Takzkirah

Di riwayatkan bahawa pada suatu hari Rasulullah S.A.W sedang duduk bersama para sahabat. Kemudian datang pemuda Arab masuk kedalam masjid dengan menangis. Apabila Rasulullah S.A.W melihat pemuda itu menangis, maka baginda pun berkata, "Wahai orang muda, kenapa kamu menangis?" Maka berkata orang muda itu, "Ya Rasulullah S.A.W, ayah saya telah meninggal dunia dan tidak ada kain kafan dan tidak ada orang yang hendak memandikannya." Lalu Rasulullah S.A.W memerintahkan Abu Bakar r.a. dan Umar r.a. ikut orang muda itu untuk melihat masalahnya. Setelah mengikut orang itu, maka Abu Bakar r.a dan Umar r.a. mendapati ayah orang muda itu telah bertukar rupa menjadi babi hitam. Maka mereka pun kembali dan memberitahu kepada Rasulullah S.A.W, "Ya Rasulullah S.A.W, kami lihat mayat ayah orang ini bertukar menjadi babi hutan yang hitam." Kemudian Rasulullah S.A.W dan para sahabat pun pergi kerumah orang muda itu dan baginda pun berdoa kepada Allah S.W.T. Kemudian mayat itu pun tukar kepada bentuk manusia semula. Lalu Rasulullah S.A.W dan para sahabat menyembahyangkan mayat tersebut. Apabila mayat itu hendak dikebumikan, maka sekali lagi mayat itu berubah menjadi seperti babi hutan yang hitam. Maka Rasulullah S.A.W pun bertanya kepada pemuda itu, "Wahai orang muda, apakah yang telah dilakukan oleh ayahmu sewaktu dia didunia dulu?" Berkata orang muda itu, "Sebenarnya ayahku ini tidak mahu mengerjakan solat." Kemudian Rasulullah S.A.W bersabda, "Wahai para sahabatku, lihatlah keadaan orang yang meninggalkan sembahyang. Dihari kiamat nanti akan dibangkitkan oleh Allah S.W.T seperti babi hutan yang hitam." Di zaman Abu Bakar r.a ada seorang lelaki yang meninggal dunia dan sewaktu mereka menyembahyanginya, tiba2 kain kafan itu bergerak. Apabila mereka membuka kain kafan itu, mereka melihat ada seekor ular sedang membelit leher mayat tersebut serta memakan daging dan menghisap darah mayat. Lalu mereka cuba membunuh ular itu. Apabila mereka cuba untuk membunuh ular itu, maka berkata ular tersebut, "Laa ilaaha illallahu Muhammadu Rasulullah, mengapakah kamu semua hendak membunuh aku? Aku tidak berdosa dan aku tidak bersalah. Allah S.W.T yang memerintahkan kepadaku supaya menyeksanya sehingga sampai hari kiamat." Lalu para sahabat bertanya, "Apakah kesalahan yang telah dilakukan oleh mayat ini?" Berkata ular, "Dia telah melakukan tiga kesalahan, di antaranya; 1. Apabila dia mendengar azan, dia tidak mahu datang untuk sembahyang 2. Dia tidak mahu keluarkan zakat hartanya. 3. Dia tidak mahu mendengar nasihat para ulama. Maka inilah balasannya".

Teach Your Kids About Money

Children aren’t born with an understanding of how money works; all parents learn that one quickly. A young child sees the things they want or need just appear from Mommy and Daddy. The fact that Mommy or Daddy gave money to the sales clerk means nothing to them. So how do you teach your kids about money? You have to consider your child’s age first. My daughter, for example, is three, going on four. Right now she knows the names of the various coins, but the difference in value between a dollar and a quarter, for example, is completely unclear to her. To help her learn, we are letting her spend just a little bit of money. We gave her a $3 budget to buy her baby brother a birthday present a couple months ago. She struggled quite a bit finding presents in her price range and had to settle for something other than what she had wanted to buy for him. Specifically, she wanted to buy a farm for him, but most of those we saw were in the $20 price range. She finally found a variety of small gifts that fit her budget. She was so delighted to be able to give the cashier the money we had given to her. Now, obviously this taught her very little about the value of money. She didn’t have to earn it, and she really didn’t understand why some things cost too much. But it was a very early lesson in sticking to a budget. You need to decide when you give your children money and why. Some parents prefer to give a regular allowance with no association with getting chores done, etc. Others have a set rate given provided chores are done, while still others have a set rate per chore completed. There’s no right or wrong way, but you do need to be clear on when your kids get money. Don’t forget to consider ways in which your kids may earn extra money. Also consider making rules on how allowance may be spent. Many families have their kids put their allowance in multiple containers - one for immediate use, one short term savings, one long term savings, one for charity, or any combination of containers. Saving money is a habit many parents have trouble keeping, but it is a great one to teach your children. By the same token, try to avoid teaching your kids to rely too much on credit. Some parents will let their kids borrow money against their next allowance. Now, managing credit well is a vital skill, but it is one best saved for after kids have managed to learn how to save money well, in my opinion. On special family trips it may be appropriate to loan your child some money, but if it something that can easily be bought later it is far better that they learn the value of saving toward a goal. But there are more ways to teach your kids about money than giving them an allowance. Talk to them about what things cost when you go to the grocery store. Go over what each item costs, and if buying by weight, explain how buying more means you pay more, and that you only want to buy what will actually be used. This is also a good time to teach them about quality, and how to look for the best produce. Children are very proud when they find food that is worth buying and may have a good eye for things once they have been taught what to look out for. Don’t forget to teach them about coupons! Once your child is old enough to not throw them around, he or she may be good at keeping track of your coupons and making sure you remember to use them. As your kids get older you should help them to build a more realistic picture of what things cost. Have them write the checks out for your bills - or, if you have automatic payments as many people do nowadays, go over your statements from your various bills so that they can see how much everything is really costing you. Managing money well is a vital life skill and one that children can begin to learn at a very young age. You don’t have to have your finances in good order before setting a good example for your child. In fact, teaching good money habits to your child might just help you to take a look at how you are spending your money and help you to improve your habits. This is one habit that your kids will be grateful to have later

Sad Story - Menstrual Cycle

Recently this past week, Nicole Dishuk (age 31...newly graduated student with a doctoral degree about to start her new career as a Doctor...) was flown into a nearby hospital, because she passed out. They found a blood clot in her neck, and immediately took her by helicopter to the ER to operate. By the time they removed the right half of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain; the clot had spread to her brain causing severe damage. Since last Wednesday night, she was battling... they induced her into a coma to stop the blood flow, they operated 3 times... Finally, they said there was nothing left that they could do... they found multiple clots in the left side of her brain... the swelling wouldn't stop, and she was on life support... She died at 4:30 yesterday. She leaves behind a husband, a 2yr old Brandon and a 4yr old Justin... The CAUSE of DEATH - they found was a birth control she was taking that allows you to only have your period 3 times a year... They said it interrupts life's menstrual cycle, and although it is FDA approved... shouldn't be - So to the women in my address book - I ask you to boycott this product & deal with your period once a month - so you can live the rest of the months that your life has in store for you. The name of this new birth control pill is LYBREL. If you go to Lybrel.com http://lybrel.com/, you will find at least 26 pages of information regarding this drug. The second birth control pill is, SEASONIQUE. If you go to the website of, Seasonique.com http://seasonique .com/, you will find 43 pages of information regarding this drug. The warnings and side effects regarding both pills are horrible

Baby Formula - Cup Training

Begin cup training when babies can hold their heads steady while sitting up usually at 6 to 7 months. Begin by holding the cup with your hands around the baby’s hands. Also, put only a small amount of liquid in the cup. To avoid spills, use a special cup that has a spout at the top and is weighted at the bottom. Continue to give most of the formula from the bottle or breast to make sure the baby gets enough. But give juice and some milk and water from a cup. By the end of the first year, the baby should be able to take most liquids from a cup. Some babies are ready to give up the bottle by 8 or 9 months, and others are not ready until 15 months. Watch for these signs: playing with the bottle, looking around while sucking, or not taking the bottle when given other foods. In weaning, offer milk for one feeding from a cup. If the baby does not finish, give the rest from a bottle. Continue offering milk from a cup when the baby is hungry. Many babies can be weaned completely when they are about a year old. Some will want a bottle at bedtime until they are 2 years old. Do not give babies a bottle every time they cry.