An old man woke up early in order to pray the Fajr prayer in the masjid. He got dressed, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid. On his way to the masjid, the man fell and his clothes got dirty. He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, made his ablution, and was, again, on his way to the masjid.
On his way to the masjid, he fell again and at the same spot! He, again, got up, brushed himslef off and headed home. At home he, once again, changed his clothes, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid.
On his way to the masjid, he met a man holding a lamp. He asked the man of his identity and the man replied "I saw you fall twice on your way to the masjid, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way." The first man thanked him and the two were on their way to the masjid.
Once at the masjid, the first man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused. The first man asked him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same. The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray. The man replied "I am Satan." The man was shocked at this reply. Shaitan went on to explain,
"I saw you on your way to the masjid and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the masjid, Allah forgave all of your sins. I made you fall a second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to the masjid. Because of that, Allah forgave all the sins of the people of your household. I was afraid if i made you fall one more time, then Allah will forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached the masjid safely."
So do not let Satan benefit from his actions. Do not put off a good that you intended to do as you never know how much reward you might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good. If forwarding this message will bother you, or take too much time from you, then don't do imagine, that when you forward this, you receive 240 good deeds (and Allah knows best!),and so will I for sending it to you! Wouldn't it be easy just to press "Forward" and receive this reward?
Please try to circulate this message to your friends /colleagues & family members for the sake of Allah.
Showing posts with label man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label man. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" is an English term used to describe Native American spiritual figures; such individuals are often viewed by scholars concerned with these matters as being analogous to shamans. The term "medicine man" suffers from being a term applied to a central figure in Native American community life by people of a radically different culture, a culture whose members might easily conceive the Native American practices to be antithetical to their own deeply held religious beliefs.
The 1954 version of Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, reflects the poorly grounded perceptions of the people whose use of the term effectively defined it for the people of that time: "a man supposed to have supernatural powers of curing disease and controlling spirits." The definition insinuates that the so-called "medicine men" falsely claim to have the power to cure disease, and falsely claim that their supposed powers have a supernatural basis. In effect, such definitions were not explanations of what these "medicine men" were to their own communities, but instead reported on the consensus of socially and psychologically remote observers when they tried to categorize these individuals. The term "medicine man," like the term Shaman, has been criticized by Native Americans, and various specialists in the fields of religion and anthropology. Role in Native SocietyThe primary function of these "medicine men" (who are not always male) is to secure the help of the spirit world, including the Great Spirit (Wakan Tanka in the language of the Lakota Sioux), for the benefit of the community.
Sometimes the help sought can be for the sake of healing disease, sometimes it can be for the sake of healing the psyche, sometimes the goal is to promote harmony between human groups or between humans and nature. So the term "medicine man" is not entirely inappropriate, but it greatly oversimplifies and also skews the depiction of the people whose role in society complements that of the chief. These people are not the Native American equivalent of the Chinese "barefoot doctors", herbalists, or of the emergency medical technicians who ride our rescue vehicles.
To be recognized as the one who performs this function of bridging between the natural world and the spiritual world for the benefit of the community, an individual must be validated in his role by that community. One who carries an I.D. which says "Medicine Man" does not qualify in this instance. Neither does one who receives a "vision" from a long dead Native American whose language the receiver neither speaks nor understands. On the contrary, most medicine men and women study their art either through a medicine society such as the Navajo Blessingway, or the Ani-Stohini/Unami Morning Song Way or apprentice themselves to a teacher for twenty-35 years or both.[citation needed]
One of the best sources of information on this subject is the story of a Lakota (Sioux) wicasa wakan ("spirit man") named John Fire Lame Deer, recorded with his cooperation in a book called Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, by Richard Erdoes. On a broader scale, Mircea Eliade's Shamanism puts the whole area of religious experience and practice into a broad historical and ethnographic context.
"Medicine man" is an English term used to describe Native American spiritual figures; such individuals are often viewed by scholars concerned with these matters as being analogous to shamans. The term "medicine man" suffers from being a term applied to a central figure in Native American community life by people of a radically different culture, a culture whose members might easily conceive the Native American practices to be antithetical to their own deeply held religious beliefs.
The 1954 version of Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, reflects the poorly grounded perceptions of the people whose use of the term effectively defined it for the people of that time: "a man supposed to have supernatural powers of curing disease and controlling spirits." The definition insinuates that the so-called "medicine men" falsely claim to have the power to cure disease, and falsely claim that their supposed powers have a supernatural basis. In effect, such definitions were not explanations of what these "medicine men" were to their own communities, but instead reported on the consensus of socially and psychologically remote observers when they tried to categorize these individuals. The term "medicine man," like the term Shaman, has been criticized by Native Americans, and various specialists in the fields of religion and anthropology. Role in Native SocietyThe primary function of these "medicine men" (who are not always male) is to secure the help of the spirit world, including the Great Spirit (Wakan Tanka in the language of the Lakota Sioux), for the benefit of the community.
Sometimes the help sought can be for the sake of healing disease, sometimes it can be for the sake of healing the psyche, sometimes the goal is to promote harmony between human groups or between humans and nature. So the term "medicine man" is not entirely inappropriate, but it greatly oversimplifies and also skews the depiction of the people whose role in society complements that of the chief. These people are not the Native American equivalent of the Chinese "barefoot doctors", herbalists, or of the emergency medical technicians who ride our rescue vehicles.
To be recognized as the one who performs this function of bridging between the natural world and the spiritual world for the benefit of the community, an individual must be validated in his role by that community. One who carries an I.D. which says "Medicine Man" does not qualify in this instance. Neither does one who receives a "vision" from a long dead Native American whose language the receiver neither speaks nor understands. On the contrary, most medicine men and women study their art either through a medicine society such as the Navajo Blessingway, or the Ani-Stohini/Unami Morning Song Way or apprentice themselves to a teacher for twenty-35 years or both.[citation needed]
One of the best sources of information on this subject is the story of a Lakota (Sioux) wicasa wakan ("spirit man") named John Fire Lame Deer, recorded with his cooperation in a book called Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, by Richard Erdoes. On a broader scale, Mircea Eliade's Shamanism puts the whole area of religious experience and practice into a broad historical and ethnographic context.
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