Retreat in Ramadan II

At my age sleeping on the floor is'nt very comfortable so I got an inflatable mattress which did a good job. My problem was that timings for my rest did not match the timings for younger persons who could sleep for 3-4 hours after morning "spiritual exercises" (I could only do about an hour), so I wanted to sleep soon after night prayer in order to get up for Tahajjud, better refreshed and better prepared.
There was going to be some sleep deprivation anyway, so I did OK on the whole.
I had the unique experience of reading through the first volume of (Urdu translation) Ibn Kathir. I was intrigued by the number of hadithes he was able to stuff in for explanations. I thought he sometimes gets carried away too far from the subject under discussion in story telling. You can almost get a feeling of the cultural millieu in which he was writing, what was Islamic culture like then (13th-14th century CE).
I also get a feeling that human beings have a tendency to exaggerate and add fanciful aspects to events related to 'religion' and followers of Islam are no exception even though there is a curb placed by Qur'an saying:
"O ye who believe! ask not questions about things which if made plain to you may cause you trouble. But if you ask about things when the Qur'an is being revealed......"
An excellent example is also in the story of "people of the cave". How many were they, who were they etc. Qur'an only reveals what concerns us for admonition and instruction but leaves out un-necessary details and we should refrain from those details too. For if dont we are likely fall in to error. Like in Sura Najm (53rd, verses 15-16), "Near it is the Garden of abode. Behold the "lote-tree" was shrouded (in mystery un-speakable)" (Yusufali's attempt to translate 'Izd yaghshassidrata ma yaghsha') The tafsir writers get lost in imagination of all kinds of things they can come up with, which of course is not necessarily relavant and can easily (and should) be skipped. If the Almighty used such words couched in mystery why go into the details of that "shroud". (That is my sincere feeling).
However that is what I see in Ibn-Kathir also. My sincere apologies to the great writer and Muhaddis (who am I to criticize?). The good thing, nevertheless is that his document holds the key to the Muslim thought process of his time and it is a very valuable document as it is, that is why all modern mufassirin depend on his documantation for expalanation and excegesis. May Allah reward him higher and higher places in Paradise. On the whole you get the real meanings well clarified and that is what matters.

Dactyloscopy or Finger-printing

It was in the 14th century Iran that finger prints were recognised first as being unique to individuals (but see below the last ref.) but the real pioneering work was done by one Azizul-Haque (Khan Bahadur Aziz-ul-Haque), a police officer working under Sir Edward Henry to establish that science now used for identifying criminals. Azizul Haque was a brilliant mathematician to come up with such work and another Indian Police officer worked with him by the name of Hem Chander Bose (Roy Bahadur Hem Chandr Bose). (There is a proposal to give credit to these individuals to call this scientific method as Henry-Hem-AzizulHaque method: Note here Henry added for being the superior )
In the present era of technological advances, perhaps other systems of anthropometric analysis may point to the use of 'DNA' as more correct but (without going into scientific discussion of uses abuses misuses and errors of detection etc.) the claim has been made before that:
NO TWO FINGER PRINTS ARE EXACTLY ALIKE.
Now let me draw your attention to the following:
"Does man think that We cannot (resurrect him and) bring his bones together again?
Yea, indeed We are able to make whole his very finger-tips" (Sura 'Al-Qiyama', 75th chapter Verses 3 and 4 of Qur'an-el-Kareem.
 Something to think about!!

Retreat in Ramadan

AA all, here I am again after my retreat (I'tikaf)
Incidentally I know Christians have some 'retreat' also but I dont know the details, please enlighten us if you do.
No, I did not pray that US Congress should accept Ramadan as holy month.
Whereas I agree that is a positive step, I think it is delayed. US Army had created the post of Muslim Chaplin 12 years ago (or thereabout) which was a 'recognition' of the Muslim personell in the Army. One or our new Muslimah would wear an army-matching 'hijab' at her post (Fort Bragg, NC), would exercise at Sahar time instead with others at regular time, just to name a few things Army 'agreed' for providing to the Muslims. ( I was closely associated with Fort Bragg's Muslims and had welcomed the then Capt. Abdur-Rasheed, the first Army Muslim chaplin)
But probably some things like this must lag behind?
Now as for Muslims this is a "spiritual renewal" in this month but what is needed is more (does it last for the rest of the 11 months?)
The Lord, the Almighty Allah and his teachings remain the same for the rest of the year, right?
"wa ma qadarullaha haqqa qadrihee" (No just estimate have they made of Allah such as is due to Him)


EACH BREATH THAT ONE TAKES IS A STEP TOWARD ONE"S DESTINY (Ali IBn-Abi Taalib RA)