Taimoor Bhatti's Blog

KFC and Cole

2011-07-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Raymond Davis' Investigation ....

2011-02-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

Reopening the Route

2010-10-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Pakistan is reopening the Torkham border NATO supply route.

This is a shameful act and condemnable! NATO should have been left to the mercy of the Afghan Terrain.

Pakistan and Pakistanis need to grow up and get off the back of the US and its allies who are the cause of all unrest in the region.

From Dawn News:-
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-government-decides-to-open-torkham-border-ss-07

Super-Tech...

2010-09-02T11:36:00.001-07:00

MashaAllah!

Joooooooooss... CLASSIC!!

2010-08-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Story of Pakistan and Gen Musharraf's Role...

2010-08-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

If you go to the Sir Syed Memorial building and the Museum associated with it, you'd find the story of Pakistan's emergence as a painting on the walls.
BUT... WAIT!!!
What is (former) General Musharraf doing with Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and his likes?? And for that matter... WHAT is Gen. Zia doing there? (See pictures...)

The beginning of the fall of the Muslims: luxurious lifestyle and no preparation for war.

The English colonialists set foot... Muslims provide resistance!

Tipu Sultan the great warrior!

But soon... The Muslims are defeated and the last strong king, Bahadur Shah Zafar is exiled to Rangoon. Muslims are ruthlessly executed!

Iqbal dreams of a Muslim nation and Muhammad Ali Jinnah provides leadership...

Other leaders of the Pakistan movement:-

Pakistan was born as a product of the Two Nation Theory provided by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Here is Sir Syed with his "enlightened and moderated" followers:-

And how can there be a Sir Syed memorial without our beloved General Musharraf???

And of course... Gen Zia!!

Islamic History - Br. Musa Cerantonio & Omar Dexter

2010-07-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Grandmother's Guide to Video Chat

2010-07-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Islam in Pakistan

2010-06-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

Elance Blog: Eliminate Deadline Stress: Here's How

2010-06-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Elance Blog: Eliminate Deadline Stress: Here's How

Description of Muhammad Rasul Allah (SAW)

2010-06-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Narrated by Umm Ma'bad (May Allah be Pleased with Her):-

He gave an impression of dignity when silent. I saw him to be a man of evident splendor: fine in figure. His face: handsome. Slim in figure. His head not too small. Elegant and good looking. His eyes: large and black. His eyelids: long. His voice: deep. Very intelligent. His brow: high and arched. His hair: in plates. His neck: long, and his beard: thick. And [he was] of high intelligence when he talked. His words were impressive and he was decisive - not trivial nor trite. His ideas: like pearls moving on their string. He seemed the most splendid and fine looking man from a distance and the very best of all from close-by. Medium in height: the eye not finding him too tall or too short. A tree branch as it were between two others but he was the finest looking of the three. The best proportioned. He was the center of his companions' attention. When he spoke, they listened well; and if he ordered, they hurried to obey. A man well helped, well served, never sullen, never refuted.

SallAllahu Alayehii Wassalam.

Please review this link for a more authentic and complete description: http://muslimmatters.org/2009/04/18/a-man-of-evident-splendor-description-of-the-prophet/

Dying children!

2010-04-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

Anybody's son'll do!

2010-04-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

All what we talk about... is what we saw...

2010-04-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

There's always a baby crying in the background!

Complete lecture by Hamza Yusuf on The Dajjal ( AntiChrist )

2010-04-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf explains the conspiracy theory behind NWO.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAyyubidDynasty#grid/user/80B98C7FB50C766C

Quote:
I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed. (Al-Hadith)

Students waking up!!

2010-04-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

End The War...

2009-12-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

A really useful tool. Workspaces!

2009-12-25T07:53:00.001-08:00

Disasters and Beyond

2009-12-04T06:02:00.001-08:00

Our blind faith in the US has landed us into a horrific state of affairs. We should believe in Allah and let the US go. How can we be the fort of Islam when the US needed no second options when it wanted a route to the Muslim land of Afghanistan. We should be ashamed of ourselves. The problem is... we are not!

Power Crisis... What might be cooking..

2009-11-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

This isn't a blog post per se. But, here I'd like to point out something that might be cooking: a conspiracy against the Power Looms of Pakistan.

The power crises are forcing the Power Looms to shut down and I think ultimately some foreign company is going to offer to buy them for a petty price. Lets see what happens. I'll post more on this later but this post is for record.

Lessons from History... The Current State of Muslims and What We Ought to Do..

2009-10-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

This is a very good episode... worth watching!
Mere Mutabiq | Shahid Masood - October 24 2009 Talk Show @ Pakistan Herald

The Taliban's Viewpoint --- DEBUNKED!!

2009-10-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Taliban and Al Qaeda usually refer to the Salaf and misuse their traditions to justify their misuse of Islam. Here's an article (a very good one in fact) that debunks the Extremist way of looking at things:-

http://muslimmatters.org/2009/10/12/standing-united-against-terrorism-al-qaeda-salman-al-awdah-with-yasir-qadhi-and-yaser-birjas/

And there's no condoning the kufr and munaafiqat that our governments are spreading!!

PS: I'm taking no stance against the Taliban. I'm just sharing a very good story.

6 Amazing Uses for Apples

2009-09-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

1. Roast a juicy chicken
If your roasted chicken tends to emerge from the oven as dry as a snow boot on a summer's day, don't fret. The next time you roast a chicken, stuff an apple inside the bird before placing it in the roasting pan. When it's done cooking, toss the fruit in the trash, and get ready to sit down to a delicious -- and juicy -- main course.

2. Keep cakes fresh
Want a simple and effective way to extend the shelf life of your home-made or store-bought cakes? Store them with a half an apple. It helps the cake maintain its moisture considerably longer than merely popping it in the fridge.

3. Ripen green tomatoes
How's that? You just became the proud owner of a bunch of green tomatoes? No sweat. You can quickly ripen them up by placing them -- along with an already-ripe apple -- in a paper bag for a couple of days. For best results, maintain a ratio of about five or six tomatoes per apple.

4. Fluff up hardened brown sugar
Brown sugar has the irritating habit of hardening up when exposed to humidity. Fortunately, it doesn't take much to make this a temporary condition. Simply place an apple wedge in a self-sealing plastic bag with the chunk of hardened brown sugar. Tightly seal the bag and put it in a dry place for a day or two. Your sugar will once again be soft enough to use.

5. Absorb salt in soups and stews
Salting to taste is one thing, but it is possible to overdo it. When you find yourself getting heavy-handed with the saltshaker, simply drop a few apple (or potato) wedges in your pot. After cooking for another 10 minutes or so, remove the wedges -- along with the excess salt.

6. Use as decorative candleholders
Add a cozy, country feel to your table setting by creating a natural candleholder. Use an apple corer to carve a hole three-quarters of the way down into a pair of large apples, insert a tall decorative candle into each hole, surround the apples with a few leaves, branches, or flowers, and voilá! You have a lovely centerpiece.

The Issue of Moonsighting ...

2009-09-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

First of all, before saying anything on this issue, it is to be mentioned that I myself am no 'Alim but am a curious observer.

The issue of moonsighting has taken over Pakistan again. The NWFP celebrated Eid while the rest of Pakistan was observing 29th of Ramadan. Lets take a look at the differing opinions related to the issue:-

Note: Resolving the issue of Eid means that the whole Hijri-calendar debate has been resolved.

Opinion 1) The whole country (e.g Pakistan) should celebrate Eid on a single day.
Opinion 2) Every area should have its own Eid. ("Area" is usually left undefined. It often refers to areas where the moon is simultaneously sighted.)
Opinion 3) The whole world should celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia.
Opinion 4) The whole world (and/or Pakistan) should turn to science. And an accepted lunar calendar be implemented.
Opinion 5) The whole Muslim Ummah should celebrate Eid collectively with the very first Shadah acceptable and applicable to the whole world.

Celebrating Eid on a Single Day within a Country
This is the prevailing opinion among the ulema of Pakistan. This opinion has some inherent flaws like: what is a country?
Islam is beyond borders and territories. Islam does not recognize the Durand line or the Indo-Pak border. If Pakistan celebrates Eid and India doesn't what do the people living on either side of Durand line or Wahgah border do?

Every Area Should Celebrate a Seperate Eid
This opinion says that Eid should be celebrated in an Area where the moon is sighted. This opinion also has the same flaw as that of the first one.
One argument presented in favor is that this was practiced by RasulAllah (SAW) and the Sahaaba. The argument is weak since at that time, there weren't many ways of communicating the news of moonsighting to the village that was even only 50 miles away. Today, if the moon is sighted in Arabia, the news is communicated simultaneously to the whole world.
As I understand, the Sha'fi opinion is closest to this argument.

The Whole World should Consider Saudi Arabia's Sighting
This is wrong. And is floated by idiots without any proof. The proponents of this theory use emotions instead of arguments.

Use Calculations (either Astronomical, Statistical or Numerical)
In this era of Science, a new fitna like that of the Mu'tazilites has emerged which propogates the abandoning of the Sunnah altogether and turning to science. This is not allowed and should not be allowed. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and USA already have their calendars. Saudi Arab depends on sighting but also uses a calendar. (e.g. Saudi Arab's Umm al-Qura calendar)

Use the Very First Global Shahadah
In today's 'Global Village', this seems to be the most relevant opinion. It doesn't contradict the Sunnah of RasulAllah (SAW) and the Sahaaba (RA). Rather, this is the opinion of many classical and contemporary ulema (especially the Hanafi madhab). This is the most misunderstood concept too. Here's a case study:-

The moon is sighted in Hawaii (so its 1st Shawaal), USA at 8pm local time. Its 6am in Islamabad (29th Ramadan). News of this sighting reaches Pakistan at 10am Pakistan time. Pakistanis will celebrate Eid after iftaar (its Chaand-raat tonight --- YAY!). No two-Eids anywhere!

Now, since it is clear that I support the last opinion, I present my proofs:-

Also, here's what sunnipath.com has to say on the issue:-
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=681&CATE=115

SunniPath > Answers > Hanafi Fiqh > Miscellaneous > Local Versus Global Sighting

Question ID:681

Date Published: July 03, 2005

Local Versus Global Sighting

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question:

What is the position of the Hanafi madhab regarding the local versus international moon sighting? Sayyid Sabiq in his Fiqh us-Sunnah says, "the correct opinion among the Hanafiyyah, and the chosen opinion among the Shafiyah, every 'country' (or territory) is to take into consideration its own sighting and not necessarily follow the sighting of the others." (I realize that Fiqh us-Sunnah is weak fiqh work but Shaykh Nuh Keller said that the conclusions and proofs it use conform 90 percent to the Shafi'i positions and for that reason, being unlettered in Arabic, I sometimes refer to it.) I remember listen to series of lecture tapes by Shaykh Nuh on a trip to Guyana and someone asked him this question. He said that the Hanafi position was the international sighting. I am originally from NYC but currently living in Malaysia. The Indo-Pak Hanafis in New York all followed the local sighting fatwa. What is the authoritative position in the Hanafi madhab? (Do you know which scholars of the Shafiis endorse the international sighting?)

Answer:

Walaikum assalam,

Both the local and global sighting are sound positions in the Hanafi school., but the global sighting is sounder and more precautionary, as mentioned by Ibn Abidin in his Hashiya.

Wassalam,
Faraz

And, here are some more proofs taken from the website mentioned at the very end:-

1.
The founder of the Barlevi's said: "In the correct and authentic mazhab of our Imams, with regard to the sighting of moon for Ramdhan and eid, distance of the place of sighting is of no consideration. The sighting of the east is binding upon west and vice versa i.e. the sighting of west is similarly binding on east." [Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan, Fatawa Rizwi; Vol 4 page 568, Urdu edition]

2.
The co-founder of Dar al-Uloom Deoband, Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi said: "If the people of Calcutta sighted the moon in Friday, whereas it was sighted in Makkah on Thursday itself, but the people of Calcutta did not know of it (the sighting on Thursday); then whenever they come to know of this, it will be obligatory for them to celebrate eid with the people of Makkah and make up (Qada') for the first fasting." [Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi, Sharh Tirmizi (Explanation of Tirmizi), Kaukab un Durri, pg 336 Urdu edition].

3.
"Wherever the sighting is confirmed, however far off it may be, even if it were to be thousands of miles; the people of this place will have to abide by that." [Fatawa Dar ul Uloom Deoband, Vol. 6 page 380, Urdu edition]

4.

"Question: There has been some dispute in Amritsar etc. regarding sighting of moon for Ramdhan and Eid ul fitr. So should we the residents of Mandla (CP), which is located very far off, follow that sighting or not?

Answer: In the maslak of Hanafiyyah, there is no consideration of Ikhtilaf al Matale' (difference in sighting); the sighting of the people of east is binding upon the people of the west and vice versa. This is also demanded by the hadith (soomoo li ru iyatihi we aftaroo li ru iyatihi) "Fast when it is sighted and stop fasting when it is sighted", because the address ‘soomoo' and ‘aftaroo' is ‘aam (general) and for everyone. In conclusion, when sighting is confirmed in whichever place, everyone is supposed to start his fast and break it in accordance with it, i.e when the sighting is confirmed." [Fatawa Dar ul Uloom Deoband, Vol 6 page 385 & 386, Urdu edition]
5.
"Irrespective of how far the news of sighting came from, it is to be relied upon. For instance if the people of Burma did not sight the moon, and a person from Bombay testifies to them of having sighted the moon; it will be incumbent upon the people of Burma to make up for the (first) fasting i.e. Qada'." [Mufti Kifayat ullah, Ta'leem ul Islam, vol. 4, section sighting of moon: Urdu edition]

6.
"When the moon is sighted in one place it is not just for that region but for the entire world." [Maulana Amjad Ali, Bahar e Sharee'at, Vol 2 page 108, Urdu edition]

And this is the website on which I found these fatawa: http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/ramadan/ramadan/7311-the-obligation-of-beginning-ramadhan-when-the-moon-is-sighted-in-any-country

Also study the debate here (I have presented some opinions in the 'comments' section': http://iskandrani.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/one-moon-sighting/

An inspiring story!!

2009-09-24T00:45:00.000-07:00

Youtube Video Downloader

2009-09-12T23:47:00.000-07:00

For those who want to download multiple videos or whole PlayLists or select videos from PlayLists, DownloadHelper Firefox add-on can be a real time-saver!

Video DownloadHelper Mozilla Firefox Add-on

Video DownloadHelper Home Page

Blackwater/Xe.... Auria Maqbool's Article

2009-09-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Remember the Rohingya and Uyghur

2009-09-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

I hope that all those Muslims who are reading this post and those who are not reading it, are having a great Ramadan.

Everyday, my food table is filled with delights ranging from the 'desi' (local) to the 'pardesi' (foreign). And for me there is seldom a feeling of starvation and thirst that Ramadan should impart on the people.

But, let us not forget the people around the world who can not enjoy Ramadan. Who are forced to break their fasts. Who are forced to eat 'free lunch'. Let us never forget the Uyghur Muslims during our 5 daily prayers. The Communist Party of China has been actively persecuting our brothers. They are forced to sell beer in Ramadan, forced to eat lunch during their fast, forced to not pray in congregation. The 'Imaams are forced to preach the 'unhealthiness' of fasting.

We should also not forget the Rohingya Muslims who have always been under tyranny and oppression. But, they hold fast to their religion.

And we shouldn't forget the Palestinians who've been resisting the Zionists for almost a century now. And we can't forget the Kashmiris as well who've withstood Hindu persecution for too long now!

Remember all your brothers who couldn't share your fiesta 'Iftaar because they were too busy being persecuted. While you're devouring that delicious 'fruit chaat', say "Shukarr Alhamdolillah" and pray for every Muslim all over the world to be able to taste it. After you've burped out the Maghrib prayer, spare ten seconds remembering your brothers and praying to Allah to salvate them.

Ramadan Mubarik to all of you!

Summer Ramadan

2009-08-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ibn Rajab has a section in ‘Lata’if al-Ma’arif’ (p. 272-273) about the virtues of fasting during hot days. Since Ramadan will start in the summer this year, this will be a good encouragement:

“…And from the acts of worship whose reward is multiplied during the heat is fasting, and this is because of the thirst that one experiences in the mid-day heat.

This is why Mu’adh bin Jabal expressed regret on his deathbed that he would no longer experience this mid-day thirst, as did other early Muslims.

And it was related that Abu Bakr would fast in the summer and not fast in the winter, and ‘Umar advised his son ‘Abdullah on his deathbed: “Try to obtain the characteristics of faith,” and the first one he mentioned was fasting in the intense summer heat.

And al-Qasim bin Muhammad said that ‘A’ishah would fast in the intense heat, and he was asked: “What drove her to do this?” He replied: “She would take advantage of the days before death.” And some of the righteous women would choose the hottest days and fast them, saying: “If the price is low, everyone will buy,” meaning that she wanted to do those actions that only a few were capable of due to how hard it was to do them, and this is indicative of the high aspirations these women had.

And Abu Musa al-Ash’ari was on a boat, and he heard someone calling out: “O passengers, stand up!” And he said this three times. So, Abu Musa told him: “How can we stand up? Don’t you see where we are? How can we stand up?” So, the caller said: “Let me tell you of a rule that Allah made upon Himself: whoever makes himself thirsty for Allah’s sake on a hot day has the right upon Allah to have his thirst quenched on the Day of Resurrection.” So, Abu Musa would search out the days that were so hot that one would feel he was being cooked, and he would fast those days.

Ka’b said that Allah Said to Musa: “I made it incumbent upon Myself that whoever is thirsty for My sake will have his thirst quenched on the Day of Resurrection,” and others said that it’s written in the Torah: “Glad tidings for whoever makes himself hungry in anticipation of the Great Day where he will have his hunger satisfied, and glad tidings for whoever makes himself thirsty in anticipation of the Great Day where he will have his thirst quenched.”

al-Hasan said: “A maiden of Paradise will speak to the wali of Allah while he is laying with her on the shore of a river of honey in Paradise while she hands him a glass of the sweetest drink, and she will ask him: “Do you know what day Allah married me to you? He Saw you on a long summer day while you were thirsty in the mid-day heat, and He called the Angels and Said: “Look at My slave. He has left his wife and pleasure and food and drink for Me out of his desire for what I have for him. Bear witness that I have Forgiven him,” and He Forgave you on that day and married you to me.”"

And when ‘Amir bin ‘Abd Qays went from Basrah to Sham, Mu’awiyah would ask him to tell him what he needed. He refused to ask of him, and eventually said: “All I need is for you to return the heat of Basrah to me to make the fasting a bit harder, as it is too easy in your lands.”

And al-Hajjaj was on a journey between Makkah and Madinah. He pulled out his dinner and invited a bedouin to eat with him, and the bedouin said: “I have been invited by One who is better than you and I have accepted the invitation.” He asked: “And who is this?” The man replied: “Allah invited me to fast, and I fasted.” al-Hajjaj asked: “On this very hot day?” The man replied: “Yes. I am fasting it in anticipation of a much hotter day.” al-Hajjaj said: “So, eat today and fast tomorrow.” The man replied: “Only if you can guarantee that I will live until tomorrow.” al-Hajjaj said: “This isn’t in my hands.” The man said: “How can you ask me to do something now when there is something of the future that isn’t in your hands?”

And Ibn ‘Umar went on a trip once with some companions, and they saw a sheep-herder who they invited to eat with them. He said: “I am fasting,” and Ibn ‘Umar said: “You are fasting in heat like this, and while you are between all these plants and sheep?” The herder replied: “I’m taking advantage of my remaining days.” Ibn ‘Umar was impressed by this reply and said: “Can you sell one of your sheep to us? We’ll feed you from its meat when you break your fast, and we’ll also pay you for it.” The herder said: “It doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to my master.” Ibn ‘Umar said: “What would your master say if you told him that it was eaten by a wolf?” The herder raised his finger to the sky and said: “What about Allah?” Ibn ‘Umar kept repeating this phrase that the herder was saying, and when he got to the city, he went to the herder’s owner and bought him and his sheep from him. He then freed the herder and gave him his sheep as a gift.

And Ruh bin Zinba’ was traveling between Makkah and Madinah on a very hot day. A herder living on a mountain approached him, and he said to him: “O herder, come eat with me.” The herder said: “I’m fasting.” Ruh said: “You’re fasting in this heat?” The herder replied: “Should I let my days pass by in vain?” ٍSo, Ruh said: “You have used your days wisely, O herder, while Ruh bin Zinba’ has wasted his.”

And Ibn ‘Umar used to fast extra days until he would almost faint, and this wouldn’t cause him to break his fast. And al-Imam Ahmad would fast until he was about to pass out, and would wipe water over his face. He was asked about fasting very hot days, and he replied: “There is nothing wrong with wetting a towel to squeeze the water on himself to cool down with.” And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would pour water over his head while fasting.

ِAnd Abu ad-Darda’ would say: “Fast the very hot days in anticipation of the Day of Resurrection, and pray two rak’at in the darkness of night in anticipation of the darkness of the grave.” And it’s reported in the two ‘Sahih’s that he said: “You have seen us with the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) on some of his journeys on very hot days, and a man would hold his hand against his head due to the intensity of the heat, and none of them would be fasting except the Messenger of Allah and ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah.” And the narration of Muslim states that Abu ad-Darda’ said: “This was during the month of Ramadan.”

When those who fast for Allah in the heat are patient despite their intense thirst, He will set aside a specific gate of the gates of Paradise for them. This is the gate called Rayyan, and whoever enters through it will drink, and whoever drinks after entering it will never be thirsty again. When they enter through it, it will be locked for those after them, and none will enter through it except them…”

Courtesy

Baby P

2009-08-16T00:40:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Baby_P

Imagine if Baby P was the son of a Muslim. Imagine the headlines. The savages that live in the west are ruthless when it comes to defaming Muslims. But ALL the newspapers have tried to hide the evil of torturing a child to death behind a veil of sympathy. Sympathy for the murderers who should be hanged at Trafalgar Square. No, but they'll be forgiven. Forgiven because they are kuffaar and they have done the devil's deed.

Pakistan is supposed to be GREEN!

2009-08-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well.... Pakistan is green but not exactly what the founding fathers had hoped it'd be like. We're littered with sewage! GREEN Sewage. There's a lot that can be done in the field of Renewable Energy Technology and there's some being done these days.

My own Senior Project for an Electrical Engineering degree (Ocean Wave Energy) was inspired by the idea of the whole world going GREEN. But Ocean Waves are still a thing of the future.

Pakistan's going through an era of corruption and bad management these days. Petrol and Diesel prices have already shot up and there's no telling where Electricity bills would saturate.

The options that are touted as the ultimate solution to the Power Crises are going to be short-lived and policy matters. People of Pakistan can no longer trust their governments. The governments of Pakistan however should blindly trust its people. The people need to solve this problem themselves.

People shouldn't go for expensive generators when they can go for solar panels (solar panels pay themselves off in the long run). Small scale wind turbines should be installed in homes. The government should regularize Grid Feedback Tariffs NOW.

A question bluntly floated here is whether these ideas can be successful.... BEHOLD:-

The "Million Solar Roofs" project is proving to be a success for California's residents.
This Site claims that Kenya has the Highest Household Ownership.
The same website above says "A tremendously compelling case, and one often cited by less often studied, however, is that of the Sunshine solar energy program in Japan. Over the course of almost two decades, starting in the late 1980s, Japan developed and then implemented a remarkably coordinated, well-designed solar development and dissemination effort."
And finally, the most interesting goal of Solar cells... Very High Efficiency Solar Cells....

Anyone interested in knowing where the world is heading should read:--
(Also note what India is doing in the following reports ... since we won't do anything before India has already done that ...)
Renewables Global Status Report
Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment

Its time Pakistan's investors realized that Pakistan's being a very crowded place has great potential for becoming a Renwable Energy giant... comparable to what Germany and Denmark have become.

An apology at the end: I haven't discussed anything but Solar in the article above since I'm working these days on Solar Stuff... But rest assured: all renewables are gonna be here sooner or later (especially Wind - study the trends..)..

Engineers are REALLY Bad Salesmen

2009-08-05T11:11:00.001-07:00

Pakistani Inverters...

2009-07-22T00:26:00.001-07:00

I saw the most horrendous examples of Electrical Engineering at Lahore in these past few days! (Allah u 'Alam if worse examples do exist.)

Since the lights are out at least for 6 hours during most days at most places, Inverters or UPSs (as they're known) are a useful thing to have. But, people are getting themselves rigged at the hands of amateurs.

As in many cases, and in this case, Bigger isn't necessarily better! I've seen some inverters that could be classified as trucks.

A conventional inverter (Lahori, desi) uses the following principle:

BATTERY ---> H-Bridge ---> Transformer

The H-Bridge operates at (your guees is correct) 50Hz only! This technique is lossy and results in huge transformer sizes (and outputs are farthest from the Sine Wave as well). NEVER fall for these gizmos.

What would be a way better approach is:

Battery ---> H-Bridge ---> Transformer ---> Rectifier + LC Filter (constant DC output) ---> H-Bridge

The first H-Bridge operates at a very high frequency as compared to the 50Hz that's used. This would result in smaller transformers, better efficiency, regulation and good control. The output would be a modified sine wave. Small adjustments (to the non-bold characters in the flow graph above,) and a few ruppees pouring in would result in a Pure Sine Wave output!

I'm thinking of using my free time in constructing one of these inverters! Will update on this blog. (Insha Allah)

What needs no mentioning as well is the battery charging mechanism. We NEED a mechanism to prolong battery life.

Celebrating a Last Day...

2009-06-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today was the Last Official Day at College. It is a great feeling to never have to look at the Exam Hall again!

I hope all of you guys go to college and pass... :D

Wireless Communication Paper...

2009-06-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

Papers.... these are the days! You go to school at 8 and come back by 12. But there are some papers (I'm talking about today's) that are worth more...

Timings:
Start Time: 8.30 Exam Hall, End Time: 11.30 Exam Hall

I reached college by 8.30 and entered Exam Hall by 8.40. I missed the opening ceremony.

Once I was handed the question sheet, I felt more confident. Once I started reading it though, I felt like the fat lizard that suddenly falls face down from the ceiling. And if you're wondering, lizard's hands are too small to help them out with the fall.

By 9.00, I started to occasionally count the number of people still attempting the impossible.

NOTHING was coming to my mind. I performed several rituals: shaking of the pen vigorously, resting my head on my right hand (Iqbal style), adjusting my pants, making obnoxious noises, I even did the rain dance! But, nothing.

9.15... someone moved. The poor soul didn't know the answer to many questions and had given up. The look on his face told the story. This guy was dejected and sorrowful. Being a kind hearted individual myself, I submitted the answer sheet and went out to help the poor guy.

Pakistan's Victory

2009-06-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Congragulations to all fellow Pakistanis!

May Allah grant us with more victories.

Soldering.... Correctly!

2009-06-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a very good video explaining the theory behind our procedures...

We (me and my friends) have learned through a lot of failures that to prepare a board for good soldering, follow the following procedure:-

Scrape the board with sand paper until it becomes shiny.
Pre-heat the board. The board should be hot before you put the butter paper on it (or, any other paper you'd use for the Toner-Transfer method).
Iron well after printing. The back side of the board should become dark.
Iron some more.
Iron a lot more. This ensures that the ink gets stuck to the board.
Leave the board alone for 3 minutes. Let it cool. Don't remove the butter paper.
Now, don't put the board away for a long time since heating copper can accelerate its oxidation. Put the board in a concentrated solution of FeCl3.
Etch preferably in the sun. Under direct sunlight.
After etching is done, remove the ink with petrol etc.
Use sand paper to scrape the board again. Make it shine right before you solder.

Renewables and Pakistan's Energy Crisis

2009-06-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

The recent budget has seen the addition of a new tax called Carbon Tax. Unlike the US, the Pakistani government does not need to ask experts before flagrantly taxing the poor people of Pakistan.

Carbon taxes mean that the fuel prices go UP. And that means everything gets expensive.

Do we have alternative to burning Oil and Gas? The answer is YES. Pakistan has a huge resource of Wind and Solar Energy. These need to be utilized. Thermal Power plants should be stopped and methods of generating electricity through these means need to be considered.

There is no reason Pakistan can not lead the world in a Solar Revolution. There is no reason Pakistan's Seas can not compete with imported Oil. These desperate times are also an open invitation to the people to invest privately in Renewables.

The government should become a catalyst to this revolution through LESS taxation and MORE investment. I'm sure it'll pay off better than any carbon tax!

Global Renewable Energy!

2009-06-08T13:08:00.001-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More wind power

A particularly useful magazine I found online... Give it a read!

2009-06-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More electrical

NUST Students' 7.5 MW Power House

2009-06-08T01:04:00.000-07:00

I just read the story in The News. It is something that we should be proud of!

I'm guessing the students who did this ought to be from EME college. I don't know where they got the teachers from... :D

One thing I think is deplorable is the coverage this FREE Media has given to this achievement. And I'm not letting the Government off the hook either.

Some "Engineer" from CDA was the chief guest at the inauguration. Giving the benefit of the doubt to the government, one would think that they were too busy helping the IDPs to attend functions of magnanimous importance.

Nevertheless, this is an achievement that needs to be held up with pride. It has to be remembered, not forgotten. Students should be encouraged to take up huge projects such as these!

The Lahore Attack

2009-06-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

Why did the terrorists target this particular site? The rescue 15?

The Hindu reports that an officer of the ISI was killed in this attack:

"A Colonel in the ISI was among those killed in the Lahore attack along..."

There are also rumors (everyday street rumors here,) that there was an investigation room somewhere near the attack site where people from Amritsar in India were being investigated.

I'd guess that India was behind the attack and since Baitullah Mehsud has claimed responsibility, he's somehow an Indian agent!

What we can do...

2009-05-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

With the successful tour de France that our President has just come out of, there is need for debate. Debate over the fact that these idiotic rulers can't do anything worthwhile and it is we, the people, that have to do something about the state of affairs... Here's my five points:-

Stop supporting the Kaafirs and the US: We make kaafirs our brothers and seek their help and nusrah. STOP IT! If they don't (they = the coward PPP govt.), we stop them and support whoever is against them... Remember, change can come from the Ground up!
Become good Muslims:
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

[٩٤:٥]
Since, this is a promise from Allah, expect good times... Look at the next Ayah:
إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

[٩٤:٦]
.... And the next:
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ
[٩٤:٧]
... Here's the translation of these three Ayahs together:
94.5| But lo! with hardship goeth ease, |94.6| Lo! with hardship goeth ease; |94.7| So when thou art relieved, still toil
... 94.7 is what we forgot when God gave us Pakistan. We forgot Allah and now His wrath is upon us.
Refer the matter to Allah's law: the Taliban are not non-Muslims. Nor are the Balochis. And even when when we are dealing with non-Muslims, we have to deal with the Book. A debate rather than a war needs to take place with both parties ready to accept the verdict.
Perform Taubah.
We need to shun this democracy and dictatorships. We all need to work for a Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Islamic state.

Ubuntu 9.04 --- Finally!

2009-05-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

I just upgraded to the Ubuntu 9.04 kernel. I used the Xfce desktop environment (till 4 hours ago). 8.10 had a pretty good Xfce environment but it lacked some basics like: dragging a selection area on the desktop, using the Print Screen button, Pasting a file on the desktop etc etc.! These things affect the user's feel.

9.04 has all these features and many more... Its only been a few hours since I installed this environment.

I intended to upgrade from within 8.10 (and not lose anything), but the 5 o' clock daily load shedding in Rwp. really got me into a mess: 5 minutes remaining for the installation to complete and BAM! Lights out! I lost the operating system and (since I'm not an expert,) lost all my data!

Right now, I'm installing the quintessential packages required for a smooth desktop experience. Here's my priority list:-

Zekr
This is my favorite Quranic Study tool. It has got a lot of translations and recitations (though, I haven't tried the package available on the website yet; it didn't work last time).

Vuze (formerly Azureus)
Perhaps, the best torrent client on Linux! I also lost a 3 GB game that I intend to download again. Caution: Vuze's a resource hog.

VLC
I'm surprised at how low on my priority list is VLC. Not on my usage list though... VLC is my movie player of choice. I've stuck with the new look and feel VLC though I think the 0.7x versions were better. VLC plays almost every format out there (except for Real Media files).

Vuze (formerly Azureus)

2009-05-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm no tech guru, but Vuze seems to me, to be the best linux torrent downloader and manager out there!

It doesn't choke the network and some smart tweaking means that it makes great use of the bandwidth! Doesn't hamper your browsing at all!

I've been using this software for some time now (in the simplest, basic mode) and haven't had much trouble with bugs etc.

There are other features that folks would like to try out... but I'm happy with the way things are. The people at Vuze could try and make this software eat less memory though; its a system hog at this moment but a very useful system hog!

Expanding the Nuclear Arsenal

2009-05-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

A wild drive has been initiated against Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal. It seems as though the thought of a Nuclear Pakistan is more threatening to the US, Israel and India than the TTP taking over the whole world.

I'd like you guys to read this story on MSNBC and not believe a word of it since MSNBC is a bunch of lies and Zionist propaganda!... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30648446/

Pope's Outrageous Visit!

2009-05-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

We know that the religion of Christianity has become corrupt over the years. What had started in the Mid East found its heartland in Rome. Today, Issa (AS) isn't just a prophet to the "Christians". He is their god.

So, was it befitting for a Muslim Cleric (a Mufti) to allow a Mushrik - the leader of Mushriks - to pray inside a mosque? This is pathetic. Islam does not change with the winds nor do true Muslims. If there is anything in Islam that allows such an act on the Muslims' part, it ought to be explained!

Here's the story:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article656210.ece
And... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1203692.stm

The Covenant Against Islam

2009-05-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

http://europenews.dk/en/node/22712

The German Central Council of Muslims seems, to me to be a German Hate-Islam forum.

Looking at the signitories of the statement, we can clearly see that these include the Ahmeddiyah. So, it loses all its credibility from line one.

These people talk about Changing the Quran's words so that they become more compatible with the "modern world". They try and defame our Prophet (SAW). They are justifying the spread of havoc and fitn in the world by these statements. May the Curse of Allah befall them all!

Power Electronics... Pakistan needs some

2009-05-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

There doesn't seem to be interest in Pakistan when it comes to Power Electronics... We need people to step into this field and get going!

I, personally, am trying my best to learn as much as I can about this. I've found this university's page rather interesting.

The Margalla...

2009-05-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

This is where the Hindu Kush, Himalayas and the Karakorams terminate... This is a beautiful place in the heart of the capital! Why not take a break and venture out to the suburbs of the capital and enjoy a bit of hiking eh?

You could also visit the Saidpur village before you get back home!

Israel's Independance Day and the Nakba!

2009-04-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

These days, many leaders of the world - Muslim leaders included - are sitting besides their phones waiting for the call to connect to Tel Aviv. Israel was created on an April 29 in 1948.

Have the Arab leaders, the Muslim leaders and the 'friends' to Muslims forgotten that the day also marks the beginning of an ethnic cleansing? The independence of Israel marks the "Nakba" for the local - now, Israeli-Arab - population. This is a day when villages were burnt and villagers were expelled from their homes! We should all pray for the Palestinians and the Muslim population in Israel.

I would like you all (and myself) to go through the wikipedia article on the topic. Also, we should study this report in an Israeli newspaper.

Here are a few pictures from the gallery in wikipedia:-

The Miracle!

2009-04-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you could verify the claims in this video, but seems like a great discovery to me!

Miracle of Kaaba - English Version from Erdem Cetinkaya on Vimeo.

Karachi (mini Pakistan) is burning... and so is Pakistan... and so is every Muslim!

2009-04-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Violence has suddenly won over peace in Pakistan. Pakistan is burning in the flame of extremism, terror and ethnicism. Nationality and provincialism are more important than ever. Criminals have raised the banner of Islam. In these dreaded hours, people need to look towards Allah's mercy. This is a fitna plauging the Muslims of the world and Pakistan's are no exception.

The early Muslims used to turn BACK to the ways of earlier Muslims when a fitn' took over. Are we better than the earliest Muslims?

The only way to get out of this fitn' is to turn back to Islam's teachings. We should HURRY. Leaders shouldn't sleep nights and people should be ever MORE proactive to get Islam into their lives! We shouldn't look forward to the enemies of Allah for their aid anymore!

Kaspersky Trial Renewal

2009-04-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to NOT pay for commercial anti virus suites.

You can use Kaspersky's Trial Reset Software for that purpose!

Its EASY! Watch the video at the end!

You could just comment and ask me for this file... :D

Hope this'll get you rid of AVG Free Edition, Norton, McAfee, or.. NOD32!

Energy From Nature

2009-04-21T11:12:00.002-07:00

Energy is available everywhere around us. People have been harnessing this energy for centuries now. Yet, nature hasn't taken over Oil in the past century.

The issue might be more political than scientific. Perhaps Oil has become a strategic weapon. Whatever the reasons, the truth is, we are burning earth's minerals for no good reason.

I am working on Wave Power as a Senior Design Project. I'd post regular updates here as well as a few tutorials on how to build a few circuits in the days to come.

Pakistan is rich in Solar energy. But due to Solar energy not being concentrated and solar panels' high cost, it isn't feasible yet. But it can be a great resource if the government takes some interest and manufactures solar panels in Pakistan.

Pakistan has recently inaugurated its first Wind Power Plant (see picture). It is a magnificient feat! The Peoples' Party needs to be appreciated for its efforts though it would have been more appreciable if the research and development plus manufacturing of these Generators were done in Pakistan.

I wonder if Wave Power is feasible for Pakistan(?). Lets hope my senior project is a milestone. :D

World "Leaders" Today

2009-04-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Of all the "leaders" we've got today, Ahmadinejad has shown the most guts and spoke out in front of a Zionist congregation against the atrocities committed against Muslims of Palestine. God bless him for that!

The people of Palestine have suffered enough and so have those of Kashmir. There is need for the Muslims to stand up against all this!

I also read this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/18/AR2009041800792.html

Sharia Law

2009-04-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

There are people who'd like to convince me that democracy is Islamic and that the Sharia these Taliban are talking about isn't Sharia at all! Why don't the ulema come up with a better Sharia then? We should go to the basics - fundamentals - of religion if we are serious about solving all these problems facing us today. These difficult times are from Allah. It is His wrath upon us. Our foreign ministers' and PM's sensible decisions aren't going to help unless we have Allah helping us.

There are things we might not like or understand but they are good for us according to an Ayah of the Quran. As far as the CHOICE of living under Shariah, Democracy or Secularism is concerned, its no choice. Sharia came down to be followed. Me, you or anyone doesn't have a choice but follow Sharia as long as we call ourselves Muslim; if we leave Islam, we are dead!

So, people: think before you talk about the Amr' of Allah!

I have already mentioned the different flavors of the Taliban in a previous post.

The Iraq

2009-04-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I recently found this on YouTube. I make no comments about the genius of America's teens and youth (or is South Carolina an exception).

The Taliban

2009-04-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

To the outside world, the Taliban are a well organized and disciplined regimen bent on establishing a fascist Islamic state. I assure any readers (not that I have many), this isn't the case.

The Taliban mostly consist of small factions each calling itself the Taliban led by some tribal.

The Taliban in Afghanistan are fighting a war of independence from America.
The Taliban in Pakistan vary from place to place.
Bait-ullah Mehsud is fighting against every Muslim. He's a CIA agent bent on destroying Pakistan. He's a villain.
Other versions are active in Swat and Boneer. Many Taliban are poor villagers. They want to establish Sharia law in Pakistan. The method they are adopting is hurting Pakistan.

Once we have a clear understanding of the vagueness of the situation (:D), we can understand that not all Taliban are Jihading. Some are piggies setup by America and others are fanatics.

The US plays both sides: it controls what Zardari and Altaf Hussain do and it controls what Baitullah Mehsud does. It also implants Abdullah Bin Saba style elements within Muslims so that they don't ever get out of this Fitna.

I of course make no claims as to the truth of these statements. Readers are free to comment and discuss whatever they want.

Belief is for Allah and it is He who controls the heavens and the earth. The disbelievers and infidels contemplate but Allah's contemplation is better than anyone.

Good days ahead

2009-04-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

In these dreaded times, we are faced with great difficulties. There seems to be no way out. These are times in which "leaders are born". These are occasions when people show what they are made of. I think the Muslims would soon join forces under a single banner soon and face all versions of Zionism* till they achieve victory.

* Jewish, Christian and Hindu to be specific. Their ideologies are Zionist!

Something Cooking

2009-04-12T04:50:00.000-07:00

It is unfortunate that most of our decisions are not made here.

I think something's cooking these days. Everybody's in the Middle East. Gen. Kayani is there on an "official visit" while Zardari's there on to meet his family and Nawaz Sharif is there too.

Lets see what dictations are they given by the Arab leaders.

Balochistan - Pakistan's Troubled Part...

2009-04-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Since some Baloch leaders were killed a few days ago, supposedly by intelligence forces, there has been some sort of a protest in each and every street of Balochistan.

Many people have lost their lives. There is unrest - unfortunate unrest - in perhaps the richest part of Pakistan.

A Pakistani's first suspect is the Indian Consulate in Kandahar (Afghanistan). The Bureau Chief of Express News in Peshawar also named a few Indians who are working against Pakistan through that office. They fund, raise, support and hone nationalists who are bent upon breaking Pakistan. India has created many resistance movements, and many Talibans in Pakistan.

Why would India get these "nationalists" abducted and killed in the first place? To get the results it has managed to. Unfortunately, not one politician of some stature accuses India - no one raises even the slightest eyebrow.

Start

2009-04-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Pakistanis are living through hell these days. Everyday suicide bombings, crashing economy and a failure leadership are all causing the people a headache. This blog is all about Everyday Pakistanis. How they are going through life. How life is taking its toll on them and how they manage to survive. The blog will of course be centered around my life. I hope this blog will someday become a chronicle of the rise of Pakistan.