Ma Malakat Aymanukum

Reading the Quran, one will definitely come by this particular word which is normally translated into "What your right hand owned" or "What your oath possessed "

This is an attempt to compile the occurrence in the Quran to find out which group of people that this word really refer too.

Ma - ussually translated to "What"

Malakat - 3rd person feminine single perfect verb(in English equivalent to past or present tense) - Meaning " Own or Owned"

Yamin(plural Ayman) - meaning right hand or oath

Roughly my understanding of the word is a women who is owned by somebody

Following is the occurrence in the Quran:

The Prophet’s Ma Malakat Aymanukum(MMA)

33:50 O Prophet, We have made lawful for thee thy wives whom thou hast given their wages and what thy right hand owns from what spoils of war that God has given thee, and the daughters of thy uncles paternal and aunts paternal, thy uncles maternal and aunts maternal, who have emigrated with thee, and any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for thee exclusively, apart from the believers -- We know what We have imposed upon them touching their wives and what their right hands own -- that there may be no fault in thee; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

· The Prophet’s MMA is from the spoils of war

· The Prophet needs to give wage to MMA for her to be lawfull(in marriage )

· Law that have been imposed regarding wives and MMA is from God

33:52 Thereafter women are not lawful to thee, neither for thee to take other wives in exchange for them, though their beauty please thee, except what thy right hand owns; God is watchful over everything.

· Prophet’s MMA can be exchanged with other MMA[?]

Marrying malakat aymanukum(MMA)

4:3 If you fear that you will not act justly towards the orphans, marry such women as seem good to you, two, three, four; but if you fear you will not be equitable, then only one, or what your right hands own; so it is likelier you will not be partial.

· MMA can be married

4:24 and wedded women, save what your right hands own. So God prescribes for you. Lawful for you, beyond all that, is that you may seek, using your wealth, in wedlock and not in licence. Such wives as you enjoy thereby, give them their wages apportionate; it is no fault in you in your agreeing together, after the due apportionate. God is All-knowing, All-wise.

· MMA can be among women who is wedded (with you?)

4:25 Any one of you who has not the affluence to be able to marry believing freewomen in wedlock, let him take believing handmaids that your right hands own; God knows very well your faith; the one of you is as the other. So marry them, with their people's leave, and give them their wages honourably as women in wedlock, not as in licence or taking lovers. But when they are in wedlock, if they commit indecency, they shall be liable to half the chastisement of freewomen. That provision is for those of you who fear fornication; yet it is better for you to be patient. God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

· MMA is not among believing free women

· Marrying MMA will not need much wealth, but wage need to be given as women in wedlock

· MMA is chosen among believing handmaids

· If MMA commits indecency in wedlock, there are liable to half to the chastisement of a freewomen. i.e their status is different compare to a free women

Malakat Aymanukum(MMA) who seek emancipation

24:33 And let those who find not the means to marry be abstinent till God enriches them of His bounty. Those your right hands own who seek emancipation, contract with them accordingly, if you know some good in them; and give them of the wealth of God that He has given you. And constrain not your slave-girls to prostitution, if they desire to live in chastity, that you may seek the chance goods of the present life. Whosoever constrains them, surely God, after their being constrained, is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

· Contract need to be established for MMA who seek emancipation(set free)

A women can also own Malakat Aymanukum(MMA)

24:31 And say to the believing women, that they cast down their eyes' and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment save to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or what their right hands own, or such men as attend them, not having sexual desire, or children who have not yet attained knowledge of women's private parts; nor let them stamp their feet, so that their hidden ornament may be known. And turn all together to God, O you believers; haply so you will prosper.

· MMA is like a family member, where their adornments can be revealed to them.

33:55 There is no fault in the Prophet's wives touching their fathers, their sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, and what their right hands own. And fear you God; surely God is witness of everything.

· The prophet’s wife have MMA

· MMA is like a family member for the prophet and his wife

Treatment to Malakat Aymanukum(MMA)

4:36 Serve God, and associate naught with Him. Be kind to parents, and the near kinsman, and to orphans, and to the needy, and to the neighbour who is of kin, and to the neighbour who is a stranger, and to the companion at your side, and to the traveller, and to that your right hands own. Surely God loves not the proud and boastful

· MMA need to be treated with kindness

Providing provision to Malakat Aymanukum(MMA)

16:71 And God has preferred some of you over others in provision;, but those that were preferred shall not give over their provision to that their right hands possess, so that they may be equal therein. What, and do they deny God's blessing?

30:28 He has struck for you a similitude from yourselves; do you have, among that your right hands own, associates in what We have provided for you so that you are equal in regard to it, you fearing them as you fear each other? So We distinguish the signs for a people who understand.

· Among people who own MMA do not give over their provision to them so that they may be equal

· MMA is not feared

Protecting Private parts

23:6 save from their wives or(aw) what their right hands own then being not blameworthy

70:30 save from their wives or(aw) what their right hands own, then not being blameworthy

· Private parts should be protected except(save) from their wives and MMA

Ask for leave

24:58 O believers, let those your right hands own and those of you who have not reached puberty ask leave of you three times -- before the prayer of dawn, and when you put off your garments at the noon, and after the evening prayer -- three times of nakedness for you. There is no fault in you or them, apart from these, that you go about one to the other. So God makes clear to you the signs; and God is All-knowing, All-wise.

· MMA needs to ask for leave in the three times of nakedness

Summary

My opinion MMA refers to a women who is not a family member, but lives with the family(be it due to casualties of War/spoils of war etc) that is financially dependent on the family. Hence most of the time ill treated.

Some of them want to be independent from the family, hence a contract is to be made with them.

The Man of the family can choose to marry her, but she will still be called Malakat Aymanukum.

Translation: Arberry (red font is mine reflecting on the arabic text)

Where I Can Get...

One of these nostalgic item?

The "M" Word

Math is a scary word for some, however being a result of Malaysian education system and having working in the industry for quite some time have lead me to understand why is it so.

I remember when i was in school many years ago, I never liked math because it seemed just like a puzzle without a purpose. The exercises only yielded useless numbers.

But when Ive started to learn science that invoved mathematical calculations such as physics, I started to see the usefulness in math as a tool to solve science related problems. All the algebra, Pythagoras theorem, calculus finally made sense and seemed intuitive. Before then, they were just puzzles that led to nowhere.

The video above, a presentation by Dan Mayer sums up the problems pretty well. Having teaching maths for form 4 students for 1/2 a year have led me to the same conclusion, the education system have not changed over after 10 years I left school. Having flip-flopping on the language medium used is another issue(but that is a whole different problem alltogether)

Instead of telling the students to memorize formulas for example the constant π (Pi), why not the teachers explain how was the constant π derived, with everyday objects so that students can relate to:

e.g from the number of circumference of the wheel rolling over in the animation below:

On the broader sense, the Malaysian education system which is too exam oriented and obsession of parents wanting their children to get straight "A"s, in order to have an easy adult life, earn big money, have created a workforce that lack of innovation and creativity. This could led to lack of passion in what ever career that they decided to take up.

Imagine you are visiting a doctor who has no passion on what he does but end up being a doctor because his/her parents wanted too. Not a sight for sore eyes!

Approaching the Quran without Preconception

No Man is an Island.. with that in mind, it is a well known fact that when a person reads(with understanding of course!) the Quran, they will have some preconceive idea about what the book its all about, where it originate, to whom it is sent to, what language it is written in and a rough idea when it is written.

However, looking for the provenance of the Quran without any preconception is a different ball-game. If one approaches the Quran without any preconception based on subsequent traditions that follows, one might find that it contains very few clues to help anchor the provenance of the revelation with accuracy.

The reason, in my opinion is that, the Quran is not revealed as a history book. However it is a book, without a doubt, guidance for the God-fearing (2:2), a healing for what in the heart(10:57), and a reminder where humans will be asked upon(by God in the hereafter)(43:44).

The fact that the revelation is in Arabic suggest that they originated somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. We also have reference to camels(7:40), Bedouin(9:90), sand dunes(46:21), desert storms, date-palms(16:67), as well as deities worshiped by the pagan Arabs(53:19-20), seems to bear this out.

A handful of places such as Yatrib(33:13), Becca(3:96), Mecca (48:24),Sacret Valley of Thuwa(79:16) ‘Arafat(2:198), Badr (3:123), Hunain(9:25) and Al-Hijr(15:80) are mentioned by name, without the indication of the precise location. One might add al-Madinah(9:101,9:12, etc) and Umm al-Qura(6:92, 42:7) which means ‘the City ‘ and ‘the Mother of Towns’ respectively. This gives and impression that the name of places is already known by the audience of the Quran.

There two reference to ‘the Kabah’ (5:95 and 5:97) which is also called the Sacred House (5:2, 5:97) and also Ancient House (22:29,22:33). It seems to be identical with ‘the house’ build by Abraham which is in the vicinity of ‘Safa and Marwah’(2:125-128, 2:158). This ‘house’ is definitely near to ‘the inviolable place of worship’(Masjidil Haram), however it is not clear whether the ‘house’ is inside ‘the inviolable place of worship’( 5:2,22:25-26). The idea that ‘the inviolable place of worship’ is in a different but near location to the ‘house’ is that ‘the inviolable place of worship’ is off-limits to the idolaters(9:28) but the audience for the Hajj rites are humankind(22:27) and these rites involves circle around(tawaf) the ‘Ancient House’(22:29) and also it is an obligation for the humans(not only believers) to perform Hajj at the ‘House’(3:97).

The Quran also try to relate stories of some communities in the past as a lesson for the people of intelligence(12:111). Some communities are mentioned more than others. The most often communities are people of Noah, Aad(Hood’s people), Thamud(Saleh’s people), people of Abraham, people of Lot, people of Median(Shu’ayb’s people) and also People of Moses(listed in 22:42-44), and yes they sound familiar for Bible readers as they are Biblical.

Names of people who are alive at the time of revelation are even rarer than names of people from the earlier period. The Quraysh – who are bidden to worship the Lord of the house (106:1-3) is mentioned once. So to Abu Lahab (111:1) about whom we can deduce very little apart from his wealth, his marriage status and being destined to hell fire. Zayd(33:37), who was apparently the adopted son of the messenger who received the revelations.

It is reasonable inference that the messenger was non other than Muhammad. Curiously, however this name occur only four times (3:144, 33:40,47:2,48:29) and it is never used when the word messenger is addressed. There is a good deal of information about the messenger and the opposition that he met, but none of it is very specific. We may glean that he was an orphan (93:6), who had originally been poor (93:8), that he began to receive revelations relatively late in life (10:16), was expelled from his own town(47:13), emigrated and married several women (33:50) but remained without male heir (33:40)

It is an interesting find when search within the Quran on the location of the messenger. The location of the messenger from the Quran ties closely with the stories of Abraham and Lot and the location of the House. Abraham was first to shown the location of the House (22:26). The first House that is build is on a blessed land which is also called Becca(3:96). Abraham and Ishmael was the one who raised up the foundation of the House(2:127), and the House is identified as the location for Hajj(2:158). Abraham left part of his progeny at an uncultivated valley near the sacred House(14:37)

It is known that Lot lives at the same time as Abraham, he believes in what Abraham brought, and emigrate to his Lord, the Noble, the Wise(29:26). Lot was identified as one of Abraham’s progeny (6:83-86), although it is known by Christians and Jewish(and Islamic tradition too!) believes that Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Lot’s settles around a community that turns wicked(29:28-30). Then few messengers(angels) are sent to Lot to warn him but his wife on a catastrophe that will the next morning and he will need to travel away by night(11:81) . Hence when morning comes, Lot’s people are destroyed, the town was turned upside down and was rained with stones of baked clay(15:71-74). Lot’s town location is described to be near upon a road which is still exist (15:75) and the town was left partially standing as a sign(29:35, 51:37).

The messenger seems to walk through the Lot’s town ruins day and night(37:133-138). The only way to pass by the ruins of a people during the day and the night is if you were living in the very same place or extremely nearby. This evidence confirms that the messenger and his companions, during the revelation of the verses, were indeed located at the ancient town of Lot.

Yeah Right!

I just found out that..no matter how hard I practice, I cant say the phrase "Yeah, right" without sounding sarcastic..

Yeah right..

Muse is crack and I am a hopeless addict

Tough song for an acoustic cover but she pull it off

How to dump a Chick in six words or less

Extract from the Article #10 of the Bro Code

How to dump a chick in 6 words or less:
Say this :

1. Maybe try a side salad instead.
2. Cute, you`re growing a mustache too!
3. She looks like a younger you.
4. I will finance a boob-job.
5. Sorry I threw your shoes out.
6. You sister let me do that.