تقبل الله الطاعات .. وكل عام وأنتم بخير .. وعيد مبارك
Happy Eid Adha Mubarak ^_^

& Wishing to all Muslims a blessed and a wonderful Eid

May the blessing of Allah surround us & accept (all the good deeds, fasts and sacrifice) from me and you

عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهما أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : ( خير الدعاء دعاء يوم عرفة ، وخير ما قلت أنا والنبيّون من قبلي : لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، له الملك ، وله الحمد ، وهو على كل شيء قدير ) رواه الترمذي ( 3585 ) وحسَّنه الألباني في " صحيح الترغيب " ( 1536 ) .ا

Journey to Mecca tells the story of Ibn Battuta, (played by Chems Eddine Zinoun) a young scholar, who leaves Tangier in 1325 on an epic and perilous journey, traveling alone from his home in Morocco to reach Mecca, some 3,000 miles to the east.

Ibn Battuta is besieged by countless obstacles as he makes his way across the North African desert to Mecca. Along the route he meets an unlikely stranger, the Highwayman (played by Hassam Ghancy) who becomes his paid protector and eventual friend. During his travels he is attacked by bandits, dehydrated by thirst, rescued by Bedouins, and forced to retrace his route by a war-locked Red Sea.

Ibn Battuta finally joins the legendary Damascus Caravan with thousands of pilgrims bound for Mecca for the final leg of what would become his 5,000 mile, 18 month long journey to Mecca.

When he arrives in Mecca, he is a man transformed. We then experience the Hajj as he did over 700 years ago, and, in recognition of its timelessness, we dissolve to the Hajj as it is still performed today, by millions of pilgrims, in some of the most extraordinary and moving IMAX® footage ever presented.

Ibn Battuta would not return home for almost 30 years, reaching over 40 countries and revisiting Mecca five more times to perform the Hajj. He would travel three times farther then Marco Polo. His legacy is one of the greatest travel journals ever recorded. A crater on the moon is named in his honour.

** Invitation to METS 2009 - KETAB Technologies **
I would like to invite you to view our products at METS 2009

Time:
From Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 9:30am - To Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 9:00pm
Location:
Zara Expo - Hayat Amman Hotel - Jordan

Ketab Technologies to take part in METS 09

اللهم اجز سيدنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم خير ما جزيت نبيا عن أمته
اللهم صلي وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد



Look what had scientists of the west and great persons said about our prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
هكذا قال علماء الغرب عن النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم

(This video subtitle to English throughout history many Non-Muslim great thinkers and intellectuals stood fascinated by the personality of prophet Mohammad and his biography they highly lauded his stances and principles.)

Allah sent his Messenger Mohammad (PBUH) as mercy to the universe. His mercy prevailed on all humans non-humans, stones, trees, solids, animals, Muslims and non-Muslims.

the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, when he sent the army to fight the oppressors and aggressors, ordered his companions not to kill an old man, or a child or a woman, not to cut trees, or destroy buildings, not to slaughter animals, but only for food. He also ordered them not to disturb the monks, and leave them alone in their hermitages. His mercy has extended all Allah's Creatures. he even ordered his companions after they burned ants, saying: '' No one is ought to torture with fire except the Creator of Fire''.

Throughout history, many Non-Muslims great thinkers and intellectuals stood fascinated by the personality of Prophet Mohammad PBUH and his biography they highly lauded his stances and principles:

Hercules, the Great Roman Emperor, asked many questions about Prophet Mohammad PBUH to Abu Sufian and reached the conclusion of the truth of Mohammad's Call. He even said: ''if i were in his presence, I would wash his feet''.

And the beard Of King Al Najashi of Habasha (Ethiopia) became wet with his tears when he heard some of what Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) came with, Al Najashi said: ''these words and what Jesus said, come from the same lantern''.

And the French Philosopher, Lamartine said: "Mohammad (PBUH) is the Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Warrior, Conqueror of fantasies.
In all standards by which human greatness is measured, we may well ask: Is there any man greater than Prophet Mohammad?!''

And the Famous English playwright George Bernard Shaw said: ''The world much needs a man with Mohammad's bright thinking. If a man like Mohammad were to assume The rule of modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems and bring peace and happiness to it''

And Michael Hart, said : "My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels''

And The great Indian Leader Mahatma Gandhi said: After i finished the second part of the Biography of Mohammad, i felt i needed to know more about this great personality. He uncontested, won the hearts of millions of people''.

And Thomas Carlyle, the English writer, said: ''I like Mohammad for his Hypocrisy-free nature... With clear and sound words he addresses the Roman Tsars and Kings of Persia. He guides them to what he loves for them in this life and in the eternal life''

And George Wells, the English author regards Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) the greatest personality who established a state for justice and tolerance.

And the researcher Ligtner said: '' i declare my hope to see a day coming in which the Christians will highly respect Jesus through their respect to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Truly the Christian who recognize the religion and right brought by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is clearly the true Christian''.

And the Famous Russian writer LEO Tolstoy believes that Mohammad's religion will prevai lover the Whole World as it is in conformity with mind and wisdom.

And Jean-Louis Michon, the french orientalist, said : ''Islam which ordered Jihad or Holy War, had much tolerance with followers of other religions...
As per the teachings of Mohammad (PBUH), Omar Bin AL Khattab (RA), did not inflect harm on Christians when he conquered Jerusalem.

And the Well-known French historian Gustav Lobon said Mohammad is the Greatest man that History ever knew.

And Will Durant, author of the Story of Civilization said: '' if we rated greatness by the influence of the great on people, we will say Mohammad is the greatest of the great in history''

And Allah say the truth when he says in The Koran Chapter 68. Al-Qalam: "..And you are certainly on the most exalted standard of moral excellence."

Allah Glory to him says the truth.

**QUOTATIONS FROM FAMOUS PEOPLE on PROPHET MUHAMMAD:
http://www.themodernreligion.com/quotes_muhammad.htm

**Prophet Mohammad in the eye of the west:
http://www.islamology.org/Occasions/Muhammad,west.htm

**What Great Persons say about Prophet Mohammad (SAW):
http://www.wonderfulinfo.com/islam/prophet.php
 

Life Is a Gift of ALLAH  

الحياة هدية الله عز وجل

 

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't 
speak.

من اليوم وقبل أن تتلفظ بأي شيء غير لطيف ، فكر بالذين لا يستطيعون الكلام ..!!!

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

وقبل أن تنتقد الطعام الذي تتذوقه ، فكر بمن ليس لديهم شيء يأكلونه ..!!!

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone
who's crying out to ALLAH for a companion.

وقبل أن تنتقد زوجتك أو زوجك ، فكر بمن يتضرع إلى الله للحصول على زوج أو زوجة ..!!!

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went 
too early to heaven.

وقبل أن  تعترض على الحياة فكر بمن سبقك مبكراً إلى السماء..!!!

Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who 
walks the same distance with their feet.

وقبل أن تشكو من طول المسافة التي تقودها بسيارتك ، فكر بمن يقطعون نفس المسافة على أقدامهم .!!!

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the 
unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

وعندما تتعب وتشكو من عملك ، فكر بمن ليس لديه وظيفة مثل وظيفتك وعاطل عن العمل ..!!!

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on
your face and think: you're alive and thanks ALLAH.

وعندما تبدأ أفكارك بإحباطك ، أرسم إبتسامة على وجهك وفكر بأنك ما زلت حياً وأشكر الله على نعمه  كلها ..!!!

This is how the human brain often works , when our status changes ,
Only a very few remember what life was like before , and who was always by their side in the most painful situations .

هكذا دماغ الإنسان يَعْملُ في أغلب الأحيان ، عندما تَتغيّرُ منزلتنا ، فقط القليل جداً يَتذكّرُ ما كانت حياتنا قبل ذلك ، وكيف كنا دائماً إلى جانبِهم في الحالاتِ الأكثر ألماً .


 

حياتك! .. من صنع أفكارك

فأفكاركم من أقداركم ... وتفاءلوا بالخير تجدوه ...
ورسولنا الكريم كان يعجبه الفأل الحسن ...
قال صلى الله عليه وسلم : " يقول الله تعالى : أنا عند ظن عبدي بي " رواه البخاري ومسلم . وفي حديث أبي هريرة : " ادعوا الله وأنتم موقنون بالإجابة " رواه الترمذي

Below you can find famous and fun quotes from the Lewis Carroll's book
(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6) .

'"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." *  *  *  *  *  *  * "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don’t much care where--" said Alice. "Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat. "--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation. "Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough." *  *  *  *  *  *  * "Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice; "..but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever say in my life!"

Yiruma - Kiss the rain..
 

Good evening. I have come to Jerusalem today as a novelist, which is to say as a professional spinner of lies.

Of course, novelists are not the only ones who tell lies. Some politicians do it, too, as we all know. And diplomats and generals tell their own kinds of lies on occasion, as do used car salesmen, butchers and builders. The lies of novelists, however, differ from others, in that no one criticizes the novelist as immoral for telling lies. Indeed, the bigger and better his lies and the more ingeniously he creates them, the more he is likely to be praised by the public and the critics. Why should that be?

My answer would be this: namely, that by telling skilful lies -- which is to say, by making up fictions that appear to be true -- the novelist can bring out the truth to a new place and shine a new light on it. In most cases, it is virtually impossible to grasp the truth in its original form and depict it accurately. This is why ... we are trying to grab its tail by luring the truth from its hiding place, transferring it to a fictional location, and replacing it with a fictional form. In order to accomplish this, however, we first have to clarify where the truth lies within us, within ourselves. This is an important qualification for making up good lies.

Today, however, I have no intention of lying. I shall try to be as honest as I can. There are only a few days in the year I do not engage in telling lies, and today happens to be one of them.

So let me tell you the truth. Back in Japan a fair number of people advised me not to come here to accept the Jerusalem Prize. Some even warned me that they would instigate a boycott of my books if I came. The reason for this, of course, was the fierce fighting that was raging in Gaza. The U.N. reported that more than 1,000 people had lost their lives in the blockaded city of Gaza, many of them unarmed citizens -- children and old people.

Any number of times after receiving notice of this award, I asked myself whether traveling to Israel at a time like this and accepting a literary prize is a proper thing to do, and whether this would create the impression that I supported one side in the conflict, and that I endorsed the policies of a nation that chose to unleash its overwhelming military power. This is an impression, of course, that I would not wish to give. I do not approve of any war, and I do not support any nation. Neither, of course, do I wish to see my books subjected to a boycott.

Finally, however, after careful consideration, I made up my mind to come here. One reason for my decision is that all too many people advised me not to do it. Like many other novelists, I tend to do the exact opposite of what I am told. If people are telling me, and especially if they are warning me, "Don't go there," or "Don't do that," I tend to ... want to "go there" and "do that." It's in my nature, you might say, as a novelist. Novelists are a special breed. They cannot genuinely trust anything that they haven't seen with their own eyes or touched with their own hands.

And that is why I am here. I chose to come here rather than stay away. I chose to see for myself rather than not to see. I chose to speak to you rather than to say nothing.

This is not to say that I am here to deliver a political message. To make judgments about right and wrong is one of the novelist's most important duties, of course.

It is left to each writer, however, to decide upon the form in which he or she will convey those judgments to others. I myself prefer to transform them into stories - stories that tend toward the surreal. Which is why I do not intend to stand before you today delivering a direct political message.

Please do, however, allow me to deliver one very personal message. It is something that I always keep in mind while I am writing fiction. I have never gone so far as to write it on a piece of paper and paste it to the wall: Rather, it is carved into the wall of my mind, and it goes something like this:
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg." Yes, no matter how right the wall may be, how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will do it. But if there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?

What is the meaning of this metaphor, of the wall and the egg? In some cases, it is all too simple and clear. Bombers and tanks and rockets and white phosphorus shells are that high wall. The eggs are unarmed civilians who are crushed, burned and shot by them. This is one meaning of this metaphor that is true.

But this is not all. It carries a deeper meaning. Think of it this way: Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul that is enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: it is "The System." "The System." The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others -- coldly, efficiently, and systematically.

I have only one reason to write novels, and that is to bring the dignity of the individual soul to the surface, and shine a light upon it. The purpose of a story is to sound an alarm, to keep a light trained on the System in order to prevent it from tangling our souls in its web and demeaning them. I truly believe that it is the novelist's job to keep trying to clarify the uniqueness of each individual soul by writing stories -- stories of life and death, stories of love, stories that make people cry, quake with fear and shake with laughter. This is why we go on, day after day, concocting fictions with utter seriousness.

My father passed away last year at the age of ninety. He was a retired teacher and a part-time Buddhist priest. When he was in graduate school in Kyoto, he was drafted into the army and sent to fight in China. As a child born after the war, I used to see him every morning before breakfast offering up a long, deep-felt prayer at the small Buddhist altar in our house. One time I asked him why he did this. He told me he was praying for the people who died on the battlefield. He was praying for all the people, he said, who died, both ally and enemy alike. Staring at his back as he knelt at the altar, I seemed to feel the shadow of death hovering around him.

My father died, and with him he took his memories, memories I can never know. But the presence of death that lurked about him remains in my own memory. It is one of the few things I carry on from him, and ... one of the most important.

I have only one thing I hope to convey to you today. We are all human beings, individuals transcending nationality, race and religion, and we are all eggs, we are all fragile eggs faced with a solid wall called "The System." To all appearances, we have no hope of winning. The wall is too high and too strong and too cold. If we have any hope of victory at all, it will have to come from our believing in the utter uniqueness and irreplaceable of our own and others' souls and from our believing in the warmth we gain by joining souls together.

Take a moment to think about this. Each of us possesses a tangible, living soul. The System has no such thing. We must not allow the System to exploit us. We must not allow the System to take on a life of its own. The System didn't make us, we made the System.

That is all I have to say to you.

I am grateful to have been awarded the Jerusalem Prize. I am grateful that my books are being read by people in many parts of the world, and I would like to express my gratitude to the readers in Israel. You are the biggest reason why I am here. And I hope we are sharing something, something very meaningful. And I am glad to have had the opportunity to speak to you here today.

Thank you very much.

An Arabic translation of Haruki Murakami's Jerusalem Prize acceptance speech..

لا خَيْرَ في الْدُنْيَا ما لَمْ يَكُنْ بِها.. صَديقٌ صَدُوقٌ صَادِقُ الْوَعدِ مُنْصِفَا
 

(Thank you Ashraf & Mazen for bringing this to my attention...)

I am Israel. Written by Hashem Said (an officer in the UW Palestinian student group Hayaat) on Feb.25.2002 . Video made by Jihane Al Quds on Sep.4.2009.

This clip on youtube is well worth the 6 minutes for anyone that needs reminding of the dire situation of Palestinians. It is a very well produced 6 minutes video.  

It is my pleasure to show you a broadcast about the company where I work in (KETAB Technologies) which established by Khaled and Tawfeeq (Co-Founder's) as great examples for Arabian youth achievements.


(Design and implementation of Mr. Amr Al-Toukhy)

Jordan-based Ketab Technologies is launching what it claims is the world's first interactive collaboration system.

The system dubbed Engage, which is aimed at the region's education industry, is designed to help students work together and teachers control the classroom workspace.

"Engage has a natural usage model that integrates and dovetails into daily teaching practices to transform any environment into a collaborative and interactive space," says a representative for the firm.

FlexFree, which is part of the Engage system, is essentially made up of a pen and paper-based computing device.

Kboard, another part of the system, is an interactive white board, which is designed to display text, drawings, diagrams and documents created on a PC in conjunction with KStudio software.

Brochure 1 - Brochure 2

 www.ketabtech.com

KETAB Technologies Ltd. founded in 2007 is a platform company innovating disruptive human-computer interaction technologies targeting next-generation computers and its applications in emerging segments in each of education, enterprise, and consumer electronics markets.

 The first platform technology KETAB has developed is (Position Coded Pattern) PCP^TM, which is a mobile computing platform that bridges the gap between humans and computers while enabling ubiquitous computing.

KETAB Engage ^TM is a PCP^TM based collaboration and interaction solution series that has been designed for education and corporate applications from the bottom-up to fit demanding needs of users in learning and working environments such as those for in-classroom tutoring, brainstorming and general presentation sessions that all require the use of knowledge, productivity and enriching content applications in a natural usage model.

 

Song from Outlandish's new album, Sound of a Rebel (2009)



Lyrics:

[Waqas:]
Under snow full of ash
Draw to you like the 5 draws
Cold hands like doing crash
Wanna say I love you sometimes, but it aint happenin’
Other times I’m back in the cold, frost appears not in the winter only
It gets so cold, still we keep comin' out for more
We just let it pourin’ right
See the more we hide behind slammin' doors tomorrow surely we'll die
I can't believe they would flee so easily we ain’t love deprived
Girl we just make somethin’ divine, less perfect, more human with time
Until then I try so go ahead now

[Isam:]
You may shoot, you may cut , you may kill me girl
Your words, your eyes, in and out of this crazy world
And still I rise, like it I rise.
She was stuck between a rock and a hard hard place
Came home, runin’ wild, in and out of emptiness
And still you rise, like it you rise.

[Chorus:]
I wanna tell you sometimes, it feels like we've killed the world
Don't wanna leave you like no mercy left at all
Then I don’t know where the love, will come back into our lives
It feels like saving the world, saving the world
You and I

[Lenny: (in Spanish)]
Me matan
Estos momentos me matan
Me ponen al borde
De un grito me sacan
De quisio ni locura ni la drogas me la curan
Y aunque el cielo pa me juran
Se lo soy lo que soy
Soy el que duda
Se me chiebra la calma
Y ahora siento que sigo
Esta flecha se almueye
Al final del camino
Y al final no me sofoco
El aire puro respiro
Al sentir tu aroma,
Despertar contigo

[Isam:]
A thousand roses isolated and everybody knows
We cry, we try, try to get it together for sure
And still we'll rise, like it we'll rise
Suga’ suga’, i was dreamin’ last night about you
Wrapped up in real talk i will not lose
And still we'll rise, and still we'll rise
Like it we'll rise

[Repeat Chorus:]

We saved the world, we killed the world
We saved the world, we killed the world
We saved the wolrd, tonight (X2)

[Repeat Chorus:]

Me matan (x3)

Here's the brand new music video: Download (right-click, Save Target As...)

"Don't be afraid of the space between
your dreams and reality. If you can
dream it, you can make it so."
- Belva Davis