Photosynthesis Song

Photosynthesis Song

The popularity of my previous post – The Nitrogen Cycle Song has convinced me that there is a big market for science-themed songs. So I’ve come up with a little ditty about photosynthesis. Enjoy!

You start with water and carbon with an oxygen pair,

You end with sugar and the oxygen of air.[1]

But the plant has two other needs you have to fill,

It has to have light and chlorophyll.

It happens in little organs called chloroplasts

And you wouldn’t believe how fast.

Plants are busy while I’m making rhymes.

In one second, one step can happen a million times.[2]

Without plants, there’d be no food chain,

Then you couldn’t power your heart and brain.

We’ve got an energy problem we need to fix,

Plants make the power people need – times six.[3]

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

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[1] The general equation for photosynthesis is:

2n CO₂ + 2n H₂A + photons → 2(CH₂O)_n + n O₂ + 2n A

carbon dioxide + electron donor + light energy → carbohydrate + oxygen + oxidized electron donor

[2] The third phase, the electron transport chain and ATP synthesis, takes place on the microsecond (1 microsecond (μs) = 10⁻⁶ s) to millisecond (1 millisecond (ms) = 10⁻³ s) time scale.

[3] The amount of energy trapped by photosynthesis is immense, approximately 100 terawatts which is about six times larger than the power consumption of human civilization.

Companions of Prophet Muhammad (S) – Abu Bakr Siddiq (R)

In a hadith the Holy Prophet (saw) is reported to have said1:

‘Love of Abu Bakr (ra) and gratitude to him are a duty on everyone

of my Ummah’

In a Hadith, Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (1), was witnessed saying, “Love of Abu Bakr, radiallahu ‘anhu (2), and gratitude toward him are duties on everyone of my Ummah. (3)”

Abu Bakr (R)’s real name was Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa. He was born in 573 and died in 634.  He was three years younger than Prophet Muhammad (S).

The Holy Prophet, , told Abu Bakr,  about his revelation at Mount Hira’, he told him that Allâh subhanahu wa ta’ala, has chosen him as His Messenger. When Abu Bakr heard this from the Prophet , he did not stop to think, he at once became a Muslim. He submitted to Islâm with such determination that once the Holy Prophet himself remarked, “I called people to Islâm, everybody thought over it, at least for a while, but this was not the case with Abu Bakr, the moment I put Islâm before him, he accepted it without any hesitation.”

———–

When the Prophet (S) returned from his journey to Heaven, fellow Muslims even doubted what the Prophet was saying. Some people approached the Prophet’s friend, Abu Bakr (R) and said, “Look at what your companion is saying. He says he went to Jerusalem and came back in one night!” Abu Bakr replied, “If Muhammad said it happened, then it must have happened. I believed him when he first talked about Divine Revelation, why should I doubt him now?” This is how Abu Bakr earned the famous title of “As-Siddiq” (the Truthful).

Tabuk was the last expedition of the Holy Prophet. He was keen to make it a great success, he therefore asked people to help the expedition with whatever they could. This brought the best out of Abu Bakr who beat all records as he took all his money and household articles and heaped them at the Prophet’s feet.

“Have you left anything for your children?” asked the Prophet. Abu Bakr then responded with great faith “Allâh and his Messenger are enough for them”. Companions standing around, including Umar, radiallahu ‘anhu (2), were stunned they realized that whatever they do they could not outdo Abu Bakr in the field of service to Islâm.

————

Upon the death of the Prophet (S), there was much confusion and turmoil. Some refused to accept the fact of his death. Abu Bakr (R) famously said, “O people, verily whoever worshipped Muhammad, behold! Muhammad is indeed dead. But whoever worships God, behold! God is alive and will never die.”

—————

A conference of eminent Companions of the Prophet (S) selected Abu Bakr (R) to become the next leader of the Ummah. People started calling him Khalifatullah, the Representative of God. He chastised people for this and insisted they call him Khalifat-u-Rasulullah, the Representative of the Messenger of God.

The Ummah faced many challenges under Abu Bakr (R). One of the most pressing issues was the refusal of some Muslims to pay Zakat, the obligatory poor due, one of the five pillars of Islam. He led a war against these people and brought unity to the Muslims.

The Prophet said, “Abu Bakr does not precede you in anything in the way of prayer or fasting but in a secret rooted deep in his heart.” (Manaqib as-Sahaba of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal)

With regard to prayers, Abu Bakr said, “He who prays five times a day is in the protection of God, and he who is protected by God cannot be harmed by anyone.”

He reportedly said, “Run away from greatness and greatness will follow you.”

(1) This Arabic formula is used for Prophet Muhammad alone, and it means “May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him”

(2) This Arabic formula is used to honor the male Companions of Prophet Muhammad and it means, “May Allah be pleased with him.” A feminine version is used for the wives and female Companions.

(3) An Arabic word meaning “nation” or “community,” that is applied to the global population of Muslims throughout time.

Works Cited

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0061.htm

http://www.alislam.org/topics/khilafat/Hadhrat-Abu-Bakr-20080304MN.pdf

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

http://muslimreverie.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/a-personal-reflection-on-shab-e-miraj/

http://www.islamicweb.com/history/bio_caliphs.htm

http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f20/noble-quotes-hazrat-abu-bakr-saddiq-6335/

Answers to Quiz on Islamic Fiqh

In no particular order, here are three correct answers to the quiz:

1. Offering salat (Islamic prayer)

2. Touching the Quran in book form

3. Making tawaf i.e. walking in a circuit around the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam

(If you said, “reading the Quran,” I might give you partial credit. One can recite the Quran from memory without wudu. One can also read Arabic excerpts from the Quran in other books without wudu. In today’s modern age, one can even read the Quran on a computer screen without wudu. But to read the Quran in its traditional book form or mushaf, one needs wudu.)

What about conversion (or reversion)?

My understanding is that conversion only requires the public recitation of the shahada (testimony of belief), but Allah knows best. Some recommend making wudu either before or after. Some people recommend ghusl (ritual bath, a more thorough washing than wudu). But I have not found any authority who says that conversion requires wudu, and again Allah knows best.

Quiz on Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence)

This is easy. It’s just one question long.

1. Name the three acts which require wudu (ritual washing). Be specific. Do not repeat yourself.

A.___________________________

B.___________________________

C.___________________________

Words and Phrases that Annoy Asad123

-relevancy

There is no reason to use the word “relevancy.” Ever. Use the word “relevance” instead.  Save a syllable.

-irregardless

Here is another word that one should never use. The problem here probably has a fancy grammatical name, but it could just be called “double-dipping.” Like George Costanza dipping his tortilla chip back in the dip after taking a bite, the user of “irregardless” just does not know when to stop. When one wants to describe something that is heedless of something else, one can use either the word, “regardless” or “irrespective.” Both of those words would be correct. However, “irregardless” is never appropriate because it contains a negative prefix, “irr” and a negative suffix, “less,” making the word a double negative. It is as absurd as saying, “I am not not going to school” to mean “I am not going to school.”

-knocked up

This slang construction smacks of crudeness and vulgarity. Say a woman is “pregnant,” “with child” or even has “a bun in the oven.” But never refer to a woman as having been “knocked up.” It conjures images of a guy fiddling absentmindedly with buttons until lo and behold, a woman is suddenly in the family way.

-bling

It seems to me that “bling” is used exclusively by suburban whites who want to sound like urban blacks. If one wants a slang word for diamond, why not use “ice” ? UrbanDictionary is helpful at showing how ridiculous this word is. “The term “Bling Bling” refers to the imaginary ‘sound’ that is produced from light reflected by a diamond.” http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bling

What are some words and phrases that annoy you? Why do they annoy you?

Alhamdulillah (All Praise is due to God)

Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to God)

“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds
The Beneficent, the Merciful,
The Master of the Day of Judgment
You alone do we worship, You alone do we ask for help
Guide us to the Straight Path,
The Path of those whom You favor, not the path of those who are astray.”
Quran (1:1-7)

We praise God for granting us life
We praise God for sustaining us
We praise God for empowering us to bring new life into the world
We praise God for taking our lives
We praise God for returning us to our eternal home.

God is not in need of our praise
He is not in need of our prayers
He is not in need of our charity
We do these acts of praise, prayer, and charity for ourselves and for each other, not because they add anything to the infinite knowledge, infinite wealth, and infinite life of God.

I praise God for my caring, generous, and brilliant family.
I praise God for my education and the knowledgeable, dedicated teachers He put in my life.
I praise God for my health.
I praise God for Islam, and Islam is enough as a blessing.

The Tale of the Plagiarizing Principal

James Caudill

Once upon a time, there was a principal. His name was James Caudill. He was principal at a very old school with an illustrious reputation, Naperville Central High.

Then graduation time came along. Mr. Caudill needed to give a speech. But he had other things to do and no time to write a speech. Then he had a great idea. He remembered that the high school kept an archive of graduation speeches from years past. (By the way, full disclosure – I am an alumnus of Naperville Central. I spoke at my graduation in 2000 and the school asked for a copy of my speech.)  So Mr. Caudill found a speech that he liked, one written by a former student. He decided to use it.

When graduation came along, Mr. Caudill delivered that stolen speech. Someone in the assembled crowd of students, parents, and teachers thought the words sounded oddly familiar. She thought, “Hey, that’s my speech!” She was a teacher at Central now but a few years back, she had been a student at Central.

Mr. Caudill was caught in a brazen act of plagiarism. Now he is no longer principal at Naperville Central. The school district, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 decided to “reassign” him. I hear he now works in 203’s administrative office.

But a little research on the internet revealed an interesting twist to the story. As an employee of a public school district in Illinois, Mr. Caudill’s salary is a matter of public record. His current salary is approximately $138,000. On the other hand, Mr. Wiesbrook, his successor as principal at Central, earns about $114,000 a year.

The moral of the story? Cheaters never prosper – except in Naperville.