Wow im amazed how much they "earn"!

AFP - Monday, March 30 SINGAPORE (AFP) - - A Singapore-based church paid one of its leaders more than 500,000 dollars (329,000 US) in its last financial year, a report said Monday.


The New Creation Church, which raised 19 million Singapore dollars in just one day in February for the construction of its new premises, paid one employee between 500,001 and 550,000 dollars in the financial year ended March 31, 2008, the Straits Times said.

It said the church did not confirm if the money was paid to its leader, Senior Pastor Joseph Prince.

But New Creation's honorary secretary, Deacon Matthew Kang, was quoted by the newspaper as saying it was the church's policy to "recognise and reward key contributors... and Senior Pastor Prince is the main pillar of our church's growth and revenue."

Kang also described Prince as "the key man responsible for bringing in about 95 percent of our church's income," and added "he has enriched the church and not the other way around."

Two other employees of the church were paid between 150,001 and 200,000 dollars, but no names were given, the report said.

One of Singapore's fastest growing churches, New Creation had an income of 55.4 million dollars and net assets of 143.36 million dollars in its last financial year, according to its website.

Singapore is a predominantly ethnic Chinese society with deep Buddhist and Taoist traditions, but Christians here are known as devout and relatively affluent.

Wow, there is so much to do with this kind of money. NO wonder rich people who doesnt pay zakat will have to wait 500 years to go to Jannah.

Zakat is the 3rd pillar of Islam. That shows how important for muslims to give charity. ( charity means giving to the poor and needy and the orphans, in islam context).

One of the most important princles of islam is that ALL LIVING things belongs to Allah, and the wealth is held by human beings as safekeeping in this world.

Zakat means purification of wealth and growth. Setting aside a porportion of our earnings for the needy (The poor, The sick, the orphans) will encourage new growth of our earnings .( like working hard for a cause. )


This category of people is defined in surah at-Taubah: " The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise." (The Holy Qur'an 9:60).

The obligatory nature of Zakat is established in the Qur'an, the Sunnah (or hadith), and the consensus of the companions and the Muslim scholars. (means no objections or grey area on this). It is compulsory in other words.

Allah(swt) states in Surah at-Taubah verses 34-35: "34:O ye who believe! there are indeed many among the priests and anchorites, who in Falsehood devour the substance of men and hinder (them) from the way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah. Announce unto them a most grievous penalty- 35:On the Day when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, their flanks, and their backs.- "This is the (treasure) which ye buried for yourselves: taste ye, then, the (treasures) ye buried!" (The Holy Qur'an 9:34-35).



The prophet (pbuh) said: "Any owner of gold and silver who does not deliver from them their right, on the Day of Quiyamah (Day of Judgment), (the gold and silver) will be shaped as foils of fire. Then it will be heated in the fire of Hell; (and) then with it he will be ironed on his side, his forehead, and his back" (narrated by Muslim).

It is agreed between Muslims in all the centuries the obligatory nature of paying Zakat for gold and silver, and from those the other kinds of currency.

When is Zakat Due ?

1. Passage of One Lunar Year:
Zakat is obligatory after a time span of one lunar year passes with the money in the control of it's owner. Then the owner needs to pay 2.5% (or 1/40) of the money as Zakat. (A lunar year is approximately 355 days).

Based on the total assets and the income that the church has, it means $500k in zakat. Ah, that can really helps the poor. :)

2. Deduction of Debts:
The owner should deduct any amount of money he or she borrowed from others; then check if the rest reaches the necessary nisab, then pays Zakat for it.


ARE WE BLIND TO THEIR NEEDS?

The Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim. ' He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.'

The religious teachers(ustazes, ustazahs ) in Islam in Singapore are not well paid at all. They are taken granted for that they should be not been paid for the knowledge. HELLO! They are also human beings, they have families to feed.

Im unsure about other countries... If u have any insights on this, please share. :)

Switched off for earth hour 2009

My children were very excited last night. My Habibi lighted up the apartment within around 5 candles while we all switched off the lights.

My boy was so happy that he kept yelling, "SAVE the EARTH!".

It was a good experience and we discussed about how can we save electricity in the household. The electricity bill, runs up to $200 every month. I noticed our flat is so bright, with all lights in void decks and along the corridor. I joked about I will do my work at the void deck so i dont have to switch on the lights at home. haha.

Islam and environment conservation

In ISLAM, every act that is good in protecting our environment is done for sake for Allah.

The hadith shows the importance of every single tree in earth needs our care and protection:
"He who cuts a lote-tree (without justification), God will send him to Hellfire."
Al-Tirmidhi, # 5239

The lote-tree grows in the desert and it is very much needed in an area which has scarce vegetation. A well known Muslim theologian, Dr. Al-Qaradawi, is of the view that this Hadith provides us with the most vivid illustration in terms of protecting the natural resources and preserving the balance that exists between the diverse elements of nature in the environment.


The Prophet indeed encouraged people to work hard under all circumstances in maintenance of the earth’s natural heritage. He explained that people should plant and undertake all kinds of plantations.

This trend is particularly focused upon for those plants that bear fruit particularly a palm-tree seedling. So much is this emphasis that it is enjoined upon all Muslims, even if it is the Day of Judgment and that the world is coming to an end, they should still do it!

When Allah made us , He gave us the liberty to own and care over the earth. Why gives us the earth? Because we are created with intelligence, intellect and the ability to manage. “Greater indeed than the creation of man is the creation of the heavens and the earth” (Al-Ghaafir 40: 57).

Therefore, we should respect and protect the gifts from nature that Allah gave us.





Protecting Land

Protection of land finds many verses in support thereof by emphasizing that it must be kept clean and free from rubbish. It is reported by a famous Hadith that God likes cleanliness. Further, the Prophet is said to have warned Muslims not to throw refuse in public or near the fruit trees. The message that this Hadith sends is that cleanliness is something desirable, good and reflects an act of necessity towards the environment. As such it is submitted that if cleanliness is something good, then it should be reflected everywhere.

Islam has thus created a bond between faith and cleanliness, rendering the latter as a part of faith. The Prophet’s sayings on this point illustrate that solid waste of any kind must not pollute the grounds that produce food or which forms parts of the dwellings. It is obvious that cleaning such places means, in this context, the removal of material obstacles or solid waste which constitutes a kind of pollution in contemporary perspectives of this matter.

The prohibition in such Hadiths is thus intended to prevent pollution. The direct human polluting activity presently is manifestly to extend to indirect sources of pollution as well, such as through sewers. The natural pollutants of any given time conceptually extended to include the chemical pollutants or other activity which is connected, for instance, with industrial production. The language of another Hadith which prohibits the pollution of water may further be cited to support the thesis just articulated by me that, in a contemporary context, pollution of any kind is impermissible in Islam. It is mandated that a Muslim should keep the channels of drinking water clean. We know already those chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides which are detrimental to the health of humans, and we know that much of these chemicals reach the reservoirs of drinking water. Analogical reasoning will justify, therefore, from the perspective of the Shraiah, that such activity be also prohibited and not allowed to be undertaken. 



The Shariah aims at protecting the environment, and while the individual is asked to help in this respect, the ultimate responsibility is in the hands of the state. When Abu Musa was sent to Al-Basrah as the new governor, he addressed the people saying:
"I was sent to you by 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab in order to teach you the Book of your Lord [i.e. the Quran], the Sunnah of your prophet, and to clean your streets."
The function of the governor who represents the authority of the state, in the narration about Abu Musa, tends to establish that keeping the environment clean is amongst the responsibilities of the Administration. This position should be highlighted, because it obligates the governments, as much as the Muslims themselves, to keep their civic environments and amenities clean and free of pollution.



Preserving Water

The above analysis would have already stressed the significance of water for various human needs. It is God's will that all living beings on earth are dependent for their existence on water:
"…We made from water every living thing…" Quran, 21:30

Furthermore, there are many verses in the Quran that reflect the direct involvement of the Divine Will whenever it rains.

Following are typical of these verses from the Quran:
"And God sends down rain from the skies, and gives therewith life to the earth.” Quran:16:65

And again Quran mandates to Muslims: 

"…and He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to earth…" Quran: 30:24
Yet another instance of this philosophy this contained in this verse:

"And We send down from the sky rain charged with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and grain for harvests." Quran: 50:9


In addition to the protection of water from pollution, the Sunnah emphasized the proper use of water without wasting it. One more Hadith regarding the protection of water is related to the use of clean still water.

ARE WE WASTING TOO MUCH WATER IN ABLUTION?



The Prophet said: "No one should bathe in still water, when he is junub (impure)"

In a Hadith that reflects the future scene regarding the said issue, the Prophet said according to Abu Dawud:
"There will be a people amongst this Ummah who will transgress in their supplication and ablution."



It is obvious that the transgressing in wasting EVEN in ablution means the use of excessive amounts of water or it misuse even for a lavish purpose and objective is disallowed by Islam. This is contrary to the Islamic ethics of maintaining the healthy balance between NEED and Waste.

Quran frequently reminds us about how precious natural resources like water, air and land are and prohibits good Muslims from wastage:

“Say: Have you considered, if your water were one morning to have seeped away, who then could bring you clear-flowing water?” (Al-Mulk 67: 30)

Islam forbids extravagance in using water. It is related that the Prophet passed by his companion Sa’ad, who was performing his wudhu’ (ablutions), and said:

“What is this wastage, O Sa’ ad?”
“Is there wastage even in washing for prayer?” asked Sa’ d;
and he said, “Yes, even if you are by a flowing river!” – Ibn Majah

By thinking carefully about our water use in the home and changing some water-wasting habits, it is easy to save water. For example, turning the taps off when we brush our teeth or cutting down the amount of water when we perform our wudhu’ (ablutions) can save up to five litres a minute. Water is the world’s most precious resource, and in a country like Singapore where we do not even have an adequate supply of water for our own needs, saving it is more critical than ever. Not only can we help protect the environment, we save ourselves money in the process.

Another aspect of environmental protection is water pollution. As Muslims, we are prohibited from polluting water. In fact, Rasulullah S.A.W was so strict about this that he did not allow his followers to even bathe in standing water, what more pollute it with excrement and urine when they relieve themselves.

My Brief notes adapted from MUIS. Filed under Education and Environmentalism, Singapore

So in conclusion, Islam is a religion which gives rights to all creation of Allah.

SWITCH OFF THE ELECTRICITY TONIGHT

I am so excited about the Earth Hour. Singapore time, “830pm – 930pm”. Singapore has been doing its fair bit to keep our environment green. We also have quite a few recycling projects going on nationwide and internationally.
Masjid Al Falah is also participating. That is sooo cool!

Appeal to all mosques in Singapore, participate in EARTH HOUR 2009.

IF YOUR ORGANISATION MISS THIS YEAR, EARTH HOUR..DONT FORGET THE NEXT YEAR, NEXT YEAR AND NEXT YEAR!


Organizations which are participating in Earth Hour
Government Agencies:
1.) NParks
2.) South West CDC
3.) North East CDC
4.) Central CDC
5.) South East CDC
6.) North West CDC
7.) Singapore Tourism Board
8.) National Museum of Singapore
9.) Ministry of Foreign Affairs
10.) Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau
11.) Ministry Of Manpower
12.) SPRING
13.) Central Police Division HQ
14.) Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
15.) National Arts Council
16.) Central Provident Fund Board
17.) Subordinate Courts
18.) Supreme Court
19.) Australian High Commission
20.) Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts

Educational Institutions:
1.) National University of Singapore
2.) Nanyang Technological University
3.) Singapore Management University
4.) Singapore Institute of Management
5.) Nanyang Polytechnic
6.) Ngee Ann Polytechnic
7.) Republic Polytechnic
8.) Singapore Polytechnic
9.) Temasek Polytechnic
10.) Tanglin Trust School
11.) INSEAD Singapore
12.) Hollandse School
13.) Woodgrove Secondary
14.) San Lorenzo Montessori
15.) Regent Secondary School
16.) St.Hilda's Secondary School
17.) Lien Centre, SMU
18.) National Institute of Education
19.) Guangyang Secondary School
20.) International School Singapore
21.) Australian International School Singapore
22.) German European School Singapore
23.) Overseas Family School
24.) Singapore American School
25.) United World College South East Asia
26.) LASALLE College of the Arts
27.) East View Secondary School
28.) Chung Cheng High School- Yishun
29.) Hwa Chong Institution
30.) NorthLight School
31.) Chai Chee Secondary School
32.) Willow Nursery
33.) Jamiyah Business School
34.) Canberra Primary School
35.) Chinese International School
36.) Canadian International School (Singapore)
37.) Lycee Francais de Singapour (LFS)
38.) 3dsense Media School
39.) East Spring Primary School
40.) Petrofac Training Pte Ltd
41.) Shuqun Primary School
42.) Greenridge Primary School
43.) Just Kids @ Jurong Pte Ltd
44.) Lewin Education Centre
45.) Loyang Primary School
46.) SJI International School
47.) United World College of S.E.A
48.) East Spring Primary School
49.) Sruthi Laya School of Fine Arts
50.) Nanyang Girls' High School
51.) Just Kids @ Marine Parade Pte Ltd
52.) Just Kids @ Taman Jurong Pte Ltd
53.) Broadrick Secondary School
54.) Auston Institute of Management and Technology
55.) Singapore Chinese Girls' School
56.) Pierce Secondary School
57.) Chatsworth International School
58.) CHIJ Primary School (Toa Payoh)
59.) Orchid Park Secondary School
60.) Shuqun Primary School
61.) St Joseph's Institution

Hotels:
1.) Meritus Hotels & Resorts
2.) Four Seasons Hotel
3.) Fairmont Singapore
4.) Grand Hyatt Singapore
5.) Ritz Carlton
6.) Holiday Inn Park View
7.) Hotel Grand Central
8.) St. Regis
9.) Goodwood Park Hotel
10.) Treasure Resort Sentosa
11.) Rasa Sentosa Resort
12.) Concorde Hotel
13.) Traders Hotel
14.) Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore
15.) Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel
16.) Paramount Hotel
17.) Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore
18.) ibis Singapore on Bencoolen
19.) Berjaya Hotel
20.) The Regent Singapore
21.) Excelsior Hotel
22.) Royal Plaza on Scotts
23.) Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore
24.) Singapore Marriott Hotel
25.) Inter Continental Singapore
26.) Bayview Hotel Singapore
27.) Sheraton Towers Singapore
28.) Hotel Miramar (S) Ltd
29.) Conrad Centennial
30.) Rendezvous Hotel Singapore
31.) Shangri-la Hotel
32.) Naumi Hotel
33.) The Scarlet Hotel
34.) Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
35.) Hilton Singapore
36.) Parkroyal on Kitchener Road
37.) Parkroyal on Beach Road Singapore
38.) Pan Pacific Singapore
39.) Pan Pacific Orchard
40.) Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Singapore
41.) Parkroyal Serviced Residences, Singapore
42.) M Hotel
43.) Grand Copthorne Waterfront
44.) Orchard Hotel
45.) Copthorne Kings Hotel
46.) Copthorne Orchid Hotel
47.) Sedona Hotels International
48.) York Hotel
49.) Hotel Re! Pte Ltd
50.) Fraser Place, Robertson Walk, Singapore
51.) Fraser Suites, River Valley, Singapore
52.) Amara Hotels & Resorts
53.) Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
54.) Gallery Hotel
55.) Peninsula.Excelsior Hotels
56.) Swissôtel The Stamford
57.) Hangout Hotels

Companies:
1.) SingTel
2.) Microsoft
3.) Leo Burnett
4.) Weber Shandwick
5.) Starcom
6.) Canon Singapore
7.) Antalis (Singapore) Pte Ltd
8.) The Body Shop
9.) Electrolux
10.) CapitaLand
11.) Ricoh Asia Pacific
12.) Golden Village
14.) Gallery 2902
15.) KPMG
16.) Nokia
17.) Recyclo fashion
18.) Zouk
19.) Arkadin
20.) Jebsen & Jessen
21.) Raffles Quay Asset Management
22.) AETN Asia
23.) National Geographic
24.) City Developments Limited
25.) Taste Singapore
26.) Breathe Singapore
27.) Bank of China
28.) Sharp Electronics Singapore
29.) Pontiac Land Pte Ltd
30.) Colliers International (Singapore)
31.) Coca-Cola Singapore
32.) UOB
33.) CBRE
34.) Wheelock Properties
35.) Guocoland
36.) Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
37.) Profitable Group
38.) Fashionation Singapore
39.) Green Future Solutions
40.) DHL
41.) Unilever Asia Private Limited
42.) Keppel Offshore & Marine
43.) Hitachi Global Storage
44.) Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre
45.) Asian Geographic Magazine
46.) Miss Earth Singapore
47.) One15 Marina Club
48.) Simon Chrisandra Associates
49.) Green Cleaners
50.) Wotif.com
51.) SMRT Corporation Ltd.
52.) Eco Leadership
53.) Charles & Keith (Singapore) Pte Ltd
54.) Nestle Singapore Pte. Ltd.
55.) Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants
56.) Philip Securities Pte. Ltd.
57.) Music Television (MTV) Singapore
58.) Discovery Channel
59.) BP Singapore
60.) IndoChine Group Pte. Ltd
61.) Golden Flower Group
62.) Dick Lee Chuosenko (S) Pte. Ltd.
63.) Lend Lease Asia
64.) Diane Fay Private Limited
65.) Class 95FM
66.) Intrillion Pte. Ltd.
67.) Datacraft Asia Pte Ltd
68.) Bird Electronic Limited
69.) Eastern Law Corporation
70.) ISK Singapore
71.) Firmenich Asia Pte. Ltd.
72.) Sumitomo Bakelite Singapore Pte Ltd
73.) Jising International Pte Ltd
74.) ORIGIN Exterminators Pte Ltd
75.) Prosafe Production Services Pte Ltd
76.) NEC Asia
77.) Ecosystem Solution Pte Ltd
78.) Cerebos Pacific Limited
79.) Rabobank
80.) Bank Sarasin-Rabo (Asia) Limited
81.) Sustainability Institute
82.) VIOLED International Pte Ltd
83.) MediaCorp Pte Ltd
84.) SIMPLY HADDAD
85.) Deutsche Bank AG
86.) Maybank Singapore
87.) Hong Leong Group Singapore
88.) Starhill Global Reit (Wisma Atria)
89.) Servcorp
90.) Millenia Private Limited
91.) Eighteen Chefs Pte Ltd
92.) SustainPLUS
93.) Sparch (Singapore) Pte Ltd
94.) Liberal Dreamz LLP
95.) Datacraft Singapore
96.) Training Partners Pte Ltd (Singapore)
97.) Little Part 1 Cafe
98.) Esmond Lim & Partners
99.) TANGS
100.) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
101.) Bain & Company SE Asia
102.) Diamond Energy Pte Ltd
103.) Pierpoint Pte Ltd
104.) American Power Conversion
105.) Papylon Enterprise
106.) SM Motors Pte Ltd
107.) SAP Asia Pte Ltd
108.) Phi's Addiction LLP
109.) General Electric
110.) Crazyhours KTV Pub
111.) Electronic Synergies (S) Pte. Ltd.
112.) Standard Chartered Bank
113.) Alexis Links - OPI Singapore
114.) Philips Electronics Singapore
115.) Surbana Corporation Pte. Ltd.
116.) Carl's Jr Singapore
117.) NEC Semiconductors Singapore Pte Ltd
118.) IKEA Alexandra
119.) V-KOOL International Pte Ltd
120.) WorleyParsons Pte Limited
121.) Anewtech Systems Pte Ltd
122.) Home Studio Pte Ltd
123.) Law Alliance Consultancy Services Pte Ltd
124.) Panasonic Asia Pacific
125.) Hong Leong Holdings
126.) Millennium & Copthorne International Limited
127.) Hong Leong Finance
128.) studiospace
129.) Kellogg Brown and Root Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
130.) Tech Support Singapore Pte Ltd
131.) Media Monitors Pte Ltd
132.) thepixelage Pte Ltd
133.) MSIG Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
134.) ICE3 Cafe (Ice Cube) Serangoon Gardens
135.) ICE3 Cafe ( Ice Cube) Upper Thomson
136.) National Healthcare Group Polyclinics - Headquarter
137.) Ristorante De Parma
138.) Green Koncepts Pte Ltd
139.) Gaia Discovery
140.) NCH Technologies (S) Pte Ltd
141.) Aker Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
142.) Polycom Asia Pacific
143.) PerkinElmer Singapore Pte. Ltd.
144.) DBS Bank
145.) Hitachi Chemical Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd
146.) Path Consulting Pte Ltd
147.) Asatsu-DK Singapore Pte Ltd
148.) NEC Electronics Singapore
149.) Sing Yue Technologies LLP
150.) Mercer Singapore
151.) Tecpro Systems (S) Pte Ltd
152.) Radio1003
153.) SATO INTERNATIONAL PTD.LTD
154.) Sentosa Leisure Group
155.) Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte) Ltd
156.) Clifford Chance - Singapore
157.) Continental Automotive Singapore Pte Ltd
158.) Symantec Corporation
159.) Medtronic International Ltd - ASEAN
160.) Schneider Electric South East Asia
161.) Schneider Electric Singapore Pte Ltd
162.) Tracy Juice Culture
163.) ST Engineering
164.) Azione Capital Pte Ltd
165.) Budget Cleaning & Housekeeping Svcs
166.) Arty Art Gallery LLP
167.) Systems On Silicon Mfg Co Pte Ltd
168.) BlueScope Lysaght (S) Pte Ltd
169.) Hitachi Capital Singapore Pte Ltd
170.) Procter & Gamble
171.) Blumm Pte Ltd
172.) Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd
173.) Alpha Biofuels
174.) Sato International Pte.Ltd.
175.) Toshiba Singapore Pte. Ltd.
176.) Seatech Solutions International Pvt Ltd
177.) Shell Singapore
178.) MGPA
179.) Truly wellness
180.) Rohde & Schwarz Singapore
181.) Kencana Logistics Pte Ltd
182.) Qing Jian Realty Pte Ltd
183.) TalkBack Solutions
184.) Atlantic Search Services Pte Ltd
185.) Maka GPS Technologies Pte. Ltd.
186.) StarHub Ltd
187.) Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company
188.) Suntec City Development Pte Ltd
189.) The Fullerton Heritage
190.) IKEA Tampines
191.) Cathay Organisation Holdings Ltd
192.) Voxel Dot Net
193.) DP Architects Pte Ltd
194.) wartsila singapore pte ltd
195.) TES-AMM Singapore Pte Ltd
196.) PowerSeraya Ltd
197.) Tanker Pacific Management
198.) SPE Networks - Asia Pte Ltd
199.) Yum.sg
200.) Fables Consulting LLP
201.) corporate health initiative pte ltd
202.) Julien Bompard Pte Ltd
203.) LINE Consulting - Singapore
204.) Uan World
205.) ST Synthesis Pte Ltd
206.) F&N Coca-Cola (Singapore) Pte Ltd
207.) Bloomberg L. P.
208.) Allianz SE Reinsurance Branch Asia Pacific
209.) WOHA Designs Pte Ltd
210.) Anemoni Pte Ltd
211.) Angel Capital Investments Pte Ltd
212.) PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd
213.) Mareet pte Ltd
214.) People Like Us Cafe
215.) Xpand Group Singapore
216.) Ace Search Pte Ltd
217.) GAC (Singapore) Pte Ltd
218.) Manulife Singapore Pte Ltd
219.) AMD (Singapore) Pte Ltd
220.) Stolt-Nielsen
221.) Gajah Gallery
222.) Keppel Integrated Engineering
223.) Keppel Seghers Engineering (S) Pte. Ltd.
224.) Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-to-Energy Plant Pte. Ltd.
225.) Keppel Seghers NEWater Development Co. Pte. Ltd.
226.) Keppel Environmental Technology Centre Pte. Ltd.
227.) Keppel FMO Pte. Ltd.
228.) Keppel Sea Scan Pte. Ltd.
229.) Alexandra Hospital
230.) KK Women's & Children's Hospital
231.) Institute of Mental Health
232.) Improtech Pte Ltd
233.) ADLOT
234.) Expr3ss Singapore Pte Ltd
235.) ExtraOrdinary Weddings
236.) Holcim (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
237.) TeddyThotz 'n' OneKind
238.) eBiz Marketing
239.) Venture Quest Consultancy
240.) VideoLane Pte Ltd
241.) STA Travel
242.) THEWEDDING.SG
243.) EDAW Singapore Pte Ltd
244.) The Executive Centre
245.) Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific
246.) LANXESS Pte Ltd
247.) Green Cartridge Pte Ltd
248.) Value Marques Pte Ltd
249.) DSCO Group
250.) Howorks
251.) PBA (S) PTE LTD
252.) O2Plants
253.) Nitto Denko (Singapore) Pte Ltd
254.) Global Slipstream
255.) Accenture Singapore G1-CCM Project Team
256.) Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Ltd.
257.) Keppel Energy Pte. Ltd.
258.) Eversheds, Singapore
259.) Le'Natural LLP
260.) Tyco Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd
261.) LSP Consultants Pte Ltd
262.) Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd
263.) Jardine OneSolution(2001) Pte Ltd
264.) Mitsubishi Electric Asia Pte Ltd
265.) AIG Singapore
266.) NOMURA
267.) NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd
268.) TBWA\TEQUILA\ Singapore
269.) Asiastar Technologies Pte Ltd
270.) Keppel Land Limited
271.) EMAS OFFSHORE SERVICES PTE LTD
272.) Savu Properties Pte Ltd
273.) Colin Ng & Partners LLP
274.) Poole Associates
275.) Global Sounds Cafe
276.) Resonance Consultancy
277.) Ret Dot Traffic
278.) Lum Chang Holdings
279.) Savu Investments Pte Ltd
280.) Keppel Corporation
281.) Fitness First
282.) eXposure Events Management LLP
283.) Hekla Consulting
284.) Forest Group Pte Ltd
285.) VivoCity Pte Ltd as Trustee of VivoCity Trust
286.) Swensen's
287.) Spiragram
288.) Caelan & Sage
289.) Right Impact Training
290.) Thinking Designs
291.) High Events
292.) Borneo Motors (Singapore) Pte Ltd
293.) Singapore Technogies Engineering
294.) J.CO Donuts & Coffee
295.) KPMG Singapore
296.) Camfil Farr Singapore Pte Ltd
297.) PLUCK LLP
298.) Herbal Pharm Pte Ltd
299.) Crumpler Stores Pte Ltd
300.) FedEx Express
301.) The Pump Room Pte Ltd
302.) Next Door Cafe
303.) BTechSolutions Pte Ltd
304.) Faithful+Gould Singapore
305.) JobsDB Singapore Pte Ltd
306.) Golf Parivaar
307.) Timken Singapore
308.) 2am: dessertbar
309.) Laguna National Golf and Country Club
310.) Discovery Asia Inc
311.) Tandus Asia Pte Ltd

Buildings and Monuments
1.) One Raffles Quay
2.) Pickering Operations Complex - Singtel
3.) Esplanade Theatres
4.) Art House
5.) NTUC (One Marina Blvd)
6.) Merlion
7.) The Arcade
8.) One Raffles Link
9.) Citilink Mall
10.) Tung Centre
11.) UOB Plaza 1 & 2
12.) Bank of China building
13.) Wheelock Place
14.) Capital Tower
15.) Golden Shoe Carpark
16.) The Atrium@Orchard
17.) Capital Tower
18.) Bukit Panjang Plaza
20.) Bugis Junction
21.) Clarke Quay
22.) Funan DigitaLife Mall
23.) IMM
24.) Junction 8
25.) Jurong Entertainment Centre
26.) Lot One Shoppers' Mall
27.) Plaza Singapura
28.) Sembawang Shopping Centre
29.) Raffles City Shopping Centre
30.) Tampines Mall
31.) 6 Battery Road
32.) 1 George Street
33.) Raffles City Singapore
34.) Robinson Point
35.) Starhub Centre
36.) Bugis Village
37.) Wilkie Edge
38.) Fuji Xerox Towers
39.) Republic Plaza
40.) City House
41.) GB Building
42.) The Corporate Office
43.) Central Mall (Office)
44.) Palais Renaissance
45.) Plaza By The Park
46.) King's Centre
47.) New Tech Park
48.) Somerset Bencoolen
49.) Somerset Compass
50.) Somerset Grand Cairnhill
51.) Somerset Liang Court
52.) Somerset Orchard
53.) Ascott Singapore Raffles Place
54.) Citadines Mount Sophia
55.) Blue Horizon Condominium
56.) Singapore Flyer
57.) Market Street Car Park
58.) Wisma Atria
59.) Maybank Tower
60.) Camden Medical Centre
61.) Millenia Tower
62.) Centennial Tower
63.) Millenia Walk
64.) Paragon Shopping Centre
65.) Hong Leong Building
66.) 80 Robinson Road
67.) 76 Shenton Way
68.) Marina House
69.) Prime Centre
70.) Premier Centre
71.) Geylang Centre
72.) Anson Centre
73.) One Fullerton
74.) Marina Square
75.) Bullion Park Condominium
76.) DBS China Square Ltd
77.) DBS Building Tower One
78.) Lend Lease Retail - Parkway Parade
79.) Lend Lease Retail - PoMo
80.) Suntec City Mall
81.) One Fullerton
82.) The Cathay
83.) Cineleisure Orchard
84.) The Boulevard Residence
85.) Peranakan Museum
86.) The Ascott Centre for Excellence (ACE)
87.) CapitaLand Institute of Management and Business (CLIMB)
88.) Frasers Centrepoint Malls
89.) Anchorpoint Shopping Centre
90.) Compass Point
91.) The Centrepoint
92.) Northpoint Shopping Centre
93.) Causeway Point Shopping Centre
94.) Subordinate Courts
95.) Chevron House
96.) Hitachi Tower
97.) Supreme Court
98.) MICA Building
99.) VivoCity
100.) GREAT WORLD CITY
101.) Lau Pa Sat Food Centre

NGOs and Associations:
1.) Singapore Hotel Association
2.) American Association of Singapore
3.) Association of Banks in Singapore
4.) French Chamber of Commerce
5.) Singapore Scouts Association
6.) Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore)
7.) Marine Parade CC YEC Astronomical Society
8.) Environmental Management Association of Singapore (EMAS)
9.) Singapore International Foundation
10.) Singapore Compact
11.) Evangel Family Church
12.) Singapore Environment Council
13.) Nature Society (Singapore)
14.) Nature Photographic Society, Singapore
15.) Singapore Institute of International Affairs
16.) Temasek Secondary School Alumni
17.) St Hilda's School Alumni
18.) Bizlink Centre Singapore Ltd
19.) AIESEC, NTU
20.) Potong Pasir Community Club Youth Group
21.) AIESEC, Singapore
22.) Singapore Polo Club
23.) Singapore Paddle Club
24.) Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition
25.) AIESEC SMU
26.) Rotary Club International 3860
27.) Ananda Marga Yoga Society of Singapore
28.) Masjid Al-Falah
29.) North View Youth Flying Club

Is our Iman ( faith ) strong to go to Paradise ?

Is our iman ( faith ) strong in this 21st century?

I feel ashamed when I saw this video. Sigh. I pray to Allah to guide us...

Did we make a mistake in the way we preach?

Most time, preaching from the muslims do not approach using love but through threats.

" If u do this wrong, u will get punishment from hell". "ok so what" that will be the reply.

We cant convince ppl like that. In this world, we are tempted by many temptations, many will prefer to believe what they see rather than the unseen.

One of the articles of faith: A believer is to believe in the angels. We cant see angels, cos they belong to the unseen. Unless u r the chosen one that Allah will reveal it to u. :)

Thats why in other religions, if there is an event, there will BE thousands of ppl in churches or temples.. but seldom we can see thousands in mosques. :(

There is methodology of preaching in islam. The concept of love in preaching originates from islam. :) if you r going into the research of sunnah and hadiths of how Prophet Muhammad (pubh) , u will find methodology in preaching, they are yet being to put into practice.

We have to admit even the scholars are now starting to research in the methodology, this is a pressing issue in every scholar's Dawah efforts. Better to be late than sorry. :) Every muslim should possess great skills in dawah like what our early muslims did. (PROOF: 1.5BILLON muslims in the world)

Alhamduillah.

We cant use hard approaches, it wont work on ppl now. We use love and patience. :) Islam also taught us how we should love animals and plants, so we should even love our brothers and sisters MORE for the sake of Allah.

If you know islam, u will know its the religion for all creatures. It's a beautiful religion, better than anything in the world. :)

ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE, LOVE AND MERCY.

Do you know the Quran?

That is a silly question, isnt it?

When I 1st read the transliteration of The Holy Quran, 6 years ago. I went like this, " har, what is this? Looks so difficult! ", "maybe I just read a few pages and see how".

Well, i did read it. 1st thought I have, hey that sounded like the ROMEO AND JULIET textbook I read when I was in secondary school. Ok I took literature so it should be easy for me. :P



Al fatihah is the 1st surah.

OK SKIP THAT.

NEXT PAGE.....

NEXT PAGE...

NEXT PAGE....

oK I should start reading HER WORLD magazine.



That is what happened to me.

Koran was in my bookshelf and hidden among the books until 2 years back I start reading the Quran again.

The Quran itself is already a miracle. Why did I say that? It is because every time I read the same surah over 3 different occasions, I gain new insights! Amazing what this little book can do! I wonder if I can master the arabic language then ah har, I can recite without problem with understanding!

Quran in plain english text means RECITE, UNDERSTAND AND APPLY.

Everyday, when we do our five prayers, did we make the effort to understand every word we utter or did we understand the meaning of each verse?

Some muslims share that even they pray 5 times a day, they dont gain peace.

But with understanding every letter we utter, we can feel what Allah is saying to us.

Come on, Allah is talking to us with the Quran. Isnt that a sweet thing to recite the Quran?

Yawns....sleepy me

Its coming to midnight..my habibi still hasnt come back. He was caught up with work. ugh.

Me so sleepy but cant sleep. So here I am..Reading some muslimahs' blogs. Alhaduillah, chanced upon a few good blogs. :)

Ok, I heard door knob turns... yawn.

Multi-level marketing: Is it ok or not?

There is a lot of different MLM companies ranging from USA to Malaysia in Singapore, there is a growing trend of mlm products (skincare, supplements, cosmestics, u name it they have it) in times of recessions like now..

I was also involved in mlm due to my ignorance but alhamdiullah, it wasnt successful. I supposed the intention of doing mlm is to earn extra income.



Even some ustaz and ustazahs are involved in mlm. So I went "researching" on it..here what I found.

The type of business based upon a pyramid scheme – or “multi-level marketing” as it is often called – is unlawful. The real objective of such a business is to obtain the commissions earned from introducing new members to the company and not to earn profits from the sale of the products themselves. At a time when the commissions may reach into the tens of thousands of dollars, the revenue collected from the sale of the products might only be a few hundred. Any person of sense who is given a choice in such a scheme will obviously go for the commission.

This is the reason why companies of this kind, when promoting themselves, depend so heavily on showing the large volume of substantial commissions that they are giving out. They attract customers by the promise of large returns against the payment of a relatively modest initial sum that is often represented as the “price of the product”. The product this company is marketing, however, is merely a pretext to obtain commissions and to profit from those commissions.



With this being the true nature of the business, the Islamic ruling on it is that it is unlawful. The reasons for it being unlawful are as follows.

1. It entails the two kinds of unlawful interest:

a. Ribâ al-fadl: the interest resulting from an exchange of like for like in an unequal manner

b. Ribâ al-nasî’ah: the interest that is paid in lieu of credit.

The subscriber is paying a smaller sum at present in order to obtain a much larger sum of money at a later time in exchange for it. This is essentially an exchange of one sum of money for another sum of money of a greater value with a time delay. This is unlawful interest, as stated clearly by the sacred texts and agreed upon by consensus.

The product that is sold by the company is only a pretext for the real exchange that is going on. It is not intended in and of itself, and thus does not have any affect on the ruling.

2. It entails an unlawful degree of transactional uncertainty (gharar)

This uncertainty results from the subscriber not knowing whether or not he can obtain the required number of new subscriber to obtain his commission.

This pyramid scheme, no matter how long it lasts, will eventually come to an end. The subscriber is going into this pyramid scheme not knowing where he ranks in it; whether he will be in one of the higher tiers that will receive large profits or in one the lower tiers that will lose out.

As a matter of fact, the majority of the subscribers will be losers and only a minority will profit. Thus, loss in such schemes predominates, and this is the nature of transactional uncertainty. Here is a case where there is uncertainty between two outcomes, the most likely of them being the worst.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade transactional uncertainty, as related by Abû Hurayrah who said: “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade business transactions determined by the throw of a stone and business transactions involving uncertainty.” [Sahîh Muslim (1513)]

3. It entails taking the money of others falsely.

It is essentially only the company that profits along with those who persuade others by way of deception to hand over their money to the company.

Allah says: “O you who believe! Do not devour your wealth among yourselves falsely.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 29]

4. It entails deception and fraud.

The company deceives people by misrepresenting its product as its business, when the sale of the product is not its true goal. It also engages in deception by holding out the promise of substantial commissions to would-be subscribers, when such large commissions are for most subscribers not possible to achieve. This is unlawful deception.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “He who cheats us is not one of us.” [Sahîh Muslim (101)]


This business arrangement cannot rightly be described as a brokerage agreement.

A broker receives a commission for the sale of a real product, while there is no real product being sold here. In fact, the subscriber in a multi-level marketing scheme is actually paying for the right to market the product.

Also, with a real brokerage contract, the purpose behind it is actually to sell the product, whereas in multi-level marketing, the purpose is to sell memberships and not the product itself. This is why a subscriber strives to market to others the right to market to others, so that they can in turn market to others the right to market to others ad infinitum.

In a brokerage agreement, by contrast, the broker is out to get the product sold to someone who actually wants to purchase it.

These commissions, likewise, cannot be described as gifts or bonuses

Even if we were to classify these commissions as gifts, Islamic Law would view them as unlawful gifts. Not all gifts are permitted by Islamic Law. For instance, the gift from a debtor to his creditor is considered usury.



This is why `Abd Allah b. Salâm, the eminent Companion, said to Abû Bardah: “You are in a land where the practice of interest is rife. Therefore, it someone is in debt to you and gives you a gift – say, a bail of straw, a load of barley, or a pile of feed – then that is interest.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (3814)]

A gift takes the ruling of the purpose behind it. For this reason, when a Zakâh collector came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: “This is for you and this is what was given to me as a gift.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded to this by saying: “Had you been sitting at home with your mother and father, would he have come to you and given you that gift?” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2597) and Sahîh Muslim (1832)]

The commissions given by the company in a pyramid scheme are given only on the basis of membership. Therefore, no matter what name we choose to give it, it will not affect what it actually is or the legal ruling that it takes.


The Permanent Committee in Saudi Arabia for Research and Fatwâ

Chairman:

Sheikh `Abd al-`Azîz Âl al-Sheikh

Thanks to Nasibriyanilounge.com

I have received an awesome gift from Nasibriyanilounge.com as I was ranked the 4th in the lounge. haha. Mashallah.

Basically i wish to thank them for giving opportunities for muslims community to pose and ask questions there.

Inshallah, the community will continue to do dawah to others.