Oxidation in the blood

Allaah Almighty Says (what means): “No! Rather,
what they have earned has rusted up their hearts."
[Quran 83:14]

The term ‘rusted’ used to describe hearts in verse
of the chapter Al-Mutaffifeen may be a reference to
biochemical reaction that takes place in the heart—
Allaah knows the truth. Rust is the result of iron
reacting with oxygen – oxidation.

The oxygen we absorb from the air is carried
through the body thanks to the iron in the
hemoglobin in the blood. During this process, the
oxygen reacts with the iron in the blood. This
means there is a constant process resembling
rusting in the blood in the human body, and
therefore in the heart, the center of the circulation
system.

An excess of iron in the blood can even lead to
premature aging in all the body's cells by causing
rust-like oxidation. In the disease known as
`hemochromatosis,' caused by excess iron
accumulating in the body, iron produces toxic
effects and causes organs such as the liver to
collapse. Since this is the result of iron oxidation,
this phenomenon is often described as organs
`rusting' or `rust accumulation' in organs. In the
journal Science News, Dr. Sharon McDonnell
describes the iron oxidation in cells making up
organs as `rusting'.

Another reference says this about the disease:

"...those with hemochromatosis absorb iron, storing
it in their organs. Over time, it accumulates in toxic
amounts, causing organs to fail because they
literally rust."

It is only possible to identify the reaction of iron with
oxygen in the body—oxidation in the blood—in
laboratories with highly advanced equipment. The
fact that such a comparison, so compatible with the
scientific data, appears in the Quran is an evident
miracle, given the time when the Quran was
revealed. The fact that the Quran also contains
countless other pieces of information all in
agreement with modern science is another sign that
it is the revelation of Omniscient Allaah, our Lord
and the Creator of all things.

The mother’s womb with its secure protection
Allaah Almighty Says (what means):

"Did We not
create you from a liquid disdained? And We placed it
in a firm lodging for a known extent. And We
determined [it], and excellent [are We] to
determine.” [Quran 77: 20-23]

And, "And certainly did We create man from an
extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-
drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-
drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into
a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump,
bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then
We developed him into another creation. So blessed
is Allaah, the best of creators.” [Quran 23: 12-14]

The above verses about the creation of human
beings contain fundamental information from the
field of embryology. The description of the womb as
a "secure receptacle" indicates an important
feature that has been better understood through
modern science—Allaah knows the truth. The
process that begins with the zygote, produced by
the sperm and egg cells coming together and
continues until the emergence of a complete human
being, made up of trillions of cells all working in
harmony, takes. The word "makeen," translated as
`secure' above, also suggests such meanings as
`unshakeable, sound, resolute, powerful, fixed and
safely put in place.' The word "karaar" also means
`location, stability, permanence and place of
settlement: These words very wisely describe the
womb as a sound and safe location.

The mother's
womb provides insulation against external agents,
light and sound, and particularly protects the baby
against shock and pressure.

Located in the pelvic cavity, the womb is well
protected by the thick and strong bones that
surround' endometrium’ on the inside, helping bear
the weight of the embryo until the end of pregnancy.

This structure made up of powerful muscles is
ideally constructed for the baby's growth and
development. During pregnancy, the ligaments
attaching the bones in the region together become
thicker and longer. These ligaments that attach the
top of the womb to the strong pelvic bones make
the womb strong and stable.

The embryo also has a source of the heat, water,
oxygen and nutrients it needs during the course of
its development. The mother's womb undergoes
many changes that enhance its strength during
pregnancy. Together with the muscles, ligaments
and elastic tissues it contains, there is also an
increase in the number of blood vessels and
nerves. The womb is thus able to increase 20 times
in more elasticity. The constant changes in the
womb continue even after the embryo has grown
into a healthy baby many hundreds of times larger
than its initial state. The womb now changes in
such a way as to permit the baby to exit in a
healthy manner.

During pregnancy, another most miraculous state of
affairs regarding the protection of the baby comes
about. The baby is also protected against internal
threats. When a foreign body enters the body, such
as during an organ or bone—arrow transplant, the
host's defense system begins reacting, and this
can sometimes lead to fatal consequences. But that
never happens to the fetus, and the mother's
immune system does not regard it as a foreign
body. It is extraordinary how the mother's immune
system tolerates foreign genes from the father;
because the baby is 50 percent foreign body.

Marianne van den Heuvel, a scientist from Guelph
University, describes this as `fascinating' and
continues: `That was always a puzzle from an
immunology standpoint because the fetus is
actually foreign. It's part of the mother and "It's
part of the mother and also part of the father. It
should be rejected by the body...,” but, by the will of
Allaah, no such thing happens, and the womb
remains a very safe and secure place .

All the information about embryology provided in the
Quran is in full agreement with modern medicine.

This information, which has emerged through
advanced technology, is one of the clearest proofs
that the Quran is the revelation of our Lord, the
Creator of all. It is also revealed in the Quran, which
is full of information from hundreds of years ago
that sheds light on the scientific world of today, that:
Allaah Almighty Says what means:

"And in the
creation of yourselves and what He disperses of
moving creatures are signs for people who are
certain [in faith]." [Quran 45:04]

Photo: Kogi State University lecturer killed

A Kogi State university lecturer in the Faculty of
Agriculture, Prof Otitolaiye was killed on Friday Nov.
21st in the state. According to students who are
asking police to investigate his murder, he was on
his way to to eat at a place near Stadium Road in
Ayingba, when some armed men double-crossed
his vehicle at gun point, put him inside their vehicle
and drove away.

His body was found the next day Saturday Nov.
22nd at Ejule village in Ofu LGA of Kogi state. They
say his wife is heavily pregnant. The police have
started investigating the incident.

Justice: Islam’s ultimate value

Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): "And the
heaven He raised and imposed the balance. That
you not transgress within the balance. And
establish weight in justice and do not make
deficient the balance.” [Quran 55:7-9]

These verses of the Quran, which are mentioned in
the chapter Ar-Rahmaan, or “(God) the All-
Merciful” stand out in their emphasis of the
importance of justice because they unite justice
with the important theological principle of Allaah’s
Khalq and Amr or His “Creation and Command.”

These verses make justice both the basis of the
creation and its source of continuity (by
commanding justice). This is true because, in
essence, the balance is the symbol of justice and
its means of realization at the same time.

Heavens and earth were originally created with
justice in a balanced way and they can only (or
were meant to) continue with it.

Muslims accepted
this magnificent guidance and ultimate value of life,
more than 1400 years ago. The great Commentator
of the Quran, Imaam Abu Ja'far At-Tabari (d. 310
AH) expounded the aforementioned verses, saying,
“Allaah created Heavens and Earth by (and in)
justice so that all things in them exist (and interact)
by (and in) justice.”
And there is not a single nation, past or present, but
that it has asserted its claims of honoring justice
and being just. Yet, the justice they claimed, at
times, meant nothing more than what the “powers
that be” wanted. Or sometimes justice represented
what is recognized and utilized by a majority or a
certain religion or ethnicity. What humans mean by
justice, in other words, may differ in its meaning
and means from one nation to another. It is
interesting to note that Socrates (killed in 339 BC)
defined justice as the, “Will of the powerful,” and it
is also interesting that this applies the vast majority
of the time in situations when religious values are
absent or weak. It is even more interesting that
some of the theories man has, overtime, developed
using ‘rationality' and empiricism, and which
exceedingly tilt the balance of justice in favor of the
powerful or the rich, still flourish in modern times
and continue to find advocates or even unabashed
supporters who will kill or die for them.

In one of the 100 or so verses which deal with
the essentials of justice and fairness, the Quran tells
us of this perversion of justice that sometimes
occurs in the course of human events. Verse 25 of
the chapter (57) Al-Hadeed, “the Iron,” pregnant
with meanings and profusely poignant, lay bear the
reality about the roots of injustice among people.

Many people mention being motivated by hearing
this verse recited just once. Allaah Says (what
means): “ We have already sent Our messengers
with clear evidences and sent down with them the
Scripture and the balance that the people may
maintain [their affairs] in justice. And We sent down
iron, wherein is great military might and benefits for
the people, and so that Allaah may make evident
those who support Him and His messengers
unseen. Indeed, Allaah is Powerful and Exalted in
Might.” [Quran 57:25] So many points of benefit, so
much to learn and live by. For one, the balance of
justice is mentioned along with the Books, guidance
from Allaah, to indicate that true justice needs a
compass to save itself from relativism and free
judgment from personal drive. This also means that
the interpretation of Allaah’s Guidance must be free
from whims and ignorance, and this effort to free
one’s self from whims and ignorance is what
Muslim scholars—who are the interpreters of
Allaah’s Final Message— term Ijtihaad. The point is
that Allaah’s Guidance entails that only people of
knowledge who are able and honest may interpret
Divine texts. Ignoring this prerequisite has led—in
many times and places—to gross justifications and
evil consequences. Without this guidance, man has
done enough to give Socrates’ definition of justice
precedence over any other.

Another point worthy of our attention here is the fact
that Allaah is reminding us that He has provided the
messengers with iron to go along with the guidance
and the command to establish justice. Man has
known, for untold centuries, that he cannot institute
justice in almost any walk of life, or protect justice
whenever needed, without the power of iron.
But the intent of the message of this verse is
unambiguous. Allmessengers from Allaah, who
were sent to various nations throughout history,
came with the very same message.
The implication of this is so profound, especially for
today’s Muslims.

We must acknowledge and respect that loving and
establishing justice is a human trait, not an attribute
of the Muslim Ummahalone. In fact, our scholars
have long asserted, based on the aforementioned
verses among many others, that Allaah grants
supremacy to a just government or nation even
though it may be disbelieving, and He takes away
supremacy from an unjust government or nation
even though it may be believing. This is how just
the Islamic worldview is.
And a Muslim would not be completely truthful to his
belief without accepting this view.

Muslims should
support justice and those who seek it and they
should feel happy every time justice triumphs.

But judging by the current situation of most Muslim
countries and communities around the world, it is
not difficult to see that we have strayed from
justice.

To lure it back home, we need to mend our ways
and make them coincide with the guidance of our
Kitaab (the Quran) first.

Obligation of the Five Daily Prayers

Prayer is the most obligatory of the Five Pillars of
Islam next to the Two Testifications of Faith, and it
was ordained in the best and the most perfect way
for an act of worship. Prayer includes many of the
acts of worship, like the remembrance of Allah
Almighty, the recitation of the Quran, standing
humbly before Almighty Allah, bowing, prostration,
supplication, and Takbeer (uttering the words
‘Allahu Akbar’).

Prayer is also the head of the physical acts of
worship, of which none of the religions brought by
any of Allah's messengers is void.

Prayer, unlike all
other acts of worship, was enjoined by Almighty
Allah on His messenger, Muhammad the Seal of
Messengers, on the night of Al-Mi’raj (the
ascension of the Prophet ). This is an indication of
its greatness, a confirmation of its being obligatory,
and a sign of its high status in the Sight of Allah.

There are many hadeeths indicating the virtues of
prayer and showing its being obligatory on all
Muslim individuals. The fact that prayer is an
obligatory act of worship is primarily known in
Islam. So, whoever denies this fact is considered to
be an apostate.

Linguistically, prayer means invocation; Allah, the
Exalted Commands the Prophet to 'pray' for the
believers, saying (what means): "…And invoke
[Allah's blessings] upon them..." [Quran 9: 103]

According to the Sharee'ah (Islamic Jurisprudence)
, prayer is defined as a special kind of sayings and
deeds beginning with takbeer and ending with
tasleem (saying ‘assalamu alaykum wa
rahmatullah’). It is called 'prayer' because it
includes invocation. During prayer, the worshipper
is in a state of invocation through worshipping
Almighty Allah, praising Him, or supplicating Him for
something.

This is why it is called ‘prayer’. Prayer was
decreed by Almighty Allah on the night of Al-Mi'raj
before Hijrah, as five prayers to be performed every
day and night at specified times by every legally
accountable Muslim. Allah, the Exalted Says (what
means): "...Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon
the believers a decree of specified times." [Quran
4: 103]

Those prayer times are the times pointed out by
Allah's messenger through his words or his deeds.
Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means): "And they
were not commanded except to worship Allaah,
[being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth,
and to establish prayer and to give Zakah. And that
is the correct religion.” [Quran 98: 5]

In addition, in many verses of Allah's Glorious Book
(the Quran), Allah, the Exalted Says: “And establish
prayer..." [Quran: 2: 43]

Almighty Allah also Says (what means): [O
Muhammad], tell My servants who have believed to
establish prayer…” [Quran 14: 31]

Moreover, Allah, the Exalted Says: "So Exalted is
Allah when you reach the evening and when you
reach the morning. And to Him is [due all] praise
throughout the heavens and the earth. And (Exalted
is He) at night and when you are at noon." [Quran
30: 17-18]

Therefore, it is obligatory for whoever reaches one
of the specified times of prayer, being adult and
sane, to perform it, excluding women in a state of
menstruation or postnatal bleeding.

Scholars
unanimously agree that it is not obligatory for
women in the aforesaid two cases to perform
prayer, nor to perform it later after purification. On
the other hand, whoever is in a state of
unconsciousness, as in sleeping, fainting, and the
like, has to perform the prayer at the moment when
they wake up or recover to the normal state. Allah,
the Exalted, Says (what means): "...And establish
prayer for My remembrance." [Quran 20: 14]

In addition, the Prophet says: "Whoever misses a
prayer out of oversleeping or forgetfulness, let him
perform it once he remembers it."

A guardian of a child has to command him to
perform prayer when the child reaches the age of
seven, though it is still not obligatory for him. But
the purpose is to make the child interested in
prayer and used to it. Thus, the child and his
guardian will be rewarded when the former
performs prayer, for Allah, the Exalted, Says (what
means): "Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgment]
with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof
[to his credit] ...” [Quran 6: 160]

Moreover, when a woman showed the Prophet a
young boy who was with her, saying:"Does this one
have to perform Hajj (Pilgrimage), O Messenger of
Allah?" He replied, "Yes, and you will have a
reward."

So, a guardian has to teach his child how to perform
prayer and how to perform ablution for it. A
guardian has also to beat his child if the latter is ten
years old and neglects prayer, for the Prophet said:
"Command your children to perform prayer when
they become seven years old, and beat them for
(not performing) it (i.e. prayer) when they become
ten years old; and arrange their beds (so that boys
and girls sleep) separately." [Ahmad, At-Tirmithi,
Abu Dawood, and other compilers of hadeeths]

It is also impermissible to perform prayer later than
its due time, for Allah, the Exalted Says (what
means): "...Indeed prayer has been decreed upon
the believers a decree of specified times." [Quran
4: 103]

The meaning is that prayer has specified times at
which it has to be performed. A prayer is
impermissible to be deferred except for those who
would like to combine it with the following prayer,
provided that the said prayer can be combined with
another, and that the case is among those in which
combining two prayers is permissible as well as the
person being one who is allowed to combine
prayers in this way. As for delaying performing a
night prayer until the morning, a day prayer until the
night, or the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer until sunrise, it is
by no means permissible, whether the reason is a
state of major ritual impurity, minor ritual impurity,
or anything else. Rather, one has to perform them at
their specified times, regardless of one's state.

A person might happen to be detained in hospital
where he is confined to a bed that he cannot leave
to pray, or cannot change the impure clothes he
wears, or cannot find pure earth to perform
tayammum (dry ablution) instead of ablution to
pray. Some ignorant people in this case defer
prayer on the pretext that they will perform it later
when possible. In fact, this is a grave mistake and a
means of missing prayer whose reason is
unawareness and lack of juristic consultation. What
they have to do is to perform prayer at its specified
times regardless of their states. Their prayer will be
sufficient, even if it is performed without
tayammum or in impure clothes; Allah, the Exalted
Says (what means): "So fear Allah as much as you
are able..." [Quran 64: 16]

Even if they pray without facing the Qibla (the
direction of Qa'bah), provided they are unable to
face it, their prayer is still valid.

The prayer is the basic pillar of Islam, and the main
difference between a Muslim and a disbeliever. So,
whatever good deeds one might do are useless if
one is negligent of prayer, we ask Almighty Allah for
safety.

The Final Examination by Wakili Abdulmuluku Musa

It baffles me to see my young Muslim brothers and sisters using their time to read for six hours or more than that in a day, all because they want to pass their school examination.
This exam I am talking about is been written on a sheet of paper and the most annoying part is that the exam is been set by a human being like you and I.
This person setting the exam has the same brain as we do, has the same brain as we do, has the same eye and body or "Are the teachers no linger human being?".
  My question to the youth is "How prepared are you ready for the FINAL EXAMINATION?. Final examination is when we shall all face our Creator and God wont write his question in a paper, God will ask you and its just one question.
  ARE YOU PREPARE FOR THE FINAL EXAMINATION.

ABU Admission List Now on School Portal – 2014/15

Ahmadu Bello University, ABU admission list for the 2014/2015 academic session is out.

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria provisional admission list that contains the names of candidates offered provisional admission into the university various undergraduate programmes for the 2014/2015 academic session is out.

ABU admission list has been successfully uploaded online and it is accessible for free.

Check ABU Admission List

To access your ABU admission status, kindly visit the university admission status checking portal @ http://putme.abu.edu.ng/. Enter your JAMB registration number where required, select your state and finally click the Login button to access your ABU admission status or click here to check it.

Note: This is for both DE and UTME candidates.

MSG Team congratulates all the candidates that made it to ABU Admission List for the 2014/2015 academic session.

ISIS says Islam justifies slavery – what does Islamic law say?

Professor Bernard Freamon teaches courses on modern-day slavery and human trafficking at Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey and also specializes in Islamic Legal History. He is currently writing a book, “Islam, Slavery and Empire in the Indian Ocean World.” The views in this article are his alone.

By Professor Bernard Freamon

In the past few months, the world has witnessed horrific accounts of the enslavement of thousands of innocent Yazidis and other religious minorities by ISIS partisans in Iraq and Syria.

In a recent article in its online English-language magazine, ISIS ideologues offered legal justifications for the enslavement of these non-Muslim non-combatants, stating that “enslaving the families of the kuffar [infidels] and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of the Shariah or Islamic law.”

The article argues, based on a variety of Shariah sources, that ISIS partisans have a religious duty to kill or enslave members of the Yazidi community as part of their struggle [jihad] against their enemies.

This argument is plainly wrong, hypocritical and astonishingly ahistorical, relying on male fantasies inspired by stories from the days of imperial Islam.

It is also an affront to right-thinking Muslims everywhere and a criminal perversion of Islamic law, particularly its primary source, the Glorious Quran.

Jurists around the world acknowledge that there is now a universal consensus recognizing an irrefutable human right to be free from slavery and slave-trading.

This right, like the rights to be free from genocide, torture, racial discrimination and piracy, has become a bedrock principle of human affairs. ISIS seeks to remove Islamic jurisprudence from this universal consensus by citing Quranic verses that recognize the existence of chattel slavery.

Citation to Quranic verses on chattel slavery at first blush seems to make this point because the Quran, like other religious texts, accepted the existence of chattel slavery as a fact of life at the time of its revelation.

It is also true, however, that the Quran established an entirely new ethic on the issue of slavery and ISIS’s selective use of certain Quranic texts to justify contemporary chattel slavery ignores this fact.

First, consistent with the new ethic, the emphasis in all of the revelations on slavery is on the emancipation of slaves, not on their capture or the continuation of the institution of slavery. (See, for example, verses 2:177, 4:25, 4:92, 5:89, 14:31, 24:33, 58:3, 90:1-12.)

There is not one single verse suggesting that the practice should continue. Further, the Quran makes no mention of slave-markets or slave-trading and it repeatedly exhorts believers to free their slaves as an exemplification of their piety and belief in God.

Perhaps the best example of this emancipatory ethic is chapter 90, which is explicitly addressed to the Prophet Muhammad. It posits that there are two roads one can take in life and that the “high road” is the one that leads the righteous human being to free slaves.

The Prophet followed this exhortation, exhibiting a great solicitude for the material and spiritual condition of the slaves in the society around him. His example inspired his companions to emancipate thousands of slaves and, in an oft-quoted statement, he remarked that he would meet the man who “sells a free man as a slave and devours his price” on Judgment Day.

This is an explicit condemnation of trafficking in free human beings.

It is true that there are reported examples from the Prophet’s life that describe him as giving and receiving slaves and he even used slavery as a tool of conquest in war.

He freed all of his individually owned slaves and the wartime circumstances in those reports were very unique, involving specific people who engaged in war or treachery against him.    [Read more…]

Articles of Faith

A Muslim believes in the following 6 articles of Faith:
 

1. Oneness of God                                                                 
A Muslim believes in ONE GOD, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. God has no father or mother, no son or daughter. None is equal to Him. He is God of all humankind, not of a special tribe or race.

God is High and Supreme but He is very near to the pious thoughtful believers; He answers their prayers and helps them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them peace, happiness, knowledge and success. God is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous, and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative, the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. Many of these attributes of God are mentioned in the Quran.

God creates in humans the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane. If we try to count His favors upon us, we cannot, because they are countless. In return for all the great favors and mercy, God does not need anything from us, because He is Needless and Independent. God asks us to know Him, to love Him and to enforce His law for our benefit and our own good.

2. Messengers and Prophets of God                                          
A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God without any discrimination. All messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind. The Holy Quran mentions the names of 25 messengers and prophets and states that there are others. These include Adam, the first Prophet, along with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, the last of the Prophets (peace be upon them all). The key message brought by all Prophets was the same: to believe in One God and not to associate partners with Him, to stay away from sins and to lead a life devoted to earning God’s pleasure.

3. Revelations and the Quran                                                  
A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were complete and in their original versions. Muslims believe in the original scriptures that were given to previous messengers; for example David received the Psalms (Zabur), Moses the Torah (Taurat) and Jesus the Gospel (Injeel). However, the previous scriptures do not exist today in the original form in which they were revealed.

The Quran is the last testament in the series of divine revelations from God, and Muslims recite and turn to it for guidance in all aspects of their life. It comprises the unaltered and direct words of God, revealed through the Angel Gabriel, to the final Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him (pbuh), some 1400 years ago. The Quran is unique because it is the only revealed book that exists today in the precise form and content in which it was originally revealed.
The Quran is unrivaled in its recording and preservation. The astonishing fact about this scripture is that it has remained completely unchanged over the past fourteen centuries, a fact that is attested to by both non-Muslim and Muslim scholars alike. There are no versions of the Quran and every copy in the world remains identical, word for word in its original language Arabic. Muslims to this day continue to emphasize the importance of memorizing the Quran word by word, as a whole or in part, recognizing that it is the Speech of God and not a book written by Muhammad (pbuh), as sometimes erroneously thought.

4. Angels                                                                                   
Angels are a creation of God. They are purely spiritual and splendid beings that require no food or drink or sleep. They have no physical desires or material needs. Like other creations of God, Angels spend their time worshiping God. In contrast to human beings, Angels do not have free Will – they can only obey God and do not have the ability to disobey Him. Each Angel is charged with a certain duty. Angels cannot be seen by the naked eyes.

5. Day of Judgment                                                            
A Muslim believes in the Day of the Judgment. This world as we know it will come to an end, and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. On that day, all men and women from Adam to the last person will be resurrected from the state of death. Everything we do, say, make, intend and think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. They are brought up on the Day of Judgment.

One who believes in life after death is not expected to disobey God. They will be ever-conscious that God is watching all their actions and the angels are recording them.

People with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to Paradise. People with bad records will be fairly punished and cast into Hell. The real nature of Heaven and Hell are known to God only, but they are described by God in familiar terms in the Quran.
If some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and credit in this life, they will receive full compensation and be widely acknowledged on the Day of Judgment. If some people who commit sins, neglect God and indulge in immoral activities seem superficially successful and prosperous in this life, absolute justice will be done to them on the Day of Judgment. The time of the Day of Judgment is known by God alone.

6. Predestination

A Muslim believes in the ultimate Knowledge and Power of God to plan and execute His plans. God is Wise, Just, and Loving, and whatever He does must have a good motive, although we may fail sometimes to understand it fully. The believer should have strong faith in God, recognizing that their own knowledge is limited and their thinking is based on individual consideration. In contrast, the Knowledge of God is limitless and He plans on a universal basis. Humans should think, plan and make sound choices and then put their trust in God. If things happen as they want they should praise God. If things do not happen as they want they should still praise God, recognizing that He knows best what is good for the affairs of mankind.

Curbing the Causes of Immorality in Society

Islam not only forbids unlawful sexual intercourse, it also forbids all the means that might lead to it, such as:

• Looking at women: If the eye conveys that which Allah The Almighty has made permissible for it to view, then the heart is protected from trials. However, if the eye conveys that which Allah The Almighty has prohibited, such as images of women and pornography, then the heart becomes sick and the person is afflicted with the ailment of gazing at women. For this reason, Allah The Almighty has prohibited looking at women and immediately followed this prohibition by commanding people to protect their private parts; this is in fact a confirmation of the fact that looking at impermissible things is a precursor to fornication and adultery. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts and not to show off their adornment except that which is apparent (like eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or dress like veil, gloves)."} [Quran, 24: 30-31]

• Intermixing between men and women, and men being in seclusion with women: The reason behind this prohibition is that it could lead to the establishment of illicit relationships between men and women that usually end up with them committing fornication or adultery. The Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Whenever a man is alone with a woman, Satan is the third in their company.” [At-Tirmithi]

This is by no means an accusation of being unable to control one's desires, rather, it is a reference to the natural inclination between them. It is also a warning that this inclination could transgress Allah's limits and result in fornication or adultery due to the prohibited act of being alone and with the influence of Satan.

Some ignorant people object to this Hadeeth (narration) claiming that even if Satan was the third, their conscience would be the fourth! They forget, or pretend to, that the temptation of women can outstrip the effect of the conscience, the mind, one's chastity and even one's religion; and that for every one person who can control himself when alone with a marriageable woman, there are thousands who cannot.

If one analyses the causes behind the widespread incidents of rape in the West, which are in the millions, one will discover that very many of them resulted from men and women being alone together, and this is most common in those countries which are the most open sexually.

Intermixing is a dangerous practice which many people indulge in under the guise of being civilized and up-to-date with the new developments of the century, as well as the claimed equal rights of men and women. This practice has removed bashfulness from the hearts of men and women; it is a way by which Satan corrupts the hearts, incites sexual desires and entices people to commit prohibitions. Indeed, many cases of betrayal and subsequent divorce are due to intermixing between men and women.

• Limiting women in the extent to which they are allowed to leave their homes: Islam has commanded Muslim women to remain in their homes and to cover up in front of unrelated men and clarified that this is perfect chastity, complete virtue and a purification of the hearts. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {"And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance" (Al-Ahzaab: 33) and: "And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts."} [Quran, 33: 53]

Women leaving their home must do so only for necessity and whenever they do go out they must remain within the boundaries set by Islam so that they do not become a target for men who are out to take advantage of them. When a woman goes out for a necessity she must adhere to full Hijaab and reveal nothing of her internal or external adornment. She must not wear short, tight, transparent clothes or something with a split which exposes part of her legs. Decorated garments are also prohibited for women as well as garments with wide sleeves which reveal her arms, or any other type of clothing which is attractive and eye-catching. To emphasize this, the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even forbade women who wished to perform the act of worship of congregational prayer from attending the Masjid if they were perfumed, by saying: “Any woman who wears perfume should not attend the ‘Ishaa’ prayer (i.e. must remain at home).” [Muslim]

The Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even forbade women from walking in the middle of walkways so that they would not mix with men. Abu Usayd, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he heard the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, addressing women while he was leaving the mosque and noticed that men and women had mixed, so he said: “Stay back, you (women) do not have the right to control the middle of the way; but use the sides of the road.” [Abu Daawood] Thereafter, women would walk so close to the walls that their garments would stick to them.

• Forbidding soft talk and tender tones: Immorality is reached through different means; by sight, actions or words. Therefore, Allah The Almighty forbade the believing women from being soft in their speech while talking to men; Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {"O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allah), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner."} [Quran, 33: 32]

Women today slight this issue. In fact, many women intentionally soften their tone whilst talking to men; prolong the conversation and exchange laughter and looks. This is exactly how sinful relationships between men and women are initiated.   
           www.islamweb.net

The principles of Ghusl (taking bath)

A brief summary of the principles of Ghuslis as
follows:

First,A Muslim should make his/her intention for
purification, then wash the private parts. Then make
Wudhoo' (ablution) like the Wudhoo' done for
prayer, then pour water on his right side, then the
left side. Then water should be poured on his
head,covering the entire body with water. It is also
reported in the Sunnah (narrations of the Prophet
Muhammad ) that washing the feet should be
delayed until the end of the Ghusl.

It is reported on the authority of Aa'ishah who said
that the messenger of Allah when performing Ghusl
from Janaabah (ritual impurity), used to wash his
hands, then wash his private parts with his left
hand. After that he performed Wudhoo' like that for
prayer. Next, he took some water and ran his
fingers in the roots of his hair until he used three
handfuls of water on his head. He would then go on
pouring water on the rest of his body and wash his
legs. [Muslim]

1. The person taking a bath should first of all wash
both hands up to the wrists, and then wash the
private parts. The hands and private parts should
be washed irrespective of whether there is any
impurity on them or not. Both these have to be
washed under all conditions. Thereafter, any
impurity found on the rest of the body should be
washed. Then make Wudhoo'. If one is sitting on a
stool or stone while bathing, then the feet should
also be washed when making Wudhoo'. But if one is
sitting in a place where the water accumulates and
he will have to wash the feet again after completing
the Ghusl, then the entire Wudhoo' should be made
but the feet should not be washed.
After performing Wudhoo', pour water on the head
three times. Thereafter pour water over the right
and left shoulders three times each in such a way
that water reaches the entire body. Thereafter move
from this place and go to a clean spot and wash the
feet. If the feet were washed when making Wudhoo'
there will be no need to wash them again.

2. Whilst pouring water over the body the first time,
rub the body well so that water reaches everywhere
properly and no place remains dry.

3. The above method of Ghusl is according to the
Sunnah. Some of the items explained above are
Fardh (obligatory) without which Ghusl will not be
complete and the person will remain impure. Some
other items are Sunnah (recommended but not
obligatory). Observing them entails reward, and by
not carrying them out, Ghusl will still be complete.
The Fardh acts are only three:
(a) To gargle the mouth in such a way that water
reaches everywhere.
(b) To wash the nose up to the soft bone.
(c) To pour water over the entire body.

4. While bathing, one should not face the Qiblah
(direction of the Ka'bah). Too much water should
not be used, nor should so little be used that one is
unable to wash thoroughly. The bath should be
taken at such a place that no one can see the
bather. One should not talk while bathing; he should
cover himself up first and then wash the feet.

5. If the bathing place is secluded where no one
can see, then it is permissible to bathe naked,
irrespective of whether one is standing or sitting
and irrespective of whether the roof is covered or
not. However, it is better to sit and bathe because
there is more modesty in this. To expose the body
from the navel to the knees before anyone is a sin.
Many women bath completely naked in the
presence of other women. This is a very evil and
shameful act.

6. Even if an area equal to a hair's breadth is left
dry, Ghusl will not be complete. In the same way, if
one forgets to gargle the mouth or wash the nose,
Ghusl will not be complete.

7. If a woman pours water on her head three times,
that will be sufficient and she does not need to undo
the braids. This is based on the Hadeeth (narration)
of Umm Salamah . It is narrated that she asked the
Prophet : "I am a woman with braided hair; should I
undo it when doing Ghusl for Janaabah?" He
answered: “No, rather it will be sufficient for you to
pour three handfuls of water on your head, then
pour water over yourself and you will be
purified.” [Muslim].Unless the Ghusl is after the
menses, then she has to undo the braids and wash
her hair thoroughly.
            source: islam web

The Life of a Dedicated Muslim Teenager

Teens face a lot of changes in their body and emotions, and temptations and peer pressure are increasingly prevalent at this age. Parents who follow the teachings of Islam should help their teens remain loyal to the doctrines of Allah. Carefully guide your teenagers through this critical stage of growth.

Temptations and peer pressure can influence your teen to commit sins, according to Islam, and to give in to negative desires. Teach teenagers to sacrifice their selfish desires and temptations in order to be an appropriate role model for fellow Muslims. Sara Latif of Effective Islam Parenting suggests that parents keep their teens away from drugs and alcohol by instilling in teenagers’ minds that their life is a gift from Allah. Teach them to be grateful for every aspect of life. Encourage teens to spend an appropriate amount of time in acts of worship, be obedient to Allah and seek guidance through Islam when selfish desires arise.

A Muslim teenager’s main responsibilities are to defend the Islam faith and contribute to the advancement of the Muslim “Ummah,” or community. Abdisalam Adam, board member with the Islamic Civic Society of America, suggests that you frequently tell your teens about the story of Muhammad’s migration, which exemplifies how youths have selflessly contributed to the success of the Islamic message. Encourage teenagers to develop courage and foresight in helping to shape the future of the community and nation by promoting Islam.

Spending time in the wrong environment can cause teens to pull away from the teachings of Islam. Teach your teenager to be constantly aware of their surroundings and how it could negatively affect their faith. Support your child to develop healthy friendships with their peers. Their friends should be willing to help in difficult times and strengthen your teen’s commitment to Allah. Avoid spending too much time with kids who encourage deceit, jealously, envy and sin.

A Muslim teenager’s life should be spent on finding the paths of righteousness, according to Maria Zain, a Muslim mother of three who lives in Malaysia and writes at OnIslam.net. Faith in Allah is most important. Instill the importance of dedicating your life to applying Islamic principles in all daily tasks, no matter how trivial. A Muslim teen who possesses these qualities will grow to be an honorable adult in the community of Islam.
           Source: everyday life

Being Motivated

  Hey guys, just read this motivating articles. Hope it motivates you too. dont forget to comment below Thanks.

Motivation and enthusiasm manifest as desire
and interest, and as a driving force that pushes
to take action and pursue goals. Lack of
motivation and enthusiasm denotes absence or
deficiency in desire, interest and driving force.

Lack of motivation and lack of enthusiasm are
two of the main reasons for failure and of living
a mediocre life. People lacking in motivation
and enthusiasm are usually passive, blame
everything and everyone for their
circumstances, and often come up with many
excuses why they shouldn't or cannot do this or
that. On the other hand, a motivated person is
energetic and positive, takes action to improve
his or her life, and does not give up when there
are problems.

Lack of motivation and enthusiasm can show up
everywhere, at home, at work, in relationships,
in pursuing goals and in everything else. This
often brings indifference, unhappiness and
dissatisfaction.

Motivation and Goal Setting

When it comes to living a healthy and confident
life, real goal achievement involves much more
than good intentions. For example, it is not
enough to know you want to eat differently or
that you want to lose weight.

Motivation can be
defined as an impulse to channel energy and
action toward a specific goal. This means, you
have to know what you want and be passionate
about it, and, you have to know how to set a
goal. Goal setting is a powerful skill to learn
because you give yourself a specific direction
and you give your energy a precise focus.

Manage Agreements

In business management circles, there is a
saying that you cannot manage people you can
only manage agreements. Indeed, great leaders
are compassionate and attempt to understand
the feelings of their employees, but they do not
try to manage other people's emotions and
personalities. Instead, great leaders get great
results from their people by managing
agreements. This is also true for self-
motivation. Learn to make adult, respectful
decisions about the direction you are moving
toward. Make specific agreements about your
responsibility and commitment to precise
actions. Then ask yourself, "Can I count on
myself to follow through with this commitment,
with 100-percent compliance? Can I count on
myself for that?" If the answer is "Yes" then you
have an agreement. Now, as you move forward
and encounter inner resistance or emotional
obstacles, you can manage your agreements
without becoming trapped in sticky emotions.

Agreements maintain motivation and action.

Imagine Success

Instead of constantly worrying and stressing, set
aside time each day to envision a new life.
Imagine clearly, and with all your internal
senses, what it will be like to live your goal.

Relish the physical sensations of the
anticipation of your exciting dream. For
example, the idea of losing weight is not very
exciting; however, visualizing a new life of your
choosing is exciting. Imagine yourself in your
ideal life. Touch your body lovingly, breathe in
the love for yourself, and feel the safety and
comfort of living inside your body.

Imagine
your body as healthy and active. Whatever your
goal, every day, make the choice to bring your
dream front and center. Most of all, feel the
excitement your dream generates. Allow that
excitement to saturate your body to such an
extent that you feel more alive and ready to
take the next step of your journey.

Take Action Daily

Your goals need to move from the idea state
into the physical state and the only way this can
happen is when you take action. Action on a
daily basis is necessary to make your dream
come true. Your daily actions do not have to be
big; they just have to be consistent. Follow your
heart and choose the steps that you know in
advance are the right actions for the amount of
energy you have right now. Then follow
through. Motivation increases as you become
actively dedicated to the process of making your
dreams come true.

Repeated Success Leads to Increased Motivation!

Helen Keller wrote, "Nothing can be done
without hope and confidence." Every day, take a
couple of minutes to list all your
accomplishments for the day. Develop a
tracking system for every effort and success, no
matter how tiny. Each step toward your goal
deserves recognition or some type of reward
system. A checkmark on your calendar,
congratulations from your loved ones, a hug
from your partner, or money in your success jar
all count. Document and celebrate often as you
get in the habit of acknowledging what you
have done right. Feeling the satisfaction of
having achieved something has a snowball
effect. With each success your confidence shoots
up, you realize your limitless potential, and you
gain more energy to take your next step.
Repeated success in a particular activity
motivates you to want to do that activity often.

Practice Kindness

Replace self-criticism with encouragement and
motivating inspiration. You easily encourage
everyone else in your life with praise and
uplifting sentiments. Why not do the same for
yourself? Imagine seeing a child looking forlorn
because she cannot figure out the puzzle she is
working on. You are not going to go over and
verbally smack the frustration out of her, are
you? Instead, you will probably talk
compassionately to her, put an arm around her,
see what is so upsetting, and inspire her with
words that will keep her optimistic and
inspired. Instead of punishing yourself when
things do not work our right, begin cultivating
compassion for yourself. You must feel
deserving and worthy to sustain the motivation
needed to achieve your desired outcome.

Believe in Yourself

Being motivated is all about knowing what you
want and believing in your ability to achieve it.
Belief is a feeling of certainty. It is like knowing
the sun will rise tomorrow morning. You do not
question whether the sun will rise, spend time
worrying that it might not, or imagine the
worst-case outcome. Believing in yourself
requires that you focus energy and excitement
on what you want. You form a loving
partnership with your dream, even though the
dream does not exist yet in your physical
reality. You assume your desire will manifest,
just as surely as the sun will rise again
tomorrow. Believing in yourself requires
spending time with what is important to you,
and what feels good to you.

               Source: Wish Bowl

Its Time to Quit Smoking

Source: Wish Bowl

"I am going to quit smoking tomorrow..." How
many times have you said this and how many
more times have you heard it? Smokers, like
alcoholics, make this pledge many times in their
lives because they need to and they break it for
the simple reason that pledges are always
meant to be broken. This does not mean that
every time you will take a pledge you will break
it. Try to make this the last one because you can
do it and you are going to do it. Believe it and
you will, here's some help:

• Believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think
about some of the most difficult things you have
done in your life and realize that you have the guts
and determination to quit smoking. It's up to you.

• After reading this list, sit down and write your own
list, customized to your personality and way of
doing things. Create your own plan for quitting.

•Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish
your cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it.

• Prepare your mind for the "first day of the rest of
your life". You might even hold a small ceremony
when you smoke you last cigarette, or on the
morning of the quit date.

• Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway,
and most people don't get enough. It will help flush
the nicotine and other chemicals out of your body,
plus it can help reduce cravings by fulfilling the "oral
desires" that you may have.

• You need a good reason to quit. Simply deciding to
quit because the sky is blue is not a sufficient
reason. The need to quit smoking is obvious, but the
desire to quit needs to come from inside in order for
the process to be successful.

• Look for small rewards that you can give yourself
as you make progress. You are not likely to just
quit cold turkey with no complications. Set up small
rewards that will help you to want to make progress
towards ultimately quitting. This can be a great
motivation to keep you on target.

• Plan out your quitting strategy.

• Decide how you
want to try to quit and stick to it. Set a specific
amount of time for your plan. If after a time, say six
weeks you have not quit, work on a new plan. This
will allow ample time to try each method, while still
giving yourself flexibility to try something else.

• Work to overcome your struggles. If you are
smoking due to stressful things in your life, you
need to deal with the stress before you can
successfully quit. Regardless of the reason why
you are smoking, it needs to be dealt with in able to
quit for good.

• Set up a punishment for yourself. For example, if
you generally stop at a Cafe each day for a coffee
you might consider skipping that on days when you
have fallen short of your goals for smoking.

• Whatever punishment you select, make sure it is
something that you care about.
Seek out help from your friends and family. You
need support as you are trying to quit, and this will
help you to ensure that you are not alone in the
entire process.

• Look for someone to quit with you. If you are
entirely on your own, you are going to be much
more likely to slip back into smoking. If someone is
working with you and holding you accountable, you
are more likely to struggle to succeed. Working to
quit smoking is not easy, but hard tasks are much
easier to accomplish with a partner.

• Aim to quit for good. This might seem a bit strange,
but if you are just planning to quit for a weekend
you are not going to put much effort into the
process. If you are planning to quit for good, a lot
more time and effort is going to go into the process
as well as your plan to quit.

• Look for ways to take your mind off cigarettes. If
you are always thinking about cigarettes, you may
find that you are much more tempted to smoke.

• Reading a book, exercising, talking on the phone,
surfing the internet and even cooking are all great
ways to occupy your mind and keep from thinking
about when your last cigarette was.

Conclusion:

The decision to stop smoking can be one of the
best choices that you can make for your health
and your life. So it makes sense to put
everything into it when you decide to quit
ensuring success. Think of the things that
motivate you, find a support system, and use
tips like the ones in this article to create a plan
that is sure to succeed.

Most people are readily aware that stopping
smoking can improve their health, but learning
how to really conquer the urges to smoke is not
easy. With so many temptations circulating
around, as well as the stresses of daily life it is
easy to see why jumping into a pack of
cigarettes seems like a good idea.

But, the bottom line is that you need to just take
it one day at a time and step by. You can achieve
the ability to quit smoking, but it is something
that you do not want to look too far in the
future. You do not want to get to the place
where you think you are so strong that you can
put yourself in vulnerable situations.

You need
to surround yourself with other non-smokers,
or you can hang with the same friends you have
always had as long as they are respectful to the
path which you are walking; they may even be
inspired by you to take control of their own life.

Battle for 2014 Ballon d'Or Begins as FIFA Unveils 23 Candidates

Source: Daily Times NG

Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo and four-
time winner Lionel Messi are among 23 players
on FIFA's shortlist for this year's award
honouring the world's top player.

The list was compiled by the FIFA Football
Committee with the help of France Football. It
will later be trimmed to three finalists, with the
winner announced at a ceremony in January.

Messi won the award four straight years from
2009-2012, while Ronaldo won it in 2008 and
2013. The award was presented by solely by
France Football until 2009, and the news outlet
joined with FIFA's Player of the Year Award for
the 2010 edition.

The list features 17 players from Europe, five
from South America and one from Africa (Yaya
Toure). World cup champions Germany are the
most represented with six entries.
All of the candidates play their club football in
Europe, for only eight different clubs, with Real
Madrid and Bayern Munich tied for the most
with six each, followed by Barcelona with four.

Two goalkeepers were named to the shortlist:
Belgium's Thibaut Courtois and Germany's
Manuel Neuer.

The shortlist:

Gareth Bale, Wales, Real Madrid

Karim Benzema, France, Real Madrid

Diego Costa, Spain, Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois, Belgium, Chelsea

Angel Di Maria, Argentina, Manchester United

Mario Gotze, Germany, Bayern Munich

Eden Hazard, Belgium, Chelsea

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden, Paris Saint-
Germain

Andres Iniesta, Spain, Barcelona

Toni Kroos, Germany, Real Madrid

Philipp Lahm, Germany, Bayern Munich

Javier Mascherano, Argentina, Barcelona

Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona

Thomas Muller, Germany, Bayern Munich

Manuel Neuer, Germany, Bayern Munich

Neymar, Brazil, Barcelona

Paul Pogba, France, Juventus

Sergio Ramos, Spain, Real Madrid

Arjen Robben, Netherlands, Bayern Munich

James Rodriguez, Colombia, Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Real Madrid

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany, Bayern
Munich

Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast, Manchester City.
      Na only Yaya Toure dey represent Africa.

Ebira Heroes/Heroines

          Source: Wikipedia

There are several people who made tremendous impact on Ebira nation in ancient times. These were:

1. Itaazi - 'FATHER' or progenitor of Ebira Tao people.

2. Ohizi (Adaviruku) - Son of Itaazi and founder of Adavi district.

3. Ododo - Son of Itaazi and founder of Okehi district.

4. Obaji - Son of Itaazi and founder of Eika district.

5. Uga - Son of Itaazi and founder of Okengwe district.

6. Ochuga - Youngest son of Itaazi and founder of Ihima district.

7. Ohunene - Daughter of Itaazi and founder of Eganyi district.

8. Obege Ikaturu - Greatest herbalist in Ebira history.

9. Otase - Greatest marksman in Ebira history.

10. Atta Omadivi Abonika - Ebira war commander during the 1885 Ajinimo war (Nupe invasion of Ebiraland in which the Ebira's defeated the Nupe's).

11. Ovanesi - War commander during the Ebira/Bassa war where the Bassa's were defeated (1890).

12. Zainab Ejinovo Iyebe - Princess and later 'Queen mother' of immense influence.

13. Atta Ibrahim Onoruoyiza - Leader with great vision and father of modern Ebira.

14. Onono Idogido - Great social crusader and leader of 1951 women revolt against taxation.

15. Raji Abdallah - nationalist who fought for Nigeria's independence along with Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo. He was imprisoned by the British colonialists.

KUDOS TO NDLEA: N199m cocaine concealed in perfumes, capacitors

Two traders, who allegedly concealed drugs
suspected to be cocaine worth 119 million naira
inside capacitors and perfumes, have been arrested
by officials of National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency, NDLEA.
The duo of Daniel
Marvin and Akubuo
Victor, said to have
succeeded in
beating security
checks in Brazil ,
were arrested
during the inward
screening of
passengers on an
Emirate Airline flight
from Dubai, at the
Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport,
Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja.
However, during interrogation, they told NDLEA
officials that they were tempted by the offer of half a
million naira for the botched trip.
The NDLEA Commander at Abuja Airport, Mr.
Hamisu Lawan, gave the names of the suspects as
Daniel Marvin and Akubuo Victor.
According to him, “Daniel Marvin, with Nigerian
Passport Number A05545613, was arrested during
the inward screening of passengers on an Emirate
Airline flight from Dubai. He was found in
possession of 7.580kg of cocaine hidden inside
capacitors.
“The second suspect, Akubuo Victor was found in
possession of 5.750kg of cocaine hidden inside
perfumes. Both suspects were coming from Brazil
when they were arrested.”
Twenty-nine years old Marvin, a trader from Abia
State, during interrogation, claimed that he was
introduced into drug trafficking by his childhood
friend.
According to him, “I am a young man searching for
business breakthrough. In the process, my friend
told me that I could earn half a million naira by just
going to Brazil.
“Aside that, he told me that they would buy my
return ticket and that all I needed to do was to bring
in cocaine. He assured that the drugs will never be
detected because of the way it was packed.
“I succeeded in passing all routes from Brazil.
Unfortunately, the drug was detected by NDLEA
officers during search at Abuja Airport.”
On his part, 26-year-old Favour Victor, said: “I am a
trader in Anambra State. But at a point, business
started dwindling and I needed to revive it.
“I was lured into drug trafficking by a friend who
promised to pay me N500,000. The drug was
hidden inside new perfume containers.
“I was told that it was a new method that will never
be detected. But it was uncovered by the NDLEA
officers,” said the father of two.
Commenting on the arrest, Chairman/Chief
Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, assured
that the agency would continue to frustrate
activities of drug barons through superior
intelligence.
He said: “These arrests and seizures are products
of superior counter-narcotic strategies.
“The agency is prepared and deeply committed to
the eradication of drug trafficking cartels through
similar intelligence driven operation.”

US sends medical experts to study how Nigeria tamed Ebola

From Vanguard:

Stunned by the entrance of the Ebola Virus Disease,
EVD, into America, the United States’ Center for
Disease Control and Prevention has despatched its
personnel to study how Nigeria contained the killer
disease

Nigeria @ 54: My govt has delivered – Jonathan

From Vanguard:

Abuja— President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, on
the occasion of the country’s 54th independence
anniversary gave his administration a passmark for
delivering on most indicators of good governance.
In a nationwide broadcast to mark the anniversary,
President Jonathan also called on members of the
Boko Haram sect to lay down their arms and
embrace peace, saying anybody who has genuine
grievances would be heard. He said the country will
ensure the safety of every Nigerian, adding that the
country’s armed forces need support to fight the
terrorists.
But the President’s award of a pass mark to his
administration came on a day the Mo Ibrahim
Foundation released the 2014 Ibrahim Index of
African Governance,  IIAG, which ranked Nigeria
37th out of 52 in the overall governance scale,
rating the nation 45.8 per cent lower than the
African average (51.5 per cent). The country scored
lower than the regional average for West Africa
which stands at 52.2 per cent and ranked 12th out
of 15 in the region.

T.B Joshua warns people to stop talking bad about his church, claims he saw building collapse coming

During his Sunday September 28th message to his
church members, prophet T.B Joshua said he saw
the Friday 12th church building collapse happen in
a vision. He also warned people to desist from
speaking bad about the church and questioning his
calling. He said those who are speaking evil of his
ministry will suffer for it. Find the full text of his
message below...

"G ood morning church and viewers all over
the world. I want to thank you for your prayer
and your love for the victims and relations of
all those involved in the incident.
The battle is for the Lord. I really want to
thank God. God has been doing so much. We
need to know a thousand victories, all the
way long. Glory and honour to God Almighty.

For those who are outside the Lord, they would not
know. When you are outside God, you will not
know what I am talking about. When you are
outside the light, you can’t understand what I am
talking about.
For the three weeks before the incident, if you
heard my message and sat down, you would know
I was giving you a vision and prophetic Word on
how to handle the situation at hand. Trials and
tests are meant for our belief. I go by the
directives of God.

I salute the martyrs of faith and the victims. I also
salute their relations. My love and my prayers are
always with them. The martyrs, victims and their
relations, what they would like to see is the work
of God continue. That is what they died for,
suffered for and are living for.
From your heart, commit the relations of the
martyrs to God. Ask God to strengthen them and
open their understanding more to know and
understand what happened here. Ask God to give
them the grace to continue in God. In Him we live;
in Him we move. Ask God to give them the grace to
continue the work of salvation.

Remember the victims in one way or the other and
ask for God’s intervention. Ask God for His power
of resurrection within them and outside them, in
Jesus Christ’s name we pray.
Remain silent and give thanks to God, within you. I
want you to change your confession and give
thanks to God.

Listen to God, not men. Don’t let your faith be
disturbed. If anyone wants to disturb your faith
with their negative words and message, remember
God. See the need of God the more. See the need
of serving the Lord the more, the need of moving
closer to Him.
Don’t be disturbed. Pray for the relations; pray for
the victims. That is your assignment – your love
and prayer for the victims and the relations of the
martyrs. That is your duty at this time.

Don’t allow yourself to be used by satan. If you do,
satan will use his people to run to you and disturb
you the more. This is an opportunity for them to
disturb your faith with their negative words. Those
who hate you and those who want you to die will
run after you because of this issue. It is not that
they love you but they want to see your
countenance, your appearance, how you look and
whether you are worried. Never allow this.
Remember Jesus. Don’t change your words in a
moment. Jesus is Lord.

What you saw happen - God is aware. If God is
aware, who else is aware does not matter. The
martyrs, victims and relations want to see your
faith grow; they want to see the work of salvation
and the work of God in your life continue. They
want to see you serve the Lord the more. The only
way you can allow the work of God to continue is
to be with yourself and God, not to allow intruders
and people around you to advise you and tell you
what to do when they could not stop what
happened.

I pray the satanic agents should be the only ones
to suffer this. I said, our God will get back to them.

Warn your family and brothers about their talk. You
will know I am a man of God this time. People who
are looking for your downfall and run to disturb
your spirit, warn them to be careful of their tongues
and the people who come to them. God is a God of
vengeance – anybody can go for it.

You cannot help me, only God. Don’t disturb me;
please leave me with God. You will see the
outcome. I am saying this so that only the people
who did this will suffer for it and you will not in any
way suffer for it. The people who are writing
whatever they are saying - all of us will see the
outcome of this. Leave it for God.
I have been on this journey for 27 years. Do you
think God can close His eyes and rubbish
everything here? They are asking God to bring
more evidence of whether He is the One who
called me. Warn everyone to be very careful. This
issue at hand is a delicate issue.
People are using all this to gain money and friends.
This is a warning. Whatever anybody wants to
write, let them write it; they will be the ones to read
it.

I said, our God will get back to them. He has
started somewhere. He is coming. If your brother
is involved, unless he can resurrect the people
who died, he will join them. If you can resurrect
the people who died, you can go free. The
servants, the people who sent them, the people
who heard the stories all around and those who
want to use it for themselves and disturb my spirit,
you may likely join them. Be careful. To be
forewarned is to be forearmed. Let us be very
careful of our tongue.

Your responsibility is to the victims and the
relations of the victims and martyrs of faith. If you
say you are born again, wherever the victims and
their relations are, wherever the relations of the
martyrs of faith are, look for them. Let them know
you are praying for them. What you eat, let them
eat it. What you wear, let them wear out of it. What
you have on your table, let them have it on their
table, too. Share what you have with them – your
love, prayer, affection and strength. Share it with
them at this time. This is what we call ‘born again’
– my pain is your pain. Your joy is my joy.

The multitudes of people who claim to be with T.B.
Joshua in prayer – if the same people turn to the
families of the victims and martyrs of faith, do you
not think life would be better for them than before?

Join them, look for them, as many others are doing
now.

Suarez Begins Training At Barcelona

All eyes were on Luis Suarez as he trained with
his Barcelona team-mates for the first time on
Friday after getting the green light from the Court
of Arbitration for Sport.
In a short statement on their website, the club
said: “Luis Suarez was the centre of attention this
Friday morning at the first team training session
at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper.
“After the ruling on Thursday by the Court of
Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the sanction
imposed by FIFA on the Uruguayan player, Luis
Suarez is now able to train with his new team-
mates.”
Suarez took an active part in the session with the
main group under the watchful eye of coach Luis
Enrique.
On Thursday, the CAS upheld Suarez’s four-
month ban from playing in competitive games as
well as his nine-match international suspension,
but it did allow him to train and play in unofficial
matches.
And that means he could make his debut against
Mexican club Leon in the Gamper Trophy, the
traditional curtain-raiser to the season at the
Camp Nou.
There will be a temptation to give the 27-year-old
a run-out against Leon as it will be Barcelona’s
final friendly before their first league game of the
new season against Elche next weekend.
Suarez has reportedly been training on his own in
an unknown location in Catalonia since
completing his 95 million euros (£75 million, $127
million) move to the Camp Nou from Liverpool last
month.
He will be available to play in competitive
matches from Saturday, October 25, meaning his
official debut could come in the first Clasico of
the campaign against Real Madrid at the Santiago
Bernabeu, which has been scheduled for that
weekend.
Suarez was banned for biting Italy’s Giorgio
Chiellini at the World Cup but despite the player
being allowed to resume training, Uruguayan
football officials are still “frustrated” with the
handling of the controversy.
Uruguayan Football Federation lawyer Daniel
Cravo told Sky Sports News: “We are really
frustrated — we understand that the behaviour of
Luis Suarez in that match deserved to be
punished but we don’t think that it was the worst
behaviour of a player in a World Cup.
“There have been worse situations and the
players were not sanctioned at this level but of
course we respect CAS’ decision.
“We have to wait for the reasons and we are
sorry for not having achieved what our client
wanted from us. I don’t want to criticise the
decision because I don’t know the grounds, that’s
something we are interested in checking.”
Suarez has never explained his propensity to bite
opponents.
He earned a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s
Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, after being sidelined
for seven matches with Dutch club Ajax in 2010
for the same offence against PSV Eindhoven’s
Otman Bakkal.
Suarez will be presented to the Barça fans on
Monday before the Joan Gamper Trophy match
and on Tuesday he will be presented to the media
at a press conference.
In Friday’s training session, as well as Suarez,
Brazilian Neymar completed the full session, even
though he has not received the medical all clear
after suffering a fractured vertebrae in the World
Cup quarter-final against Colombia.

Khloe Kardashian Reacts To Rumoured Butt Plastic Surgery

Since this year, Khloe Kardashian's butt has been
looking extra ordinarily bigger than it used to.
This throws up controversy that whether or not
her butt is natural.
While volunteering with Kourtney and Bruce at the
Fisher House Foundation, Khloé was approached
by a woman who pulls her aside and shocked her
with her question.

"I told my son how beautiful you are," the woman
says. "Then I said, 'Is that her real butt?'"
"You can touch it," Khloé said with a laugh. "It
really is!", Khloe replied...that's it!

Jonathan Mourns With Urhobo's Over Aziza's Death

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday
commiserated with the Urhobo people of Delta
on the death of the President-General of the
Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), Major-General
Patrick Aziza (rtd).

Aziza, who was the first Military Administrator
of Kebbi state between 1991 and 1992, died on
Saturday at the age of 67.
Jonathan’s condolence message was contained in
a statement issued by his Special Adviser on
Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja.

The statement also extended the president’s
condolences to the Aziza family, the
government and people of Delta as well as the
late General’s friends, associates and former
military colleagues.

“The President joins them in mourning the
passage of the former minister and one-time
military governor of Kebbi.

“Aziza selflessly dedicated himself to the service
of his people and community after retiring from
a distinguished career in the nation’s armed
forces.

“As they grieve over his death, Jonathan urges
members of the Aziza family, the UPU, his
friends and former colleagues in the Nigerian
Army to accept the will of God Almighty.

“They should be comforted by the knowledge
that Aziza served his people and country to the
best of his God-given abilities while he lived.’’

NAN reports that the late Aziza, who hailed
from Okpe Local Government Area in Delta
Central, served as Minister of Communications
in the military regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha.

He was also Minister of Commerce and Tourism
during the transitional regime of Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Nasarawa: Lawmakers Petitions NJC

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly on
Monday resolved to report the state Chief
Judge, Suleiman Dikko, to the National Judicial
Council, NJC, over alleged lacuna in setting up
the panel that investigated Governor Umaru
Tanko Al-Makura, on alleged gross misconduct.

The Assembly made the resolution during its
plenary session following a motion to that effect
moved by the Majority Leader, Godiya
Akwashiki (PDP Nasarawa Eggon- West) and
seconded by the deputy house leader, Yahaya
Usman (PDP Umasha/ Ugya) at the House of
Assembly complex, Lafia, the state capital.
The resolution was passed shortly after the
lawmakers returned from their recess to
continue with the remaining part of the
legislative year consequent upon which it
directed the clerk of the house to write a letter
to that effect to the NJC within 24 hours.

Proceedings of the plenary session began at
10:40 a.m when the Majority Leader raised a
motion under section 4 of the order paper of the
day under matters of public interest saying, “We
have meet here today to observe certain lacuna
to the setting up of the panel which investigated
the governor.

Therefore, there is the need to write to the NJC
to investigate the Chief Judge within 24 hours in
order to avoid the breakdown of law and other
in the state.”
In a submission to that motion, Francis Orogu
(PDP Keana) viewed the motion as desirable
hence according to him, “the state Chief Judge
has abused his oath of office and joined forces
with others to frustrate the process of enacting
the rule of law in the state.”

Passing the motion, the Speaker, Ahmed Musa
Mohammed, ruled that “the motion is hereby
passed and the Clerk of the Assembly is hereby
directed to act accordingly within 24 hours of
the passage of the resolution.”

Similarly, the state Assembly at the same
plenary sitting suspended one of its members,
Tanko Tunga (APC Awe North), on allegation of
casting aspersion on the state’s legislative body
for six months and placed him on half salary
during the period.

The motion that led to the suspension of the
Awe North representative was moved by
Mohammed Baba Ibaku (PDP Udegye/Loko)
after seeking the stepping down of section 14
subsection 3 of the house code which prohibits
the deliberation of two issues on matters of
public interest for sitting.

The motion of Baba Ibaku, which was seconded
by the majority leader of the house, wanted
Tunga suspended because “ he (Tunga) had on
July 23, 2014 obstructed the business of the
Assembly by pushing the Speaker, tampering
with mace, crying in the hallowed chamber of
the Assembly when he was not beaten and
casting aspersion on the lawmaker on the state-
owned broadcasting outfit.”

Hitherto, Ibaku had wanted the lawmaker to be
suspended for six months and placed on half
salary, visit a psychiatric for test and barred
from sittings at the Assembly premises till he
completes his suspension.

R.Kelly Sued By Ex Manager

R. Kelly is being sued by his former manager,
Derrel McDavid for being ungrateful after he
made him a star.

According to a lawsuit filed, Derrel McDavid
says he's managed R. Kelly for decades and
helped him navigate from a nobody to a
superstar.

TMZ reports that things started getting dirty last
year when Kelly and McDavid parted company.

The lawsuit said they made a deal that Kelly
would give McDavid $1.3 million and they'd
walk their separate ways.

McDavid says Kelly made the initial $300K
payment, but the deal called for additional $40K
a month payments for 18 months and he hasn't
received anything since then.

McDavid's suing for the $1M balance.

R.Kelly could be in deep problem if he refuses
to own up to the agreement as TMZ gathered
that McDavid was deeply involved in Kelly's
professional and personal life, and knows
everything about the various disputes he's had
with women and others going back 20 years.

Police Abort Bloodbath in Kano, Discover Car Loaded with Explosives in Mosque

The Police Sunday aborted what would have
been a bloodbath following the discovery of a
car loaded with explosives at Shiek Isyaku
Rabiu mosque at Goron Dutse Kano.
Kano State Police Commissioner, Mr Aderenie
Shinaba, confirmed the discovery Sunday.