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World's Best Water Photographer

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Ray Collins At first glance, these photographs look like looming mountains, standing guard over a dark universe found in a Tolkien novel. But look again: These images are actually the ocean's waves, captured at their peak point of crash. It's almost spooky how powerful they feel. Photographer Ray Collins is the man behind these amazing images, which seem to capture the wave's most crucial moment, just before it crashes and sinks back into the water. Collins bought his camera in 2007 with the hopes of shooting his surfer friends, but quickly found that he had a knack for photographing the water. His photos have been so successful, in fact, that they have been used in international campaigns for National Geographic, Patagonia, and Apple. The photos below are from Collins' website, along with a short film entitled "SeaStills," which Collins describes as a "film about what drives him to create." Check them out, and prepare to see th...

The Month of Muharram..!

INTRODUCTION   With the sighting of the new moon the Islamic New Year is ushered in. The first month Muharram, is a month of great reward and virtue. Muharram itself means `sacred' and is from those months which have been mentioned as sacred in the Holy Qur'an. Almighty Allah states in the Holy Qur'an:   "Four of them ( Zil-Qadah, Zil-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab) are sacred." (Surah At-Tawbah:36)   From out of the four sacred months, Muharram has been blessed with certain specific virtues:- The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) said: "The best of fasts besides the month of Ramadhan is the fasting of Allah's month of Muharram." (Hadith-Muslim)   "The one that keeps a fast in the month of Muharram will receive the reward of thirty fasts for each fast (in this sacred month)."( Hadith:Tabraani)   Although the fasts of the month of Muharram are not obligatory, the one who fasts in these days out of his o...

Sacrifice enhances inner joy!

Relaxing in the lounge Sunday morning my wife called, 'How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you come here and make your darling son eat his breakfast?'. I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only son Faizaan looked frightened. Tears were welling up in his eyes. In front of him was a bowl filled to its brim with cereal containing the much needed vitamins needed by Faizaan after his month long illness. Faizaan was a pleasant child, quite intelligent for his age. He has just turned nine. He particularly detested the vitamin fortified cereal. My mother and my wife are traditional and believe firmly in the benefits of the cereal. I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. 'Faizaan, darling,why don't you take a mouthful of this cereal?Just for Dad's sake, dear. Faizaan softened a bit, and wiped his tears with the back of his hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should…' Faiz...

The Day of Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice).

The Day of Eid ul Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) is an important occasion celebrated by Muslims globally on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah to honour the willingness of ʾ Ibrāhīm (Abraham)(peace be upon him)  to sacrifice his son Ismā'īl (Ishmael)(pbuh) as an act of obedience to Allah Ta'ala, before Allah Ta'ala intervened to provide him with a sheep to sacrifice instead.  It reminds us how obedience to our Lord Allah Ta'ala is the answer to everything. This means surrendering your life, your whole being, all that you are, all that you have and all that you identify with to and only for Allah Ta'ala. When you sacrifice everything that you identify with for Allah Ta'ala, He gives to you a special inner happiness. That is the spiritual "secret" so many of us seek. Both Eid-ul-Adha and Hajj serve as a special occasion that definitely gets one in touch with this "secret". Eid-ul-Adha is a day on which a Muslim should bring himself or he...

The Virtues of the Month of Zul-Hijjah.

Importance of First 10 Days of Zil Hijjah The Takbeeraat of Tashreeq Fasting on the day of Arafah(9 Zil Hijjah) Qurbani / Udhiyya IMPORTANCE OF FIRST TEN DAYS OF ZIL-HIJJAH       The first ten days of Zul Hijjah are among the most magnificent days in Islamic calendar. The Messenger of Allah, Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." (Hadith -Bukhari)       Almighty Allah Ta'ala says, (By the dawn; by the ten nights) (Quran-Al-Fajr 89: 1-2). Ibn `Abbas, ibn az-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations are of the opinion that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." ( Tafsir Ibn Kathir , 8/413)     The Messenger of Allah, Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, has said , "One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worsh...

Where do I start? Imagine waking up one morning to find everyone smiling.

Imagine waking up one morning to find everyone smiling, just peace, harmony, tranquility, mutual love, respect, serenity…wouldn't it be divine? We all desire to change the world for the better, but where do we start? A wise man once said; When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town .I couldn't change the town, so I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I know the only thing I can change is myself. And suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world. So what is really the secret to changing world? Actually it's not such a big secret! Allah Ta'ala gives us the perfect and most wise solution:  ...

Patience always triumphs! The sweetness of Sabar (Patience) outlives grief.

The sweetness of Sabr (Patience) outlives grief. Patience is a cup every person has to drink from. There are some types of grief that weigh on the heart, that if they were to be felt by a mountain, that mountain would crumble to the ground… When The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him) lost his beloved son Ibrahim, he held his small body in his arms and said "The eyes send their tears and the heart is saddened, but we do not say anything except that which pleases our Lord. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are bereaved by your departure from us." Then he turned his face towards the mountain before him and said, "O mountain! If you were as sorrowful as I am, you would certainly crumble into pieces! But we say what Allah has ordered us: (we are the servants of Allah and we will return to Him; we thank Allah, the Creator of the Universe)." (Ibn-i Sa'd, Tabaqat v.1, p.131-144)  The human heart is just a small, fragile piece of flesh - but with  Sabr  (patience), it ...