VA/iDoc Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans

I know it is late for the memorial day thoughts because I do not necessarily enjoy the war movies which are now so common on the American TV that "memorial day" remembrance seems to be running throughout the year. So, I dont watch TV much on memorial day any more. 

 t It is really a sad situation (Suicides among veterans) that is overlooked by the media who continue to post every death and have reached a mark of four thousand something. There are however those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan but are not reported and they are more numerous than the "war casualties", a miscalculation or undercalculation---for I think that all the suicides in our 'fighting troops' are also war casualties. Imagine a young man who is fighting for his country, turns the gun from the 'enemy' towards himself. What is driving him to such a desperate step? Should'nt we look into it? I feel that a serious study of these statistics and the psychopathology lurking under these circumstances, is warranted. The current report is at an alarmingly high level of 18 suicides per day, or 126 suicidal deaths per week or 540 suicidal deaths per 30 days. That is to me an outrageous figure. what would be the ratio of suicidal deaths to 'combat' deaths, I dare not calculate. It is too horrendous even to imagine. I am not a psychiatrist but I know (like many of you) what PTSD means and how many lives are wasted, and how many families are forced to endure pain and suffering by this 'simple' mental illness. For some reason these statistical figures of "wounded" veterans over the past five years are not considered prominent for reporting lest the nation may become too alarmed by the 'favorite pastime' of this administration.

Late Jum'ah Journal+Early Sunday Surkhi

Most persons after retirement have plenty of time to write but I am still trying to get organized for being able to aford time for "productive" or intellectually satisfying type of work. I have been unable to catch the ends successfully.
Now this 'booking together of "Jum'ah-Sunday" may sound a product of necessity or result of my laziness or some such excuse but it sure provides for some thinking on the lines of
"Jam'a bain-as-salatain" which is regularly performed by all during Hajj time (Zduhr and 'Asr combined and Mahghrib and Issha combined, with one azdan and two iqamats) which is familiar to those of my brothers and sisters who have had the good fortune of performing Hajj.
However this" jama'a bainassalatain" (combining of two salats) is performed on other occasions too. Most commonly in travelling (other than for Hajj)
Hanafi teaching does not consider combining two salats in travel to be "allowed" (Jaaiz) but Ahl-hadis consider it allowed and what is more, all forms of combinings too
Combining two salats can be:
Only for Zduhr +'Asr and Maghrib+Issha
a)Performed near Zuhr time (Asr being performed earlier than its time)
b) Performed at Asr time (Zuhr time having passed)
c) Performed at a time midway between the two times
same holds for Maghrib and Issha prayers.
Hanafi teaching considers the last way of combining (c) better then in (a) or (b), if you do have to do the combining.
There are ahadeeth for all such combinings, so it is not that other Imams have formed their own opinion based upon their whims.
Imam Abu Hanifa however bases his teaching on the Aya, ...." prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times" (#103, Sura 4). Of course there are ahadeeth for praying at stated times also.
Combining is also allowed (not by Hanafi teaching) during bad weathers (when travelling to Masjid may be difficult or hazardous), or other times when it is impossible, for example, due to severe illness or some other dire circumstances.
There is no doubt that the prophet SAWS did perform combinations under such conditions and although travelling and (in the present times) other conditions are considerably better, the Islamic scholars consider that we should continue to take advantage of those relaxations as long as the prophet's teaching supports it.
So, although I am basically Hanafi follower, I do perform combinings in travelling even though it may be easy for me to perform separately. Some times I also perform two salalts if in my masjid the non-Hanafi Imam performs combined salats during bad weather (I consider it advantageous to have performed two salats with Jama't)
Many Hanafi followers do not do what I do.
I do it with the understanding that after all the prophet did perform such salats inspite of that Ayat's insisting on "stated times", so it should be OK for us, sinners too.
I'm sure the Imams made 'rules' after considering everything and they knew more than I do, so if I try to "enjoy' a benefit from other Imam's teachings, I am still NOT going against Sunna of the prophet SAWS. May Allah keep us rightly guided on the straight path-ameen.
You can have your own reasons one way or the other and I have no reasn to argue with you that my thinking is correct or better etc.
Qur'an Majeed does not say "five times" and there is so much flexibility available because of that which is provided by the performance of times by our great teacher Mohammad SAWS. who set the times and their variations (all the ahadeeth for such times) for us
What is more we get the rewards for 50 times by performing 5 times salat, the Grace of Allah SWT. This is so remarkable deen and how can we be thankful to Allah to have blessed us with it and with the teachings of our prophet SAWS. We would be totally lost without these teachings.

Nay-key ker darya main daal

Some words of Urdu cannot be translated exactly so I have used this, one Urdu word in this way for those who know the pronunciation of this word, let's say a" good deed" can be its English equivalent. "Nay-key ker darya main daal" (if you confer a favor, dont mention it and forget it)
(This is a true story without exaggeration)
We were in the court room and the judge was litsening to our case (small court). Speeding (or something like that) was the charge. "Do you have anybody (Lawyer) representing you?
We were, dumbfounded and embarrassed, as if standing naked in the court, nobody was representing us.
Suddenly we heard a man's voice from behind us.
"I represent them".
We looked behind. We did not know him from Adam. No clue as to who he was and why he took up our case etc. (We did not know we should have hired a Lawyer) and no charge. Is this America? Is this non-Muslim country? Does such a thing exist?
Everything settled and we were walking out of the court room, hurriedly we approached him.
"Dont thank me, and dont ask my name, please. Just think that I repect Muslims and once a Muslim helped me".
We parted, not knowing his name and wont even recognise him if we met him somewhere, again
but will never forget him, but pray for him that Allah make his life easier and help him just like he helped us in a very tense situation.
Good persons know of no religion, thay only know goodness. Never lose faith in human beings and altruism.

Jum'ah Journal--Heart function and life

Allah SWT has made heart as the center of functions of the body both physically as well as spiritually. Scientists have a good idea and control on the physical function of this piece of muscular tissue, but have little knowledge of its spiritual aspects.
For centuries a functioning heart was the gold standard for estimating the presence of 'life' in a living being, in addition to breathing. So when breathing has stopped the doctor will listen to the heart with stethoscope and pronounce absence of life if there was no heart beat left.
Now we have machines that can continue the "function of the heart" for several days, weeks or months (stretching it a bit) while a person's heart may have stopped or be too week or unable to function for some disease process and yet "life" has not ended.
A very close friend of mine went to the hospital to see his son who had a motorcycle accident but was OK and developed some pain in his left elbow so he (being a doctor) checked in the ER and sure enough he had Myocardial infarct----- and did not go back home alive.
See some other examples of "unexpected" deaths in Ajmal Bhopal's Urdu blog recently quoted, but it is true we do not think when and how death may approach us.
While I was thinking of Ali Yunus I was amazed how Allah has made all those "arrangements" so that he can get the best available treatment to survive this heart "attack". We have so many reminders daily to thank God for what He has given us. We take life for granted, dont we?
Another friend of mine's mother was in coma for some time and she was expected to "go" any day while her husband (his father) was OK but on that Friday he got up as usual for his wudu for Fajr and before he could perform (or after, I do not recall exactly) prayer, he fell and his heart stopped with no success at resuscitation, whereas his(my firend's)mother "lived' for another week.
When we get up in the morning feeling good do we ever think we should thank God Almighty for another day He has gievn us here to enjoy His bounties, to be thankful to Him?
"It is Allah that takes the souls (of men), at death and those that die not (He takes) during sleep: Then on whom He has passed the decree of death He keeps back (from returning to life) but the rest He sends (to their bodies, for a term appointed. Verily in this are signs for those who reflect"
Sura Zumor (39th) Aya 42.

Sunday Surkhi- Mother's day

One mother is having a real tough time, mother of Ali,Yunus who has what is called "fulminating myocarditis". I have never seen anything like this in my life, but Ali, Alhamdulillah is doing better needs tons of prayers from all of you, please. Most likely he has successfully avoided cardiac transplant need.
Between last and this sunday life for this boy who was healthy muscular tall young man with n enviably healthy heart, life has been "restarted"
I am retired but I am looking for this ailment's literature now
We have learnt that human life is extremely fragile, (Bait-al-'Ankaboot), A rmarkably healthy young man is struck down by a poorly known (probably) virus and withing 24-48 hrs everything happened to Ali. Any one of us can experience that and I shudder at the thought.
May Allah keep you all happy and healthy and give the full recovery to Ali, who to me, is like my own son.