Importance of Daily Prayer

In our Ruhi book 1 group today, we studied the second Unit and understood more about prayer:

• Prayer is a conversation with God, Prayer serves to bring us nearer to God


• Profit Muhammed has said that prayer is like a ladder suspended between heaven an earth by which we ca ascend to paradise


• Baha'u'llah has revealed: "I beseech Thee...to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence"


• "There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer.........It creates spirituality, creates mindfulness and celestial feelings, begets new attractions of the Kingdom and engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence." Abdu'l-Baha

Our understanding on how we pray and purpose of prayer was changed completely.....

يجب أن نتذكر دوما أن الصلاة فى أوج صفائها تقربنا من الله سبحانه وتساعدنا على الورود في ساحة قدسه.....قال سيدنا محمد (صلعم) "الصلاة معراج المؤمن به يصعد إلى السماء .......يقول حضرة عبدالبهاء ...الدعاء هو مخاطبة الله, ولا يوجد حالة أعظم أو أحلى من مخاطبة الله, إذ إنها تبعث الروحانيات, وتثير اليقظة والأحساسات الملكوتية, وتجذب تأييدات الملكوت, وتولد قابلية أكبر للفهم والأدراك" مترجم

Defense attorney, Shirin Edadi

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1184614595?bctid=13489611001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lor4u-mGzVM

Please God Heal our sick friends - يارب أشفي كل مريض

''Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance
of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope,
and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy
to me is my healing and my succor in both this
world and the world to come. Thou, verily,
art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise.''
Bahá'u'lláh

"ياإلهي

إسمك شفائى

وذكرك دوائى

وقربك رجائى

وحبك مؤنسى

ورحمتك طبيبى

ومعينى فى الدنيا والأخرة

وأنك أنت المعطى العليم الحكيم" بهاء الله

Iranian Baha'is CNN

I am a member of the Baha'i faith. What is that, you ask?
Well, long story short, it's an independent world religion that began in the mid-1800s in Iran.

Baha'is believe that there is only one God and therefore only one religion.
All of the world's divine teachers (Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses, Abraham, Krishna, etc.) bring essentially the same message -- one of unity, love and knowledge of God or the divine.
This constantly updated faith of God, Baha'is believe, has been refreshed for this day and age by our founder, Baha'u'llah. There. Nutshell version.

Why write about all this now? Well, I'm glad you asked. You see there's a 'trial' going on very soon for seven Baha'i national leaders in Iran.
They've been accused of all manner of things including being "spies for Israel," "insulting religious sanctities" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic."
They've been held for a year in Evin Prison in Tehran without any access to their lawyer (the Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi) and with zero evidence of any of these charges.

"We will no longer be silent when injustice is visited upon you,"

Baha'is express gratitude for open letter of supportNEW YORK, 15 February (BWNS) - The Baha'i International Community has issued a statement of gratitude to the Iranian intellectuals, scholars, writers, journalists, activists, and artists throughout the world who signed an open letter apologizing for their silence during Iran's long-running persecution of the Baha'is.The open letter from the Iranians - dated 3 February and signed so far by 243 men and women living in 19 countries - had asked Baha'is to forgive them "for the wrongs committed against the Baha'i community of Iran" over the last century and a half. "We will no longer be silent when injustice is visited upon you," the letter said after enumerating some of the ways Baha'is have been persecuted, from "barbaric murders" to depriving youth of higher education.In response, the Baha'i International Community told the signatories that the letter "brought a degree of solace and relief to the pain that your Baha'i fellow citizens endure.""On their behalf and that of the Baha'is throughout the world we convey our profound gratitude and appreciation for a deed of such historical moment," the Baha'i message said, referring to the publication of the open letter.

In response, the Baha'i International Community told the signatories thatthe letter "brought a degree of solace and relief to the pain that yourBaha'i fellow citizens endure." "On their behalf and that of the Baha'is throughout the world weconvey our profound gratitude and appreciation for a deed of such historicalmoment," the Baha'i message said, referring to the publication of theopen letter. The letter was particularly significant, said the Baha'i response, in thatit rejected the milieu of intimidation created by Iranian authorities throughout
the decades that served to silence "those fair-minded and informed
individuals who had always wished to rise up" in support of the
Baha'is.

The letter ended thus: "We stand by you in achieving all the rights
enshrined in the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights. Let us join hands in
replacing hatred and ignorance with love and tolerance."

ليس الفتى من قال كان ابى .ولكن الفتى من قال هااناذا

كان هناك طفل يصعب ارضاؤه , أعطاه والده كيس مليء بالمسامير وقال له : قم بطرق مسمارا واحدا في سور الحديقة في كل مرة تفقد فيها أعصابك أو تختلف مع أي شخص في اليوم الأول قام الولد بطرق 37 مسمارا في سور الحديقة ,وفي الأسبوع التالي تعلم الولد كيف يتحكم في نفسه وكان عدد المسامير التي توضع يوميا ينخفض. الولد أكتشف أنه تعلم بسهوله كيف يتحكم في نفسه ,أسهل من الطرق على سور الحديقة في النهاية أتى اليوم الذي لم يطرق فيه الولد أي مسمار في سور الحديقة عندها ذهب ليخبر والده أنه لم يعد بحاجة الى أن يطرق أي مسمار.

قال له والده: الآن قم بخلع مسمارا واحدا عن كل يوم يمر بك دون أن تفقد أعصابك مرت عدة أيام وأخيرا تمكن الولد من إبلاغ والده أنه قد قام بخلع كل المسامير من السور قام الوالد بأخذ ابنه الى السور وقال له (( بني قد أحسنت التصرف, ولكن انظر الى هذه الثقوب التي تركتها في السور لن تعود أبدا كما كانت )) عندما تحدث بينك وبين الآخرين مشادة أو اختلاف وتخرج منك بعض الكلمات السيئة, فأنت تتركهم بجرح في أعماقهم كتلك الثقوب التي تراها أنت تستطيع أن تطعن الشخص ثم تخرج السكين من جوفه , ولكن تكون قد تركت أثرا لجرحا غائرا لهذا لا يهم كم من المرات قد تأسفت له لأن الجرح لا زال موجودا جرح اللسان أقوى من جرح الأبدان الأصدقاء جواهر نادرة , هم يبهجونك ويساندوك. هم جاهزون لسماعك في أي وقت تحتاجهم هم بجانبك فاتحين قلوبهم لك لذا أرهم مدى حبك لهم

Learning through activities

Different ways to teach our children MATH:
board games, counting money, playing with dice, cooking (measuring), clock timer, learning to tell time, use toys to count or subtract, workbooks, count grocery items, conversions, navigate GPS, what can you buy for $5, allowance, bank book/savings, cut pizza into fractions/quantity

Different ways to teach our children SOCIAL SKILLS:
play act situations that use a variety of social skills, talking on the phone, dress up, act out stories, picnic with friends and family, sports, hand shakes, welcome people, say bye, assign a role when guest come over, play dates, lots of exposure to social settings – on transit, in mall

Different ways to teach our children PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:
mime/exaggerate movement indoors with a variety of sports, keep score, discuss rules, strategy, show and tell, hiking (nature walks), volunteer for sports, clean up park 9service for community), biking, skiing, gardening

Different way to teach our children CREATIVITY:
paints, crayons, play dough, paper box building, Lego blocks, snow man building, arts and crafts , , role playing, dance and play, incorporate all of the above into everyday situations-whenever , they need something or want to do something, turn into creative problem solving

Different way to teach our children READING:
grocery shopping, labels, food prep, restaurant menus, street signs, instructions, name tags on , presents, email/Christmas cards and letters, chapter books, recipes, logos, sounding out , letters/blends, chalkboard/sand box, flashcards, printing/writing, audio books, magnetic letters on fridge

Different way to teach our children PROBLEM SOLVING
brainstorm, puzzles, what if? accidents, earthquake, fire (indoor and outdoor situations), reading comprehension, playing games, ask questions to open their thinking and observation skills when , asking for your help-ask them what they think would be possible…how, what etc…

Baha'is were never engaged in espionage for Israel

لمدعي العام الإيراني : البهائية عميلة للكيان الصهيوني

"All Bahá'í activities were banned by the Iranian government 30 years ago, following the Islamic revolution. After 30 years Iranian governemnt now, say that the Friends are an "illegal" group engaged in espionage for Israel........" If you can not provide any proof in 30 years, then the accusation have no truth and not credible.

"Why the govenmnt not allowing Mrs. Ebadi to defend them and have access to their files??
The prosecution of the Friends in Iran is just one step in a 30-year-long systematic campaign orchestrated by the government to eliminate the Bahá'í community as a viable entity in Iran, the birthplace of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith that its followers strictly refrain from involvement in any partisan political activity, whether local, national, or international. Bahá'ís view government as a system for maintaining the welfare and orderly progress of human society. Bahá'ís reject violence. They are peace-loving, constructive citizens who have no interest in assuming power...."

“They don’t want to leave a trace of anything Baha’i”

'' He knows that the Baha’i have been persecuted since their religion was founded–and his father has been arrested before as well. But he fears that the oppression of Baha’i in Iran is reaching a new intensity. He worries about the wave of arrests, the destruction of cemeteries, as if a people’s history itself can be erased. “We don’t know what’s going to happen next,” he says. “They don’t want to leave a trace of anything Baha’i.”
http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/03/%E2%80%9Cthey-don%E2%80%99t-want-to-leave-a-trace-of-anything-baha%E2%80%99i%E2%80%9D/

The top five cancer-causing foods are:

We received the following health info from a dear friend:

The top five cancer-causing foods are:
1. Hot dogs Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.
2. Processed meats and bacon Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.
3. Doughnuts Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.
4. French fries Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .
5. Chips, crackers, and cookies All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS
1. No Breakfast People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.
2. Overeating It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.
3. Smoking It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.
4. High Sugar consumption Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.
5. Air Pollution The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.
6. Sleep Deprivation Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.
7. Head covered while sleeping Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.
8. Working your brain during illness Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.
9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.
10. Talking Rarely Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

The main causes of liver damage are:
1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts.

BBC - An Islamic History of Europe 1 of 12

In this 90-minute documentary, Rageh Omaar uncovers the hidden story of Europe’s Islamic past and looks back to a golden age when European civilization was enriched by Islamic learning.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSEFMCqK7I&eurl=http://vladowsky.com/wp/2009/01/bbc-an-islamic-history-of-europe-1-of-12/

Civilization built through tolerance and dialogue

كم عدد البهائيين في مصر؟

كتب طارق الشامى فى الدستور:كم عدد المسلمين في مصر؟ لو عرفنا عدد الأقباط المصريين وعدد اليهود المصريين وعدد البهائيين المصريين.. لعلمنا بطريقة حسابية بسيطة، عدد المسلمين المصريين بعد خصم إجمالي عدد الأقباط واليهود والبهائيين من إجمالي آخر تعداد للمصريين أجرته الحكومة....إنتهى

لو سمحت الحكومة للبهائيين بكتابة ديانتهم في الأوراق الرسمية لحصلت على تعداد دقيق لعدد المسلمين في مصر