar and also a great saint, respected on all hands, In his celebrated work "Hujjatullah ul Baalighah" has made some penetrating remarks on the spiritual aspects of fasting:-

"Since the excess of animality hinders the emergence of angelic aspects, it was necessary that one should try and dominate one's animality. Since the excess of animality and the accumulation and abundance of its stratus have their origin in food, drink and indulgence in carnal pleasures, a fast accomplishes what abundant food cannot. Therefore the method of dominating the animality is the diminishing of causes (of the excess of animality). That is why there is a uninamity among all those who desire the emergence of the angelic aspect in man as to diminish and reduce these (eating, drinking etc.) There is no difference among the peoples of the world in spite of the difference of their religions and the distance between their respective countries. Moreover the ultimate goal is that the animality of man should become submissive to mans angelic side, so that the animality acts according to the inspirations and dictates his angelism, take color from its color, and his algelism prevents his animality from taking mean and lowly colors and getting abject impressions-like a wax getting the impression of a seal. To attain this, there is no method other than this. The angelic side of man should select something according to its own exigencies and should inspire and suggest this to the animal side of man; and that the animality should submit to this inspiration, not, act obstinately or rebel against it. Angelism should continue again and again to inspire its exigencies to the animality, and the animality should continue to submit to these exigencies, so that it becomes accustomed to them and proficient in them".

A total of 32,617 nursing graduates passed the June 2009 Nursing Board Exam, with a passing rate of 41.87. It was taken by 77,901 examinees.

32,617 pass nursing exam, Cebu grad tops list

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Saturday night announced that 32,617 nursing examinees passed the June 2009 Nursing Board Exam, with a nursing graduate from Cebu topping the list.

PRC commissioner Ruth Padilla was quoted in a radio report as saying that the latest nursing exam had a 41.87 percent passing rate. The test was taken by 77,901 examinees on June 6 and 7.

Topping the list was Golda Manto Yap of the Felipe R. Verallo Memorial Foundation in Bogo, Cebu.

[SEE COMPLETE LIST OF JUNE 2009 BOARD PASSERS]

The June nursing board examination was administered in Manila and 10 other regional offices including Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Legaspi, Lucena, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, Pagadian, Tacloban, and Jolo.

The PRC noted that the latest results were 2.64 percent lower than that from the February 2009 exams, which had a 44.51 percent passing rate.

In February 2009's nursing board exam results, Jovie Ann Alawas Decoyna of the Baguio Central University (BCU) topped the list after garnering a score of 89 percent. - GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines – A Saudi Arabian man married a Filipino woman as a cover for buying her kidney, trying to circumvent the Philippines' strict new rules to fight organ trafficking, officials said Monday.

The man's transplant was blocked by authorities, but the case shows the difficulty the Philippines faces in fighting rampant trade in organs fueled by wealthy-but-ailing foreigners buying kidneys from impoverished Filipinos.

A human rights group says it has documented nearly 200 poor kidney donors recruited by organ-trafficking syndicates in a single province in the last few years.

Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the Saudi man applied for a transplant at a government-run hospital, listing his wife as his voluntary donor. But hospital officials became suspicious when they learned the couple had married only recently and that the husband spoke no English or Tagalog, while the Filipino wife spoke no Arabic.

"Clearly, it was not a donation," Cabral told a news conference Monday. "It was actually organ sale."

The Saudi man's transplant application was rejected two months ago, though neither he nor his wife faced any charges. Neither would say how much the woman was promised in exchange for her kidney, Cabral said.

Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the transplant would have been allowed had the marriage been authentic and if there was no commercial transaction involved.

The Philippines was named the No. 5 hotspot for organ trafficking by the World Health Organization in 2005. China was No. 1. The trade mostly involves kidneys, since most people can live with only one.

Amihan Abueva, regional coordinator of the private Asia Against Child Trafficking, said since last year her group has located at least 195 kidney donors from poor communities in Quezon province, southeast of Manila, who were recruited by syndicates. One of the donors was a 17-year-old male who received 95,000 pesos ($1,980).

At least two of the donors _ who were paid less than promised _ have filed cases against the organ traffickers, Abueva said. The law allows cases to be filed up 10 years after the crime was committed, and up to 20 years if it is large-scale trafficking, she added.

In 2007, out of 1,046 kidney transplants performed in the country, 81 percent were from living, non-related donors and 51 percent of the recipients were foreigners, said the doctors' group Philippine Society of Nephrology. It wasn't clear that all of those transplants involved an organ sale, but the statistics raised suspicions.

The government has been trying to curb the trade. It recently adopted strict rules restricting foreigners from receiving organ transplants from Filipino donors. The new rules added to a 2003 law that already prohibited organ sales, which are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

However, the rules make an exception for family members or anyone with emotional and social ties to the recipient _ and Cabral said the case of the Saudi man shows how far people will go to get around the law.

A man woke up early in order to pray the Fajr prayer in the masjid. He got dressed, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid. On his way to the masjid, the man fell and his clothes got dirty. He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, made his ablution, and was, again, on his way to the masjid. On his way to the masjid, he fell again and at the same spot! He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home. At home he, once again, changed his clothes, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid. On his way to the masjid, He met a man holding a lamp. He asked the man of his identity and the man replied 'I saw you fall twice on your way to the masjid, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way. 'The first man thanked him profusively and the two where on their way to the masjid. Once at the masjid, the first man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused. The first man asked him a couple more times and, Again, the answer was the same. The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray. The man replied, 'I am Satan. 'The man was shocked at this reply. Satan went on to explain, 'I saw you on your way to the masjid and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the masjid, Allah forgave all of your sins. I made you fall a second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to the masjid. Because of that, Allah forgave all the sins of the people of your household. I was afraid if I made you fall one more time, then Allah will forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached the masjid safely.' So do not let Satan benefit from his actions. Do not put off a good that you intended to do as you never know how much reward you might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good. If forwarding this message will bother you, or take too much time from you, then don't do it, but you will not get the reward of it, which is great. Imagine, that when you forward this, you receive 240 good deeds, and so will I for sending it to you! Wouldn't it be easy just to press 'Forward' and receive this reward

The Maranao inhabit mainly the Lake Lanao region in the northwestern section of Mindanao, the Philippines, located between 7°30′ and 8°30′ N and 124°00′ and 125°00′ E. "Maranao" means "people of the lake." The Maranao language is an Austronesian language. Closely affiliated with the Maranao is a group or subgroup possibly antecedent to the Maranao, varyingly called Iranon, Iranun, Illanun, and Ilanon. The Maranao number approximately 840,000 persons (1983), and are the second-largest Muslim group after the Maguindanao in the Philippines. Roughly 90 percent of the Maranao live in the province of Lanao del Sur, with the remainder living in Lanao del Norte and parts of Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, and Bukidnon. The mercantile, cultural, and educational center of the Maranao is Marawi (formerly Dansalan), the capital of Lanao del Sur.

The Maranao are primarily an inland group, comparatively isolated until recently from coastal peoples and the influence of colonial powers. Of the major Muslim groups in the Philippines, the Maranao were the last to be converted to Islam. They were a rallying point for partisan activity against the Spanish, the Americans, the Japanese, and the Republic of the Philippines, particularly during times of martial law. Many Maranao are strongly resistant to a centralized Philippines government, with some openly revolting against it. They prefer a federal form of government, with more regional autonomy, or, alternatively, secession, so as to be able to align themselves with a Muslim country or to become an independent nation.

Maranao villages are made up of a few nucleated households: several families may live under one roof in a food-sharing relationship. A typical Maranao dwelling has no partitions inside. On both walls of the house are sleeping quarters with an aisle down the center. Each family occupies one sleeping quarter. In the rear of the dwelling is a communal kitchen.

The Maranao are principally farmers and fishermen. The eastern part of Lake Lanao is fertile for rice cultivation. Fertile land has brought surpluses of maize, peanuts, sweet potatoes, coffee, citrus fruits, and exotic varieties of tropical fruits. Cottage industries such as cloth and mat weaving, wood carving, and metalwork in brass, silver, and gold are popular. Maranao are known for selling straw mats, yard goods, blankets, and metalware throughout the Philippines.

Kinship is traced bilaterally, hence membership in several villages at one time is common. Maranao conceive of villages as communities where people share a common descent instead of territory. Rank and privilege are determined by an individual's personal skills (e.g., as orator, Quran reader, or authority on law), and distinction as a leader.

The Maranao version of Islam includes many elements of pre-Islamic belief and ritual, particularly those connected with agriculture, the spirit world, and the cycles of nature. Islamic beliefs strongly reflect Sufi influence, especially in vocabulary and chants at rituals.

Starting July of 2009, OFW's all around the world will surely benefit to this one of a kind service from the newly proposed law by the government of the Philippines . The service is entitled Hatid Kabayan.

Any OFW who worked in any part of the Globe for more than six months is said to be entitled and will benefit from this service. As soon as you landed in Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA, a special booth is waiting for you to fill up some forms, and all you have to do is show your passpot to them, to confirm your working status abroad and you're all set.

This also implies to all immigrants and non immigrants out there.

Hatid Kabayan is a service where the Philippine Government arrange a special ride for OFW's from NAIA to any point of the of the Philippines or any provinces. It will be surely a nice ride.

Hats off to the Philippine Government despite this ongoing economic crisis, high fuel cost and among others, they managed to pay us a small amount of gratitude and tribute of all the hard works we do abroad.

Specially trained employees will accommodate you and guarantee us that they know every single route all across the Nation.

So seat back and relax and lets be proud of what Philippine Government can offer.

Below is the Hatid Kabayan on Test Run.. Mabuhay ang Plipinas!
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Ha ha ha… what did you expect?  Cheers!  

The Prophets sunna are very important, the example that i allways hear is that the FARD are like the wall of the house and the SUNNAH are like the furniture, so my question is that if your parents object to u wearing sunnah clothing, eating the sunna way slepping the sunna ect. then should i give these sunns up to please my parents.

This is an authentic hadîth. It is related in Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1879) and al-Tirmidhî declared it to be good. It is also related in Sahîh Ibn Hibbân (475 & 530) and Musnad al-Bazzâr.

A man called his friend on the phone thousands of miles away. He said: "So I can be sure of your feelings, I want you to give me smile. And his friend really did smile – a genuine smile from the heart – and the effects of his smile could be heard in his voice while he spoke to his friend overseas. This made the man happy – that someone would smile upon a suggestion, though the other person could not even see him.

There is great wisdom in the Prophet's words: "When you smile to your brother's face is charity."

And indeed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) followed this advice in his everyday life, so much so that `Abd Allah b. al-Hârith said: "I have never seen anyone more in the habit of smiling than Allah's Messenger." [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3574)]

Even on the day he died, while lying in his sickbed, he did not neglect to smile. While Abû Bakr was getting the people lined up for prayer, the Prophet managed to stand up and move aside the curtain of his room. His face was like a page from a Qur'an manuscript. Yet he smiled at them, a bright laughing smile. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (639) and Sahîh Muslim (636)]

The prophet (peace be upon him) saw a smile as a gift of joy – an emotional gift, not a material one – a gift whose substance is received by the heart.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "your brother's face" he was not implying that smiling is only prescribed upon meeting someone. This advice applies to every occasion where a smile can bring cheer, lighten the mood, or reduce the stress that people are feeling.

Jarîr b. `Abd Allah said: "Since the time I accepted Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) never once failed to notice me. Whenever he saw me, he would smile at me." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2809 & 5625) and Sahîh Muslim (4523)]

It was the Prophet's habit to smile. He even smiled at Fadâlah b. `Umayr – and on that occasion Fadâlah had come with the intention to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him)!

For a smile to be a habitual part of your personality, the facial muscles must be accustomed to smiling. In this way, the hesitancy that we feel when meeting someone, the uncertainty that often comes with interpersonal dealings, will not prevent us from being able to give a broad, heartfelt smile.

There are people who consider frequent smiling to show a deficiency in intelligence or social status. Then there are those who try to smile, but are so unaccustomed to doing so that with great effort they barely manage to curl their lips noticeably. Such people should practice smiling on their own if they must. Maybe they should think of a humorous incident to bring a smile to their face and then share that smile with someone else at no extra cost!

We should not let the differences we might have with people keep us from greeting them with a smile. Likewise, we should not let our possible differences of opinion, or of denomination, or political affiliation, or family background make us stingy with our smiles.

Smiling aids our mental as well as physical health. Indeed, doctor's have begun to incorporate smiling into their therapies. Smiling contributes to lowering blood pressure and improved circulation. It boosts the immune system. It works wherever stress and depression cause harm. Smiling relaxes us and improves our emotional stability.

More than that, a smile is a message about yourself – that your heart is pure and that you are not infected by anxieties, hang-ups, and gloom. A smile is an instant message to those you know as well as those you do not know. It is received and understood even before you speak to or greet someone, and makes that person more receptive to what you have to say.

A genuine smile is charity that you give to yourself. It dispels arrogance from your heart and pessimism from your outlook. It is also charity for others for the happiness and comfort that it brings them. However, the smile has to be real. A mechanical and forced smile will not do the trick.

Smiling is something we want to be contagious. We want it to spread amity and friendship among the people. We want it to make people think better of one another, to trust each other, and learn to get along, whatever their other differences might be. Smiling, it can be hoped, will help to establish the value of good conduct among all human beings.
--> The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When you smile to your brother's face, it is charity." This is an authentic hadîth. It is related in Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1879) and al-Tirmidhî declared it to be good. It is also related in Sahîh Ibn Hibbân (475 & 530) and Musnad al-Bazzâr.

A man called his friend on the phone thousands of miles away. He said: "So I can be sure of your feelings, I want you to give me smile. And his friend really did smile – a genuine smile from the heart – and the effects of his smile could be heard in his voice while he spoke to his friend overseas. This made the man happy – that someone would smile upon a suggestion, though the other person could not even see him.

There is great wisdom in the Prophet's words: "When you smile to your brother's face is charity."

And indeed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) followed this advice in his everyday life, so much so that `Abd Allah b. al-Hârith said: "I have never seen anyone more in the habit of smiling than Allah's Messenger." [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3574)]

Even on the day he died, while lying in his sickbed, he did not neglect to smile. While Abû Bakr was getting the people lined up for prayer, the Prophet managed to stand up and move aside the curtain of his room. His face was like a page from a Qur'an manuscript. Yet he smiled at them, a bright laughing smile. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (639) and Sahîh Muslim (636)]

The prophet (peace be upon him) saw a smile as a gift of joy – an emotional gift, not a material one – a gift whose substance is received by the heart.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "your brother's face" he was not implying that smiling is only prescribed upon meeting someone. This advice applies to every occasion where a smile can bring cheer, lighten the mood, or reduce the stress that people are feeling.

Jarîr b. `Abd Allah said: "Since the time I accepted Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) never once failed to notice me. Whenever he saw me, he would smile at me." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2809 & 5625) and Sahîh Muslim (4523)]

It was the Prophet's habit to smile. He even smiled at Fadâlah b. `Umayr – and on that occasion Fadâlah had come with the intention to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him)!

For a smile to be a habitual part of your personality, the facial muscles must be accustomed to smiling. In this way, the hesitancy that we feel when meeting someone, the uncertainty that often comes with interpersonal dealings, will not prevent us from being able to give a broad, heartfelt smile.

There are people who consider frequent smiling to show a deficiency in intelligence or social status. Then there are those who try to smile, but are so unaccustomed to doing so that with great effort they barely manage to curl their lips noticeably. Such people should practice smiling on their own if they must. Maybe they should think of a humorous incident to bring a smile to their face and then share that smile with someone else at no extra cost!

We should not let the differences we might have with people keep us from greeting them with a smile. Likewise, we should not let our possible differences of opinion, or of denomination, or political affiliation, or family background make us stingy with our smiles.

Smiling aids our mental as well as physical health. Indeed, doctor's have begun to incorporate smiling into their therapies. Smiling contributes to lowering blood pressure and improved circulation. It boosts the immune system. It works wherever stress and depression cause harm. Smiling relaxes us and improves our emotional stability.

More than that, a smile is a message about yourself – that your heart is pure and that you are not infected by anxieties, hang-ups, and gloom. A smile is an instant message to those you know as well as those you do not know. It is received and understood even before you speak to or greet someone, and makes that person more receptive to what you have to say.

A genuine smile is charity that you give to yourself. It dispels arrogance from your heart and pessimism from your outlook. It is also charity for others for the happiness and comfort that it brings them. However, the smile has to be real. A mechanical and forced smile will not do the trick.

Smiling is something we want to be contagious. We want it to spread amity and friendship among the people. We want it to make people think better of one another, to trust each other, and learn to get along, whatever their other differences might be. Smiling, it can be hoped, will help to establish the value of good conduct among all human beings.