the neem tree has been called " the village pharmacy " because its bark, leaves, sap, fruit, seeds, and twigs have so many diverse uses in the traditional medicine of india. this member of the mahogany family has been used medicinally for at least 4, 000 years and is held in such esteem that indian poets called it sarva roga nivarini, meaning " the one that can cure all ailments. " mohandas gandhi encouraged scientific investigation of the neem tree as part of his program to revitalize indian traditions, which eventually let to more than 2, 000 research papers and intense commercial interest. at least 50 patents have been filed on neem and neem - based products in the united states for control of insects in food and ornamental crops. however, the indian government and many nongovernmental organizations have united to overthrow some patents of this type, which they regard as " folk - wisdom piracy. " one fear is that if neem is patented, indigenous people who already use it will lose the right to continue to do so. another point is the fundamental question : who owns the genetic diversity of plants? the nations where the plants come from or the transnational corporations that pay for the research into those plants? although this area of international law is rapidly evolving, a patent on the spice turmeric has already been overturned, and neem may follow soon. at least 100 bioactive substances have been found in neem, including nimbidin, azadiracthins, and other triterpenoids and limonoids. although the scientific evidence for all of neem ' s uses in healthcare remains preliminary, the intense interest in the plant will eventually lead to proper double - blind, placebo - controlled trials. ( for information on why such studies are so important, see why does this database rely on double - blind studies? ) because of the numerous parts of the neem tree used, and the many different ways these can be prepared, the only advice we can give at this time is to follow the directions on the label of the neem product you purchase. for all these reasons, as well as the lack of comprehensive safety investigation of neem products other than neem oil, we recommend that young children, pregnant or nursing women, or individuals with severe liver or kidney disease avoid use of neem. - reviewer : ebsco cam review board - review date : 07 / 2012 - - update date : 07 / 25 / 2012 -


dr. jane lubchenco, a marine ecologist from oregon state university, has been elected to many scientific honors, one of which was the presidency of the american academy for the advancement of science. for her presidential address at the aaas annual meeting, she looked straight out at the huge assembly of scientists and delivered an unapologetic, undiluted warning : “ during the last few decades, humans have emerged as a new force of nature. we are modifying physical, chemical, and biological systems in new ways, at faster rates, and over larger spatial scales than ever recorded on earth. humans have unwittingly embarked upon a grand experiment with our planet. the outcome of this experiment is unknown, but has profound implications for all of life. ” what responsibility do scientists have, she asked, both to transmit this message and to help deal with the problem? actually scientists, and others, have been transmitting similar messages lately with clarity and urgency. here are just a few excerpts, from a long and growing list : world resources institute, 1998 : “ most high - quality agricultural land is already in production, and the environmental costs of converting remaining forest, grassland, and wetland habitats to cropland are well recognized. … much of the remaining soil is less productive and more fragile. … one analysis of global soil erosion estimates that … topsoil is being lost 16 to 300 times faster than it can be replaced. ” international food policy research institute, 1999 : “ the period since world war ii has seen remarkable growth in agricultural production … in the developing world. while in many farming areas this growth has apparently been sustainable, in others it derived from two unsustainable processes : the clearing of new lands of lower productive potential or higher vulnerability, and the intensification of production by mining or destroying the soil resource base. ” u. n. comprehensive assessment of the freshwater resources of the world, 1997 : “ water resources constraints and water degradation are weakening one of the resource bases on which human society is built. water shortages and pollution are causing widespread public health problems, limiting economic and agricultural development, and harming a wide range of ecosystems. they may put global food supplies in jeopardy and lead to economic stagnation in many areas of the world. ” world commission on forests and sustainable development, 1999 : “ there has been a clear global trend toward a massive loss of forested areas. … the current trends are toward an acceleration of the loss of forested area, the loss of residual primary forests, and progressive reduction in the internal quality of residual


, 1999 : “ there has been a clear global trend toward a massive loss of forested areas. … the current trends are toward an acceleration of the loss of forested area, the loss of residual primary forests, and progressive reduction in the internal quality of residual forest stands. … much of the forest that remains is being progressively impoverished, and all is threatened. ” world scientists ’ warning to humanity, 1992 : “ our massive tampering with the world ’ s interdependent web of life — coupled with the environmental damage inflicted by deforestation, species loss, and climate change — could trigger widespread adverse effects, including unpredictable collapses of critical biological systems whose interactions and dynamics we only imperfectly understand. uncertainty over the extent of these effects cannot excuse complacency or delay in facing the threats. ” two oil industry geologists, colin j. campbell and jean h. laherrere, sobered everyone by saying in scientific american in 1998 : “ our analysis of the discovery and production of oil fields around the world suggest that within the next decade, the supply of conventional oil will be unable to keep up with demand. … global discovery peaked in the early 1960s and has been falling steadily ever since. … there is only so much crude oil in the world, and the industry has found about 90 percent of it. ” another industry voice, robert shapiro, ceo of the monsanto corporation : “ the earth can ’ t withstand a systematic increase of material things. if we grow by using more stuff, i ’ m afraid we ’ d better start looking for a new planet. ” economists are speaking up as well. the following statement was signed by 2000 economists, including six nobel laureates, in 1997 : “ the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate. as economists, we believe that global climate change carries with it significant environmental, economic, social, and geopolitical risks, and that preventive steps are justified. ” ecological society of america, 1991 : “ environmental problems resulting from human activities have begun to threaten the sustainability of earth ’ s life support systems. ” the [ u. k. ] royal society and the [ u. s. ] national academy of sciences, 1992 : “ the future of our planet is in the balance. sustainable development can be achieved, but only if irreversible degradation of the environment can be halted in time. the next 30 years may be crucial. ” short of yelling and screaming, which scientists are trained not to do, i don ’ t see how these august people could


how often have you driven somewhere, perhaps for a day out in the countryside or on your way to a holiday destination, and have passed an unsightly heap of rubbish bags, a discarded armchair or a filthy sodden mattress by the side of some secluded country b - road? these piles of refuse, whether household junk or builders materials, scrap metal or garden waste are the result of fly - tipping ; the illegal dumping of waste on private ground or ground that is unlicensed to receive such waste. but it ’ s not just road sides that are affected by fly tipping ; inner - city alleyways, waste grounds, playing fields and even scenic areas of the british countryside are being defiled by the illegal and inconsiderate actions of the fly - tippers. the adverse consequences of fly - tipping every local authority in the uk is committed to combating fly - tipping, and research into the undesirable consequences of this practice reveals why this is necessary. the total cost to local authorities of clearing up illegally dumped waste is around £75 million each year. the environment agency estimates the cost of removing fly - tipped waste from agricultural land at around £50million per year. areas that are consistently subjected to fly - tipping have seen a decline in house prices and a consequent impact on local trade. aesthetic and economic considerations aside, the negligent dumping of waste has profound long - term implications for the natural environment and those that depend upon it. the vast majority ( around three - quarters ) of refuse that is fly - tipped is household waste, and much of that is food. thanks to the indiscriminate littering habit of britons, it ’ s estimated that the uk ’ s rat population is roughly the same as the human population. whilst rats may be thriving, other wildlife suffers as a consequence of fly - tipping ; pollutants entering natural water systems are responsible for the deaths of around 100, 000 marine animals each year, and around 70, 000 animals are injured or killed annually as a result of discarded rubbish. more worryingly, the potential harm that fly - tipping could cause to humans cannot be ignored. hazardous waste such as asbestos, toxic chemicals, low - level radioactive waste, medical waste and refrigerant chemicals all pose potential dangers to the atmosphere, soil and water supply. why are people fly - tipping? the collection and disposal of general household waste – and increasingly recyclable and garden waste – is covered by the council tax which pays for the weekly or fortnightly emptying


atmosphere, soil and water supply. why are people fly - tipping? the collection and disposal of general household waste – and increasingly recyclable and garden waste – is covered by the council tax which pays for the weekly or fortnightly emptying of domestic rubbish bins. but larger items of waste – fridge freezers, mattresses, larger quantities of household and garden rubbish attract a fee for their removal and disposal – the so - called ‘ landfill tax ’. although most local authorities charge relatively little for collecting larger household items and taking them to licensed waste management premises, it seems that an increasing number of people would rather expose themselves to the risk and inconvenience of loading up a car or van and driving it to some place away from their own premises to discreetly but inconsiderately dump it. taking action against fly - tipping fly - tipping is considered an extremely serious offence ; those prosecuted can expect fines of anything up to £50, 000 and the possibility of a custodial sentence of up to five years ’ imprisonment. penalties are also applicable for anyone who entrusts their waste disposal to an unlicensed waste carrier or one that disposes of waste on an unlicensed site. in 2007 - 2008, local authorities carried out 1, 871 prosecutions against fly - tippers of which 95 % resulted in successful convictions. sadly this is only scratches the surface of the fly - tipping problem, but it ’ s becoming easier to report offenders either to the environment agency ( on 0800 80 70 60 ) or to local authorities via telephone or email. anyone who witnesses fly - tippers in action should not tackle them in person, but should note the time, date and location of the offence, a description of those involved, the type and amount of waste being dumped and – importantly – whether the site was in proximity to a water source such as a river or reservoir. this information should then be passed on to the environment agency or your local authority for further investigation. as vigilance, action and prosecutions in respect of the illegal act of fly - tipping increase, it seems bizarre that rather than finding the location of the nearest licensed refuse disposal site or paying the modest fee required for a skip or licensed rubbish disposal contractor, some people would rather risk a hefty fine or a spell behind bars for fly - tipping. john is a guest blogger from uk skip hire site skipandbin. com – helping uk consumers find the cheapest skip hire services in their area. - manchester becomes a dumping ground as fly -


african american sites to break brick walls i recently received a phone call from a lady asking when beginning genealogy classes were starting up. after talking a little further to her, i realized she could be teaching the beginning genealogy classes. she had gotten her african american ancestors to the 1870 census, and like a lot of you, hit a brick wall. it was not beginning classes she needed, but a few suggestions where to look next and a whole lot of luck! here are some tips ( in no particular order ) on trying to get beyond that 1870 census : a. while you are in the 1870 census, look for others with the same surname in the same locale you are in. these names may prove helpful in the future as they are probably related. but, when you research slave history, i have been told that the last name a lot of african americans were given were the surname of the plantation owner. so, the person with the same last name may not necessarily be from your family. and along those same lines, your ancestor ’ s brother or sister could have a different last name depending on where they lived. b. as mentioned above, the last name, very rarely the first name, would have changed with a move from plantation to plantation. one incident i came across was this name change due to a marriage within the rice plantation household. the daughter of mr. rice married into the dunne family in the birmingham, alabama area. she was given slaves to take with her when she moved. therefore, the slave name changed from rice to dunne. as i did the genealogy for this family, i would find part of the family with the surname of rice and the other dunne. c. do not assume your ancestor was a slave. there were free black at this time ; i had a couple families in the south that were free that came from maryland. d. check out the military records. did you know that african americans found in all the wars beginning with the american revolution? the trick is to find the paperwork associated with your ancestor. when researching the civil war, do not just check out the basic civil war links, but remember the united states colored troop link as well. ( compiled service records ) e. the bureau of refugees, freedmen and abandoned lands was established by the war department on march 3, 1865. its primary function was to supervise all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen. it assumed custody of abandoned or confiscated lands or property in the former confederate states, border states, district of columbia, and indian territory. sometimes,


, 1865. its primary function was to supervise all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen. it assumed custody of abandoned or confiscated lands or property in the former confederate states, border states, district of columbia, and indian territory. sometimes, within these documents, family or previous residence, maybe even the plantation they lived on would be mentioned. ( for more on this topic visit bureau of refugees, freedmen and abandoned lands f. the freedman ’ s bank is another source that might prove helpful. the freedman ’ s bank savings and trust company was chartered in 1865 with the primary object to assist former slaves and african - american soldiers with their new financial responsibilities. in theory, this bank was to be a permanent financial institution for savings deposits and provide a place, safe from swindlers, to deposit money. however, mismanagement and outright fraud caused the bank to collapse in 1874 adding another tragedy to the legacy of pain endured by many african americans. when these families went to sign up, records were made on them that sometimes included family names, descriptions, former plantation homes, war history and more. so, while it was a tragedy that this endeavor failed, the records that were developed are a gold mine to their descendants. g. research the census records before 1870 in the area your ancestor ’ s lived and the surrounding counties. see if their surnames match with a white family of the same name. that family might be the family your ancestor ’ s were slaves at. spend some time researching this family and see if they have any records that might prove helpful to you. was there a marriage where a dowry was listed? if your ancestor went with this daughter, they may have been mentioned. unfortunate and painful as it is, slaves were listed as property. check out the property records, wills, and their business transactions ; property meant money and so paperwork was usually kept. h. do not neglect the newspapers. tim pinnick has written a wonderful book on finding and using african american newspapers. when a slave escaped, a mention in the newspapers giving a name and description were listed in the areas where the slave lived. directly after slavery was abolished, many african americans put ads in the papers looking for their family and friends. tim ’ s book will give you insight on how to locate these newspapers. i. while researching, keep in mind that a lot of african americans married and went to live with the native americans. in some instances, the native americans also had slaves. do not limit the search for just african american, errors in race


newspapers. i. while researching, keep in mind that a lot of african americans married and went to live with the native americans. in some instances, the native americans also had slaves. do not limit the search for just african american, errors in race are documented so look for your ancestor ’ s name without listing the race if a brick wall exists. j. trans - atlantic slave trade database : it has over 35, 000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million africans for transport to the americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. it offers researchers, students and the general public a chance to rediscover the reality of one of the largest forced movements of peoples in world history. k. slave insurance was kept on some slaves. the slave registry gives the slave names, county, other identifying information, name of slaveholder, the county of slaveholder, and who the policy was submitted by. kentucky, for example, lists many counties with slave names. l lastly, but very important, pay attention to the stories that were handed down. while the stories may have been added or taken away from during the years, they may have some vital information in them to give you clues on your family. sometimes, for native americans and african americans, these family stories are the key to discovering your ancestors. visit genealogy @ bellaonline. com for more articles from tina sansone


august 4, 2004 honolulu - the public should stay out of streams, coastal, and standing waters that are contaminated by storm water ( usually brown or murky in color ). storm water can contain harmful micro - organisms ( pathogens ), from overflowing cesspools or septic tanks as well as animal feces washed into streams and storm drains. excessive storm water can also contain sewage from overflowing manholes and overwhelmed treatment facilities or chemicals from polluted runoff from commercial and industrial facilities. the department of health and the counties monitor water quality and spills. warning signs will be posted at beaches and streams if contaminants from treatment facilities reach those waters or when people should use caution if the water is brown or murky, regardless of whether warning signs are posted. on oahu, sewage or chemical spills should be reported to the city and county at 523 - 4423. questions regarding the safety of standing water, " brown water " in coastal and inland areas, or beach closures should be directed to the department of health clean water branch on oahu during normal business hours at 586 - 4309. for more information, contact : department of health e - mail : dayukimura @ mail. health. state. hi. us


editor ’ s note : this story is the first of a multi - part series on the french - eversole war of perry county. part two will be published next week. the history channel ’ s hit miniseries, “ hatfields and mccoys, ” chronicled the feud between two families in west virginia and eastern kentucky. that famous feud is certainly the most well - known in american history, but one of the bloodiest and most destructive took place right here in hazard and perry county between 1887 and 1894. according to the days of darkness by john ed pearce, and kentucky ’ s famous feuds and tragedies by charles g. mutzenburg, what was dubbed the “ french - eversole war ” was apparently precipitated by a disagreement of business tactics between two hazard business owners, but the actual fighting ran much deeper than that. members of the eversole family were long - time residents of perry county, and had made their mark on the county by the time the feud errupted. a branch of the family built what is now the oldest standing structure in the county. the eversole cabin in chavies was built in the late 1700s and exists today much like it did in 1800. it was the site of skirmishes during the civil war, and remained in the family for over 80 years, until it was given to a member of the campbell family to pay off a debt. the french family had only been in the area for a generation by the time the feud began. coming from north carolina originally, the patriarch, b. fulton french, quickly established himself in the community through local commerce. in the early 1880s, the coal industry was in its infancy in the mountains across eastern kentucky, and the resource was not yet heavily mined. previous to the railroad moving into hazard in 1912, companies began buying land for little to no money since most landowners did not realize just how valuable that land would become. once the railroad moved in and the mining industry came into its own, it became apparent that there was much money to be had in buying land, and the land owners that had already sold out had been bought off for much too low a price. french was also an attorney, though he worked with the companies to buy land for obscenely low amounts, and then took it from the owners as they began mining the coal. joseph eversole, a young lawyer and local merchant, reportedly saw profiting from the misfortunes of his neighbors as an egregious offense. he tried to warn landowners


then took it from the owners as they began mining the coal. joseph eversole, a young lawyer and local merchant, reportedly saw profiting from the misfortunes of his neighbors as an egregious offense. he tried to warn landowners not to sell out for such low prices. the companies then tried to silence eversole, pitting french against him. while their intial dislike of one another stemmed from mineral rights, the traditional story on how the feud began was that a cashier at french ’ s store had fallen for a female employee. one night he came back to the store and found this employee with french. the cashier was so enraged that he decided to warn eversole that french had threatened his life. eversole then formed and army, and so did french, and the fighting began. while this is the story that was often told in newspapers and in verbal history, it is likely not true, according to pearce, a former courier - journal writer who pieced together the history of the feud through old newspaper accounts and other sources, such as local historians. all that is actually known is that in 1887, the two business competitors moved beyond disliking one another and into feuding. hazard at the time has been described as a rough place with only 200 residents. the streets were thick with deep mud and only a few wooden plank sidewalks. it was rumored that judges would often opt out of holding trials because of the frequency of gunfights in town. as the perry county feud began, both sides began arming themselves and their employees, and eventually even hired gunmen all before the first shots were ever fired. an eastern kentucky newspaper during the time, the hazel green herald out of wolfe county, reported that in the summer before the official start of the feud the two sides clashed, with eversole ’ s side driving french out of hazard. french then set up a base camp in harlan, and both men began fortifying their homes, though pearce noted that the latter part of this account may not be entirely accurate. the men reportedly paid fleets of bodyguards only two dollars a day. they were able to outfit themselves so cheaply due to the rough state of affairs in hazard at the time. while the two sides had clashed on occasion, it was not until the 1887 killing of silas gayheart, a friend of french, that the feud truly began. french hired a knott county native named “ bad ” tom smith shortly after as a full - time gunman. bad tom became the most infamous person


until the 1887 killing of silas gayheart, a friend of french, that the feud truly began. french hired a knott county native named “ bad ” tom smith shortly after as a full - time gunman. bad tom became the most infamous person tied to the feud, being known for his hot temper, cool, unforgiving killing, accurate shooting and epileptic fits. he had been known in hazard for some time for killing three men who were shooting at several of his friends. as legend has it, he was able to knock one man unconscious with a rock and take his gun, and kill the other two before any were able to get a shot off on him. after the killing of gayheart, the eversole group denied killing him, and based on records of the time had nothing to gain from killing him, pearce wrote. french never believed eversole ’ s denial, so the feud was on. after the shooting, hazard citizens were on edge despite the limited actual fighting. shots did, however, begin to ring out at night and the relatively few residents that were not involved in the feud began moving away from the town. in another instance of fighting, the french group camped on the road near hazard and waited until a large group of eversoles had convened for a meeting. the frenches drove the eversoles out of hazard that night. only a few days after this fight, a reporter from cincinnati came to hazard to cover the feud. he met up with a man that promised to take him to the people involved in the feud. unfortunately, he was only told the french ’ s side since the man was affiliated with the group. the wildly exaggerated story came out several days later in the cincinnati enquirer. another clash arose just days after the article came out and caused casualties on both sides of the fight. after just a few months of fighting, both sides had nearly depleted their funds and wanted to stop the battle. they both signed an official truce in 1887 that was turned in to two different judges. the peace was tense, however, and just a little over a month after the truce, both sides were at it again, and more lives would be lost.


charles peirce and allan marquand charles sanders peirce ( 1839 – 1914 ) was a famous american philosopher, logician, mathematician, and scientist. peirce was an innovator in many fields, including philosophy of science, epistemology, metaphysics, mathematics, statistics, research methodology, and the design of experiments in astronomy, geophysics, and psychology, but he considered himself a logician first and foremost ( he was perhaps the leading logician in the world at that time ). he made major contributions to logic, but logic for him encompassed much of that which is now called epistemology and philosophy of science. he saw logic as the formal branch of semiotics, of which he is a founder. one of his striking discoveries in foundational mathematics was ( in 1880 ) how boolean algebra could be expressed via a single binary operation, either nand or its dual, nor. from 1879 till 1884 peirce was a lecturer on the logic at the new johns hopkins university. although his appointment at hopkins was in logic, he was also busy there with research in psychology and philosophy. peirce had a number of talented students in logic, whose work may be sampled in studies in logic, printed in 1883. among this bright pupils was allan marquand ( 1853 - 1924 ), at that time fellow in philosophy and ethics at hopkins, until he graduated in 1880 as ph. d. in philosophy. his thesis, supervised by peirce, was on the logic of philodemus. marquand returned to princeton in 1881 to teach latin and logic. during the 1881 - 82 academic year, he built a mechanical logical machine, that is interesting for us. the machine was presented in 1885 and described in the 1886 article a new logical machine. allan worked within the history of logic and upon trying to improve the design and function of what were then called logical machines, at least they were so called within peirce ' s circle. marquand however decided to went further and began with improvements upon the logical piano of jevon. ( it is unknown, if marquand was acquainted with the logical machine of british logician and philosopher john venn ( 1834 - 1920 ). venn speculates on the design of a logical machine, based on the machine of jevons. he even gives schematic diagrams for the construction of such a machine for four propositions, but it is not clear whether the machine was ever built. ) the logical machine of marquand ( see the nearby photo ) was designed to


in the applet below you see 1d realisation of white and correlated noise with equidistant step in x. independent random points uniform distribution on interval ( - 1, 1 ) make the white noise ( the blue curve ). correlated random points vi ( the red curve ) are obtained by averaging of white noise in radius rc sphere, i. e. kernel ko is used vi = = - rc, rc fi + j to get a 2d fractal noise ( mountain ) you take an elastic string ( see fig. 1 ), then a random vertical displacement is applied to its middle point. the process is repeated recursively to the middle point of every new segment. the random displacement decreases m times each iteration ( usually m = 2 are used ). using fourier transformation for v ( r ), k ( r ), f ( r ) g ( k ) = g ( r ) eikr dr, we get for v ( k ) v ( k ) = k ( k ) f ( k ). i. e. averaging ( * ) means the white noise filtration by means of a filter with bandwidth k ( k ). the bandwidths for the two used filters are shown in fig. 3 ( for rc = 1 ) kg ( k ) ~ exp [ - ( rck ) 2 ], ko ~ sin ( rck ) / k. at last 2d correlated random landscape. to get a smooth potential 2d gauss kernel is used percolation in random potential landscape drag mouse to rotate 3d image ( with " shift " to zoom it ). the white line ( in the blue bar to the right ) corresponds to the average < v > value. the yellow line corresponds to the fermi energy εf. drag the line by mouse to change εf. see also 3d mountains and hidden surface removal algorithms.


after maintaining a steady pace for a century, lighting technology has begun to leap forward, fueled by tightening energy efficiency standards and hefty incentives for manufacturers. and despite a bit of price shock on some lighting products, co - op members - especially large commercial and industrial accounts - are working with their local, not - for - profit, consumer - owned power providers to see if emerging lighting options can curb rising costs. congress first enacted improved energy efficiency standards for incandescent bulbs under the federal energy independence and security act of 2007. but when new lightbulb rules began to take effect in 2012, they were met with confusion. under the law, by 2014, lightbulbs using between 40 - w to 100 - w must consume at least 28 percent less energy than traditional incandescents, which will save americans an estimated $ 6 billion to $ 10 billion in lighting costs annually. the measure also mandates that lightbulbs become 70 percent more efficient by 2020. in june of this year, the u. s. house passed an amendment to stop enforcement of these standards, mirroring a funding freeze for enforcement efforts adopted in late 2011. yet even if the provision becomes law, very little will change. congress has not repealed or adjusted existing lightbulb efficiency standards or changed the timeline for implementation. major lighting manufacturers like general electric, philips, and osram sylvania continue working to comply with the 2007 law. as the next wave of standards kicks in, traditional 75 - w incandescent lightbulbs will no longer be available as of january 1, 2013, and 40 - w and 60 - w versions will no longer be available as of january 1, 2014. in the race to fill the nation ’ s growing need for efficient lighting comes a new breed of illuminators, led by light - emitting diodes ( leds ). incandescent bulbs create light using a thin wire ( filament ) inside a glass bulb - a delicate connection that can easily be broken, as frustrated homeowners can attest. in contrast, leds are at the forefront of solid - state lighting - small, packed electronic chip devices. two conductive materials are placed together on a chip ( a diode ). electricity passes through the diode, releasing energy in the form of light. invented in 1960 by general electric, the first leds were red - the color depends on materials placed on the diode. yellow, green, and orange leds were created in the 1970s and the recipe for the color


in the form of light. invented in 1960 by general electric, the first leds were red - the color depends on materials placed on the diode. yellow, green, and orange leds were created in the 1970s and the recipe for the color blue - the foundation for white leds - was unlocked in the mid - 1990s. originally used in remote controls, exit signs, digital watches, alarm clocks, and car signal lights, leds quickly gained momentum for large - scale lighting. by 2030, the u. s. department of energy estimates solid - state lighting technologies could reduce the amount of electricity used for lighting ( currently 13. 6 percent of the nation ’ s total ) by half, saving up to $ 30 billion a year in energy costs. electric cooperatives are supporting led study through the cooperative research network ( crn ), an arm of the arlington, va. - based national rural electric cooperative association. recently, crn worked with western farmers electric cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative based in anadarko, okla., and the oklahoma state university animal science department to evaluate leds at a farrowing operation and a dairy farm in the sooner state. the project measured the effectiveness of leds in harsh environments and looked for any influence on animal behavior. t - bar m dairy ranch, outside of durant, okla., normally uses 250 - w metal halide lights in its barns. crn exchanged those bulbs in 10 fixtures with 120 - w leds. after six months, the dairy had cut energy use by 55 percent and boosted brightness by 30 percent. “ utility costs go up every year - that ’ s reality, ” explains tami tollenaar, who manages the dairy. “ to move forward in your business, you have to look for ways to be more efficient. leds are one of the things we can do to help us move forward. ” crn also worked with robinson family farms, a 380, 000 - head hog operation in holdenville, okla. the farm already used compact fluorescent lamps ( cfls ) but had problems because those bulbs didn ’ t work well in harsh conditions. “ lighting for a swine facility is pretty important, ” explains owner rich robinson. “ we try to convince the sows it ’ s spring year - round to improve their eating habits. ” crn switched 25 fixtures from 26 - w cfls to 15 - w leds. after six months, robinson slashed his energy use by 54 percent. “ i was worried because normally when


s spring year - round to improve their eating habits. ” crn switched 25 fixtures from 26 - w cfls to 15 - w leds. after six months, robinson slashed his energy use by 54 percent. “ i was worried because normally when you see an led it doesn ’ t seem to put out as much light as a 150 - watt incandescent bulb - it ’ s a different type of light, ” robinson admits. “ but, after installing the lights, i was surprised at how well they lit up the area. i think the leds actually outperformed the cfls. ” “ the initial cost of leds is significantly higher than conventional lighting, ” notes scott williams, western farmers electric commercial & industrial marketing manager. “ like all modern technology, you can expect the price to come down as the product develops. however, when you consider all the factors over the life cycle of a light, leds have already proved they save money. ” shedding light on leds curious to know if leds are right for you? homeowners can visit www. energysavers. gov / lighting to compare leds to new energy - efficient incandescent bulbs and cfls. the touchstone energy® cooperatives free app, “ save energy, save money ” for iphone, ipad, and android devices, includes a lighting calculator showing the potential savings from replacing incandescent lamps with either cfls or leds ; learn more at www. togetherwesave. com / energy - saving - app - smartphones. for more in - depth information about leds and other types of solid - state lighting, visit www. eere. energy. gov / buildings / ssl. sources : u. s. department of energy, cooperative research network, philips, energy star, u. s. energy information administration megan mckoy - noe, ccc, writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the national rural electric cooperative association, the arlington, va. - based service organization for the nation ’ s 900 - plus consumer - owned, not - for - profit electric cooperatives. rob holt contributed to this article.


intellectual knowledge appears to be innate and privy to the few, but in fact, access to information, development of intellectual work skills, time investment, and the maintenance of intellectual appearances are key to being perceived as an intellectual. to make education more equitable, professors must go beyond knowledge transmission and instruct students in the concrete skills of knowledge acquisition and knowledge presentation. instruction in intellectual skills - acquisition implies the breakdown of the traditional professor - student relationship and of the academic intellectual hierarchy and professors must learn to cope with the consequences of adopting new pedagogies. if we wish to share the secrets of our professions, how do we prepare our students for such a democratic approach and at the same time maintain our professional status? the author, a professor of spanish language and literature, presents strategies for democratizing education and demystifying intellectual work through the application of skills - based pedagogical methodologies to the teaching of literature. the implications that these strategies have for a new type of learning and the impact that they have on social stratification will also be discussed. | keywords : | | democratizing education, demystifying intellectual work, knowledge acquisition skills, interpretative skills, teaching literature, skills based teaching | assistant professor of spanish, department of literature and languages, roosevelt university, chicago, illinois, usa there are currently no reviews of this product. write a review


polonius, a character in shakespeare ' s play " hamlet " advises his son, " neither a lender nor a borrower be ". with due respect to polonius and his genius, credit has become a part and parcel of our life. while most of us cannot be lenders, we are bound to be borrowers because of the system we live with. consumer credit is a scheme to receive goods and services today in lieu of the payments made in future. when you use electricity, water, or post - paid telephone services, you are using credit, as the payment for these services will be paid later. these credits are not harmful but we have to be careful about the most used consumer credit options, i. e. credit cards, buying consumer goods on credit and easy financing etc uses and misuses of credit credit can be a great help in times of need but it can also destroy your finances if used carelessly. using credit has two facets ; it gives you immediate benefits in terms of increased productivity, conveniences, or just simple satisfaction to vanity ; it also exerts financial and psychological costs. use the credit only when the advantages outweigh the cost. the uses of credit are humongous ranging from medical emergencies, education needs, and travel emergencies. credit cards are usually very handy in most of these situations. there are times when shopping stores ( pantaloon, big bazaar ) issue credit cards jointly with a bank and provide 5 % - 10 % cash back or discount. if you are a regular visitor to these stores, you should make use of this option. the only problem with this is that you end up shopping for things you do not need. in today ' s world, a credit card is handy to make reservation in airlines, train, or hotels. while credit helps in many cases where it increases productivity ; helps in medical emergency ; or builds future growth as in higher education ; its misuse can ruin the finances, make you bankrupt and dilute your creditworthiness. just because the credit card has a bigger limit, people tend to overspend. this is best avoided alongwith taking up 0 % loans on consumer goods. in addition to these habits, people have a tendency to pay just the minimum amount required. the liability becomes huge after some time. managing your credit capacity it is important to build a good credit capacity ( or rating ) by judiciously using the credit options available to us. you need to consciously build a good credit score that will enable you to get higher credit in case of


. managing your credit capacity it is important to build a good credit capacity ( or rating ) by judiciously using the credit options available to us. you need to consciously build a good credit score that will enable you to get higher credit in case of an emergency. instead of driving yourselves into a situation that would require external help like that of a credit counselling agency, try to nip the evil in the bud and figure ways to manage your finances effectively. using credit does allow you to spend more on goods and services now. but it also reduces the money you have for future needs as a part of your future income will be used to pay for the services or goods you are buying now. taking inspiration from what benjamin graham said, credit has become a reality of life as certain as death and taxes. to manage our credit better, we have to follow a few ground rules. here are a few beginners ' tips that can prove useful : - pay the credit card bills on time. no exception. - mind your credit scores. if you feel your card details have been compromised, take it up immediately with the bank, which has issued you the card - pay your emi regularly. any default will damage your credit score and hence creditworthiness. - do not use too many credit cards. - avoid treating credit cards as easy money. this is the money you have to pay back with high interest if you make it a habit to pay only the minimum amount due every month. - do not buy unnecessary items just because it is available on zero credit and low emi. remember its money spent! - always try to increase your down payment when you take up a loan so that your monthly liability doesn ' t eat into your savings. finally, credit doesn ' t increase your purchasing power. it just brings future purchasing power to the present and gives you a false impression that it has increased. by bankbazaar. com - an online marketplace for your personal loan and home loan needs.


the muslim home – 40 book by sheikh muhammed salih al - munajjid forming the household creating an atmosphere of faith in the home islamic knowledge in the home meetings at home good manners at home evils in the home the home inside and out bismillaah il - rahmaan il - raheem in the name of allaah, most gracious, most all praise be to allaah, we praise him and seek his help and forgiveness. we seek refuge with allaah from the evil of our own selves and from our evil deeds. whomsoever allaah guides, no one can lead astray, and whomsoever allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. i bear witness that there is no god but allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and i bear witness that muhammad is his slave and messenger. the home is a blessing. allaah says ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ and allaah has made for you in your homes an abode … ” [ al - nahl 16 : 80 ] ibn katheer ( may allaah have mercy on him ) said : “ here allaah, may he be blessed and exalted, is mentioning his complete blessing to his slaves : he has given them homes which are a peaceful abode for them, to which they retreat as a haven which covers them and gives them all kinds of what does the home represent to each one of us? is it not the place where he eats, enjoys intimacy with his wife, sleeps and rests? is it not the place where he can be alone and can meet with his wife and is the home not the place that offers cover and protection to women? allaah tells us ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ and stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance … ” [ al - ahzaab 33 : 33 ] if you think about those who are homeless, who live in shelters, or on the streets, or as refugees scattered in temporary camps, then you will realize the blessing of having a home. if you listen to a distressed homeless person saying, “ i have nowhere to settle, no fixed place to stay. sometimes i sleep in so and so ’ s house, sometimes in a cafe or park or on the sea - front, and i keep my clothes in my car ”, then you will realize the disruption that results from not having the blessing of a home. when allaah punished the jews of banu nadeer,


a cafe or park or on the sea - front, and i keep my clothes in my car ”, then you will realize the disruption that results from not having the blessing of a home. when allaah punished the jews of banu nadeer, he took away this blessing and expelled them from their homes, as he said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ he it is who drove out the disbelievers among the people of the scripture ( i. e. the jews of the tribe of banu al - nadeer ) from their homes at the first gathering. ” then he said : “ … they destroyed their own dwellings with their own hands and the hands of the believers. then take admonition, o you with eyes ( to see ). ” [ al - hashr 59 : 2 ]. there are many motives for the believer to pay attention to putting his house in order. firstly : protecting himself and his family from the fire of hell, and keeping them safe from the burning punishment : “ o you who believe! ward off from yourselves and your families a fire ( hell ) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are ( appointed ) angels stern ( and ) severe, who disobey not, ( from executing ) the commands they receive from allaah, but do that which they are commanded. ” [ al - tahreem 66 : 6 – interpretation of the meaning ]. secondly : the great responsibility borne by the head of the household on the day of reckoning. the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ allaah will ask every shepherd ( or responsible person ) about his flock ( those for whom he was responsible ), whether he took care of it or neglected it, until he asks a man about his household. ” thirdly : the home is a place to protect oneself, to keep away from evil and to keep one ' s own evil away from people. it is the refuge prescribed by islam at times of fitnah ( strife, tribulation ). the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ blessed is the one who controls his tongue, whose house is sufficient for him, and who weeps over his mistakes. ” the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ there are five things, whoever does one of them, allaah will be with him : visiting the sick, going out for jihaad, entering upon his leader with the intention of rebuking and respecting


revolves around two things : achieving our interests, which is by establishing that which is right and good, and warding off evil, by removing that which can cause it or bring it into our homes. forming the household ( 1 ) making a good choice when choosing a wife “ and marry those among you who are single ( i. e., a man who has no wife and a woman who has no husband ) and ( also marry ) the saalihoon ( pious, fit and capable ones ) of your ( male ) slaves and maid - servants ( female slaves ). if they be poor, allaah will enrich them out of his bounty. and allaah is all - sufficient for his creatures ’ needs, all - knowing ( about the state of the people ). ” [ al - noor 24 : 32 – interpretation of the meaning ]. the head of the household must select a righteous and suitable wife based on the following conditions described in various “ a woman may be married for four things : her wealth, her lineage, her beauty or her religion. choose the one who is religious, may your hands be rubbed with dust [ i. e., may you prosper ]! ” “ this world is all temporary conveniences, and the greatest joy in this life is a righteous wife. ” ( reported by muslim, “ let every one of you have a thankful heart, a remembering tongue [ remembering allaah ] and a believing wife who will help him with regard to the hereafter. ” ( reported by ahmad, 5 / 282, and al - tirmidhi and ibn maajah from thawbaan. saheeh al - jaami ’, 5231 ). according to another report : “ a righteous wife to help you with your worldly and religious affairs is the best treasure anyone could have. ” ( reported by al - bayhaqi. saheeh al - jaami ’, 4285 ). “ marry one who is loving and fertile, for i will be proud before the other prophets of your great numbers on the day of resurrection. ” ( reported by ahmad. saheeh al - irwa ’, 6 / 195 ). “ i advise you to marry virgins, for their wombs are more fresh, their mouths are more sweet and they are more content with little. ” according to another report : “ … and they are less likely to deceive. ” ( reported by ibn maajah. al - silsilah al - saheeh, 62


more sweet and they are more content with little. ” according to another report : “ … and they are less likely to deceive. ” ( reported by ibn maajah. al - silsilah al - saheeh, 623 ). just as a righteous wife is one of the four elements of happiness, so a bad wife is one of the four elements of misery, as it says in the saheeh hadeeth : “ one of ( the elements of ) happiness is a righteous wife, who when you see her you feel pleased, and when you are away, you feel that you can trust her with regard to herself and your property. and one of ( the elements of ) misery is a bad wife who when you see her, you feel upset, she keeps attacking you verbally, and when you are away, you do not feel that you can trust her with regard to herself and your property. ” on the other hand, it is also essential to look at the situation of the prospective husband who is proposing marriage to the muslim woman, and to agree to his proposal in accordance with the following the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ if there comes to you one with whose religion and character you are pleased, then marry your daughter [ or sister, etc. ] to him, otherwise there will be fitnah and great corruption in the land. ” all of the above must be achieved through asking the right questions, verifying facts, gathering information and checking sources, so that the home will not be corrupted or destroyed. the righteous man and righteous woman together will build a righteous home, because “ the vegetation of a good land comes forth ( easily ) by the permission of its lord, and that which is bad, brings forth nothing but a little with difficulty … ” [ al - a ’ raaf 7 : 58 – interpretation of ( 2 ) striving to guide one ’ s wife if one ' s wife is righteous, this is a blessing indeed, and this is from the bounty of allaah. if she is not that righteous, then it is the duty of the head of the household to strive to guide her. any of the following scenarios may apply : a man may marry a woman who is not religious in the first place, because he himself is not religious at first, or he may have married her in the hope of guiding her, or under pressure from his relatives, for example. in these cases he must strive hard to guide her. a man must also


first place, because he himself is not religious at first, or he may have married her in the hope of guiding her, or under pressure from his relatives, for example. in these cases he must strive hard to guide her. a man must also realize from the outset that guidance comes from allaah, and that allaah is the one who reforms people. one of his blessings to his slave zakariya was, as he said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ … and [ we ] cured his wife for him … ” [ al - anbiya ’ 21 : 90 ]. this curing or reforming may have been physical or religious. ibn ‘ abbaas said : “ she was barren and could not have children, then she had a child. ” ‘ ataa ’ said : “ she was harsh of tongue, and allaah reformed her. ” there are various means of guiding or reforming one ’ s wife, such as : paying attention to correcting her worship of allaah in all its aspects, as will be discussed in detail below. striving to strengthen her eemaan, such as : encouraging her to pray at night ( qiyaam al - layl ) encouraging her to read qur ’ aan encouraging her to memorize adhkaar and remember the appropriate times and occasions for saying them encouraging her to give charity encouraging her to read useful islamic books encouraging her to listen to useful islamic cassettes that can increase knowledge and strengthen eemaan – and continuing to supply her with them. choosing good, religious friends for her, with whom she can form ties of sisterhood and have good conversations and purposeful protecting her from evil and blocking off all avenues for it to reach her, by keeping her away from bad companions and bad creating an atmosphere of faith in making the home a place for the remembrance of allaah the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ the likeness of a house in which allaah is remembered and the house in which allaah is not remembered is that of the living and the dead, we must make our homes places where allaah is remembered in all kinds of ways, whether in our hearts, verbally, during prayer, by reading qur ’ aan, by discussing islamic issues, or by reading different kinds of islamic books. how many muslim homes nowadays are dead because there is no remembrance of allaah, as mentioned in the hadeeth. what must they be like when all that is heard therein is the music of shaytaan with


different kinds of islamic books. how many muslim homes nowadays are dead because there is no remembrance of allaah, as mentioned in the hadeeth. what must they be like when all that is heard therein is the music of shaytaan with instruments and singing, and backbiting, slander and gossip? what must they be like when they are filled with evil and sin, such as the haraam mixing of the sexes and wanton display between relatives who are not mahram or with neighbours who enter the home? how can the angels enter a home like this? revive your homes with all kinds of dhikr, may allaah have mercy on you! ( 4 ) make your homes a qiblah what is meant is taking the home as a place of allaah says ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ and we inspired moosa and his brother ( saying ) : ‘ take dwellings for your people in egypt, and make your dwellings as places for your worship, and perform al - salaah, and give glad tidings to the believers. ’ ” [ yoonus 10 : 87 ]. ibn ‘ abbaas said : “ they were commanded to take their dwellings as places of prayer [ lit. mosques ]. ” ibn katheer said : “ this – and allaah knows best – was because of the intensity of the tribulation that they were facing from pharaoh and his people. they were commanded to pray much, as allaah says ( interpretation of the meaning ) : ‘ o you who believe! seek help with patience and prayer … ’ [ al - baqarah 2 : 153 ], and as it was reported in the hadeeth that the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ), when he was distressed by something, would pray. ” this explains the importance of worshipping at home, especially at times when the muslims are in a position of weakness, as happens in some places where the muslims cannot pray openly in front of the kuffaar. in this context we may think of the mihraab of maryam, which was her place of worship, as allaah says ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ … every time zakariya entered the mihraab to visit her, he found her supplied with sustenance … ” [ aal ‘ imraan 3 : 37 ] the sahaabah ( may allaah be pleased with them ) used to be keen to pray at home – apart from the fard or obligatory


found her supplied with sustenance … ” [ aal ‘ imraan 3 : 37 ] the sahaabah ( may allaah be pleased with them ) used to be keen to pray at home – apart from the fard or obligatory prayers ( which they prayed in congregation in the mosque ) – and there is a moving story concerning this. mahmood ibn al - rabee ’ al - ansaari reported that ‘ utbaan ibn maalik – who was one of the companions of the messenger ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) and was one of the ansaar who had been present at badr – came to the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) and said : “ i am losing my sight, and i lead my people in prayer. when it rains, the valley between me and them gets flooded and i cannot get to their mosque to lead them in prayer. o messenger of allaah, i would like you to come to come and pray in my house so that i can take it as a place for prayer. ” the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said, “ i will do that, in sha allaah. ” ‘ utbaan said : “ the next day the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) and abu bakr came in the morning. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) asked for permission to enter, and i gave him permission. he did not sit down until he entered the house, then he said, ‘ where would you like me to pray in your house? ’ i showed him a corner of the house, then the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) stood up, said takbeer, and we stood in a row behind him, and he prayed two rak ’ ahs and gave the salaam at the end of the prayer. ” ( reported by al - bukhaari, al - fath, 1 / 519 ) ( 5 ) spiritual training for the members of the ‘ aa ’ ishah ( may allaah be pleased with her ) said : “ the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) used to pray qiyaam at night, and when he prayed witr he would say, ‘ get up and pray witr, o ‘ aa ’ ishah ’ ” (


allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) used to pray qiyaam at night, and when he prayed witr he would say, ‘ get up and pray witr, o ‘ aa ’ ishah ’ ” ( reported by muslim, muslim bi sharh al - nawawi, the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ may allaah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, then he wakes up his wife to pray, and if she refuses he throws water in her face. ” ( reported by ahmad and abu dawood. saheeh al - jaami ’, 3488 ). encouraging the women of one ' s household to give charity is another means of increasing faith. this is something very important which the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) encouraged, when he said, “ o women! give in charity, for i have seen that you form the majority of the inhabitants of hell. ” ( reported by al - bukhaari, al - fath, one of the new ideas is to have a box at home for donations to the poor and needy : whatever is put in the box belongs to them, because it is their vessel in the muslim home. if the family members see an example among them fasting on al - ayyaam al - beed ( the 13th, 14th and 15th of each hijri month ), mondays and thursdays, taasoo ’ aa ’ and ‘ aashooraa ’ ( the 9th and 10th of muharram ), ‘ arafaah, and frequently in muharram and sha ’ baan, this will be a motive for them to do likewise. paying attention to adhkaar and sunnah du ’ aa ’ s that have to do with the home adkhaar for entering the home : muslim reported in his saheeh that the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ when any one of you enters his home and mentions the name of allaah when he enters and when he eats, the shaytaan says : ‘ you have no place to stay and nothing to eat here. ’ if he enters and does not mention the name of allaah when he enters, [ the shaytaan ] says, ‘ you have a place to stay. ’ if he does not mention the name of allaah when he eats, [ the shaytaan says ], ‘ you


the name of allaah when he enters, [ the shaytaan ] says, ‘ you have a place to stay. ’ if he does not mention the name of allaah when he eats, [ the shaytaan says ], ‘ you have a place to stay and something to eat. ’ ” ( reported by imaam ahmad, al - musnad, 3 / 346 ; abu dawood reported in his sunan that the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ if a man goes out of his house and says, ‘ bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘ ala allaah, laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah ( in the name of allaah, i put my trust in allaah, there is no help and no strength except in allaah ), ’ it will be said to him, ‘ this will take care of you, you are guided, you have what you need and you are protected. ’ the shaytaan will stay away from him, and another shaytaan will say to him, ‘ what can you do with a man who is guided, provided for and protected? ’ ” ( reported by abu dawood and al - tirmidhi. saheeh al - jaami ’, imaam muslim reported in his saheeh that ‘ aa ’ ishah ( may allaah be pleased with her ) said : “ when the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) entered his house, the first thing he would do was use siwaak. ” ( reported by muslim, kitaab al - tahaarah, chapter 15, no. 44 ). continuously reciting soorat al - baqarah in the house to ward off the shaytaan there are a number of ahaadeeth concerning this, the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ do not make your houses into graves. the shaytaan flees from a house in which soorat al - baqarah is recited. ” ( reported by the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ recite soorat al - baqarah in your houses, for the shaytaan does not enter a house in which soorat al - baqarah is recited. ” ( reported by al - haakim in al - mustadrak


recite soorat al - baqarah in your houses, for the shaytaan does not enter a house in which soorat al - baqarah is recited. ” ( reported by al - haakim in al - mustadrak. 1 / 561 ; saheeh al - jaami ’, concerning the virtues of the last two aayaat of this soorah, and the effect of reciting them in one ’ s house, he ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ allaah wrote a document two thousand years before he created the heavens and the earth, which is kept near the throne, and he revealed two aayaat of it with which he concluded soorat al - baqarah. if they are recited in a house for three consecutive nights, the shaytaan will not approach it. ” ( reported by imaam ahmad in al - musnad, 4 / 274, and others. saheeh al - jaami ’, 1799 ). islamic knowledge in the home ( 8 ) teaching the family this is an obligation which the head of the household must undertake, in obedience to the command of allaah ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ o you who believe! ward off from yourselves and your families a fire ( hell ) whose fuel is men and stones … ” [ al - tahreem 66 : 6 ]. this aayah is the basic principle regarding the teaching and upbringing of one ' s family, and enjoining them to do what is good and forbidding them to do what is evil. there follow some of the comments of the mufassireen on this aayah, in so far as it pertains to the duties of the head of the household. qutaadah said : “ he should command them to obey allaah, and forbid them to disobey him, and direct them in accordance with the commands of allaah, and help them to do that. ” dahhaak and muqaatil said : “ it is the muslim ’ s duty to teach his family, including relatives and female slaves, what allaah has enjoined upon them and what he has forbidden. ” ‘ ali ( may allaah be pleased with him ) said : “ teach them and discipline them. ” al - tabari ( may allaah have mercy on him ) said : “ we must teach our children and wives the religion and goodness, and whatever they need of good manners. if the messenger of allaah (


teach them and discipline them. ” al - tabari ( may allaah have mercy on him ) said : “ we must teach our children and wives the religion and goodness, and whatever they need of good manners. if the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) used to urge the teaching of female servants, who were slaves, what do you think about your children and wives, who are free? ” al - bukhaari ( may allaah have mercy on him ) said in his saheeh : “ chapter : a man ’ s teaching his female slaves and wife. ” then he quoted the hadeeth of the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) : “ there are three who will have two rewards : … a man who has a female slave whom he teaches good manners and teaches her well, and teaches her knowledge, and teaches her well, then he frees her and marries her : he will have two ibn hajar ( may allaah have mercy on him ) said, commenting on this hadeeth : “ the chapter heading refers specifically to female slaves, and to wives by analogy, i. e., teaching one ’ s free wife about her duties towards allaah and the sunnah of his messenger is more clearly essential than teaching one ' s female slaves. ” in the midst of all a man ’ s activities, work and other commitments, he may forget to allow himself time for teaching his wife. one solution to this is to allocate some time for the family, and even for others such as relatives, to hold a study - circle at home. he can let everyone know the time and encourage them to come regularly, so that it will be an ongoing commitment for him and for them. something similar happened at the time of the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ). al - bukhaari ( may allaah have mercy on him ) said : “ chapter : can the women be given a day exclusively for them to seek knowledge ”? and quoted the hadeeth of abu sa ’ eed al - khudri ( may allaah be pleased with him ) : “ the women said to the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) : ‘ the men always crowd us out and we cannot reach you, so set aside a day for us when we can come to you. ’ so he set aside a day when he would meet them and teach ibn hajar said : “ a similar report was


the men always crowd us out and we cannot reach you, so set aside a day for us when we can come to you. ’ so he set aside a day when he would meet them and teach ibn hajar said : “ a similar report was narrated by sahl ibn abi saalih from abu hurayrah, according to which [ the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) ] said : ‘ your appointment is in the house of so and so, ’ and he came to them and spoke to them. ’ ” what we learn from this is that women should be taught in their houses, and we see how keen the women of the sahaabah were to learn. directing teaching efforts to men alone, and not to women, is a serious shortcoming on the part of dai ’ yahs and heads of households. some readers may ask, suppose we set aside a day, and tell our families about it – what should we study in these gatherings? where do we begin? i suggest that you begin with a simple program to teach your family in general, and the women in particular, using the following the tafseer of al - ‘ allaamah ibn sa ’ di, entitled tayseer al - kareem al - rahmaan fi tafseer kalaam al - mannaan, which is published in seven volumes and is written in an easy style ; you can read it or teach somes soorahs and passages from it. – you coul discuss the ahaadeeth quoted, along with the footnotes and the lessons learned from them. you could also refer to the book nuzhat hasan al - uswah bimaa thubita ‘ an allaahi wa rasoolihi fi ’ l - nuswah, by al - ‘ allaamah siddeeq hasan khaan. it is also important to teach women some of the ahkaam of fiqh, such as the rulings on tahaarah ( purity ) and menstrual and post - partum bleeding, salaah, zakaah, siyaam ( fasting ) and hajj, if she is able to go ; some of the rulings on food and drink, clothing and adornment, the sunan al - fitrah, rulings on mahaarim ( who is a mahram relative and who is not ), rulings on singing and photography, and so on. among the important sources of such information


adornment, the sunan al - fitrah, rulings on mahaarim ( who is a mahram relative and who is not ), rulings on singing and photography, and so on. among the important sources of such information are the fatwas ( rulings or edicts ) of the scholars, such as the collections of fatwas by shaykh ‘ abd al - ‘ azeez ibn baaz and shaykh muhammad ibn saalih al - ‘ uthaymeen, and other scholars, whether they are written fatwas or fatwas recorded on tapes. another matter that may be included in a syllabus for teaching women and family members is reminding them of lessons or public lectures given by trustworthy scholars and seekers of knowledge which they can attend, so they can have a variety of excellent sources for learning. we should not forget either the radio programs of idhaa ’ at al - qur ’ aan al - kareem ; another means of teaching is reminding family members of the particular days when women can attend islamic bookstores, and taking them there, within the guidelines of sharee ’ ah [ i. e., proper hijaab, etc. ] ( 9 ) start building an islamic “ library ” in your another thing that will help in teaching your family and letting them develop a understanding of their religion and help them adhere to its rules, is having one ’ s own islamic library at home. it does not have to be extensive ; what matters is choosing good books, putting them in a place where they are readily accessible, and encouraging family members to read you could put books in a clean and tidy corner of the living room, and in a suitable place in a bedroom or guest room ; this will make it easy for any member of the family to read constantly. in order to build a library properly – and allaah loves things to be done properly – you should include references so that family members can research various matters and children can use them for their studies. you should also include books of varying levels, so that old and young, men and women can all use them. you should also have books for giving to guests, children ’ s friends and family visitors, but try to get books that are attractively presented, edited properly and with the sources and classification of the ahaadeeth properly given. you can make the most of islamic bookstores and exhibitions to build a home library, after consulting and seeking advice from those who have experience in the field of books. one way in which you


sources and classification of the ahaadeeth properly given. you can make the most of islamic bookstores and exhibitions to build a home library, after consulting and seeking advice from those who have experience in the field of books. one way in which you can help family members to find a book when they want it is to organize the books according to subject, with books of tafseer on one shelf, books of hadeeth on another, fiqh on a third, and so on. one of the family members could also compile alphabetical or subject indexes of the library, to make it easier to look for books. many of those who want to start a home library may ask for titles of islamic books. here are a few suggestions : tafseer ibn sa ’ di by ibn al - qayyim by ibn ‘ uthaymeen lamahaat fi ‘ uloom al - qur ’ aan by muhammad al - sabbaagh saheeh al - kalim al - tayyib ‘ aml al - muslim fi ’ l - yawm wa ’ l - laylah ( or : al - saheeh al - musnad min adhkaar al - yawm wa ’ l - laylah ) and its commentary nuzhat al - muttaqeen mukhtasar saheeh al - bukhaari mukhtasar saheeh muslim by al - mundhiri and al - albaani saheeh al - jaami ’ al - sagheer da ’ eef al - jaami ’ al - sagheer saheeh al - targheeb wa ’ l - tarheeb al - sunnah wa makaanatuhaa fi ’ l - tashree ’ qawaa ’ id wa fawaa ’ id min al - arba ’ een al - nawawiyyah by naazim sultaan fath al - majeed sharh kitaab al - tawheed ( edited by al - arnaa ’ oot ) a ’ laam al - sunnah al - manshoorah by al - hakami ( ed. ) sharh al - ‘ aqeedah al - tahhaawiyyah, edited by al - albaani the series on ‘ aqeedah by umar sulaymaan al - ashqar in 8 parts by dr. yoosuf al - waabil by ibn duwiyyaan by ibn


rahmaan ibn naasir al - sa ’ di shaykh ‘ umar sulaymaan ibn ashqar shaykh muhammad ibn ahmad ibn ismaa ’ eel prof. muhammad muhammad husayn shaykh muhammad jameel zayno prof. husayn al - ‘ awayishah ’ s books on al - raqaa ’ iq ( topics to soften the heart and strengthen eemaan ) by muhammad na ’ eem yaaseen by shaykh muhammad sa ’ eed al - qahtaani [ available in english translation ] al - inhiraafaat al - ‘ aqdiyyah fi ’ l - qarnayn al - thaani ‘ ashara wa ’ l - thaalith ‘ ashara by ‘ ali ibn bukhayt al - zahraani al - muslimoon wa zaahirat al - hazeemah al - nafsiyyah by ‘ abd - allaah al - mar ’ ah bayn al - fiqh wa ’ l - qaanoon by mustafa al - sibaa ’ i al - usrah al - muslimah amaam al - video wa ’ l - tilifiziyon by marwaan kijik al - mar ’ ah al - muslimah i ’ daadaatuhaa wa mas ’ ooliyaatuhaa by ahmad abu bateen mas ’ ooliyat al - abb al - muslim fi tarbiyat waladihi by ‘ adnaan baahaarith by ahmad al - baaraazi wa jaa ’ a dawr al - maajoos by ‘ abd - allaah muhammad al - ghareeb books by shaykh bakr abu zayd abhaath al - shaykh mashoor there are many other useful, good books – what we have mentioned is only by way of example, and is by no means a complete list. there are also many useful pamphlets and booklets, but it would take too long to list everything. the muslim should consult others and think hard. whomever allaah wishes good for, he helps him to understand his religion. ( 10 ) home audio library having a cassette player in every home may be used for good or for evil. how can we use it in a manner that is pleasing to one of the ways in which we can achieve this is to have a home audio library containing good islamic tapes by scholars, fuqaha ’, lecturers, khateebs and preachers. listening to tapes of


a manner that is pleasing to one of the ways in which we can achieve this is to have a home audio library containing good islamic tapes by scholars, fuqaha ’, lecturers, khateebs and preachers. listening to tapes of qur ’ aan recitation by some imaams, for example those recorded during taraaweeh prayers, will have a great impact on family members, whether by impressing upon them the meanings of the revelation, or by helping them to memorize qur ’ aan because of repeated listening. it will also protect them by letting them hear qur ’ aanic recitation rather than the music and singing of the shaytaan, because it is not right for the words of al - rahmaan ( allaah ) to be mixed with the music of the shaytaan in the heart of the believer. tapes of fatwas may have a great effect on family members and help them to understand various rulings, which will have an impact on their daily lives. we suggest listening to tapes of fatwas given by scholars such as shaykh ‘ abd al - ‘ azeez ibn baaz, shaykh muhammad naasir al - deen al - albaani, shaykh muhammad al - ‘ uthaymeen, shaykh saalih al - fawzaan, and other muslims must also pay attention to the sources from which they take fatwas, because this is the matter of religion, so look to where you take your religion from. you should take it from someone who is known to be righteous and pious, who bases his fatwas on sound ahaadeeth, who is not fanatical in his adherence to a madhhab, who follows sound evidence and adheres to a middle path without being either extreme or too lenient. ask an expert. “ … allaah, most gracious : ask, then about him of any acquainted ( with such things ). ” [ al - furqaan 25 : 59 – interpretation of the meaning – yusuf ali ’ s listening to lectures by those who are striving to raise the awareness of the ummah, establish proof and denounce evil, is very important for establishing individual personalities in the muslim home. there are many tapes and lectures, and the muslim needs to know the features of the sound methodology so as to distinguish sound lecturers from others and look for their tapes, which they can listen to with confidence. among these features are : the lecturer should be a believer in the ‘ aqeedah


needs to know the features of the sound methodology so as to distinguish sound lecturers from others and look for their tapes, which they can listen to with confidence. among these features are : the lecturer should be a believer in the ‘ aqeedah of the saved group, ahl al - sunnah wa ’ l - jamaa ’ ah, adhering to the sunnah and firmly rejecting bid ’ ah. the speaker should be moderate, neither extremist nor he should base his talks on sound ahaadeeth, and beware of weak and fabricated ahaadeeth. he should have insight into people ’ s situations and the realities of the ummah, and should offer the appropriate remedy for any problem, giving the people what they need. he should speak the truth as much as he can, and not utter falsehood or please the people by angering allaah. we often find that tapes for children have a great influence on them, whether by helping them to memorize qur ’ aan by listening to a young reader, or du ’ aa ’ s to be recited at various times of day and night, or islamic manners, or nasheeds ( religious “ songs ” with no instrumental accompaniment ) with a useful message, and so on. putting tapes in drawers in an organized fashion will make it easier to find them, and will also protect them from getting damaged or from being played with by young children. we should distribute good tapes by giving or lending them to others after listening to them. having a recorder in the kitchen will be very useful for the lady of the house, and having a recorder in the bedroom will help a person make good use of time until the last moments of the day. ( 11 ) inviting good and righteous people and seekers of knowledge to visit the home. “ my lord! forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women … ” [ nooh 71 : 28 – interpretation of the meaning ]. if people of faith enter your home, it will increase in light ( noor ), and will bring many benefits because of your conversations and discussion with them. the bearer of musk will either give you some, or you will buy from him, or you will find that he has a pleasant scent. when children, brothers and parents sit with such visitors, and women listen from behind a curtain or screen to what is said, this offers an educational experience to all. if you bring good people into your home, by doing so you keep


pleasant scent. when children, brothers and parents sit with such visitors, and women listen from behind a curtain or screen to what is said, this offers an educational experience to all. if you bring good people into your home, by doing so you keep bad people from coming in a wreaking havoc. ( 12 ) learning the islamic rulings with regard praying in the house with regard to men, the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ the best of prayer is a man ’ s prayer in his house – apart from the prescribed prayers. ” ( reported by al - bukhaari, al - fath, no. 731 ). it is obligatory to pray ( the five daily prayers ) in the mosque, except if there is a valid excuse. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) also said : “ a man ’ s voluntary prayers in his house will bring more reward than his voluntary prayers at other people ’ s places, just as his obligatory prayers with the people are better than his obligatory prayers alone. ” ( reported by ibn abi shaybah. saheeh with regard to women, the deeper inside her home her place of prayer is, the better, because the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ the best prayer for women is [ that offered ] in the furthest part of their houses. ” ( reported by al - tabaraani. saheeh a man should not be led in prayer in his own home, and no one should sit in the place where the master of the house usually sits, except with his permission. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ a man should not be led in prayer in his place of authority, and no one should sit in his place in his house, except with his permission. ” ( reported by al - tirmidhi, no. 2772 ). i. e., no one should go forward to lead him in prayer, even if they recite qur ’ aan better than he does, in a place that he owns or where he has authority, such as a householder in his home, or an imaam in a mosque. similarly, it is not permitted to sit in the private spot of the head of the master of the house, such as a bed or mattress, etc., except with his permission. seeking permission to enter. “ o you who believe! enter not houses


, it is not permitted to sit in the private spot of the head of the master of the house, such as a bed or mattress, etc., except with his permission. seeking permission to enter. “ o you who believe! enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them, that is better for you, in order that you may remember. and if you find no one therein, still, enter not until permission has been given. and if you are asked to go back, go back, for it is purer for you. and allaah is all - knower of what you do. ” [ al - noor 24 : 27 - 28 – interpretation of the meaning ]. “ … so enter houses through their proper doors … ” [ al - baqarah 2 : 189 – interpretation of the meaning ]. it is permissible to enter houses that are empty if one has some legitimate business there, such as a house prepared for guests. “ there is no sin on you that you enter ( without taking permission ) houses uninhabited ( i. e., not possessed by anybody ), ( when ) you have any interest in them. and allaah has knowledge of what you reveal and what you conceal. ” [ al - noor 24 : 29 – interpretation of the meaning ]. not feeling too shy to eat in the houses of friends and relatives, and in houses of friends and relatives and others to which one has the keys, if they have no objection to that. “ there is no restriction on the blind, nor any restriction on the lame, nor any restriction on the sick, nor on yourselves, if you eat from your houses, or the houses of your fathers, or the houses of your mothers, or the houses of your brothers, or the houses of your sisters, or the houses of your father ’ s brothers, or the houses of your father ’ s sisters, or the houses of your mother ’ s brothers, or the houses of your mother ’ s sisters, or ( from that ) whereof you hold keys, or ( from the house ) of a friend. no sin on you whether you eat together or apart … ” telling children and servants not to barge in to the parents ’ bedroom without permission at the times when people usually sleep, i. e., before fajr, at siesta time and after ‘ isha ’, lest they see something inappropriate. if they see something accidentally at other times, this is forgivable, because they


when people usually sleep, i. e., before fajr, at siesta time and after ‘ isha ’, lest they see something inappropriate. if they see something accidentally at other times, this is forgivable, because they are tawwaafeen ( those who go about in the house ) and it is difficult to stop them. allaah says ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ o you who believe! let your legal slaves and slave - girls, and those among you who have not come to the age of puberty ask your permission ( before they come to your presence ) on three occasions : before fajr prayer, and while you put off your clothes for the noonday ( rest ), and after the ‘ isha prayer. ( these ) three times are of privacy for you ; other than these times there is no sin on you or on them to move about, - attending ( helping ) you each other. thus allaah makes clear the aayaat ( verses of this qur ’ aan, showing proofs for the legal aspects of permission for visits, etc. ) to you. and allaah is all - knowing, all - wise. ” [ al - noor 24 : 57 ]. it is forbidden to look into the houses of other people without their permission. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ whoever looks into someone ’ s house without their permission, put his eyes out, and there is no diyah or qisaas [ blood money or retaliation ] in this case. ” ( reported by ahmad, al - musnad, 2 / 385 ; saheeh al - jaami, 6046 ). a woman who has been divorced by talaaq for a first or second time [ and could still go back to her husband ] should not leave or be made to leave her home during the ‘ iddah, and she should still be supported financially. allaah says ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ o prophet! when you divorce women, divorce them at their ‘ iddah ( prescribed periods ), and count ( accurately ) their ‘ iddah ( periods ). and fear allaah your lord ( o muslims ), and turn them not out of their ( husband ’ s ) homes, nor shall they ( themselves ) leave, except in case they are guilty of some open illegal sexual intercourse. and those are the set limits of allaah. and whoever transgresses the set limits of allaah


( husband ’ s ) homes, nor shall they ( themselves ) leave, except in case they are guilty of some open illegal sexual intercourse. and those are the set limits of allaah. and whoever transgresses the set limits of allaah, then indeed he has wronged himself. you ( the one who divorces his wife ) know not, it may be that allaah will afterward bring some new thing to pass ( i. e., to return her back to you, if this as the first or second divorce ). ” [ al - talaaq 65 : 1 ] it is permissible for a man to forsake his rebellious wife inside or outside the home, according to the interests prescribed by sharee ’ ah in any given case. the evidence for forsaking her inside the home is the aayah ( interpretation of the meaning ) : “ … refuse to share their beds … ” [ al - nisa ’ 4 : 34 ]. with regard to forsaking women outside the home, this is what happened when the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) forsook his wives, leaving them in their apartments and staying in a room outside the houses of his wives. ( reported by al - bukhaari, kitaab al - talaaq, baab fi ’ l - eelaa ’ ). one should not stay alone overnight in the house. ibn ‘ umar ( may allaah be pleased with him ) reported that the prophet ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) forbade being alone and said that a man should not stay overnight alone or travel alone. ( reported by ahmad in al - musnad, 2 / 91 ). this is because of the feelings of loneliness etc., that come from being alone, and also because of the possibility of attacks by enemies or robbers, or the possibility of sickness. if one has a companion, he can help fight off attacks, and can help if one gets sick. ( see al - fath al - rabbaani, 5 / 64 ). not sleeping on the roof of a house that has no protecting wall, lest one fall. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ whoever sleeps on the roof of a house that has no protecting wall, nobody is responsible for what happens to him. ” ( reported by abu dawood, al - sunan, no. 5041 ; saheeh al - jaami, 6113


sleeps on the roof of a house that has no protecting wall, nobody is responsible for what happens to him. ” ( reported by abu dawood, al - sunan, no. 5041 ; saheeh al - jaami, 6113 ; its commentary is in ‘ awn al - ma ’ bood, 13 / 384 ). this is because one who is asleep may roll over in his sleep, and if there is no wall he may fall off the roof and be killed. in such a case, nobody would be to blame for his death ; or his negligence would cause allaah to lift his protection from him, because he did not take the necessary precautions. the hadeeth may mean either. pet cats do not make vessels naajis ( impure ) if they drink from them, or make food naajis if they eat from it. ‘ abd - allaah ibn abi qutaadah reported from his father that water was put out for him to make wudoo ’, and a cat came and lapped at the water. he took the water and did wudoo ’ with it, and they said, “ o abu qutaadah! the cat drank from it. ” he said, i heard the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) say : ‘ cats are part of the household, and they are among those who go around in your houses. ’ ” ( reported by ahmad in al - musnad, 5 / 309 ; saheeh al - jaami ’, 3694 ). according to another report he said : “ they [ cats ] are not naajis ; they are among those who go around [ al - tawwaafeen wa ’ l - tawwaafaat – refers to children, servants, etc. ] in your houses. ” ( reported by ahmad in al - musnad, 5 / 309 ; saheeh ( 13 ) creating opportunities for meetings to discuss family matters. “ … and who ( conduct ) their affairs by mutual consultation … ” [ al - shoora 42 : 38 – interpretation of the meaning ]. this is a time when the family members can sit together in a suitable place to talk about issues within and without the family that affect them. this is a sign of strong ties, interaction and cooperation within the family. no doubt the man is the one whom allaah has appointed to be in charge of his “ flock ’ s ” affairs and he is primarily


without the family that affect them. this is a sign of strong ties, interaction and cooperation within the family. no doubt the man is the one whom allaah has appointed to be in charge of his “ flock ’ s ” affairs and he is primarily responsible and is the decision maker, but giving room to others to contribute – especially when the children get older – is good training for them to learn to bear responsibility, as well as giving everyone the confidence of knowing that his or her opinion is valued when they are asked to express their points of view. examples of this are discussions concerning going for hajj or for ‘ umrah during ramadaan, and other trips, travelling to visit relatives and uphold family ties, or for vacations ; organizing wedding parties and ‘ aqeeqahs for newborns ; moving from one home to another ; and charitable projects such as finding out about the poor people in one ' s neighbourhood so the family can offer help or send food to them. families can also discuss problems faced by themselves or by relatives, and talk about how to solve them, and so on … it is worth pointing out here that there is another important kind of family meeting, which is holding frank discussions between parents and children. some of the problems of adolescence can only by solved by one - on - one conversations between parents and children, where a father talks, calmly and quietly, with his son about matters that have to do with the problems of youth and the islamic rulings pertaining to adolescence, and a mother talks to her daughter and tells her what she needs to know about islamic rulings and helps her to solve the problems that she may face at this age. the father or mother may open the discussion with words such as “ when i was your age … ” this will have a great effect in making what they say acceptable to the youngster. lack of such frank discussions will force the children to talk to bad companions, which leads to so many other evils. ( 14 ) not showing family conflicts in front of the children. it is rare for people to live together under one roof without any arguments, but reconciliation is better and correcting oneself is a virtue. what shakes the unity of the family and harms its infrastructure is when conflicts are brought out into the open before the members of the family, who then split into two or more opposing camps, not to mention the psychological harm that is done to children, especially little ones. think about a home where the father says to the child, “ do not speak to your mother, ”


the family, who then split into two or more opposing camps, not to mention the psychological harm that is done to children, especially little ones. think about a home where the father says to the child, “ do not speak to your mother, ” and the mother says to him, “ do not speak to your father. ” the child is confused and filled with turmoil, and the entire family lives in an atmosphere of hostility. we should try to avoid conflict, but if it happens, we should try to hide it. we ask allaah to create love between our hearts. ( 15 ) not letting into the house anyone whose commitment to islam is not pleasing to you. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ the likeness of a bad companion is like the one who works the bellows ” ( from a report narrated by abu dawood, 4829 ). according to a report narrated by al - bukhaari, he said, “ the one who works the bellows will burn your house or your clothes, or you will smell a bad odour from him. ” ( reported by al - bukhaari, al - fath, 4 / 323 ). indeed, he will burn your home with all kinds of corruption and evil. how often has the entry of corrupt and suspicious people into a home been the cause of enmity among the family members, or of division between husband and wife. allaah curses the one who turns a wife against her husband, or a husband against his wife, or causes enmity between a father and his children. this is how sihr ( magic, witchcraft ) is brought into people ’ s homes, why things are sometimes stolen, and why so often morals are corrupted : it is because a person whose commitment to islam is no good is admitted into the home. we must not let such people in, even if they are neighbours, men or women, and even if they appear to be friendly. some people keep quiet out of embarrassment, and if they see such a person at the door, they let him in, even though they know this is one of the corrupt people. in this matter, women bear a great deal of responsibility. the messenger of allaah ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said : “ o people, which day is most sacred? which day is most sacred? which day is most sacred? ” they said, “ the greatest day of hajj. ” then he ( peace and blessings of alla


be upon him ) said : “ o people, which day is most sacred? which day is most sacred? which day is most sacred? ” they said, “ the greatest day of hajj. ” then he ( peace and blessings of allaah be upon him ) said in his friday khutbah on that day : “ your rights over your women are that they should not allow anyone to sit on your beds whom you dislike, or allow anyone into your homes whom you dislike. ” ( reported by al - tirmidhi, 1163, and other from ‘ amr ibn al - ahwas ; saheeh al - jaami ’, 7880 ). muslim women, you should not feel upset if your husband or father does not let one of the female neighbours into the house because he sees that she is trying to cause trouble. be smart and be strong if someone tries to make comparisons between her husband and yours, lest that pushes you to demand things from your husband that he cannot afford. it is also your obligation to advise your husband if you notice that he has close friends who are making evil appear attractive to him. § advice to men : try to be at home as much as you can, because the guardian ’ s presence at home keeps things under control and enables him to supervise the upbringing of the family and to put things right by watching and following up. for some people, the basic thing is to be always outside of the home, and only if they cannot find some place to go do they come home. this is wrong. if a man is constantly going out for purposes of worship, he must still strike a balance ; if he is going out for the purposes of sin and wasting time, or because he is too busy with matters of this world, he must reduce his work and business commitments, and put an end to idle meetings. and how evil are those people who neglect their families and stay in nightclubs …! we do not want to fall in with the plans of the enemies of allaah ; we can learn a lot from the following paragraph of the minutes of the french eastern masonic lodge held in 1923 : “ for the purpose of separating the individual from his family, you must eliminate morals at their root, because people are inclined to cut off their family ties and do things that are forbidden, they prefer to chat idly in cafes rather than carry out their duties towards their families. ” ( 16 ) taking careful note of what family members are up to. who are your children ’ s friends? have you